Latest news with #Births
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Sky News AU
'Systematically not helping people': Former Centrelink employee lifts the lid on workplace 'bullying' and department's failure to help customers
A former Centrelink employee has lifted the lid on how government departments in Australia refuse to help people and perpetrate bullying in the workplace. Estelle Landy worked for Centrelink for more than 13 years, where she claimed customer service agents commonly refused to help customers when they could and often encouraged them to take the long and difficult road themselves. She took to TikTok recently and said she was "disgusted" to have witnessed a similar scenario unfold at the government department of Births, Deaths and Marriages. "So I just went to the Births, Deaths and Marriages' 'agent' to get help with getting my mum's death certificate," Estelle said in a video. "And I watched them systematically not help people in the job that they're supposed to do, by sending them online and not taking their documentation over the desk. "To the point where the guy beside me, I could see how upset he was, I stepped in and said 'hang on, but you can do that on his behalf'". Estelle said the agent responded: "'Oh yeah, we can'". "I'm like, 'why did you just tell him that he has to go home and do it?'." Frustrated on behalf of the disgruntled male customer, Estelle said the agent was sending him home only to have to come back again. She said the employee had the power to save him the trouble and complete his request all in one day, but chose not to. "Like it's a f****** joke the way people don't want to help, especially when that's their f****** job." People in the comments largely attested to Estelle's experience, with one people who claimed to know a former Centrelink employee saying workers were urged to cause as much havoc as possible for customers. "My friend's son got injured at work and ended up working at Centrelink as an interim job," they said. "He was told to make life as difficult as possible for everyone." Another viewer said they were receiving Centrelink benefits years ago and went into a centre where they were turned away and told to call back. "I was like, this is why I'm here, because I can't get through," the person said, adding to the pile of claims that employees do the bare minimum. "Centrelink needs a major investigation with other major services," one more person said. In a separate video, Estelle said the toxicity at government agencies is more prevalent among employees, with top management the ring leaders. The former Big Brother Australia contestant claimed she was bullied by upper management while suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Estelle said she was driven to leave the public service sector after one of the top bosses allegedly "forced" her to use a keyboard, which further damaged her already hindered mobility due to the excruciating condition. "The s*** that they put me through was ridiculous," she said. "So I had a very serious injury where my hands stopped working, and it was like two years. "I'd have documentation saying I needed lighter duties. "I had this one b**** who forced me to go back and use a keyboard when I had carpal tunnel." Estelle said in a week of using the keyboard, she went from not being able to use one hand to both limbs being completely disabled. "But, she just made my life hell in all these other ways as well," she said. "When my nan died, which was around the same time, she made me bring in a f****** book from the funeral to prove that she died. "What the f*** is wrong with people, and this was a government agency. "And I can tell you, these bullies don't get fired, they get promoted." In a statement to a Services Australia spokesperson said, "If a staff member has concerns, the agency has policies and processes in place to address any instances of inappropriate workplace behaviours. "This includes a dedicated team staff can contact for support if they experience or witness bullying and inappropriate behaviour. "We also have an Employee Assistance Program that staff and their immediate family members can contact for support." It comes as Australians are struggling to navigate Centrelink and Medicare and are frequently unable to get through to an operator. Services Australia, the governing body responsible for Centrelink and Medicare, received 7 million unanswered calls in 2023. Services Australia recruited 3,000 more staff to combat the delays. However, front-line workers said it would be months before the move resulted in any relief for workers facing the pressures from understaffing. "The pressures are absolutely crazy. It's like you're holding your breath all day long," one worker from a Western Sydney Centrelink branch told ABC. has contacted Ms. Landy for further comment.
