Madonna Jarrett (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How is the Albanese Labor government delivering for working Australians, especially women? Has anything threatened this progress, and what is the importance of transparency in this policy area?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Brisbane for her question. She's playing such an important role as the member for Brisbane, and it's a pleasure to once again be welcomed back into the electorate of Brisbane, it must be said. The gender pay gap in Australia is now at a record low, something welcomed by this side of the House. It hasn't happened by accident. It's happened because this side of the House has put in place laws to make a difference, whether it be making gender pay equity one of the objectives of the Fair Work Act, whether it be targeting feminised industries such as child care and aged care to make sure that people get a fair go or whether it be the measures that we've put in place to protect penalty rates. All of those measures are about people earning more. When it comes to keeping more of what they earn, our tax cuts have particularly benefited women, who, compared with men, have historically been more low- and middle-income earners. We've also, of course, had a policy of supporting working from home.

All of these policies have something else in common as well. They've all been supported by this side of the House, and they've all been opposed by that side of the House. Indeed, it was just one year ago that the opposition leader and Senator Hume told the Australian people they wanted to ban working from home. That was one year ago today. And what were the consequences of that? They've made them the leader and the deputy leader of the Liberal Party. So bereft were they, they had to find a deputy leader in the other chamber. I don't know what that says about the others who sit on the frontbench over there. Their view, of course, hasn't changed. The opposition leader has appointed Senator Hume as the shadow minister for workplace relations. What could go wrong? She told the Sydney Morning Herald that banning working from home was a good policy that hadn't found its appropriate time. So it's still on the agenda.

I'm asked about transparency. There was a little report, the review of the 2025 federal election by those opposite, that says this:

At least one regional candidate considered the Working from Home policy was the turning point which cost her the seat.

I'm asked about transparency. They don't get to read their reports, so I'll table it for them so that they can read the report about the diabolical campaign that they ran, why their working-from-home policy was wrong and why all their policies were wrong.

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, members on my right!

Order, the member for Groom I won't be counselling again! You've been interjecting continuously throughout question time. You've had a really good go. You're warned. I'm asking you to assist the House by showing respect to the House by not interjecting anymore.