Royal Commission on the Basic Wage
Royal Commission on the basic wage · Basic Wage Commission · Piddington Royal Commission
6 December 1919 – 23 November 1920
Inquired into the actual cost of living and the basic wage needed to keep a man, his wife and three children in reasonable comfort.
How it came into existence
Appointed by Letters Patent dated 6 December 1919 by the Hughes government, fulfilling an election promise. A. B. Piddington was chairman, with members representing employers and employees (among them the barrister A. C. Morley). It took evidence in each capital city and Newcastle. Its costs were met by the Prime Minister's Department.
How it ended
The commission handed its report to the Governor-General in November 1920; it was laid before Parliament on 23 November 1920, ending the commission. It found that a basic wage averaging £5 16s a week across the capital cities was needed, far above prevailing awards; the government did not apply the figure generally.
Main functions
- Cost of living for a family of five
- Amount of a fair basic wage in each capital city
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Prime Minister's Department.
Lineage
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