Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) | Hansard source

Thanks to the member for Sturt for her question but also for the very significant role that she plays in our team in her first term, representing a really beautiful part of Adelaide.

This is a really important week for our economy, with the national accounts coming out tomorrow. In the context of all of this global economic uncertainty, any growth will be welcome in those figures. Any through-the-year growth with a two in front of it would be a welcome outcome. We've got investment booming in the first quarter, we've got exports off quite substantially and we've got public demand making no contribution to growth in the first quarter. We know that already. We'll see the rest of the numbers tomorrow.

But this week is also very significant for a couple of other reasons. This week and this government are all about higher wages and lower taxes for workers and a fair go for first home buyers. In that context, as the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations said, we welcome the Fair Work Commission decision today. This is the pay rise that millions of Australian workers need and deserve. This is the sustainable real wage increase that the minister and I sought when we made the submission on behalf of the government. Because of this decision and because of this government, more Australians will be earning more and keeping more of what they earn. Because we're cutting income taxes five times in three different ways, the average worker will be better off by up to $2,800.

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