Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. How is the Albanese government delivering on its plans for a better future for all Australians?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Payman for her question, and I say this: after a decade of wage suppression, of spiralling childcare and healthcare costs, of ideological wars which are still occurring and of an out-of-touch former government that thrived on secrecy and cover-ups, Australia did need action, and this government is delivering. We're working to get wages moving and putting downward pressure on costs, and from our first day in office our support ensured an increase to the minimum wage and a pay rise for aged-care workers. Albanese Labor are investing in cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, paid parental leave and secure jobs with better pay.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take the interjections, because when you talk about secure jobs with better pay, there's nothing that gets the Liberals moving more than that, is there?

A government senator: They hate it.

They hate it. We're acting to make workplaces safer from sexual harassment, with the passage of the respect at work bill, based on recommendations which were left unfinished, and we're ensuring Australia has the skills of tomorrow, creating 180,000 new fee-free TAFE places. We've expanded the Commonwealth seniors health card. We've ended the cashless debit card. We've established a royal commission into robodebt. We have delivered the Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee. We passed an historic climate change bill and updated our climate targets.

You should listen; you might learn something, Senator Ruston. We've invested in renewable energy and Rewiring the Nation. We are establishing the Disaster Ready Fund, a vital tool as we battle floods across Australia. We have ended the cover-up culture. The majority of those opposite refused to censure their former leader. All of them lined up to defend him. Of course, the National Anti-Corruption Commission that they spent years trying to avoid has now been passed under an Albanese Labor government.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call Senator Payman for her first supplementary, I am going to remind senators, particularly on my left, that you are being incredibly disorderly. You are shouting so loud that I cannot get the attention of Senator Wong. It is unacceptable, it is disrespectful and it's disorderly.

Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how is the Albanese government delivering on its plans to help Australians with the cost of living?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McGrath, as one of the key offenders, I have not even called the minister and you've started interjecting again.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government is addressing the cost-of-living crisis, created under the Liberal and National government, with our cost-of-living plan: cheaper child care, cheaper medicine, expanding paid parental leave to six months, more affordable housing and getting wages moving. These are all things they could have done, but in nine years they didn't do them. We have already secured an increase in the minimum wage and an important pay rise for aged-care workers, and our secure jobs, better pay policy will boost wages even further. We on this side understand the impact that higher energy prices are having on households and businesses. But you know, we're actually trying to work on how we support households through that, how we have a response. Do you know what your response was? 'Let's hide it!'—let's hide it before the next election, let's make sure no Australian knows about the hike in fees, hide it until after the election. What a disgrace.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Payman, a second supplementary?

Fatima Payman (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, how is the Albanese government delivering on its plans to make us more influential and stronger in the world?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the senator, and I know this is an area in which she has such a great interest and personal knowledge. We saw over the last nine years the slashing of Australia's development assistance. We saw Mr Dutton returning to the rhetoric around development assistance in the House this sitting period, and really that was a disgrace, because it reduced our influence and it left a vacuum for others to fill, and we have a lot of catching up to do.

That is why we are committed to renewing our closest relationships and advancing our interests and values. That's why we're boosting Pacific security and defence, supporting critical infrastructure and expanding Pacific labour mobility, and it's why we have increased Australia's official development assistance to the Pacific and South-East Asia—because it is in our national interest. We are rebuilding relationships to ensure that Australia is the partner of choice in the region for our security and for the security of our region.