The Australian Bureau of Statistics released the latest – Australian National Accounts: National Income, Expenditure and Product, June 2022 – today (September 7, 2022), which shows that the Australian economy grew by 0.9 per cent in the June-quarter 2022 and by 3.3 per cent over the 12 months to the end of June 2022. Growth is being driven by a combination of household spending (which has not yet succumbed to the cost of living squeeze exacerbated by the ridiculous interest rate rises) and a booming export sector (on the back of strong terms of trade). The problem is that while the on-going productivity growth has provided scope for non-inflationary real wage rises, real wages are going backwards. The problem is that business are pocketing these productivity gains as profits. The wage share fell further to a record low of 48.5 per cent which is a shocking testimony of the way the wages system is penalising workers. That needs to stop and the government should do something about it.