We’ve had nine years of Coalition disappointments, so what can we expect from the upcoming Budget?

Nine years of wage stagnation, rising cost of living and a gender pay gap are just as the Morrison Government intended. 

In conversation with On The Job’s Francis Leach, ACTU President Michele O’Neil is not letting Morrison get away with leaving workers out in the cold. 

In real terms, workers’ wages have been going backwards and did so by around $800 last year. 

“We want to see that the Government is going to act on cost of living and wages,” Ms O’Neil says. 

“The way you hear Josh Frydenberg and even the Prime Minister talk about it – it’s like they’re throwing up their hands.” 

But it’s not only on wages where Morrison has walked away from workers. 

The gender pay gap remains embedded thanks to a Federal Government that has shown no interest in genuinely supporting women’s participation in the workforce or industries with mostly women employees. 

Ms O’Neil says that free universal childcare would go a long way in addressing these problems. 

Part of the problem, according to Ms O’Neil, is the “real undervaluing of work and jobs in areas where the majority of workers are women.” 

Ms O’Neil also discusses how the Morrison Government has not only failed to fix insecure work in Australia but has actually made it worse. 

The past nine years under Coalition Governments has seen increased casualisation, exploited gig workers, and workers enduring years and years of instability on rolling contracts. 

It’s never been more important for working Australians to be at the top of Morrison’s priorities. 

Watch the full podcast episode to hear about what workers need from the upcoming Federal Budget.