Matt Gregg
Deakin · Australian Labor Party · Australia
“Now, let's talk about the challenges faced by the Australian people: a quadrupling of house prices over two decades, unresolved by the Liberal Party in government; and we had 4.1 gigawatts out of baseload energy, unresponded to by the coalition government.”
“This is a government focused on the future and focused on actually resolving the challenges faced by the Australian people rather than whinging about them and going on template tirades which solve absolutely nothing. The coalition then have the gall to say, 'Oh, look, the coalition's less popular.”
“We are going to confront them on behalf of the Australian people, to make sure that they can be optimistic that the future is going to be better. We make absolutely no apologies for that. Today, 1 July—despite me sounding a little angry—is actually a very good day. It's a very good day! Every taxpayer is getting a tax cut.”
“Change is what the Labor government is delivering. We are making difficult decisions that actually address the challenges faced by Australians. We don't just sit here proud of the status quo; we come here to make a difference. It's very easy to come in and make statements. What is difficult is change.”
“Then, suddenly, they come into this chamber as if all challenges faced by society came out of nowhere and are all Labor's fault. It's complete nonsense. We are responding to the issue of energy shortages by developing a 21st-century grid, because we know that energy is the key to future productivity and success.”
“Where do I begin? We start with the member for Goldstein making up quotes to be outraged by, reciting tired old campaign lines from a party fast approaching the abyss.”
The complete record
Every one of 452 lines we hold for Matt Gregg, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 10.
“Over the weekend, I met Dr Sara Razaghi, a GP at the Forest Hill Medical & Dental Centre. This is one of the practices that has become 100 per cent bulk-billed thanks to the Albanese Labor government expanding bulk-billing incentives to all Australians, the single largest investment in Medicare since Labor created it over 40 years ago. Sara told me this change means that she can focus on her patients and their needs without worrying about how many people she can feasibly bulk-bill. She could see in her patients that a gap fee wasn't sustainable for them, so she did what she could to support her patients and bulk-billed as often as she could, often at her own financial detriment. Now that she's able to bulk-bill all her patients, she can finally focus on their wellbeing and know that the Albanese government has her back.”
“I move: That this House: (1) acknowledges that on 1 November, bulk billing incentives were expanded to all Australians, and a new incentive payment began for practices that bulk bill every patient; and (2) notes: (a) that these policies will mean: (i) nine out of ten general practitioner (GP) visits will be bulk billed by 2030; and (ii) the current number of fully bulk billed practices will triple to around 4,800 nationally; (b) other policies the Government has delivered to strengthen Medicare, such as: (i) opening 90 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia, with 47 more on the way; (ii) tripling the bulk billing incentive; (iii) opening 61 free Medicare Mental Health Centres; (iv) lowering the maximum cost of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listed medicines to $25 from 1 January 2026 and freezing the concession price at $7.70 until 2030; and (v) boosting funding for hospitals by $1.7 billion; and (c) that while the Government is expanding access to bulk billing, by contrast, the Leader of the Opposition as the Minister for Health: (i) never increased Medicare rebates, the only health minister in Australian history not to do so; (ii) doubled down on the then Government's $50 billion cut to hospitals; and (iii) continued the fight for the former Leader of the Opposition's GP tax.”
“People are getting off the grid, and they're not paying higher power bills. People in my electorate, and in electorates all over the country, have been voting with their feet. It's exciting to see a government that is finally committed to a sensible energy policy that maintains coherence in the energy space and gives business the certainty it deserves. In their MPI, the opposition talked about mortgage repayments. They are forgetting that inflation was sitting at about 6.1 per cent when we first came to office. It now has a three in front of it, and we've had, I think, three interest rate reductions in the last year.”
“We, unlike the opposition, are not so arrogant as to think that we're smarter than AEMO, smarter than the Treasury and smarter than pretty much every other expert in the energy space—who confirm that the cheapest form of energy is renewable energy. We're deploying it at pace, along with the safeguards to ensure consistency of supply and reliability. We're investing in gas supply. We're making sure that pumped hydro is being rolled out. We're making sure that battery technology is being utilised, and households have voted with their feet: 104,000 homes have thankfully ignored the side show and decided to invest in battery technology. They know that storage of renewables is the cheapest way to power your home and the cheapest way to power your business, as long as the settings are right.”
