Mr BURKE (Watson—Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for the Arts and Leader of the House) (15:00): I thank the member for Newcastle—someone who's always been fighting to get wages moving in her part of Australia. In the first six months of this government, we have had stronger wage growth than in any other period for the last 10 years. Now, why would it be over the last 10 years? What possibly needed to change, in order to get wages moving? It was the government that needed to change to get wages moving. Getting wages moving is good for the cost of living and it's good for working families. And it's been good for the budget. Forty per cent of the turnaround in finances, as has been explained by the Treasurer, is caused by employment and wages outcomes—40 per cent of the improvements in revenue. Now, those opposite wanted to use terms like 'drover's dog' in terms of turnaround in revenue. As to what's happened with wages, in their approach to wages they were more like my rescue greyhound: they'd run around for five minutes in the morning and then sleep the rest of the day! And they'd do nothing on wages, because keeping wages low was a deliberate design feature. To get wages moving requires action from a government, which is exactly what the Albanese Labor government has done. Wages are moving because we took the position we did at the annual wage review. Mr Wallace interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order, member for Fisher. Mr BURKE: Wages are moving for people in aged care—for a quarter of a million workers in aged care—because of the action this government took and the 15 per cent pay rise funded in the budget last night. Wages are moving with a government that was willing to strike down zombie agreements, when those opposite were quite happy for people to still be on the terms and conditions of 20 years ago under old Work Choices agreements. Wages are moving because we've now banned job ads which used to be legal, even though— Mr Wallace interjecting— The SPEAKER: The member for Fisher, if he continues to interject, will leave the chamber. Mr BURKE: they were advertising rates which were illegal. Wages are moving because we changed the law for pay equity. Wages are moving because we changed the law for gender equality. Wages are moving because rogue employers know that it's going to be a criminal offence to steal from your workers. Wages are moving because the platforms know that there'll be minimum standards for gig workers. Wages are moving because getting wages moving is a deliberate design feature of this government. And for 10 years, in their words and their actions, they made sure they did everything they could to keep wages low. When you look at the budget papers last night, what people are experiencing now, in what's going into their bank accounts, is because there was a change of government.