Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am honoured to be part in the Raise Our Voice in Parliament campaign. Due to the nature of the Senate, I am delivering this far later than I would have liked. However, I'm excited to finally have the opportunity to share these words from a very special young woman from my community. Raise Our Voice is a fantastic initiative that provides young people from across Australia with the opportunity to engage with political leaders on issues that matter to them. I'm delighted to read out the following speech from Abby from my state of Tasmania—hello, Abbie.

Abbie said: 'My name is Abbie, and I've been a resident of Hobart for 14 years. Over the next decade, I would like to see substantial improvements in junior pay. As a 14-year-old, I'm finally old enough for a job. While researching, I discovered junior pay. Based on information I found on Indeed I discovered the minimum wage for someone under the age of 16 is $8.55 an hour. As of 1 July 2023 the national minimum wage in Australia is $23.23 per hour. That is a $14.68 difference. Now imagine a 21-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl. They are working the same hours and put the same amount of effort in, yet the 21-year-old is paid substantially more. Even by the age of 18, the minimum wage is only $15.87. This is not enough to pay for university or even buy a car. Paying juniors less also effectively encourages discrimination against older workers in the hiring procession. I understand that increasing the junior wage to match the adult pay might lead to employers hiring fewer younger workers. I'm not suggesting a completely equal raise. I just believe that an increase is necessary, as $8.55 is appalling. Thank you for your attention to this matter.'