“So, instead of finding the policy that says 'renewables only'—they forget about the fact that we've got batteries that pump hydro and that are backed by gas. They go to war on a policy that doesn't exist, and then they promote a policy of their own that also doesn't exist. We had an announcement of nuclear last night, but we don't know if net zero is there, because we're waiting for Matthew Canavan's no doubt independent and well-researched report on the future of net zero. We have to ask: what does that do for industries and households? That policy paralysis means that we are not getting the investment we need, and haven't had the investment we've needed, in this sector for a long time. Thank goodness a Labor government has been elected. We can provide policy clarity.”
“How on Earth can business invest in the clean energy future if there is no policy certainty? It is the worst possible thing you could do, no matter what direction you're in, to ensure there is investment in energy. They held up coal. They even wore coal as make-up in one case, but they didn't actually make any new coal-fired power plants. They didn't increase the supply of electricity. There were three gigawatts less of coal-fired power when they left than when they went into office. So, even as coal lovers, they were terrible at their job. Now, we find ourselves in a situation where we need to rapidly deploy technologies to ensure an electricity supply that is sufficient in amount, that is low enough in cost and that we can rely on going into the future.”
“I see the coalition remained unencumbered by self-awareness as they provided that lecture on the running of the economy! They raised a number of topics in their MPI, including tax returns, from the party that proposed increased taxes at the last election; higher spending; higher debt; higher deficit—well done, coalition; and electricity bills, from the party that caused policy paralysis for nine years and continue to eat themselves over the very topic. The reason we have higher-than-desirable electricity bills is years of policy failure to ensure that the supply of electricity meets demand. It's a simple supply-and-demand problem. But, instead of having a coherent, consistent set of policies, we find a chopping and changing of 20 different policies over a relatively short period of time. They talk about business.”
“Workers, because of the way the information is delivered to them, can barely tell whether or not superannuation has been paid at a particular time, because they can't just pick up any old payslip and find out whether it's happened—so they find themselves in a situation where it's not being called out in time. By the time they find out they have not been paid, the company has either gone into administration or ceased to exist, and the capacity for that worker to recover either through the ATO or directly has completely expired. We need to get to the point where workers can be confident that the money they've earned has been paid. It is not a controversial ask. But, for some reason, as is often the case in this House, we are seeing some rather strange and eclectic contributions. Among them last night was the conspiracy about what super is—”
“Luckily, this approach, payday super, reflects common sense. From what I can tell, even from the amendments with the usual dose of nuttiness, there is at least consensus on the notion that payday super is a way of ensuring workers are getting the amounts they are owed and deserve, that we can safeguard some of our most vulnerable workers from losing the superannuation they've already earned and that we have better capability of enforcing against noncompliance with superannuation guarantee obligations. We've seen many, many occasions where unpaid super going over years is not being repaid.”
“Is it something we have decided is essential for the saving of retirement amounts for all workers? I think it's the latter; I believe it's there to provide a dignified retirement to workers as they age. Most Australians agree. They know it's there, they value the system and they have received the benefits. In my electorate of Deakin, we've got an increasing number of people aged over 65 and a decreasing number of people on the aged pension. Superannuation is working. It is delivering a better quality of life for Australians all around the country at all income levels. It is doing exactly what it is designed to do. We can't afford to have any process or change that is going to undermine the accumulation of superannuation savings over time. But, sadly, that remains an item of contention from time to time in this House.”
“Superannuation is essential because it is compulsory—the fact that we are together saving for our retirements. We're not relying on the aged pension, which has never provided the quality of life we expect and hope for for our older citizens. In order to live a comfortable and decent life as an older person, as we live longer, as we grow as an ageing population, it's more essential than ever that we look after our superannuation system, we jealously guard it and we make sure all Australians have access to the dignified retirement that they deserve. Unfortunately, we've seen some immature debates around what superannuation is for. Is it going to be an alternative to fixing the housing crisis? Is it something that should be withdrawn at will at the last minute to pay for certain things?”
