Statutory adjustments
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Wage adjustments under the Workplace Relations Act 1996, Workchoices Act 2006, Fair Work Act 2009
In these decisions, increases were made to awards without a ‘no extra claims’ commitment or requirement to restructure awards. The restructuring of awards was carried out under statutory obligations and tests[1].
Reviews of the level of award rates were made on an annual basis, at first as a matter of Commission discretion, and eventually because of new statutory requirements. After 2006 the minimum wage was no longer made to prevent and settle industrial disputes.
The monetary increases awarded in the annual minimum wage proceedings from 1997–2011 are outlined in the table below:
| Year | Amount | Minimum wage | Tribunal reference | IR reference |
| 1997# | $10.00 | $359.40 | P1997 | 71 IR 1 |
| 1998# | $14.00 (up to $550 per week) $12.00 (above $550 up to $700 per week) $10 (above $700 per week) |
$373.40 | Q1998 | 79 IR 37 |
| 1999# | $12.00 (up to and including $510 per week) $10.00 (above $510 per week) |
$385.40 | R1999 | 87 IR 190 |
| 2000# | $15.00 | $400.40 | S5000 | 95 IR 64 |
| 2001# | $13.00 (up to and including $490 per week) $15.00 (above $490 up to $590 per week) $17.00 (above $590 per week) |
$413.40 | PR002001 | 104 IR 314 |
| 2002# | $18.00 | $431.40 | PR002002 | 112 IR 411 |
| 2003# | $17.00 (up to and including $731.80 per week) $15.00 (above $731.80 per week) |
$448.40 | PR002003 | 121 IR 367 |
| 2004# | $19.00 per week | $467.40 | PR002004 | 129 IR 389 |
| 2005# | $17.00 per week | $484.40 | PR002005 | 142 IR 1 |
| 2006* | $27.36 per week (up to $700 per week) $22.04 per week (above $700 per week) Further $17 per week where no 2005 safety net review increase received before 27 March 2006 but had 2004 safety net review or other safety net adjustment in prior 12 months |
$511.86 per week | PR002006# | 157 IR 124 |
| 2007* | $10.25 per week (up to $700 per week) $5.30 per week (above $700 per week) |
$522.12 per week | [2007] AIRCFB 684# | 164 IR 1 |
| 2008* | $21.66 per week | $543.78 per week | [2008] AIRCFB 635# | 172 IR 119 |
| 2009* | no change | $543.78 per week | 183 IR 1 | |
| 2010** | $26.00 per week (69c per hour) increase, based on 38-hour week Modern awards and transitional instruments (including Div 2B enterprise awards, but not including Division 2B State awards) |
$569.90 per week $15.00 per hour Casual loading: 21% Note: Increase does not apply to award/agreement-free juniors and trainees |
PR062010[2010] FWAFB 4000 | 193 IR 380 |
| 2011** | 3.4% increase—weekly wages rounded to the nearest 10 cents | $589.30 per week $15.51 per hour ($19.40 per week (51c per hour) increase, based on 38-hour week) Casual loading: 22% |
PR002011[2011] FWAFB 3400 | 203 IR 119 |
Notes:
# Decision of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
* Decision of the Australian Fair Pay Commission. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission Full Bench complementary decision is also listed.
** Decision of the Fair Work Australia Minimum Wage Panel.
Footnotes
[1] ‘Industrial Dispute’, Reg Hamilton, 2012 contains an account of the statutory award reform provisions and results. The table of safety net increases is taken from this publication.