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The Advertiser
6 days ago
- General
- The Advertiser
Childcare safety failures are a shock, how we respond shapes us for years to come
Like every Australian, I've watched the early learning safety crisis with heartbreak. The justified rage and anguish families feel is a response to a profound betrayal of our collective trust. Australia now stands at a pivotal moment. Societal shocks, as author Naomi Klein has noted, have the potential to be used to roll back progress that takes decades to achieve. We're already seeing this pattern emerge, with some calling to abandon the early learning system in favour of subsidising parents to stay home, with everyone understanding that this burden would overwhelmingly fall on women. I understand why many in this moment do not feel confident in our early learning system, and it is clear that major reforms are needed. But we must not let this crisis undo what generations of women fought so hard to build. I remember starting my career when access to high-quality early learning was virtually non-existent. Women faced impossible choices: abandon careers they'd spent a lifetime developing or cobble together unreliable care arrangements. Too many brilliant women stepped back, their talents lost to our workplaces and economy. The expansion of access to high-quality early childhood education and care changed that, brick by brick, centre by centre. This progress wasn't just awarded to us. Legions of women fought for it. Today, that system enables millions of Australian women to engage in the workforce, benefiting not only individuals but entire communities and our economy. Yet despite this progress, we still have a very long way to go. Australia ranks 34th globally for women's economic participation, despite having one of the world's most educated female populations. This paradox is clear in our workforce: around 70 per cent of Australia's part-time roles are filled by women, representing a striking underutilisation of decades of investment in women and girl's education and skills. Addressing this imbalance is not only fair but economically essential. CEW research conducted by Dr Angela Jackson shows that if women participated in our workforce at the same rate as men, we would unlock a million additional workers. Deloitte notes that achieving gender equality would grow our GDP by over $128 billion. According to the Grattan Institute, even a modest 2 per cent increase in women's workforce participation would inject over $11 billion into our nation's economy. Our economy is crying out for talent, facing critical skills shortages across every sector. Every economist in the country has been warning us about the slump in our national productivity. Nonetheless, we've failed to utilise our single biggest untapped resource: scores of qualified Australian women, over 140,000 of whom still cite early learning costs or availability as barriers to working more. We're leaving this immense talent base on the table at a time we absolutely cannot afford to. Ideas such as replacing early learning support for families with tax deductions might sound like flexibility, but they're a mirage. They disproportionately benefit higher-income families and fail to help those most in need of safe, affordable early education. Real flexibility requires structural reforms: universally accessible paid parental leave shared between partners; targeted tax reforms to reduce effective marginal rates that discourage women from increasing their hours; and most importantly, building a universal early learning system where access isn't determined by postcode or income. We must see early childhood education as essential infrastructure, like our schools and hospitals, vital to thriving communities. This system needs serious reform. New powers to strip funding from failing providers must be the beginning, not the end. We need better oversight, routine quality assessments, fairer wages and more support for our dedicated early educators. The overwhelming majority deserve our respect, not suspicion. In crisis, the temptation is to abandon what seems broken rather than fix it. But our early learning system is too important to abandon. The gains Australian women have made in workforce participation didn't happen by chance; they resulted from deliberate policy choices that strengthened entire communities. This progress remains vulnerable and requires ongoing commitment. Now, more than ever, Australia needs a robust, universal early childhood education system that supports women's workforce participation, economic and community prosperity, and ensures our children get the best start in life. Like every Australian, I've watched the early learning safety crisis with heartbreak. The justified rage and anguish families feel is a response to a profound betrayal of our collective trust. Australia now stands at a pivotal moment. Societal shocks, as author Naomi Klein has noted, have the potential to be used to roll back progress that takes decades to achieve. We're already seeing this pattern emerge, with some calling to abandon the early learning system in favour of subsidising parents to stay home, with everyone understanding that this burden would overwhelmingly fall on women. I understand why many in this moment do not feel confident in our early learning system, and it is clear that major reforms are needed. But we must not let this crisis undo what generations of women fought so hard to build. I remember starting my career when access to high-quality early learning was virtually non-existent. Women faced impossible choices: abandon careers they'd spent a lifetime developing or cobble together unreliable care arrangements. Too many brilliant women stepped back, their talents lost to our workplaces and economy. The expansion of access to high-quality early childhood education and care changed that, brick by brick, centre by centre. This progress wasn't just awarded to us. Legions of women fought for it. Today, that system enables millions of Australian