“I wouldn't be so bold as to presume that it's Liberal Party policy. We all know for a fact that the Liberal Party and the coalition have many different policies simultaneously at the moment, because they can't seem to agree on anything. But one of the saddest things about the member for Goldstein's contribution was that, if that is the sensible centre of the Liberal Party, God help us all! It shows that even their moderates have jumped onto the crazy train, not knowing where they're going. We find that superannuation remains something that causes them heartburn. They hate the idea that workers are in the system, somehow getting their place in the boardroom and taking their opportunity to take their fair share of the wealth of this great country.”
“Unfortunately, as I walked past this chamber last night I overheard the contribution of the member for Goldstein, who decided to pop on the tinfoil hat, pull out the coathanger and start speaking in fluent crazy. He went on and on about serfdom and the fact that superannuation was some kind of a conspiracy by the Labor Party to line its own pockets. He said the pre-1992 position on superannuation was somehow more logical. Why? Superannuation did the daring thing of saying that working people had a right to a share in capital wealth. It was the idea that it wasn't just the wealthy or those lucky enough to be with certain employers who got the benefits of superannuation but every single wage earner in the country. It was one of the most important reforms to working life in the twentieth century—and they simply don't get it.”
“This isn't money that is given as a gift to workers; this is money earned, owed and part of their remuneration—and, unfortunately, on a mass scale, hasn't been received. These are debts that need to be claimed in a better, more efficient and effective way, and this bill provides that means. This bill is the commonsense approach. When I talk to people in my electorate, they wonder why the it hasn't already happened and why it isn't already the case that superannuation has to be paid into the worker's account at the same time as they receive their wages. After all, remuneration isn't a business credit facility. It's not there as a loan to pay for other expenses. It is a debt owed to workers. This legislation sensibly adjusts that, and I welcome the fact that at least that principle has been adopted by many people in the coalition.”
“The risks are increased when we're talking about small businesses with low turnover approaching insolvency and workers who are young and vulnerable, and we've seen the consequences play out in a very real way. Not only do we not have the wonderful magic of compound interest playing; we also have a significant loss of insurance coverage, which we've seen many cases of—for example, people not having the permanent disability or income protection insurance that they would ordinarily have, because contributions that were lawfully required to be made weren't paid. We've also seen situations where a person who may be eligible to withdraw their superannuation on compassionate grounds, such as upon the death of a spouse or dependent, have not been able to access super, because, once again, the money simply hasn't been put into the account.”
“The amount of unpaid super owed to workers in my electorate of Deakin was $31.4 million, according to analysis by the Super Members Council in 2022-23. The analysis also highlighted that that's $1.4 billion of lost super for workers in my home state of Victoria and a whopping $5.7 billion for workers across Australia. We're talking about a lot of money earned by workers owed to workers; it's not sitting in their superannuation accounts. It is an unacceptable and unsustainable situation. This is a problem we've known about for a long time. There has been report after report, including the 2020 review into retirement savings initiated by the coalition, and likewise. This is a well-known problem.”
“My thanks to the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, and the Minister for Education for coming out to Deakin. You are welcome back any time.”
“This is going to be a brand new space not only for the students at that school but also for the diverse community of young people, with a number of activities planned for that fantastic new space. Whether it's creating new community hubs, revitalising Main Street or investing in local schools, the Albanese government is backing our community. Most of the people in Deakin would agree that Croydon has been overlooked for some time. It's a mid-20th century vibe—the resources, while once fit for purpose, have started to fall apart. It has got old; it has aged. It is high time that this community finally got the investment it deserves. These transformational projects are already making a real difference to the feel and livability of our area, and it just keeps getting better and better.”
