Tracey Roberts (Pearce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today I want to talk about the significant progress the Albanese Labor government has made in supporting low-paid workers and ensuring fair wages for all Australians. From the very beginning, this government has made a clear commitment to advocate on behalf of low-paid workers, and the results have been nothing short of outstanding. Over three consecutive Fair Work Commission annual wage reviews, we have seen a remarkable $5.30-per-hour increase in the earnings of full-time award workers. To put it into perspective, that's an extra $200 per week or $10,400 per year. This is a direct result of our government standing up for those who need it most. For full-time minimum wage workers, the increase has been even more substantial. We have overseen a $3.77 per hour boost to the minimum wage, translating to an extra $143 per week or $7,451 per year before tax. This means that, in just over two years, the annual salary for a full-time minimum wage worker has risen from just under $40,000 to just under $48,000.

This is what happens when you have a government that goes in to bat for low-paid workers. When you show up at the commission and advocate for people who are doing it tough, you get results, and we've achieved these wage increases while keeping unemployment at record lows and working to moderate inflation. We understand that people are under pressure, and pay rises are a tangible way that the government is helping. Just imagine how much harder things would be for families if the Liberals had their way and these pay rises never happened. It is worth noting that it took the coalition an entire decade in office to achieve the same increase in the minimum wage that we have delivered in just one term. Why? It's because the previous Liberal and National government never once argued for a rise in the minimum wage. They wanted to keep wages low, and unfortunately that's one of the few promises they actually delivered on. The Liberals want Australians to work longer for less. Labor, on the other hand, wants workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

The wage increases we've seen are a direct result of the advocacy from the Albanese Labor government, but our work doesn't stop there. Our industrial relations changes are also delivering incredible results, with nearly half a million more workers now covered by enterprise agreements and with award workers benefiting from $10,000 pay rises. Our secure jobs, better pay laws are fixing the bargaining system. Just look at the numbers. The Fair Work Commission approved 1,022 enterprise agreements in the first quarter of 2024 alone, covering nearly 365,000 employees—the highest number of employees covered by newly approved agreements in over a decade. Furthermore, the Albanese Labor government has just committed to funding a 15 per cent pay increase for childcare workers over the next two years, fulfilling a commitment to better address the wage inequity for workers in this crucial sector. This initiative has received widespread support from businesses, academics, unions and industry groups alike. For an average worker receiving the award rate, the boost will mean an extra $103 per week being paid by the end of the year, increasing to $155 a week by December 2025. This move is another example of the Albanese Labor government's dedication to ensuring that workers in essential yet historically underpaid sectors receive the recognition and compensation they deserve.

The Liberals voted against our secure jobs, better pay legislation, claiming that our laws would close down Australia, but they were sorely mistaken. Our laws have revitalised the bargaining system, meaning employers and employees are back at the table, negotiating agreements on both sides. As a result, employers are seeing better productivity, workers are getting better pay rises and industrial action has plummeted. In fact, the number of days lost to industrial action was seven times higher in the last quarter of the Morrison government than it is now. On the other hand, the coalition's economic policy was built on low wages. In their final submission to the Annual wage review, they even had a section titled, 'The importance of low-paid work'. They're upfront about wanting to keep wages low and [inaudible] that have now been made. But Labor is different. We are helping Australians with the cost of living. From July 1, we are delivering tax cuts for every Australian taxpayer, $300 in energy bill relief for households, a freeze on the cost of PBS medicines, more funding to build homes and much more. We have already delivered cheaper child care, fee-free TAFE and the biggest investment ever in the expanding of bulk-billing. All this is part of a longer-term economic plan to help Australians right now, bring down inflation and plan for a future made in Australia. We know there's more to do, and that is why we'll keep working hard every single day to deliver for every Australian.

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