2024 has been a big year for workers' wages and conditions, with big improvements to both this calendar year.
This year the average full time worker is now earning an extra $150 per week compared to two years ago. The Australian Bureau of Statistics has recorded pay rises across every industry - with the average weekly earnings of full time food service workers experiencing the biggest jump by percentage - up 16% ($200 a week) from 2022, and miners the biggest by dollar figure, earning an average of $313 a week more (11.6% increase).
In 2024, the average full time worker has also kept an extra $44 a week through Labor's tax cuts for every taxpayer.
Real wages have grown for four consecutive quarters, while inflation has more than halved - a complete turnaround from when we came to Government when annual real wages were falling and inflation had a '6' in front of it.
This year alone, to date, an extra 393,900 new jobs were created in Australia. And 85 percent of those new jobs are full time positions. Under the Albanese Government more than 1 million new jobs have been created since 2022.
In 2024 the gender pay gap has reduced to its lowest rate on record. Our Government has put gender equality at the heart of the Fair Work Act, with a review to address historical undervaluation of feminised industries currently underway. In 2024 we also funded pay rises for aged care workers and early childhood education and care workers, both industries with high numbers of female workers.
The Albanese Government has taken action on dust-related diseases by banning the use of engineered stone, criminalised deliberate wage theft and delivered on commitments to ensure equal pay.
The new Right to Disconnect means for the first time this festive season, Australians have the right to switch off from unreasonable work requests and enjoy time with their loved ones.
Truck drivers and gig workers, including rideshare, food delivery and parcel delivery drivers have begun steps towards getting more rights to safer workplaces and against unfair dismissal.
Casuals have a clearer path to gaining permanent employment, if that's what they want.
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme workers have stronger protections and more security of income with guaranteed minimum hours and pay.
And in 2024, 1.26 million Australians have made use of stronger and better bargaining rights, across the public and private sectors, with wages going up - the highest number of workers covered by new agreements in any 12-month period on record.
The Albanese Government will continue to fight for safer workplaces, more stable jobs and better pay for the millions of Australians going to work each day.
While our Government has used this year to ensure workers have safe, stable, properly paid jobs, Peter Dutton and the Coalition continued opposing every one of the steps we have taken.
And now they are promising to wind back many of these rights, if they win next year's election.
At a time when many Australians are doing it tough, Peter Dutton has proven time and time again that he plans to make things worse.
