Concerns over 3 Aussie stores using facial recognition technology, and what women are talking about tonight.

Aussie retailers Kmart, Bunnings and The Good Guys have been accused of using facial recognition technology in their stores. The probe was made by consumer group CHOICE.

The technology essentially captures and stores “unique biometric information such as facial features, often known as a 'faceprint’,” CHOICE explained.

As part of their investigation, the consumer group looked into 25 Aussie retailers to see if they were using the technology, and if they were making their use of it public information.

When it comes to transparency with customers, 76 per cent of Aussies surveyed by CHOICE said they weren’t aware that retailers were capturing their unique facial features in this way.

Monash University media professor, Mark Andrejevic commented on the news saying the use of facial recognition technology will likely become more common. So with this in mind, greater regulation is needed. 

"The first concern is notice and consent. It's not in highly visible forms of public notification that would invite people to understand what's taking place," he said. 

"I think the other set of concerns is we don't have a clear set of regulations or guidelines on the appropriate use of the technology."

Kmart and The Good Guys are yet to respond, but Bunnings issued a statement saying they have the technology in place in order to “prevent theft and anti-social behaviour”. 

Image: Getty.

Do you find the news cycle overwhelming? Depressing? Confusing? Boring? Endless? Then you need The Quicky. Mamamia's daily podcast that gets you up to speed on the top stories. 

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In news no one was ready for, Netflix has greenlit Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality competition series based on the hit 2021 South Korean drama that will feature some never before seen TV stakes.

And it’s the update that has sent people into a fever. A Marilyn Monroe collector has claimed that Kim Kardashian inflicted “permanent damage” on Marilyn’s iconic dress by wearing it to the Met Gala. But now we need to talk about the real story behind this controversy.

Plus, Jennifer Lopez’s long-awaited documentary has dropped on Netflix, and follows the star from the day of her 50th birthday celebrations to the Super Bowl half-time show she co-headlined with Shakira in 2020. The documentary gives us a new insight into Jennifer’s life, but at the same time, there are definitely some moments she didn’t want us to see.

Listen to The Spill below:

Australia's minimum wage will increase by 5.2 per cent from July 1, increasing from $20.33 an hour to $21.38 per hour. 

The change will effect 2.6 million workers, and will add $40 to their pay packets every week. 

Unions had called for a 5.5 per cent increase, to shield low-income workers from surging inflation. Business groups however, were arguing for a hike of between 2.5 per cent and three per cent.

#Breaking: The Fair Work Commission has confirmed the national minimum wage will increase by $40 per week, or 5.2%. #auspol pic.twitter.com/fS6nufLDOG

— 10 News First (@10NewsFirst) June 15, 2022

Morning, 

Here are your top news stories for Wednesday, June 15. 

1. Federal politicians are getting a payrise. 

Politicians will be enjoying a pay rise from July 1 with the independent Commonwealth Remuneration Tribunal ordering a 2.75 per cent wage increase for federal MPs and public office holders.

This means the Prime Minister’s salary will boost to more than $564,356 a year, while the Opposition leader’s annual income will increase to $401,561. The base salary for backbenchers will be $217,060. 

The remuneration tribunal has awarded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and all MPs the largest pay rise in almost a decade https://t.co/Apj7kFhTwe

— The Sydney Morning Herald (@smh) June 14, 2022

It's the first rise federal pollies have had since 2019, with the Remuneration Tribunal citing rises in wages across the broader economy in its announcement. It is the biggest increase the tribunal has awarded since 2012, when it awarded three per cent. 

Minimum wage workers are still waiting for news on a payrise themselves. The Fair Work Commission will announce its decision at 10am this morning. They are currently earning $20.33 an hour. 

2. NSW man guilty of murdering girlfriend.

A NSW man who strangled his girlfriend to death because he thought she was a demon has been found guilty of her murder. 

Jordan Brodie Miller was 20 when he killed Emerald Wardle, 18, who was found in an ensuite bathroom at a home in Metford, near Maitland, on June 20, 2020.

