Ellie Whiteaker (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I joined the Australian Labor Party as a teenager because we are the party of workers. After a decade of a deliberate strategy to keep wages low for Aussie workers, Labor came to government with a clear plan for Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn. We are pushing for another real wage rise for minimum- and award-wage workers. Cleaners, care workers, cooks, retail and hospitality workers, hospital orderlies, baristas—these are the workers who are doing some of the most important jobs in our country. They are more often women and more often young workers, and they feel the brunt of cost-of-living pressures first.

If you are on the minimum wage or an award wage, Labor is backing you to get another pay rise this year. This will benefit around three million Australian workers, and never is that more important than now, when the pressure is real. These workers who keep our country running, who care for others and who serve our communities deserve another real wage increase, and our government is asking the Fair Work Commission to deliver it. This pay rise will be responsible and sustainable and will help workers get ahead, not fall behind. We believe that a week's worth of work should pay for a week's worth of living, and we've seen the benefits that our strategy to boost wages has had on the economy. This next pay rise will make a real difference. What's clear is that it is only Labor who will make sure that Australians can earn more and keep more of what they earn.