A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will legislate to protect penalty rates in awards, ensuring the wages of around three million workers do not go backwards.

Penalty rates are an essential feature of minimum terms and conditions in modern awards and should not be reduced.

Today’s announcement will ensure that in the future, that position becomes the law.

In recent months, big business lobby groups in the retail, clerical and banking sectors have made applications to the Fair Work Commission to cut penalty rates of lower paid workers from awards.

If successful, these applications by employer groups would reduce the overall income of workers by thousands of dollars each year.

In the retail case, the Albanese Government has intervened to argue as a matter of principle the wages of low-paid workers should not go backwards.

In contrast, Peter Dutton has said he will not stand up to the big retailers, as they attempt to cut their workers' pay.

The issue of penalty rates has been on the national agenda for many years now.

Both Peter Dutton and Michaelia Cash have been very clear they support cuts to penalty rates.

Both openly supported a decision to cut penalty rates for retail and hospitality workers in 2017.

“Instead of getting double time on Sundays, casuals on the retail award will now get time-and-three-quarters, while permanent staff will get time-and-a-half,’’ Michaelia Cash said.

“Anyone who approaches this issue honestly will acknowledge the benefits the decision will bring for small businesses and jobs.”

Labor has a proud record of advocating for higher wages for workers.

Real wages have grown for the past five consecutive quarters, in contrast under the previous Coalition government real wages went backward for five consecutive quarters.

A re-elected Albanese Labor Government will make a submission to the annual wage review for an economically sustainable wage rise for workers on minimum and award wages.

This would be the fourth time the Albanese Labor Government has advocated for a wage rise in the Annual Wage Review.