Society

Women & Leadership Australia (WLA) announced Karen Mundine, CEO of Reconciliation Australia as the 2023 National Award recipient of the Australian Awards for Excellence in Women’s Leadership. This award celebrates exceptional Aussie women who pioneer change and make important contributions to advancing equity across all facets of our society.

The BlinkNow Foundation Board of Directors has appointed Leslie Shaw as its 2023 Board Chair. Shaw will provide key leadership and support to the organization as it grows its impact serving children and women in Nepal. This new role is a natural transition and outlet for her expertise and immense passion for the BlinkNow mission and the people it serves.

Rimini Street, Inc., a global provider of enterprise software products and services, the third-party support provider for Oracle and SAP software products, and a Salesforce partner, announced that it has selected Tokyo to host this year’s $50,000 RMNI LOVE Grant Program, Rimini Street’s charitable program that provides financial contributions and promotion assistance to charities and firms that align with the its values and mission.

The Federal Govt is planning its 2023-24 Migration Program, and has sought submissions from the public on the ideal size and composition of its intake from July. Research reveals that 84% of Aussies support this year’s boost in immigration numbers, largely due to the economic benefits. Since the program, job vacancies in Australia have dropped from 480,000 in May – more than double the 277,000 vacancies in Feb. 2020 – to 444,200 in Nov. 2022.

Home ownership will become a reality for vulnerable people, thanks to the generosity of The Snow Foundation, which has provided Head Start Homes with a grant of $200,000 over the next two years. Head Start Homes Founder and Managing Director, Stephen Woodlands, said the funds would go towards supporting clients on their home ownership journey. 

Full Stop Australia has welcomed the Albanese Government’s draft legislation that will make long overdue reforms to the family law system to protect children and victims of family violence. The presumption of shared parental responsibility led to serious abuse in the system because perpetrators were able to game the system and manipulate traumatised families.

American Express, principal partner of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Sydney WorldPride 2023, has teamed up with Brisbane pop duo, Lisa Origliasso (she/her) and Jessica Origliasso (she/her) from The Veronicas to launch an initiative, With You &Proud. It celebrates champions within the LGBTQIA+ community and their supporters who proudly back them.

A survey has revealed the charity sector may need to further strengthen its communication with the public to regain trust in how donations are distributed, following the 2019-20 Australian bushfires. The bushfires saw an outpouring of charitable donations totalling over $640 million, but their slower-than-expected distribution saw widespread criticism.

Progress to close the gender pay gap between Australian women and men has stalled for the first time in 2022, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). The annual dataset on gender equality has revealed progress has stalled, with the gap remaining at 22.8%. It means women earned, on average, $26,596 less than men in 2021-22.

Anyone who has lived through the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be surprised at the results of new research from UNSW Business School – that people jump to conclusions when they read about studies with relatively small sample sizes. This doesn’t just extend to the general public either. The research (nearly 4000 participants) was found to apply to a wide variety of participants, including tertiary-level statistics students and senior business leaders.