Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Forde for his question but also for his advocacy in ensuring that Australians earn more. The Albanese Labor government is absolutely committed to supporting Australian workers get ahead. Our reforms have reinvigorated enterprise bargaining, seeing millions of workers receive higher pay increases. Our government has legislated to protect penalty and overtime rates in the modern award safety net, ensuring that these workers' pay packets won't go backwards. It's been this government that's advocated for a wage increase to the minimum award wages each and every year since we've been in government.

The Fair Work Commission has handed down its most recent decision to deliver a real wage increase for our lowest paid workers. From next week, more than 2.7 million hardworking Australians will start receiving more money in their pay packet. This means, from next week, the national minimum wage will have increased more than $12,000 a year over the course of this Labor government. This increase will benefit many hardworking Australians. I met some of those hardworking Australians this morning. They're up in the gallery today, and I thank them for their visit.

Workers like Prachi, who is a supermarket worker—Prachi told me this morning that, for her and her workmates, this wage increase means that they are being seen. It means that they count. This increase will also benefit workers like Brayden, who works in fast food. He said this increase will make a difference to him and his family. And Riley, who works in retail, said that this pay rise is incredibly important and the extra money per hour will really help him.

I'm asked about what the biggest risk is to Australians' pay packets. Well, the biggest risk to higher wages is the three-ring circus over there, the three-ring right-wing parties. When the coalition was last in government, they never once advocated for a pay increase for our lowest paid workers. Just a few weeks ago, the Liberal Party, the National Party and the One Nation party refused, time and time again, to back in a working—

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