A living wage or a living income - Looking backwards and forwards at the Australian Minimum Wage

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

    Abstract

    The Australian Federal Minimum Wage was established as a living wage for a man and his dependent family. Over time the income of this type of family has increasingly been impacted by tax and transfer policies. This is particularly marked in the past 2530 years. Over this period the minimum wage can be seen as having transitioned from a family wage to that for a single person, with the state taking over the role of providing financially for dependents. This has been accompanied by little growth in the real minimum wage. While the living standards of this type of family reliant upon the minimum wage has increased in line with community changes, that of single persons has not. The scope for this to continue, without potentially adverse consequences, is limited and policy options for the future need to be considered.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages12
    Publication statusPublished - 2015
    Event29th annual conference for the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, AIRAANZ 2015 - Auckland, New Zealand, New Zealand
    Duration: 1 Jan 2015 → …

    Conference

    Conference29th annual conference for the Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand, AIRAANZ 2015
    Country/TerritoryNew Zealand
    Period1/01/15 → …
    OtherFebruary 3-5 2015

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