Laura Smyth (La Trobe, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Community Services, Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development and Minister for the Status of Women. What is the government doing to support low-paid working people?

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

I thank the member for La Trobe for her question. I know the member for La Trobe understands that this government has set aside almost $3 billion to meet our fair share of the social and community services equal pay decision. This investment today is delivering certainty not only to those workers affected by this decision but also to the community service organisations that employ them.

We know that these workers are some of the lowest paid in Australia. Many of us—including the member for La Trobe—are aware of the dedicated work that these professionals do, day in and day out, in their local communities. But for far too long this work has been undervalued, and for far too long it has been seen as women's work. As a result the community sector has been underpaid. This government has been working hard to turn this around.

Fair Work Australia's historic equal remuneration order last year means that social and community service workers right across Australia are already getting paid more. Indeed, their salaries were increased from 1 December last year. These wage increases will lift the salaries of workers in this sector by between 23 and 45 per cent over the eight years of this decision. We know that the social and community service workers in this industry are predominantly female, and 120,000 of the 150,000 workers in this area are women. We know that this is a long-overdue victory for the community sector, and a significant advance for the equal pay of women.

This government wants to ensure that Australian social and community service workers have their proper reward secured now and into the future, and that is why this government has already met its obligations to its own funded programs.

But I would like to update the House on progress on agreements with the states and territories, particularly those that fund the workers under the national agreements. Last month South Australia accepted the Commonwealth's offer, and I am pleased to advise that this week the Australian Capital Territory has also accepted the Commonwealth's offer. These agreements represent the Commonwealth's fair share of these pay rises and include conditions specifically focused to ensure that this money flows directly to the workers. I strongly encourage the remaining states and territories to follow the lead of South Australia and the ACT.

These reforms are part of this government's vision for a stronger, smarter and fairer Australia, but it is a far cry from what is on offer from those opposite. Indeed, we have seen it in Queensland. The Campbell Newman government has already taken an axe to community service workers in Queensland. We should be very clear that what we are seeing in Queensland is what we will get from those opposite. The Australian people have a clear choice between this government's stronger, smarter and fairer Australia and what those opposite are offering.