QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator GALLAGHER (Australian Capital Territory—Minister for Finance, Minister for the Public Service, Minister for Women, Minister for Government Services and Manager of Government Business in the Senate) (14:08): I thank Senator Grogan for the question and, again, for her dedication to addressing adequate wage outcomes for workers in these important sectors of our economy.

In relation to the Annual Wage Review, we did back in a real wage increase and the Annual Wage Review provided a six per cent increase to the national minimum wage, taking the national minimum wage to just over $1,000 per week for a full-time worker, for the first time ever. Modern award wages will increase by 4.75 per cent, delivering a pay boost to around 2.7 million award-reliant workers across the country.

As we know, women are the majority of those reliant on minimum and award wages. In addition to this, our direct investments into aged care and early education and care workers have significantly increased wages in that sector. We now know that women working full-time today are on average $300 more per week— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Grogan, second supplementary?