PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms JORDAN-BAIRD (Gorton) (10:45): Let me tell you a little bit about the community I'm really proud to represent, the electorate of Gorton in Melbourne's western suburbs. We are home to established communities like in Keilor, Deer Park and Taylors Lakes, where schools, businesses, childcare centres and community organisations have flourished for a very long time.
We are also home to the western growth corridor. These are communities being built almost from scratch. New streets, new parks, new schools and new shops are appearing alongside new homes.
The Victorian government's planning framework envisaged Fraser Rise and Deanside, ultimately supporting 20,000 homes and 14,000 jobs. In Rockbank, houses are appearing where there were paddocks only a few years ago. In Aintree you'll find streets full of young families—people who have bought their first home, unpacked their boxes and are starting to put down roots.
You'll also find in Deanside and Fraser Rise that behind every one of those new houses is a family, a family building a home and building their future, hard-working Aussies who are working hard for the Australian dream but who are doing it tough. There is something simple that Australians expect. If you work hard, you should be able to get ahead, you should earn a decent wage, you should be able to keep more of what you earn, and, after a lifetime of work, you should be able to retire with dignity and security.
That idea, the idea of having a fair go, is at the heart of who we are as Australians, and it is exactly these values and the families like those in my community which drove our 1 July changes, which the Albanese Labor government introduced just over a month ago. 1 July this year was a really big day because from 1 July we have delivered practical reforms that make a real difference.
That day serves as the day that the Albanese Labor government recognised the role that young people play in today's Australia. I'm a proud millennial, and now millennials and gen Z make up around two-thirds of Australian taxpayers, and our tax system should reflect that. For 13.3 million Australian taxpayers, 1 July this year meant another tax cut, with the $250 working Australians tax offset.
That's $250 off working Australians tax bills permanently as well as a $1,000 instant tax deduction without receipts. It has increased the effective tax-free threshold for workers by $1,785. All of this means that the average worker is benefiting by up to $3,000, with past payday super.
The ATO estimates that $5.2 billion in super went unpaid in 2021-22. That's $100 million every week that workers earned but never received. That's not right.
Workers deserve to get paid their full entitlements, and Australians deserve to retire with confidence and with financial security. That's why we've also seen a 4.75 per cent increase to the minimum wage, marking the first time the national minimum wage is above $1,000 a week. This is because Aussies who work hard deserve to get ahead.
For families trying to get ahead while juggling it all, paid parental leave is absolutely invaluable. I've seen the value of paid parental leave and the effect it has for women and families in my own life, like my sister Emily and my beautiful nephew, Jamie. I'm so proud that we're giving those same opportunities to families across Australia.
Since 1 July this year, we have expanded government paid parental leave to 130 days. This makes a real difference to the entire household, because it means both parents have access to paid parental leave, giving families freedom of choice and that precious time spent with your little one. For the first time, parents are being paid super on top of Commonwealth funded paid parental leave—that is huge.
Our 1 July changes mean something real for Australians in my community and across the country. We're backing the next generation of Aussies, helping Aussies earn more, keep more of what they earn and retire with more as well, because this is what our communities deserve and this is what Australians deserve.