The change is being pushed by the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association.

"But it's just not feasible when the retail sector is under so much pressure,'' Ms Forrester said.

"I am sure young people would like to receive more money but wages are already high in Australia when compared with the rest of the world.

"The cost of doing business is getting more expensive all the time and if wages rise retailers will have no choice but to increase prices and that, in turn, will have an impact on retail sales.''

Ms Forrester has been involved in business in Dubbo for more than 30 years.

She said retailers were working hard to compete.

"Things are hard at the moment. I just don't think business could cope with younger members of staff being paid an adult wage. It's not just the bottom wage that increases - it's all the on-costs, including superannuation.

"At the end someone has to pay and that is us, the consumer.''

The Australian Retailers Association has warned younger workers would become "less employable'' if the age of the adult wage was lowered.

"We believe employers would simply move to starting to employ seniors rather than juniors," chief executive Russell Zimmerman he said.

"If you go to an 18-year-old who has had very little real-world experience they would not be able to give you that same ability and support."

The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association's Joe De Bruyn said younger workers deserved more money.

"People aged 18 and above are doing exactly the same work,'' he said.

"At 18 people can vote, enter into legal contracts and get married without parental consent."