oh it's "international currency" not US$. Whatever that is

eta

That site is strange. It cites the US minimum wage at $15, but if you click on the US it goes to a US page that says $7.25. For Australia, they are both $20. The Australian dollar and US dollar are close to par.

Hell, even I'd go back to work for $15/hour.

That's ridiculous.

That would be about right. It depends on the industry you work in. But on average that'd be about right.

Consider though that the cost of living in australia is higher than just about every other western nation. We pay almost twice what you do for fuel and other basics like energy supply and phone/communications. Groceries are very expensive here and our public transport system is very poor.

On the upside, our public health system is a lot better than the US (in my understanding). Our social services (whether you like it or not) support those not able to work for one reason or another.

On the other downside, we get taxed pretty heavily. eg Dazza loses almost half of what he earns to the taxman, so if you're not earning uber amounts of money and just fall into what the gov describes as the high income bracket, you end up worse off than low income earners because you get no benefits what so ever from the gov.

All countries run their finances differently. It's important to look at the big picture. Not just a snap shot.

Surely I don't have to explain that to you smart cookies. ;)

rly? that's what I charge for pulling weeds -friends rate.

but how does the current Aussie $ compare to the 2009 US $?

Public Transport System, what's that? Do you mean cars?:confused:

Damifino, does it matter?
But if they say the current minimum wage is 15 US 2009 dollars, and the wage is really $7.25, then the US dollar has lost 50% of it's value since 2009. I don't believe that.

The AU$ was only slightly lower than the US$ in 2009, may have even been a bit higher. When was the crash? Ever since then they've been fairly comparitive.

no, it does seem a little weird.

Per this table by the Dept. of Labor, Washington has the highest minimum wage in America - $9.04.

Truth is, we're a bunch of socialist pinko commies who think that minimum wage should be above the poverty line, not below it. ;)

You'll never get anywhere with an attitude like that; sittin' on your ass like a council worker, reminiscing about being pissed off about
your house burning down to the ground, and being out on your arse...

Nice. I want to hear that song now, but I can't because my impressionable young daughter is here with me. If only hip hop were more hummable.