Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It has been just over half a year since the Australian people elected the Albanese Labor government with a vision for a better future, and we've not wasted a single moment, as others would have heard also in the comments of my good friend and senator for the state of Victoria. One of the government's very first acts after coming into office was to successfully argue for a significant increase to the minimum wage—it was over five per cent—after almost a decade of the former Liberal and National government deliberately keeping wages low. As pressures on global supply chains around the world and increasing interest rates continue to put upward pressure on the cost of living, wage increases ensured that the purchasing power of everyday Australians, mainly our lowest-paid workers, did not slip backwards. For too long the federal government hadn't been in the Fair Work Commission arguing on the side of workers to receive their fair share. In fact, they had been happy to see wages fall in real terms. They famously described low wage growth as a deliberate design feature of their economic architecture.

The real wages of essential workers—those who work in retail stores, those working in hospitality, cleaners, nurses and all those who worked on the frontline during COVID who were working long hours to make sure we all could manage to get to the supermarket and get our food and get our masks and who worked tirelessly throughout the night to ensure we were kept safe and, really, got us through the worst of the pandemic—unfortunately had been slipping for many years under the coalition government. But now these workers finally have a government that is on their side and is going to the independent umpire, arguing on their behalf for increased wages. The Labor government is arguing for a decent wage increase that keeps up with the cost of living, and this is already bearing fruit, with the Fair Work Commission's most recent decision. This is on top of the government's commitment to increase wages for those in the aged-care sector and other sectors that have been underfunded for many, many years.

Wages aren't the only thing that working people are worried about. We are all concerned about retirement outcomes. The most essential ingredient for a successful retirement is a healthy superannuation balance. The Liberals have always been on the wrong side of the super debate, sadly. They have undermined super by endlessly delaying increases in the superannuation guarantee and using it as a fix for their own political problems internally within the coalition. But, in contrast, federal Labor believes in a very strong super system, one that actually works for members and delivers positive returns on behalf of working Australians. We know that super plays an important role in our economy and is essential to ensuring positive retirement outcomes for working families. So it was very positive to see a permanent increase in the superannuation guarantee from 10 per cent to 10½ per cent. What does this mean? It means, for the average worker, they will see around an extra $15,000 when they come to retire. That's a very significant increase for millions of Australians.

Another major focus of our government has been repairing and improving our international relationships. It was only three days after the federal election that the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, was representing Australia at the Quad Leaders Summit, setting our commitment to Liberal democratic values and a free, open and resilient Indo-Pacific, especially with the issues we have had to deal with over the last little while with respect to China and other issues. We recognise the fact that it is in the mutual interest of nations that are committed to democracy to collaborate in multinational and multilateral bodies like the Quad. It was very important for the Prime Minister to represent our country at that meeting.

Our involvement in these bodies does not in any way dilute or compromise Australian values. Rather, it engages the international community. That is, as I said, the responsible way to assert and protect our values, which we have fought so hard for in the region. I have been particular pleased to make contributions to these efforts as the newly elected chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee. I am very passionate about ensuring our values are protected and asserted on the world stage. I look forward to continue to work with all my colleagues on the committee in Australia's national interest.

Australia has a proud history of standing up for our own backyard, particularly with the international threats of China and the issues around the Taiwan Strait but also those closer to home in the Pacific. We are re-engaging in with our Pacific island friends and putting out a hand and seeing what support we can offer them after these troubling times over the course of COVID. We're assisting our Pacific neighbours where possible. I think it's fair to say that we have been greeted with open arms and a change of attitude towards how they see Australia on the international stage. We have to get right to work on repairing those relationships through not just direct engagement but also policy shifts that are in the interests of both Australia and our Pacific family.

Our international efforts go beyond the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Albanese attended the NATO summit and also took up President Zelenskyy's offer to visit Ukraine. There, the Prime Minister witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of Russia's illegal invasion and announced additional military support, including more Bushmasters, made down in Bendigo in my home state, Victoria. Just as we did in opposition, our government condemns Russia's invasion and will continue to support the Ukrainian defence effort.

We're also following through on our election commitment to stronger action on climate change, investing in new technologies and legislating a sensible target to ensure that we do meet not just business and community expectations but expectations right across the world. Businesses have been desperate for almost a decade to have some certainty as well—certainty to ensure that they can also invest in newer technologies to tackle climate change and create high-paying jobs in this country. It was clear that the country needed a change in climate policy direction, and the National Farmers Federation and the Business Council of Australia have both welcomed our Powering Australia plan. This desire for change was clearly evident in the election result back in May of last year.

Labor's plan for economic opportunities across regional Australia acknowledges the contribution that farmers are already making towards our climate goals, and I do hope that all senators recognise the urgent need for policy certainty in this space and support the Albanese government's efforts to reduce our emissions and create these new jobs, with a particular focus on the regions. It is very important that we do support our regions.

The consequences of the coalition's policy failures in this area have never been more obvious than in the energy crisis that hit Australia in early June of last year. Our ageing transmission grid simply could not get renewable energy, grow it in abundance and reduce it in price every day to get it to where it needs to be today. Especially with the uptake of new technologies and cars, particularly with vehicles using electricity, it is important that we start to upgrade our electrical grid right across the country to ensure that we can supply that bandwidth of energy that's needed.

The Liberals and Nationals are also not very good at announcing their energy policies. When they did, they had a lot of practice in changing their minds on many, many occasions. Their dismal failure was in delivery: they announced a lot of ideas, but, when it came to delivery, there was nothing more than a media release. I'll give one example. There were $1 billion of energy projects that never generated power at all and oversaw four gigawatts of power leaving the energy market while only one gigawatt actually came online. We ultimately had a deficit of around three gigawatts.

But we are getting on with the job and fixing this mess. It's clearer than ever that our plan to upgrade the energy grid is essential. Senators should recognise this and support the government in its efforts to clean up this mess. Early last year I spent a bit of time in the Senate talking about how Australia also needs to rebuild its domestic manufacturing capabilities, something that I think has been neglected for some time. The global uncertainty dominated the headlines for some time, but it certainly put on the table and exposed our supply chains that were lacking investment and lacking vision. You could actually feel the impact, especially when people were rushing to go to the supermarket in order to get goods and services.

Despite the devastating impact that was felt around the nation during COVID, there have also been moments of great opportunity. One part of our economy where the greatest opportunity has been experienced is agriculture. I've spoken quite a bit about agriculture and the resilience of the ag industry in this place. Australia's agriculture industry adapted above expectations. Despite arbitrary tariffs and restrictions on goods that we saw from overseas, such as on beef, wine and barley, producers have shown time and time again a strong ability to diversify their export destinations and establish routes in new markets. I really do want to take my hat off to all those who were involved.

The other side of the ag equation, the inputs that are required to produce all the goods that we are exporting, is not nearly as diversified and had not received nearly as much attention from the previous government. I think there are attempts here to at least try and rectify some of those. I'm not trying to lay the blame squarely at the last government but I do think that—