women to engage in the workforce, benefiting not only individuals but entire communities and our economy. Yet despite this progress, we still have a very long way to go. Australia ranks 34th globally for women's economic participation, despite having one of the world's most educated female populations. This paradox is clear in our workforce: around 70 per cent of Australia's part-time roles are filled by women, representing a striking underutilisation of decades of investment in women and girl's education and skills. Addressing this imbalance is not only fair but economically essential. CEW research conducted by Dr Angela Jackson shows that if women participated in our workforce at the same rate as men, we would unlock a million additional workers. Deloitte notes that achieving gender equality would grow our GDP by over $128 billion. According to the Grattan Institute, even a modest 2 per cent increase in women's workforce participation would inject over $11 billion into our nation's economy. Our economy is crying out for talent, facing critical skills shortages across every sector. Every economist in the country has been warning us about the slump in our national productivity. Nonetheless, we've failed to utilise our single biggest untapped resource: scores of qualified Australian women, over 140,000 of whom still cite early learning costs or availability as barriers to working more. We're leaving this immense talent base on the table at a time we absolutely cannot afford to. Ideas such as replacing early learning support for families with tax deductions might sound like flexibility, but they're a mirage. They disproportionately benefit higher-income families and fail to help those most in need of safe, affordable early education. Real flexibility requires structural reforms: universally accessible paid parental leave shared between partners; targeted tax reforms to reduce effective marginal rates that discourage women from increasing their hours; and most importantly, building a universal early learning system where access isn't determined by postcode or income. We must see early childhood education as essential infrastructure, like our schools and hospitals, vital to thriving communities. This system needs serious reform. New powers to strip funding from failing providers must be the beginning, not the end. We need better oversight, routine quality assessments, fairer wages and more support for our dedicated early educators. The overwhelming majority deserve our respect, not suspicion. In crisis, the temptation is to abandon what seems broken rather than fix it. But our early learning system is too important to abandon. The gains Australian women have made in workforce participation didn't happen by chance; they resulted from deliberate policy choices that strengthened entire communities. This progress remains vulnerable and requires ongoing commitment. Now, more than ever, Australia needs a robust, universal early childhood education system that supports women's workforce participation, economic and community prosperity, and ensures our children get the best start in life. Like every Australian, I've watched the early learning safety crisis with heartbreak. The justified rage and anguish families feel is a response to a profound betrayal of our collective trust. Australia now stands at a pivotal moment. Societal shocks, as author Naomi Klein has noted, have the potential to be used to roll back progress that takes decades to achieve. We're already seeing this pattern emerge, with some calling to abandon the early learning system in favour of subsidising parents to stay home, with everyone understanding that this burden would overwhelmingly fall on women. I understand why many in this moment do not feel confident in our early learning system, and it is clear that major reforms are needed. But we must not let this crisis undo what generations of women fought so hard to build. I remember starting my career when access to high-quality early learning was virtually non-existent. Women faced impossible choices: abandon careers they'd spent a lifetime developing or cobble together unreliable care arrangements. Too many brilliant women stepped back, their talents lost to our workplaces and economy. The expansion of access to high-quality early childhood education and care changed that, brick by brick, centre by centre. This progress wasn't just awarded to us. Legions of women fought for it. Today, that system enables millions of Australian women to engage in the workforce, benefiting not only individuals but entire communities and our economy. Yet despite this progress, we still have a very long way to go. Australia ranks 34th globally for women's economic participation, despite having one of the world's most educated female populations. This paradox is clear in our workforce: around 70 per cent of Australia's part-time roles are filled by women, representing a striking underutilisation of decades of investment in women and girl's education and skills. Addressing this imbalance is not only fair but economically essential. CEW research conducted by Dr Angela Jackson shows that if women participated in our workforce at the same rate as men, we would unlock a million additional workers. Deloitte notes that achieving gender equality would grow our GDP by over $128 billion. According to the Grattan Institute, even a modest 2 per cent increase in women's workforce participation would inject over $11 billion into our nation's economy. Our economy is crying out for talent, facing critical skills shortages across every sector. Every economist in the country has been warning us about the slump in our national productivity. Nonetheless, we've failed to utilise our single biggest untapped resource: scores of qualified Australian women, over 140,000 of whom still cite early learning costs or availability as barriers to working more. We're leaving this immense talent base on the table at a time we absolutely cannot afford to. Ideas such as replacing early learning support for families with