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

I'm very pleased to be able to advise the chamber that, under the Albanese government, wages are increasing at a level we have not seen for a very long time—over a decade, in fact. Over the whole decade that the Morrison government was in power, it did not reach the level of wage growth that is occurring in our country. We know that inflation is continuing to have an effect on Australians' cost of living, and that's exactly why we've taken the steps that we have to address the cost of living, such as the ones that Senator Gallagher was talking about: cheaper medicines, cheaper child care, fee-free TAFE places and, most importantly, the energy price relief that the Albanese government delivered late last year, which was opposed by every single member opposite. That's what the Albanese government is doing on the cost of living.

But we recognise that this job is not done, and we recognise that Australians are doing it tough at the moment. That's why we will continue to take action on cost of living, and that's why we'll continue to take action on wage growth as well. Let's not forget that, unlike the coalition government, this government made a submission to the Fair Work Commission supporting a pay rise for aged-care workers. Unlike the former government, this government made a submission supporting a decent increase to the minimum wage, and, of course, late last year, this government, against the opposition of the coalition, passed legislation which was designed to get wages moving again by giving—