Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the Prime Minister was asked about the government's submission to the review of the minimum wage. Was the reason the Prime Minister failed to answer the question because his submission argued against a fair increase to the minimum wage? Why does the Prime Minister believe that Australia's biggest companies deserve a $50 billion tax hand-out but a worker on $17.70 per hour does not deserve a decent pay rise?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let me quote this:

… the [National Minimum Wage] should be set at a level that provides sufficient incentives for people who are not employed, including those receiving unemployment benefits, to enter work. However, the [National Minimum Wage] should not be set so high as to place undue financial burdens on businesses, discouraging them from employing low skilled workers.

…   …   …

Australia has one of the highest minimum wages in the developed world.

That was not from our submission; that was from the Labor government's submission in 2013. The Labor Party, in government, made one submission after another to the minimum wage annual review. None of those submissions recommended a specific increase in minimum or award classification wages.

We know that many Australians are doing it tough. That is why we are seeking to drive more economic activity. I see the member for Lilley smiling. He made the case for cutting company tax, just as the Leader of the Opposition did, again and again, and they said it will deliver greater investment, greater productivity, greater employment and higher wages. It will put wages into the pockets of workers. The honourable member for Lilley, when he was Treasurer, had it in his budget paper. The logic is still the same; the only thing that has changed is that the Labor Party has disconnected from economics. Just like they disconnected from engineering when it comes to energy, they have completely disconnected from it.

Josh Frydenberg (Kooyong, Liberal Party, Minister for the Environment and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They've got the professor!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My honourable friend behind me refers to 'the professor'. I think he is referring to the member for Fenner. The member for Fenner, again and again, has made the point. Let me read out this good quote from the member for Fenner:

Given that the typical minimum wage worker lives in a middle-income household, it appears unlikely that raising the minimum wage will significantly lower family income inequality.

He will have to be expelled! Of course, that was when he was at the ANU. We have made a responsible submission to the Fair Work Commission. It is consistent with the submissions made by many governments in the past, Labor and Liberal. We put our faith in the independent umpire; so should Labor. They had done for 120 years and they should do so again.