Corinne Mulholland (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today Labor is easing pressure on household budgets by cutting the fuel excise. This will deliver immediate relief every time Australians fuel up at the browser. Today the Prime Minister has announced that the fuel excise will be cut by 26 cents a litre and we will cut the heavy vehicle road user charge to zero from Wednesday this week for a period of three months. This is about taking real action through practical measures—the only kind that Labor delivers, just like our calls for a real wage increase above inflation for Australia's hardest workers. It is for one simple reason: we simply cannot allow our lowest paid workers to go backwards as fuel prices go up. For the 2.7 million Australians who are on minimum wages or awards, there is no cushion, no buffer, no safety net as global demand for fuel spikes. And we're doing this responsibly, respecting the independence of the Fair Work Commission and making sure any increase is economically sustainable for the economy and the business.

And we've proven that we can do this. Since coming to office, Labor's support for real wage increases has delivered more than $9,000 extra for minimum wage earners in this country. That's real money making a difference in their back pocket. Our action matters to every retail worker who is closing up late at night, to the supermarket workers restocking shelves before dawn and to servo workers serving customers with a smile no matter what the day has thrown their way. So I say a big thank you to SDA union for standing up for retail workers. You are the people who keep life feeling like normal in unusual times. You are stocking our shelves. You are bagging our groceries. You are there when we pay for fuel on the way home. You show up every day and you deserve more than thanks. You deserve a pay rise, and that's what this is about under Labor.