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

I thank the member for Pearce both for her question and for her commitment to getting wages moving.

There is some commentary I want to refer to, but it's commentary that agrees that the bill will get wages moving, and it's commentary that came from the Leader of the Opposition and I thank him for it. It was the Leader of the Opposition who said: 'It's going to result in higher wages.' Similar comments were made by the shadow Treasurer, but because they were said on television he doesn't like me quoting them. The principle there, from the Leader of the Opposition, was made very clear: 'It's going to result in higher wages.' That commentary is spot on. When you include gender equality as an objective in the Fair Work Act, then you look at some of the awards that are dealing very much with feminised industries, you're looking at an area where it will get wages moving. The Leader of the Opposition is right.

When you give the Fair Work Commission the power to consider equal remuneration and work value cases in a much more effective way, and you make it easier to run an equal pay case, that will get wages moving. The Leader of the Opposition is right. Giving the Fair Work Commission the expertise to determine pay equity claims—the panels that we're setting up, both on pay equity and on the care and community sector, will improve the expertise on these issues. That is there within the Fair Work Commission. That will result in higher wages. The Leader of the Opposition is right, and I thank him again for his commentary.

Banning pay secrecy clauses will help get wages moving. Pay secrecy clauses have been used as a way to make sure that people don't know what each other is earning. It's a way of putting downward pressure on wages. Getting rid of those pay secrecy clauses will allow people to better know what the going rate at their workplace is. That will result in higher wages. The Leader of the Opposition is right, and I thank him for his commentary.

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