This paper discusses the current position of wage setting in Australia, the new wage-setting system, three significant changes to the wage-setting system, Fair Work Australia's inaugural wage review and raises questions regarding the setting of safety net wages that take into account the needs of the low paid.
The 2009 Wages Decision of the Australian Fair Pay Commission has again
failed the increasing number of low income Australian Workers who
depend on the safety net. The Minimum Wage will remain unchanged at
$543.78 and no increase will be made to the Australian Pay and
Classification Scales.
This paper revises the estimates of housing costs which are contained in
quarterly updates of the measures of poverty commonly known as the Henderson
Poverty Lines, or HPLs, published by the Melbourne Institute of Applied
Economic and Social Research (“Melbourne Institute”).
It arises out of advocacy by the Australian
Catholic Council for Employment Relations (“ACCER”) on behalf of low paid
workers and their families. The full paper is available via the following link.