PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms CAMPBELL (Moreton) (10:14): I move: That this House acknowledges that the Government is supporting Australians to earn more, keep more of what they earn, and retire with more, with a range of policies that came into effect on 1 July 2026, including: (1) payday superannuation reforms, benefiting the retirement incomes of millions of Australians through more frequent and earlier superannuation contributions; (2) a 4.75 per cent increase to the minimum wage, marking the first time the national minimum wage is above $1,000 a week; (3) expanding government paid parental leave to 130 days, with parents to be paid superannuation contributions on Commonwealth funded paid parental leave for the first time; and (4) delivering: (a) a new $1,000 instant tax deduction without proof of receipts; and (b) another tax cut of up to $268 for over 14 million Australians.
Every member who walked into this chamber this morning at its opening looked up into the gallery and saw fresh faces. We saw beaming smiles of so many young people from across the breadth of our great nation coming to our nation's capital to participate in the very first National Youth Parliament. One of the people in that sea is Karima, who is the best youth parliamentarian; she is the youth member for Moreton.
All of those young people are here today because they're passionate about their communities. All those young people are here today because they want to change the world and they want to change our country. All of those young people are here today because they want to support Australians.
I'm delighted that today in this private member's business that's what we're focused on: letting the young people and other people of this country know and understand that we, as a Labor government, are focused on supporting Australians every single day. There was a very important milestone for that support, and it happened on 1 July. On 1 July there was good news for all Australians.
It was a day where that support came in the form of relief. It was a day where that support came in the form of earning more. It was a day where that support came in terms of retiring with more as well.
We know that, as people face challenging circumstances across this country and when the chips are down, what people need more than ever is more support. I do want to reflect on a number of those changes that came in on 1 July. Pay day super reforms will benefit the retirement incomes of millions of Australians by making sure that, when you earn superannuation, you are paid it, because superannuation is not only a great Labor achievement, it's also part of your wage.
It's not an extra and it's not a bonus. On 1 July, the Albanese Labor government made sure that it was paid when it was earned. A 4.75 per cent increase to the minimum wage marks the first national minimum wage above $1,000 a week.
When we talk about the contrast between us on this side of the chamber and those on the other side of the chamber, there couldn't be a starker one when it comes to wages for some of our most vulnerable people—our lowest paid Australians. While the Albanese government has been hard at work ensuring that we are backing in wage increases for everyday Australians, those opposite, when they were in government, decided that it would be a deliberate design feature of their government to keep wages low.
Those back-to-back-to-back wage increases not only put money in the pockets of hardworking Australians, they also mean that those hardworking Australians are respected at work and can have dignity for the work that they do. Government paid parental leave is being expanded to six months with superannuation on top. This is about making sure that mums and dads can be there with their kids in the very early years of their children's lives.
Expanding paid parental leave is not only a no-brainer to make sure that the first months of some of our youngest Australians are spent with their parents but also a no-brainer in terms of injecting productivity into the economy over the long term as well. Labor is also delivering a new $1,000 instant tax deduction without receipts as proof. This comes on the back of many tax cuts for the Australian people.
A $1,000 tax deduction means that, instead of spending your time sifting through shoeboxes, you can have a tax deduction with a tax cut because of a Labor government. That tax cut, when you add it up, is $2,800 for the average Australian. This is a government that will always support Australians every day and did so on 1 July.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Buchholz ): Is the motion seconded? Mr Rob Mitchell: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.