Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It was interesting to sit here and listen to Senator Fawcett blaming the Labor government for the stagnated wages and the challenges we have in cost-of-living pressures in Australia at the moment. Seriously? You spent nine years in government presiding over these things, with an absolutely dedicated policy of suppressing wages—and you have been really clear about that—and you want to blame us? You want to blame the Labor government, after six months, for those pressures? That is just absolutely ridiculous!

So let's be really clear. In six short months we have moved to work on cheaper child care. We have a bill in front of us. We have increased renewable energy and we have a plan for our electricity system into the future that is going to make a difference and is going to improve how we can utilise renewable energy in this country. We have introduced the free TAFE places, to address the skills shortages that we have been stuck with for years now and that are only getting worse. We're also bringing in extra university places to address those same skills shortages. And, as we heard earlier from Senator Gallagher, there has been $32 billion in increased payments, including into the age pension. All of these things are to address cost-of-living pressures and the employment pressures that we have—the skills gap et cetera.

We have also increased the minimum wage—well, we didn't, but we supported and encouraged that occurring. Now we're on the verge of the secure jobs, better pay bill, which will make a difference if those in this chamber will pass it—if they will get behind having wages moving so that people are not struggling under the stagnated wages we saw while they opposition were in government for nine very, very long years. So we are taking action and we are going to make a difference.

The problems we're facing with the secure jobs, better pay bill are, in the main, ones of ideology. I am honoured to sit on the Education and Employment Legislation Committee, which is looking at this bill. Our inquiry has had five days of hearings. Just to be clear, that's more public hearings than for any other workplace relations related bill since the introduction of the Fair Work Act. The committee has heard from employers, unions, the community and small business, and from workers, not-for-profit organisations, the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and the Fair Work Commission, to ensure that each member of the committee has had a chance to unpack the bill and explore the issues. And that is exactly what has happened.

One of the things we're commonly hearing now is that small business are going to struggle and suffer. We're hearing all sorts of outlandish claims about there being strikes from coast to coast. I think that was the comment from Senator Cash. There is nothing in these bills that would see that happen in any environment, but certainly not in the small business area. Even when there was 60 per cent union density, it was never in small business. Small business has never had deep unionisation, and there's nothing in these bills that will change that.

When we go to the other end of the scale, we have the big end of town coming to talk to us, particularly in some of those areas where they're never going to see any impacts from this. Their businesses are in a situation where they have wages settled—they've been bargaining and everything is going nicely. This bill isn't going to change that. This bill is going to get wages moving. It is going to address some of the significant cost-of-living pressures that we in this country are facing, and it is going to give a fair go to workers, not just allow the employers, big or medium, without any morals to keep moving to a low-wage environment. This is about everyone having a go, from the businesses to the employees— (Time expired)