Vinnies welcomes fair work commission decision

The St Vincent de Paul Society of Australia welcomes today’s decision by the Fair Work Commission to increase the minimum wage by 5.2 per cent to protect the real value of the wages of Australia’s lowest-paid workers.

The decision will increase the national minimum wage to $812.60 per week, or $21.38 an hour, and will support many Australians struggling to make ends meet as the cost of daily essentials—such as food, energy, and housing—skyrockets.

But more needs to be done to protect the millions of Australians on JobSeeker and other income-support payments, who are falling further into poverty each week.

We call on the Government to increase JobSeeker and Commonwealth Rental Assistance, and to reinstate the National Rental Affordability Scheme to help vulnerable Australians exposed to surging inflation.