Correct The Minimum Wage $1309.95, Submission to the Fair Work Commission
The issue
I have presented a Submission to the Australian Fair Work Commissions, Minimum Wage Review 2026.
I am asking the Commission to correct Australia's Minimum Wage to $1309.95.
This was the opportunity to fix the error.
I presented my evidence to the AFPC in 2006.
The Chart C single person cut‑off was $711.37 per week.
The logical minimum wage was $711.37. The AFPC’s first decision came within 1.6% of my figure – they created a $700 threshold for increases.
They acknowledged the correct standard implicitly.
But they refused to apply it to the minimum wage floor.
They set the minimum wage at $511.86 – still 36% of the couple rate (72% of the single rate). The gap remained $199.52 per week.
The error was preserved.
Governments own adequacy standard
I am using Chart C Income Test for Single Pension at the cut of point, which suggests a single pensioner can earn income up to $2619.95 per fortnight or $1309.95 per week before being cut of.
THE TWO MISSED OPPORTUNITIES – GST (2000) AND WORK CHOICES (2006)
How Australia Created a 26‑Year Wage Error and Why the Architects of the Failure Lost Their Jobs
PART ONE: THE GST ERROR (2000)
In 2000, Australia introduced a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Howard government promised compensation.
Pensioners received a 4% increase to their maximum payment rates.
Taxpayers received income tax cuts. Families received extra assistance.
Wage earners received nothing. The minimum wage was excluded entirely.
The GST was added to the basket of goods measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The CPI was created well before the GST. When a 10% tax is inserted into an existing index without recalibrating the wage base, the index itself becomes corrupted.
The minimum wage uses the CPI to formulate its annual adjustments. Income taxes and workers’ compensation then use the minimum wage to collect their premiums, fees, and taxes.
The result: The minimum wage was mathematically locked at approximately 36% of the couple rate (72% of the single rate).
The gap was not an accident. It was engineered. Howard and Costello chose to exclude wage earners from the compensation package.
The error was created.
PART TWO: THE WORK CHOICES OPPORTUNITY (2005‑2006) a second chance.
The Howard government passed the Work Choices legislation. It created a “one national workplace system”.
The Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) was established to set a single national minimum wage.
This was the opportunity to fix the error.
I presented my evidence to the AFPC in 2006. The Chart C single person cut‑off was $711.37 per week.
The logical minimum wage was $711.37. The AFPC’s first decision came within 1.6% of my figure – they created a $700 threshold for increases.
They acknowledged the correct standard implicitly.
But they refused to apply it to the minimum wage floor.
They set the minimum wage at $511.86 – still 36% of the single rate (72% of the single rate). The gap remained $199.52 per week.
The error was preserved.
PART THREE: WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED – A STRUCTURAL SOLUTION FOR AUSTRALIA IN 2000
If the Howard government had applied the same logic to wages that it applied to pensions,
GST could have been introduced without creating a 26‑year wage error. Here is what should have happened.
1. Anchor the Minimum Wage to the Chart C Adequacy Standard
In 2000, the Chart C single person cut‑off was approximately $576 per week.
The minimum wage was $400. The gap was $176 per week – 30.5% below adequacy.
The government should have legislated that the minimum wage be set at 100% of the Chart C single person cut‑off. Not 72%. Not 36% of the couple rate. 100%.
This would have guaranteed that a full‑time worker could live without welfare.
The formula: Minimum Wage = Chart C single person cut‑off (weekly equivalent).
2. Index the Minimum Wage Quarterly to the Chart C Standard
The Chart C standard is updated quarterly by Services Australia.
The government should have legislated that the minimum wage be automatically adjusted whenever Chart C changes.
This would have eliminated the need for annual wage reviews, political battles, and employer lobbying.
The mechanism: Automatic indexation to Chart C. No discretion. No delay.
3. Introduce the GST with a Wage Rebate
The government should have introduced the 10% GST alongside a targeted rebate for low‑income workers.
The rebate would be calculated as the amount of GST paid on the “essential basket” of goods – housing, utilities, food, healthcare.
This would have made the GST progressive, not regressive.
The mechanism: A quarterly cash transfer to low‑income households equivalent to the GST paid on essentials.