tax deductions might sound like flexibility, but they're a mirage. They disproportionately benefit higher-income families and fail to help those most in need of safe, affordable early education. Real flexibility requires structural reforms: universally accessible paid parental leave shared between partners; targeted tax reforms to reduce effective marginal rates that discourage women from increasing their hours; and most importantly, building a universal early learning system where access isn't determined by postcode or income. We must see early childhood education as essential infrastructure, like our schools and hospitals, vital to thriving communities. This system needs serious reform. New powers to strip funding from failing providers must be the beginning, not the end. We need better oversight, routine quality assessments, fairer wages and more support for our dedicated early educators. The overwhelming majority deserve our respect, not suspicion. In crisis, the temptation is to abandon what seems broken rather than fix it. But our early learning system is too important to abandon. The gains Australian women have made in workforce participation didn't happen by chance; they resulted from deliberate policy choices that strengthened entire communities. This progress remains vulnerable and requires ongoing commitment. Now, more than ever, Australia needs a robust, universal early childhood education system that supports women's workforce participation, economic and community prosperity, and ensures our children get the best start in life. Like every Australian, I've watched the early learning safety crisis with heartbreak. The justified rage and anguish families feel is a response to a profound betrayal of our collective trust. Australia now stands at a pivotal moment. Societal shocks, as author Naomi Klein has noted, have the potential to be used to roll back progress that takes decades to achieve. We're already seeing this pattern emerge, with some calling to abandon the early learning system in favour of subsidising parents to stay home, with everyone understanding that this burden would overwhelmingly fall on women. I understand why many in this moment do not feel confident in our early learning system, and it is clear that major reforms are needed. But we must not let this crisis undo what generations of women fought so hard to build. I remember starting my career when access to high-quality early learning was virtually non-existent. Women faced impossible choices: abandon careers they'd spent a lifetime developing or cobble together unreliable care arrangements. Too many brilliant women stepped back, their talents lost to our workplaces and economy. The expansion of access to high-quality early childhood education and care changed that, brick by brick, centre by centre. This progress wasn't just awarded to us. Legions of women fought for it. Today, that system enables millions of Australian women to engage in the workforce, benefiting not only individuals but entire communities and our economy. Yet despite this progress, we still have a very long way to go. Australia ranks 34th globally for women's economic participation, despite having one of the world's most educated female populations. This paradox is clear in our workforce: around 70 per cent of Australia's part-time roles are filled by women, representing a striking underutilisation of decades of investment in women and girl's education and skills. Addressing this imbalance is not only fair but economically essential. CEW research conducted by Dr Angela Jackson shows that if women participated in our workforce at the same rate as men, we would unlock a million additional workers. Deloitte notes that achieving gender equality would grow our GDP by over $128 billion. According to the Grattan Institute, even a modest 2 per cent increase in women's workforce participation would inject over $11 billion into our nation's economy. Our economy is crying out for talent, facing critical skills shortages across every sector. Every economist in the country has been warning us about the slump in our national productivity. Nonetheless, we've failed to utilise our single biggest untapped resource: scores of qualified Australian women, over 140,000 of whom still cite early learning costs or availability as barriers to working more. We're leaving this immense talent base on the table at a time we absolutely cannot afford to. Ideas such as replacing early learning support for families with tax deductions might sound like flexibility, but they're a mirage. They disproportionately benefit higher-income families and fail to help those most in need of safe, affordable early education. Real flexibility requires structural reforms: universally accessible paid parental leave shared between partners; targeted tax reforms to reduce effective marginal rates that discourage women from increasing their hours; and most importantly, building a universal early learning system where access isn't determined by postcode or income. We must see early childhood education as essential infrastructure, like our schools and hospitals, vital to thriving communities. This system needs serious reform. New powers to strip funding from failing providers must be the beginning, not the end. We need better oversight, routine quality assessments, fairer wages and more support for our dedicated early educators. The overwhelming majority deserve our respect, not suspicion. In crisis, the temptation is to abandon what seems broken rather than fix it. But our early learning system is too important to abandon. The gains Australian women have made in workforce participation didn't happen by chance; they resulted from deliberate policy choices that strengthened entire communities. This progress remains vulnerable and requires ongoing commitment. Now, more than ever, Australia needs a robust, universal early childhood education system that supports women's workforce participation, economic and community prosperity, and ensures our children get the best start in life.
