Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

With today being the last sitting day in March, I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been an incredibly busy and productive month in this place. When I look back at everything we've achieved, one theme stands above the rest for our government, and that is delivery. Delivery is what happens when you have a government, with adults at the table, focused on our communities—a government that looks and sounds like Australia, a government that is committed to ensuring that no-one is held back and no-one is left behind in our pursuit of a better future for all Australians.

This month we've delivered real practical support to Australians. We know that global uncertainty is putting pressure on households. Conflict overseas is driving up fuel prices. Inflation has stretched family budgets, and every Australian feels it when they fill up their car, drop the kids off at school, pay their bills or do their weekly shop. So we've acted. We've halved the fuel excise for three months to make petrol and diesel cheaper right now. We've released 20 per cent of Australia's fuel reserves to stabilise supply. We've temporarily adjusted fuel standards to keep more fuel flowing. We've appointed a national fuel supply taskforce coordinator to ensure coordination across the country. Australians deserve relief when they need it most. We've doubled penalties for petrol companies engaging in price gouging because there is simply no excuse for exploiting Australians, especially during a crisis. That's not the way we do things here; that's not the Australian way. Our government will always stand up for consumers.

While we're standing up for consumers, we're also backing Australian workers. This month we've supported a real wage increase for around 2.7 million minimum wage and award reliant workers. These are the Australians who keep our economy moving—people who are often in lower paid roles, often working fewer hours, and people who tend to get hit hardest by cost-of-living pressures. Since coming to office, our support for real wage growth has already delivered over $9,000 in cumulative increases for minimum wage workers. That's real money back into the pockets of working Australians. And we've done this responsibly, supporting wage growth while keeping inflation on a downward path and respecting the independence of the Fair Work Commission, because economic management is about helping people today while securing stability for tomorrow. I will never forget standing alongside the now prime minister in the 2022 election campaign when he was asked a question on whether he supported a wage increase for the lowest paid workers in this country, and he said, 'Absolutely.' And he's been absolutely committed, as we all have been in this government, to looking out for the lowest paid workers in the country ever since.

On that theme, I am Chair of the Employment, Workplace Relations, Skills and Training Committee, and we've begun our inquiry into the National Employment Standards. The National Employment Standards govern the minimum entitlements that all Australian workers can access. We've heard from the Fair Work Ombudsman and the department of workplace relations as we determine whether the National Employment Standards are still fit for purpose in 2026, 16 years since they were first implemented. To do that, we need to meet workers where they are. That means holding hearings right across the country, not just here in Canberra, to get direct evidence from people with different perspectives and experiences. This will include employers, industry workers, academics and other stakeholder groups right across the country. I'm very excited this important work is underway and I really want to thank everybody who's taken the time to submit their thoughts to the inquiry.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering tax cuts this year and next so that Australians can keep more of what they earn. We're also making medicines cheaper, we're expanding bulk-billing and we're providing targeted cost-of-living relief without fuelling inflation. That's what responsible government looks like.

We're also delivering for Australia's future. This month we strengthened our economic ties with Europe through a new trade agreement. This will contribute $10 billion annually to our economy. That means more Australian products reaching European markets, more opportunities for Australian businesses and more jobs here at home. And it means cheaper European products at the checkout for Australian consumers. When we open doors for Australian exporters, we create opportunities for Australian workers.

We've also taken action to ensure Australians can retire with dignity. We have boosted superannuation savings for 1.3 million Australians, especially low-income workers, who need it most. This reform reduces tax on super contributions and delivers fairer outcomes, particularly for women, who make up more than half of low-income earners. Every single Australian deserves a secure retirement, and our reforms will ensure that everybody is able to have a dignified and secure retirement.

This month marked International Women's Day, and I am proud to stand as part of a government that is delivering real progress for women. We've helped close the gender pay gap to record lows. We've expanded access to the single parent payment, knowing that it often tends to be women who take on single parenting responsibilities. We've made child care cheaper and we're extending paid parental leave to six months. For the first time, too, we are paying superannuation on that paid parental leave. We've delivered the largest ever women's health package and made record investments to end gender based violence.

Progress for women does not happen by accident. It happens by choice, and our government has made that choice. That's largely been informed, too, by the fact that we have a majority female government and we have different voices sitting around the table. We're able to make these kinds of decisions.

The Albanese Labor government is building a more sustainable and affordable energy future. New data this month shows that, with our 30 per cent discount, Australians have installed 250,000 home batteries. That means 1,667 households in my community of Chisholm are getting cheaper energy through the uptake of the Cheaper Home Batteries Program. This means families can store cheap solar energy during the day and use it at night, cutting their power bills. It also benefits the entire system, reducing pressure on the energy grid and making our network more resilient. Australians know that investing in clean energy is not just good for the environment; it's good for their wallets.

Across every single one of the initiatives I've outlined this afternoon there is a common thread, which is that our government is focused on practical outcomes. Our government is helping Australians manage the cost of living, backing workers with fair pay, strengthening our economy through trade, supporting women and families and securing retirement incomes. We are making commonsense reforms and listening to advocates, and we are building a cleaner, more resilient energy system.

There are a number of other measures we've taken over the last month that we've been here in Canberra, including taking important steps to protect Australians from discrimination based on their genetic information. Through reforms to strengthen genetic testing in life insurance, we are ensuring that Australians can access vital medical testing without fear that it will be used against them, because no-one should have to choose between their health and their financial security.

This is what our communities expect of us—to stand here every day we're in Canberra and fight for good outcomes for them. I know that my community expects a government that takes responsibility—a government that steps up in times of challenge and delivers, not a government that just promises. What we've seen this month demonstrates exactly that. That's what our government is focused on doing.

I really can't wait to be back in my community of Chisholm though, after a long month here in Canberra, and I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very safe and very happy Easter, particularly those communities of faith for whom this is a very important celebration. For all of those workers who will be working over Easter, you absolutely deserve your penalty rates, and I will always work my hardest to protect those.

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