Jim Chalmers has taken aim at Peter Dutton, branding the alternative prime minister’s pitch to small business leaders as a “rant long on nasty negativity” that lacked creditably. The Treasurer’s accusation followed an address by the Opposition Leader to a conference in Sydney on Wednesday morning, where he laid outContinue Reading
The Albanese government has backed a real wage increase for the country’s “low-paid” workers, but it will be up to the industrial umpire to determine exactly who such an employee is. In its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s annual wage review — which covers almost 2.9 million award andContinue Reading
Australia should prepare itself to mourn the death of the middle class as the once-famed land of opportunity and birthplace of a fair go transforms into a state where the only way to get ahead is to have rich parents. That’s the warning from economists, investment experts and social servicesContinue Reading
Australians have had their first real wage increase since 2021, with the mining sector coming out on top as the highest earners. Average weekly ordinary time earnings for full-time adults has increased by $81 a week over the past year. The average weekly salary for Australians reached $1888.80 in November,Continue Reading
Treasurer Jim Chalmers is facing criticism for remarks made in an interview about the cost-of-living crisis and painful pressures facing millions of Australians. Speaking with veteran political commentator Michelle Grattan for her podcast on The Conversation, Dr Chalmers implied those struggling will have to wait until next year for relief.Continue Reading
Just about everywhere you look, there are worsening signs that Australia is no longer the lucky country. From record-high rents to skyrocketing mortgages, a cost-of-living crisis to the alarming emergence of a ‘working poor’ population, the country faces an unprecedented storm of factors putting pressure on millions of people. AndContinue Reading
Workers on new collective agreements are scoring average wage increases of up to 5.8 per cent according to fresh data released by the workplace umpire. The latest fortnightly wages data for enterprise agreement applications to the Fair Work Commission found showed average annual pay rises were 4.8 per cent acrossContinue Reading
Hundreds of thousands of Australians are flooding financial crisis hotlines in desperate need of help, on the brink of losing their homes as they struggle with sky high mortgage repayments. Rapidly rising interest rates and a worsening cost-of-living crisis have combined to create a perfect storm that experts say wouldContinue Reading
Australians are missing out on an extra $25,000 in their pay packets due to the global slide in productivity growth since the 1990s, new research from the Productivity Commission has revealed. Productivity – how efficiently labour can produce goods and services – has become a political flashpoint in recent months,Continue Reading
The average full-time worker is about $3700 better off than they were a year ago, according to new data analysis being spruiked by Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Treasury analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows earnings for the average full-time worker increased 3.9 per cent in the first year ofContinue Reading