Just a bit of fun? Australia now has 620,000 "problem gamblers" and most of them are under 35

Across the country, things are happening at a local level that have an impact nationally. Here are the stories you might not hear about in the traditional media.

A proposal to build two small glamping pods on steep farmland in Baw Baw Shire has reignited debate over whether Victoria’s farm zoning rules are shutting out regional tourism.

When eco-tourism operator Eli Fratkin pitched his plan, councillors were split — some arguing it fit with the shire’s “open for business” push, while others said the farming zone exists to protect agricultural land, not add “a proliferation of houses and businesses”.

The council ultimately voted 6–3 against the project, with several councillors calling for a review of the shire’s farm zone definitions to clarify where low-impact tourism should be allowed.

Read that story by clicking below 👇

In Victoria’s forest firefighting crews, women are allegedly being paid thousands less than men doing the same dangerous work.

That’s according to the Australian Workers’ Union, which says the gender pay gap among Forest Fire Management Victoria field staff has tripled in four years.

However, Victoria’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said the figures reflect “workforce composition”, not discrimination, insisting there’s “no gender pay difference” for the same job.

Read that story by clicking below 👇

Parents in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs have hit out at Knox Council after it refused to apply for a federal scheme that would boost childcare wages by at least 15 percent — despite the money not costing the council or families a cent.

Knox Council told The Eastern Melburnian it already pays staff “above the award rate” and raised concerns about the scheme’s temporary funding model.

But unions and parents say the council has “played games” and that it “beggars belief” that long-time educators will now miss out on backpay dating to December.

Federal MP for Aston, Mary Doyle, said she’s “disappointed” the council missed the deadline but hopes it’ll reconsider.

Read that story by clicking below 👇

This week, there has been a lot of chatter about Labor’s planned reforms to Australia’s environmental law. Something that can, to be honest, quite easily become a bit of a snorefest very quickly, despite how important these laws are.

So I’ve tried to take a slightly different approach on this one to get you up to speed on what these laws are and why Labor is struggling to get them through the Senate.

TLDR: They’re not strong enough for the Greens and not weak enough for the Coalition.