Julie-Ann Campbell
Moreton · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“It was Steven Miles who introduced 50c fares, which go to making sure that people can have relief when they tap their card at the bus or to get on the train. And it was many energy workers who came together to make sure that publicly owned renewables could be back in state government hands.”
“We just heard during the MPI in this parliament every excuse that they could think of—every obfuscation that came to mind, every reason—to not back reform that protects our children. The news I want to give to those opposite is this: we will not lie down when it comes to ensuring that Australian children are safe.”
“It is important to remember that yesterday marked a tax cut, the fifth from this government, for every Australian taxpaying worker. It is important to remember that this government, unlike those opposite, backed in minimum and award wage increases which came into effect yesterday.”
“Yesterday didn't just mark the beginning of a new financial year, it marked the next step in the Albanese Labor government's crusade to ensure that cost-of-living relief is delivered to everyday Australians, and it sits in stark contrast to what we've seen from those opposite this week.”
“If you've ever sat in your car at the Coopers Plains crossing on Boundary Road, you would know that it can feel like an absolute eternity. It's been consistently named by the RACQ as one of the worst crossings in our entire state. Locals in my community have been waiting decades for the promised overpass to that rail level crossing.”
“But if you'd cracked open the LNP's budget last Tuesday, what you would have found as you sorted through the papers is that there was no commitment and no timeline to this important project being delivered, despite the state previously having committed $179.5 million to the project as well.”
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“The creation of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in 1975 stands as a significant achievement in Labor's legacy. The Whitlam Labor government recognised the importance of having an impartial institution to oversee the review decisions made by ministers and, indeed, government departments. It was a pioneering development 50 years ago, one that today continues to embody a fundamental principle of democracy: governments must be accountable to the people. The AAT was designed to empower individuals to question government decisions and ensure that actions taken under Commonwealth law were fair and equitable. This is about accountability, fairness, transparency and processes of review. The AAT evolved over the decades.”
“My question is to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy. How is the Albanese-Labor government delivering cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy, and why is unity so important in getting that done?”
“Today is 9 October, and it's an important day because today is the anniversary of the very famous misogyny speech given by a great prime minister, Julia Gillard. So, in a hat-tip to her, I finish this speech by saying this: I will not be lectured to about manufacturing by this coalition.”
“The coalition woke up today and said, 'Let's pretend that we support manufacturing,' but we remember that they don't, and certainly the people who lost their jobs, the households who lost a wage and the aftermarket, which had money that they relied on every single day ripped out of the economy, remember it too. When you care about something, you don't send it away. When you care about something, you don't defund it. When you care about something, you don't reject opportunities for renewables and battery manufacturing that will make the industry stronger. When you care about something, you don't ship off the workers who drive that industry. What we know about the coalition is that they don't care about manufacturing now, they didn't care about manufacturing then, and they will never care about manufacturing.”
“In my local electorate, in Archerfield, I went to visit a company called Endua. What does Endua get? Endua got an industry growth grant of $4.8 million so that they could work on electrolyser technology. This is advanced manufacturing. This is manufacturing that creates jobs. And not only that—I had the great privilege just the other day to open the new SMART CRC, which is working in medical manufacturing—curing diseases but also creating more manufacturing jobs that can replace the many, many thousands of jobs that the coalition sent offshore. There is $500 million in support for battery manufacture. There is free TAFE, and we all know what they think about free TAFE: they don't support it. But free TAFE is something that supports the skills that we need in manufacturing. And there is over $22 billion for Future Made in Australia.”
“We saw trains sent overseas and a generational facility in Maryborough face the threat of closure until a Labor government brought those trains back home and brought that manufacturing back home, because we know that manufacturing is absolutely critical. It contributes over $100 billion to our GDP, 22 per cent of our exports are from manufacturing, and a million jobs come from manufacturing. That's why Labor is investing in manufacturing. We are rebuilding the industry. We're investing in it. We're supporting the workers who work in the industry. And how are we doing that? With $15 billion invested into local manufacturing firms. As we've heard again and again, there are 7,500 more businesses that do the business of manufacturing since 2020. Not only that—we've seen $400 million in industry growth.”
