My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Watt. We know Australians are doing it tough right now, with global volatility and inflation the key challenges facing our economy. The Albanese Labor government is responsibly managing the budget to create jobs and boost wages to help deal with these challenges. Minister, what policies has the government implemented or supported to get wages moving again?

Thanks, Senator Brown, for asking a question that I know is important to many Australian households about the fact that they need their wages to keep rising.

Still not talking about your migration policy.

I know, Senator McKenzie—in what's your valedictory interjection over there—you're still complaining about workers getting pay rises. Well, continue with that until you're replaced by One Nation.

The Albanese Labor government is helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn, with wages, growth and tax cuts for workers. Before the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, we saw strong real wage growth for eight consecutive quarters, and, all up, wages have grown above three per cent for Australians for all four years under the Albanese Labor government—the first time this has happened in 17 years. Just think about that. In 16 consecutive quarters, under the Albanese Labor government, we have seen wages rise above three per cent. In contrast, in how many quarters do you reckon we saw wages rise, under the coalition, by more than three per cent? One? Two? Zero. In not one quarter in the 10 years of coalition government did we see wages rise above three per cent—16 in a row under the Albanese Labor government.

Keep telling people how great they have it!

Now, enterprise agreements continue to be a key source of wage growth for Australian workers, and that's why our efforts to reinvigorate bargaining are so important.

Never had it so good, Australians, under the Labor government—they're not buying it!

For two years in a row, our government has strongly advocated to the independent Fair Work Commission—

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. Senator Canavan and Senator McKenzie, seriously! If you can't listen in silence, leave the chamber. You're being incredibly disrespectful to me. Minister Watt, please continue.

I can only assume that the amount of interjection from the National Party is because of their complete irrelevance—

Minister Watt, please resume your seat. I've just asked you, Senator Canavan, to either be quiet or leave. The minute the minister stood up, you thought it was okay to interject. It is not. It's me you're being disrespectful to. Minister Watt.

I think we all feel a bit sorry for the National Party these days. If you don't get a question, you don't get a statement and you don't get a vote, the only thing you can do is interject. And that's what we're seeing a lot of from the National Party at the moment.

For two years in a row, our government has strongly advocated to the independent Fair Work Commission for an economically sustainable real wage rise for Australia's minimum- and award-wage workers, many of whom are in lower-paid roles and are hardest hit by cost-of-living pressures. Labor advocates for increases to the minimum wage. We never saw it once under the coalition. We never would again. (Time expired)

Senator Brown, first supplementary?

The Albanese Labor government are committed to ensuring working Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn. We're delivering real change for workers by backing wage rises right across the country. How have the government's changes to workplace laws allowed these wage rises to occur?

Thanks, Senator Brown. From 1 July this year, almost three million minimum-wage and award-reliant workers in Australia received a real wage increase of at least 4.75 per cent. Since the Albanese Labor government came to office, we've advocated for Australian workers at every single Annual Wage Review, five years in a row. As I was saying in the previous question, we didn't see that happen once under the coalition, and we know we would never see it from One Nation because they have always voted against the laws that Labor has brought in to see wages rise.

We know, on this side of the chamber, that wage growth is important to maintain consumer spending in the economy, which is a crucial driver of economic growth. And the proof is in the pudding. Since the real minimum-wage increase that you don't support took effect on 1 July last year, we've seen jobs growth and unemployment remaining low by historical standards. But all of this, we know—

How about living standards? If jobs and growth only kept up with—

Senator Hume, stop!

is at risk from the antiworker coalition of the Liberals, Nationals and One Nation.

Senator Brown, second supplementary?

Whether it is boosting wages or protecting working conditions, the Albanese Labor government is always on the side of working Australians. Minister, what else is the government doing to back workers, and what is the greatest threat to all the progress that has been made to date?

Thanks, Senator Brown. As I say, the Albanese Labor government will always back workers and ensure they are paid what they deserve. Our sole focus is delivering real change for Australian workers to deal with cost-of-living pressures, and that stands in stark contrast to what we see from the other parties in this place, who, over the last fortnight, have become a complete soap opera.

Now, I've heard on good authority that Netflix has a new show coming out. It's called 'Real Housewives of Canberra'! On this fortnight's episode, we're going to have the Greens fighting with each other, with a leader who's on life support; we've got the Liberals Angus and Andrew, who can't really speak to each other and don't really want to be in the same room—Senator Canavan certainly isn't feeling the love from regional Australia, and even Senator Hanson and Barnaby Joyce have had a bust-up right over there on that side of the chamber. This mob don't just copy each other's policies; they copy the fact that the other one's having a fight. If one has a fight, they've got to have their own fight. That is how unoriginal you are. That's why you deserve a rubbish Netflix program. (Time expired)