Bronwyn Herbert

Mar 3, 2025 | abc.net.au | Bronwyn Herbert

More retail workers are taking up the option to work a four-day week. Ikea and Bunnings have offered the option to their staff. The Australian Retailer's Association has requested the Fair Work Commission include the option of a four-day week for all retail workers. Compressing a full-time work week into four days was a no-brainer for retail worker Ruth Tan. The Perth mother-of-three is no stranger to early starts, so starting work at 5am to check Ikea warehouse stock didn't trouble her.

Jan 30, 2025 | abc.net.au | Bronwyn Herbert

UK citizens applying for working holiday-maker visas are no longer required to complete 88 days of regional work. The National Farmers' Federation says it does not want the exemption extended to other countries, fearing it will further reduce the workforce. A record number of working holiday-makers flooded Australia in 2024, with 206,187 visa holders in December — up almost 40,000 from the year before. The visa changes correlate with a sharp increase in the number of British arrivals.

Dec 8, 2024 | abc.net.au | Bronwyn Herbert

A new report produced by social services advocacy group ACOSS has found a concerning rising trend in the number of long-term unemployed Australians. Sixty percent of recipients are now on unemployment payments for more than a year, over half have disability or health conditions and a third are aged over 55.

Dec 4, 2024 | abc.net.au | Bronwyn Herbert

A new report decoding a decade of insurance data has found a sharp rise in the rate of younger people claiming for permanent, mental health disabilities. The report shows a 732 per cent increase in the rate of Total and Permanent Disability claims for mental health for 30-to 40-year-olds during the past decade.

Dec 4, 2024 | abc.net.au | Bronwyn Herbert

Jamie was once proud to introduce himself as a painter and decorator, a career he held for almost 20 years in the construction sector. But working as a sub-contractor where he wasn't fully paid for completed works, left him fighting to recoup wages and later diagnosed with depression. "In my 20 years of working in the industry, I was ripped off by close to half a million dollars," he said.