Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ruston for her first supplementary question. You have got a cheek, Senator Ruston, for asking that question. When did these shortages start? They started under your government, and, like so many things that we've inherited from the former government, we are left with the problem of fixing it up. One way we can fix this problem is by increasing the status of work in this very important area.

How have we done that? Well, we've said to the workers in this industry, 'We're going to give you a wage rise.' Hopefully, that will start the process of restoring the status of workers in this industry and giving them a fair deal.