West Australian
18-07-2025
- Business
- West Australian
'No-brainer': put women at centre of productivity push
Workforce participation by women must be at the forefront of the federal government's productivity agenda, as experts call for policies that continue to improve gender equality in Australia. Gender equality advocate Helen Conway has recently been appointed president of Chief Executive Women (CEW) and says the organisation will work with government, business and community leaders to advance women. The organisation was established in 1985 to address the under-representation of women in leadership. Four decades later, CEW has 1200 members across Australian workplaces who lead a combined 1.3 million employees and oversee $749 billion in revenue. As the 48th parliament prepares to meet for the first time, the Albanese government has declared its focus on boosting national productivity. This will include hosting a productivity summit in August at Parliament House attended by business, union and other leaders to focus on lifting economic output. But the priority of any productivity measures must be to boost women's workforce participation, Ms Conway said. That includes improving the foundations that allow women to work, such as affordable, accessible and quality childcare. 'Increasing female workforce participation is a no-brainer economically - it enhances GDP, brings in more workers and boosts the economy,' Ms Conway told AAP. 'One of the most critical issues is for the government to continue its program of ensuring childcare is available and that it is safe.' While reforms to make childcare more affordable and include superannuation on government paid parental leave had made a difference to working women, progress should not be taken for granted, Ms Conway said. The dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the United States should be cause for concern and gender equality efforts needed to include men. 'We have done a disservice to men and haven't brought them on the journey with us,' Ms Conway said. 'It's unfortunate that some men have drawn the conclusion that if women get ahead, they will be disadvantaged.' As the winner of one of the first scholarships offered by CEW at the beginning of her career, Ms Conway said it was a full circle moment to take on the role as president. During her career she has served at chief executive of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, ran as an independent for NSW parliament and undertaken roles in multiple boardrooms and legal practices. She credits CEW as pivotal to her being able to move through the executive ranks of multiple workplaces. But her priority as president is to make the organisation more ambitious, inclusive and active. 'We will champion women from all backgrounds and ensure no woman is left behind,' she said. 'We will make a concerted effort to champion First Nations and culturally diverse leaders, not-for-profit leaders, regional leaders and others who we believe are not being included at the level they should be.'