“When the car industry was on its knees, they kicked it in the guts and sent those jobs away. Five hundred million dollars was ripped out of the industry, tens of thousands of jobs were no longer there, and critical skills that we need to make the manufacturing industry run were lost. 'Why stop there?' the coalition said. 'There are more manufacturing industries that we can put on the chopping block.' The shipbuilding industry—what did we see in the shipbuilding industry? We saw two big shipyards go overseas—more jobs lost. The train manufacturing industry in my home state of Queensland—what did we see from an LNP government?”
“Just a few short weeks ago, we all saw a video posted online. What that video showed was a man standing next to a car—a car that was manufactured in this country. The man talked about the fact that he believed that manufacturing was important. I don't think that I've ever seen a video more ironic than that one, because the man standing next to that car was the member for Canning. I want to use the words of the member for Canning because I think he spoke them best: The hypocrisy is breathtaking. The hypocrisy was breathtaking because what we know is that the member for Canning was a member of the coalition—every member sitting across this chamber is a member of the coalition—who, when they were in government, voted for the car industry to go offshore. They sent it offshore.”
“'Muppets' and 'cowards'—these again are not my words. These are the words of the Hastie hypocrisy show, the chaos from Canning. These are the words of someone who is driving division. When we look at the contrast between these two parties, it could not be starker. Do you want division, or do you want delivery—delivery on the things that matter to Australians every single day?”
“In this place, we may only sit two sword lengths away, but I can tell you that the opposition and the government are absolutely worlds apart when it comes to the priorities for Australians. The Albanese Labor government is delivering on the cost of living, and what have we seen? We've seen 20 per cent off student debt, $25 medicines, freezing of beer excise, five per cent deposits and urgent care clinics in my local community at Canossa and at the bottom of the PA. But what have we seen from those opposite, from those sitting there on the other side of the chamber? We've seen chaos. We've seen disunity. We've seen dysfunction. We have seen division. Enough is enough. It's just become 'juvenile'—a 'clown show'. These are not my words. These are the words of a coalition senator, a Nationals senator—my apologies, a Liberal senator.”
“Fundamentally, technical amendments will ensure smooth legislative function while extended protections in the energy market and support for small businesses will demonstrate that Labor's commitment to fairness and economic resilience is paramount. They collectively strengthen our financial architecture and promote long-term transparency.”
“The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025 reinforces the foundational pillars of investment. It reinforces the foundational pillars of transparency and it reinforces the foundational pillar of accountability. Each one of those is critical to building a resilient and trustworthy financial system. This bill 's seven schedules translate these principles into practical action. Key reforms include the creation of a public beneficial ownership register to enhance corporate transparency, stronger oversight of charities to protect public trust and more strategic reviews of financial regulators.”
“Whether it's a small business selling newspapers, serving coffee, or operating as a restaurant in some of our key areas for small business like Sunnybank, it's important that they are part of this and it's important they have benefits to them as small-business owners. This is part of a suite of support for small business that includes energy relief, cutting red tape and boosting competition through the $900 million National Productivity Fund and extending unfair-trading-practice protections. Labor has also provided over $60 million to support small businesses to enhance their cybersecurity measures, and this government wants to see the small-business sector thrive. The targeted support offered by this bill balances practical assistance with responsible economic management.”
“The limit applies to each asset, so businesses can claim multiple purchases separately. We heard Minister Aly talk about this earlier. She talked about it in the context of the fact that this Labor government, the Albanese Labor government, has also introduced the first National Small Business Strategy, which is designed to make sure that small businesses have clarity on this government's vision, that small businesses have a voice and that that voice is clarified in a strategy which includes critical reforms like this. Up to 4.1 million small businesses—817,000 in my home state of Queensland—will benefit from improved cash flow and reduced compliance. In my electorate of Moreton, on Brisbane's south side, we have so many small businesses. We have many small businesses that are driven by our multicultural communities.”
