The government's Employment White Paper to address barriers women face in the workforce; The Minister for Emergency Management says Australia is far better prepared for the upcoming fire season than in previous years; The Wallabies' quarter-final hopes on the line.
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TRANSCRIPT
- The government's Employment White Paper to address barriers women face in the workforce
- The Minister for Emergency Management says Australia is far better prepared for the upcoming fire season than in previous years
- The Wallabies' quarter-final hopes on the line
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the government's new road map for the Australian labour market includes key measures to address barriers women face in participating in the Australian workforce.
The Albanese government's Employment White Paper is set to be released on Monday and is the product of 12 months of work following the 2022 jobs and skills summit.
Around 62.5 per cent of women participated in the labour market in August 2023, but Mr Chalmers says more needs to be done to address persistent barriers.
Mr Chalmers told Sky News women's economic participation is a central focus of the government's economic plan, alongside addressing the continuing gender pay gap.
"We've made some progress, but we've got more work to do on this front. And the best way to do that, in addition to making sure that we're lifting wages in industries dominated by women, is to make sure that we are dealing with the issues which are preventing the full participation of women in our workforce and in our economy. People will see a fair bit on that in the paper tomorrow."
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Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management Murray Watt says Australia is far better prepared for the coming fire season than it was ahead of the 2019 Black Summer bushfires.
It comes after bushfires burnt across a number of states last week and unseasonably hot and dry conditions sparked a wave of warnings.
With the Bureau of Meteorology declaring Australia is now in an El Niño climate pattern, the risk of dangerous fires and a hot and dry summer has also been heightened.
Mr Watt says Australia has taken the recommendations of the bushfire royal commission seriously, and is in a much better position than it was previously.
"Australia is much better prepared for this coming season than we were heading into black summer. We have implemented almost all of the recommendations of the bushfire royal commission that were made to the federal government. And they include establishing one coordinated coordinated national emergency management agency, rather than two separate organisations under two separate ministers which existed before. "
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New South Wales Premier Chris Minns says improving Australia's capability to respond to potential future pandemics should be the focus of the COVID-19 inquiry.
It comes as the government is facing increasing pressure to broaden the scope of the inquiry to include actions taken by state and territory governments and the impact of school closures on children.
The inquiry announced on Thursday excludes an investigation into any "unilateral" decisions by states and territories.
This means that state-imposed lockdowns, school closures and mask mandates are not expected to come under the spotlight.
Mr Minns says the focus of the inquiry should be on how to improve Australia's ability to deal with future pandemics.
"Generally speaking, decisions were made in good faith with the best interests of the people of New South Wales at heart, and I suspect that looking at their actions in that context is reasonable. But obviously we would look at it from the perspective not from politics but from learnings and obviously the future is the most important thing here."
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New research finds major car brands are making potentially misleading claims about Hybrid electric vehicle technology.
The research released by the Environmental Defenders Office questions net-zero emissions pledges made by major car brands, when many have yet to commit to ending the production of petrol cars by 2035.
The report also draws a set of common marketing tactics into question, including companies calling plug-in hybrid vehicles "the best of both words" despite relying on petrol.
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Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest against police violence and racism.
It comes around three months after massive riots took place in response to the death of a young man during a police check near Paris.
Approximately 100 rallies have taken place nationwide.
Protesters are denouncing systemic racism, police violence and growing social inequalities.
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The Wallabies' quarter-final hopes are set to be put on the line as the Australian side go head to head against Wales in Lyon on Monday.
Mark Nawaqanitawase almost single-handedly saved the Wallabies' blushes against Wales last year with the young winger now set to play a key role in saving Australia's World Cup campaign.
While the Australians suffered a shock loss to Fiji last round, pool leaders Wales are unbeaten through their two games and are relishing the chance to lock up a final-eight spot with a match to spare.
