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

the most for any new government on record. After a decade of low wages being a deliberate design feature from people like Senator Cash, the Albanese government is ensuring that every single one of those workers is being paid accordingly. Thanks to long-overdue reforms, wages are finally moving again under the Albanese government. Employers are back at the bargaining table, thanks to last year's secure jobs, better pay reforms. However, loopholes still remain within the Fair Work Act that undermine worker pay and conditions—again, loopholes that existed under legislation we inherited from Senator Cash and the opposition.

The first loophole is that, if a worker steals from an employer, it is a crime, as it should be; however, if an employer quite deliberately steals from their worker, in most places in Australia it is not a crime. The Albanese government is closing this loophole by criminalising wage theft. The second loophole was the idea of the forced permanent casual worker. We're standing up for casual workers by giving those who are working like they are permanent a chance to convert to permanent employment. We'll see how much the opposition cares about workers and cost of living when it comes to a vote.