As we approach the next election and I near the end of my term in the Senate, I'm incredibly proud of what the Albanese government has achieved in just three years. Looking back, I see the firm foundation of our legacy and, indeed, where we are headed.
It has been rewarding to not only engage with voters and communicate these accomplishments but also—most importantly—to have voters' input. Serving on the government benches, there are moments when you make your own contribution on key issues and other times when you provide support for the excellent work of others, and this reflects the strength of our political party and movement. Whether it is in the party room, the parliament, the shop floor, the boardroom, the classroom or within community groups, together we listen and together we take action.
Australian voters can be sure of what Labor and an Albanese Labor government stand for. First and foremost, we stand for good jobs that pay well and a tax system that allows people to keep more of what they earn. We've made tax cuts fair, ensuring that every Australian wage earner who pays tax gets a tax cut—not just those at the top. We passed the secure jobs, better pay bill, fixing our workplace relations system to get wages moving again. And what did the opposition promise? They promised to repeal protections for vulnerable workers—repeal them in the middle of a post-COVID cost-of-living crisis. While we want to lift people up, they want to tear people down.
Since coming to office, the Albanese government has created more than half a million new jobs—the most for any new government on record. We've criminalised wage theft and secured pay rises for millions of Australians on the minimum wage. This contrasts starkly with the previous Liberal-National government, which deliberately designed low wage growth into its economic framework. Just this week we saw the coalition vote against tax incentives for critical minerals processing. With over 40 such projects in Western Australia competing for international investment, I'm appalled the coalition still clings to its 'dig and ship' mentality.
Far from keeping the sheep, they want to send the sheep offshore on boats, rather than having them processed onshore like the other 90 per cent of sheep in Australia, which will create new jobs. They failed to recognise the skilled, well-paid, long-term jobs that the critical minerals industry could bring to WA by adding value to our resources. Collie is just one place that wants these projects as part of the transition of its local economy. Instead of critical minerals, however, they want to bring to Collie a nuclear power plant.
On health care, Australians know that Labor is committed to strengthening Medicare. This includes tripling the bulk-billing incentive and opening more urgent care clinics—I had the privilege of opening the one in Bunbury. And this week we announced initiatives to make birth control more accessible and provide better and more affordable support for menopause.
As a government, we've been taking action and listening to women. I've been part of Senate committee inquiries on reproductive health and menopause that have made big contributions to the nature of the policy commitments that we've delivered, and it's been great to participate in both of those. As a committee member, I've also contributed to the fact that the government has raised care standards and accountability in the national aged-care system, including by providing meal standards. While there are so many things to reflect on in what we have achieved—Gonski, education funding, paid parental leave and so many more—I want to say in closing that I'm confident that, with Ellie Whitaker joining Senator Ghosh on the WA Labor Senate ticket for the next election, this good work will continue.