“Schedule 6 of the bill extends the rules that help ensure Australians receive fair treatment in the energy market. Known as the prohibiting energy market misconduct provisions, the PEMM provisions, these rules give the ACCC the power to investigate and act against energy companies that simply aren't playing fair. The extension until 2031 will ensure that consumers receive protection and that affordability and fairness are upheld as we undergo energy transition. The final part of this bill, Schedule 7, will help small businesses invest and grow by extending the $20,000 instant asset write-off for another year until 30 June 2026. This means that small businesses can continue to claim a full deduction for the cost of eligible assets—not just one asset—under $20,000 as long as they are first used or installed by that date.”
“Schedule 4 makes small but important changes to laws managed by Treasury, and these tweaks help make sure the laws work the way they were meant to. It's part of an ongoing commitment to keep our tax and financial systems running smoothly. These updates fix drafting errors, clarify wording and implement administrative improvements. They have been flagged by Treasury, other government agencies and legal drafters. Similar to schedule 4, schedule 5 deals with technical adjustments that require some urgency. These changes are needed quickly to keep key government programs functioning properly. They fix problems caused by earlier legislative changes that didn't work as intended. When we make laws, we need to make sure that they work as intended. Without these fixes, some programs could face delays or disruptions.”
“It is part of Labor's broader agenda in the not-for-profit sector, which includes implementing new pathways to deductible-gift-recipient status, consolidating fundraising guidelines and ensuring voices from the sector are part of the ACNC board. The third schedule of this bill changes how frequently the FRAA can review ASIC and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, APRA. Currently, reviews are biennial, but this bill proposes a review every five years. The benefits of this are twofold. Firstly, it will enable the FRAA to conduct more thorough and comprehensive reviews. Secondly, it will support ASIC and APRA to have enough time to respond to and implement review recommendations. The minister will continue to have the power to appoint the FRAA members and will also be able to call for ad hoc reviews of either ASIC or APRA.”
“The ACNC can only disclose information if it passes the public-harm test—if the issue is already known publicly or if the risk of harm is serious enough to justify speaking out. If the issue isn't already public, the rules are stricter—the charity must be notified, and it has the right to challenge the disclosure. This reform is just the first step in a bigger plan to update secrecy rules around charities. As promised in the 2023-24 budget, the goal is to help double philanthropic giving by 2030. These changes are part of making the sector more open, they're part of making the sector more accountable, and they're part of making the sector more trusted, to drive towards that goal.”
“This government is bringing it back because it is important that the generosity of Australians is matched with trust in our charitable organisations. When Australians put their hands into their pockets and take out their hard earned cash to give to charity, they need to know, they need to have confidence—they need to be sure—that that money is being used in a proper way. This change means that the ACNC can let the public know when it's looking into serious concerns about a charity, which helps reassure donors and the community that action is being taken. It's a way to strengthen oversight and to build trust, encouraging more people to support charities through donations and, of course, through volunteering. Of course, there are strong safeguards in place.”
“These reforms follow on from Labor's commitment to transparency, with public country-by-country reporting, requirements for information on subsidiaries, tax residency and increased accountabilities for companies bidding for government tenders. Schedule 2 of this bill concerns the changes Labor is making to help the not-for-profit sector to be more transparent and more trustworthy. One of the key updates in the new bill gives the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission the ability to share information about investigations, either new or ongoing, if doing so could help prevent serious harm. This idea isn't new. It was part of a previous bill that lapsed in the previous parliament, as we've heard.”
