[press release]
Australia Post celebrates principle of equal pay
Australia Post is releasing a commemorative stamp to celebrate 50 years of the principle of equal pay for equal work in Australia.
Speaking on the stamp release, Australia Post Executive General Manager People and Culture Sue Davies said over the past two years Australia Post was proud to be one of the few large Australian organisations to have achieved gender pay parity.
“It’s important that people continue to have conversations about gender pay parity and we hope our commemorative stamp raises awareness amongst the Australian public of how, collectively, we can achieve this important goal,” said Ms Davies.
In 1969 the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) brought a case to the Commonwealth Conciliation and Arbitration Commission (CCAC) against the Meat and Allied Trades Federation (and others) arguing for “equal pay for equal work”. The ruling included the important principle that when women were engaged in the same work as men in traditional male roles they were entitled to equal remuneration.
While the principle of equal pay for equal work has now been around for 50 years, women are still fighting for equal pay for work of equal value. In 2019 a significant gender pay gap still exists at 14.1 per cent.
The commemorative stamp designed by the Australia Post Design Studio features the slogan current at the time, “Equal Pay for Equal Work”, with a photograph of demonstrators in front of Trades Hall, Carlton, Victoria in 1969.
Other products associated with this issue include sheetlet of 10 x $1 stamps, first day cover and maxicard.
The Equal Pay commemorative stamp issue is available from 18 June at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, while stocks last.
es, the estimated impact of the rate increases on the average Canadian household would be well under a dollar a year, and the total increase for small businesses that use stamps would be estimated at about $6 a year. Canadians can avoid the increase by purchasing Permanent stamps at the current rate in advance, if the changes are approved for next January.
The American Topical Association has named Jennifer L. Miller of Greer, SC, as its executive director. An avid topical collector and ATA member, she is well-known in the hobby.
Camden, NY. In May 2019, Mystic Stamp Company purchased ArtCraft’s complete inventory – over 5 million covers – after the company announced it was closing its doors. ArtCraft had been sending out Fleetwood First Day Covers since they stopped printing their own in 2015, so it’s only fitting Mystic – owner of Fleetwood – pick up ArtCraft’s inventory, too. This inventory includes historic covers from ArtCraft’s earliest days (1939) to 2015. Known for their exquisite detail, ArtCraft’s steel-engraving-style cachets have always been popular with collectors.
In the press release, Mystic president Don Sundman said, “My family has been collecting and selling covers for over 85 years, beginning with my father, Maynard, in the 1930s. [One of his covers, from 1935, is shown on the left.] At Mystic, we know what First Day Cover collectors want, and we design our cachets accordingly. Going forward, ArtCraft customers can expect to see the same high-quality First Day Covers they’ve been receiving since 2015.”
However, when Washington Stamp Exchange stopped producing new ArtCraft designs, WSE purchased unserviced Fleetwood cachets from Mystic, serviced them, and sold them to its subscription customers.
The Virtual Stamp Club has learned that the American Philatelic Society — the biggest stamp collecting organization in the U.S. — has chosen Thomas Loebig (pronounced “LO-big”) for Chief Content Officer. As such, he will be the editor of both American Philatelist and the American Philatelic Literature Review, as well as in charge of APS’ online outreach efforts.
While with AccuWeather, Loebig successfully led the effort to increase web traffic through relevant news and video content, increasing time spent on the website and more than doubling the social media referral traffic within three months. “Our recently-adopted strategic plan emphasizes development of more relevant, shareable, and timely content for the hobby and we believe Tom will be a critical link in moving ahead,” said English.
The award-winning AAMI Park was welcomed to Melbourne & Olympic Parks’ precinct in May 2010, giving Victoria its first world-class pitch for elite-level rugby league, rugby union and football codes. The 30,050-seat stadium is defined by its distinctive bio-frame design, the roof of which provides covered seating for most of a capacity crowd enjoying the spectacle on the 136 x 82 metre playing field below.
Optus Stadium was opened in Perth in January 2018, and in its first 12 months of operation attracted more than two million fans. The 60,000-seat stadium can host AFL, rugby union, rugby league, football and cricket, as well as large entertainment events. From fence to fence the pitch covers 177 x 141 metres, with 165 x 130 metres for the AFL field of play.
Located on the edge of the CBD, the Sydney Cricket Ground has a long and venerable history dating back to the mid-19th century. It hosted its first game of cricket in 1854, and has been home to major cricket matches since 1876. With a capacity of 48,000, in addition to hosting cricket in its various formats, it also regularly hosts AFL, rugby league and union, and football.
Melbourne Cricket Ground, or the MCG or ’G, as it is fondly known, is considered by many to be one of the premium stadia of the world. Built in 1853, it was the main venue for the first Olympic Games held in the Southern Hemisphere in 1956, a centrepiece for the 2006 Commonwealth Games and host to two cricket World Cups, in 1992 and 2015. Primarily a ground for AFL and cricket, with a capacity exceeding 100,000, it sits fondly in the heart of many Victorians and Australians alike.
$1 Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)
$1 Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)
$2.30 Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor)
