Today's launch of the Government Writing Handbook marks a significant step in improving communication standards across the Australian Public Service (APS).

The handbook offers public servants practical guidance and examples to enhance their writing.

Public servants write for the Australian public. The handbook highlights that writing with clarity, purpose, and consistency is crucial for creating content that informs, educates, and engages all citizens.

This is part of the Albanese Government’s reform program to deliver an APS that has the capability to do its job well.

Everyone in government writes. We do not just write for our Parliamentary or Public Service colleagues. We write for the Australian public.

Writing to inform, educate and engage. We must always remember to write with our readers in mind. Clear, concise and consistent writing is essential.

Ensuring that government content is effective and useful. It underpins government services that Australians can rely on. Improving the way we write helps Australians today and tomorrow.

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. What we know is that, as this year's theme tells us, once every 10 minutes, a woman is killed. That is completely unacceptable anywhere on Earth.

The Albanese Labor Government is reaffirming its ongoing commitment to a safer, violence-free Australia for all women and children today in recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of the United Nations’ global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Parliament House will light up orange – a powerful, visible reminder of the lives impacted by family and domestic and sexual violence – and importantly honour the lives we have lost.

The Albanese Labor Government is reaffirming its ongoing commitment to a safer, violence-free Australia for all women and children today in recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the launch of the United Nations’ global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Parliament House will light up orange – a powerful, visible reminder of the lives impacted by family and domestic and sexual violence – and importantly honour the lives we have lost.

Australia’s First Nations traders were our first exporters – from trading with Makassan seafarers from Indonesia for generations, to now exporting goods including native botanicals, art, design, cyber and clean energy solutions to world markets.

Last night in recognition of this long history, the Albanese Labor Government announced a new award category in the Australian Export Awards, starting in 2025, to celebrate the outstanding international success of our First Nations businesses.

Can I acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. It's just beautiful to be able to be here and acknowledge the local mob for here, but also each and every one of you who've travelled from across the country, I acknowledge each of you and your families and First Nations people from around Australia.

I'm encouraged because you walk into a room like this and you just see how many people have come together in the area of First Nations media.

Your voices, in every state and territory jurisdiction, really matters.

The dedication of the Mayala Indigenous Protected Area has today been celebrated with a ceremony near Ardyaloon, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The newly dedicated Indigenous Protected Area fills a key gap in a network of protected areas in the Kimberley. It covers nearly 12,000 hectares of land and over 360,000 hectares of sea Country.

It includes Tanner Island and a small area of the Port of Yampi Sounds.

A new scorecard released today by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows the gender pay gap has dropped from 21.7% to 21.1% - with women earning 79 cents for every $1 men earn.

This is the lowest WGEA gender pay gap since reporting started in 2014.

The Albanese Government is improving gender equality in Australian workplaces and taking action to narrow the gender pay gap.

The main driver of the decrease in the gender pay gap is a lift in wages for lower paid workers, especially in highly feminised sectors – like aged care.

A new scorecard released today by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency shows the gender pay gap has dropped from 21.7% to 21.1% - with women earning 79 cents for every $1 men earn.

This is the lowest WGEA gender pay gap since reporting started in 2014.

The Albanese Government is improving gender equality in Australian workplaces and taking action to narrow the gender pay gap.

The main driver of the decrease in the gender pay gap is a lift in wages for lower paid workers, especially in highly feminised sectors – like aged care.