It’s been a big few weeks for the industrial relations landscape in Australia.

Former Fair Work Commission vice-president Graeme Watson was in the Financial Review talking about the need to address Australia’s underemployment and unemployment crisis and how prohibitively high weekend penalty rates are the biggest impediment.

Employment Minister Michaelia Cash went on Neil Mitchell’s program to rebut the ACTU’s submission that the minimum wage should be increased by $45 per week by claiming that lower paid workers are “often in high-income households” and again echoing agitprop that higher wages means fewer jobs.