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News.com.au
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- News.com.au
Backpacker stunned by eye-watering IGA wages in Australia
A British backpacker has been left gobsmacked by how much cash she's raking in working at a remote supermarket in Western Australia, and it's a lot more than she made slogging 60-hour weeks back home. Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her job as a support worker earlier this year and packed her bags for the other side of the world. She landed a gig stacking shelves at an IGA in Derby, tucked away in the Kimberley region of WA, Daily Mail reports. The young expat took to TikTok to share her surprise at earning significantly more in a laid-back job than she ever did in the UK, and the video quickly blew up. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she told followers. Back in England, Lauren was earning £12.50 ($A23) an hour as a support worker. Despite working 60-hour weeks, including bank holidays and public holidays, she only brought home around £2500 ($A4700) monthly. Over here? A totally different story. 'My rate of pay, Monday to Friday, is $34, which is the equivalent of £16 an hour,' the 29-year-old said. 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour.' The expat reckons she's making more money stacking shelves 40 hours a week in the outback than she did slogging it out for 60 hours in healthcare. 'I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane,' she added. While Lauren admits the cost of living in Australia is higher, she still feels she's coming out on top. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. But, she added, sharing with housemates helps ease the financial sting. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week – around £80,' she said. 700,000 views later, hundreds of fellow Brits jumped into the comments to vent, or plan their own Aussie escape. 'And this is why everyone is leaving the UK. It's going to s**t. 'I'm emigrating in December to Perth and I can't wait for the better work/life balance,' one person wrote. 'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' another said. 'You can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.' 'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday.' Another added, 'Fellow Scouser here, how beautiful is Western Australia, enjoy and get that bank.' 'I miss that place. I did the same 20 years ago and I urge you not to come back,' one nostalgic Brit commented. But not everyone was buying it. 'Give your head a wobble. The cost of living is double over there, that's why you need more money,' one user argued. 'You can't just compare wages. Brits can travel all over Europe in a couple hours for so cheap, would cost Aussie families $30k … not to mention the price of housing in Australia.' 'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years. Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel, all cheaper.' 'A pint of milk in Australia costs $8 compared to £1 in the UK,' someone else claimed. Others pointed out it's not all sunshine and fat pay slips Down Under, especially for frontline workers. 'As a nurse, I earned more in the UK than here. Singing earns me more here. Crazy!' And the bigger picture? It's not exactly rosy. A report released last month revealed just how little Aussies on minimum wage are able to save once the essentials are paid for. According to Anglicare's 2025 Cost of Living Index, a single person earning minimum wage has just $33 left each week after paying for rent, food and transport. For a couple with two kids, both working full-time? A dismal $5. Since 2023, the amount left over has shrunk by $24 a week, largely thanks to skyrocketing rental prices. For single parents, the situation is even grimmer, with only $1 left over after essential expenses, even when factoring in government support like the Family Tax Benefit and Commonwealth Rent Assistance, which adds a much-needed $227 to their budgets. So while Lauren's riding high on shelf-stacking pay cheques, not everyone in Australia is feeling quite so flush.
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Young Brit ‘cannot believe' IGA earnings compared to UK wage
A British backpacker has been left stunned by her earnings as a causal supermarket worker in remote WA compared to her earnings in the UK. 29-year-old Lauren from Liverpool quit her job as a support worker earlier this year and flew to the other side of the world to explore Australia. She secured a job stacking shelves at IGA in Derby in May, according to Daily Mail. The young Brit posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral — breaking down her pay packet from the popular Aussie supermarket, explaining that she earns much more than when she was working gruelling 60-hour weeks in the UK. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she said in the video. She explained that she earned £12.50 (around $23) an hour as a support worker in England, working 60 hours a week including bank holidays and public holidays, and brought home about £2,500 per month (around $4700). In Australia, the minimum rate of pay for stacking shelves at IGA on weekdays is $34 an hour and those rates are even higher on evenings and weekends. 'After 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, my rate of pay is $38 an hour, which is the equivalent to about £19. The British backpacker has explored various places in Australia, including Melbourne, Cairns and Broome. Credit: @laurensadventures / TikTok 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour. 