Will The Government Accept This Report

[grandmoon]

Institute of Public Affairs calls for the abolition of the minimum wage

It has been a feature of Australia’s social safety net since not long after federation - a minimum wage not set just by market forces, but that considers the living needs of a worker.

But the Institute of Public Affairs - an influential free-market think tank well-connected within the Liberal Party - wants Australia’s minimum wage abolished.

The institute’s Aaron Lane said there was a ‘‘moral case’’ to abolish minimum wages to allow people to experience the ‘‘dignity of work’’.

‘‘Our position is an ideological one and we don’t shy away from that,’’ he said. ‘‘This position can be seen as heartless and wanting people to work for a low wage. But it’s about empowering individuals in being able to choose their own employment.’’

Mr Lane said the current system priced thousands of people out of work and forced employers to cut back staff hours.

‘‘I’m not so concerned about the working poor, I’m more concerned about the unemployed poor,’’ he said.

‘‘Continuing to increase the minimum wage is a threat to the dignity of the unemployed.’’

For this year’s minimum wage decision, to be decided by the Fair Work Commission in June, the institute wants to see it frozen at $16.37 an hour, but its longer-term goal is for there to be no minimum wage at all.It is a radical position.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/institute-of-public-affairs-calls-for-the-abol...

[just_me_karen]

Wonder? Meant to be wider.

[spotweldersfriend]

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@just_me_karen wrote:
Wonder? Meant to be wider.

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Wonder sounds right to me,karen 🙂

[just_me_karen]

Ah...so it does

Ok DH, take your pick

[just_me_karen]

Oops by DH I mean diamond halo, not meaning you, spot.

[just_me_karen]

Bump for DH cos I am curious about the economic impact.

[j*oono]

I doubt that it was Work Cover that ordered it.  Were they even around then?  

So how do you think that students and work experience kids will benefit when there is no minimum wage?  Will it get them a job?  How about we go back to when work experience was for nothing.  Some child minding centres still did that at least a few years ago. 

Work for nothing in the hope of getting a job.  Job offers... zilch.

[i-need-a-martini]

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@diamond-halo wrote:

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

Lower the minimum wage?

Thank god for unions.

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as it stands now, a lot of people are prevented from gaining valuable work exoperience and opportunities to increase their skills base and make them more employable.

I think we need a minimum wage, but broader scope needs to be applied for those wishing to avail themselves to the above.

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How? Who?

And what does a minimum wage have to do with this?

[just_me_karen]

I'm still waiting to find out.

[tall_bearded]

If anyone really wants to know what is like to work in a system which has no legally enforceable right to a minimum wage then just go and look at what happens in those countries which haven’t (a minim wage) and ask yourself would I work, or allow my children to work under those conditions for that pay.

As for lost training opportunities, by and large they don’t exist   What does exist is using ‘work experience’ as lure to get people to work for nothing with no real prospect of a job at the end of it, and with the few, if any, skills acquired being of little value because they are exactly the same skills which any person of  average intelligence could acquire with a few minutes of on the job training.

[spotweldersfriend]

So how much does dignity go for on the open market these days? About $30 per shift? Is it a tradable commodity? Could we import some dignity and export our oversupply of laissez-faire and hubris. I'm sure there's an FTA just waiting to be signed.