Western Australians expect the minimum wage to provide a stable foundation — to be enough each week to pay housing costs, cover bills, buy healthy food and plan for the future. A strong minimum wage is a public good. It protects workers, supports families and provides the foundations of an economy that works for everyone.
In Western Australia, however, this public good has been eroded over a number of years. Essentials, particularly rent, have risen faster than the minimum wage, pushing many workers into housing stress, food rationing and deferred healthcare.
WACOSS’ submission centres the experiences and expertise of Western Australians living on the minimum wage. Alongside modelled data on housing, food, utilities, transport and healthcare, we draw on two case studies and the cross-cutting themes of our Living Realities research series, which features in-depth interviews with Western Australians on low income.
These accounts show how wage settings shape the basics of life in WA, from keeping a roof overhead, to getting food on the table and accessing healthcare, and the consequences of when income fails to keep pace with these costs. The households described in this submission are not struggling because of poor choices or bad luck; they are struggling because the minimum wage is simply not enough each week to cover the cost of a decent life.
WACOSS endorses UnionsWA’s submission, which makes the economic case for a significant increase to the State Minimum Wage. Our submission demonstrates the reality for those people living on the minimum wage. Together, these submissions show that an increase to the State Minimum Wage of 6.5 per cent is required to enable Western Australians to live decent lives.