Albanese Government To Outline Minimum And Award Wage Increase To The Fair Work Commission

The federal government will today hand down its submission to the Fair Work Commission on lifting the minimum wage, amid rising inflation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote to the commission's president last week requesting that a new government submission be handed down, following Labor's election victory on 21 May.

"The new submission will outline my government's position on a fair increase to minimum and award wages for Australia's lowest-paid workers, noting the rising cost of living," Mr Albanese said in his letter to the commission.

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The Commission's annual review of the minimum wage of $20.33 per hour could affect about 3 million Australians, in either a positive, or stagnating way.

Although, not putting a number on it, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said hard working Aussies need help.

"That's the reality that we're dealing with," he said. "There is no point tip-toeing around it, or mincing words, these are really difficult times for Australians"

Expected to be the biggest pay increase in more than 10 years, research from ANZ suggests that the Fair Work Commission will put in place a 4 to 4.5 per cent nominal increase to the national minimum wage and modern award minimum wages.

The predicted 4 per cent would see the minimum wage grow by 81 cents per hour to $21.14, while a 4.5 per cent increase would see a rise of 91 cents per hour, bringing the minimum hourly rate to $21.24.

Still less than the 5.1 per cent Mr Albanese “absolutely” pledged during the Federal Election campaign, on Friday he refused to confirm an exact figure.

“The submission will be consistent with what I said during the election campaign: that people who are on the minimum wage can’t afford to go backwards (and) can’t afford a real wage cut,” he told the ABC.

“There won’t be a number in the submission. What there will be though, is the strong view that we have, that people who are on the minimum wage simply can’t afford a real wage cut.”

- PM Albanese

The commission’s final decision is expected to be handed down before the end of the month.

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