Australia’s government has dropped its biggest hint yet to the independent pay umpire that it should lift wages for more than two million workers when it decides on the next minimum wage rise.
Tuesday’s budget started a political battle on wages when Labor and the Greens highlighted its forecast that wages would fall or be flat in real terms until 2024, drawing focus to this year’s minimum wage decision due next month. But in a letter to the panel, which is independent but contains several government appointees, Mr Frydenberg and Senator Cash emphasise how well the economy is performing.They cite forecast GDP growth of 1.25 per cent this year, 4.25 per cent next year and 2.5 the year after coming from all sectors of the economy from household spending, house prices and businesses investing.
Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus had written to the government on Thursday, asking the Prime Minister to endorse the unions’ wage demand. Australia’s minimum wage stands at $19.84 an hour or $753.80 a week and the unions want a 3.5 per cent increase to take it to $20.53 an hour or $780.18 weekly.
Sigh. This is just another lie to get the media to ignore the last 8 years and market this stupid story until the LNP are re-elected and then things go back to where they've been since 2013.
Election on the way
Stop spending billions on your cold war mentality
These idiot unskilled dinosaurs have to go.
That sort of talk could get him kicked out of the Lieberal Party.
Well P.M. said we are all in this together and never took a salary cut when Australians lost jobs? We will see what comes of this their rises still came forth over the years they have been there? Treasurer might be just joshing?