QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Ms RISHWORTH (Kingston—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) (14:33): I'd like to thank the member for Moore for his question but also for his years and years of advocating for working Australians both before and after coming to this place. From day one, this Labor government has been committed to improving wages and delivering tax cuts for hardworking Australians.
From tomorrow, Aussie workers will see further cost-of-living relief because of this government's action. From tomorrow, 1 July, over 14 million Australians will get another tax cut. This is on top of the tax relief we've already delivered since coming to government.
And, of course, there will be more tax cuts to come under this government. Not only are we ensuring that people get more of what they earn by cutting taxes; we're also focused on improving the wages of Australians. This Labor government has advocated year after year for pay increases for our lowest paid workers to the Fair Work Commission.
From tomorrow, almost three million workers will receive a real wage increase. Workers on awards will receive a 4.75 per cent increase, and workers on the national minimum wage will receive a six per cent increase. From tomorrow, the national minimum wage will be more than $12,000 higher per year compared to when we came to government.
And, for the first time ever, a full-time worker on the national minimum wage will earn over $1,000 a week. Not only is this Labor government backing workers on the minimum wage; we've also made significant changes to our workplace laws to reinvigorate enterprise bargaining, and we are seeing those laws delivered, with higher wages for millions of workers. I'm asked about the biggest risk to our efforts to deliver for workers.
Of course, the biggest risk is those sitting opposite. At the most recent election, the coalition promised a tax increase to working Australians. When the coalition were last in government, they made low wages a deliberate design feature of their economic policy.
The Liberal and National parties never once advocated a wage increase for our lowest paid workers. Of course, they've always been in good company. They've been in the company of One Nation, who have continually failed to back workers in this country as well.
Despite these three right-wing parties opposite taking every opportunity to stand in the way of pay rises and try and stop tax cuts for hardworking Australians, it is this Labor government that's getting on with the job. (Time expired)