Labor has made a submission to the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review, calling for a fair and responsible increase to the national minimum wage.

The contrast with the Turnbull Government could not be starker, with the Government’s submission providing a slew of arguments against increasing the minimum wage, including:

“Increasing the national minimum wage is not an efficient way to address relative living standards or the needs of the low-paid.”

[Turnbull Government Submission to Review Minimum Wage Review – 29 March 2017]

This shows once and for all that Malcolm Turnbull and his Government do not care about workers.

In the second submission by the Federal Labor Opposition to the Annual Wage Review, Labor has outlined our support for an appropriate increase in the national minimum wage that takes account of the rising cost of living and the broader economic environment.
 
Labor’s submission highlights the current threat to living standards, growing inequality and devastating impacts of cuts to penalty rates as evidence supporting an increase in the national minimum wage.

The cuts to penalty rates cannot be offset by increases to the minimum wage and will result in a cut in real terms to workers’ take home pay.

These are Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts to penalty rates: he supports them, he could stop them if he wanted. Up to 700,000 Australians will lose up to $77 a week because of Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts.

The submission builds on Labor’s submission to oppose any cuts to penalty rates.
 
Labor has not nominated a quantum by which the minimum wage increase but has made a submission supporting an increase to the independent Fair Work Commission Minimum Wage Panel for its consideration.
  
It is critical the Fair Work Commission takes into consideration the effect of the economy, employment and the effect on individuals to ensure Australian workers receive a fair and economically responsible increase in the minimum wage.
 
A strong minimum wage doesn’t just help our lowest paid, it is the foundation for the determination of award wages which in turn supporting middle class families and stimulate economic growth.
 
Labor believes in a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work and a decent national minimum wage is fundamental to achieving that.

Malcolm Turnbull, through supporting the cuts to penalty rates, has done his level best to ensure that notion of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work is no longer alive and well in this country.

Labor’s submissions makes clear what the community already knows – only Labor will stand up for those workers from attacks on the minimum wage and penalty rates.

WEDNESDAY, 29 MARCH 2017