“It will also align us with the Financial Action Task Force, and the FATF outlines global benchmarks for legal and regulatory measures to combat money laundering, terrorism financing and the misuse of corporate structure. The amendments provide ASIC with enhanced enforcement capabilities. ASIC will have more flexibility to identify what needs to be disclosed and how it needs to be disclosed. Compliance will be incentivised through the potential increased penalties for nondisclosure and freezing notices. The increased transparency means that the public, journalists and academics will have access to the information on who really controls the companies operating in this country.”
“There are valid reasons for separating legal and beneficial ownership, but intricate ownership arrangements can be exploited to conceal true ownership, enabling activities such as tax evasion, money laundering and other illicit financial conduct. Again, people must have the confidence to know that these systems are fair, and they must have the confidence to know that unscrupulous people cannot take advantage of flaws in systems. The current gap undermines corporate transparency and creates vulnerabilities in the regulatory framework, which can be exploited by bad actors and hinder the effectiveness of enforcement agencies. The Albanese Labor government's reforms will establish a robust and centralised framework for beneficial ownership disclosure.”
“Schedule 1 of the bill focuses on delivering the first stage of Labor's commitment to develop a public beneficial ownership register as part of our multinational tax integrity package. At present, Australia lacks a comprehensive and consistent system for gathering, verifying and maintaining beneficial ownership data across all corporate entities. It's something that we need. It's something that's important. It's something that needs to change. A beneficial owner refers to the real individual who ultimately possesses or controls a company, trust or asset, even if they are not listed as the legal owner.”
“It must also be innovative, embracing new technologies to stay competitive and to stay relevant, and stability is crucial in giving people and businesses that confidence to plan for the future. It doesn't matter if you are a small business, a big business or a family—being able to plan for the future is always important, and our systems must reflect that. And, above all, it has to be sustainable. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Financial Systems and Other Measures) Bill 2025 contains seven schedules which bolster the components that I have just spoken about, and it's an important piece of legislation that will strengthen confidence in our markets, enhance the operation of regulators and boost long-term economic growth.”
“It is part of being accountable, which ensures that those managing public and indeed private funds are held responsible for their actions. This in turn promotes ethical leadership, good governance and compliance with the rules that protect everyone in our community. These pillars of investment, transparency and accountability support a broader structure of a strong and resilient financial system—a system that is efficient, a system where funds move quickly and affordably to where they are needed the most, a system that is resilient and able to withstand shocks and recover with confidence and a system that is inclusive, ensuring that everyone has access to financial services and opportunities.”
“When we talk about the foundations of stronger productivity and public trust in our financial system, three pillars stand out as absolutely essential: investment, transparency and accountability. Investment is the engine that drives economic growth. It provides the capital that businesses need to innovate, to expand and to create jobs—ultimately, boosting productivity and improving the quality of life for our local communities. Investment alone is simply not enough. The system needs to be transparent, and when financial information and dealings are clear, accurate and accessible it builds trust into that system. Transparency allows investors, policymakers and the public to make informed decisions, and it helps prevent fraud and corruption. That confidence is absolutely critical.”
“Higher taxes, lower wages, cuts to health care, sky-high inflation, nuclear-high electricity prices—these are the legacies and the plans of those who sit opposite. Every single one of these things makes it tougher for everyday Australians, who are living at an incredibly challenging time for cost of living. The Albanese Labor government has been focused on making sure the economy and the financial systems that sit around and are regulated by government must work for everyday Australians, every single day. That means we need financial systems that are resilient, that means we need financial systems that are trusted, and that means we need financial systems that are stable.”
“Or I could mention wage increases in the care economy, such as $2.6 billion to increase pay for vital aged-care nurses. But I do see that I'm running out of time, and what you really need to know is that only Labor guarantees a future where your Medicare card and not your credit card gives you access to quality care every day and that Labor will always continue to increase and drive better access to Medicare.”
