QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS
Senator COX (Western Australia) (15:15): It took me quite some time to dig through the questions that the opposition had in question time today to actually find something of substance. Out of the three questions that they got to ask the government today, only one of them was around economic policy. Since 2021, when I started in this place, it's actually been quite alarming to see how far they've shifted away from their roots.
It took my colleague from Tasmania Senator Dowling, on his return to the Senate after a short absence, to bring us back to economic policy and talk about our AAA sovereign credit rating with the S&P Global report and to highlight some of the factors that Australians do care about. Australians absolutely care about the cost-of-living pressures and the work that the Albanese Labor government have been doing over the winter break, while some others opposite may have been having some time off.
We've been working hard. We've been looking into the paid prac that Senator McAllister talked to in great detail. There's also our record investment into Medicare and the difference that is making for all Australians to be able to see a GP for free.
That is an amazing initiative. Minister McAllister commented that the minister had made the comment that Medicare was on its knees after a decade of neglect by those opposite. Not only that but there is the amazing work of our government and particularly our cabinet ministers in securing wage rises.
We've heard from our government senators during question time, asking questions and extracting some of that information around the five wage rises that we've secured, particularly for aged-care nurses. As the previous chair of the community affairs committee, I know these are important workers in our economy. A big shout-out to the aged-care workers who do an amazing job looking after older Australians, making sure that there is stable and consistent care that our older Australians have access to.
Paid prac is absolutely about ensuring that our students go from training and getting those skills right into employment. Also in the report on our credit rating there was a reference to fuel security. I'm glad that Senator Antic opposite just mentioned that.
It actually has a sentence in there praising the Albanese Labor government in shoring up its fuel security. I want to thank our cabinet ministers in particular: Minister Wong, Minister Farrell and Minister King in the other place, our resources minister who absolutely went out hard and did all of those things. It is absolutely crystal clear to us here on this side of the chamber who is backing in Australian workers.
It is we in the Albanese Labor government who continue to work hard to ensure that Australians get to keep more of what they earn. That is absolutely true when it comes to women. Just quickly on Senator Canavan's point about the gender pay gap and comparing apples with apples, as he puts it, his commentary is about how completely useless the gender pay gap is.
Wow. Imagine that—not wanting to be ambitious and create opportunity for women in the economy to participate in higher paying jobs and calling that a hill of nonsense. (Time expired)