Unless there is a cut in minimum wages for Australian people, the ‘lucky country’ may end up like ‘unlucky’ Greece, according to Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart.
The $20 billion dollar worth mining magnate argued that there was a case for cutting the minimum wage – which currently stands $606 a week – warning not to do so Australia will face the same problems that Greece, together with Spain and other countries have endured due to the economic crisis.
It seems that Rinehart used Greece and Greeks as paradigm, while calling on Australians to stop smoking, socialising and going out, and focus on working and earning money, if they don’t want to find themselves in Greek shoes.
“She told us to get out of the pubs, to stop smoking and socialising, to work on the weekends, and than you can get rich like her,” Queensland independent MP Bob Katter said.
“But she left out the bit about daddy being a major cattle station owner and the biggest mining magnate in Australia. That helps as well.”
Rinehart’s comment – published in her column in mining magazine Australian Resources and Investment – has united all political parties, left and right, who labelled Gina out of touch with ordinary Australians.