Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government supporting workers who rely on the safety net of minimum award wages, and what could place that safety net at risk?

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

I'd like to thank the member for Macnamara for his question and congratulate him on his big personal news and also thank him for his commitment to helping some of our lowest paid workers. The government's No. 1 focus is delivering cost-of-living relief, and this is particularly true for our lowest paid workers. We are committed to getting wages moving again. In the previous term of government, our government proudly made submissions to the Fair Work Commission every single year to advocate for a wage rise for our lowest paid workers. This year we made a submission calling for a real wage increase for the workers that rely on minimum and award wages. From 1 July this year, almost three million of our lowest paid workers will receive a 3.5 per cent wage increase, representing a real wage increase.

At the election we also committed to protecting penalty rates. Last week, the government introduced legislation to do just that. If you rely on penalty rates through the modern award safety net—if you work weekends, public holidays, early mornings, late nights—you deserve to have your wages protected. This includes people like Bernie, a youth worker, who said: 'as an essential worker we give up our own family time because we come to work instead. Penalty rates provide better recognition for the complex work we do.' For Sara Lee, a family therapist, receiving penalty rates means, 'I'm compensated for the time I can't be with family and means I get a better income so I can look after my family and other ways.' That's what our legislation is about: protecting the wages of hardworking Australians.

But I'm asked, 'Are there any risks to protecting low-paid workers in Australia?' Unfortunately, there are. The risk is those opposite. It was disappointing to see the shadow minister out there fearmongering about our commitment to protecting penalty rates. He is now describing our decisive action as disturbing and distressing. I will tell him what is disturbing and distressing. It is the risk to workers like Bernie, Sara Lee and the many others who rely on penalty and overtime rates. While the opposition rails against our commitment to take swift action to protect penalty rates, we will get on with the job to ensure Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn.