Minimum Wage Increases Vs Interest Rate Increases

Clickbait on 02/06/2026 - 10:51

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) increased interest rates supposedly to combat inflation and bring it back down.
So they have increased it by 0.75% this year.
Today Fairwork announced 4.75% Wage increases to Australia's low paid workers, as if they were the only ones affected by egregious money grubbing politicians.
It not only the low paid workers.
Blind Freddy knows this will permeate the whole economy.
.
Every home owner in the country has been stripped of their money, after being blamed for inflation that was driven solely by government spending.
And everyone else has become little more than a piggy bank for the states
Only stopping government spending will stop inflation, and hopefully restore some common sense back into our country's politicians

We know the Canberra lunatics don't know anything about economies, but their advisors need to go back to primary school.
As for Fairwork, it's the retirement village for failed solicitors with connections. They do as they are told.

Financial

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  • Hardlyworkin on 02/06/2026 - 12:12

    Thanks for another episode of Sky News After Dark rage bait.

    • 22
    • gengi on 04/06/2026 - 07:37

      Sunrise is getting pretty worked up also these days.

      • 0
  • blldzd on 02/06/2026 - 14:21

    Getting very tired of minimum wage workers / people on welfare / disabled people / immigrants getting the absolute ire from people on this website but at the same time most of the people here seem to own their own house and work a cushy office job where they can post on ozbargain at all hours of the day (myself included). Every society has parasites but maybe look in the mirror before you blame literally the lowest paid people in the country for all of your troubles. Jesus christ.

    • 19
    • Wiadro on 02/06/2026 - 15:18

      people here seem to own their own house and work a cushy office job where they can post on ozbargain at all hours of the day (myself included).

      amen brother!!!

      • 1
    • Clickbait on 02/06/2026 - 15:13

      I didn't actually see any of that here.
      I blame the government for creating a "low paid" electorate that keeps them voting for their status quo.
      No government ever created a productive job.
      They take money from people who have earned it and give it to people who haven't from politicians to public servants, quango's state, and council staff, pensions, disability, faily tax benefits, rent assistance and parenting allowances.
      Somewhere in there is a need.
      But the government exploits, exploits, against fixing anything.
      Note there is not a government dept anywhere that wants to solve anything. It would ost them their jobs.
      The Smoking industry is the perfect example of reinventing a problem forever.

      • 0
      • Dorge on 02/06/2026 - 19:17

        The Government create many productive jobs and professions what are you on about.
        Political Strategists & Consultants: Campaign operatives and spin doctors build coalitions by highlighting ideological differences, crafting adversarial rhetoric, or running attack campaigns against opposing groups.
        Media Pundits & Hosts: Opinion-driven journalists and talk show hosts shape narratives that polarize viewers, often relying on outrage, sensationalism, or "us versus them" framing to increase viewership.
        Disinformation Researchers: Some analysts track, expose, or attempt to mitigate state-sponsored bots and troll farms explicitly tasked with spreading propaganda and accelerating domestic divisions online.
        Union or Labor Organizers: During strikes or labor disputes, organizers mobilize groups to take collective action, which can create tension between employees, corporate leadership, or broader socioeconomic classes.

        Hard to do any of these jobs without some sort of Government assistance.

        • 2
      • smartazz104 on 04/06/2026 - 10:01

        I didn't actually see any of that here.

        Of course you didn't.

        • 0
  • ProlapsedHeinous on 02/06/2026 - 23:20

    Oh no, the peasants get a few breadcrumbs to live. waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

    • 17
  • Dollar General on 02/06/2026 - 15:41

    Woolies has half price tissues from tomorrow. Stock up

    • 10
    • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 17:55

      Woolies has half price tissues from tomorrow.

      K

      Stock up

      Y?

      • 1
  • Onemoredeal on 02/06/2026 - 13:32

    In more important news, 7/11 has discontinued the 50c in app discount on coffee, a national crisis

    • 7
    • Clickbait on 02/06/2026 - 13:52

      I understand. I still carry scars of when Mcdonalds increased their ice cream price by 60%

      • 2
      • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 17:56

        I still carry scars of when Mcdonalds increased their ice cream price by 60%

        Stretch marks?

        • 3
    • montorola on 02/06/2026 - 16:29

      Wait what, effective when?

      • 0
      • Onemoredeal on 02/06/2026 - 16:40

        From 3 June

        • 1
        • montorola on 02/06/2026 - 16:58

          shocked pikachu face

          • 0
    • smartazz104 on 04/06/2026 - 10:00

      a national crisis

      Their coffee is a national crisis.

      • 0
    • Hahuh on 04/06/2026 - 17:29

      Bro, I just saw that! Devooooooo!!!

      • 0
  • arkie0 on 02/06/2026 - 12:08

    If I'm voted PM, the answer is UBI - I promise 100k pa to everyone and free houses for all, Vote arkie0 for PM

    subject to change of position

    • 4
  • boomramada on 02/06/2026 - 13:24

    Wage Increases

    The fastest way to increase your wage is either by price matching, aka, applying for another job and discussing your value to your boss
    Or change jobs.

    • 4
    • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 13:43

      The fastest way to increase your wage is either by price matching, aka, applying for another job and discussing your value to your boss
      Or change jobs.

      Honestly just change Jobs - if you have a higher paying option then your current employer you will always benefit from this

      either

      your employer will mate/beat your new jobs remuneration

      OR

      they will let you go to another company in which they never valued you as much as the other company so you are not missing out on anything

      ultiamtely you end up getting a better deal - dont waste your time fighting for better wages in a job if you go to your boss ask for a raise - they have no reason to give you one or pay you more or they might not pay you as much as someone else

      if you cant 'get' a better paid job then you simply arent worth more money

      • 3
      • Sammy2000 on 02/06/2026 - 14:03

        Time for me to start looking, The minimum wage is creeping closer to my wage which is not increasing.
        Like shopping around for bargains, it's what you get for being loyal.

        • 3
        • boomramada on 02/06/2026 - 17:54

          It's actually good to look for a job every 3-5 years. This helps you on self improvment and self worth. Also gain experience in job interviews, resume preparation, etc.

          • 2
          • RiseAndRuin on 04/06/2026 - 13:12

            @boomramada: Please share that advice with the idiots in government, maybe it will convince them to look for a new job ASAP…

            • 0
      • montorola on 02/06/2026 - 16:58

        if you cant 'get' a better paid job then you simply arent worth more money

        Savage.

        • 2
    • Cluster on 02/06/2026 - 14:55

      Changing jobs is the only way to earn more.

      Why?

      Your employer is going to counter your point with this: "Why should I pay you more for the work you're already doing? If you promise to work harder for more money, why aren't you already putting in maximum effort today?"

      Therefore you're left with two options: Keep the existing pay, or leave.

      • 1
      • alteyez on 02/06/2026 - 21:06

        Most employers would either match the offer, or bump your pay up enough to have you consider staying. It costs a lot more money, time, training to get someone to your level assuming you're not a newbie that they can replace in an instant. Unless it's a great offer that they can't match, those who won't match is usually because of ego which means it isn't worth staying anyways.

        Why should they pay you more for the work you're already doing? Simple, because of the shift in the market coupled with your current experience someone else is now willing to pay more for you to do the same thing for them instead.

        Obviously, you should only ever stay at a current place if there is potential and/or stability and you just want a bump up to match what the market rate is now.

        • 2
      • tenpercent on 03/06/2026 - 09:04

        You don't approach the conversation like this:

        hey boss I'll work harder if you pay me more

        You approach it like this:

        hey boss, I do good work that the rest of the market will pay more for than you are currently paying me. Pay me what I'm worth. Please and thank you.

        It's a discussion of supply and demand.

        • 2
    • freefall101 on 02/06/2026 - 15:20

      We've had a lot of applicants where I work go all the way through to getting an offer then ghost us. Presumably to do exactly this, get a number on a piece of paper.

      Discussing value is always a hard one, depending on the role. Easy for anyone in a revenue generating role, it gets harder when you're a back-office role.

      • 0
  • Some Random Guy on 02/06/2026 - 21:51

    I'll never get the argument of "now business will have to put prices up". Like wages go up to account for prices going up not the other way around…

    Petrol went up due to a war - businesses then cover the loss of profit by increasing prices, I.e., business is at net zero.

