Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Sheldon. Since May 2022, the Albanese Labor government has worked hard to lift wages to keep up with cost-of-living pressures. Our workplace relations changes are designed to lift wages, create more secure jobs and ease cost-of-living pressures for working Australians. After a decade of the Liberals and Nationals deliberately keeping workers' wages low, this government sees pay rises and secure jobs as integral to addressing the cost of living. The proof is in the pudding. Wages are rising at the fastest rate in more than four years, with real wages growing for four consecutive quarters 12 months after falling under the coalition. It's a little bit of a worry that the shadow minister for finance doesn't understand the concept of 'real wages', but maybe that's why they deliberately kept real wages low.

Over one million jobs have been created since we came to office, four in five of which are in the private sector. The gender pay gap is at its lowest level ever, with women's average weekly earnings increasing by $173.80 a week under this government. Under our government—under Labor—wages are up, inflation is down and unemployment remains low. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens by changing the law and by changing laws in ways that the coalition voted against every step of the way.

We've seen what the coalition have got in store for the future, and we saw more of it on the weekend. On Sky News on the weekend, we saw Senator Cash doubling down, confirming that the coalition will repeal the right to disconnect and the changes we've made to the definition of casual work. Does that sound familiar? Of course, Senator Cash is on the record saying, 'Those on the coalition side of the chamber will always stand with the employers of Australia.' The fact is that the Liberals and Nationals are for big business, not for the average working Australian. You will be worse off under Peter Dutton and the coalition. (Time expired)