Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (16:04): Labor has a vision for a strong economy and a fair society—an Australia that is safe and prosperous with an economy that is growing strongly, generating quality, well-paid jobs, and an Australia where that economic growth is shared. The Liberals do not share that vision. Their vision is very different. Their vision is tax cuts for the rich that, maybe, trickle down to the rest of us. Their vision is for a $50 billion tax cut that goes to the biggest businesses, including the four big banks, including overseas shareholders, but that does not drive economic growth in this country. Their vision is for a $16,400 tax cut for someone on a million bucks a year and a wage cut for ordinary workers. This morning we heard a train wreck of an interview from the Minister for Industrial Relations and, incidentally, the Minister for Women. When asked about the government's own submission on the minimum wage, she could not answer a question about what was in her own submission, where it said that low-paid workers tend to be young, female and single. She could not answer how many, what proportion or what numbers were being talked about. Her own submission to the Fair Work Commission said: Increasing the national minimum wage is not an efficient way to address relative living standards. Low-paid employees are often found in high income households. As if my wage should depend on my parents' wage or on my husband's wage. We are going back to medieval times when we say that a woman's wage should depend on what her husband earns or what her parents earn. It is an outrage, especially at a time when this government also supports cuts to penalty rates. We had Margarita up in the gallery before, and I met with her earlier today. She told me her story—how she came here in the early eighties and from 1996 onwards she was working in the hotel industry—as a widow trying to raise her young children. The youngest one was three years old. She was having to work Sundays and be away from her family, because that extra 50 bucks a week made all the difference to her family and being able to put decent food on the table and a roof over the heads of her children and being able to get shoes and school books and all of the things a family needs. She could not live without those Sunday penalty rates. And this government says that she does not deserve those penalty rates and that 700,000 workers like her do not deserve those penalty rates for being away from their children on weekends. Her son asked her recently, 'Mum, why were you never there when I was eight years old?' She replied, 'Son, I was working to put food on the table and a roof over your head,' and he hugged her and said, 'Mum, you did a great job.' Can you imagine what it is like to be asked by your children why you were never there on a Sunday. Her daughter said to her, 'You are a grandmother now.' Mr Laundy: I worked Sundays for most of my life. Ms PLIBERSEK: Oh, the member for Reid says that he worked Sundays all his life. How much did you get paid for working Sundays? I will tell you: it was not the minimum wage, was it? It was not $17.70 to work on Sundays for you, was it, son? No, you did pretty well out of working on Sundays, didn't you? But you do not want to pay your workers for working on Sunday. Mr Laundy interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Coulton ): The member for Sydney will direct her comments through the chair. The member for Reid will sit quietly. The member for Sydney has the call. Ms PLIBERSEK: That is exactly what is wrong with the Liberal Party. We had the Prime Minister saying earlier in question time, 'Oh, Margarita, I understand your pain,' and we heard the immigration minister saying yesterday, 'The Prime Minister, he started with nothing and he built up his wealth over the years.' Started with nothing? In a log cabin at Vaucluse—he really started with nothing! When this government says that they understand your pain, the simple fact is that they do not, because they are populated with people like the member for Reid and this Prime Minister, who do not get what it is like to earn $17.70 an hour and to be told you are going to get paid less per working on a Sunday—the difference between putting food on the table and a roof over the heads of your children. They are pretending that they understand what that is like. This government are so out of touch and that is why their solution is cuts to big business— (Time expired)