'I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane' she said in the video. She explained that she will be earning more in a supermarket doing 40 hours a week than she did as a support worker working 60 hour weeks. The 29-year-old is aware that there is a higher cost of living in Australia but she still feels like she is better off overall. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. She elaborated that most of the time if you come to Australia as a single person and share with housemates the costs can be reduced, especially in more remote areas like WA's Kimberly region. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week — around £80,' she said. The video has racked up close to 700,0000 views and was flooded with hundreds of comments from fellow Brits, some of whom agreed with her. 'And this is why everyone is leaving the UK and not only that it's going to s..t, I'm emigrating in December to Perth and I can't wait for the better work/life balance,' one person said. The young Brit has emphasised the other elements of WA she enjoys including sunsets, frozen yogurt and Aboriginal art. Credit: @laurensadventures / TikTok 'Fellow scouser here, how beautiful is Western Australia though 😍 enjoy and get that bank 💰,' a second commented. 'I miss that place, I did the same 20 years ago and I urge you not to come back,' another Brit added. Others were quick to disagree with her stance. 'Give your head a wobble. The cost of living is double over there that's why you need more money,' one person said. 'You can't just compare wages. Brits can travel all over Europe and for a couple hours and for so cheap get a European holiday, would cost Aussie families 30k not to mention the price of housing in Australia,' another replied.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
British backpacker is stunned by how much she can earn stacking shelves in an Outback supermarket versus her old 60-hour-week in the UK
A stunned British backpacker has revealed her 'insane' earnings as a casual supermarket worker in Australia compared to her earnings back home. Lauren, 29, from Liverpool, quit her support worker job earlier this year to travel around Australia and began stacking shelves at IGA in Derby, in Western Australia 's Kimberley region, in May. She says she now earns more stacking shelves in the Outback than she ever did working gruelling 60-hour weeks in the UK. 'It's insane,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I just cannot believe how much money I am going to save.' Posting on TikTok as 'Lauren's Adventures', the Brit broke down her pay packet in a video that quickly went viral. 'For the last three months, I hadn't worked, I'd just been travelling,' she said. 'Then I thought, right, I need to get a job now. I wanted somewhere with no distractions, and live the Outback life for a bit. 'But I just cannot believe the difference in wages. It's just insane.' The video, which has racked up nearly 700,000 views and hundreds of comments, compares her earnings in Australia to those back in the UK. Lauren explained she earned £12.50 an hour as a support worker in England, working 60 hours a week including bank holidays and public holidays, and brought home about £2,500 per month. In Australia, the minimum rate she receives for stacking shelves at IGA is $34 an hour, equivalent to around £16, from Monday to Friday. That was already more than she earned back in Britain, but the rates are even higher on evenings and weekends. 'My wages in Australia compared to my wages at home need to be spoken about,' she said. 'After 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on Saturdays, my rate of pay is $38 an hour, which is the equivalent to about £19. 'On Sundays, my rate of pay is $45 an hour - equivalent to £22.50 an hour. 'And on public holidays, my rate of pay is $64 an hour, which is equivalent to about £30 an hour. Lauren was shocked her weekday rate topped her UK earnings but said evenings and weekends were even higher 'So, I was working back home 60 hours a week for less money than I will be earning in a supermarket doing about 40 hours a week. 'I will be earning more money doing that. My mind is just like, what!' Lauren is aware of the higher cost of living in Australia, but still feels she is better off overall. 'I know accommodation can be expensive here, and that's part of why the pay is higher,' she said. 'But most of the time, if you come to Australia on your own, it's better to live with others and house share. 'You can rent a room for $450 a week, some for $300 — that's about £600 to £800 a month. 'I've decided to experience outback life, so I've come to Derby. My accommodation is $165 a week — around £80.' Lauren's experience struck a chord online, with fellow Brits flooding her comments section to say they'd also earned far more in Australia. 'I earn more here working at David Jones in retail than I did in a health clinic,' one wrote. 'It's crazy - you can earn a decent amount in hospitality and retail, especially on weekends. So good.' 'Put me down for every Sunday and public holiday,' added another. But not everyone agreed with Lauren's take. 'Everything in the UK is cheaper. I lived there for five years,' one person said. 'Food, rent, electricity, cars, fuel are all cheaper.' 'You can live in the UK on less than £2,000 a month easily.'
