Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

The senator asked me about living standards. I'll remind Senator Hume that, in the last quarter they were in power, living standards fell by 1.5 per cent. That is what we inherited when we came to government, and every decision we have made since then has been to address that and to turn that around. Annual nominal wages have grown above three per cent for 14 quarters in a row, the longest streak in more than a decade and a half. This comes after eight consecutive quarters of annual real wage growth, the longest period of consecutive growth in more than a decade.

Living standards, including real incomes per capita, grew 2.1 per cent through the year to the September quarter, and they are growing faster than in every G7 economy. I accept that it is our responsibility to keep focused on all of the issues facing— (Time expired)