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Issue No. 310 | 09 June 2006 |
I'm No Economist, But �.
Interview: Rock Solid Industrial: Eight Simple Rules for Employing My Teenage Daughter Politics: The Johnnie Code Energy: Fission Fantasies History: All The Way With Clarrie O'Shea International: Closer to Home Economics: Taking the Fizz Unions: Stronger Together Review: Montezuma's Revenge Poetry: Fair Go Gone
Grandmother Fights Fabrication Company Bog Standards, Hanssen Exposed Iemma Told To Change At Central "Spineless" Andrews Apologises Howard Lags �Best Practice� Process Abused - Call Peter McIlwain
The Soapbox The Locker Room Parliament Education
Greens Are Good For You Calling All Micks! Coming Up Swinging Belly's Bit Mining For Gold Blood Spangled Banner Never To Be Repeated Offer
Labor Council of NSW |
News Harper's Bizarre Theories
The figures were contained in a Queensland Council of Unions submission presented to Professor Ian Harper's new low-wage body, in Brisbane. The analysis showed that if minimum pay rates had simply kept up with inflation, over the past decade, people on the minimum would be about $1.50 an hour better off. ACTU secretary, Greg Combet, said the changed arrangements meant more than 1.6 million low paid Australians were suffering an effective wage freeze. June 7 marked 12 months since the last AIRC annual adjustment and Harper's body shows no sign of boosting rates any time soon. "While prices continue to go up, the real value of wages for low paid people is going down," Combet said. "If the Howard Government had not abolished the AIRC's role in setting minimum wages, award workers could now be getting around $20 a week extra to help with the cost of living." Harper was hand-picked to head the new body by Prime Minister, John Howard, after establishing his credentials as a right-wing economist. Prior to his appointment he had attacked the concept of "fairness" in minimum wage considerations and argued that America was better off than Australia, economically, because it hadn't tried to suppress sweat shops.
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