Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (14:52): My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. What does recent evidence show about how Albanese Labor governments wage increases are helping Australians with the cost of living? What threatens these pay rises that would leave people worse off?

Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for the Arts, Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Cyber Security, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and Leader of the House) (14:53): I want to thank the member for Gilmore. Every worker in the electorate is earning more and keeping more of what they earn because the member for Gilmore is there. It's a year since the Prime Minister made clear that we wanted workers to earn more and keep more of what they earn. Those opposite are opposed to both ideas. Since that time, we've now had real wages growth for four quarters in a row. Wages are now going up, inflation is going down and there are more jobs.

The Leader of the Opposition confessed on the weekend that he'll make huge cuts but won't say what they'll be till after the election. We already knew about $350 billion and another $600 billion to pay for his nuclear scheme, but we now know as well where those cuts might come from. He says he'll tell us after the election where the cuts might come from, but you can start to get a hint in terms of what they've voted against. There's plenty they've voted where you can see what they are likely to do next time. Last time he was in office, they had low wages growth as a deliberate design feature of their management of the Australian economy. Every measure that we have put forward to get wages moving they have opposed.

The minimum wage has gone up nearly $150 a week in this term of government. Guess how long it took them to reach the same figure? It took them their entire term of government. It took them their entire wasted decade to get to that level, where we have had the increase in one term. You meet people working in supermarkets now being paid $11.56 more an hour. You meet meatworkers being paid the extra because of the bargaining laws that they opposed. You'll meet meatworkers in Queensland with pay rises of up to 42 per cent because of same job, same pay—which they voted against. If they get the chance, those wages will be cut. Coalminers in New South Wales who were being underpaid now have pay rises of between $15,000 and $35,000 a year—fixed because of same job, same pay. They voted against these pay rises, which they say they would get rid of if they had the chance.

As I meet these workers around the country, they all say they want their pay rises. They all say they wanted their tax cut. I've yet to meet one who says, 'But can you please make sure I can pay for the bosses lunch?' It's not something that's being demanded. It's something none of them want, but they know that this Leader of the Opposition would freeze wages. He would cut wages. He would spend billions of dollars on long lunches for the boss. They know that under him they'd be worse off.