On June 3, 2025 Australia’s minimum wage setting authority – the Fair Work Commission (FWC) issued their decision in the – Annual Wage Review 2025 – which provides for wage increases for the lowest-paid workers – around 0.7 per cent of employees (around 88 thousand) in Australia. In turn, around 20.7 per cent of all employees, who are on the lowest tier of their pay award (grade) receive a flow-on effect. The FWC provided a 3.5 per cent nominal wage increase for the lowest paid workers in its 2025 National Wage Case decision. Against the current CPI growth, that provides for some modest real wage increase for this cohort. However, note the discussion above as to the best purchasing power measure to use. Against the more applicable Employee Selected Cost of Living Index (SCLI), the decision provides for barely any real wages growth and fails to redress the massive real wage cuts in recent years. The media has failed to pick up on that reality, and has instead given oxygen to the employers’ responses which called the decision irresponsible while at the same time pocketing record profits as a result of their profit gouging. But at least the lowest-paid workers gained some relief as a result of the decision as the FWC largely ignored the whining of the employers.