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The jobless rate continues to hover around 50-year lows, holding at 3.5 per cent in March.
Around 53,000 jobs were estimated to be added over the month, official Australian Bureau of Statistics labour force data reveals, with the participation rate holding at 66.7 per cent.
"With employment increasing by around 53,000 people, and the number of unemployed decreasing by 1,600 people, the unemployment rate remained at a near 50-year low of 3.5 per cent," ABS head of labour statistics Lauren Ford said.
She said the figures reflected ongoing tightness in the labour market and they explained why employers were finding it hard to fill roles.
The March labour force figures follow a few months of see-sawing results driven by an abnormally large number of people waiting to start new jobs in January and then taking up those roles in February.
Several economists were betting on another strong set of numbers as labour shortages remain prevalent.
Westpac economists predicted the unemployment rate would remain at 3.5 per cent in March and employment numbers would lift 25,000 over the month.
NAB analysis of SEEK job data revealed signs of ad numbers steadying after falling sharply in the back half of last year.
The job ads figures, which can point to upcoming trends in the labour market, fell 0.6 per cent over the month and continued a broad pattern of stabilisation through the early months of 2023.
While job ads remain elevated at 37 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, NAB economists said the labour market was showing signs of pulling back.
The bank's economists expect the unemployment rate to drift up towards four per cent towards the end of the year as economic growth continues to slow.
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Prince Harry will attend the coronation of his father King Charles but without his wife Meghan, bringing an end to months of speculation about whether they would go.
Charles will be crowned on May 6 in a ceremony that dates back 1000 years, surrounded by foreign heads of state and dignitaries. But the participation of his youngest son had been in doubt after the 38-year-old heavily criticised his family in a book and documentary series.
Buckingham Palace and a spokesman for the couple confirmed on Wednesday that Harry, known as the Duke of Sussex, would attend while Meghan would remain in California with the couple's two young children.
Their eldest, Archie, turns four the same day.
"Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that The Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey," the palace spokesman said.
"The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet."
Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California, saying they wanted to forge a new, independent life, free of the scrutiny of the British press.
They agreed with the royal family that they would not take part in any future official royal events or tours, and they have only been seen in Britain on a handful of occasions since they left, including for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, who died after a 70-year reign.
Tensions soon emerged following their departure and in recent months Harry has published a memoir containing intimate revelations about the British royal family while the couple also appeared in a Netflix documentary series.
Among their many accusations, they said some royals, including stepmother Camilla and brother William - the heir to the throne - had leaked stories to tabloid newspapers to protect themselves or enhance their reputations.
They also said the royal family had dismissed the race-related hounding of Meghan by the press as a rite of passage and compared her treatment to the intense media intrusion that his mother Princess Diana had suffered before her death.
Some media reports had suggested Harry wanted an apology from his family before he agreed to attend the coronation, an event that will be marked in Britain by a public holiday.
Asked in one interview in January whether he would attend, Harry said: "There's a lot that can happen between now and then. But the door is always open."
The palace had made clear that Harry - one of the most popular members of the royal family before he left the country - had been invited.
He was last in Britain in late March, attending a court case he and other high-profile figures have brought against the publisher of the Daily Mail newspaper over allegations of phone-tapping and other privacy breaches.
The publisher denies the accusations. The case is one of several that the prince has brought against British newspapers.
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Gold Coast halfback Tanah Boyd is comfortable in his own skin and in his role, so he can laugh about being tagged "the next Alfie" while coming through the Brisbane system.
He will play against his former club on Saturday night at Robina with a determination to shine in the No.7 jersey that he was always destined to wear since his days with Keebra Park High.
At the end of 2018 Boyd was elevated into the Broncos' NRL squad after representing Queensland under 18s two years running, and impressing while playing for Souths-Logan.
It was then he became the talk of the Brisbane media. There will only ever be one Allan 'Alfie' Langer and Boyd said he had perspective about the hype.
"I remember that well but it was always going to be there. I was a Broncos junior ... with blond hair and small," Boyd grinned while speaking to AAP.
"Alf was also there at the Broncos but I never read anything into that stuff and found it pretty funny. We joked about it. Me and Alf had a laugh too. It was all good.
"What I loved about Alf was that he kept you relaxed and he was great around the group. He wasn't so involved with me and my game when I was there but he was always good to be around."
In 2019 Boyd signed mid-season with the Titans. After improving his game he finally was given the No.7 jersey at the end of last season. Since then, Gold Coast have won six of 10 games where Boyd has been in control.
"I love it. The reason you play in this position is you want the expectation. You want to perform and keep getting wins for the team," he said.
"It has been a blessing in disguise. I am back home (on the Gold Coast) with family and I love this club. They gave me my opportunity in the NRL, backed me and developed me into the player I am.
"The reason I came here to the Titans was the opportunity to play half. It took a while. I had to play a bit of hooker and learn my craft more."
His gratitude to Brisbane, though, remains.
"There are so many good people at the Broncos," he said.
"They brought me through and developed me as a player and did so much for me. I have some great mates there. I played a lot with Cory Paix, Kobe Hetherington ... so many of them I went through juniors with.
"I love coming up against the Broncs. It's a big challenge for us."
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As the country's business leaders prepare for one night of sleeping rough, rising living costs and dwindling housing supplies are forcing more Australians onto the streets for the long term.
NSW Premier Chris Minns will attend Thursday's launch of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout in an attempt to drum up donations for the charity's homelessness services.
But advocates are urging state governments to dig deep and build more social and affordable housing to address the root cause of the worsening homelessness crisis.
"The pandemic exposed and exacerbated existing inequality and highlighted how precarious access to housing, food and financial support is for many," Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.
"But it also showed that with the right political will, governments can find the money, resources and urgency to address some of the biggest challenges our vulnerable communities face."
Over the past 25 years, social housing stock has failed to keep up with demand in Australia, dropping from six to four per cent of occupied dwellings.
The City of Sydney council found almost 300 people were sleeping rough in the inner city in February, a 23 per cent increase on the previous year.
Census figures and an increase in people using specialist homelessness services confirm the problem is getting worse across the country, while the availability of social housing shrinks.
Cr Moore called on the new Minns government to apply the same urgency shown during the pandemic to the homelessness crisis.
"The lack of ambition shown in the state's major housing projects is disappointing," she said.
The mayor wants a minimum of 30 per cent social housing and 20 per cent affordable housing in the state government's proposed redevelopment of Waterloo estate.
The public housing precinct is the country's largest, currently home to almost 2500 tenants, with more than 85 per cent of dwellings provided by the government.
However, fewer than three in every 10 units in the new development will be devoted to social housing, which Cr Moore calls a missed opportunity.
Incoming housing minister Rose Jackson told AAP the government would review the redevelopment, with an eye to increasing its percentage of social and affordable housing.
Homelessness NSW chief executive Trina Jones says providing more social housing supply is vital, as rising living costs, low wages and a shortage of affordable rentals exacerbate the housing crisis.
"We cannot solve homelessness without more housing, it's that simple," she said.
Ms Jones also called on the government to lock in continuing funding for the Together Home program, which supports people without a home in finding permanent accommodation.
The $25 million per year initiative was a relatively modest investment that could make a big difference to the lives of the community's most vulnerable, she said.
© AAP 2023
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