The World Today

While housing affordability remains a hot political issue, a national survey has uncovered a culture of fear amongst Australian renters. The consumer group Choice is warning of a power imbalance between landlords and tenants, but the real estate industry has questioned whether the report is an accurate snapshot.

New data commissioned for the child sexual abuse Royal Commission shows the highest percentage of claims relate to abuse in Catholic schools followed by orphanages. The Church has paid out $278 million in response to claims of abuse made between 1980 and 2015.

The highest number of abuse claims paid for by the Catholic Church relate to its education system. At St Patrick's College, in Ballarat, several Catholic priests and Christian Brothers were eventually convicted of sexually abusing children in their care. Now, the school says it wants to change its reputation to one that makes it a leader in child protection.

The Federal Government is continuing to try to persuade the Senate to support its package of social services changes by releasing new figures on the number of families who have already hit the child care rebate cap. The Government is still warning it may have to increase taxes if the welfare savings in the bill aren't passed, but the Finance Minister has rejected a newspaper report that it's considering changes to the discount on the capital gains tax paid on investment properties.

Telstra has seen its first-half profit tumble to $1.8 billion hit by the effects of tougher competition and a fall in fixed line revenue. The net profit was down 14.4 per cent on last year's first-half result, well below the market expectations. Also the official jobless rate fell slightly in January to 5.7 per cent with a surge in part time jobs offsetting a slump in full time work.

One aspect of the jobs market that's causing frustration is wages growth. The latest official figures show wages continue to grow at their slowest pace since records began. Younger working Australians have told The World Today slow wages growth is having an enormous impact of their lives, and they want the Government to do something about it.

Although there has been a 'very modest' tick down in unemployment, the standout figure of today's employment figures are the 40,000 people not in full time work, according to Professor John Spoehr, Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute at Flinders University. He said the result reflects a wider problem in the country of the composition of employment growth, with most jobs being generated in the casual and part time sector.

There are calls to formalise the so called 'backpacker au pair' and create a specific visa to ensure safeguards are in place for workers and families. Experts say there's a rising demand for foreign live-in carers, but the industry remains unregulated and open to exploitation. It comes as childcare reforms hit the headlines again, and more families look for affordable and flexible alternatives for their children.

The New South Wales Government is considering major changes to greyhound racing in the state, after announcing and then lifting a ban on the industry last year. A reform panel has unveiled 122 recommendations, designed to improve the industry's practices and reduce the number of dogs killed. Its key recommendation is for a new and independent Commission for Integrity and Welfare, to oversee the sport.

The most sweeping changes to Queensland's parole laws in 80 years were handed down in a report into Queensland's parole system today. The state's former Solicitor General Walter Sofronoff made 91 recommendations, including more rehabilitation programs in prisons, the expanded use of GPS to track parolees and establishing a new parole board. The review into the state's parole system began after the murder of Townsville grandmother Elizabeth Kippen in July last year allegedly by a man on parole.