News: Nicki Minaj, what on Earth are you wearing?

1. What is Nicki Minaj wearing?

Pop singer Nicki Minaj has put together her own eclectic outfit to rival the fashion on stage at the launch of Versace for H&M, a range of uber bright florals and prints for stores in the US. And yes, that does appear to be an actual palm frond in her hair. There are more pics of Nicki in the gallery at the end of the post if you’re at all curious…

2. Government to stump up $2 billion for fair pay

Workers in the community sector – like disability support workers, carers, youth workers and so on – stand to receive large pay rises over the next six years after the Gillard Government stepped in to support a correction the pay imbalances. Most of the workers are women. They have a higher proportion of tertiary qualifications than the rest of the workforce but earn on average about $46,000 a year. The average wage nationally is $58,000. The SMH reports: Ms Gillard gave the example of a worker she called Natalie. “Natalie helps people who are mentally ill, children and young people needing out-of-home care and people living with a disability,” she said. “She helps them learn to live independently when they move from long-term hospital-based care to community-based living. “Natalie is currently paid $41,648 per year. When fully implemented, her fair pay will be around $55,000 in today’s dollars.”

3. Asylum seeker compo reaches $23 million

The Federal Government was forced to pay asylum seekers $18 million in compensation for unlawful detention and $5 million for ‘negligence’ involving former detainees. The costs are revealed following calls from the health provider International Health and Medical Services (IMHS) for a rapid boost to psychiatric services because the mental health issues asylum seekers were suffering were ‘obscene’. Chairman of Suicide Prevention Australia Michael Dudley said: ‘The basic failure to move quickly on it can be attributed to government inertia. ASIO has said you can let asylum seekers out tomorrow … They don’t want to solve this problem,”

4. Publisher of new Corby book says ‘she did it’.

Allen and Unwin publisher Richard Walsh launched the new book Sins of the Father (written by journalist Eamon Duff) yesterday and said: “Indonesians have said from the beginning she’s a guilty person, we are saying to a domestic audience we agree.” The book re-examines evidence that Schapelle Corby’s father was a major player in a drug smuggling syndicate between Australia and Indonesia and that it was him who packed her boogie board bag with 4.5kg of marijuana, which led to her 20-year prison sentence. Former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer spoke on the record and said when he asked the Australian Federal Police for its view on whether she was guilty or not, it was ‘guilty’.

5. Adoption in Australia is plagued with obstacles, says Deborrah-Lee Furness

The wife of movie star Hugh Jackman, who has two adopted children with him, has spoken out about the ‘glacial pace’ at which the adoption bureaucracy moves. She said the process was turning away would-be parents in Australia and leaving orphaned and abandoned children overseas to languish. She asked: “There are millions of orphans and abandoned and vulnerable children in the world, and so many families that want to take care of these kids. Why is it so hard to adopt in Australia?”

6. News Limited CEO John Hartigan resigns

John Hartigan, with News Limited for 41 years, resigned from the position of chairman and CEO yesterday. Rupert Murdoch will replace him as Chairman and former Foxtel boss Kim Williams will replace as CEO of News. The musical chairs in management comes after much recent turmoil for global News Corporation operations – particularly in Britain relating to phone hacking inquiries – but it is not clear why Mr Hartigan resigned.

7. Would you wear a mask to try on clothes?

South Australian woman Nicole Jureidini has invented a disposable face mask (made from the same material as surgeon’s caps) that stores can have on hand to give to customers about to try on clothes. The idea is that it saves them a small fortune on dry cleaning fees by protecting the clothes from lipstick and make-up stains. Stores like Country Road are already using it with the department stores apparently ‘in talks’ to roll it out around the country.

And, as promised, more Nicki Minaj: