Shorten open to more taxpayer-supplemented wage increases

Bill Shorten has left the door open for taxpayer supplemented wage increases after declaring that he “picked child care workers to go first.”

Mr Shorten made the comments in Perth, while backing in Labor’s commitment to raise the pay of child care workers by 20 per cent. The plan will cost taxpayers $9.9 billion over the next decade.

“We have picked child care workers to go first, I think this is a strategically important industry,” Mr Shorten said.

The Opposition Leader wouldn’t elaborate on how the pay increases would be delivered to workers, only that a Labor government would work with the sector on the mechanics.

When asked if there would be government intervention in other industries, Mr Shorten was open to it.

“I don’t see this as a being an economy-wide approach at all. But I do accept that in certain sectors of the economy we have a wages problem, don’t we?” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison questioned where Labor’s plan for taxpayer-supplemented wages would end.

“What about people who are hairdressers? Is he going to subsidise their wages, too? Is this how Bill Shorten is going to run the economy?” Mr Morrison said.

Both leaders are in Perth ahead of the first debate tonight.