Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for the question. The focus on wages has been to make sure that, after a decade of wage stagnation, we get wages moving again. Also, importantly, we know that, if you earn more and keep more of what you earn, you can deal with some of the cost-of-living pressures that we've been seeing, so it's been an important part of our cost-of-living agenda. We know that those opposite like to keep particularly those on minimum wages down low. We know they had that section in their submission to the Fair Work Commission. But now, after going to the Fair Work Commission, we are arguing for better wage outcomes for minimum wage workers, including women, and tackling those undervalued and underpaid industries, like early childhood education and aged care. The can could have been kicked down the road, but it was more important that we make that responsible investment in the budget so that we can show that women in those highly feminised industries should get better pay and be better valued for the work that they do.