Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Unlike the opposition, this government does care about young people. It has a minister in place with programs for young people, and the best thing that we have already done, in the short time that we have been in power, for young people is to ensure that they got an increase to the minimum wage, because of the sheer number of young workers who are on the minimum wage—something that the opposition consistently refused to do. Remember how low wages were a deliberate design feature of the Australian economy under this mob? No wonder they lost the election, and no wonder young voters refused to vote for them in droves.

There are two ways that you can deal with cost of living. One way is by bringing down costs—and that is what we fully intend to do with the promises that we have put in place. The second way you can do it is by lifting wages. And everyone knows that will only happen under a Labor government; it will never happen under you mob.