The Algorithm Age

On Tuesday, some Australian university students got access to a new payment. The Commonwealth Prac Payment is available to eligible teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students. It will provide A$331.65 a week during compulsory professional placements, to help with living and study expenses. This could include travel, accommodation, uniforms and lost income from other employment. But while the payment is a much-needed step in the right direction, many students are still missing out. Who’s not covered? The prac payment was a recommendation from the federal government’s 2024 Universities Accord review . It is designed to help students complete essential professional placements, so they can graduate and enter the workforce. But numerous other health degrees with time-consuming work placements are excluded from the payment. This includes medicine, physiotherapy, dietetics, psychology, radiography and other allied health professions. Veterinary medicine s...

For two-and-a-half years I, as many teenage boys do, worked as a pot washer (later graduating to a bartender) and whilst it wasn’t the most glamorous job, it worked well for me. This was whilst I was at college, allowing me to earn a decent chunk of cash alongside my studies, before I started my role as an apprentice journalist. I was lucky to have such a lenient boss, who organised shifts via a WhatsApp group and was pretty laid-back when it came to swapping and cancelling working hours. There are obviously issues with these zero-hours contracts – they can lead to exploitation and offer little job security, especially for those with more responsibilities than a 17-year-old student. On top of this, employers offering such contracts are not required to give sick pay or any notice before termination. But as I see it, this is more of an issue with the company rather than the contract. I enjoyed a good relationship with my employer and never had an issue with my shif...

For two-and-a-half years I, as many teenage boys do, worked as a pot washer (later graduating to a bartender) and whilst it wasn’t the most glamorous job, it worked well for me. This was whilst I was at college, allowing me to earn a decent chunk of cash alongside my studies, before I started my role as an apprentice journalist. I was lucky to have such a lenient boss, who organised shifts via a WhatsApp group and was pretty laid-back when it came to swapping and cancelling working hours. There are obviously issues with these zero-hours contracts – they can lead to exploitation and offer little job security, especially for those with more responsibilities than a 17-year-old student. On top of this, employers offering such contracts are not required to give sick pay or any notice before termination. But as I see it, this is more of an issue with the company rather than the contract. I enjoyed a good relationship with my employer and never had an issue with my shif...

Boosting student engagement, improving school attendance and easing pressures on teachers are among topics that will be tackled by a review into non-mainstream education options in South Australia. About 10,000 students participate each year in non-mainstream schooling programs across the state, including home schooling, online learning and at various dedicated sites. According to the state government, such programs are designed for students who are not able to attend mainstream schools for reasons "including disability, behaviour, geographical isolation, mental health concerns, long-term illness, incarceration" and other complexities. Sites include the Bowden Brompton Community School and the Open Access College, as well as the state's six Better Behaviour Centres which "provide a service for students who are showing signs of disengagement from school". Education Minister Blair Boyer said students with complex needs represented a ...

It's a bitterly cold winter's day on a dairy farm in Victoria's north east, and the ground has turned to mush as the rain falls from the grey sky. Jesse Wallace is guiding 500 dairy cows up the muddy path to the dairy shed for their afternoon milking. The 18-year-old does it with ease, noting which cows are usual suspects for lingering at the back. However, six months ago this was a daunting task. "It was in the middle of summer, and they all get in the river and you have to get knee deep to get them out," he said. "And you're worried about all the gates being shut." Mr Wallace finished high school last year in Brisbane, and is now working on a dairy farm for his gap year. He is a participant in the AgCAREERSTART program, run by the National Farmers' Federation. "There's not a lot of dairy opportunities in Queensland, because the weather is so hot, and I thought this would be a good a...

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) are hoping their just-announced summer exhibition will live up to the success of last summer's Yayoi Kusama , which this year became the most visited art exhibition in Australian history. Westwood | Kawakubo, which opens in December, will showcase the innovative work of two of the most celebrated names in fashion: the late British designer Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022), and Japanese designer and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo (born 1942). "We can only try to exceed those numbers, right?" NGV's curator of fashion and textiles, Dani Whitfield, says with a laugh. "What you're hoping for with these exhibitions is that people that maybe don't know these designers come along and learn something and walk away feeling inspired." Westwood | Kawakubo features more than 140 designs by Westwood and Kawakubo, including more than 100 from the NGV's own collection, as well as works...

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) are hoping their just-announced summer exhibition will live up to the success of last summer's Yayoi Kusama , which this year became the most visited art exhibition in Australian history. Westwood | Kawakubo, which opens in December, will showcase the innovative work of two of the most celebrated names in fashion: the late British designer Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022), and Japanese designer and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo (born 1942). "We can only try to exceed those numbers, right?" NGV's curator of fashion and textiles, Dani Whitfield, says with a laugh. "What you're hoping for with these exhibitions is that people that maybe don't know these designers come along and learn something and walk away feeling inspired." Westwood | Kawakubo features more than 140 designs by Westwood and Kawakubo, including more than 100 from the NGV's own collection, as well as works...

At a time when local television seems more ephemeral than ever, there’s still a market for reminding people of the duds and flops of yesteryear. And if Mitch McTaggart’s The Back Side of Television was simply about mocking 70s-era Australian detergent commercials’ unhealthy fascination with lemons, it’d still be a worthwhile addition to the schedule. But McTaggart, best known for his yearly overview of Australian programming The Last Year of Television , is a knowledgeable, likeable, and extremely funny host. His rummage around in the medium’s back closet is thought-provoking viewing guided by the kind of sharp and insightful intelligence we rarely associate with Australian television critics. Previous seasons have served up everything from a look at the generational dumbing-down of television news to an extended takedown of Play School – or at least, the ruthless attitude the show’s producers have taken towards every other attempt to create educational tel...

More than a thousand children will be asked to undergo health screening after police charged a childcare worker with more than 70 offences allegedly linked to a childcare centre in Point Cook, in Melbourne's south-west. Warning: This story contains details of alleged child sex abuse that may distress some audience members. Detectives from the Sexual Crimes Squad have arrested 26-year-old Point Cook man Joshua Dale Brown in relation to alleged sexual and other offending against eight children at Creative Garden Early Learning Centre between April 2022 and January 2023. They said the alleged victims were between five months and two years of age. Deputy Commissioner Wendy Steendam joined senior police, the premier and Victoria's chief health officer in addressing the media about the investigation on Tuesday. "I will say from the outset that this is an incredibly distressing investigation and the information we are going to provide to...

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more Amazon Prime is one of the most popular subscriptions out there, but not everyone is aware of all of the benefits that come with it. Whether you're already a Prime subscriber or still debating whether to take the plunge and get a membership, we've broken down all of the best Amazon Prime benefits that can help you make the most of your subscription. Amazon Prime benefits extend far beyond free shipping. As a member, you can also gain access to a slew of shopping, entertainment, and healthcare perks that can help you save time and money. But with a membership costing $139 a year, you'll want to know them all before signing up. Ahead, we've organized the available Amazon Prime benefits into four categories: Shipping, shopping, entertainment, and services. You can also try most of these out for yourself if you sign up for an Amazon Prime free trial, or look into h...

Since developing migraine four years ago, Hobart resident Claire Szymanski has had to stop working and regularly misses out on social events. "I'd never previously had migraine, woke up one morning with what I thought was this shocking headache and unfortunately four years on I have not had a day's break from it," Ms Szymanski said. "It's really been very up and down, there's been more hard times than anything." Ms Szymanski is one of an estimated 4.9 million Australians who live with migraine of varying frequency and severity. Another Tasmanian, David Gardiner, has experienced life-changing relief through medication but said living with the disorder had made him more accommodating of others who live with an invisible illness. Ms Szymanski said she was "in and out" of hospital when symptoms increased in intensity. She seeks temporary relief from the severe head pain and dizziness she lives wi...

If you’re like most Americans, you have at least one bank account , if not several. You probably use your account to receive your paycheck, cover your living expenses or stash some cash for a rainy day. Up Next: 3 Signs You’ve ‘Made It’ Financially, According to Financial Influencer Genesis Hinckley For You: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000 However, you may not be maximizing your relationship with your bank to build and protect wealth. spoke with Teri Williams, president and COO of OneUnited Bank , to learn strategies that can help improve your financial future . Choose the Right Financial Institution Where you put your money matters. Financial technology companies, or fintechs, are becoming increasingly popular for their ease of use and special perks. However, your money may be at risk even if the company partners with a traditional bank. For example, some Synapse Financial Technologies Inc. customers lost access to their fu...

Click here to visit the Scotland home page for the latest news and sport One in three Scots are living in fear of rising crime levels amid plummeting police numbers, a damning new poll has found. Three times as many people also feel crime levels are getting worse rather than  better. The findings emerged as new figures showed the eye-watering scale and cost of overtime for Police Scotland’s stretched frontline. The Scottish Conservatives said law-abiding Scots had ‘clearly lost trust’ in the SNP ’s ‘soft-touch justice system’, while the body representing frontline officers called on ministers to making policing ‘a greater priority for Government’. SNP justice Secretary Angela Constance said she was ‘concerned’ by the survey results. The Survation poll for 1919 Magazine asked more than 1,000 adults to describe how much their local area crime rate had changed in the past two years. A total of 34 per cent some a lot or a little more, 44 per cent ‘a...

Ford CEO Jim Farley learned from older employees that some young workers at the carmaker were taking shifts at Amazon to make ends meet, he said at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Farley said he drew on founder Henry Ford’s decision to raise factory wages to $5 a day in 1914 to make temporary workers into full-time employees. Young people have previously eschewed manufacturing jobs due to low wages. Some economists credit carmaker Henry Ford for jump-starting the American middle class in the 20th century when, in January 1914, he hiked factory wages to $5 , more than double the average wage for an eight-hour work day. More than 100 years later, facing the reality of many employees “barely getting by,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said he took a page out of the founder’s playbook. The carmaker’s chief executive recognized the need to make a change in his workplace when he spoke to veteran employees during union contract negotiations and learned young Ford employees were...

Ford CEO Jim Farley learned from older employees that some young workers at the carmaker were taking shifts at Amazon to make ends meet, he said at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Farley said he drew on founder Henry Ford’s decision to raise factory wages to $5 a day in 1914 to make temporary workers into full-time employees. Young people have previously eschewed manufacturing jobs due to low wages. Some economists credit carmaker Henry Ford for jump-starting the American middle class in the 20th century when, in January 1914, he hiked factory wages to $5 , more than double the average wage for an eight-hour work day. More than 100 years later, facing the reality of many employees “barely getting by,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said he took a page out of the founder’s playbook. The carmaker’s chief executive recognized the need to make a change in his workplace when he spoke to veteran employees during union contract negotiations and learned young Ford employees were...