Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Community Services. How is the government making sure that some of our lowest paid workers in the social and community services sector are treated with fairness and justice in light of Fair Work Australia's historic equal pay ruling?

Ms O'Dwyer interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Higgins is warned!

Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Community Services ) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Greenway for her very important question. I was really pleased this morning to introduce legislation into this place to ensure our contribution of $2.8 billion to fund pay increases for social and community services sector workers, as determined by Fair Work Australia, is secure for now and into the future. This government is creating the Social and Community Services Pay Equity Special Account to deliver certainty to these workers and to the sector.

We know these workers are some of the lowest paid in Australia, and many of us are aware of the great work that they do as dedicated professionals, carrying out work in our communities every single day. They help women and children in refuges. They run support centres for people with disabilities. They lead teams of counselling professionals, manage family support programs and deliver emergency housing to those experiencing homelessness or mental illness.

We know that, for too long, this important work has been undervalued, and that is because it has been seen as a caring role, primarily women's work. That was until Fair Work Australia's historic equal remuneration order earlier this year. The government made a joint submission with the unions to Fair Work Australia in support of better pay and to address the gender pay gap in this sector. This ruling on equal pay was very significant, particularly for women, because 120,000 of the 150,000 workers covered by this order are women. This government really wants to ensure that these workers and their proper award are secure. From December of this year, the workers will receive increases—in nine instalments over eight years—of between 23 and 45 per cent.

The process of supplementing payments to the sector has been carried out in close cooperation and full disclosure with both the sector and the unions, and I want to thank both of them for their important work throughout this process. I know they have worked cooperatively with the government and with many government agencies over many months, and we have held roundtables in every state and territory with more than 500 sector representatives. The government have also set up a dedicated website to provide updates on this process.

Supplementation will be delivered through funding drawn down from the special account by eight Commonwealth agencies, and we have made this process as fair and transparent as we can. State governments will also receive funding through this special account, and we want to continue to work with the states and territories to ensure that these workers receive those pay rises and that this historic decision by Fair Work Australia is implemented.

The government's $2.8 billion contribution is fully funded and accounted for in our budget, and this special account shows our commitment to the services, to the sector and, of course, to closing the gender pay gap.

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call for the next question, I want to recognise students from the electorate of Gellibrand who are here in the gallery today. I would not normally do this but I had to stand them up today because of the events transpiring. I welcome them into the gallery.