I have to start by thanking everyone who came out to support the Great (Comedy) Debate on Wednesday night - what a laugh it was!
Our six debaters took on the tongue in cheek topic "That we should abolish the Senate", and fortunately for me and my Senate colleagues, the audience decided to keep the Senate alive in all its glory.
The highlight of the evening (for me at least) was learning that not only does Murray Watt have a flair for the dramatic in Question Time but he can bring that to life in a comedy setting just as well. If you were there, you'll know exactly what I mean...
A huge shoutout to all of our speakers - Jenny McAllister, Murray Watt, Tony Sheldon, Jason Clare, Kristy McBain, and Clare O'Neil - for making Wednesday night the great success that it was!
Gender pay gaps of major businesses revealed
For the first time ever, Labor has required big companies in Australia to reveal their gender pay gaps.
That data was published this week and shows that two thirds of businesses in this country have a gender pay gap of over 5% in favour of men. It's not good enough.
Labor's aim in publishing this data is that heightened transparency and accountability for businesses will drive action. Similar steps have been taken over in the UK with promising outcomes, so I'm looking forward to keeping up the pressure to drive progress here in Australia.
Tax cuts for all Australians pass Parliament
As Finance Minister, I’m pleased to tell you that Labor’s cost of living tax cuts passed the Parliament this week – meaning that from July 1, every single Australian worker will get a tax cut.
As Senator for the ACT, I’m even more pleased to be able to tell you that means that 230,000 Canberrans are getting a bigger tax cut because of these changes.
Not only will this help ease cost-of-living pressures by putting more money back in the pockets of workers, but it does it in a fairer way than under the Liberal plan.
I really encourage you to find out how much you'll save here.
Next week is going to be a big one for me – I’ll be speaking at the National Press Club on Thursday 7 March to launch our national strategy for gender equality.
