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KEY ISSUES RAISED AT THE INQUIRY INTO THE HANDLING OF BRITTANY HIGGINS' RAPE ALLEGATIONS

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS

* DPP Shane Drumgold accused police of having a "passion" for the prosecution of Bruce Lehrmann to fail

* Walked back claim about "political interference" in the case, instead saying investigators had a "skills deficit"

* Admitted his office closed ranks against police officers during the trial as prosecutors believed police had lost objectivity in the matter

* DPP accused of misleading the court on his advice to Network 10 journalist Lisa Wilkinson about her Logies speech, which delayed the trial and led to widespread media criticism

* Mr Drumgold admitted he could have been clearer but believed Wilkinson and Channel 10 lawyer Tanya Smithies understood his advice as a warning

ACT POLICE

* Lead investigator Detective Superintendent Scott Moller admitted officers made a mistake by providing Ms Higgins' counselling notes to prosecutors and defence lawyers

* Accused DPP of "dismissing" police concerns that there was not enough evidence to charge Mr Lehrmann

* Senior Constable Emma Frizzell admitted police were confused about the legal test required to charge a suspect

* An inquiry document showed police had different definitions about the charge threshold

* This ranged from "reasonable honest belief" to "honest belief in the suspect's guilt" and "reasonable possibility of obtaining a conviction"

VICTIMS OF CRIME COMMISSIONER

* Commissioner Heidi Yates defended her decision to accompany Ms Higgins to court each day and said no one in the police, defence team or prosecutor's office raised issue at the time

* The commissioner conceded she should not have stood alongside Ms Higgins as the former Liberal staffer made a media statement outside court

* Ms Yates said she would have made a different decision if she had known what Ms Higgins was going to say

© AAP 2023

Millions of workers will get a 5.75 per cent wage boost under the industrial umpire's minimum wage decision.

Both minimum wages and awards will be lifted by 5.75 per cent under the Fair Work Commission's decision.

The new pay rates will kick in on July 1.

"The current combination of economic circumstances - mainly low unemployment, falling wages and high inflation - is very unusual and presents particular challenge in this year's review," FWC president Adam Hatcher said.

"A further challenge is an expected sharp slowdown in economic growth over the next year."

But he said the commission considered the current rate of inflation on the ability of modern award like employees, especially the low-paid, to meet their basic financial needs.

"Because of the negligible proportion of the workforce to which the national minimum wage applies, this outcome will not have discernible macroeconomic effects."

The decisions in the annual wage review affected wages of about a quarter of Australian employees.

The Albanese government favoured a pay boost that would stop Australia's lowest paid workers going backwards, meaning wages would preferably grow in line with inflation.

Cost of living pressures have been weighing heavily on Australia's lowest paid workers but inflation has likely past its peak, coming in at 6.8 per cent in the year to April.

Unions were also advocating for a pay boost in line with inflation, with the Australian Council of Trade Unions calling for a seven per cent minimum wage lift.

But in the lead up to the decision, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that too high a pay rise could cut into businesses' viability.

The business group was calling for a 3.5 per cent increase.

Last year, the panel split its decision by awarding a 5.2 per cent increase to 180,000 workers on the lowest minimum wage, in line with inflation at the time.

As well, the umpire outlined an increase of $40 a week or at least 4.6 per cent for 2.6 million people on higher award rates.

© AAP 2023

Australia's lowest paid workers will take home an extra $1.20 each hour when the new minimum wage decision kicks in next month.

The Fair Work Commission opted for a 5.75 per cent boost to the minimum wage in its 2023 decision, taking the hourly pay rate for lowest paid workers from $21.38 to $22.60.

The commission also lifted minimum award wages by 5.75 per cent.

More than 20 per cent of the country's workers are paid minimum award rates and only 0.7 per cent earn the national minimum wage, which is the lowest rate.

The new pay rates will begin on July 1.

Under the decision, workers will still be taking a real wage cut, with inflation coming in at 6.8 per cent in the 12 months to April.

FWC president Adam Hatcher said the commission handed down its decision under a "very unusual" set of challenges, including falling wages and high inflation.

"A further challenge is an expected sharp slowdown in economic growth over the next year," he added.

But he said the commission considered the high rate of inflation on the ability of low-paid workers to meet their basic financial needs.

The commission also factored in the upcoming boost to the superannuation guarantee from 10.5 per cent to 11 per cent, as well as the impact of a weakening jobs market on casual employees and relevant industries.

"We have also had regard to the need to avoid entrenching high inflation expectations by taking a perceived wage indexation approach, and the recent weak performance in productivity growth," he said.

Mr Hatcher said the 5.75 per cent lift in award rates of pay would not trigger a wage price spiral as these workers constituted a limited proportion of the national wage bill.

Similarly, he said the boost to the minimum wage would "not have any discernible macro-economic effects".

But the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the increase to award and minimum wages would slug small and family business with a $12.6 billion wages bill.

"Today's decision will come as a hammer blow for the 260,000 small and family-owned businesses who pay minimum and award wages," ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said.

"The commission has disregarded the message it conveys to the wider labour market and the influence it holds over entrenching high inflation as the Australian economy faces a worsening outlook in the years ahead," he added.

While higher than the business group wanted, the increase fell short of the Australian Council of Trade Unions preference for a seven per cent minimum wage lift.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus said it would make an "incredible difference" to low paid workers.

The Albanese government also favoured a pay boost that would stop Australia's lowest paid workers going backwards.

© AAP 2023