Australia Enacts 4.75% Minimum Wage Rise Effective 1 July

Australia’s Fair Work Commission has approved a 4.75% minimum and award wage increase from 1 July, lifting pay for roughly 2.8-3 million workers and setting the new hourly floor at A$26.44. The ruling follows prior rises of 5.75% in 2023 and 3.5% in 2025 while annual inflation stands at 4.2%. Economists forecast only a modest 0.1 percentage-point boost to Q3 wage growth, yet the RBA will watch for second-round effects as it maintains its cash rate at 4.35% amid energy-driven price risks.