APPOINTMENT AS MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS

I am honoured the Prime Minister has appointed me as Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

I am determined to deliver more secure jobs, better wages and a fairer workplace system.

One of my top priorities in this role will be to help close the gender pay gap. Women should not be paid less than men – it’s that simple.

The Albanese Labor Government will criminalise wage theft, introduce minimum standards for gig workers, deliver on our “same job, same pay” policy and restore balance to the Fair Work Commission.

Our Secure Australian Jobs Plan is an ambitious but deliverable blueprint to give workers a better deal and a better future.

The previous government deliberately tried to keep wages low and did nothing to close the loopholes that have made Australian jobs less secure. Labor will take the opposite approach.

Everything we do in Federal Parliament only matters if the laws are respected and enforced in workplaces around the country.

That means good employers who respect their workers and unions who represent their members.

To that end I encourage workers to join their union.

WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE, 2022