Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (12:32): In May this year, the Australian people voted for higher wages, more cooperative workplaces and responsible economic management. They voted for fairness. They voted for security.
They voted for a government that would stand up for working people and deliver on the promises it made. From the very beginning of our second term in government, we acted on our commitment to enshrine penalty rates in law. Penalty rates are not a bonus or a luxury.
They are a critical part of the safety net that underpins fair wages and decent conditions. They are recognition of the sacrifices made by hardworking Australians who keep this country moving late at night, on weekends and during public holidays. For many, penalty rates are the difference between getting by and falling behind.
That is why this legislation matters. It protects the safety net. It ensures that those entitlements cannot be undermined or traded away.
It does all of this while maintaining flexibility in individual workplaces. This week, we will also deliver on another important election commitment—baby Priya's bill. This bill will guarantee that parents dealing with the tragedy of stillbirth or early infant death will continue to access their employer paid parental leave.
It's such a devastating time. It certainly matters. Time matters.
Compassion matters. By safeguarding these entitlements, we give grieving parents the space they need to mourn and to heal. These reforms reflect the values we bring to government, the values of fairness and equality for all Australians.
That is why we have placed gender equity at the very centre of our workplace relations system. We are addressing the findings of the Fair Work Commission's historic gender undervaluation review. No woman should ever be paid less simply because of who she is or because of the sector she works in.
We are committed to ensuring Australians can earn more and keep more of what they earn. This is why we put the case for a sustainable real-wage increase to the Fair Work Commission, and we won. From 1 July almost three million of Australia's workers saw their pay rise by 3½ per cent—a pay rise that put more money into their pockets, easing cost-of-living pressures at a time when every dollar counts.
We know that higher wages are only one part of the task. It is why we are banning unfair non-compete clauses; they hold workers back, suppress wages and put a handbrake on productivity. It's why we are modernising our workplace laws to reflect the reality of work today.
The simple truth is the nature of work has changed, and our laws must change with it. For too long the gig workers, the drivers, the riders, and the people delivering our Uber Eats and parcels have been left behind. They have faced insecure incomes, limited rights, little bargaining power and the constant fear of being cut off by an app without notice.
That's why our government has acted. We have introduced a new category of employee-like workers, ensuring the Fair Work Commission can set minimum standards for those working through platforms, standards that cover pay terms, deductions, record-keeping and protections against unfair treatment. From February this year gig workers have had new safeguards against unfair deactivation.
These safeguards were seen in the case of Mohammad Shareed Hotak. Mohammad is an Uber driver who had his account unfairly deactivated after he was attacked while working in his vehicle in Adelaide this year. After a review from Uber and a court case, Mohammad was reactivated on the Uber app.
He will be paid nearly two months in lost wages for unfair deactivation. It is the first time a gig worker has won an unfair deactivation and had lost income repaid under national legislation that was passed earlier this year to better protect Australian workers. For gig workers, these reforms mean greater security, stronger protections and a fairer future.
For all workers, they mean a government that will not let modern technology be used as a tool to strip away fairness. Every worker, no matter how they are employed, no matter which platform they use, deserve respect, protection and a fair go. Step by step, reform by reform, we are delivering on the commitments we made to the Australian people: higher wages, stronger protections, fairer workplaces.
That is the Labor way, that is our promise and that is exactly what we are delivering.