Australia raises national minimum wage 5.75%, currency declines

The new minimum wage rate will be A$882.80 (NZ$958.45) a week, or A$23.23 an hour. (Image: Getty)

Fri, 02 Jun 2023

By Swati PandeyAustralia’s industrial relations umpire raised the national minimum wage by 5.75% from July 1 in an effort to support low-paid workers at a time of rising living costs and a tight labour market.The new minimum rate will be A$882.80 (NZ$958.45) a week, or A$23.23 an hour, Justice Adam Hatcher, president of the Fair Work Commission, said in Friday’s decision. While only a fraction of the Australian workforce, or 0.7%, is on the minimum wage, it does have flow-on effects to other awards.The Australian dollar erased...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}

Economy

NZ dollar benefiting from ‘sell US’ trade, more to come

The kiwi is at a five-month high.

Rebecca Howard 11:55am

Markets

Fed, tariff fears send Dow down over 900 points

Blue-chip index heads for its worst April since 1932.

The Wall Street Journal 10:30am

Fed, tariff fears send Dow down over 900 points

The Quiz Free

QuiznessDesk, Thursday, April 22

What type of animal is a sidewinder?Where in the human body would you find the Island of Reil?Where in Europe is Nicosia the capital of?Which city did the Romans call Eboracum? Originally called 40/50, what did Rolls-Royce's 1907 car later become known as?What was the surnam...

The Quizmaster 9:15am