4. Use GST Revenue to Support Businesses Through the Transition
The business lobby opposed the GST. They feared it would reduce demand.
The government should have used a portion of the new GST revenue to offer a temporary payroll tax holiday or wage subsidy to small and medium‑sized enterprises, helping them adjust to the new, higher wage floor.
The mechanism: A 2‑3 year payroll tax offset for SMEs linked to compliance with the corrected minimum wage.
---
PART FOUR: WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY HAD DONE IT RIGHT
If the Howard government had implemented these four measures in 2000, or if the AFPC had corrected the error in 2006:
· The minimum wage would have been tied to adequacy from day one.
· The gap would not have grown to $362 per week.
· $880 billion would not have been extracted from low‑paid workers.
· The Fair Work Commission would not have ignored 15 submissions.
· The RBA would have a better measure of inflation (LECI).
· The casual classification would have collapsed decades ago.
· WorkCover, Medicare, superannuation, and state budgets would be fully funded.
· The cost‑of‑living crisis would not exist.
Instead, they chose to exclude wage earners. The error was not an accident. It was a policy choice.
---
PART FIVE: THE CONSEQUENCES – HOWARD AND COSTELLO LOST THE 2007 ELECTION
John Howard took Work Choices to the 2007 election. The Australian people delivered their verdict. Howard lost his own seat – the first sitting Prime Minister in 80 years to lose his seat and government at the same time. Peter Costello, who could have become Prime Minister, refused to take on the leadership. He spat the dummy and quit politics.
The question you have never seen answered in any history book: What if Howard and Costello had corrected the wage in 2006? What if the AFPC had set the minimum wage at $711.37 – the government’s own adequacy standard?
The Your Rights at Work campaign would have lost its central grievance. Millions of workers would have seen a 39% increase in their wages. Howard might have won. Costello might have become Prime Minister.
Instead, they chose the lie. The evidence was dismissed. The error continued.
---
PART SIX: THE IRONY OF HISTORY
The unions beat Work Choices. They marched. They organised. They campaigned. They defeated Howard. They should be proud.
But they did not beat the wage error. The error survived. The AFPC’s $700 threshold was a distraction. The minimum wage floor stayed at $511.86. The gap persisted. And now, 20 years later, the unions are asking for 5% on a baseline that is 27.6% below adequacy.
They won the battle. They lost the war.
---
PART SEVEN: A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO THE ALBANESE GOVERNMENT (PRESENT)
You cannot fix the past. But you can fix the present.
Correct the minimum wage to the Chart C standard – $1,309.95 per week. Index it automatically. Introduce a Low‑Income Essential Cost Index. Use the revenue from the $36 billion war windfall to support businesses through the transition.
The Howard government made a mistake in 2000. The AFPC made a mistake in 2006. The Fair Work Commission has made the same mistake for 20 years.
You have the opportunity to correct it in 2026. Do not make the same error. Do not exclude wage earners again.
---
PART EIGHT: THE MISSING COUNTERFACTUAL
Imagine if Howard and Costello had corrected the wage in 2006. Imagine if the minimum wage had been set at $711.37 in 2006, indexed to Chart C. By 2026, the minimum wage would be $1,309.95 – exactly where it should be.
· No $880 billion theft.
· No 7.5 million workers below adequacy.
· No casual classification crisis (the 25% loading would have been irrational for decades).
· No WorkCover unfunded liability.
· No Medicare shortfall.
· No superannuation crisis.
· No cost‑of‑living catastrophe.
The entire crisis of the last 20 years could have been avoided. Howard and Costello chose not to avoid it.
---
A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO HISTORY
Historians write about Work Choices as a political miscalculation. They write about Howard losing his seat. They write about Costello quitting.
They do not write about the wage error. They do not write about the $700 threshold that came within 1.6% of adequacy and was refused. They do not write about the 26‑year theft.
History is written by the winners. The unions won the battle. The business lobby won the war. The workers lost everything.
Correct the wage. $1,309.95 per week. Do it now. Before the next historian writes about the next missed opportunity.
