☕️ Pets allowed on Virgin flights

Good morning!

Happy International Women’s Day.

If you see a woman leave the office at 3:14pm today, it’s because women are being urged to stop work at this time to symbolise the time at which women stop being paid for a day’s work compared to men.

I’ve got 10 seconds

Quote of the day

“I know that Samantha’s disappearance has had a profound impact on the Ballarat community. Some cases, some disappearances, some murders, bring out outpourings of grief and we have seen that here.”
Victorian Police Commissioner Shane Patton on the murder charge laid in relation to the disappearance of Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

Stat of the day

21.06°C
The average global sea surface temperature in February, the hottest on record, according to the EU Climate Change Service.

Today in history

1979
Electronics company Philips unveiled the first compact disk (CD). The world’s first CD was 11.5cm wide and had a playback time of one hour.

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• Australia’s first national gender equality strategy has been announced. The 10-year ‘Working for Women’ plan will focus on improving outcomes across areas like gender-based violence, economic equality, and health. The strategy aims to “shift the attitudes and stereotypes that drive gender inequality.”

• The son of a former Federal defence minister has died after an army training accident. Lance Corporal Jack Fitzgibbon was injured during a parachuting incident this week, at an army base in Western Sydney. The Australian Defence Force confirmed yesterday the soldier was the son of former Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, who served as defence minister from 2007 to 2009. A statement from the Fitzgibbon family said: “Serving in the special forces was Jack's dream job and we take comfort from the fact he died serving his nation.” The ADF has launched a formal investigation.

I’ve got 1 minute

Virgin Australia is set to become the first Australian airline to allow pets on flights

Virgin Australia has announced it plans to become the first Australian airline to allow pets to ride onboard.

Subject to regulatory approval, it plans to allow small cats and dogs to be on some domestic flights within the next 12 months. The pets would need to be in a pet carrier, approved by Virgin, for the whole flight.

Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said: "Our love for animals has always been in the Virgin Australia DNA and we are excited at the prospect of taking off with Australia's first-ever pets in cabin flights."

"Overwhelmingly, our guests tell us they want to travel with their pets, and we are now on a journey to make that a reality."

I’ve got 2 minutes

The Federal Govt plans to pay super on top of paid parental leave

The Government has announced plans to add superannuation to paid parental leave (PPL) from 1 July 2025.

Under the proposal, eligible parents will be paid 12% super on top of their total PPL.

It’s estimated women in Australia retire with about 25% less money saved than men. The PPL initiative is aimed at closing the superannuation gender pay gap.

Parental leave

About 180,000 families receive PPL every year. Almost all payments are redeemed by female parents.

PPL is capped at 20 weeks of federally-funded minimum wage support. This entitlement is expected to increase to 26 weeks by 2026, if legislation that is currently before the Senate is passed.

Parents need to have worked consistent hours .and complete an income test to prove their eligibility for the payment

The planned increase to PPL is separate from this week’s announcement, which would add superannuation payments to PPL. How does super work?

Super

Superannuation, or “super”, is money set aside for retirement from your pay. In most instances, this money can’t be accessed until you turn 60.

Every employer in Australia is legally required to make super contributions on behalf of their staff.

Super funds are designed to ensure retired Australians can support themselves, to avoid increased strain on the welfare system (which manages income support payments like the aged pension).

This week, the government announced plans to add a 12% super contribution to parental leave payments.

Parents currently receiving PPL are paid just over $880 a week.

Under the government’s proposal, an additional $106 a week would be paid into PPL recipients’ superannuation funds.

The government has flagged it will introduce PPL super legislation at a later date. It said the full cost of the policy will be included in the upcoming federal budget.

Timing

The government wants to introduce the super reforms from 1 July, 2025.

However, a federal election is due before then. If Labor loses government, the super plan could be at risk.

When asked if the government would implement the reforms sooner, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said it needed time to pass legislation and prepare government departments for the rollout.

Gender equality

In an address to the National Press Club on Thursday, Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said: “Making sure we’re more equally sharing and valuing care is just one of the keys to unlocking gender equality in this country”.

She added the government wants to make sure that if Australians have children, it “won’t impact on your future earnings.”

Support

The Greens and Coalition have both indicated support for adding super payments to PPL.

The Coalition said it will work with the government on the proposal, and that it backs the idea in “principle”.

Legislation to increase PPL to 26 weeks is still before the Senate. The Greens urged the government to amend that bill to include the super changes so that payments come into effect sooner.

The advocacy group ‘Women in Super’ has welcomed the government’s plan, which it called a “monumental step towards rectifying the gender super gap”.

Analysis from the group suggests women end up with $53,000 less than men once they retire.

“While no single policy will close the gender super gap, super on paid parental leave is a critical element to ensure we do not condemn future generations to a retirement in poverty,” CEO Jo Kowalczyk said.

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This week Queensland became the second state to criminalise coercive control as a standalone offence.

Today on the pod, we talk about Queensland’s new crime, and how Australia is progressing on domestic violence laws.

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Give me some good news

A gray whale has been spotted in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in over two centuries.

According to the New England Aquarium in Boston, the whale was spotted off the coast of Massachusetts. The species was thought to be extinct from the area. Gray whales are typically found in the North Pacific Ocean.

Researchers said: “We were laughing because of how wild and exciting this was—to see an animal that disappeared from the Atlantic hundreds of years ago!”

TDA tidbit

The last great American dynasty isn’t gone yet — it turns out Taylor Swift is related to 1800s American poet Emily Dickinson!

Ancestry.com, a family history company, told American morning show Today that Swift and Dickinson are “sixth cousins, three times removed.”

Basically, Swift’s 9th great-grandfather is Dickinson’s 6th great-grandfather, who was an early settler in Connecticut.

I wonder if Swift’s next album, The Tortured Poets Department, will reference her tortured poet ancestor?

TDA asks