Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to invite the Prime Minister to come and visit the electorate of Lalor, and to suggest that he bring the Minister for Women, Senator Cash, with him, so that the next time he is on a train between Spencer Street station and Geelong he gets off at Wyndham Vale or Tarneit station and goes for a bit of a wander around my electorate, because I think I have identified his problem: the problem for this Prime Minister is that he is in an alternative universe to the one the rest of us live in—certainly the one that families in my electorate live in.

Yesterday the Prime Minister failed to answer questions about what was in the government's submission to the Fair Work Commission on an increase to the minimum wage. This morning we know why. We know why those questions were not answered yesterday. It appears that someone forgot to read the draft and actually submitted something that someone wrote as a joke. The submission argues that an increase in the minimum wage will not do anything to address the gender pay gap in this country—that a pay rise for the lowest paid in this country, of whom the majority are women, will do nothing to reduce the gender pay gap. It is absolutely illogical.

The government argued that those earning the minimum wage are young, female and childless and come from wealthy families. What on earth has coming from a wealthy family got to do with what you should be paid for a fair day's work? It is beyond belief that this should be an argument put by this government. And I am only picking out a few things to discuss about this submission—this draft submission, I would suggest. Nothing I have heard in my 3½ years here demonstrates more for me how out of touch this government is with the real world.

Clearly there is a view held by some in this house that every Australian is born into a strong nuclear family, where dad has at least a master’s degree, or is running his very own successful business and is on a good salary, where mum works part-time to keep busy and bring in a bit of pocket money, and where, when the children grow to be teenagers, they might get a nice little job, a nice little earner, to save for their trip to Europe. Well, I do not begrudge wealth. I hope the children who are able to do that have a great gap year. I hope they have a great time—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 12:48 to 13 : 00

Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Vocational Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the member for Lalor in continuation.

Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. If the Prime Minister were to take up the opportunity I have offered, I would take him to visit families in the electorate of Lalor, families who in some suburbs are on an average income of $52,000 a year—for the household. I would introduce him to some people who he may not notice cleaning his office during the day, but who have cleaning positions across my electorate, and I would let him sit face to face with them to hear about what is required in the minimum wage. I would sit with him while he spoke to people who are struggling with the rise in healthcare costs and who are struggling with the rise in electricity prices; the rise in electricity prices that the Prime Minister likes to talk about a lot but then—in this submission—demonstrates that he does not understand the impact of that rise—or that he does not want to put more money in the pockets of those who work for the least in this country.

As I have said, for those who live in ideal, nuclear families on high incomes, whose children put their pocket money away to go overseas: I hope they enjoy the trip. But that is not the reality for many, many people in my electorate, nor across this country. Their failure to recognise their privilege is dangerous, because they are ignoring the reality for the many middle- and working-class Australian families that many of us in this place represent. I am reminded this morning that this should not be a surprise, although it is. It is a surprise that this submission could have gone forward. It takes me back to the coalition's notions that poor people don't drive cars; that young people should get good parents; or—the newest version—that if you are female and single and want to have a family, you should find yourself a rich husband, Deputy Speaker! I will finish on something I learnt very young, when my father passed away: sometimes blokes die. Women deserve the ability to put a roof over their heads, pay the bills and raise their children.