“Right at the start of this speech I mentioned urgent care clinics, and I'm constantly receiving feedback from my local community on how convenient these clinics are, saving people from long waits in hospital and from emergency departments—and of course they are fully bulk-billed. There are now 90 in operation across the country, with more on the way. When the rollout is complete, 80 per cent of Australians will live within a 20-minute drive of a clinic, and two million people are expected to use this service annually. It would be easy to continue talking about Labor's commitment to strengthening Medicare and ensuring universal health care. And I could talk about how we are increasing support for public hospitals with an additional $1.8 billion of funding.”
“They are the behind-the-scenes fixes that form the foundation of Labor's commitment to strengthening Medicare. And the Albanese Labor government has made this a priority. The 2025-26 budget made the most significant investment in Medicare since its inception more than 40 years ago. Labor is continuing to back bulk-billing. From 1 November we are implementing an additional new 12.5 per cent payment—the Bulk Billing Practice Incentive Program—for practices that bulk-bill every patient. And we are working towards nine out of 10 GP visits being bulk-billed by 2030, with the number of fully bulk-billed practices nationally increasing to around 4,800. This $7.9 billion investment will result in 18 million more bulk-billed GP visits annually, saving Australian families $859 million every year.”
“Furthermore, all work completed by a participant in good faith and in relation to the program guidelines will count towards their return of service obligation. The six-year Medicare ban has a direct negative impact on the provision of services in regional, rural and remote communities—areas that are already the most impacted by workforce shortages. Such bans are not in the interest of either the community or individual medical professionals. The proposed amendments will extend the student's withdrawal period without penalty from the HECS census date in their second year of study until the award of their medical degree. The measures included in this bill will ensure enhanced administration and delivery of the Medicare services that we all rely on each and every day.”
“The Bonded Medical Program provides Commonwealth supported places in a medical program in exchange for working in regional, rural and remote areas of Australia after graduation. That is because this is a Labor government that prioritises ensuring that there are incentives for medical practitioners and medical professionals to work in the bush. Currently, former Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship Scheme medical professionals who did not complete their service within the designated period are required to repay their scholarship and face a six-year Medicare ban. The amendments will ensure that the consequences of breaching the conditions or withdrawing from the program balance the personal circumstances of the participant with the broader interests of the community.”
“It ensures that these incentives will not be undermined by non-compliant business software or administrative delays. It ensures that these amendments are here to stay. The bill's final amendment to the Health Insurance Act 1973 enhances the Bonded Medical Program. This program provides a Commonwealth supported place in—”
“The new start date of 1 July 2026 will give both industry and consumers the time they need to prepare and adapt to the changes, particularly where private sector software must be updated to reflect the new assignment processes. Bulk-billing will continue under current arrangements, with additional incentives commencing from the 1st of next month for bulk-billing services. These reforms are supported by $15.2 million worth of funding in 2025-26, and this is being directed towards updating Services Australia's systems and delivering education and communication to ensure stakeholders are ready for the transition to digital assignment. This bill safeguards the Albanese Labor government's $7.2 billion commitment to bulk-billing incentive payments.”
“It streamlined how benefits are assigned and introduced digital options to replace outdated, paper based systems, because this is a system that we all care about and it's a system that needs to be kept up to date as technology moves forward and as that technology allows people who need Medicare to access it more effectively and more efficiently. These reforms were essential to modernise Medicare and ensure it remains responsive to the needs of patients and providers alike. Importantly, the bill will delay the commencement of schedule 1 of the assignment-of-benefits act, which was originally set to begin in January 2026.”
“The third part of this bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to resolve key legal and operational issues and delay the commencement of changes introduced by the Health Insurance Legislation Amendment (Assignment of Medicare Benefits) Act. The concept of assignment of benefit has long been a cornerstone of Medicare. It allows patients to assign their right to a Medicare benefit to a medical provider, private health insurer or approved billing agent, enabling the government to make payments directly on their behalf. The assignment-of-benefits act was introduced to strengthen the integrity of this process.”