“Earlier this year I was proud to welcome the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government to Deakin to announce $7.5 million to replace the old paving—and anyone who has tried to use that with a wheelchair or walking frame knows that is quite a dangerous space at the moment—upgrade the lighting and CCTV, and even add some extra street furniture and public art. This will create a safe-driving Main Street that is better for traders, shoppers, residents and visitors. We are also upgrading local schools, and anyone driving through Croydon, particularly near the main shopping centre, would have seen construction work being done at the new gym at Croydon Primary School. I recently welcomed the Minister for Education to check out how this $6.8 million project was going.”
“Supported by $7.5 million from the Albanese Labor government and another $7.5 million from Maroondah City Council, the Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct is part of the work being done to reshape and improve Croydon. This is an exciting time for our community. We're a great place to live and work, and, as more people choose to called Melbourne's east home, the Albanese government is investing in the infrastructure and the services we need. This includes revitalising Croydon Main Street as well.”
“I recently welcomed my good friend the Deputy Prime Minister out to Deakin to check out the progress of some of the great projects happening in Croydon. Back in 2022 he joined me to announce support for a new cultural hub in Croydon, and it was fantastic to return—this time as the member for Deakin—to see this project coming together. This will be a fantastic space for our growing community to enjoy, with a new performance and events space, meeting spaces, a library and more. It forms part of the Croydon Community Wellbeing Precinct, which is really coming together, and at pace. A new multipurpose hub will also form part of the precinct, delivering great new spaces for sports clubs and other community organisations.”
“My question is to the Leader of the House. How is the Albanese Labor government using the parliament to deliver cost-of-living relief for Australians, and how does this compare to other approaches in the parliament?”
“We're delivering cheaper home batteries, cutting 20 per cent off student loan debts for three million Australians and Commonwealth practice payments, which are going to make a huge difference to people training in important professions like teaching so they can actually complete their courses. Of course, hard-working aged-care nurses will receive the next instalment of their pay rise in October. The Liberals and Nationals stood against much of this cost-of-living relief, and Australians took notice. At the election, they voted for higher living standards, higher wages and secure, well-paid jobs. That's what the Albanese government is working to deliver every day.”
“We've delivered the biggest nominal turnaround in the budget of any government in Australia's history, turning two big Liberal deficits into two substantial Labor surpluses, and the deficit in our third year is a fifth of what they left us. We've also shown that governments don't need to choose between responsible economic management and helping people with the cost of living. The national minimum wage and award wages increased by 3.5 per cent from 1 July. The superannuation guarantee increased to 12 per cent. Paid parental leave increased to 24 weeks. Super is now being paid on all government paid parental leave. Another $150 in energy bill relief will be out before the end of this year, and there is $10,000 incentive payments for new housing apprentices.”
“We've only been in this place for a couple of weeks, and I've already had to defend the concept of penalty rates. They really show that they just don't get it. Take-home pay matters. The increase in living standards matters. So, like in a lot of the policy areas we're seeing at the moment, the opposition has learned absolutely nothing. They might have a new leader, but it really is the same old script and the same old division. Instead we've chosen responsible economic management. We're seeing inflation lower, interest rates down, and real wages and living standards starting to grow again. We've delivered tax cuts for every taxpayer, with two more to come, and we've overseen the creation of more than 1.1 million jobs. We've recorded the lowest average unemployment of any government in over 50 years.”
“That is a real and substantial difference in people's lives. It's happening because they resoundingly rejected the coalition's economic legacy—high inflation, high interest rates, declining real wages and living standards, and deficits as far as the eye could see. Importantly Australians also rejected the shallow economic legacy that we saw from the coalition. They left behind a race to the bottom on wages, an approach they called 'a deliberate design feature of their economic architecture'. The Albanese government's approach is for business to compete on the basis of their ideas, their productivity, their capability and their innovation, not a race to the bottom on wages. One might think that the Liberal Party would have got the message at the last election, but no.”
