QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Senator WATT (Queensland—Minister for the Environment and Water) (14:58): I thank Senator Sterle, who's one of the many Labor senators who's devoted his entire working life to assisting Australian workers to get ahead. Senator Bragg interjecting— Senator WATT: I might not take Senator Bragg's suggestion that I freelance. It didn't seem to work out that well for him, so I might stick to my notes.
The one-man think tank is a very, very lonely think tank. The Albanese Labor government is helping Australians earn more and keep more of what they earn by lifting wages and cutting taxes for workers. We've seen strong wage growth for years under our government.
We know that enterprise agreements continue to be a key source of wage growth for Australian workers— Senator Bragg interjecting— Senator WATT: Senator Bragg, you might want to stick around and learn something about Australian workers—and that's why our efforts to reinvigorate bargaining are so important. For two years in a row, our government has strongly advocated to the independent Fair Work Commission for an economically sustainable real wage rise for Australia's minimum and award wage workers.
The recent decision by the commission to increase the national minimum wage and modern awards by at least 4.75 per cent will deliver a real wage increase from 1 July for almost 2.7 million Australian workers around the country. Compare that to the coalition who, for a decade, deliberately kept wages low. Senator Canavan is assuring us that that's the way he wants things to stay.
The Liberal Party even admitted that keeping wages low was part of their economic architecture. Of course, One Nation have worked hand in hand with the Liberals to oppose every move by Labor to support Aussie workers getting a real pay rise. Only Labor is committed to increasing the pay packets of working Australians to deal with the cost-of-living pressures now and to help them in their retirement through universal superannuation.
Labor created superannuation, and it's Labor that believes in it. That's why the Albanese government has strengthened our superannuation system to deliver a better retirement for working Australians, all the while opposed by the combined forces of the Liberals, the Nationals and One Nation, who only this week have confirmed their determination to— (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Sterle, first supplementary?