Good morning AusCorp. Asking a woman when she's planning to have kids is one of the most common questions in corporate Australia. It gets asked everywhere and mostly by someone with a say in your next promotion. This week, we've dived into the people that ask, why it's unlawful to act on, and why you should deflect it.
Also this week, rents are up 31% since late 2021 with the population at a record high, migration running well above forecast, and the country building roughly 70,000 fewer homes a year than it needs.
Elsewhere, the government has activated Level 3 fuel security preparations as Middle East conflict hits supply, Apple now wants your passport or licence before you download an 18+ app, and Westpac is rolling AI across every corner of the bank.
THE BIG CONVERSATION
When are you planning to have kids?
There are some things you don't ask people at work, and when a woman is planning to have kids is one of them, especially if you're her manager. While it can be a genuine attempt to chat about someone's life, it’s mostly fishing. It’s very much a problem when the person asking is the same person deciding promotions and revealing your life plans is going cut your legs out. It's also not only men doing the asking either. Women in leadership do it plenty, and a fair few dads get asked why their partner isn't the one home with a sick kid.
To be clear, treating someone differently because they might get pregnant is unlawful. It's also why we don't recommend telling an interviewer you're pregnant. People argue that its important to be transparent (and set expectations), and we do acknowledge the headache of someone going on parental leave a few months into a role. But if you're expecting, the risk of being upfront and having it held against you outweighs any benefit. You don't owe an employer information they can use against you and unless your team is out saving lives, the business will survive.
If you reckon you’re in the right to ask (because you care), understand it could be someone’s worst possible moment. Nobody wants to tell you (or their boss) that they're halfway through IVF, lost a pregnancy a few weeks ago, or explain why they don't want kids, while you're both lining up for lunch. And if the reason you want to know is resourcing, you don't need to know. Natural attrition is already a given in any business, and anyone on your team could be gone for a year for a dozen different reasons, so parenthood shouldn’t be treated any different.
Imagine if parenthood didn't affect anyone’s career, nobody would care when you’re having kids. But it does, and it changes how people get staffed, promoted and redeployed. That means you have every right to deflect it. Only you get to decide when anyone at work gets to hear more than that.
PICK & SCROLL BY THE AUSSIE CORPORATE | LAST WEEK'S TOP PICKS
Qantas and Virgin frequent flyer schemes are shifting from bank credit cards to on-the-ground partners as the RBA surcharge ban looms, with points experts urging value checks. LINK
Converse apologised and removed an advert from its social media channels after users said its imagery evoked Ku Klux Klan symbolism and lynching. LINK
The government has activated Level 3 fuel security preparations and urged agencies to cut diesel use as Middle East conflict disrupts Saudi supplies and possible export curbs heighten global shortage risks. LINK
Australians now have to scan a passport or driver’s licence into their iPhone before Apple will let them download an app rated 18+ or turn off a safety setting. LINK
Westpac has unveiled plans to embed artificial intelligence across every part of the bank, targeting growth in home lending and deposits as AI moves from trial stage to full-scale rollout. LINK
Flat White lands every week. The news doesn't. Every weekday morning at 8:00am, we send you everything that happened across Australian business and corporate news in a 2-minute read. Same team. Same voice. Just daily.
THE INSIDE TRACK
THREAD OF THE WEEK - r/AUSCORP
People who "give back minutes" when a meeting finishes early.
It really rustles my jimmies when an online meeting finishes early and the organiser feels the need to say "I'll give you back x minutes" as they're wrapping things up.
Like they're doing me some great service for finishing the meeting earlier than expected. It's even worse when it's only a small number of minutes. Like I should be grateful they've given me back 3 minutes of my day that I'm not spending in this meeting.
People are just going through the motions and saying stuff from the book of corporate, it's not that serious
Top Comment
THE BRAINS TRUST
Rents have climbed 31% since late 2021, which works out to roughly $8,500 more a year for the median tenant. Vacancy rates across inner Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are sitting at or below 1.5%. It’s why you're turning up to inspections with forty other people.
Source: PropTrack, Macquarie Research, September 2026
Australia's population hit a record 27.9 million at the end of March, with net overseas migration running at 292,000 over the past year. That's almost 50% above where it sat before Covid and way ahead of what the government budgeted for. There are now 2.98 million people here on temporary visas, the most we've ever had, and the official target of 225,000 doesn’t seem very realistic at the rate we’re going.
Source: ABS, Macrobond, UBS
There’s no surprise that supply was never going to keep pace. The country finished about 173,000 homes last year against the 240,000 a year the National Housing Accord says we need, and AMP puts the shortfall that's already built up at somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 dwellings. The RBA is forecasting $13.7 billion less housing investment than the federal budget assumes, which means the government's own supply numbers are optimistic by more than 10,000 homes.
The sad truth is that building our way out isn't really a possibility. That’s because construction is already running at around 14.5% of GDP, the highest it's been since the mining boom peaked in 2012-13, and the same tradies are being pulled onto data centres, warehouses and public infrastructure. Approving more housing doesn't produce the people needed to build it, so the shortage holds and the rent keeps going up.
OFF THE CLOCK
GOING
Sydney’s first puppy + cat cuddle experience is coming to Marrickville
Spend the day surrounded by adorable puppies and cats, with plenty of time for cuddles and all the serotonin you could ask for. LINK
EATING
The 37 best restaurants in Australia
From legendary fine-dining institutions to hidden neighbourhood gems, here's where to eat in 2026. LINK
READING
11 books to read if Christopher Nolan's Odyssey has you obsessed with Greek mythology again
From ancient epics to modern retellings, these 11 books are perfect for anyone wanting to dive deeper into Greek mythology. LINK
WATCHING
Rowing finally got its Netflix moment. Did Crew Girl waste it?
Netflix’s new series Crew Girl puts women’s rowing in the spotlight, mixing sport and ambition with love triangles, privilege and plenty of drama. LINK
WEARING
Knee-length skirts are doing the heavy lifting
The seasonally appropriate middle ground between a statement and a sensible choice, and office-appropriate enough to not require a second opinion. LINK
AUSCORP EVENTS
AusCorp Puppy Yoga x Doga Sydney event
AusCorp Runs | Sydney | Coming Soon 👀
AusCorp Singles Event | Sydney | Coming Soon 👀
ODD PICKS FROM LAST WEEK
FEEDBACK LOOP | SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
If you have want to provide more detailed feedback or have any topics that you want to hear more about, you can let us know HERE.