“The bill will amend the Private Health Insurance Act to correct the operation of registration and claims systems. It introduces a self-assessment model for insurers claiming reimbursements. It will also align the registration requirements for individual participants with the current system requirements. The Chief Executive Medicare will be empowered to introduce automated decision-making capabilities to manage registration and claims more efficiently and more effectively. The bill also implements a safeguard, with assurance that any overpayments resulting from system errors or process issues can be recovered. These reforms are designed to uphold the objectives of the premiums reduction scheme and will ensure that participants are properly registered and that rebate payments are made lawfully.”
“However, it's important to note that a decision to refuse a health practitioner an MPN must be reviewed by a qualified employee of Services Australia. The second focus of this bill is streamlining private health insurance rebate payments. Each year, over $7 billion is reimbursed to private health insurers under the premiums reduction scheme. This rebate helps reduce the cost of health insurance premiums for Australians, making private health care more accessible and more affordable. However, Services Australia and the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing identified that some parts of the registration and claims processing system have not been operating consistently with the requirements of the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 since the scheme began.”
“The report recommended automating the issuance of MPNs to speed up the approval processes and result in more practitioners being available to provide services more quickly, and that's what this is all about—making sure that we have more practitioners and that they can provide services to the communities that need them most in an efficient and effective way. This bill will amend the Health Insurance Act 1973 to establish the function of allocating MPNs within the act, enabling the Chief Executive Medicare to approve automation, and will also validate MPNs previously issued automatically. What this means in practice is that the Chief Executive Medicare can approve the use of computer programs to allocate MPNs.”
“Other negative effects of the shortages included critical health services such as maternity or dental being closed down in some places and wait times for specialists blowing out, in some cases to as long as four years. The issuance of Medicare provider numbers is currently part of the lengthy and time-consuming process of registering to provide Medicare services. An MPN enables the health practitioner to claim, refer or request Medicare services, and health practitioners require an MPN for each practice location. MPNs are currently allocated by the Chief Executive Medicare via the Human Services (Medicare) Act 1973.”
“The review was commissioned by National Cabinet in September 2022, with the aim of recommending measures to streamline and simplify health practitioner regulation. The overarching goal was to decrease the skills shortages in vital health professions while maintaining required quality and safety standards. In short, we need our health professionals to have stronger skills and to have the support to do it. The resulting report in August 2023, from Robyn Kruk AO, acknowledged persistent shortages in the registered health practitioner workforce, and these shortages led to some communities not having access to a GP, a nurse led clinic or a dental or mental health service within a 60-minute drive.”
“I'm incredibly proud to be part of a Labor government that believes in universal health care and continues to strengthen Medicare to ensure the scheme is both robust and sustainable. At times, that means fine-tuning Medicare's administrative systems, and that is what the Health Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 1) Bill 2025 does. It will ensure better administration and delivery of the system that we all rely on. As its name suggests, the bill covers a range of reforms. The first is implementing the automation of Medicare provider numbers. This is the second recommendation in the final report of the Independent Review of Australia's Regulatory Settings Relating to Overseas Health Practitioners, otherwise known as the Kruk review.”
“You're just grateful, as you dig into your pocket for your Medicare card, that you have one fewer bill to pay. This is the foundation of Medicare—that, when you and your family are affected by illness or injury, you shouldn't have to break the bank to receive high-quality health care. But it is worth looking at the system as a whole. It helps to put into context just how valuable Medicare is to Australians. In 2004-05, the value of Medicare services delivered was $475.2 million. The total amount of benefits paid in the same period was $32.4 billion, and this is for services ranging from GP visits to obstetrics, diagnostic imaging, optometry, allied health and radiotherapy—and the list goes on and on.”
