| Description | The Howard Government has changed the way minimum wages are set to make them lower, by
- Stopping the independent umpire – the Industrial Relations Commission – from setting minimum wage rates.
- Deciding the minimum wage should be set by the so-called “Fair Pay Commission.” Unlike the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Fair Pay Commission does not have to consider what is fair, and taking into account living standards in the community.
- For more than 100 years minimum wages in Australia have been set, reviewed and increased by an independent body, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. This system ensures that low paid workers and their families are not left behind.
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