Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

G'day everyone. It's Wednesday. Excellent! My question is to my good friend the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Watt.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Aren't they all good friends?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Especially this bloke here! At the last election, Minister, federal Labor promised to get wages moving again and support Australian workers. We know that low wages and insecure work were a deliberate design feature of the coalition's economic plan when they were last in government. We also know that these policies led to high levels of industrial action and rising cost-of-living pressures on Australian households. After a decade of deliberate wage stagnation and attacks on workers, how is the Albanese Labor government's policy agenda supporting Australian workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn while also keeping industrial action low?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Ciccone. I can see why you were so excited to ask that question. There is good news for Australian workers and Australian businesses arising from the Albanese government workplace reforms. The Albanese Labor government is helping working people in Australia to earn more and keep more of what they earn. After a decade of low wages being a deliberate design feature of the coalition's economic policy, this Labor government is getting wages moving again, creating more secure jobs, making workplaces safer and closing the gender pay gap, all while keeping industrial action down.

Senator Henderson, I'm sorry to hear that all of that good news disappoints you so much. Because of our agenda, wages growth is back—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Oh, they're so unhappy!

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order. The point of order is that you are completely out of order by impugning my reputation by misrepresenting me. I was sitting here doing nothing.

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

Senator Henderson, please resume your seat. There's no point of order.

Senator Henderson! Order! I note you are perfectly within your rights to call a point of order, which you do fairly regularly. I am the President of the Senate, and when I ask you to resume your seat and stop speaking, that is what I expect. Minister Watt, please continue.

Opposition senators interjecting—

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about the point of order?

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

Senator McGrath, if there wasn't so much disorder in the chamber you would have heard me say that there is no point of order. Now please resume your seat.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If opposition members are going to object and complain about our policies, we are going to point that out to you. How many glass jaws are there on that side of the chamber? When we want to talk about the fact—

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

Minister Watt, I am going to draw you to the question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sure. It is unfortunate that that side of the chamber feels so upset and so disappointed every time we talk about the fact that our workplace reforms are delivering higher wages, more secure jobs and safer workplaces and are closing the gender pay gap, all while keeping industrial action down. I don't know why you're so sad about that, but every time we talk about it you arc up, you cry and you complain. It's very, very puzzling.

Because of our agenda, wages growth is back, the gender pay gap is at its lowest level ever, there are more people in jobs and industrial action is low. In fact, in the last quarter of the previous government, industrial action was far higher than it is now, and that is because Labor has built a cooperative workplace relations system to replace the conflict driven model that we inherited. We've closed loopholes which is benefiting workers and also benefiting businesses, stopping them from being undercut by rogue competitors. (Time expired)

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

Senator Ciccone, first supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Minister, for that answer. I note the Liberals and the Nationals have repeatedly voted against the Albanese Labor government's policies to support Australian workers earning more and keeping more of what they earn. Given the coalition's track record of attacking workers' rights and wages, how are the government's reforms supporting workers and the economy and what is the biggest challenge to implementing these very important reforms?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you again, Senator Ciccone. We already know that Mr Dutton, Senator Cash and all their colleagues over there are out there running scare campaigns against higher wages and more cooperative workplaces. It wasn't that long ago that we had Senator Cash out there saying Labor's workplace law changes would close down Australia. Sadly for Senator Cash, Australia is open and functioning and—you know what?—delivering higher wages and more jobs, reducing the gender pay gap and reducing industrial action all at the same time.

We also know that Mr Dutton has been telling big employers in Western Australia that he will hit Ctrl+X on his computer and cut the rights we've promised to workers and their unions. What will that actually mean for the Western Australian economy? Under this government, employment growth in Western Australia is at a record high of 3.6 per cent. Under the Morrison government it was 1.6 per cent. Wages in Western Australia have been growing faster under this government than under the Morrison government, and working days lost to industrial disputes in Western Australia have fallen under this government. (Time expired)

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

Senator Ciccone, second supplementary?

Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks again, Minister; I know a lot of frontline workers and people in retail and hospitality rely on those increased wages. I note the coalition have not ruled out reprising their low wages policy but have promised to take a suite of targeted repeals to the next election. Why is getting wages moving and fostering cooperative workplaces so important, and why has the government been committed to strengthening the rights and entitlements of every single Australian worker?

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They get upset when we talk about workplace reform, don't they? They get upset when we talk about wages rising, more secure jobs, a lower gender pay gap and, importantly, lower industrial action. Unlike those opposite, who thrive on conflict, this government is focused on bringing businesses and workers together to ease cost-of-living pressures and deliver higher wages and more productivity for businesses. We know the coalition had an anti-worker and anti-union agenda when they were in government. They deliberately kept wages low, kept workers in insecure work and refused to fix the bargaining system, leading to more industrial action. We know the coalition have already committed to ripping away rights for casual workers and taking away the right for workers to stop working for free with our right to disconnect—scrapping casual worker rights, scrapping the right to disconnect. They're on the record saying it. We had Senator Hume out there saying adding more rights for workers is 'unreasonable', and that's because the coalition have a plan to take a targeted package of repeals to the next election. (Time expired)