Australia’s New Industrial Relations Bill Could Be Good News for Unions
After decades of stagnant wage growth and the collapse of enterprise bargaining, Australia is in crying need of industrial relations reform. The Labor Party’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act promises this — the question is whether it can actually deliver it.
Anthony Albanese addresses the Jobs and Skills Summit at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on September 2, 2022. (James Brickwood / Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images)
In the lead-up to Australia’s federal election in May this year, reporters asked Labor leader Anthony Albanese whether he supported an increase in the minimum wage for Australia’s lowest-paid workers. “Absolutely,” he replied, adding that in his view, the minimum wage should rise by at least 5.1 percent to match inflation.
Predictably, this led to howls of protest from the Coalition government, business groups, and their cheerleaders in the right-wing, pro-business press. They claimed it was economically irresponsible. According to then prime minister Scott Morrison, Albanese was “running off at the mouth,” and there was “no magic wand to increase wages.”
Since winning the election, the Labor government has focused on implementing its policy plans to lift workers’ real wages — primarily through the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill. With support from the Greens and independent senator David Pocock, last week, the legislation passed the Senate.
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