“We do it when we open up more Medicare mental health clinics, and we have one coming to the south side in Brisbane very shortly. We do it when we invest in bulk-billing so more people can access critical GP services, again closer to home. We created Medicare, and Labor works every day to make it even better. Medicare is a vast system. I don't think that any of us, when we hand over our little green card to the medical receptionist, think about how far the services stretch and how the system is administered. That is understandable, because after all, when you visit an urgent care clinic with your injured child, you have other things on your mind, and, when you go to your bulk-billed GP because you're feeling under the weather, you're not thinking about the back-end systems behind your visit.”
“I rise to speak on the Health Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures No. 1) Bill 2025. When we talk about Medicare, what we know about Medicare is that it is the embodiment of Labor values. It is who we are, and it represents what we care about when it comes to health, which is ensuring that it doesn't matter what's in your pay packet. No matter what you earn, you and your family should have access to world-class medical care with just your Medicare card. And this is not something that we just say. This is not something that we just talk about. This is something that we do every single day. We do it when we talk about the institution of urgent care clinics. We do it when we see urgent care clinics—more and more of them—pop up around our suburbs to make sure that people have the care they need close to home.”
“If you are working next to a coworker doing exactly the same thing, you should not be paid differently. It's about fairness in work, it's about supporting working Australians and it's about making sure that everyone has dignity in the workplace. Labor will always stand up for the importance of helping Australians improve their work-life balance. We believe that not only should you be fairly compensated for your work but family is a really important part of our community. More than one million jobs were created during the government's first term. That's a record for a parliamentary term. Thanks to Labor, workers in these jobs will be paid fairly, keep their penalty rates, and, when they clock off for the night, their time is their own.”
“We've just passed new laws to protect penalty rates. If you're on minimum or award wages, your penalty rates are here to stay and your penalty rates are protected. Labor has consistently supported minimum wage increases at every annual wage review since May 2022. The minimum wage increased 3.5 per cent from 1 July. That's direct cost-of-living support for three million workers including cleaners, retail workers and early childhood educators. Annual real wages have grown for 18 months in a row under Labor. Under the former government, wages fell for five quarters leading up to the 2022 election. It doesn't end there. With same job, same pay, we have delivered pay increases for workers across the country, ensuring labour hire workers are not paid less than permanent employees when they are doing the same job.”
“The coalition wanted to overturn it. What is clear about the coalition's position when it comes to working people is that they do not believe that working people's dignity at work or working people's right to be paid for their labour is something that's particularly important. There is no other reason that they would vote against these important reforms. On 3 May Australians spoke, and they spoke loud and clear. They supported that right to disconnect, they supported that right to unplug, and they supported that right for their wages to reflect the work that they do. Labor governments have been standing up for working Australians since Labor's inception. Working Australians drive our economy. Working Australians are the beating heart, making sure that services critical to our economy continue to grow and move forward.”
“We have always acknowledged the importance of a person's right to be paid fairly and their right to be acknowledged for the work that they do. If you are a carpenter going to a worksite and you are told, 'You shouldn't clock in because we're not going to pay you for today'; if you are a fitter and turner going to the shop floor and you are told, 'Today we're not going to send you your cheque; we're just going to off this one today, and you're not going to get your wage'; or if you are a nurse checking in at the hospital to do your shift, we would not cop you having to work without pay. But that is what has been happening to many workers across our economy in this country. Your time off should be your own. You shouldn't have to read a monitor. You shouldn't have to respond to contact unless it would be unreasonable not to.”
“In November 2024 the Macquarie Dictionary, the standard reference on Australian English, awarded an honorary mention to a new term, 'right to disconnect', with the definition: a law which grants employees the right to not work or be contacted about work during non-work hours. It's one year since Labor implemented the right to disconnect for employees of large- and medium-sized businesses, and that right came into effect on 26 August for employees of small businesses. Last month and today, we celebrate the anniversary of the right to disconnect. It is an important milestone for working people, an important milestone for those whose labour should be recognised, an important milestone for our economy and an important milestone for Australia. It's a simple premise: if you're not being paid to work 24/7, then you shouldn't be on call 24/7.”