Employment Minister Eric Abetz has refused to say whether he thinks the minimum wage is too high or whether employers should be allowed to set their own penalty rates.
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A day after the Productivity Commission released details of its sweeping review of Australia's industrial relations system, Senator Abetz said "I'm not going to state my opinion on a range of issues".
The minimum wage, workplace flexibility, penalty rates, enterprise bargaining and workplace anti-bullying laws are among the issues that will be examined by the inquiry.
Senator Abetz said it was up to the Fair Work Commission to determine what the minimum wage should be.
"Well, that's what I'm telling you, it's not my opinion, it is for the Fair Work Commission to determine," he said in an interview on ABC News Breakfast on Friday.
"Even Labor frontbencher Andrew Leigh has opined that the minimum wage may not necessarily deal with all the issues of low-wage poverty as some people might think.
"This is a review to either confirm the so-called workplace relations myths or to bust the so-called workplace relations myths, and I'm not going to try to tell the Fair Work Commission its job or indeed the Productivity Commission."
Senator Abetz added that he wanted the "very best" for Australian workers and enterprises and refused to speculate on whether the minimum wage was too high.
The Employment Minister also ruled out giving his view on whether businesses should be able to determine their own penalty rates, including on weekends.
"I'm not going to state my opinion on a range of the issues. The purpose of the Productivity Commission review is to be able to aerate, ventilate all the competing arguments and views within the community and then a trusted body such as the Productivity Commission will come up with recommendations," Senator Abetz said.
Senator Abetz also rejected the suggestion that Australians were worried the government was heading towards a new version of WorkChoices.
"What the Australian people want is the best possible workplace relations system and that is what we're looking for with an organisation, the Productivity Commission, which has a reputation for economic robustness and social sensitivity," he said.
