The national minimum wage and minimum award wages are increasing from 1 July 2025.

The national minimum wage is increasing to $24.95 per hour and $948 per week based on a full-time 38-hour work week.

All minimum award wages are increasing by 3.5%.

Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that all of their employees are paid at or above the applicable modern award, registered agreement or the national minimum wage.

Employees who are paid award rates or very close to award rates will need to have their pay increased starting from 1 July 2025 to ensure employers meet their minimum legal obligations in relation to employee pay.

A reminder that from 1 January 2025, the Fair Work Act created a new ‘criminal underpayment’ law that can see employers criminally prosecuted if they knowingly underpay employees (which includes failing to increase their pay in line with their legal obligations to apply the award rate increases).

We recommend employers review their payroll obligations to ensure they are meeting their responsibilities.  BlandsLaw can assist employers with reviewing their systems to ensure that the minimum wage and minimum award rate increases are applied in compliance with the Fair Work Act and the relevant awards.

Should you require any assistance in reviewing your payroll obligations or if you have any questions about this wage review and its impact, please contact us.