Sky News AU
09-07-2025
- Sky News AU
Giggle CEO Sall Grover joins Sky News ahead of her challenge to transgender discrimination ruling in Federal Court
Giggle CEO Sall Grover is counting down the days until she can put her high-profile transgender discrimination case behind her as she gears up for her appeal hearing next month. After the Federal Court found Ms Grover's app – Giggle for Girls – had 'indirectly discriminated' against a biological man, she sought to raise half a million dollars to lodge the appeal. Transgender woman Roxanne Tickle is recognised as female under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2003 (Qld). She won the case in August last year after Justice Robert Bromwich found the complainant to have been victim of unlawful discrimination after being banned from the women-only app. Ms Grover's appeal hearing will be held in the Full Court of Federal Court of Australia on August 4-7 and will be heard by Justice Melissa Perry, Justice Geoffrey Kennett, and Justice Wendy Abraham. The businesswoman turned activist spoke to Sky News on Wednesday and shared her mixed feelings about the case, which included anger over the fact 'we even have to do this'. 'There's a lot of apprehension and anger and a bit of bitterness and also optimism and excitement that this will all finally be over soon, after three and a half years,' she said. Ms Grover said she was angry that she had to go to court to fight for rights 'we already had' under the Sex Discrimination Act. Ms Grover said the case has had an impact on the 'cultural zeitgeist', and thought female activists were now treated differently than they had been in the past. 'Once upon a time, even when this Tickle v. Giggle case first started, there was so much more censorship around this issue. People were getting cancelled and women were very much more demonised than we are being now,' she said. 'A lot of women's grassroots organisations have pushed and pushed and push to get this issue out there, and we've seen results in the US and the UK which has made even more people aware of what is going on. So the zeitgeist is definitely changing in our favour.' Ms Grover said there was no ideology or belief system involved in her position. 'You can call yourself whatever you want, you can dress however you want, but reality has to come into play at some point, especially in the law. 'Your right as a man to wear a dress cannot override the rights of women to have women-only spaces, it's that simple.' Ms Grover said the litigation was 'prohibitively expensive' and that she was crowdfunding her case which had been donated to from people all around the world. The Giggle vs Tickle case was the first major decision of its kind since the Labor government amended the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013 which implemented protections on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.
New York Post
16-05-2025
- General
- New York Post
These popular US baby names are surprisingly banned in this country
It's a name fit for a king — unless you're a Kiwi. New Zealand just released its most recent list of banned baby names, with King topping the list of monikers outlawed in the country, per CNN. It's perfectly legal in the US, where more than 1,000 babies were given the name King in 2024, according to the Social Security Administration. All 11 New Zealand parents who applied to call their newborn King were asked to give it a second thought, John Crawford-Smith, Principal Advisor of the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand, revealed. 'We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names,' Crawford-Smith told CNN. 'Names are a gift.' In 2024, more than 1,000 children in America were named King. nataliaderiabina – Meanwhile, Prince ranked second in the latest list of banned names in New Zealand with 10 rejected applications, followed by Princess with four — a royal pain for some hopeful parents. Other royal-related names that are forbidden in the country — which regulates baby names under a strict registration law — include Duke, Emperor, Majesty, Queen and Crown. Names like Kingi, Kingz, Prinz, Prynce, and Royallty were also banned. Crawford-Smith said that New Zealand registered 60,000 births last year and 38 proposed names were rejected. New Zealand just released its latest list of banned baby names. Reddit/r/tragedeigh Under the country's registration law, baby names cannot be offensive, unreasonably long, include numbers and symbols, and must not resemble official titles or ranks 'without adequate justification,' the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021 proclaims. However, parents are given the chance to explain their reasoning behind the name choice before the Registrar General makes their final decision. New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth and calls King Charles III its King — though it's unclear if the parents hoping to give their children a regal name meant it as a tribute to him. Other names such as Sativa and Indica, strains of cannabis, were rejected, perhaps due to community perceptions of the potential names. Fanny — which was once a popular name — was also banned.
