Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak in response to the Governor-General's address at the opening of this 47th Parliament. Given the importance of the ongoing process of reconciliation in that address and to our own government's agenda, I'd first like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land that we're meeting on today and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. I also want to extend my respect to the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people, the traditional owners of the land on which I live and work in my home state of Victoria. I remind the chamber that it was the Rudd Labor government back in 2008 that invited traditional owners to first hold such a welcome to country ceremony as we are so often now accustomed to participating in here in this parliament. On that very same day, it was the Rudd Labor government that delivered the national apology to First Nations people. Both were important steps in the long march towards reconciliation, and under the Albanese Labor government, we will take another significant step towards reconciliation by implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full. It's a statement that invites us to walk alongside First Nations people in a movement for a better future—a future that calls for a voice, for treaty and for truth.

This year, a referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice will occur, and it's about two things: recognition and consultation. The Voice will empower First Nations people, because, for too long, decisions have been made about First Nations communities and not with them.

I'm proud that, in my home state of Victoria, the Andrews Labor government is well underway in our own treaty and truth-telling process. The Australian people will have the opportunity to embrace the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart under our government—a process that we can all engage with as we move forward together.

The federal election in May last year offered Australians a real choice. It was a choice between more of the same from those opposite, or a change of direction with an Albanese Labor government—a Labor government committed to delivering a better future for all Australians. Back then the people made their choice, and now we are getting on with delivering that future. We are tackling the big challenges that we face with the mix of urgency and steadiness characteristic of our team. We're taking real action on climate change. We're repairing our international reputation and strengthening relationships with our Pacific family. We're getting on with the job of rebuilding Australian manufacturing by establishing the National Reconstruction Fund. We're strengthening our Medicare system to ensure access for all. We're putting transparency, integrity and compassion back into politics, and we're facing the cost-of-living crisis and the inflation pressure head on.

In my first speech, I spoke about the jobs crisis that we face in this country. I spoke about a crisis of low and stagnant wages and rising job insecurity—a crisis that the former government not only refused to address, but celebrated as a deliberate design feature of their economic plan. I said back then that we needed to change direction, and we have. I said at the time that we needed government to get back in the driver's seat and back to work, and I'm proud that the Albanese Labor government is doing just that.

We've put good, secure jobs at the centre of our plan for a better future. We've put determination to deliver at the heart of our government, starting with successfully advocating for a real pay rise for Australia's lowest-paid workers. In doing this, we brought together unions, employers, community groups and governments to map the path forward to delivering secure, well-paid jobs and strong sustainable wages growth, allowing Australians to not just keep their heads above water but to actually thrive and flourish.

We know that the Australians who sent us here are counting on us, so we're bringing our connection with Australian workers and the struggles they face right onto the floor of this parliament. We're bringing their stories and their determination for a better life to the heart of our government—stories of the hope to earn enough to be free from worry; stories of the need for more security, to buy a home and to plan for the future; stories of the belief that, in Australia, of all countries, a fair day's work for a fair day's pay is never too much to ask.

We will always stand up for the women workers of Australia and we will always stand up for women to be safe at work, and at home and everywhere. It's why we've legislated 10 paid days of domestic and family violence leave, as I had the privilege to speak about in the chamber yesterday after what I can only describe as a truly remarkable and inspirational speech from my colleague representing the Northern Territory, Malarndirri McCarthy, about the challenges of family violence in her community.

Because we want to stand up for women being safe everywhere, paid domestic and family violence leave is in place in this country today, and it's a policy that will save lives. Because we want to stand up for the women of Australia, we put gender equality at the heart of our industrial relations system. We've made it an objective of the secure jobs, better pay bill that passed the parliament last year. It's why we've introduced, just now, in this sitting, the workplace gender equality bill, spearheaded by the Minister for Women, who's also the Minister for Finance, Minister Gallagher. We will not ignore the women of Australia. We have never ignored their pain or their protests, and we have not shut them out of our own party. Indeed, we are proudly a government with women on 52 per cent of our benches. We are here to listen to the women of Australia, and we will.

