Qantas eases gender-based uniform rules

to date," the BBC reported. Under the relaxed rules, which will also apply to employees of Qantas' budget airline Jetstar, both women and men will also be allowed to wear the same sort of jewellery, including large watches. All employees, including pilots and flight attendants, will be allowed to have long hair, if it is worn in a ponytail or bun.

All the three sub-components of the business conditions fell in May, of which trading dropped eight points to 14 points, employment down seven points to four points and profitability slid five points to seven points, it said. Conditions in all the industries saw declines with the biggest pullback seen in transport and utilities, wholesales, and mining industries.

The forward orders measure typically leads business conditions and historically has been the best measure of economic activity, said Oster.

"If orders persist at these levels we could well see ongoing sharp falls in business conditions, highlighting the risks around economic growth through the middle of this year," he noted.

Australia’s most-decorated soldier won’t apologise for alleged war crimes

in his civil case ruling. The case is the first time an Australian court has assessed accusations of war crimes by the country's forces.

Speaking to Nine News on Wednesday, Roberts-Smith said he will consider filing an appeal, adding that "it's a terrible outcome and it's the incorrect outcome".

Canberra, June 9 (IANS)

Australian flag carrier Qantas announced on Friday that it has relaxed its gender-based uniform rules, allowing male employees to put make-up while female staffers will no longer require to wear heels while on duty.

In a statement, the airline said: "Fashions change, and so have our style guidelines over the years. We're proud of our diversity as well as bringing our guidelines up

But Qantas worker will still have to keep their tattoos covered up and the rules also specify which items of uniform can be worn together, including requiring tights or stockings to be worn with skirts.

Meanwhile, Imogen Sturni from the Australian Services Union (ASU), which had campaigned for Qantas to change its uniform policy, said the move was a "big win for workers".

"Some of the dress code requirements were bordering on ridiculous, such as makeup style guides and a requirement for women to wear smaller watches than men," Sturni told the BBC. The flag carrier's move comes after some other airlines also relaxed their uniform policies.

In September 2022, UK-based carrier Virgin Atlantic said it would take a "fluid approach" to uniforms, which allowed staff to choose what they wore to work "no matter their gender".

In 2019, Air New Zealand ended a ban on staff having visible tattoos, to allow "employees to express their individuality and cultural heritage".

Canberra, June 15 (IANS) In an alleged war crimes case, Ben Roberts-Smith, a former soldier who is Australia's mostdecorated, on Wednesday said he will not apologise, adding that he was innocent and is proud of his actions in Afghanistan.

These were the former soldier's first remarks after he lost a defamation case on June 1 against three newspapers -- The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Canberra Times -- which reported claims that he had murdered unarmed prisoners and civilians while serving in Afghanistan between 2009-2012, reports the BBC.

The newspapers' allegations that Roberts-Smith was actually a war criminal, a liar and a bully were "substantially true", Federal Court Judge Anthony Besanko had said

Speaking as he returned to Australia for the first time since the judgement was delivered, he also said he would not apologise to those affected by his alleged crimes.

"We haven't done anything wrong, so we won't be making any apologies," the BBC quoted the 44-year-old as saying to Nine News.

Roberts-Smith, who left the defence force in 2013, has not been charged over any of the claims in a criminal court.

He had spent the days leading up to the civil court ruling in Bali. Before Kabul's fall to the Taliban in August 2021, Australia maintained an operation of around 400 soldiers in Afghanistan