CNN
15-05-2025
- General
- CNN
More than 1,000 US kids were named ‘King' last year. But in New Zealand, that name is banned
It seems some parents in New Zealand just can't get the message. Once again, King has topped the list of baby names rejected by the country's Registrar General. The royal title led the list of banned baby names for 14 years in a row until 2023 when it was replaced by Prince, which ranks second in the latest iteration. Other regal references including Duke, Majesty and Emperor are also a no-go in the country, which polices birth names under its strict registration law. New Zealand registered 60,000 births last year and rejected 38 proposed names, according to a letter from John Crawford-Smith, Principal Advisor of the Department of Internal Affairs, in response to a written inquiry. Under the law, baby names must not be offensive, unreasonably long, or include numbers and symbols. They must also refrain from resembling official titles and ranks 'without adequate justification,' according to the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021. New Zealand is part of the British Commonwealth and a constitutional monarchy that calls Charles III its King. It's not known if the 11 parents who applied to call their child King meant it as an ode to Charles, but all were asked to have a rethink, according to Crawford-Smith. In 2024, more than 1,000 children in the United States were called King, according to the Social Security Administration. (Liam and Olivia were the top US names last year). Most of New Zealand's rejected names had royal links. Ten applications for Prince were rejected, followed by four for Princess. Names like Kingi, Kingz, Prinz, Prynce, and Royallty were also banned – potentially because department staff also consider how names sound when spoken when deciding if they'll be approved. Officials also consider community perceptions of the proposed name. That may be why other names, including Sativa and Indica, both strains of cannabis, were rejected. Fanny, once a popular first name, was also declined. Parents are given an opportunity to explain their rationale before the Registrar General makes a final decision. 'We continue to urge parents to think carefully about names,' Crawford-Smith wrote in the letter. 'Names are a gift,' he added. New Zealand is not the only country that imposes laws to regulate newborns' names. In 2015, a French judge in the northern part of the country refused to let two parents name their child Nutella because of the risk of humiliation. Sweden also has a naming law and has nixed attempts to name children 'Superman,' 'Metallica,' and 'Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116.' In the United States, some naming fights have centered on adults. In 2008, a judge allowed an Illinois school bus driver to legally change his first name to 'In God' and his last name to 'We Trust.' But the same year, an appeals court in New Mexico ruled against a man – named Variable – who wanted to change his name to 'F— Censorship!'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Clues into Gen Z parenting styles can be found in their approach to these two powerful elements
The Silent Generation thought that kids should be 'seen and not heard.' Boomers were focused on getting kids to college. Gen X—perhaps wanting to not replicate their own latch-key childhoods—had a tendency to helicopter parent their little ones, while millennials are largely drawn to 'gentle parenting.' But what about Gen Z's parenting style? Yep, that's right: Many of the oldest members of Gen Z, who range from 13 to 28 years old, are already parents, with women between 20 and 24 accounting for 26.3% of all U.S. births in 2023 (the most recent data available). So what's their parenting style all about? The jury is largely out, as their kids are still little—and not able to share experiences with researchers to allow for a full picture. And there's not much in the way of other data. 'My instinct is that there will be a lot of elements of how they were parented,' Corey Seemiller, generational researcher, leadership educator, and coauthor of Generation Z: A Century in the Making, tells Fortune about what to expect from Gen Z parents, adding that some of her research found that 69% of Gen Zers called a parent their No. 1 role model. There are also not many Gen Z celebrity parents to look to yet, save for Naomi Osaka, Hailey Bieber, Sofia Richie, and Kylie Jenner—though one Gen Z couple, known simply as Matt and Abby, have become popular influencers with their 5.2 TikTok followers thanks to their seemingly honest posts about raising two little kids. 'Letting go of your selfishness and your freedom at a very young age…I don't think we realize how selfish we are as human beings until we have children,' Jenner has said about first becoming a mom at 19. 