Tony Sheldon (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

We on this side actually support Middle Australia, and I'm going to start by talking about those fellow travellers that I think the previous speaker was referring to. Under the Liberals and the Nationals, annual real wages fell by 3.4 per cent and went backwards in the five quarters leading up to the election in 2022. Millions of Australians, those fellow travellers, were ambushed by the economic policies that the Liberal and the National parties took to the last election, which for 10 years led to record hopeless wage growth. People were seeing Middle Australia shrinking. Under this government, real wages grew by 0.7 per cent in the year to the June quarter 2024, which is the fourth consecutive quarter of annual real wage growth. Yes, millions of Middle Australians—all those fellow travellers, all those people the Australian Labor Party see as absolutely critical parts of the Australian community that we represent—have got real wages growth under this government, whilst wages declined under the previous government.

Then we've got to look at some of the views about these issues of wage growth and the fact that minimum wage is increasing. For example, Mr Joyce, the member for New England, told Channel 7 in March that Labor's move to increase the minimum wage was 'window dressing'. People are receiving thousands of dollars extra a year in income, and it's simply referred to as 'window dressing'.

The latest data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the national gender pay gap fell from 14.1 per cent in May 2022 to 11.5 per cent in August 2024. That's an 18.4 per cent decrease within one term of the record-low gender pay gap decrease. That's the decrease that we saw happen under this government. For all those fellow travellers, all those women who have received pay equity and who are getting closer to pay equity—and there's still further to go—that's not window dressing. They're not the fellow travellers that those opposite think are important. The Australian public, Middle Australia and all those women that have received the benefit of the policies put forward by this government are critical to making sure that we have a fairer country.

Of course, the government supported the Fair Work Commission's work value pay cases, funding aged-care workers to receive a 15 per cent wage increase in 2023. The Liberals and Nationals opposed this.

This week, we're looking to pass legislation to provide a 15 per cent rise for up to 200,000 workers in the early childhood education and care sector. Are they fellow travellers? They are for the Australian Labor Party, because that's hundreds and tens of thousands of women in a feminised industry that will now receive the pay justice that every Australian deserves. Of course, this government want to see more money in their pockets and more money in the pockets of families. The Liberals and Nationals voted against the bargaining legislation that made it possible to make sure that we had fairer return for those incomes that are paid, and they voted against limiting fees for parents to 4.4 per cent for the year to August 2025 for early education and care centres to make sure they're available to get that funding for those wage increases.

We on this side support aspiration. We support small business, and that's why we passed laws to set minimum standards for gig workers and, in the road transport industry, owner-drivers. You can't get more micro than that. Individual owner-operators, often supported by their families, received support to turn around and get minimum standards, and, of course, those opposite—the Liberal and National parties—and many of those on the crossbench voted against it. Mark Reynolds, an owner-driver and board member of the National Road Freighters Association, said:

Our industry is in a desperate race to the bottom … This legislation will play a vital role in establishing minimum standards for all and allowing the industry to become safe, viable and sustainable.

Minimum standards to make sure that we lift the standard of living in this country for small business and for hardworking Australians and making sure that families receive the benefit of what we've done in the important steps that we've made in the early childhood education sector—these are all critical steps in making sure that we have a fairer go.

I could go on to the many other things that those opposite want to repeal, with same-job same-pay, the right to disconnect and all those areas to make sure people work longer and harder for less. It's a joy to see them put this proposition before us in the MPI, because it gives us—