Mr STEPHEN SMITH (2:22 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations. Will the minister guarantee that no individual Australian worker’s wage will be lowered as a result of the government’s proposed changes to minimum wage arrangements?

Mr ANDREWS (Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Public Service) —What this government is on about is higher wages and more jobs for Australians. The facts clearly speak for themselves. As the Prime Minister and the Treasurer pointed out in question time today, what we have had since 1996 is 1.5 million extra jobs in this country. In addition to that, we have had an increase in wages in real terms of over 12 per cent.

Mr Beazley —Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order that goes to relevance. It was a simple question. Will the minister guarantee that no individual Australian worker’s wage will be lowered as a result of the government’s proposed changes to minimum wage arrangements? It is simple: yes or no?

The SPEAKER —The minister is talking about wages. I call the minister.

Mr ANDREWS —As I was saying to the House, since 1996 we have seen in Australia in real terms a 12-plus per cent increase in wages. That stands in stark contrast to the appalling record of the Australian Labor Party when it was in government, when we had an increase in real wages in this country of just over one per cent. That is the reality. Any future measures that this government takes will be in line with that desire of the Australian government not only to increase jobs for Australians but to continue to increase their real wages.