Australia news LIVE: NSW on high alert as two new local COVID-19 cases recorded in Sydney; Victoria restrictions to ease

In case you missed it, Australia’s minimum wage is set to go up by almost $20 a week. Around 2.5 million workers will be affected by the decision (made by the independent wage umpire).

Sally McManus, the secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, says the wage bump is “not a bad increase”.

“I think 2.5 per cent in this context is not a bad increase,” she told the Today show. “We wanted 3.5, they [business groups] wanted nothing. We can see from all the figures that profits have bounced back, so we really need wages to bounce back too. Because spending is going to drive the economy.”

Ms McManus dismissed suggestions the pay rise would be bad for businesses affected by coronavirus restrictions.

“What the commission has done is delayed those pay increases for tourism and for aviation and for fitness industries as well,” she said. “Parts of retail [too]. We don’t like that for retail, because we reckon that all those big supermarkets have done really well.

“Business groups say every year it’s too much. The thing is, if you have wages tank, basically that affects the whole economy and definitely those small businesses because they depend on all of us locals because borders are closed.”