Doorstop interview – Parliament House
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: I am so happy that 6,800 families in the Perth electorate will benefit from our changes delivered by the Parliament this week for cheaper childcare. When it comes to the nation, that is 1.2 million families who will benefit by making it more affordable to send our children to get the early childhood education care they need.
I also speak as a driver of an electric vehicle – I am really happy that because of our electric car discount that is happening in Parliament this week, people are going to be able to afford more electric cars and be able to get those new technologies on our roads, reducing our emissions and making sure people can get access to the technologies that have been available in many other parts of the world at an affordable price. This is good reform.
As an Australian, I am happy that the Disaster Ready Fund has become the law of the land, making sure that we do more to invest in disaster mitigation to prevent families being affected by these awful floods, fires and other natural disasters that have been scarring our nation.
And then when it comes to something said in the Parliament this week, what’s we have seen is the old Peter Dutton. The old Peter Dutton who has said inappropriate things standing in front of the microphone in the past. They say you cannot teach an old new tricks. Well the dog of the Liberal Party, has gotten out the oldest trick they know, the dog whistle. What we saw from Dog Whistle Dutton is more of the same tired old division from the Liberal Party. Australians deserve better than this. We know that when Peter Dutton was sitting around a Cabinet table just a few months ago they were investing in climate mitigation for our neighbours.
The fact that the Albanese Government wants to do more to help our partners in our region is something that the Coalition should be celebrating instead of scoring cheap political points. Australians are disappointed in that, Australians deserve better.
And then finally we saw the most ridiculous claims from Sussan Ley as deputy leader of the Liberal Party, saying when it comes to the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill that “the whole bill is terrible”, end quote. Now, I do not know if that applies to our efforts to reduce the gender pay gap. I do not know if she think it is terrible, but we’re actually trying to make it illegal for people to advertise jobs at below minimum wage. I do not know if think she thinks it is terrible that we are actually trying to make sexual harassment in the workplace explicitly illegal. This is a good bill. We are calling on the Parliament to consider it in its entirety and pass it as a as a complete package.
We want to get wages moving again, we want to make sure that people have safe and secure workplaces and we want to make sure that we can deliver on the mandate that we got to the Australian people six months ago, a mandate to deliver on secure jobs and better pay. Thank you.