We'll also fight for good, secure jobs in manufacturing, as we are doing right now with the passage of the National Reconstruction Fund bill through the parliament. My home state of Victoria is the heartland of Australian manufacturing, and it's something that we Victorians are really proud of. Victorians, and all Australians, want us to make more of what we need right here at home. Australians want to be proud that we can stand on our own two feet, and they want a government that invests in industry—industry that can deliver the quality jobs of the future, jobs that Australians can count on. So I'm proud to be here as part of an Albanese Labor government that has hit the ground running and that's prioritised rebuilding Australian manufacturing.

The contrast couldn't be clearer with the previous government when it comes to Australia's manufacturing industries and our sovereign capability. The previous government pushed the car industry off a cliff, they failed to seize the opportunity of an Australian-made path to emissions reductions and they failed to prioritise Australian medical manufacturers, even during the pandemic crisis. They sat back while thousands of manufacturing jobs were lost every year. Our government's vision for a better future is one that is made right here in Australia, and our flagship legislation to achieve that will establish the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. We on the government benches know that this reform will support our communities by creating good, secure jobs that are well paid in our manufacturing industries. At the same time, we will be able to diversify and grow our economy, and ensure our supply chains and our sovereign capability.

By putting Australian manufacturers first, we'll ensure that our path towards net zero emissions is one that actually creates Australian jobs, because there is a global race on to seize the opportunities of a renewable energy future. But we all remember how the former government felt about races. Instead of putting Australia at the front of this global race, they wasted nearly a decade. The former government was just too divided to agree on the science of climate change and the solutions that we need to put in place to embrace a renewable energy future. They were too busy fighting each other to step up and lead, and, instead, they've left us behind the rest of the pack.

But what we, as the Albanese Labor government, know is that our country and our region are facing the worst of this climate emergency. We know that Australia has the chance to become a renewable energy superpower, and we know that Australians, more than anything, just want us to get on with it. They want an end to the climate wars, and it's why we legislated our emissions reduction targets of 43 per cent by 2030 and net zero by 2050. And it's why we're getting on with creating new jobs in the industries of the future, like wind, solar and battery manufacturing, with announcements focused on the battery industry made by Minister Husic just this week. These are jobs that are important in my home state of Victoria, where we're building offshore wind in Gippsland in partnership with the Victorian state government. The Albanese government have a plan to deliver more jobs, more opportunities and more economic growth for our country while we also play our part to act on the world's climate emergency.

We're also getting on with the job of delivering meaningful investments that maximise economic impact and meet community needs. We understand that the cost of living is hitting Australians hard, and our economic plan is a direct and deliberate response to the challenges facing the economy, most notably the cost of living. That's why one of the very first acts of this government was to successfully argue for the minimum wage to keep pace with inflation, an outcome which helped around 2.7 million Australians keep their head above water. Our October budget focused on cost-of-living relief that didn't put any extra pressure on inflation. That was the critical objective of our October budget. That calm and sensible approach was noted by ratings agencies. In affirming our AAA credit rating they actually pointed to the fact that our budget did not add to inflation pressure as a factor in their decision-making.

We are delivering more affordable housing, including through the new National Housing Accord. We're making child care cheaper and expanding Paid Parental Leave. We're delivering 180,000 fee-free TAFE places in 2023. We're making medicines cheaper. We were the first government ever to reduce the PBS co-payment. This will mean that the maximum Australians will have to pay for essential medicines on the PBS is $30, saving around $300 a year for the average person and ensuring that no-one has to miss filling a script because they just can't afford the medications they need. Pensions, allowances and rent assistance are all increasing in line with inflation. We've also bought in the new pensioner work bonus so that older Australians can keep more of what they earn without affecting their pension. And we're proud to be getting wages moving again.

Over the past three years we have taken the time to listen to Australians, and we've been able to bring the stories of Australians right to the heart of our new government. We've heard their stories of hope for a better future. We've heard their stories of the need for more security in their jobs and in their lives. We've heard the belief of Australians that we can be better together, and we share that belief and we're fighting for it. We have a hope for a better future for our next generation. We know people need security to plan their lives. We know that together we can build a more caring society and one that is strong, diverse and builds people up, not leaves them behind.