---
Robert George Paturzo‑Elliott
Royal Park, South Australia
18 April 2026
1
The issue
I have presented a Submission to the Australian Fair Work Commissions, Minimum Wage Review 2026.
I am asking the Commission to correct Australia's Minimum Wage to $1309.95.
This was the opportunity to fix the error.
I presented my evidence to the AFPC in 2006.
The Chart C single person cut‑off was $711.37 per week.
The logical minimum wage was $711.37. The AFPC’s first decision came within 1.6% of my figure – they created a $700 threshold for increases.
They acknowledged the correct standard implicitly.
But they refused to apply it to the minimum wage floor.
They set the minimum wage at $511.86 – still 36% of the couple rate (72% of the single rate). The gap remained $199.52 per week.
The error was preserved.
Governments own adequacy standard
I am using Chart C Income Test for Single Pension at the cut of point, which suggests a single pensioner can earn income up to $2619.95 per fortnight or $1309.95 per week before being cut of.
THE TWO MISSED OPPORTUNITIES – GST (2000) AND WORK CHOICES (2006)
How Australia Created a 26‑Year Wage Error and Why the Architects of the Failure Lost Their Jobs
PART ONE: THE GST ERROR (2000)
In 2000, Australia introduced a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Howard government promised compensation.
Pensioners received a 4% increase to their maximum payment rates.
Taxpayers received income tax cuts. Families received extra assistance.
Wage earners received nothing. The minimum wage was excluded entirely.
The GST was added to the basket of goods measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The CPI was created well before the GST. When a 10% tax is inserted into an existing index without recalibrating the wage base, the index itself becomes corrupted.
The minimum wage uses the CPI to formulate its annual adjustments. Income taxes and workers’ compensation then use the minimum wage to collect their premiums, fees, and taxes.
The result: The minimum wage was mathematically locked at approximately 36% of the couple rate (72% of the single rate).
The gap was not an accident. It was engineered. Howard and Costello chose to exclude wage earners from the compensation package.
The error was created.
PART TWO: THE WORK CHOICES OPPORTUNITY (2005‑2006) a second chance.
The Howard government passed the Work Choices legislation. It created a “one national workplace system”.
The Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC) was established to set a single national minimum wage.
This was the opportunity to fix the error.
I presented my evidence to the AFPC in 2006. The Chart C single person cut‑off was $711.37 per week.
The logical minimum wage was $711.37. The AFPC’s first decision came within 1.6% of my figure – they created a $700 threshold for increases.
They acknowledged the correct standard implicitly.
But they refused to apply it to the minimum wage floor.
They set the minimum wage at $511.86 – still 36% of the single rate (72% of the single rate). The gap remained $199.52 per week.
The error was preserved.
PART THREE: WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED – A STRUCTURAL SOLUTION FOR AUSTRALIA IN 2000
If the Howard government had applied the same logic to wages that it applied to pensions,
GST could have been introduced without creating a 26‑year wage error. Here is what should have happened.
1. Anchor the Minimum Wage to the Chart C Adequacy Standard
In 2000, the Chart C single person cut‑off was approximately $576 per week.
The minimum wage was $400. The gap was $176 per week – 30.5% below adequacy.
The government should have legislated that the minimum wage be set at 100% of the Chart C single person cut‑off. Not 72%. Not 36% of the couple rate. 100%.
This would have guaranteed that a full‑time worker could live without welfare.
The formula: Minimum Wage = Chart C single person cut‑off (weekly equivalent).
2. Index the Minimum Wage Quarterly to the Chart C Standard
The Chart C standard is updated quarterly by Services Australia.
The government should have legislated that the minimum wage be automatically adjusted whenever Chart C changes.
This would have eliminated the need for annual wage reviews, political battles, and employer lobbying.
The mechanism: Automatic indexation to Chart C. No discretion. No delay.
3. Introduce the GST with a Wage Rebate
The government should have introduced the 10% GST alongside a targeted rebate for low‑income workers.
The rebate would be calculated as the amount of GST paid on the “essential basket” of goods – housing, utilities, food, healthcare.
This would have made the GST progressive, not regressive.
The mechanism: A quarterly cash transfer to low‑income households equivalent to the GST paid on essentials.
