Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese Labor government improving outcomes for Australian workers, and what has been the response?

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 Gorton for her question. It was wonderful to join her with workers that keep Melbourne Airport going just recently.

Now, two years ago our government introduced historic reforms to improve pay, job security and working conditions for Australians. These reforms included the right to disconnect, allowing Australians to unplug after hours guilt free. Jacob, a science teacher, said that this change helped him rediscover his passion for education and said, 'It eased our workload pressure so that we can better focus our energies on what we do best: teaching.' This reform is being embraced by both workers and employers, with more than half of businesses surveyed by the HR Institute indicating the right to disconnect improved employee engagement and productivity. It was therefore very, very disappointing that the Leader of the Opposition jumped to reject this proposal on ABC Insiders, where he said, well, obviously, he would undo the right to disconnect.

Now, of course, the government also introduced same job, same pay laws which legislated a very, very simple principle: two people doing the same job should be paid the same. This reform is delivering pay increases to more than 8,000 workers right across Australia—workers like Alicia, a flight attendant who is now getting a 20 per cent pay increase. Alicia said, 'I feel like I'm an equal; I feel like I'm valued now.'

While our government is delivering for people like Alicia, the Leader of the Opposition slammed this change, claiming it was dangerous, and characterised it as un-Australian. Well, Mr Speaker, do you know what is un-Australian? Telling people like Alicia she isn't equal and she doesn't deserve the same pay as her colleagues. Our government is ensuring workers on digital platforms have access to a decent standard of living that other workers enjoy—workers like Melbourne delivery driver Eric, who told the ABC in November that our changes are going to make a huge difference to easing cost-of-living pressures.

What did the Leader of the Opposition do when these laws were proposed? Well, he went to the HR Nicholls Society and said that gig workers having minimum standards of pay would be disastrous. The Leader of the Opposition has consistently championed repealing our fairer laws and consistently tried to make life harder for Alicia, Jacob and Eric and workers right across Australia. The Liberals might have changed their leader, but the same old Liberals haven't seen a pay increase they won't deny.

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

Can I give a shout-out to John Paul College from Daisy Hill in the Treasurer's electorate up there. They're very pleased with that little shout out! Well done. In their interests and everyone else's, I ask that further questions be placed on the Notice Paper.