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Subscribe to The Advertiser for exclusive stories

Full Digital Access $4 charged for a duration of 4 weeks, after which it automatically renews at $32 charged every 4 weeks. Renewals occur unless cancelled as per full Terms and Conditions. Each payment, once made, is non-refundable, subject to law. Not in conjunction with any other offer. New customers only. Prices after any early discounted periods may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. See www.advertiser.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. Source link...
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Employment surges in June, leaving the door open to further interest rate rises

Employment surges in June, leaving the door open to further interest rate rises

Around 76,300 Australians gained a job in June, well above market expectations, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.4%. That’s because the participation rate – which measures the share of working-age Australians either working or looking for work – jumped to 67% in June from 66.7%. People aged 55–64 had the largest annual growth in the participation rate, up 0.8 percentage points to 70.6%. That combination of more people in new jobs, balanced by more people also looking for work, kept the unemployment rate unchanged. With inflation figures due out next Wednesday, today’s jobs update is one of the last major releases of economic data before the Reserve Bank of Australia’s August meeting to decide on whether to change interest rates. Together, they’ll provide important snapshots of the economy before the RBA announces its rates decision on August 11. The strength in the labour market suggests it may prove resilient to any further interest rate rises. Following the jobs news, financial markets...
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Maryvale paper mill cuts 84 jobs, blaming Victorian government for lack of timber

Maryvale paper mill cuts 84 jobs, blaming Victorian government for lack of timber

A major employer in Victoria's east has blamed the state government's failure to supply timber for its decision to axe 84 jobs.Opal Australian Paper operates the Maryvale paper mill, near Morwell in the Latrobe Valley.It was Australia's last remaining manufacturer of white paper until early 2023, when it ceased production and cut 156 jobs.Opal Australian Paper said the latest round of job cuts announced today followed a "detailed review of operations".Opal has announced moret han 80 people will lose their jobs at its Maryvale paper mill. (ABC News)"The end of white paper production has significantly changed the operational footprint of the Mill, and the site has been working to right-size its operations as a kraft and recycled paper manufacturer," the company said in a statement."This has included ongoing fixed cost reductions to align with its reduced footprint."The mill is one of the largest employers in the Latrobe Valley, which has a history of high unemployment stretching back to the privatisation...
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Backing jobs and industry at Cement Australia Railton | Health, Disability and Ageing Ministers

Backing jobs and industry at Cement Australia Railton | Health, Disability and Ageing Ministers

Media event date: 31 July 2026 Date published: 31 July 2026 Media type: Media release Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and Federal Member for Lyons, Rebecca White, visited Cement Australia’s Railton facility to receive an update on upgrades to the plant being supported through the Australian Government’s Powering the Regions Grant Program. During the visit, she toured the site, met with workers and site representatives, and discussed how the project will support local jobs and strengthen the region’s industrial base. The Railton facility is a major local employer and plays an important role in supporting economic activity in Northern Tasmania. The upgrades include work on the kiln to support increased use of alternative fuels, such as waste, helping reduce...
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STEPHEN JOHNSON: Record-low number of Australians changing jobs as labour market slows

STEPHEN JOHNSON: Record-low number of Australians changing jobs as labour market slows

A record low proportion of Australians are switching jobs in a sign that workers are scared of being retrenched during a cost-of-living crisis and an AI revolution.A million Australians changed jobs in the year to February 2026, making up just 7.2 per cent of the labour force or the lowest number in Australian Bureau of Statistics data going back to 1972.This marked a sharp drop from 7.7 per cent from February 2025.Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.As recently as 2023, during the global “great resignation” phenomenon, almost one in 10 workers had switched jobs that year but that rate has been falling since 2024.Fears about another interest rate rise during a cost-of-living crisis were especially discouraging workers paying off high mortgage and bank debt levels from seeking alternative employment, University of Sydney labour market...
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Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps

Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps

The Australian Digital subscription 12 Month Plan costs $338 (min. cost) for the first 12 months, charged as $26 every 4 weeks. This automatically renews after the first 12 months to be charged as $26 (min. cost) every 4 weeks. Renewals occur unless cancelled as per full Terms and Conditions. No cancellations during the first 12 months. Each payment, once made, is non-refundable, subject to law. Not in conjunction with any other offer. New customers only. Prices after the first 12 months may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. See www.theaustralian.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. Source link...
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Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps

Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps

The Australian Digital subscription 12 Month Plan costs $338 (min. cost) for the first 12 months, charged as $26 every 4 weeks. This automatically renews after the first 12 months to be charged as $26 (min. cost) every 4 weeks. Renewals occur unless cancelled as per full Terms and Conditions. No cancellations during the first 12 months. Each payment, once made, is non-refundable, subject to law. Not in conjunction with any other offer. New customers only. Prices after the first 12 months may be varied as per full Terms and Conditions. See www.theaustralian.com.au/subscriptionterms for full details. Source link...
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Australia can build a better disability employment system

Australia can build a better disability employment system

Nearly three years ago, the Disability Royal Commission made a series of recommendations to fix this problem. It called for an end to sub-minimum wages for disabled workers by 2034, the phasing out of Australian Disability Enterprises, and a road map for reform that would see disabled people employed in inclusive workplaces. But little progress has been made. The statistics should make every Australian uncomfortable. Only 34 per cent of people with profound or severe disability are employed, compared with 82 per cent of people without disability. For those who do find work, the picture is often no better. Under the Supported Wage System, some people with disability legally earn as little as $3.31 an hour. Whatever the historical justification for the scheme, it is increasingly difficult to defend a system that allows Australians to be paid a fraction of the minimum wage because of their disability. These outcomes are not inevitable. They are a consequence of a disability employment system that ingrains...
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Qantas denies outsourcing move that could see 1000 jobs shifted from Australia to India

Qantas denies outsourcing move that could see 1000 jobs shifted from Australia to India

Qantas has refused to confirm whether it will ship up to 1000 jobs offshore to India as part of a restructuring program centred around AI.According to the Australian Financial Review, the plan, known as Project iQ, would see marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office positions outsourced to other countries, including India.Qantas claimed it was still committed to supporting jobs in Australia. Wolter PeetersThe potential deal has been reached alongside consulting giant Accenture.When reports of the proposal were put to the airline, Qantas admitted it was in “early stage discussions” with Accenture, but did not elaborate on details of the project, or if there would be any job losses in Australia.“Like all organisations, Qantas has been looking at ways to accelerate the use of technology and AI to help us modernise the way we work and deliver better outcomes for our customers and our people,” a Qantas spokesperson told nine.com.au.“We have been exploring partnerships that have the capability to support us…...
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Opening doors: Better jobs and fairer wages for disabled workers

Opening doors: Better jobs and fairer wages for disabled workers

2 Improve pathways into open employment The federal government spends more than $1.3 billion each year on employment supports for disabled people. But this spending is not delivering the best result: it is not supporting disabled people with high support needs to move to open employment and to earn fair pay for their efforts. Employment supports are fragmented and poorly coordinated. And individually-funded payments through the NDIS have not sufficiently incentivised providers to adopt best practice. We know what good looks like. International experience indicates the importance of a multi-pronged approach to help people with high support needs into mainstream jobs. This involves getting to know the person’s strengths, interests, and support needs; using ‘place and train’ approaches; job customisation; and establishing clearer pathways from education to work. None of these are widely or sufficiently available in Australia today. Australia should redirect some of its employment support spending towards embedding these practices. A more concerted focus on making these supports available to people with...
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