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ARTICLE · 09 JUNE 2018

Breaking news: Fair Work Commission announces national minimum wage increase

Holding Redlich
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The changes will take effect on 1 July 2018, so employers should ensure that they are ready to implement the increases.

AustraliaEmployment and HR
Michael Selinger
Michael Selinger
Natasha Jones
Natasha Jones
Michael Hope
Michael Hope
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In its decision released today, the Fair Work Commission has announced that the national minimum wage will be increased by 3.5 per cent. The decision is said to affect over 2.3 million employees in Australia and has the objective of maintaining a safety net of fair minimum wages, taking into account the relative living standards and needs of the low paid.

This means that the national minimum wage will be $719.20 per week, or $18.93 per hour, which constitutes an increase of $24.30 per week.

Minimum award wages will also be increased by 3.5 per cent, with weekly wages to be rounded to the nearest 10 cents.

The increase is marginally more than last year's increase of 3.3 per cent but still falls short of the increases being sought by the unions.

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