Relative to other nations, Australian minimum wages are high. The Australian federal
minimum wage is 58% of full-time median weekly earnings, as compared with 45%
in the United Kingdom and 34% in the United States.1
Relative to median earnings,
the UK Low Pay Commission (2003) found that Australia’s minimum wage was the
second-highest among 12 developed countries, with only France having a higher wage
floor. Assuming a similar distribution of hourly wages in these countries, this suggests
that the Australian minimum wage will potentially affect more workers than the
minimum wage in the UK or the US.