On Wednesday 5th May, the Federal Government announced a $19 per week increase in the Federal Minimum Wage which was welcomed by the Catholic Church's employment relations body. This is one of many necessary advances for low paid workers in Australia.

The Australian Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (ACCER) previously had made a submission to inquire whether an announcement was needed to revise the wider gap between the wealthy and the many average Australians. It stated that the help of the Government was desperately needed for many workers to live with dignity and be able to provide the basics for their families.

"A worker must not be placed in a position where he or she cannot afford to get married or start a family," the submission said. ACCER firmly rejected the view that the minimum wage should be based on the needs of a single worker without dependants.

Executive Officer of ACCER, John Ryan referred to some people in paid work who are forced to seek help from welfare agencies where they can't get direct support from the government in their particular circumstances. "In these cases, workers with families on low wages lack the ability to send their children to school camps, and to adequately educate, clothes, feed and house their children," John said.

As a result, he urged the Federal Government to fund and develop further research so the needs and circumstances of the lowly paid could be fully identified, and so that properly targeted actions could be implemented.



Louis Leung
Ecumenical Press