I can relate to that.
The last (warehouse) job I was at was what I considered "overpaid" for what we did, and most people were earning more than the junior managers... but a change of management 4-5 years ago, has led to pay rates dropping. Not just freezing, but actually going down, because of the manipulation of our minimum productivity rates.
I went down from mid 80 thousand to mid 60 thousand during that time, but still doing the same rate of work.
Politicians are making it worse, too busy fighting each other instead of fighting FOR us.
As such, the we do indeed have some high wages in Australia, but the gap between the wages of those industries and others is widening, while the costs of living keep going up faster than the lower paid people are earning.


As for the comparative costs here to America, last year one of the Members here got their hands on the wholesale price listing by Hasbro. The Deluxe class wholesale price is AU$18.50 (about US$16.65)... that's means Hasbro Australia are charging our Retailers MORE than what they cost at the stores in America.
So before the variable factors come into play (tax, transport, wages), American retailers pay about US$8 for a Deluxe (giving Hasbro America a little under $4 profit per unit), while our retailers pay US$16.65 for a Deluxe (giving Hasbro Australia about $12 profit per unit - and most of that goes back to Hasbro America, which is why their quarterly statements show a huge international revenue profit AFTER the local branches have covered their costs and profit).