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Increases to minimum wage

Lowest paid workers are poised for a pay rise in 2023

The Fair Work Commission is all but certain to increase minimum and award wages on 1 July – the only question is by how much.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has called for a 7% increase, which would be slightly above the latest inflation reading of 6.8%.

“This increase is vital to help working people keep their heads above water. It is simply about survival for the lowest-paid workers in our country,”

ACTU secretary Sally McManus

Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), which represents employers, also supports an increase, although it said it would not nominate a specific number until it saw what measures the federal government unveiled in its next budget, on 9 May.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said the wage decision “must strike a fair balance” that reflected “the particular pressures that are bearing on low-paid workers in lower-income households” and “the circumstances of employers also struggling with cost pressures”.

The Treasurer also declined to nominate a specific increase commenting in his address

“… recommended the Fair Work Commission ensures the real wages of Australia’s low‑paid workers do not go backwards”.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers