Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Grogan. I would love nothing more than to explain how the government's workplace relations policies will help working people get ahead in life, because I think one thing most Australians can agree on is that the workplace relations system in our country is not working for workers or for employers. It's not delivering the fairness, the gender equality, the productivity gains or the economic growth that Australia needs.

But the Albanese government's workplace bargaining policies will get wages moving again. That's something Australian workers desperately need after nearly 10 years of low wages under those who sit opposite and still haven't changed their ways. The fact that this was, in their own words, a deliberate design feature of the previous government's management of the economy is something we'll be reminded of for many years to come. This shows how little those opposite think of workers in this country, and their contributions to the public debate on our policies have shown that nothing has changed. It's the same old, same old from the Liberal and National parties in this country.

The Albanese government's package has been designed to lift the wages of Australian workers by putting job security and gender equality as objects of the Fair Work Act and by creating a pay equity expert panel and a care and community sector expert panel to, in particular, assist women and those working in the care economy. We'll also make flexible work arrangements much more accessible and prohibit pay secrecy clauses so people, in particular women, are free to talk about their pay at work. We'll place limits on the use of fixed-term employment contracts so people don't get stuck on endless probation. We'll sunset substandard Work Choices-era zombie agreements. We'll ensure the agreement termination process is fit for purpose and fair. We'll ban job ads that pay less than the minimum wage. We'll make the better off overall test simple, flexible and fair. And we'll improve access to single- and multi-employer agreements because bargaining delivers for workers and businesses.

If you're serious about fixing the cost of living, you need to get wages moving for all Australians, and that's exactly what we'll do. (Time expired)