Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's very clear from the questions asked by the opposition and even the Greens today that there's a Victorian election on the horizon. That's a focus for those parties. But, on this side of the chamber, we are focused on delivering cost-of-living relief and higher wages for Australians. That is what we are getting on with this week in parliament. We certainly have a desire to work with state governments. We know, from the answers given by our ministers today, that we are keen to make sure that, no matter which state we're talking about, we are working with states to deliver infrastructure projects—a foreign concept to those over there, who made a sport out of picking sides with state governments and fighting state governments in the last term. But we are interested in working together to deliver jobs and to deliver infrastructure.

It's pretty rich for those opposite to come in here and talk about infrastructure funding and decision-making, because we know that they are the party of the colour coded spreadsheet. Whether it was car park rorts, safety rorts, building rorts or sports rorts, there wasn't a fund that the former government didn't try to rort, using taxpayers' money as Liberal Party money. So we're not going to sit here and cop debate from the other side about decisions on infrastructure funding. We are delivering our election commitments, and we are going to be funding infrastructure and delivering integrity to infrastructure funding. That means funding projects that deliver value for money and jobs for Australians.

In Queensland alone, we are delivering $18.5 billion in infrastructure funding. Before those over there protest about the delivery of that funding, can I say that over half of that investment is in regional Queensland. I couldn't be prouder of the infrastructure commitments that we are delivering. We're doing that in conjunction with the state government because we're working together. In most places, all three levels of government are coming together to deliver these projects.

Those on the opposite side of the chamber have come in here today and accused our government of walking away from promises on cost-of-living relief. I can assure you that we are not doing that at all. We are delivering cost-of-living relief, whether it's cheaper child care or cheaper medicines, but, more importantly, we are also working very hard to deliver real pay rises to hardworking Australians. The party over there is lecturing us about wage growth in high inflation when we know that the Liberal and National parties were the parties of low wages. Literally, in a submission to the Fair Work Commission, they argued the benefit of keeping wages low for low-wage workers. They had a deliberate design feature in their approach to wage growth that tried to keep wages low. And it worked—the facts speak for themselves.

After 10 years, we saw stagnant wages and low wages that didn't keep up with the cost of living. Stagnant wages have an impact on the everyday cost of living and on families and the food that they can put on the table, but they also have an impact on our economy. There's a reason that the economy went backwards under this mob. It's because they refused to understand that lifting wages lifts the economy. We've got a broken bargaining system, and it is clear from every side of this debate, whether it's workers, unions or businesses. It's really hard for those over there to hear those quotes from small and large businesses who acknowledge that the bargaining system is broken and needs to be fixed.

I remind those opposite who raised concerns in their questions today and hopefully will raise them in their speeches in this debate to take note of answers given in question time that, if you are concerned about the wages of Australia's lowest paid workers and making sure that people can keep up with the cost of living, there's a very simple thing that you can do this week or next week in parliament. You can come in here and vote for our secure jobs and better pay bill because it is a bill that will deliver a fairer system, better wages and a better bargaining system. If you want to do that, you can join us in supporting workers—childcare workers, aged-care workers and workers throughout the economy. You stood there and thanked them during the pandemic for all the hard work that they did. Now you've got a chance to thank them by making sure that they have a pay rise that delivers on cost of living. You can do that next week in the Senate.