Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Why have Australian wages been stagnant for nearly a decade? What is the Albanese Labor government doing to get wages moving?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Chisholm for the question—somebody who, before she came here, was fighting for people's wages to get moving and continues that fight now she's here as a member in parliament. We're delivering this week on exactly what we said we'd do, which was that we would get wages moving after a decade where they had been kept deliberately low. When those opposite, and anyone, want to talk about cost of living, cost of living deals with both prices and wages. When wages are stagnant, people don't have a chance of being able to keep up.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barker will cease interjecting and is warned.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The first action when this government was elected was to put in a submission to the Annual Wage Review. Those opposite were outraged during the election campaign when then Leader of the Opposition Albanese answered with that one word 'absolutely', as to whether he would support pay rises for the lowest paid. Those opposite couldn't even bring themselves to support a $1-an-hour increase for the lowest paid. They said it would be economy wrecking. They said it would be a disaster. They said, 'Leave it to the experts.' What did the experts say after the government had put in a submission? They agreed and said, 'Absolutely,' as well.

This week we will introduce the Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill. We will ensure that we get wages moving for people who rely on the bargaining system as well. Enterprise bargaining has always been the best way to both get wages moving and get productivity outcomes. Those opposite don't want bargaining. Those opposite don't want to see wages get moving. Why? For them, it's always been a deliberate design feature to keep wages low.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Barker is on a warning.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They haven't read the legislation yet. The only words of the legislation they're sure of are the name—'Secure jobs, better pay'—and that was enough for the Leader of the Opposition to say: 'Vote against it. You can't have that.' 'Secure jobs, better pay' was enough for it to be vetoed. At least they're being consistent: in opposition, they are intending to do exactly what they did in government, which is to suppress wages, try to prevent wages from going forward and try to prevent improvements in people's pay. The Leader of the Opposition had a moment of clarity when he said, with reference to the government, 'They've been elected to make a bad situation better.' He's right: they left us with a bad situation. He's right: wage stagnation for a decade has been a terrible outcome for households. This government is determined to make that better and, if those opposite don't support secure jobs or better pay, they should continue on their current course.