This Month
Unions jump on soft inflation to justify bigger minimum wage increase
The ACTU say its 4.5 per cent claim for 2.9 million workers won’t lift inflation and that the bigger threat for the Reserve Bank is small wage increases.
April
‘Game-changing’ rulings grant big gender gap catch-up pay rises
Fair Work has handed down decisions to “free” minimum award rates of historic gender assumptions, raising funding questions for the government.
Commonwealth facing calls to fund nurses’ private sector pay rises
The nurses’ union has called on whichever party wins government to set aside billions to fund pay rises of up to 35 per cent for private sector nurses.
Albanese emboldens unions to seek 4.5pc minimum wage increase
The ACTU’s wage claim, pitched as a catch-up increase after a decline in real wages, is almost double the current inflation rate despite little productivity growth.
Employers call for 2.5pc minimum wage increase
A major employer group argues any above-inflation increase in the minimum wage must be linked to productivity, clashing with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Labor pushes for above-inflation minimum wage rise despite RBA warning
Reserve Bank governor Michele Bullock has warned that increasing wages while productivity remains stagnant will put future interest rate cuts at risk.
March
These 12 charts show how the economy has changed under Labor
The federal election will be fought squarely on economic management. See how inflation, interest rates, the budget, and wages changed over the past three years.
Why Labor lost its way and how Albanese can still win
Inflation is political kryptonite for Labor but if the PM campaigns on Medicare, tax reform and real wage rises, it could win, writes trailblazing former union leader Bill Kelty.
February
The four charts that show how the RBA board and staff were split
The Reserve Bank cut the cash rate, but the extent to which it tempered enthusiasm for more reductions brings into question why the board chose to move at all.
January
Unrealistic public sector pay claims risk an inflation budget hangover
The wage demands at the tail end of the inflation-cycle will add to the fiscal pressure on state government’s already deep in debt and deficit.
Wage rises to blow out ‘unrealistic’ state budgets: S&P
Psychiatrists in NSW and teachers, nurses and police in Queensland are the latest essential workers to demand significant wage rises from state governments.
With a $7.4b black hole, Gallagher tries to explain the unexplainable
Budgeting no money for public servant wage rises may have made sense under a stingy Coalition, but it makes no sense under a Labor government hiring like mad.
December 2024
Union growth is back under Labor after a decade of decline
The ACTU says a return to collective bargaining under the Albanese government has helped unions increase their membership to 13 per cent of the workforce.
Accounting, audit and finance roles added to fast-track visa list
Jobs and Skills Australia has added a range of accounting, audit and finance roles to its list of occupations eligible to apply for new fast-track visas.
Push for McDonald’s pay rise shows danger of Labor’s laws, says BCA
Multi-employer bargaining has extended far beyond original intentions, according to the business lobby, including east coast miners and the fast food sector.
The PM no longer says Australians are better off. These charts show why
While some economic metrics have improved during the government’s first term, the one that really matters to voters – their purchasing power – has gone backwards.
November 2024
Union demands could delay pay rise for childcare workers
Childcare providers are scrambling to meet a government funding condition to have a workplace agreement in place, warning a push to have a union deal could delay pay rises for months.
Labor seeks to delay pay rise for nurses, warning of budget blowout
The Albanese government is urging the workplace umpire to drag out pay rises of up to 25 per cent for aged care nurses until as far back as 2027.
‘They can afford to pay’: Strike to hit private hospital giant
Nurses and midwives at Ramsay Health Care will strike at 17 hospitals in NSW for 24 hours on Tuesday demanding a 20 per cent pay increase.
NSW train standoff emblematic of new public sector wage war
Labor governments face pressure to give large pay rises to essential workers. An economist says the situation is reminiscent of the Whitlam government’s early days.