India.com
15-07-2025
- Business
- India.com
More trouble to China, US as France is eager to sell Rafale fighter jets to India's friend, Macron giving special treatment to...,
More trouble to China, US as France is eager to sell Rafale fighter jets to India's friend, Macron giving special treatment to..., After a deal with India, France is now trying to sell Rafale fighter jets to another nation. And for that Emmanuel Macron, President of France is leaving no stone unturned to placate the country's premier. India and France had formally concluded an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA), valued at nearly ₹64,000 crore, to procure 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy. Deliveries are set to begin from mid-2028 and likely to be completed by 2030. Which is that country? Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has been given a special welcome and hospitality at the Bastille Day celebrations in France. The Indonesian President is currently in Paris and is scheduled to meet several EU leaders. France's aim is to make President Prabowo Subianto's visit special and strengthen defence ties with Indonesia and lay the foundation for the Rafale deal. Indonesia has signed an agreement to purchase 42 Rafale fighter jets and two French submarines. Why Indonesia wants to buy the Rafael? Indonesia, South East Asia's largest economy, in the face of challenges from China is to buy more aircrafts from France. Indonesia, like India, has also been a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement. In such a situation, while on the one hand Indonesia is troubled by the increasing pressure of China in the South China Sea, on the other hand it does not want to align itself with any one bloc. In such a situation, the defense deal with France is of double benefit for Indonesia. On the one hand it gets advanced fighter planes, and on the other hand it can strengthen its security by staying away from American pressure. When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Indonesia in May, the two countries signed a preliminary defense agreement, which could lead to new orders for French military equipment including Rafale and Scorpene submarines. What are the risks involved? But Indonesia is also looking for a middle ground in the confrontation with China. In November 2024, China and Indonesia signed an agreement that analysts say explicitly recognizes China's 'nine-dash line' and therefore China's territorial claims over the sea. The 'nine dash line' refers to the nine lines that China has unilaterally and arbitrarily drawn on the map to claim more than 90 percent of the South China Sea and its islands.
Perth Now
13-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Really sad': Local Perth shopping centre to be demolished
Duncraig resident Neal Meakins channelled Muriel's Wedding's character Bill Heslop when describing how he was disappointed his local shopping centre would be demolished. 'It's obviously a shame, but you can't stop progress,' he said of the proposed redevelopment of the Glengarry Shopping Centre, which is set to be demolished to make way for a Woolworths supermarket — forcing out the local IGA — as well as new shops, eateries and commercial space. Earlier this year, Woolworths — the country's biggest supermarket chain — lodged a development application with the City of Joondalup to redevelop the 20-store centre, which is currently home to an IGA, several family-owned businesses and a post office. 'I've been shopping here for a long time and it's a shame for me to go somewhere else because I know the shop so well,' Mr Meakins said. Duncraig resident Neal Meakins. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian The controversial Glengarry redevelopment comes as Woolworths postpones new builds on Charles Street in North Perth and Murray Street in West Perth, sparking questions about the supermarket's commercial strategies. It's understood some WA sites had higher construction costs based on their designs, which had affected development timelines. A Woolworths spokesman said it was excited about the opportunity to upgrade and modernise the Glengarry shopping centre. He added the community was currently under-serviced in terms of grocery retail with no full line supermarket. Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian Inside of Glengarry Shopping Centre. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'The redevelopment would include new services and convenient shopping options, and aims to create a vibrant place for small business and the community,' the company spokesman said. 'From time to time we acquire existing neighbourhood shopping centres that are in need of investment to improve the amenity and the offer for the community, leading to a local economy and jobs boost.' IGA supplier Metcash told The Sunday Times the independent grocer planned to exit Glengarry because though Woolworths had allowed for a 'very small second supermarket', it was not tenable for an IGA for several reasons, including size and location, with no direct access to a loading dock. Render of Woolworths' proposal. Credit: Supplied Metcash supplies to over 1600 independently-owned stores in Australia across the IGA and Foodland brands. Grant Ramage, the boss of Metcash's food arm, flagged concerns about the independents' ability to remain a viable competitor when one of the bigger supermarkets could just muscle in. Coles last year acquired the Milton Village shopping centre in Brisbane's inner west and as part of the redevelopment, did not renew the lease of the IGA that had been there for decades. In NSW, the Elermore Vale shopping centre was purchased by a developer as a proxy for Woolworths, paying $27 million in 2023. Woolworths is expected to replace the IGA once the lease expires in 2028. 