New program will introduce girls to trade careers
A program named “Women who Weld,” is set to introduce schoolgirls to careers in trade.
Australia’s skills shortage in male-dominated trades could be solved by women as a new program emerges to encourage girls into these careers.
Girls from the age of 14 are being introduced to job opportunities in the manufacturing, mining and construction industries, brightening the future of trades.
Last year women made up 16.6 % of trade workers in Australia, a significant boost from 14.7% in 2018.
3 Polish regions are scrapping anti-LGBT resolutions
The resolutions were initially passed in 2019 with local authorities viewing campaigns for gay rights as an attack on Catholic views and values.
Almost 100 other regions passed similar resolutions which were said to violate discrimination laws. The European commission urged for them to be scrapped, threatening to block funding for their local governments for failure to do so.
Whilst the resolutions were mainly symbolic and unenforceable, they have fuelled Poland’s increasingly tense culture war.
TUESDAY 28/09/21 10am ZEDLINES
Image credit: Volunteering Queensland
Celebrations for Olympic & Paralympic athletes in Brisbane
Brisbane will host a celebration to officially welcome Australia’s 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic athletes back to the country.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the move aims to acknowledge and honour the athletes for their exceptional performances in Tokyo.
Preparations for Brisbane’s own 2032 Olympics are underway across the South East, despite concerns about the cost to the state.
Australia's vaccine rates rank near the bottom
Australia is slowly rising in world vaccination rate rankings.
Currently Australia is fifty-eighth in the world for full vaccination coverage, but among the O-E-C-D nations, Australia ranks near the bottom.
However, Australia is currently the fourth fastest country in the world for vaccine administration, and is likely to overtake the full vaccination rate of the US in October.
QLD rail accused of racial discrimination
Two First Nations women are suing Queensland Rail in the wake of racial discrimination
The women were forcibly removed from a Spirit of Queensland train in January whilst a white passenger was permitted to stay.
The family were then left stranded in Mackay, 300km from home with no money and little knowledge of the area.
A staff member claims they called police to have the women removed following alleged threats to staff.
Young Queenslanders leading vaccination rates
Queensland teenagers are getting vaccinated more than any other age group right now.
One in five teenagers have received their first dose in under a fortnight.
An analysis of recent vaccination data shows the 12-15-year-old age group are on track for 80% to receive their first dose by the second of November.
Federal Health minister Greg Hunt indicated this high take up rate could be the driving force to potentially push Australia’s entire vaccination rate above 80%.
WA fire brigade setting the standard for gender diversity
A Western Australia fire brigade is setting the standard for gender diversity in volunteer firefighting services.
In Merredin, 12 of the 26 volunteer support staff and firefighters are female, a figure not yet seen in any other volunteer fire service in the state.
Lieutenant Sheree Lowe has been striving to get more women involved since she joined the brigade seven years ago, recruiting many female volunteers after an international women’s day celebration she hosted at the fire station.
Instagram for Kids scrapped
Instagram’s plans for a user-friendly interface for under-thirteen’s has been paused in response to outcry from lobby groups.
A letter from the Campaign for a Commercial-free Childhood claims the platform is dangerous for children’s health and privacy and called for the change to be scrapped.
However, Instagram says the new platform “would be a practical solution to the ongoing industry problems of kids lying about their age to access apps.”
Although plans have been paused, Instagram will expand work on parental supervision tools.
TUESDAY 28/09/21 9am ZEDLINES
Image Credit: Brisbane Times