    Workers who have to consume to live are then hit by the price increase. This net negative to workers is then offset by a (delayed) wage increase. The wage increase attempts to share the burden of inflation/price disruptions. Both workers and business both risks. We can't keep privatising profits and socialising losses…

    The alternative is business doing great but everyone else's purchasing power crashing leading to a serfdom state.

    • 3
    • Some Random Guy on 03/06/2026 - 20:19

      *both workers and businesses experience/take on risks.

      • -1
  • timcc0208 on 04/06/2026 - 08:03

    High minimum wage is definitely the problem to put inflation up. Our minimum wage rate is one of the world top.
    Something like the penalty rate for hospitality business on the weekend / public hoilday is ridiculous. It doesn't make sense at all. Bear in mind the already high minimum rate plus the penalty rate just stopped the business owner to close on the weekend / public hoilday.
    Weekend / public hoilday is naturally for people to go up to spend money for menu. If you choose this as your career, you got to accept that you need to work on weekend / public hoilday.

    • 3
  • mlburnian on 04/06/2026 - 11:56

    Travel around the world and you will soon realise two things about Australia:
    We are a socialist state
    We are a nanny state

    • 3
    • eggboi on 10/06/2026 - 18:38

      Nanny state yes, socialist state absolutely not. Unless you mean like modern day Russia, where all the wealth is siphoned off by a corrupt group who are best mates with the politicians. Which has nothing to do with socialism.

      • 0
  • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 11:59

    Wage increases to Australia's low paid workers, as if they were the only ones affected by egregious money grubbing politicians.
    It not only the low paid workers.

    They are possibly working with the theory that the lower paid workers will have less wriggle room.

    There is a base amount that will pay for what Australia believes are the basic necessities (let's say it's $500 a week for food & shelter and other absolute necessities)

    If you're earning $600 a week, you can afford the bare necessities, the extra $100 is for savings or lifestyle upgrades from the necessities.

    It will be targeted at surviving right now as opposed to how you make survival more palatable.

    Possibly for increased tax obligations as well.

    But we all know, employers can only bear so many expenses, so any wage rise only puts pressure on costs to consumer or number of employees a business can afford.

    • 2
  • coffeeinmyveins on 02/06/2026 - 12:15

    Every home owner in the country has been stripped of their money

    Every person with a large mortgage you mean. I know plenty of boomers and people with paid off houses that are loving the current market. Highest interest rates on their savings, property value going up. Look at any cafe at the moment.

    • 2
    • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:23

      Exactly this. This latest budget was one for the boomers. Not for generational equity.

      • -2
    • Clickbait on 02/06/2026 - 13:46

      I thought the the Cafes were full of WFH bureaucrats. You can tell by the Subsidised Battery operated cars.
      Insofar as the Boomers go, they bought ttheir homes <>50 years ago. They put their backs into building their dreams, their families, and enjoying their retirement.
      Suburbs like Fitzroy in Melbourne housed the poorest of the poor.
      That's why they built Housing Commission there.
      Now the Victim Generation wants their homes.
      These people mainly live off pensions. Super was late in the game for thm. It's what is called Asset rich - Cash poor.
      If they sell, what do they do, rent, or buy the sort of tiny shitbox the Victim Generation has enabled by supporting idiot govenments, andwhere they know no-one.
      Of Course,if they sell, their houses turn into cash, and the pension is gone, they are taxpayers again.

      • -5
      • smartazz104 on 04/06/2026 - 07:31

        I thought

        Somehow I doubt that.

        • 1
  • perhaps on 02/06/2026 - 12:39

    Higher wage -> Bracket creep -> more tax rev

    • 2
    • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:44

      get rid of bracket creep - index the brackets vote for a Party or Politicans pushing for indexation

      • 4
      • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 13:32

        get rid of bracket creep - index the brackets vote for a Party or Politicans pushing for indexation

        It failed so badly when Fraser introduced his watered down model in 1976 (apparently costing the govt billions leading to a downturn in investment in vital infrastructure spending (among other things - completely abandoned by early 1980's )), that most would be too afraid to introduce it again into current landscape and also, would prefer to stimulate revenue by stealth rather than taking out a front page ad announcing to the general public that "we're increasing your taxes again.

