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

Senator Grogan, I know you have a very long record in standing up for the interests of workers. It's great to see you've continued that work since you have been here in the Senate.

The Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 delivers on the Albanese government's commitment to a fairer workplace relations system that provides Australians with job security, gender equality and sustainable wage growth. For nearly 10 years wages were kept low by the coalition as a deliberate design feature of their management of the economy. None of us will ever forget that infamous interview with former senator Mathias Cormann where he belled the cat on the economic policy of this government and its desire to keep wages low. In contrast, the Albanese Labor government are taking action to improve workplace conditions, wages and job security by implementing our election commitments and outcomes from the Jobs and Skills Summit, which brought employers, unions and the community together in a way we had never seen under the former government.

The truth is that the current workplace relations system is not working well for workers or for employers and it is not fit to meet our economy's current challenges. In particular, the bargaining system is broken. We've all heard over recent weeks members of the opposition, particularly Senator Cash, say that what we are proposing to do is terrible and will make the sky fall in and have all these kinds of consequences. If we don't make changes to Australia's bargaining system, if we persist with the regime that was in place under the coalition, the one thing I can guarantee is the same outcome—low wages and low productivity—well into the future. The current system, presided over by the coalition, is not delivering the fairness, gender equality or economic growth Australia needs and that Australian workers deserve. The bill aims to tackle insecure work, gender inequality and flatlining wages.

As to why this bill is urgent, Australian workers have waited long enough. They've been waiting a very long time for a decent pay rise and for wages to keep up with and help them with the cost of living. We are going to do something about it. (Time expired)