For decades, academics and policymakers have focused on individual responsibility for improving material conditions. The social security system has intentionally been designed to reflect the manufactu...

Most Australians don’t use trusts, but the government’s planned changes to the tax status of them has proven controversial

Anthony Albanese reveals he had personally intervened ahead of the tax office's decision to delay a credit card ban after a plea from a peak business lobby. Follow live.

Nearly half a million health, disability and community workers will get a taxpayer-funded top-up to their wages, the government has confirmed. Follow live.

The Federal government will provide $630 million to organisations in female-dominated sectors like health, disability and community services to implement wage rises for their workers. This follows the Fair Work Commission’s ruling that five female-dominated industry awards would include wage rises, after it found this work had been historically undervalued because of gender-based assumptions. The funding will go to over 128,000 organisations to support award-related wage rises for 460,000 health, disability and community services workers. Most of these workers are women. The $630 million is designed to be spread over four years to help charities and non-profits meet the higher wages without cutting services. “We cannot close the gender pay gap without confronting and addressing the historic undervaluation of work performed predominantly by women,” Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said. “This move is also a clear signal that this workforce and the support they provide our community is important and valued.” It comes after the federal government dedicated another $3.6 billion to top up the wages of early childhood education and care workers in June. This new funding announced on Tuesday will also go to government-funded organisations that employ workers in other sectors affected by the award changes, like legal assistance workers, housing workers, youth workers, community development workers and First Nation community service workers. “Behind every community service is a dedicated worker helping someone through one of the hardest moments of their life,” Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said. “Whether it’s supporting a woman escaping violence, helping a family facing homelessness, or making sure someone has a warm meal and somewhere to turn, these workers change lives every day.” Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said funding these pay rises was what closing the gender pay gap looked like in practice. “This Fair Work Commission decision is helping to address decades of gender-based undervaluation and deliver better wages for workers in health, disability and community services,” she said. Share this Fair Work Commissionwage increasewages by Madeline Hislop 1 hour ago ## Stay Smart! Get Women's Agenda in your inbox * Facebook This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. * Email SUBSCRIBE ## Latest news ### Employers love flexible work, right up until the job comes with power ### For the 1 million autoimmune women in Australia, Celine Dion’s advocacy is unprecedented ### Most online nutrition advice for breast cancer patients lacks evidence, study finds ### Women are promoted at higher rates than men. Then the senior jobs stop bending ### My friends sent me Sam and Snez’s wedding as proof of hope. This week I felt sick. ### Podcast: Why it’s time to quit being nice

UNSW Sydney Media Release New ACOSS and UNSW Sydney research shows almost two million Australians in households relying mainly on income support were below the poverty line. Australia’s income support...