By Fiona Macdonald, Policy Director, Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute and Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, RMIT University
The Fair Work Commission has found award pay rates in five industrial awards covering a range of female-dominated occupations and industries do not provide equal pay.
This important decision should narrow the gender pay gap.
The commission proposed significant increases to award pay rates covering thousands of workers including pharmacists, early childhood education and care workers, psychologists, physiotherapists and some other health workers.
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By Karinna Saxby, Research Fellow, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne
Mo Hammoud, Research Group Lead, LGBTQ+ Population Health Research Group, and Senior Research Fellow, HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Program, Kirby Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney
Ruth McNair, Honorary Associate Professor of General Practice within Medicine, The University of Melbourne
Last week, the federal government announced a $10 million commitment to make Medicare more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ Australians. It aims to improve their access to “inclusive, culturally safe primary care” through training and accreditation for GPs, nurses and other health-care providers.
The precise details will…
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By Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Professor (Practice), Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University
Hayley Boxall, Research Fellow, Australian National University
Domestic and family violence hasn’t been a major election issue. While the major parties are starting to talk about it, it’s not enough.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 29, 2023. © 2023 Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via AP Photo Emirati authorities have designated as “terrorist” 11 dissidents and their relatives and 8 companies, reflecting the country’s indiscriminate use of overbroad counterterrorism laws and contempt for due process.The UAE’s counterterrorism law allows the executive branch to designate individuals and entities as terrorists without any requirement to demonstrate an objective basis for the claim.The authorities should immediately remove the terrorism designations, and the UK should…
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By Andrew Carr, Associate Professor, Strategy and Australian Defence Policy, Australian National University
Stephan Fruehling, Professor, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University
For our deterrence strategy to be effective, we need to be much clearer about our ‘red lines’ for going to war.
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By Dominic O'Sullivan, Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University and Adjunct Professor Stout Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington and Auckland University of Technology., Charles Sturt University
As the deadline approaches for Te Pāti Māori MPs to appear before the Privileges Committee, the place of tikanga in our democratic institutions is the real issue.
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By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University
Following the death of Pope Francis, we’ll soon be seeing a new leader in the Vatican. The conclave – a strictly confidential gathering of Roman Catholic cardinals – is due to meet in a matter of weeks to elect a new earthly head.
The word conclave is derived from the Latin con (together) and clāvis (key). It means “a locked room” or “chamber”, reflecting its historical use to describe the locked gathering of cardinals to…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Dao Ba Cuong, a Vietnamese iron worker from Phu Yen province, staged protests inside his house after his son died in police custody. In April 2023, the police arrested and charged him with “abusing the rights to freedom and democracy” under article 331. Later that year, he was sentenced to two years in prison. © 2025 John Holmes for Human Rights Watch The Vietnamese government has intensified its crackdown on dissent to punish people simply for raising concerns or complaints about government policies or local officials.The Vietnamese authorities abuse article…
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By Zareh Ghazarian, Senior Lecturer in Politics, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
If recent trends continue, about half of all voters could cast their ballots before election day, May 3. How is early voting changing the way candidates campaign?
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By Naomi Oreskes, Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University
The US has obstructed climate action for decades – largely due to damaging actions by the powerful fossil fuel industry. But Australia has a chance now to lead.
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