One point of note with regards to Australia's minimum wage: Tipping is all but unheard of there.  So those working in restaurants or bars might get a higher "wage" but little to no tips, so their overall wage is comparable.

Obvious restaurants and bars aren't the only ones that pay low wages, but they are one of the big industries paying lower wages here.

Also prices in Australia are quite a bit higher than in Canada.  OECD puts the Purchasing Power Parity comparison at roughly 16% higher, so $17.60 Aussie dollars is more like $15 Canadian dollars from a PPP perspective.