Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

One of the words that was used in the question, from my recollection, was the word 'extreme'. I will tell you what is extreme. Ten years of wages not moving is extreme. Ten years of Australians going further and further behind—that is extreme! Australian workers knowing right now that they are, in fact, now in real terms, earning less than what they were earning a decade ago. That is extreme. But that was not an accident; that was a deliberate design feature of how those opposite ran the economy. They are onto it. They know the legislation will deal with it because the shadow Treasurer's objection to the legislation is because it will get wages moving. That is his objection to it.

I will tell you what I want with flight routes: I want more Australians to be able to afford to get on a plane. I want Australians to be able to afford some of those discretionary expenses. Those opposite know the title of the bill is what it will deliver and that is what they oppose. They oppose secure jobs. They oppose better pay. We intend to deliver both.

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