MINIMUM WAGE CASE

RICHARD MARLES MP
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION, EMPLOYMENT, SKILLS AND SMALL BUSINESS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR SCIENCE
MEMBER FOR CORIO
 
TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MANAGER OF OPPOSITION BUSINESS 

Australia’s lowest paid workers will get a modest pay rise – but it’s no thanks to the Morrison Government.

The Fair Work Commission has announced the minimum wage will go up by 2.5 per cent, taking the hourly rate to $20.33.

This increase, which the union movement has fought hard for, is welcomed. But the increase may well have been higher if the Government had lifted a finger to advocate for a wage rise. It refused to do so.

It’s also noteworthy that the increase will be delayed for people in a number of industries, which is particularly hard for those workers in essential industries who were the heroes of the pandemic.

And no matter where the rate is set a whole lot of people will miss out on a pay rise because of rampant wage theft and because many workers are being paid below the legal minimum – problems the Government refuses to fix.

This is a Government that has given Australian workers eight long years of stagnant wages.

This is a Government which has budgeted for a real cut to wages and is refusing to do anything to fix it.

This is a Government which voted against making wage theft a crime.

This is a Government which has refused to help workers in the gig economy who are getting paid below the minimum wage.

This is a Government which repeatedly voted to cut penalty rates for low-paid workers.

This is a Government which attempted to scrap the Better Off Overall Test, which would have given employers the green light to cut wages and conditions across the entire economy.

And this is a Government which refused to advocate for a pay rise for 2.2 million Australians.

Low wages are a deliberate design feature of this Government’s policies.

Only Labor has a plan to deliver more secure jobs, with better pay and a fairer system.

WEDNESDAY, 16 JUNE 2020