Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Watt. I'm very proud to be a member of an Albanese Labor government that's delivering real change for Australian workers. Helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn is at the very heart of Labor's economic plan. Can the minister outline for us the latest wage increases that the government is delivering for workers in care industries.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks to Senator Grogan, who, along with pretty much everyone in the Labor caucus here, has a proud record of standing up for the wages of Australian workers, something that can't be said for anyone from around there right through to—oh no, they've gone, because they don't bother turning up for question time.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Watt, we don't refer to whether senators are in or out of the chamber. Thank you.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

Okay, okay—we'll just talk about attendance at estimates instead. Higher wages is one of the best ways to help people with the cost of living, and that's what we're delivering for workers around the country. Wages for all workers are up due to the Albanese Labor government's workplace law reforms, and we've taken action to support workers in the care sector, who've been undervalued for too long. Earlier this month, the government was proud to back the aged-care nurses who look after our loved ones through another wage rise. Since we came to office, aged-care workers have now received five wage increases, because we believe these workers should be properly valued for the care they provide to our older Australians. This means that, since we came to government in 2022, aged-care nurses will have seen their pay increase by up to $36,000 per year.

Supporting better wages and looking after workers is at the heart of our commitment to deliver real change for Australians, because these workers deserve more than our gratitude; they deserve fair pay for the essential work they do. This investment recognises the big contribution that nurses in aged care make to our economy and community, and will help to create a bigger incentive for young Australians looking for a rewarding career to choose aged-care careers in the future. Better pay for aged care nurses means better care for older Australians. Our record boost to wages is making it easier for aged-care homes to attract and retain nurses, ensuring older people can access higher-quality, more consistent care. After a decade of decay under the coalition, aged-care workers deserved better pay, and in four short years Labor has delivered exactly that. This latest pay rise builds on our work to get wages moving and strengthen the sector for years to come.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Senator Grogan, first supplementary?

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to Minister Watt for outlining that for us. The Albanese Labor government has put gender equality at the heart of the Fair Work Act. How has the government's investment in boosting wages in the care sector helped to narrow that gender pay gap?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Grogan. Under the Albanese Labor government, the gender pay gap is at its lowest level on record. Australian women are now earning more than $250 a week more than they were before we came to government. We've invested more than any previous government—

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

How much extra are they paying?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

It sounds like Senator Canavan's got a problem with that. We've invested more than any previous government to ensure workers in female dominated occupations like aged care and early childhood education and care are compensated appropriately to deliver the world-class care our parents, grandparents and kids deserve.

Of course, there are some people in this place who think that women should continue being paid less than men over the course of their careers. Senator Hanson thinks the gender pay gap is 'all smoke and mirrors', as she said at the Press Club in June, and she's even said that women 'get themselves pregnant for the money'—this coming from the party that the Liberals want to form government with, because we all know that One Nation can't win without the Liberals and the Liberals can't govern without One Nation.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Senator Grogan, second supplementary?

Karen Grogan (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Australians are doing it tough right now, and cost-of-living pressures continue to impact families all around the country. Boosting wages of working Australians is one of the best ways to help those people with cost-of-living pressures. Can the minister please tell us why it is important to keep wages increasing, and what are the barriers to further wage increases into the future?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Grogan. This latest pay increase for aged-care workers means that, since 2022, a registered nurse on the most common pay level will have seen their pay increase by more than $36,000 a year, while an enrolled nurse in aged care will have seen their wage go up by almost $32,000 per year. Our aged-care nurses do an incredible job, and they deserve every dollar of this pay rise that Labor is delivering, just like our amazing early childhood educators, who've also received pay rises from this government over the past few years.

The truth is that the only barrier to further wage rises for those or other workers in Australia is a Liberal-One Nation coalition government, because, when asked if these pay rises for female care workers were necessary, Senator Hanson said, 'Didn't they get a pay rise not so long ago?' and then added, 'Do we even need these services?' That's the kind of attitude that One Nation and their Liberal counterparts have towards Australian working people. It would mean lower wages and a harder life for Australian workers, and we are not going to stand for it.

Sue Lines (President) | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister. Senator Canavan.