Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese government hasn't wasted a second on its first six months in power. A cracking pace has been set, with about 30 bills passed through parliament under our government. We have also delivered a responsible budget, and returned civility and stability to parliament. There have been several milestone pieces of legislation which particularly stand out for me. All of them a tick boxes against issues people in my electorate of Corangamite raised with me in the months leading up to the federal election. All of them deliver against election commitments. The Albanese government takes seriously its commitments to the Australian people.

An especially a proud achievement for the Albanese government has been making workplaces safer from sexual harassment. The passage of the anti-discrimination and human rights Respect@Work legislation will have profound benefits for many people—mainly women—right across the nation. Sexual harassment is not inevitable; it is preventable. Now we have legislation that progresses gender equality by ensuring women are able to earn a living in safe, sexual-harassment-free workplaces. The legislation follows the recommendations of Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins, a task left unfinished in the former coalition government. Among other reforms, the new laws place positive duties on employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation. It also strengthens the Australian Human Rights Commission with new functions to assess and enforce compliance. Over the past five years, one in three people experienced sexual harassment at work, with women experiencing higher rates of harassment than men. The Respect@Work legislation ensures everyone has the right to a safe and respectful workplace. T fact that workplaces have not been safe or respectful for so many Australians is unacceptable. This is a government that listens to women and acts.

Another early achievement of the Albanese government was the landmark climate change legislation. It ensures Australia's emissions reduction target of 43 per cent and net-zero emissions by 2050. For almost a decade under coalition governments, Australia stumbled from one policy to another, and our economy and communities missed out on billions of dollars in public and private clean energy investment. This much-overdue legislation provides the energy policy and investment certainty needed to foster economic growth and opportunity in a decarbonising global economy. The legislation ensures a whole-of-government approach to driving down emissions and accountability through an annual update to parliament. How refreshing will that be?

Although it is yet to pass through parliament, the establishment of a National Anti-Corruption Commission will deliver a core commitment to the people of Australia. We said we would tackle corruption and restore trust and integrity in federal politics. Where the Morrison government failed to act, the Albanese government is acting. We are creating a powerful, transparent and independent body to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the entire federal public sector. As a former journalist, I am pleased to say the legislation will also provide strong protections for whistleblowers and exemptions for journalists to protect the identity of sources.

The Albanese government is also moving to legislate for secure jobs and better pay for Australian workers. For nearly 10 years wages were kept low as a deliberate design feature of the previous government's management of the economy. Insecure work was encouraged, with no regard to households crying out for security. Labor's bill, currently before parliament, is about making a choice—a choice to get wages moving and end the era of deliberate waged stagnation. It's a choice to act to close the gender pay gap and take long-overdue steps to put gender equity at the heart of our workplace laws.

We have already increased the minimum wage and secured a 15 per cent wage rise for aged-care workers. It will take time for this bill to result in improvements in workplaces and pay increases in the pockets of Australians, so we cannot waste a moment in passing it. Cheaper child care, cutting the cost of medicines and expanding parental leave are other significant reforms. Few new governments have achieved as much in such a relatively short time as the Albanese government, but there is so much more to do. The next parliamentary year will be just as busy. The people of my electorate of Corangamite and people right across the nation can be assured that we are doing our best. (Time expired)

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