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The gender pay gap may be shrinking, but a new report shows there’s still a long way to go.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s annual report card reveals a 21.8% difference between men’s and women’s salaries in the private sector. On average, women earn $28,425 less per year. As Leonora Risse explains, the gap is widest among chief executives and older workers: for women in their late 50s, it’s $53,000.
The federal government will this week release legislation to require companies with more than 500 employees to set gender targets for their boards and provide flexible work hours, in addition to their existing obligation to publish their gender pay gaps.
To another workplace now, and the Australian privacy commissioner has ruled that Bunnings breached the privacy of “likely hundreds of thousands” of Australians by using facial recognition technology in its stores.
As Margarita Vladimirova explains, the ruling could have significant implications for Australian shoppers and retailers. And it highlights a loophole in Australia’s privacy laws that means businesses can scan your face without your explicit consent, simply by putting up signs.
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Margaret Easterbrook
Business Editor
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Leonora Risse, University of Canberra
Many employers are appointing more women to management and paying fairer salaries, but there is a long way to go before the pay gap is closed – especially if you’re a woman in her 50s.
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Margarita Vladimirova, Deakin University
Despite the ruling against Bunnings, Australian businesses can continue to collect your biometric information without your explicit consent by simply putting up signs.
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Katharine Kemp, UNSW Sydney
If your car connects to the internet, what personal data could it be sharing – and even selling? A new report on Australia’s 15 most popular car brands reveals these privacy concerns.
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Denis Muller, The University of Melbourne
The highly influential broadcaster, for years feared by the nation’s politicians, has been charged with several sexual offences.
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Joo-Cheong Tham, The University of Melbourne
The proposed bill reduces the risk of corruption but other problems remain - including that it favours the major parties.
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Jon Richardson, Australian National University
While many questions remain, the move by the US to green light the use of missiles inside Russia will no doubt lead US allies to do the same – and provoke Russia’s ire.
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Belinda Lunnay, Torrens University Australia; Kristen Foley, Torrens University Australia; Paul Ward, Torrens University Australia
In a new study, we interviewed and shadowed 14 doctors in a public hospital to understand the pressures they are under.
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Amanda Keddie, Deakin University
Research on whether single-sex or co-ed schools are better is inconclusive. But we know a schools’ resources and culture matter for students learning and wellbeing.
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Thami Croeser, RMIT University
Have you heard of the 3+30+300 rule for urban forestry? See how Melbourne and Sydney compare to New York, Denver, Seattle, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam and Singapore on trees, canopy and park proximity.
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Penni Russon, Monash University
Celebrity children’s books are a recurring phenomenon – from Jamie Oliver and Keira Knightley to Meghan Markle and Jimmy Barnes. But writing for children is harder than it might look.
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Jane Lydon, The University of Western Australia
Santilla Chingaipe’s new book brings a fresh and urgent perspective to bear on Australian history. But in countering misrepresentations she overlooks existing scholarship.
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Yves Rees, La Trobe University; Joanna McIntyre, Swinburne University of Technology
On Drag Race Down Under, Michelle Visage has become the authority who determines who sashays and who stays in the fierce contest.
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Kathy Holloway, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New Zealand’s proportion of domestically-trained nurses has fallen to just over half, making it a global outlier. We urgently need a proper workforce strategy like Australia has now introduced.
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Politics + Society
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Treasurer Jim Chalmers will announce on Wednesday a package of reforms to the retirement phase of the superannuation system, to make it easier to navigate and consumer friendly.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
The Albanese government has been put on the spot by a new agreement which it has declined to join – signed by the United Kingdom and the United States to speed up the deployment of nuclear technology.
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Health + Medicine
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Carolyn Heward, James Cook University; Luisa Wigg, James Cook University; Wendy Li, James Cook University
Many doctors become reluctant to ask questions or seek help when uncertain. This is exactly the opposite of what most patients want in a doctor making crucial decisions about their care.
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Ladan Hashemi, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
New research finds excessive screen time is associated with childhood obesity. But by limiting a toddler’s time in front of the TV or on other screens, parents can help reduce the risks.
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Science + Technology
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Jessica Russ-Smith, Australian Catholic University; Michelle Lazarus, Monash University
Technology doesn’t have to be harmful to people and Country in the way AI currently is. Instead, it can help care for and preserve people and Country.
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Environment + Energy
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Meg Edwards, University of Southern Queensland
Why can’t you keep a wombat or koala as a pet rather than a cat or dog? There are good reasons why keeping native animals as pets isn’t as easy as it seems
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Education
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Andrew Norton, Australian National University
In a surprise move, the Coalition has confirmed it plans to oppose the federal government’s bill to cap the number of foreign students in Australia.
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Arts + Culture
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Charlotte Dunn, University of Tasmania; Jayne Knight, University of Tasmania
This doomed romance ended abruptly in 44 BCE when Caesar was quite literally stabbed in the back (and from all sides) by his enemies in Rome. She pretty soon hooked up with one of his closest allies.
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Books + Ideas
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Katya Johanson, Edith Cowan University
Reading rates in Australia are falling – and price might be less of a factor than we think. We look at how Australia compares internationally, and what other countries are doing to boost reading.
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