The World Today

Caltex franchise owners are accusing the oil giant of undermining their profits, while they face allegations of underpaying workers. The burden is being placed on family members, who find themselves working for free to bring down the cost of wages.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission says it has been investigating up to 11 banks over their home lending practices, amid concerns loans are being given to people who cannot afford to repay them. ASIC launched Federal Court action against Westpac yesterday over how it assessed borrowers for home loans.

The Human Services Department says it acted in a 'proportionate' way when it provided protected information about a Centrelink customer to the Minister's office for public release. Information about Andie Fox's claim history was released to a journalist after she wrote an opinion piece critical of Centrelink's debt recovery process. The Secretary of the Human Services Department, Kathryn Campbell says their action was legal and designed to protect the public integrity of the system.

The gender pay gap might be narrowing but on average men in top roles are paid 26 per cent or $93,000 a year more than women. A report by the Gender Workplace Equality Agency and the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre says things don't necessarily get better when women are in top positions and calling the shots on salary. The study of 12,000 organisations says when there are fewer men around they still end up commanding bigger pay packets.

Psychologist Steve Biddulph has well known views about the damage he says can be caused by children starting school too early. His opinions contradict State Government policy to lower the school starting age in Tasmania. He was told not to talk about the school starting age at a conference in Devonport next week. The Premier says it shouldn't have happened and the contract has been changed, but Steve Biddulph won't be speaking at the conference.

A prominent survivor of clerical sexual abuse has resigned from a special Vatican commission set up to tackle paedophilia in the church. Marie Collins has resigned from a special Vatican commission created by the Pope himself to tackle the issue. She says it's appalling that so many church leaders refuse to cooperate with the commission and are living in the past.

It's been called a genocide, with harrowing stories of babies having their throats slit, and children killed for crying out when their mothers are gang raped. But according to the Myanmar military, the treatment of Muslim Rohingyas has been a legitimate counter-terrorism operation. It's the first time the generals have spoken directly about the crackdown, which has forced 70,000 people to flee.

China, among the world's biggest polluters, is pushing its green energy credentials, claiming it's slashed coal use for a third straight year. The cut comes as China splashes hundreds of billions of dollars on a huge renewable energy program. While some question the figures, others claim the push towards clean and green energy makes China the world's new environmental leader, particularly when compared to the US.

Most of the Earth's roughly 5,000 minerals were formed during what's known as the 'Great Oxidation' two billion years ago, but hundreds more have come about as a result of human activity in the years since the industrial revolution. Scientists are now pushing for these 'man made' minerals to be accepted as real minerals, and want to discover more.

Golf is known for its obscure rules and complex regulations that have players of all levels quaking in their cleats. But the sport's governing bodies have now moved to simplify the rules of the game which have been called complex, intimidating and off-putting. The new rules are set to take effect in 2019 after extensive consultation, and include changes to controversial measures like the penalty for accidentally moving a ball on the green. But the changes have received a mixed response at the Albert Park Golf Course in Melbourne.