“We've made real and substantial progress on inflation. Headline inflation has been at or below three per cent for more than a year, and underlying inflation has been within the Reserve Bank's target band for nine months in a row. When we came to office inflation on a monthly measure had a six in front of it. That is more than double what it is today. I know that monthly figures are not as reliable as quarterly figures, so let's take into consideration recent quarterly figures. The official quarterly numbers show that both underlying and headline inflation are now at their lowest rates in almost four years. The progress we've made on inflation has led to three interest rate cuts in the last six months. Those cuts mean that a household with a $700,000 mortgage is saving about 330 bucks a month or $4,000 a year.”
“I rise to support Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 and to reflect on the progress that we have made together. Inflation is down, interest rates are down, the deficit is down, jobs are up and wages are growing. Through the efforts of the Albanese Labor government and, more importantly, the efforts of all Australians, we've turned the economy around. Contrast this with what we see from the opposition. They left behind nearly a trillion dollars of Liberal debt for us, weighed down in rorts and waste. They went to the last election with a plan to lift taxes, to lower wages and to bring bigger deficits and more debt. I think the Australian people's verdict made very clear what they thought of that one. Australians voted overwhelmingly for the plan that is working—the plan of the Albanese Labor government.”
“I rise to speak on a subject very close to my heart—education—and how this budget continues the Albanese Labor government's significant investment in our education system. Education changes lives. It's one of the most significant determinants of social and economic mobility. I experienced this as a student, and I'm proud to have played my—”
“If we want to make sure that generational equity becomes a reality, housing has to be on the top of the priority list. And you'll find that it has benefits economic, social and even psychosocial. The fact that you have that stability in your life can help address many of the stresses in people's lives at the moment. It's also a cost-of-living measure. If less of your pay packet is going into rent or a mortgage repayment, your financial stability improves substantially. So I hope that we can work together on this generational challenge. It's one that deserves the utmost serious treatment of this parliament and all levels of government. We all need to work together. We know that there are forces that have genuine interests that might not be a big building next door, but we owe this one to the kids. (Time expired)”
“And, frankly, I'm yet to meet someone in politics on any level that says that we've done housing right to date. We've got work to do. It is important work. We've got to focus on what works and what helps. The progress we've made so far is incredible. I can only hope that we treat this with the seriousness it deserves. We've got a generation of young people who deserve to have hope and optimism about the future that lies ahead, and one of the keys to achieving that goal is to make sure that their aspiration of having their own home is realistic and achievable in the communities that they've grown up in, in the communities where they've built their social networks, in the communities that they've called home their entire lives.”
“The sense of security that you can get from having a roof over your head, one that you don't have to worry about losing tomorrow, a safe place to call home, is one of the greatest gifts we can give these families. More than 540 construction trades have already received $5,000 supports, and we continue to support the training of more tradies in our area with the $10,000 incentive program. We expect to see many more. Mr Albanese was one of the most popular people I'd seen in Deakin at the Swinburne Croydon TAFE, and we've got some fantastic new tradies in the pipeline. I'm very much looking forward to seeing them run their local small businesses in our area. Housing is going to be one of the great legacies of this generation of politicians if we get it right. I'm really not here to have fights about housing. This topic is too important.”
“So it is great to be part of a government that is grasping the nettle and taking a really ambitious approach to getting on with the job of addressing this housing crisis. In my electorate of Deakin, so far 686 people have bought their first home with a five per cent deposit, and that's only going to increase substantially once these changes are made, because the price of housing in Deakin has gone up to levels that are far higher than they once were. We're funding 62 homes in Mitcham in my electorate through the first rounds of the Housing Australia Future Fund. We've supported the delivery of 80 more social and affordable houses in Ringwood through grants and low-cost funding, and we've got 13 new homes dedicated to women and children escaping family violence. This is life-changing stuff for those families.”
“We're going to implement Help to Buy, which is going to open up the housing option for more Australians as part of a shared-equity scheme, but every single first home buyer is also going to have access to their first home with a five per cent deposit, with far more realistic guidelines reflecting the market price of housing in the modern world. Importantly, we are cutting red tape and improving planning through the National Planning Reform Blueprint. There's a lot of regulation often brought out of goodwill, but we've come to a point where we do need to take a high-level look and make sure that we are doing housing in the most effective and efficient way we possibly can. It has become an issue of intergenerational equity, and it's also become one where the most vulnerable in our society can no longer be ignored.”
“Since the Labor government was elected, 180,000 Australians have bought their first home under the five per cent deposit scheme. More than a million households have benefited, with an almost 50 per cent increase in Commonwealth rental assistance. We are also seeing a turnaround in the number of houses being built, with over 500,000 homes built since this government was elected. We're seeing new starts in housing construction go up by about 17 per cent. More than 25,000 social and affordable homes are now in planning and construction, with over 50,000 social and affordable homes completed.”
“One of the great honours of entering this parliament is the ability to engage in and work in a range of important and interesting policy areas with some incredible people in this chamber, in the community, in our local communities and, of course, in the business sector. But there's one policy area which I am particularly keen to ensure that we get right in the next three years, and that is housing. For too long, housing has had a bit of an on-and-off-again relationship with the Commonwealth. But, finally, we have a government that has moved from being a negligent bystander to one of the most—in fact, the most—active and engaged governments we've seen in the post-war years. We've got a $43 billion plan to build more homes, make it easier to rent and make it easier for people to buy.”
“My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. How is the Albanese government delivering on its commitment to help Aussie workers earn more and keep more of what they earn, and how is this different from other approaches?”
“We can think about the leadership of the secret Minister for Health, the secret Minister for Finance, the secret Minister for Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, the secret Minister for Home Affairs and the secret Treasurer when we think about the character of the previous government and what change in culture the Albanese Labor government has brought in. I can say that it is overwhelmingly positive. Finally, we have a restoration of key institutions. Finally, we have a restoration of faith in the transparency and accountability of government in Australia. As my friend the member for Chisholm pointed out, we're back in the top 10 on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Things are improving and will continue to improve.”
“There will be every opportunity for all sides to contribute to the discussion about that bill, as is normal process. It will be a transparent, open, democratic process. Changes to the bill may well occur in response to that good-faith engagement. Rather, we have what has become a daily piece of performative, confected indignation and outrage without any sense of personal insight or introspection. We just see another day rallying against a topic which, really, the Liberal Party when in government performed a lot worse in. So, when we're getting a lecture from the Liberals and Nationals about secrecy, perhaps think back just a few years. Where were we before?”
“The culture of the Albanese Labor government is of delivering cheaper medicines; delivering free TAFE; delivering more housing; delivering changes to the five per cent deposit scheme to ensure that every first home buyer can get themselves into the market; and delivering on paid prac for people studying nursing, social work and other courses, like teaching. We have so many positive plans, and as a government we are not talking about sitting around eating each other up, like the coalition does every time the words 'Medicare' or 'environment' are mentioned. We are focusing on delivering the promises made to the Australian people. A point has been made about changes to the freedom of information legislation. This will be going to committee.”
“We did the hard work on delivering the Respect@Work report. We have made the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service an independent statutory body to ensure that the culture in this place of poor behaviour being swept under the rug is gone. It was to ensure the standards that reasonable people in Australia expect of any workplace are adhered to in this place as well. The way we treat each other matters, and, when misbehaviour occurs, people should be held accountable. That is something that we are pursuing not just with rhetoric but with action. The culture of a government can be seen in what it does.”
“The new Administrative Review Tribunal introduced by the Albanese Labor government finally has some transparent appointment requirements to make sure we are appointing members on merit—those who are qualified to do the job and can serve the Australian public by providing good decisions relating to the application of executive power. That is true accountability. We have also begun the process of reforming whistleblower protection laws. Tranche 1 is already in effect. We're working on tranche 2, and we'll ensure that whistleblowers are protected, as we would expect in a democratic society. We're also rejuvenating the Open Government Partnership, introducing the third national plan promoting accountability and transparency in government and doing reforms to make sure the culture in this place around personal behaviour is also improved.”
