Employment Minister Stuart Robert has refused to say whether he thinks minimum wage should increase in line with inflation, as he criticised Labor for “chasing some artificial number.”
It comes as new polling by RedBridge for the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) reveals almost 80 percent of people would be more likely to vote for a party committed to stopping wages from falling behind the cost of living.
While Prime Minister Scott Morrison argued that “managing money well” and tackling unemployment would put downward pressure on inflation, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese pushed for a 5.1 percent pay rise for the two percent of workers whose minimum wage is $20.33 an hour….