Steve Georganas (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on this important motion, and I thank the member for Bendigo for raising this for debate today, because it is a very important issue. At the time of the federal election in May this year, Australians had suffered through more than two years of COVID. This included people losing their jobs or losing shifts and hours. At the same time, the cost of living and prices for essential items continued to increase. Housing costs and rents were going through the roof. Interest rates were rising for the first time in years. You'd think that, in that climate, a rise in the minimum wage would be a no-brainer. But it was only Labor that openly called for it and supported it. We unashamedly put forward our submission to the Fair Work Commission advocating for an immediate wage increase for Australia's lowest-paid workers. I'm very proud that the Fair Work Commission delivered a 5.2 per cent rise in the minimum wage, slightly above the headline inflation at the time. This translates to around $40 a week difference for full-time workers on the minimum wage or low-paid awards, and this will make a difference to the lives of many of our lowest-paid workers.

Let's not forget that many of these workers are young people and often female. They often find themselves in precarious and casual employment, not knowing from week to week what their shifts are, what they'll be earning et cetera. Many of them are on the front line delivering essential services, and they were there delivering those essential services during our COVID-19 pandemic. They are suffering—suffering real and ongoing financial hardship. These people kept the economy going during the worst of the pandemic in our aged-care homes, hospitality and service industries, and deep-cleaning services.

For nearly a decade, low wages were a deliberate design feature of the former Liberal government. They put policies in place that were designed deliberately to keep wages low. Wages didn't only stagnate—they went backwards, thanks to these policies. The former government wouldn't deal with it. They thought there was no problem with that. This was confirmed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics' latest measure on wage growth, published on 17 August. It showed that the latest wage growth for the June 2022 quarter in both the public and private sectors was the highest since September 2013. During the same period, the gender pay gap has increased. It now sits at 14 per cent. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap index, Australia now ranks 70th in the world for women's financial empowerment. This is a shocking drop, especially when you consider that we rank equal first in the world in female education rates. Clearly, our economy does not currently support many women to participate equally in the workforce. This needs to change.

Every Australian should have the right to secure employment, and they should be paid a wage which allows them to live well and in dignity—not precariously from week to week. When we spoke openly in support of a rise in the minimum wage, it heralded a new way of dealing with this important issue. We recognise that things need to change, and we're acting. In addition to supporting a rise in the minimum wage, Labor have committed to making gender pay equality an objective of the Fair Work Act. We will strengthen the Fair Work Commission's powers to order pay increases for workers in low-paid female-dominated industries.

We on this side of the House recognise that we need both legislative and cultural change, especially following the policies of the past government over the last decade. The Jobs and Skills Summit, which was held last week, demonstrated that for the first time in a very long time we are moving towards change and cooperation. This is more necessary now than ever because there are real structural problems in the Australian economy. According to the latest report by Deloitte Access Economics, business profits grew at double-digit rates over the past year. You might say that's a great thing, but big oil and gas companies almost doubled their profits in six months while wages haven't matched that growth. That's the problem. Some experts say this system is broken— (Time expired)

See this speech in context