“The promise of an anticorruption commission was key to restoring integrity in government. They failed to deliver it, but I'll tell you who did deliver it: the Labor Party. When the Albanese Labor government was brought in, we introduced the National Anti-Corruption Commission. It is now here, it is in effect, and it is doing its job. We've also introduced changes to the Public Service Act to ensure that ministers are no longer giving directions relating to the employment of staff. And we've addressed another fundamental institutional problem created by those opposite with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal—a body there to ensure the integrity of government decision-making and the lawfulness of government decisions. It had become an opaque and overly politicised institution, so fatally damaged that it had to be replaced.”
“It was somewhat surprising to hear an analysis of a culture of secrecy from the coalition, the very folks that brought us a secret minister for health; a secret minister for finance; a secret minister for industry, science, energy and resources; a secret minister for home affairs; and a secret treasurer. I recall a culture of secrecy also at a time when we were raising the very serious issue of robodebt, when it was just responded to with doubling down and attacks rather than genuine introspection. Introspection is something we certainly have not seen from those opposite. We don't have to go very far back down the time tunnel to remember a party of government promising to deliver an anticorruption commission, getting into government in 2019 and failing to deliver.”
“If you continue the race to the bottom on wages, what you end up with is an unmotivated workforce, poor productivity and poor service delivery. So I'm glad to see that these reforms are continuing to benefit workers. May they long reign.”
“This has been a fantastic set of reforms, and we will see the benefits of them continue in the years ahead. I'm encouraged by the fact that real wages are going up for consecutive quarters, and may that long continue. We've also got to make sure we continue to improve the legal arrangements around businesses to make sure that they have every incentive to increase productivity. Again, increased productivity means more efficient ways of conducting business. I'm so glad to finally see the end of this horrible cycle of trying to win the game by cutting wages to the lowest amount possible. It does not serve families, it does not serve our society and it does not serve business in the longer term. The race to the bottom on wages hurts everyone in the end. You end up with inferior industries. We saw it in child care and we saw it in aged care.”
“We now know that you can get the balance right, that you can have an industrial regime that incentivises workers, their representatives and employers getting together and coming to an appropriate arrangement for their business. That is what enterprise agreements are all about: they're about making sure that the interests of all concerned are duly regarded, that they fall outside the generic regime of a modern award and that those involved get to do something that gets it right for their particular business organisation. We encourage that. We're also encouraged by the fact that we've seen a record number of enterprise agreements and a record number of workers subject to enterprise agreements. That means appropriate industrial relations tailored to the work, to workers and to the businesses that employ them.”
“Secondly, it ignores the fact that new businesses are being created in Australia all the time. The number of new entrants into the market exceeds the number of business insolvencies. There are a number of explanations for business insolvencies. We've obviously had high inflation and it's become increasingly difficult for small businesses to access credit, and these are very serious economic problems that we have to work on. But to suggest that giving fairness to working people is somehow the cause of economic carnage simply isn't borne out by the fact. We've got record employment at the same time as having an increase in wages. That common argument we heard for decades—that increasing wages means everyone will be out of a job—has been proven bunk.”
“The new approach to industrial relations unashamedly means that workers do better, that the work done by employees is duly rewarded and that we put an end to the cycle of continual locking of the prosperity of working people. It is only fair that they get their fair share of the spoils of the work they do. But, at the same time, we want to make sure that we have a system that incentivises businesses competing on merit, on innovation and on new ways of doing things, whether that's through a differentiation strategy or by finding other ways to cut costs, such as more efficient machinery and the like. The cherrypicking of small business data by the coalition as somehow providing support for their position, firstly, fails in a basic causation argument.”
“So we had a system that, by design, incentivised a competitive approach which meant the way you got your advantage over the other firm was by paying your workers less, by exploiting contractual arrangements with labour hire companies and the like in an attempt to drive down wages. While that was legal and a legitimate business practice, that is clearly not a sustainable pathway to productivity in our economy. The way we achieve that is by incentivising firms to get competitive advantage by innovation—by more efficient procedures and by ensuring that we do the jobs better rather than just finding new and clever ways of undercutting workers' wages.”