☕️ The new minimum wage, explained

Here is today’s riddle: When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height. Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was. If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?

Answer is in the titbit!

“We're trying to find a couple of weeks. I reckon the Australian people will go ‘fair enough’.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaking to ABC Perth on Tuesday morning about his honeymoon plans. Albanese got engaged to Jodie Haydon in 2024, with plans to wed this year. Albanese said: “Had the [election] result gone a different way, we would have had a lot of time to plan”.

20 million
The number of cigarettes allegedly illegally imported into Australia by a man and his associates. A two-year-long AFP operation has now led to their arrest.

Bibbling [bib-el-ing]
Definition: eating and/or drinking noisily.
Used in a sentence: “My brother is always bibbling two-minute noodles.”

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CW: Domestic violence

A Government-funded survey of 24,000 men has found one in three men have used a form of intimate partner violence (IPV).

The ‘Ten to Men’ research initiative has measured men’s mental health through surveys for more than a decade.

It began with a group of almost 16,000 boys and men in 2013, and has since increased its cohort to 24,000.

The study defines IPV as any behaviour in an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm.

Ten to Men is the largest longitudinal study on male health globally. Longitudinal data is collected from the same group of participants over a long period of time, beginning in 2013.

This initiative has also added more men and boys over time, reaching a total cohort of 24,000.

The study measures mental health and wellbeing, paternal relationships, demographics, social support, and life satisfaction.

This round of data was collected in 2022.

The report found men who reported “moderate or severe” depression in the 2013 wave of data were 62% more likely to use IPV by 2022 than men who didn’t.

The study concluded that “aspects of men’s mental health are associated with their use of IPV.”

Men who received higher levels of social support, and affection from fathers and father figures during childhood, were significantly less likely to use IPV. This was particularly true for men whose father figures showed them affection.

Ten to Men estimates up to 25% of Australian men will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2024, almost one in four women (23%) and one in 14 men had experienced violence by an intimate partner since the age of 15.

The study found men aged 18 to 24 reported the biggest increase in the use of IPV since the study began.

However, this could be due to the fact that the study began surveying this cohort when many were children, so they were yet to have intimate relationships.

Program lead Dr Sean Martin said that the data provides “a set of risk factors to help support the development of effective policies and programs for young men”.

He added: “Depressive symptoms and a lack of social connection aren’t an excuse… but they do signal we could be building more supports around men early on, for the sake of their future partners, children and communities.”

1800 Respect

Call: 1800 737 732

Text: 0458 737 732

Video: 1800RESPECT.org.au

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

The minimum wage will increase by 3.5% from 1 July, in a decision handed down by the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

The current hourly minimum wage for adults over 21 will increase from $24.10 to $24.95.

While few people (roughly 1%) are paid this actual minimum wage, the decision flows through to other industry awards, impacting around 3 million workers in Australia.

Here’s what you need to know.

Every year, the Fair Work Commission – the national workplace watchdog – reviews minimum wages.

It’s also responsible for reviewing awards, which set out industry-based conditions and pay entitlements. Around one in five workers are covered by an award.

Industry bodies, unions, the government and opposition all put forward their suggestions for the minimum wage review in the lead-up to yesterday’s decision.

The Fair Work Commission chose to increase the minimum wage by 3.5%, slightly lower than last year’s increase of 3.75%.

This is in part because the rate of inflation (rising prices) is slowing. The latest quarterly inflation figures show prices rose 2.4% in the year to March 2025 (down from 3.6% in 2024).

The minimum wage increase will mostly impact workers covered by healthcare, hospitality, retail, and social services awards, who the FWC noted are “disproportionately female”.

Australia’s new minimum wage rates (from 1 July):

The FWC noted high inflation over recent years directly hit workers’ wages. It said a 3.5% pay rise is “sustainable”.

It added “the uncertainty caused by changing U.S. trade policies” contributed to its decision.

The Trump administration has hit all of its trading partners with taxes on goods they exports to the U.S.

Australia is bracing for the impact of 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium exports, in addition to a 10% tariff on all other exports.

Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sally McManus welcomed the FWC decision, after pushing for a 4.5% increase.

She said that the decision will mean minimum wages will outpace inflation, ensuring working people “are getting ahead”.

“It was time for low-wage workers, award workers, to start catching up for what was lost during the inflation spike,” McManus told reporters.

Key business group the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), described the FWC decision as “generous to employees”.

ACCI chief Andrew Mackellar said: “For many of the most vulnerable businesses, particularly small businesses in retail and hospitality, this increase will be very challenging to afford.“

The industry body said business profits are “contracting” and investment is “falling”.

Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth welcomed the FWC decision, noting the Government had pushed for a “real wage increase” — when wages increase by more than the rate of inflation. This decision is a real wage increase of 1.1%.

In a post on social media, Shadow Employment Minister Tim Wilson said the increase “is important to low paid workers,” while noting it’s “another expense employers... will have to deal with.”

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Are you aged 18-35? Become a life-saving donor today

Every 27 minutes, someone in Australia is diagnosed with blood cancer. For many, a stem cell transplant is their only hope – and 70% will rely on a stranger to save them. That stranger could be you. 

By joining the stem cell donor registry, you could be the match that gives someone a second chance at life. It’s easy to register with a simple cheek swab. If you’re a match, donating is a bit like a longer blood donation – safe, straightforward, and life-saving.

One small act. One big difference. You could save a life.

🍊 A second Olympic sport is introducing gender testing. More details.
🍊 Blues player out for remainder of season. Who?
🍊 The French Open is into the quarter final stage. Read more here.
🗞️ Also in today’s Sport Newsletter: cricket, a random fact, and more…

The eastern lowland gorillas were rescued from being illegally traded and spent several years at the GRACE sanctuary in the eastern part of the country. At the sanctuary, the gorillas were able to “forage, socialize, climb and play as they would in the wild.” Sanctuary director Jackson Kabuyaya Mbeke said the “ultimate goal has been to help them recover from the trauma of the illegal wildlife trade and the circumstances that followed, and get them back to the wild.” It’s hoped the four gorillas’ return to the wild will help boost population numbers in the regions.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Emma Gillespie.

The Sound of Music ❌ The Sounds of Australia ✅

Public nominations have opened for the 2025 Sounds of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive’s capsule of audio moments.

You can nominate any Australian sound recording: songs, nature sounds, a memorable recorded cultural moment.

However, the sounds must be more than ten years old, which means, unfortunately for us, the Bluey theme song still has another three years.

Entries are now open for iconic audio moments from 2015 and before. The NFSA suggest examples including: Michelle Payne’s Melbourne Cup victory audio, Sia’s song Elastic Heart, “the liberation of journalist Peter Greste from an Egyptian jail… or the then agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce pronouncing a death sentence on the dogs of Hollywood star Johnny Depp.”

Nominations close on 30 June, with selected audios to be announced late 2025.

Reporting by Anju Dhanushkodi.

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Riddle answer: The nail would be at the same height since trees grow at their tops.

The growing popularity of cosmetic procedures like injectables and fillers has sparked growing concerns about patient safety, regulation, and the responsibilities of practitioners.

From September, new national guidelines will impose tighter rules on who can perform these procedures, how they’re advertised, and what protections are in place for people under 18. In today’s episode, we'll unpack what’s changing and why.