        • 2
        • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 13:37

          stealth rather than taking out a front page ad announcing to the general public that "we're increasing your taxes again.

          This idea it is 'acceptable' to make your own people poorer whilst not holding your governments to account for their spending is insane - ill also add a number of taxes on essential items are indexed ie Excise tax.

          As for 'increasing taxes' i once again will state the governments job is to run the country effectively s businesses can florish and workers have good high paying employent to pay tax into the system - this government is the antithesis of a good government

          thus an effective tax system doesnt need high or increased taxation - the countries with the best economic properity (outside of the USA) have not been high taxing nations ie UAE, Singapore, Monacco etc - increased tax revenue comes from natrual free market business growth an properity - opposed to screwing workers over with stealth tax and increased taxes

          we need to stop listening to 'fake experts' and socialist media and look at nations where shit is actually working - stop listening to paid off Politicans and look at nations that have been doing well without the resources we have - a lot of changes that need to happen in Australia to make it better are hard pills to shallow but if we are being honest we have been living credit for too long and we need to change and hold government spending to account

          • 2
          • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 14:35

            @Checkmate3023:

            this government is the antithesis of a good government

            Firstly: completely agree that our (many) govt's seem to be very good at finding ways to spend extra money when we can't afford what they're already supposed to be funding.

            Sure, some turns out to be at least beneficial if not necessary, but some things appear to be nothing more than buying votes to me. Quite a bit of it completely boggles my mind, but then I suppose, I don't know how to run a country, so maybe I just lack knowledge and understanding in that area.

            They're among the only ones who "applied". Everybody who believes that they could do a better job - well, not very many of them actually "apply" and of those who do "apply", once they are employed (elected) it's only then that we find out they're not very good at their job, over and over again.

            If we want a better govt, we need to get better people actually "applying".

            Again, if you had been to UAE, you would find out why we don't want their model here and Singapore isn't free market either, their govt supports the worker wage more than Aust does, so they're even further away from a free market than we are BECAUSE they have a different trade demographic and culture than Australia.

            Wouldn't want to be there either, the gap between the haves and have nots cannot be compliant with international human rights laws for start.

            And haha - less beauracracy, seen their food standards over there? Seen the hygienic and humane standards in which they source their fresh produce (skinning live frogs and breaking down beasts in non hygienic/non monitored environments, often before the beast has reached death before starting skinning and dismembering etc.

            lol done in shop doorways or food markets in the dirt on the side of the road!

            It's primarily the international stakeholders protecting their international trade likeability who implement their practises there rather than the local domestic stakeholders who do the very bare minimum of your minimum oversight regulations.

            • 1
      • BobLim on 02/06/2026 - 20:57

        For all their flaws, One Nation proposed indexing the brackets when Albo 1.0 was breaking the "no changes to the legislated stage 3 tax cuts" promise circa 2024 - whereupon it was refused for debate as I recall

        • -1
  • Capo93 on 03/06/2026 - 22:15

    It’s a revolving circle. Min wages increase, credit card surcharging coming to an end and everything else, I just have to raise my price.

    • 2
  • ReallyLost on 03/06/2026 - 11:41

    In sydney

    You will need household income of 250k plus to live a normal life with a modest mortgage

    • 1
    • smartazz104 on 04/06/2026 - 10:03

      How far out from the CBD do you still consider a location to be "in Sydney"?

      • 0
  • mjuice7 on 03/06/2026 - 14:07

    well done, good job Angus!

    • 1
    • gengi on 04/06/2026 - 07:38

      Great comment Angus!
      -Angus

      • 1
  • eggboi on 04/06/2026 - 17:42

    @Clickbait you’re welcome to go get a minimum wage job.

    • 1
    • Clickbait on 10/06/2026 - 17:18

      @eggboi Already had one. Gov Shutdowns during Covid destroyed my small business.
      I tried to recover over 22-23 with absolute minimum wages, but was forced to close down.
      Does that meet your standards?

      • 0
      • eggboi on 10/06/2026 - 18:40

        Sorry to hear that, I hope things improve for you. But it's unhealthy to just blame all your problems on government policy unless you want to debate a better alternative.

        • 1
  • Lancerx on 02/06/2026 - 22:08

    Well, guess what… Thoae who decides the prices of good happen to be the one who hires those who's on min wage. I'm not looking forward to grocery bill and everything else increasing. My prediction is a lot of f&b will go under… Guess it's time to learn to cook, even it means not much more savings..

    • 0
  • dufflover on 03/06/2026 - 10:11

    Waiting to see again how the RBA and similar ilk try and pin inflation on this as if Coles, Woolies, big oil, and all those other people setting prices are going rubbing their hands going "oh good we can keep raising prices because they have more money to spend". Or that a small business owner is better off closing with losses compared to higher prices to cover the higher wage bill.

    • 0
  • haemolysis on 03/06/2026 - 10:54

    The issue is not really government spending, it is poor productivity. If anything, the government sector is holding everything together right now. They are putting our money into essential activities which hire labour, produce goods, provide services, keep the country running. They are funding a lot of actually productive industries.

    When Aussies take their taxes back, they're just going to send that money into dormancy. They will run to the weekend property auctions, complete with each other to get bigger mortgages, continue sharing between the exact same housing stock, and have nothing tangible to show for it. They will not have hired labour, provided services, kept the country running. They will simply have a bigger mortgage on the same housing stock they did before.

    To fix the economy we need to address actual productivity. We need a way to get people to invest in growing a business, hiring labour, educating themselves, etc, and to stop them just… dumping it straight into property.

    Meanwhile, the minimum wage workers are actually spending their money in the productive economy. They need these increases to buy food, and, you know… stay alive.

    • 0
    • tenpercent on 03/06/2026 - 14:00

      The dumping all your money into housing thing is a vicious cycle. There's a lot of FOMO involved. And the F in that is more than valid, considering how property prices have grown far and above wage growth for many decades and they will continue to as long as the rate of population growth exceeds growth in housing stock, regardless of any corrections (or not) from cgt and negative gearing changes.

      Then there's all the red and green tape involved in starting a business. And now the incentive to invest in businesses has just taken a big hit with the CGT discounting changes going way beyond residential investment properties, and those changes are stacked against people who want to invest in unlisted businesses (i.e. mostly small and medium enterprises) as opposed to those listed on the ASX because at least you can easily stagger your exit from listed shares to not get smashed by 47% marginal tax rates.

      Meanwhile, the minimum wage workers are actually spending their money in the productive economy. They need these increases to buy food, and, you know… stay alive.

      100%… but it won't do much stimulating considering the increase barely keeps them even with inflation. They won't be buying more stuff, despite spending more, so there will no additional production or productivity. It will mostly feed into ever increasing record profits for the likes of Woolies, Coles, and the Boomer X landlord class.

      • 1
    • b0son on 10/06/2026 - 18:05

      except that much of the government spending is contributing to productivity decline. NDIS participants arent increasing their employment participation, and NDIS spending is woefully inefficient, paying far higher than market rates for low skill work. it may as well be a giant work for the dole scheme.

      • 0
  • gengi on 03/06/2026 - 14:06

    If you purchaced pre covid homeowners are still doing pretty well. If your not happy with the intrest rates sell up and take your profit.

    Blind freddy could see intrest rates increasing.

    • 0
  • SlickMick on 03/06/2026 - 15:44

    Some won't like it, but minimum wage is part of what's wrong with Australia.

    Kids living at home don't need that much money flipping burgers or whatever, and there should be an incentive to leave that behind and get a real job.

    Then we can have cheap burgers, lots of jobs for our kids, but not so lucrative that they prioritise it over thier education and building capability to do something more worthwhile, and get paid accordingly.

    • 0
    • haemolysis on 04/06/2026 - 14:06

      The vast majority of minimum wage workers are not kids, they are adults, average age around 35. Framing it as "uni students earning some pocket change" is wrong.

      As well, "burgers" are not expensive because someone at the register is getting $25 an hour, lol. Minimum wage workers, being minimum wage and all, simply do not contribute much to bottom lines. Every functional business can afford minimum wage workers.