'The trend known as creeping acquisitions is ongoing and contributes to the erosion of independent supermarket presence in local markets over time, and the overall scale of the independent network, needed to maintain a competitive offer,' Mr Ramage said. The Outer Metropolitan Development Assessment Panel will make a decision on Woolworths' application at a later date, with the City of Joondalup yet to provide a recommendation. I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby. For marketing and retail analyst Barry Urquhart, this was just part of the near-50-year-old Glengarry centre's life cycle. 'What you've got to say is that all things come to an end,' Mr Urquhart, managing director of Perth-based research company Marketing Focus, said. 'Any business that has been around operating, in any premises, beyond 15 years, a lot of consumers will say, 'Has it had its life cycle fulfilled' and therefore, it needs to be renewed, upgraded or replaced.' Asked if he agreed with Woolworths' claims the Glengarry redevelopment would improve shopping convenience and create a vibrant place for small business tenants and the community in Duncraig, Mr Ramage said there was no new residential redevelopment to justify another large supermarket. He added there were six existing Woolworths supermarkets within a 10-minute drive of Duncraig. But for some shoppers and local businesses that occupy the centre, the proposed redevelopment is long overdue, with the roof caving in. Rosemarie Persson, owner of Duncraig-Glengarry Flowers & Gifts, said the redevelopment was 'going to be fantastic for the area'. 'It will bring in more people, which it needs. It's a tired old little shopping centre and it just needs it,' she said. 'There's going to be more coffee shops and more places to eat, a Woolworths, more variety. But hopefully all the small businesses around here can come back and benefit from that.' Shopper Moira McFarlane welcomed the news of a bigger and modern centre with basement parking, but she was concerned about the traffic it would bring. '(The redevelopment is) well overdue, well overdue,' she said. 'My concern is the traffic, because it's bad enough now. The deliveries and trucks coming in near the hospitals next door is a bit concerning.' While Woolworths had offered Holmesys Bakehouse owner Steven Holmes a spot in the new centre, he said he wouldn't be able to afford the costs of temporary relocation. 'As a small business owner, I cannot afford it. I've only been here for three years, and I haven't even got the revenue yet,' he said. 'Which I have told them . . . so yeah, I'm just taking the money and I'm gone. 'There's positives and negatives for everything, but I don't understand why (Woolworths) is building here when they've got one literally five minutes up the road in Warwick.' Duncraig local Karen Kroeger said local shopping centres like Glengarry suited independent grocers. 'I'm not sure why we need another Woolworths or Coles when there are so many nearby,' she said. 'I feel for a lot of small businesses who may not be able to operate in a new centre place because of rent increases, or there's not enough space, and it's also hard and costly for them to start somewhere again in a different location,' she said. Duncraig local Karen Kroeger and son Patrick. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian 'It's really sad for them; they've built up their reputations here, and they know all the locals.' The owner of Glengarry IGA declined to comment. Mr Ramage said consumers could face less variety and reduced product range and availability, as well as poorer service — or none at all when they are forced to use self-checkouts — with the arrival of Woolworths. He added that despite the millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent, the string of public inquiries into Australia's supermarket sector inquiries had not adequately addressed the issue of anti-competitive acquisitions. 'We are hopeful that the new merger laws will assist when they come into effect but will only go so far and won't reverse the damage done to date,' Mr Ramage said. Treasurer Jim Chalmers last October introduced new rules requiring any mergers that exceed a broad set of financial thresholds to get approval from the competition regulator. Under the current regime, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission only has the power to stop or legally challenge mergers it deems as having a substantial impact in the market. From the start of next year, a merger will need the green light from the watchdog if the combined turnover of the merging businesses is more than $200m, and either the business or assets being bought has turnover higher than $50m, or the global transaction value is above $250m. Deals where an Australian business turning over $500m tries to buy out another smaller business, with turnover above $10m, will also be captured under the new rules. From this month, businesses may voluntarily notify acquisitions to the ACCC. The ACCC in March delivered its final report into the $120 billion supermarket sector, which confirmed Coles and Woolworths' dominance. Former ACCC chair Graeme Samuel, who led the watchdog between 2003 and 2011, criticised the report's recommendations as not having enough teeth. Among the ACCC's list of recommendations, supermarkets should be required to inform customers when product sizes have changed and this information should be in close proximity to shelf tickets and on relevant websites. In response to the ACCC report, Metcash said it was pleased the regulator recognised the competitive role independents played in local communities. But Metcash said it was concerned with the growing dominance of the major supermarkets and their ability to grow through creeping acquisitions of independents and land banking.
