Over the past 20 years, the top 20 per cent of wage earners have seen their wages go up by about 45 per cent. At the same time the bottom 20 per cent of wage earners have seen their wages rise by just 14 per cent.

It’s all the unions’ fault! When unions were strong and almost half of all Australians belonged to unions, wages of the bottom, lowest paid, rose at levels almost exactly the same as the top executives. The minimum wage rose. Gaps in pay between men and women, or white and Aboriginal, shrunk. The wealth of our entire country was in its most balanced, some might say “fairest” position, since white settlement.

A balanced wealth across our community in the ’50s, ’60s and 70s, through wages, allowed our entire economy to grow faster than at any other time. Because it is a well-known fact that almost every cent of wages earned, that goes into a low or middle income household, gets spent into the economy. This then creates more turnover for paper shops, hamburger shops, hairdressers, supermarkets, car yards, petrol stations, etc.

And when there is more turnover, more spending, more demand for services, then more people need to be employed. And when more people are employed, more taxes are paid and the load is spread more evenly for all wage earners – top to bottom.

But, unions saw their numbers fall. 49% union membership in 1980 has dropped to about 15% today.

While union membership has crashed, the wage gap between top and bottom earners has skyrocketed. And this is damaging our economy. Because the top wage earners do funny things with their money, like saving and investing, which is not good for employment. They simply don’t spend enough of their wage back into the economy. The one person can only go for so many dinners or haircuts.

 If only those Unions could get their membership levels back up.

You can contact my office on 4991 1466, by email to cessnock@parliament.nsw.gov.au or call into 118 Vincent Street (PO Box 242), Cessnock 2325.