Portfolio — 3 June 2026

Assistant Minister Patrick Gorman's parliamentary activity on 3 June centred on the Appropriation Bill No. 1 2026–27 consideration, where he delivered a wide-ranging account of the government's employment and workplace relations record before the proposed expenditure was agreed. His contribution opened with procedural management — moving to put the question and bringing on Government Business Order of the Day No. 1 — before shifting to a substantive defence of the portfolio's budget.

Gorman's central claim was that the Albanese government has created 1.2 million jobs since taking office, with 128,000 Australians entering the workforce since the most recent election [TA-260603-house-804d9cb5f6e1:s140]. On wages, he cited a recent six percent increase in the minimum wage and a 4.75 percent rise in award wages, and argued that minimum-wage earners have received a cumulative 30 percent increase since the government came to office — equivalent to $12,079 more per year for a 38-hour week.

He attributed a portion of this outcome to the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act.

The gender equity dimension of the portfolio received explicit attention. Gorman stated the gender pay gap is at historic lows, that paid parental leave has been expanded to include superannuation contributions, and that penalty rates protection legislation now covers 2.6 million employees — 59.8 percent of them women. He also acknowledged passage of the Fair Work Amendment (Baby Priya's) Bill 2025, which protects parental entitlements following a stillbirth or child loss.

The Parent Pathways program — designed to support parents re-entering the labour market — was also cited as part of the portfolio's suite.

On skills and services, Gorman referenced the $30 billion National Skills Agreement and free TAFE as workforce pipeline investments. The most forward-looking element of the contribution was his announcement of a $312 million employment services reform package structured across three streams: a digital service (stream 1), a provider-led service (stream 2), and intensive services (stream 3).

He called on Australians to participate in the consultation process for the new system [TA-260603-house-804d9cb5f6e1:s140], signalling that the reform architecture remains open for input.

Taken together, Gorman's parliamentary contribution on this day served as both a budget endorsement and a comprehensive inventory of the government's industrial relations and employment record. The breadth of the claims — spanning wage floors, gender equity, parental entitlements, skills investment, and service delivery reform — reflects a portfolio positioning itself around worker economic security as a unifying theme ahead of the new financial year.