Minimum Wage Rises More than Inflation in 'Particularly Challenging' Decision
About 100,000 lowest-paid workers will get a 6% increase as the commission says the rise is needed to protect real wages.
- On Tuesday, the Fair Work Commission handed a 4.75 percent pay boost to almost three million Australian workers on industry awards, raising the minimum wage to $1,004.90 per week effective July 1.
- Fair Work Commission president Adam Hatcher cited the Middle East 'wild card' as making it impractical to fully close the real wage gap that had widened since July 2021 during the post-pandemic inflation spike.
- Roughly 21 per cent of all employees in Australia rely on award rates, amounting to almost 2.8 million people; 100,000 of the lowest-paid earners receive an even larger six percent pay rise to $26.44 per hour.
- Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief of policy David Alexander warned businesses will pass higher labor costs to consumers, noting employers had advocated for a lower increase between 3.5 to 3.9 percent.
- AMP economist My Bui warned wage pressures could force the Reserve Bank into another rate hike in November, as headline inflation is currently 4.2 percent with forecasts rising to 4.8 percent by the end of June.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Greens Push Labor on Whether New $1,000 per Week Minimum Wage Is Enough
Labor Minister Murray Watt and Greens Senator Barbara Pocock have failed to see eye-to-eye over the Fair Work Commission’s (FWC) 4.75 percent increase to Australia’s minimum wage. The increase means a minimum wage job in Australia will pay just over $1,000 a week. Pocock queried the rise during an Education and Employment Legislation Committee hearing during Senate Estimates on the evening of June 2. The figure falls between the amounts sought b…
Minimum wage rises to $26.44 from July as Fair Work hands down its 2026 annual decision
The Fair Work Commission has handed down its annual wage decision, lifting minimum award rates by 4.75% from 1 July. Australia’s minimum wage will rise to $26.44 per hour from 1 July 2026, after the Fair Work Commission handed down its annual wage review decision. Modern award minimum wages will increase by 4.75% across the board, while the national minimum wage moves from $24.95 to $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week based on a 38-hour week…
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