Government Tells Wages Umpire Low-Paid Must Not Go Backwards

Employment and Workplace Minister Tony Burke speaks during the jobs and skills summit at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Sept. 1, 2022. Martin Ollman/Getty Images

Australia’s lowest-paid workers have the Albanese government’s backing for a wage boost that will stop rising living costs from eating into their pay packets.

The government is expected to flesh out its case for the lowest-paid workers in a submission to the industrial umpire’s yearly update to the minimum wage on Friday.