☕️ Gender pay gaps at Aussie companies

If you’re in QLD or near the border in NSW, it’s time to pay very close attention to emergency services as Cyclone Alfred continues to build.

We’ve got the latest details below, but remember that you can get up to date information from the ABC at all times (particularly your local or regional radio or digital service) as well as directly from emergency services.

“The company's shares have been automatically suspended from trading... there remains material uncertainty as to the Group's ability to continue.”
The Star Entertainment Group has been suspended from trading on the ASX after failing to lodge its half-year financial report on Friday, in breach of ASX Listing Rules. The company operates casinos in Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The future of The Star and its 9,000 employees remains uncertain as it seeks funding to avoid entering administration.

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The number of Oscars ‘Anora’ director Sean Baker won in the same year for the same film, making him the first person to do so. Walt Disney is the only other person to have won four Oscars in one evening, though his were for different films.

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They also urinate in each other's faces as a way of communicating, either when fighting or mating.

Queensland residents are being warned to prepare for a severe weather event, as a Category 2 cyclone is forecast to hit the state’s coast later this week.

Cyclone Alfred is expected to make landfall near Queensland’s border with NSW by the end of the week.

Qld Premier David Crisafulli said the state is in a “precautionary and preparation phase” as emergency services monitor the situation.

Tropical Cyclone Alfred is expected to bring damaging winds, erosion on the coastline, and dangerous ocean conditions.

Flood watches are active for Queensland’s south-east coast and north-east NSW, with heavy rainfall expected from Wednesday.

Crisafulli said the Queensland Government is working with local councils to ensure the safety of residents who are “in the firing line.”

Rivers could flood in NSW’s Mid-North Coast and Northern Rivers regions, alongside possible flash flooding through the weekend.

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Dean Storey has warned residents to be prepared to act.

“We are asking the community to take steps now to ensure that if you are asked to evacuate, you have a plan for yourselves, your families, and your pets, and know where you will go,” Storey said.

Reporting by Achol Arok.

Three in four Australian companies pay men more than women on average, with women earning $28,425 less a year.

An annual data breakdown from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) shows men earn more, on average, across all industries.

CEO salaries have been included in the annual data for the first time.

Businesses with more than 100 employees have legally required to publish their gender pay gap since 2024.

The first tranche of data, released last year, showed the ‘median’ (middle) pay gap. The annual publication now includes the average remuneration of CEOs, heads of businesses, and casual managers, which were previously excluded.

Overall, the data now shows the difference between men and women at a company. It does not mean paying men and women differently for the same job, which is unlawful.

The WGEA said a gender pay gap between -5% to +5% accounts for normal changes at workplaces. This is what the agency calls the “target range”.

One fifth of companies in Australia fell within the target range. 6.5% had a gender pay gap that favoured women, while 72% favoured men.

TDA analysis found Australia’s average gender pay gap was 13%. The WGEA uses a ‘median’ figure – the middle number when data is ordered from lowest to highest – to filter out extremes.

Here are some of the companies with more than 250 staff and the highest gender pay gaps:

WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge said publishing regular pay gap data is a “catalyst” for employers to act.

Wooldridge added workplace equality has benefits for all workers.

For women, benefits could include workplaces “redesigning” senior roles to accommodate more women on a “job share” or “part time” basis.

For men, Wooldridge said “paid parental leave, paying superannuation on that leave” could create “a more equal experience”.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

Skype has officially ended its final call.

Founded in 2003, Skype was one of the world’s first video conferencing apps. Dominating the early 2010s, the platform was so popular that “skyping” even became a verb.

Bought by Microsoft in 2011 for $US8.5 billion ($AU13 billion ), it’s believed the program has seen a decline in users, with competitors like Zoom taking over.

Microsoft says it will now focus on Teams, its “modern communications and collaboration hub.”

We officially feel old now.

Reporting by Annabel Whitehouse.

A White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance descended into what’s been described as “an explosive encounter,” an “Oval Office Shouting match” and an “unprecedented” exchange. With the future of a U.S/Ukraine minerals deal now uncertain, European leaders responded by attending crisis talks in London. In today's deep dive, we’ll unpack what was said in the meeting, the diplomatic fallout, and the Western leaders moving forward on a plan to end the conflict in Ukraine.