Towards A Fair Minimum Wage

Australia's first safety net wage case, in 1907, established a minimum wage of seven shillings a day for a labourer. The court was more concerned with how much a man needed to support himself and his family than what employers could afford. The Federal Government thinks not much has changed; that there is still too much regard for the income of those in work, and too little for the prospects of those searching for a job, when minimum wages are reviewed by the Australian Industrial Relations ...

After 100 Years, An Era Comes To An End: The Wage Fix Is Out

A SMALL but influential fringe group of free marketeers is in high spirits. Yesterday marks the last time in almost 100 years that the Australian Industrial Relations Commission will determine the nation's minimum wage - and the HR Nicholls Society, dedicated to industrial relations reform, is in no mood to mourn its passing.