4. Use GST Revenue to Support Businesses Through the Transition
The business lobby opposed the GST. They feared it would reduce demand.
The government should have used a portion of the new GST revenue to offer a temporary payroll tax holiday or wage subsidy to small and medium‑sized enterprises, helping them adjust to the new, higher wage floor.
The mechanism: A 2‑3 year payroll tax offset for SMEs linked to compliance with the corrected minimum wage.
---
PART FOUR: WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THEY HAD DONE IT RIGHT
If the Howard government had implemented these four measures in 2000, or if the AFPC had corrected the error in 2006:
· The minimum wage would have been tied to adequacy from day one.
· The gap would not have grown to $362 per week.
· $880 billion would not have been extracted from low‑paid workers.
· The Fair Work Commission would not have ignored 15 submissions.
· The RBA would have a better measure of inflation (LECI).
· The casual classification would have collapsed decades ago.
· WorkCover, Medicare, superannuation, and state budgets would be fully funded.
· The cost‑of‑living crisis would not exist.
Instead, they chose to exclude wage earners. The error was not an accident. It was a policy choice.
---
PART FIVE: THE CONSEQUENCES – HOWARD AND COSTELLO LOST THE 2007 ELECTION
John Howard took Work Choices to the 2007 election. The Australian people delivered their verdict. Howard lost his own seat – the first sitting Prime Minister in 80 years to lose his seat and government at the same time. Peter Costello, who could have become Prime Minister, refused to take on the leadership. He spat the dummy and quit politics.
The question you have never seen answered in any history book: What if Howard and Costello had corrected the wage in 2006? What if the AFPC had set the minimum wage at $711.37 – the government’s own adequacy standard?
The Your Rights at Work campaign would have lost its central grievance. Millions of workers would have seen a 39% increase in their wages. Howard might have won. Costello might have become Prime Minister.
Instead, they chose the lie. The evidence was dismissed. The error continued.
---
PART SIX: THE IRONY OF HISTORY
The unions beat Work Choices. They marched. They organised. They campaigned. They defeated Howard. They should be proud.
But they did not beat the wage error. The error survived. The AFPC’s $700 threshold was a distraction. The minimum wage floor stayed at $511.86. The gap persisted. And now, 20 years later, the unions are asking for 5% on a baseline that is 27.6% below adequacy.
They won the battle. They lost the war.
---
PART SEVEN: A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO THE ALBANESE GOVERNMENT (PRESENT)
You cannot fix the past. But you can fix the present.
Correct the minimum wage to the Chart C standard – $1,309.95 per week. Index it automatically. Introduce a Low‑Income Essential Cost Index. Use the revenue from the $36 billion war windfall to support businesses through the transition.
The Howard government made a mistake in 2000. The AFPC made a mistake in 2006. The Fair Work Commission has made the same mistake for 20 years.
You have the opportunity to correct it in 2026. Do not make the same error. Do not exclude wage earners again.
---
PART EIGHT: THE MISSING COUNTERFACTUAL
Imagine if Howard and Costello had corrected the wage in 2006. Imagine if the minimum wage had been set at $711.37 in 2006, indexed to Chart C. By 2026, the minimum wage would be $1,309.95 – exactly where it should be.
· No $880 billion theft.
· No 7.5 million workers below adequacy.
· No casual classification crisis (the 25% loading would have been irrational for decades).
· No WorkCover unfunded liability.
· No Medicare shortfall.
· No superannuation crisis.
· No cost‑of‑living catastrophe.
The entire crisis of the last 20 years could have been avoided. Howard and Costello chose not to avoid it.
---
A DIRECT CHALLENGE TO HISTORY
Historians write about Work Choices as a political miscalculation. They write about Howard losing his seat. They write about Costello quitting.
They do not write about the wage error. They do not write about the $700 threshold that came within 1.6% of adequacy and was refused. They do not write about the 26‑year theft.
History is written by the winners. The unions won the battle. The business lobby won the war. The workers lost everything.
Correct the wage. $1,309.95 per week. Do it now. Before the next historian writes about the next missed opportunity.
---
Robert George Paturzo‑Elliott
Royal Park, South Australia
18 April 2026
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Petition created on 17 April 2026