The Hill
26-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Lab-grown barbecue sales banned in Texas
AUSTIN (KXAN) — If someone wants to eat a meatball made of wooly mammoth and grown in a lab, they're going to have to do it outside of Texas. A new law passed this legislative session has made it illegal to sell 'cell culture protein for human consumption within' Texas. Senate Bill 261 will go into effect Sept. 1, 2025, and will expire in 2027. The law makes Texas the seventh state to ban the sale of lab-grown or cultured meat. Indiana passed a similar law in May. Nebraska, Montana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida also have bans in effect. 'As ranchers, we produce 19% of the world's beef with only 6% of the world's cattle,' said Carl Ray Polk, with the Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, at a committee hearing on March 31, 'but some have decided a lab is better than a pasture.' 'The lab-grown meat sector will continue to face headwinds as consumers and lawmakers learn more about the lack of long-term health studies and use of 'immortalized cells,'' said Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW), in a press release. CEW, a think tank, is one of the leading critics of lab-grown meat. The bill was authored by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and sponsored by Rep. Stan Gerdes, R-Texas, in the House. 'Texas prides itself on being open for business, and yet here we have a law that's shutting down a business,' said Katie Kam, CEO and founder of Bio B-Q. Her Austin-based company aims to make lab-grown brisket. 'Cultivated meat, in our view, is safer than the conventional meat that is produced in a large scale that's on the market right now,' said Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of Upside Foods. Lab-grown meat is part of a larger trend in the meat industry towards sustainable meat products that don't contribute to climate change. According to the United Nations, 14.5% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are created by livestock farming. Multiple companies have sprung up in recent years focused on lab-grown meat, including Upside Foods, Vow Foods and Eat Just. The companies make a variety of meat products ranging from egg to quail. 'It's really important for our national security to be able to put meat on the table from an animal-based source,' Dr. Valeti said. Lab-grown meat is made by placing protein cells in a vat where they reproduce. 'They're floating around, they're growing, we harvest them, and we have the cell mass that we can then turn into a range of different products,' George Peppou, CEO and co-founder of Vow Food, said to Nexstar's KXAN in 2023. Questions about safety of lab-grown meat were brought up at the committee hearings in March. 'Because these products are so new, there has been no long-term research,' Polk said. 'There is no slaughterhouse, there is no poop, there is no skin, guts, there's no antibiotics used. We don't have pesticides or herbicides that are on the grass that an animal is eating. We do not have plastics or microplastics. So in all of these things, cultivated meat is a step above in terms of production quality, cleanliness and safety,' Dr. Valeti said. Right now, cultured or lab-grown meat is only legal in Singapore and parts of the United States. Israel and the Netherlands have relaxed some restrictions on the product.
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Police deploy conducted energy weapon on knife-wielding suspect
A knife that was seized following the arrest of a robbery suspect in Toronto's west end is shown. Police say that officers deployed a Conducted Energy Weapon (CEW) on a knife-wielding suspect following a robbery at a store in Toronto's west end earlier this week. Officers were first dispatched to the area of Eglinton Avenue West and Dufferin Street at around 12:15 p.m. for a robbery call. Police say that a masked male suspect entered a store carrying a large knife and proceeded to remove a BB gun from a shelf before exiting the store. It is alleged that the suspect then immediately re-entered the store and took a quantity of BB gun ammunition and several magazines before fleeing on foot once again. Police say that officers from 13 Division responded and were able to quickly locate the suspect. The suspect, police say, was 'openly displaying a knife' as he walked towards officers. An officer then discharged their CEW, striking the suspect and allowing police to take him into custody safely. Police say that a suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jamiel Omare Murray, is charged with robbery with a weapon, assaulting a peace officer with a weapon and disguise and intent.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
To Avoid Projected Shortages, the US Must Produce 712,000 Additional Credentials Aligned with High-Paying Middle-Skills Occupations Annually Through 2032, Georgetown University Report Says
Projected certificates and associate's degrees shortages present substantial opportunity for men and women of all races/ethnicities to earn credentials that align with high-paying middle-skills occupations. Washington, DC, June 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The US is facing shortages of middle-skills credentials (certificates and associate's degrees) that provide pathways for early-career workers to secure jobs in occupations that are high-paying for workers without a bachelor's degree. New research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) finds that these projected shortages present substantial opportunities for men and women of all races/ethnicities to increase attainment of credentials aligned with high-paying middle-skills occupations. High-paying middle-skills occupations for early-career middle-skills workers (ages 18–35) offer median annual earnings of more than $55,000, but just one in four of these early-career workers is in a job that meets this