As the peak body for community service organisations and the individuals they serve, WACOSS has a strong interest in the adequacy of living standards and the quality of life of low-income Western Australians.
WACOSS is also heavily engaged in policy and advocacy in relation to the explicit link between minimum wages and the community services sector.
The income paid under the minimum wage and accompanying awards is vital to ensure that workers are protected by minimum standards. Minimum wages are a vital means of protecting low-income workers from poverty. In turn, the safety net that adequate minimum wages provide can be seen as an important way in which minimum wages actually promote social inclusion. The income of full time minimum wage earners should be high enough to ensure they have the capacity to meet their basic living costs, whilst living with dignity and respect.
WACOSS is also deeply concerned by the incidence of low pay in the community sector itself, in terms of the sector’s ability to attract and retain staff. In addition, WA has the largest gender pay gap (GPG) of any State in Australia, a gap much larger than the national average.
Research conducted by WACOSS in 2009 found that increasing funding for the community services sector would significantly reduce the gender pay gap in WA. Without increased funding, employees (a majority of whom are women) will continue to receive unequal pay for work of equal or comparable value to that performed by other sectors.
The living standards of low income households rest on three foundations: employment, minimum wage levels, and income support payments. All three play a vital role in preventing poverty. Policies that rely too heavily on one to the exclusion of the others pose risks for people on low incomes.
Employment and Wages Publications:
WACOSS Submission to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission State Wage Case, May 2012
WACOSS Submission to Fair Work Australia Annual Wage Review 2010, 19 March 2010
WACOSS Submission to the AIRC in Response to the Exposure Draft of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010, 16 October 2009
WACOSS Submission to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission State Wage Case, Friday 1 May 2009
Close the Gender Pay Gap: Value Community Services Research Paper, March 2009 WACOSS Submission to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission State Wage Case, April 2008
WACOSS Submission to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission State Wage Case, April 2007
WACOSS Submission to the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission State Wage Case, April 2006