The Albanese Labor Government has now passed its Closing Loopholes Bill.

This passage of this Bill is great news for workers across Central Queensland and the Wide Bay-Burnett region as it closes loopholes that certain employers use to undercut wages, conditions and safety for workers.

By passing this Bill, the Albanese Labor Government voted to:

• Stop companies underpaying workers through the use of labour hire
• Criminalise intentional wage theft
• Introduce a new criminal offence of industrial manslaughter
• Ensure better support for first responders with PTSD
• Protect workers subjected to family and domestic violence from discrimination at work
• Expand the functions of the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency to include silica
• Close the loophole in which large businesses claim small business exemptions during insolvency to avoid redundancy payments

We know that many people across Queensland are doing it tough right now dealing with the cost of living.

Getting wages moving is a key part of the Government’s plan to help locals deal with that.

Peter Dutton and the Coalition had an opportunity to vote to protect workers’ wages, safety and conditions.

Once again, they chose not to – voting against Closing Loopholes.

They’ve now voted 36 times against legislation to get wages moving.

They spent a decade in government deliberately keeping wages low – admitting it was a deliberate design feature of their economic architecture.

They might be in Opposition now – but nothing has changed. They still want to keep wages low and hold workers back.

We’re taking the opposite approach. Getting wages moving again is a deliberate design feature of the Albanese Labor Government.

There have now been two consecutive quarters where real wages are growing.

Wages growth came in at 4 per cent in the September quarter – the highest quarterly growth in the 26-year history of the Wage Price Index

Under the Albanese Labor Government unemployment is at historic lows, wages are moving again after a decade of stagnation, industrial action has fallen and the gender pay gap is at the lowest level on record.

Quotes attributable to Minster for Employment and Workplace Relations, Tony Burke:

“Passing our Closing Loopholes law is good for workers’ wages and it’s good for workers’ safety.

“Getting wages moving again is key to dealing with the cost of living, but to do that we need to stop the underpayment of workers.

“These new laws do that by closing the labour hire loophole and finally making wage theft a crime.”

Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland, Anthony Chisholm:

“Boosting and protecting wages is a key part of the Albanese Government’s plan to help people across Central Queensland and the Wide Bay-Burnett regions deal with the cost of living”

“These laws strengthen the current workplace relations framework and provide certainty, fairness and a level playing field for both businesses and workers.

“Whether you work in a coal mine or a coffee shop, Labor will always fight to make things fairer for all Australian workers, while the LNP want to keep wages low and hold workers back.”