      Businesses feeling the crunch… of such pitiful salaries… are businesses that clearly are non-viable. Australia isn't made stronger by subsidising those poor businesses to struggle along by jipping the 'kids' of pocket change.

      • 0
      • SlickMick on 04/06/2026 - 16:22

        The vast majority of minimum wage workers are not kids

        That's my point. We should leave the unskilled work for the kids etc.

        As well, "burgers" are not expensive because someone at the register is getting $25 an hour

        Why do you think cafes are so much more expensive here than many other countries?
        I understand it is wages. no lol.

        Minimum wage workers, being minimum wage and all, simply do not contribute much to bottom lines

        Do you mean they don't contribute to the profitability of the business, or they don't cost the business much? (I wouldn't agree with either.)
        I'm thinking you've never run a small business??

        Businesses feeling the crunch… of such pitiful salaries… are businesses that clearly are non-viable.

        I totally disgree. Small businesses could provide kids with valuable work experience, and could be viable if they could get more business by being more reasonably priced.

        • -3
        • Muppet Detector on 12/06/2026 - 17:45

          That's my point. We should leave the unskilled work for the kids etc.

          Who does this work when the kids are in school, doing their homework or idk, sleeping so they can go to school and learn something the next day?

          • 0
          • SlickMick on 12/06/2026 - 20:03

            @Muppet Detector: We don't have a shortage of people who need to get some work experience to put on a resume

            • 0
  • Dack Smith on 03/06/2026 - 13:37

    Minimum wage is just too low, the 4% increase is a total joke.

    It should have been a 30 percent increase and they know it.

    Meanwhile the rich just keep getting richer off the backs of the poor.

    Hopefully Labor introduces the death tax and widen the top tax bracket soon to even the odds for all

    • -2
    • smartazz104 on 04/06/2026 - 10:04

      Why stop there, why don't we just add an extra 0 to all prices and wages.

      • 0
  • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:36

    So they have increased it by 0.75% this year.
    Today Fairwork announced 4.75% Wage increases to Australia's low paid workers, as if they were the only ones affected by egregious money grubbing politicians.
    It not only the low paid workers.

    this is another thing you wont see in the left media - in the 90s when Superannuation was introduced under Keating businesses and expert warned it would end up just coming out of 'wage growth' - this was ignored by the ALP and went ahead with Superannuation

    Wage growth has pretty much not kept up with inflation near since the introduction of superannuation - it is important to note this as there was fair warning

    I say this as someone who supports Superannuation and most of its rules but it needs to be mentioned

    • -3
    • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 13:21

      Wage growth has pretty much not kept up with inflation near since the introduction of superannuation - it is important to note this as there was fair warning

      This is my understanding as well.

      Employees were warned and this was exactly how it was sold to employers. "Sure, you now have to find this extra money so you can do our job and provide retirement infrastructure, but it will all even out/off set as there will be a slower rate of wage increases yada yada yada)

      • 0
    • coffeeinmyveins on 02/06/2026 - 12:13

      for low skill, low value work.

      Funny, I know plenty of people on six figure salaries or even more that do low skill and very low value work.

      • 17
      • studentl0an on 02/06/2026 - 14:00

        In corporate jobs the lowest paid workers are pretty much always the ones who get everything done, while the highest paid have catered meetings about how the next catered meeting should be conducted.

        • 10
    • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 19:49

      for low skill, low value work.

      You may place a low value on that work, but others (including the govt) values that work at about $26 an hour atm (forget actual rate).

      • 1
    • smartazz104 on 03/06/2026 - 09:02

      for low skill, low value work.

      What do you do for a living?

      • 1
    • JimB on 02/06/2026 - 11:45

      What issue do we have with our current minimum wage?

      The issue with a low minimum wage of say $10.5/hr is that there's no incentive to work due to the dole.

      Australia doesn't need a divided society like the USA where the rich are richer but the poor are poorer.

      • 31
      • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 11:51

        The issue with a low minimum wage of say $10.5/hr is that there's no incentive to work due to the dole.

        once again if you're on the Dole you're forced to work for it in singapore the Dole -ie pick up rubbish , clean public infastructure etc

        • 8
        • JimB on 02/06/2026 - 11:59

          I agree if you're on the Dole you should work for it, e.g. public service.

          But there's still no incentive to work if minimum wage was $10.50

          • 14
          • arkie0 on 02/06/2026 - 12:16

            @JimB: They should get a job at Centerlink for $10.50 p/h, giving out the dole of $10.50 to someone else.

            Based on Centerlink's productivity and the skill base of the said worker it will be a 1:1 correlation of paid hours to giving out the dole.

            But we've increased GDP by $21, win win for everyone

            • 2
            • tenpercent on 03/06/2026 - 21:54

              @arkie0: But that would displace the current workers at Centrelink who would then need to go on the dole. Musical chairs?

              • 0
        • Muppet Detector on 02/06/2026 - 15:22

          once again if you're on the Dole you're forced to work for it in singapore the Dole -ie pick up rubbish , clean public infastructure etc

          Or they hussle under the radar and neither claim unemployment or pay tax on their earnings.

          However, Australia signed and assented into legislation Article 8 of the ICCPR which outlaws slave labour and forced labour with the exception of prison sentences (so not community service) and military involvement (eg conscription).

          So work for the dole would actually breach our international legal obligations.

          We do have work for the dole eventually in Australia (not sure when it kicks in or if they get extra money or incentive?, but I know a few people who had to take on volunteer work in places like salvos or other participating businesses in order to keep receiving unemployment benefits.

          Yes, anecdotal evidence and I don't know if it is just a short term stint every few months or a day or two a week for a while or if once you've been on benefits for x years you get compulsory WFD until you get a real job.

          (They probably don't call it WFD though - no doubt it will be some politically correct name and be promoted in such a way as it's a benefit to the participant, rather than a "penalty". (Saying that as otherwise we would be in breach of Art 8 ICCPR/ International law, so we must be getting around that somehow).

          • -1
          • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 23:22

            @Muppet Detector:

            We do have work for the dole eventually in Australia (not sure when it kicks in or if they get extra money or incentive?, but I know a few people who had to take on volunteer work in places like salvos or other participating businesses in order to keep receiving unemployment benefits.

            I'm pretty sure work for the dole is part of 'mutual obligations' to receive the dole, which it just so happens is about to get axed. The government knows a massive wave of unemployment is coming that cannot be resolved by looking harder for a job because the jobs won't exist.

            • 3
            • helldoodle on 03/06/2026 - 21:09

              @tenpercent: @tenpercent in around 2006-2008 there was a huge downturn. I would apply for around 30 jobs a day, and i was lucky if i got much more than 4 temp days a month, sure things changed alot for me, but the OP just sounds like they hate everything like some of the MAGA influencers used to push, none of my conservative friends have an issue with job search benefits as they have an idea of what happens if the devide between lower and middle becomes to much

              • 2
              • tenpercent on 03/06/2026 - 21:53

                @helldoodle: I don't have a problem with the dole either. Our economy is structured to have a non-zero number of unemployed people and there would be negative consequences if it got too low. And we, as a country, can afford to provide some minimal help to those in genuine need. It's the right thing to do. It's going to get REALLY expensive in the not too distant future though.

                My only gripe with it is all the government money wasted including literally creating multimillionaires via the Job Network (i.e. the outsourcing of the CES) — it's the same essential gripe many people, myself included, have with the NDIS and all the middle men and women sucking on the teet between the government and the people in need of support.

                I am undecided if axing mutual obligations entirely is the right approach though (the current format with the Job Network was never the right approach though). Ultimately it's neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things. I think the government needs to get serious and start having open and honest discussions with the general public (that is two way dialogue, not just talking down to us or running PR campaigns), with all sides of politics, with academia, etc. about the highly probable waves of unemployment we and the rest of the developed world will soon face, and we need to change policy settings now to try to limit the fallout and at the same time to capitalise on opportunities. That means racking up government debt to up-skill our current population before SHTF, halting the permanent residency program now for for any unskilled people or any people whose skills are most likely to be made redundant by AI and robotics, it also means incentivising employment of humans, and rethinking and developing a tax system to replace income taxation (as that base of government revenues is probably going to collapse in on itself before the middle of this century); I would suggest government equity in natural resources projects couples with sovereign wealth funds and possibly figuring out how to tax AI 'work' in place of taxing human labour.

                • 0
                • helldoodle on 04/06/2026 - 19:24

                  @tenpercent: i think alot more skilled jobs are being replaced at a higher rate than unskilled jobs by AI, i am still suprised why we dont have ndis and dental slowly be absorbed into the medicare umbrella

                  • 0
                  • tenpercent on 04/06/2026 - 19:30

                    @helldoodle: The skilled people already here who are losing their jobs to AI are starting to compete for the unskilled jobs. 1.8 million of Costello's kids are coming of age and entering the job market. It looks bleak. And bleaker still if we keep importing more unskilled people.

                    • 1
    • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:02

      In Australia minimum wage is going up to A$26.44 per hour. In Singapore the lowest minimum wage (which is actually sector specific) is going up to S$11.30, which is about A$19.21 accounting for the exchange rate and purchasing power.

      • 7
      • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:06

        going up to S$11.30, which is about A$19.21 accounting for the exchange rate and purchasing power.

        you might want to check that exchange

        • -2
        • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:06

          I did https://pppcalculator.pro/

          exchange rate and purchasing power

          • 2
            • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:19

              @Checkmate3023: No it won't. Businesses are reluctant to pass on reduced costs of doing business. Prices are sticky in the downward direction.

              • 5
              • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:30

                @tenpercent:

                No it won't. Businesses are reluctant to pass on reduced costs of doing business. Prices are sticky in the downward direction.

                you fail to understand how a 'free market works'

                someone else will come in under-cut them

                margins ultimately will end up being roughly the same now however barrier to entry is lower due to over heads being lower we will have a way more efficent system

                • -7
                • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:36

                  @Checkmate3023: We don't have a free labour market.
                  It's not as simple as someone coming in and undercutting Bunnings, Kmart, Woolies, Coles, a miscellaneous factory or meat packing plant, etc (trying to think of the few sectors where minimum wage applies). The barriers to entry aren't labour costs. The barriers to entry are capital costs for property plant and equipment, and access to supply chains.

                  • 3
                  • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:39

                    @tenpercent:

                    The barriers to entry aren't labour costs. The barriers to entry are capital costs for property plant and equipment, and access to supply chains.
                    Bunnings, Kmart, Woolies, Coles

                    legit all these businesses far and away Number 1 or Number 2 biggest expenses would be wages and when i say wages this includes things like insurance for workers, OHS, superannuation, leave entitlements etc not just the wage of the worker

                    As i said it is a 'hard truth' - i dont like giving bad news but it is a fact, Australias lowest skilled are way over paid and the highest skilled workers are under paid due to crazy high taxation

                    • 0
                    • tenpercent on 02/06/2026 - 12:49

                      @Checkmate3023: Yes. So you will make those big players even more profitable. You will enrich shareholders, not make things cheaper for customers. And it won't make it much easier for smaller players to compete because, again, they don't have access to as much capital or the same supply chains and buying power. Ironically it would probably speed up those monopoly/duopoly businesses' tried and tested strategies of coming into towns and undercutting the smaller independents until they go out of business because they will have even more room to bare lower revenues with lower opex. Our markets are operating like cartels, so fiddling with minimum wages won't help.

                      • 3
                      • Checkmate3023 on 02/06/2026 - 12:51

                        @tenpercent:

                        Yes. So you will make those big players even more profitable. You will enrich shareholders, not make things cheaper for customers. And it won't make it much easier for smaller players to compete because, again, they don't have access to as much capital or the same supply chains and buying power. Ironically it would probably speed up those monopoly/duopoly businesses' tried and tested strategies of coming into towns and undercutting the smaller independents until they go out of business because they will have even more room to bare lower revenues with lower opex. Our markets are operating like cartels, so fiddling with minimum wages won't help.

                        once again you have shown you dont understande how a free market works

                        business gets more profitable -> business needs to grow -> business hires more people at all level not just the bottom -> the better workers have opporunity to grow earn more money -> more workers also = more tax revenue -> more tax revenue means more services and supports for lower wage earners

                        if business cant expand but maintains high margins doesnt pass on the cost the business is under-cut by another business - prices go down -> cost of living goes down as more competition in the market

                        • 0
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