Earn
Fair Work rules on minimum wage increase: Here’s what it means for you
Australia’s lowest paid workers will get a $13 a week pay bump following the Fair Work Commission’s latest announcement of the minimum award for workers.

Fair Work rules on minimum wage increase: Here’s what it means for you
Australia’s lowest paid workers will get a $13 a week pay bump following the Fair Work Commission’s latest announcement of the minimum award for workers.

Australia’s national minimum wage has increased to by 1.75 per cent, with workers now earning a minimum $19.84 an hour or $750 per week.
The pay rise will apply for human services and frontline workers from 1 July; construction and manufacturing workers from 1 November; and arts, retail and hospitality, tourism and aviation sector workers from 1 February 2021.
The decision will impact 2.2 million working Australians.
The recent increase falls short of the 3 per cent increase to the minimum wage last year, and the 4 per cent increase to the ACTU, while the Australian Chamber of Commerce was proposing no increase to minimum wages.
In a recorded message, a commission spokesperson spoke to the fall in the national economy, as Australia enters what is likely to be its first technical recession in almost three decades.
“The shock to the labour market has been unprecedented. The unemployment rate has increased, the number of hours work has fallen and there has been a substantial increase in underemployment,” he said.
The moderate increase in the minimum wage and the delayed rollout for several awards has been described as “disappointing” by ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
“It is clear in the decision that this panel of experts recognise that cutting wages in the middle of this crisis would be a disaster for working people and the economy, and they have rejected the arguments put by some employers to effectively cut wages by freezing the minimum wage,” she said.
“Many of the workers who will benefit directly from this decision are the essential workers who have been getting us through the pandemic. They deserve to have their wages protected.”
Ms McManus also highlighted that 60 per cent of Australia’s gross domestic product is made up of consumer spending, and increasing the minimum wage will likely help the national economy.
“The most important thing the country needs is people with money to spend and the confidence to spend it. This is how the hospitality, retail and tourism industries will get back on their feet.”
“Just about every cent a worker on minimum wages receives, they spend. This is money circulating to local businesses. It is the fastest and most effective form of stimulus we can have,” she concluded.
Did you enjoy this article? You may also be interested in:
About the author

About the author


Salary
Policymakers urged to increase paternity leave to increase female workforce rates
The Australian government is being urged to increase paternity leave entitlements and reform tax for family second earners to increase the labour force participation rate for women. ...Read more

Salary
Job ads jump to 3-year high
Australian businesses are continuing to look for new staff, with job ads rising for the ninth consecutive month, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
ACTU pushes for part-time retail hours
Businesses and unions have struck a deal to increase the hours for part-time employees, which they state will increase flexibility for businesses and certainty for workers. ...Read more

Salary
Low-paid jobs recovery hits wages growth
The average weekly pay of a full-time worker has fallen narrowly in November 2020, official stats have revealed. ...Read more

Salary
Unions call for ‘Aviation Keeper’ lifeline as Qantas posts $1.03bn loss
Australia’s national airline has posted a $1.03 billion half-yearly loss before tax, with the airline’s union calling for an extension of the JobKeeper program to support workers. ...Read more

Salary
IR reforms to ‘suppress wages for years to come’
Unions have hit out at the proposed industrial relations law, approved recently by the lower house, arguing it would leave workers worse off with cuts to take-home pay and conditions, few rights and ...Read more

Salary
JobSeeker rise a ‘half-arsed PR exercise’
The federal government’s plan to permanently increase JobSeeker by $50 a fortnight has been slammed by industry experts for leaving 1.2 million Australians at the mercy of poverty. ...Read more

Salary
Why 1.5m Australians could be out of work by 2030
One and a half million Australians are set to lose their jobs to automation by 2030 as technology overtakes traditional workers, a new report has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
Policymakers urged to increase paternity leave to increase female workforce rates
The Australian government is being urged to increase paternity leave entitlements and reform tax for family second earners to increase the labour force participation rate for women. ...Read more

Salary
Job ads jump to 3-year high
Australian businesses are continuing to look for new staff, with job ads rising for the ninth consecutive month, new research has revealed. ...Read more

Salary
ACTU pushes for part-time retail hours
Businesses and unions have struck a deal to increase the hours for part-time employees, which they state will increase flexibility for businesses and certainty for workers. ...Read more

Salary
Low-paid jobs recovery hits wages growth
The average weekly pay of a full-time worker has fallen narrowly in November 2020, official stats have revealed. ...Read more

Salary
Unions call for ‘Aviation Keeper’ lifeline as Qantas posts $1.03bn loss
Australia’s national airline has posted a $1.03 billion half-yearly loss before tax, with the airline’s union calling for an extension of the JobKeeper program to support workers. ...Read more

Salary
IR reforms to ‘suppress wages for years to come’
Unions have hit out at the proposed industrial relations law, approved recently by the lower house, arguing it would leave workers worse off with cuts to take-home pay and conditions, few rights and ...Read more

Salary
JobSeeker rise a ‘half-arsed PR exercise’
The federal government’s plan to permanently increase JobSeeker by $50 a fortnight has been slammed by industry experts for leaving 1.2 million Australians at the mercy of poverty. ...Read more

Salary
Why 1.5m Australians could be out of work by 2030
One and a half million Australians are set to lose their jobs to automation by 2030 as technology overtakes traditional workers, a new report has revealed. ...Read more