NSW Labor win emboldens unions in wage push across the country

David Marin-Guzman, Samantha Hutchinson and Tom Burton

Mar 27, 2023 – 6.39pm

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Unions heralded a “new dawn” for wage negotiations after Labor’s resounding victory in NSW and will demand pay rises that track inflation, prompting a key credit rating agency to warn of knock-on effects for other states, especially Victoria.

S&P is monitoring NSW’s wage policies – once cited by the Reserve Bank as a key inhibitor to wage growth – and any implications for wages and financial ratings, including for Victoria’s 1.5 per cent wage cap.

David Marin-Guzman writes about industrial relations, workplace, policy and leadership from Sydney.

Samantha Hutchinson is the AFR's National Reporter. Most recently, she was CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Before that, she covered Victorian and NSW politics and business for The Australian, the AFR and BRW Magazine.

Tom Burton was government editor at The Australian Financial Review.