Miller admitted killing Wardle but pleaded not guilty to murdering her, claiming he was in a psychotic state at the time and did not intend to harm his girlfriend and could not be held criminally responsible.

#BREAKING Hunter man Jordan Miller has been found GUILTY of murdering his girlfriend, Emerald Wardle, near Maitland in 2020 @nbnnews pic.twitter.com/yZEsfTYnjt

— Tyson Cottrill (@TysonCottrill) June 14, 2022

His defence argued it was the first episode of a psychosis caused by an underlying form of undiagnosed schizophrenia, but the Newcastle Supreme Court jury rejected this and convicted him on Tuesday. 

The Crown case was Miller's psychotic state was drug-induced, after admitting to police to taking LSD 11 days prior. 

The jury were told Miller ran towards police when they arrived at the scene, pleading for help with a demon. 

"If you walk inside and go into the bathroom, it's in there, the demon. Help me, help me, the demon's got me, help me," he told officers. 

A neighbour had heard muffled yelling at 12.12am where the male sounded angry and the female sounded frightened before there was a loud bang like a door slamming.

Miller will be sentenced at a later date.

3. Mask rule to be dropped in airport terminals.

Travellers could no longer need to wear masks in Australian airports, with mandates to be scrapped within days.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has recommended lifting mask mandates at airport terminals from midnight on Friday, the government announced yesterday. 

However, flyers will still be required to wear masks on planes to help limit the spread of COVID-19. 

Mask wearing mandates in airports could be scrapped as early as Friday this week. #9Today pic.twitter.com/lzsuVhRIdh

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 14, 2022

"The government notes the AHPPC has strongly recommended Australians continue to wear masks as a key measure to help minimise the spread of COVID-19 and influenza," they in a statement. 

It will be up to individual states to relax the mandate.

4. Instagram launches new parental controls. 

Parents will now be able to check how much time their teenager spends scrolling on Instagram as the social media giant rolls out family-friendly tools and resources.

In a series of supervision features that will launch today, parents will be able to see who follows their children, get weekly reports on new connections, and set time limits on how much time they spend on Instagram.

They will also receive a notification when their teen reports an account or piece of content, and their child will have the option to leave notes to their parents on why the account was reported, in a bid to start healthy conversations.

Meta is rolling out additional parental supervision measures for Instagram and its virtual reality headset.

These changes come after a year of intense public scrutiny for the company, with significant criticism focused on child safety. https://t.co/k2vwbq6I8d

— NPR (@NPR) June 14, 2022

Meta, Instagram's parent company, also plans to provide links to anti-bullying, mental health and eating disorder resources after reports are made.

Instagram will also augment its Take A Break nudge to prompt teens to move onto different topics if they repeatedly look at the same content on the explore page.

The tools will only become available to a parent if the teen and the parent mutually agree.

5. Serena Williams to make Wimbledon return. 

Serena Williams is set to play at Wimbledon despite whispers the 40-year-old was going to retire.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion made a tearful exit in the first round 12 months ago after withdrawing due to a leg injury.

She had not applied to play using her protected ranking, so was not on the initial players' list.

But on Tuesday, Williams posted on Instagram: "SW and SW19. It's a date. 2022 See you there." 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)

"SW19" refers to the UK postal code for Wimbledon.

Wimbledon responded by granting the American great a wild-card entry for singles, bringing forward by 24 hours their planned release date.

You're all up to speed. We'll be back to bring you more news stories throughout the day. 

- With AAP. 

New research has found that more than half of all Aussie teachers are planning to quit their jobs, as low wages, excessive amounts of admin and poor working conditions continue to take their toll.

But is it really all that bad, and if so, why isn't more being done to help them stay in the job they love, and that is so important within our community?

The Quicky speaks to two teachers, one who has resigned and one who is thinking about quitting, to find out how the situation has become so bad, and what can change to ensure that people who dedicate themselves to educating children stick with their career.

READ: 

• What women were talking about on Tuesday

Feature Image: Getty.