threshold. Bridging the Middle-Skills Gap: Connecting a Diverse Workforce to Economic Opportunity Through Certificates and Associate's Degrees examines the projected shortages of credentials that offer pathways to high-paying middle-skills occupations across five occupational groups. CEW researchers determined that the US is facing an annual shortage of nearly 712,000 certificates and associate's degrees aligned with high-paying middle-skills occupations nationwide. These shortages, which are projected to persist at least through 2032, fall in four occupational groups: blue-collar (360,800), management and professional office (253,000), STEM (87,500), and protective services (10,600). Healthcare is the only high-paying occupational group for early-career middle-skills workers that does not face a projected national shortage of middle-skills credentials, in part because healthcare employers increasingly prefer to fill these open positions with workers who have a bachelor's degree. In healthcare occupations, better connectivity from middle-skills credentials to bachelor's degrees would offer workers more economic opportunity. 'Credential shortages are troubling because the US is in dire need of qualified workers to keep our infrastructure intact, our communities safe, and our industries at the forefront of innovation. We must do more to improve access to and boost the attainment of credentials that align with high-paying middle-skills occupations and to smooth the transition from school to employment,' said Emma Nyhof McLeod, lead author and senior policy analyst at CEW. 'Although earning an aligned credential doesn't guarantee a job in a high-paying occupation, workers with these credentials who find work in aligned lower-paying occupations still earn more than workers in lower-paying occupations that don't align with these credentials.' The prospects of landing in a high-paying occupation are mixed. Workers with aligned credentials have the highest chance of finding a job in high-paying middle-skills STEM occupations (73%), followed by high-paying middle-skills protective services occupations (58%), high-paying middle-skills management and professional office occupations (47%), and high-paying blue-collar middle-skills occupations (37%). The racial/ethnic and gender demographics of workers in high-paying middle-skills occupations tell a clear story. Men hold the majority of jobs in both high-paying and lower-paying middle-skills occupations in three occupational groups (blue-collar, protective services, and STEM), and white men alone hold the plurality of high-paying middle-skills jobs in four of five occupational groups: blue-collar (68%), protective services (64%), STEM (58%), and management and professional office (49%). Women account for only 30% of high-paying middle-skills management and professional office employment, despite holding 53% of lower-paying middle-skills jobs in this occupational group. This may be because women are more likely to earn middle-skills credentials that offer pathways to lower-paying middle-skills management and professional office occupations, even as women earn the majority of all middle-skills credentials aligned with this occupational group. Women also earn the majority of middle-skills credentials aligned with healthcare occupations and account for more than 80% of high-paying and lower-paying middle-skills employment in these occupations. White women account for the majority of workers in both high-paying and lower-paying middle-skills healthcare occupations, though they hold a larger share of high-paying than lower-paying middle-skills healthcare jobs. While men earn just 16% of middle-skills healthcare credentials, men of all races/ethnicities who earn these credentials are more likely than women of all races/ethnicities to earn them in programs that align with high-paying healthcare occupations. White men are the most likely to earn credentials that align with high-paying healthcare occupations (61%), while Black/African American women are the least likely to earn these credentials (22%). 'Credential shortages present an opportunity to diversify high-paying middle-skills occupations and strengthen the American economy by drawing qualified workers from the widest talent pool possible. But first, we need to address long-standing disparities in credential attainment and the labor market,' said co-author and CEW Director Jeff Strohl. 'Increasing the number of work-based learning opportunities, providing integrated academic and career support services, and addressing biases in hiring and promotion are necessary to clear the pathway to opportunity in high-paying middle-skills occupations.' As described in the report, filling credential shortages more equitably would mean that, for men and women of all races/ethnicities, the new share of credentials earned aligning with high-paying occupations in each occupational group would match the current share of all credentials earned in each occupational group. Filling credential shortages equitably would require an increase of more than 500% in credentials aligned with high-paying blue-collar middle-skills occupations among men and women of all racial/ethnic backgrounds, along with substantial increases in credentials aligned with STEM, management and professional office, and protective services occupations. To view the full report, including a more in-depth discussion of policy and practice recommendations for the high-paying middle-skills workforce, visit: The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (CEW) is a research and policy institute within Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy that studies the links between education, career qualifications, and workforce demands. For more information, visit Follow CEW on X @GeorgetownCEW, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. CONTACT: Katherine Hazelrigg Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce kh1213@
