Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. It is a serious question. The government's submission to the minimum wage review states:

… low-paid workers are more likely to be young, female, single or without children.

It then argues why minimum-wage workers should not get a fair increase in pay. As a matter of government policy, is the government telling Australians, 'Don't be young, don't be female, don't be single and don't have children?'

Mr Frydenberg interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for the Environment and Energy will cease interjecting.

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

The member for Gorton had a preface. He said, 'This is a serious question'—presumably unlike most of the others he asks—but yet again he demonstrated that it was not. The government submission to the Fair Work Commission, consistent with government submissions in the past, puts the economic context before the Fair Work Commission and respects its wisdom and its position as the independent umpire. The key paragraph states:

The Government submits that the Panel should take a cautious approach, taking into account the uncertain economic outlook and the need to boost employment and job creation, particularly for young people and the low-skilled—

the honourable member might note that—

The minimum wage and award classification wages are only part of Australia's comprehensive safety net of workplace relations policies, public services and transfer payments.

Which is all very straightforward. It is a responsible submission—as opposed to the claim by the secretary of the ACTU who, at a time when wage growth is around 1.9 per cent, is calling for a 7½ per cent increase in the minimum wage.

The important thing, as honourable members know, is the Fair Work Commission has to balance the need to provide an increase in the minimum wage to reflect the rising cost of living and other factors but also recognise that, if the minimum wage is set too high, it will be a barrier to people, particularly young people, getting employment. As to the point that he referred to about a large number of people on near-minimum wages being unmarried and young, and female in fact, that is a statistical fact. It is one actually referred to at some length by the member for Fenner in the article I quoted from a moment ago, published in 2007.