'But, you know, that is also the biggest pro.' Between the few young celeb parents speaking out, Gen Zers sharing about their kids on social media, and scant amounts of research, here's what's starting to become clear about the newest generation of parents. Gen Z is the first generation of digital natives—with one survey finding that more than half aspire to be influencers. Still, a 2024 survey found that Gen Z parents are rejecting the type of perfectly curated content that first put 'momfluencers' on the map. And while they are avid posters of content, many chafe at the idea of their own kids getting on social media. 'Social media serves as a really complex place, especially for a parent,' 25-year-old TikToker Alyssa "Ice," mom to kids 4 and 16 months, tells Fortune. 'While being an amazing space to seek support from other parents, get answers to unknown questions, as well as be inspired, it is also very easy to fall into a rabbit hole of comparison and judgment.' And when it comes to her own kids going online? 'I personally want to keep my children away from the internet until they are old enough to comprehend the dangers of it as well as the benefits,' she says—echoing Jenner, who has said, for her kids, 'It's no socials for as long as possible.' Content creator Kayli Jones, 21, who entered parenthood as a teen mom, shares a lot on Instagram about raising her two kids, 1 and 3, with her husband and former high school boyfriend. And after a childhood of 'unrestricted access to the internet,' she says—getting her first phone at 8, social media in fifth grade, and accruing over 400,000 followers on the video platform Likee by seventh grade—she is vigilant about not allowing the same for her kids. 'I prioritize internet safety for my children by not posting their faces online,' she says, while also limiting their screen time. 'We do not allow our kids to have iPads or any internet access at the moment,' says Jones. 'As far as when we will allow them to have socials, that depends on how far the internet progresses when they get to that age. Right now we plan to allow them to get their own social media when they are in high school.' Still, observes Seemiller, not all Gen Z parents will think alike when it comes to this issue. 'For some of them, they were on [social media] a lot, and it was really helpful in making connections. They may want to see their children have that same experience,' she says. 'Some of them have had very negative experiences on social media where they were bullied, harassed. There's a fear of judgment. There's people not liking their comments and pictures.' As a result, many young parents may indeed have strict rules about keeping kids off socials. 'So, I think you're going to run into less of a monolith than we think when it comes to that,' Seemiller says, 'depending on their own personal experience in that space.' By the time she was 23, tennis great Osaka was a mental health advocate and role model on the world stage. Four years later, in January 2025, she had her daughter Shai, and it's hard to believe she won't parent through the lens of all she's learned. 'This is a generation that really broke the stigma of mental health,' says Seemiller. 'They often will say what they need. They will assert their autonomy and want to get resources, whether that's in schools or the workplace… I can't possibly imagine they would not want to parent their kids by also reducing any kind of shame around that.' Perhaps it's why, found a 2021 Vice survey, 'Gen Z parents are more attune to trusting their own instincts when it comes to the actions they take that influence their children's growth and development. Ultimately, they do what they think is best based on what feels right for their own children's individual circumstances, even if that conflicts with advice from their family or doctor.' For Jones, that means apologizing to her kids when she's wrong, 'even though I'm the mother,' she says, and even though it's 'something that is a bizarre concept to my parents' generation.' She also does 'daily affirmations' with her little ones, and says, 'I will always make sure that they know they can talk to me about anything without getting in trouble or feeling ashamed or embarrassed.' Alyssa, meanwhile, uses her awareness of mental health to base her entire parenting philosophy on 'unlearning a lot of the traumas that I experienced in my youth,' she says, and believes that having such an awareness is a 'huge advantage' as a parent. 'We are better equipped to support our kids and get them the resources that they may need at any point in their life,' she says. 'Not only that, but taking care of our own mental health and really valuing it allows us to be better parents.' More on parenting: How do parents raise all their kids to be successful? New book by Yale professor, 'The Family Dynamic,' uncovers clues The 4 basic parenting styles—and what science says about which is best Modern parenting is hurting kids and adults, 'Anxious Generation' author warns This story was originally featured on
