Thank you Paul House and Matilda House for that beautiful Welcome to Country.

I acknowledge Traditional Owners and Custodians of all of the country and waters across our great land –

And particularly acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples.

I pay my respect to their Elders past and present –

To all the Stolen Generation survivors and their descendants – welcome.

I acknowledge the survivors that we have lost in the last year.

Giants like Uncle Archie Roach and Uncle Jack Charles -

TOM CONNELL, HOST: Welcome back. Let's go to the panel everybody waits to see each fortnight. The Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, which I guess is like another Deputy Prime Minister, that's what I heard he calls himself, anyway. That's Patrick Gorman, and Jason Falinski, who might be the Prime Minister we never had. Gentlemen, thanks both for your time.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you, Prime Minister Tom Connell.

In a historic moment under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, today the Australian Government will release its second Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, alongside the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) annual Implementation Plan.

The Implementation Plan is about practical action. The gap is not closing fast enough and on some measures it is going backwards.

In a historic moment under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, today the Australian Government will release its second Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, alongside the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks) annual Implementation Plan.

The Implementation Plan is about practical action. The gap is not closing fast enough and on some measures it is going backwards.

“One sweet day all the children came back.

Back where the hearts grow strong.

Back where they all belong.

The children came back.

Back where they understand

Back to their mother’s land

The children came back.”

The late great Archie Roach first performed “Took the Children Away” more than 33 years ago.

Archie spoke of a truth that for many years was denied.

Denied by governments.

And denied by parliaments.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Peter Dutton is turning himself into the Demolition Man of Australian politics. Demolition Dutton has said that he wants to destroy the National Reconstruction Fund. Not content with destroying the car industry when they are in government, he now wants to destroy Australia's manufacturing future, destroy the capability of Australians to get those good, secure jobs that come from manufacturing, destroy our sovereign manufacturing capability.

GREG JENNETT, HOST: Katy Gallagher, thanks for coming back on Afternoon Briefing on what I expect, like all sitting days, is a busy one for you. On gender pay gap, you're legislating for compulsory reporting of women's pay by employers. This is data that's already collected, it would start next year. So what will change from current practice?

THOMAS ORITI, HOST: Women make up 51 percent of the Australian workforce but still today, women earn on average, around 14 percent less than men each week. The Federal Government will introduce new legislation today, aimed at closing that gender pay gap. The change will see wage gap data for employers with 100 or more workers made public. It'd be published on the Workplace Gender Equality Agency website from next year. Senator Katy Gallagher is the Minister for Women and the Minister for Finance and she joins us now. Senator, good morning, and thank you for your time.

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on an election commitment to help close the gender pay gap at work.

The Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 will be introduced into Parliament on Wednesday.

The bill will publish gender pay gaps of employers with 100 or more workers – a key reform to drive transparency and action towards closing the gender pay gap.

The 12-month program offers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians a permanent, full-time, entry level job in government, all while completing a nationally recognised qualification.

Applications are run through Services Australia with opportunities available in a variety of government departments and agencies.

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten said he is a big supporter of the Indigenous Apprenticeships Program.