Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, also known as White Ribbon Day. This day also marks the start of the United Nations campaign, 16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence against Women. Recognition of these events is particularly significant in 2015, as it is 20 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which outlined a global commitment to gender equality. Read more...
Proposals to reform private health insurance arrangements are being canvassed by the Health Minister, Sussan Ley through a consultation process, including an online consumer survey. The Minister has also appointed Professor Graeme Samuel to consult with industry. According to the Health Minister’s press release, the main concern with current arrangements is that consumers are not getting value for money. Read more...
The recent decision by Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to appoint equal numbers of men and women to his cabinet made headlines around the world. The issue of gender representation has also been prominent in Australia this year, with the debate about gender equality escalating across the political divide. Read more...
On 20 October 2015, the Australian Government released its response to the Financial System Inquiry (‘Murray Inquiry’). The Government agreed with the Murray Inquiry’s recommendation 25 that the minimum competency standards of financial advisers should be raised. The Financial Planning Association (FPA) has raised concerns about whether the proposal will apply to current financial advisers, or solely apply to new financial advisers. Current minimum education requirements The current minimum education requirements for financial advisers are outlined in Table 1. The level of education required of financial advisers corresponds with the type of financial products that are ad... Read more...
Australia has been providing development assistance to the Palestinians through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), since the 1950s. This marks the beginning of Australia’s aid commitment to the Middle East, and it has maintained its voluntary funding to UNRWA up to the present day. Read more...
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