NewzIntel.com

Category: Asia Pacific

  • MIL-OSI China: 40 Chinese nationals repatriated from Thailand in joint crackdown on illegal immigration

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    Forty Chinese nationals involved in illegal immigration were repatriated from Thailand on Thursday in a coordinated effort to combat cross-border crime and safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese citizens, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security (MPS).
    The operation, conducted in accordance with Chinese and Thai laws, international regulations and established practices, is one example of ongoing collaboration between the two nations to address transnational criminal activities. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu Attended Tzu Chi Australia’s 2025 Lunar New Year Blessing Ceremony

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu and Director Thomas Lee were delighted to attend the Lunar New Year Blessing Ceremony 2025 hosted by Tzu Chi Australia. Alongside guests including Mayor Trenton Brown, Jordon Lane MP, and Clr. Justin Li and Lyndal Howison. DG Wu witnessed the footprints of Tzu Chi volunteers’ great love around the world and across Australia in 2024.
    DG Wu acknowledged the long-standing charitable efforts promoted by Tzu Chi, which not only contribute to Australia’s medical, educational, and environmental sectors but also extend their great love internationally. This aligns with Taiwan’s global promotion of the concept of “Circulation of Goodness.” He also thanked Tzu Chi Australia for providing emergency aid to fellow nationals in Australia.
    At the beginning of the Lunar New Year, DG Wu extended his heartfelt wishes to all the guests for a prosperous and successful Year of the Snake.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI China: New air route links China’s Dali, Bangkok

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    A new air route connecting Dali, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, with Bangkok of Thailand, was launched on Tuesday.

    Spanning over 1,300 kilometers, the flight route allows passengers to travel directly between the two cities without the need for transfers. 

    Operated by West Air, the maiden flight departed from Dali at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday and arrived in Bangkok at 10:20 a.m. local time. The return flight left Bangkok at 11:20 a.m. local time and touched down in Dali at 2:35 p.m. 

    The launch of the new air route offers passengers a more convenient travel option, and is expected to help boost tourism, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: February 26th, 2025 Heinrich, Stansbury Lead Colleagues to Demand Reversal of Trump Attacks on Programs Serving Tribes and Tribal Members

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) led 109 of their colleagues in a bicameral letter to President Donald Trump, U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in demanding that efforts to fire employees and defund programs that serve Tribes and Tribal members be stopped and reversed.
    The lawmakers demanded that the President, Secretary Burgum, and Secretary Kennedy, “take immediate action to halt, exempt, and reverse the impacts to federal employees and funding serving Indian Country, as those positions and programs are essential for the administration of legally mandated Tribal programs and services.”
    Outlining the impact of the Trump administration’s actions to-date, the lawmakers wrote, “Your administration’s recent executive actions undermine Tribal sovereignty, existing federal law, and the federal-Tribal government-to-government relationship” The lawmakers continued, “In the past month, your administration has taken aim at thousands of federal workers across various government agencies. Reports indicate that this includes more than 2,600 federal employees at the Department of Interior, including more than 100 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) employees, more than 40 Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) employees, several employees at the Office of Indian Affairs, as well as social workers, firefighters, and police that work on behalf of Indian Country, plus some 950 Indian Health Service (IHS) employees at the Department of Health and Human Services.”
    The lawmakers further reminded the President and Secretary Burgum that “Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship to the United States. The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.” The lawmakers continued, “These trust and treaty obligations in some cases predate both the establishment of all of the agencies in question as well as the United States itself. Pursuant to those legal obligations, we must adequately fund and staff agencies that provide these essential services and programs, including at BIA, BIE, and IHS.”
    In the Senate, the letter was led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.). The letter was signed by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
    In the House, the letter was led by U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.). The letter was signed by 93 House members, including U.S. Representatives Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.).
    The full text of the letter is available here and below.
    Dear President Trump, Secretary Burgum, and Secretary Kennedy:
    We write to you today to urge you to take immediate action to halt, exempt, and reverse from existing or future executive actions any federal offices, services, or funding that serve Indian Country, as these positions and programs are essential to the administration of legally mandated Tribal programs and services.
    We are gravely concerned about the implementation of recent Executive Orders (EO), including EO 14210 entitled “Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative,” and the implications of reductions in the federal workforce and funding for Indian Country. As you know, the U.S. government has both trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations. These responsibilities are implemented by agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), Indian Health Service (IHS), and others, providing critical healthcare, education, and social services to Tribal communities. Your administration’s recent executive actions undermine legally required commitments to sovereign Tribal Nations, existing federal law, and the federal-Tribal government-to-government relationship.
    In the past month, your administration has taken aim at thousands of federal workers across various government agencies. Reports indicate that this includes more than 2,600 federal employees at the Department of the Interior, including more than 100 Bureau of Indian Affairs employees, more than 40 Bureau of Indian Education employees, several employees at the Office of Indian Affairs, as well as social workers, firefighters, and police that work on behalf of Indian Country, plus some 950 Indian Health Service employees at the Department of Health and Human Services. There have also been reports of layoffs at Tribal Colleges and Universities, including dozens of educators at both Haskell Indian Nations University and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute which are operated by the Bureau of Indian Education.
    Independent federal oversight entities, such as the Office of the Special Counsel, have already deemed some of these firings to be unlawful. Beyond the legal questions surrounding the ability to fire employees without specifying performance or conduct issues, any unilateral attempts to disrupt existing services administered or funded by the BIA, BIE, IHS, or other Tribal-serving entities would directly violate the trust and treaty obligations of the United States to Tribal Nations.
    Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with a unique legal and political relationship to the United States. The inherent sovereignty of Tribes is recognized in the U.S. Constitution, in treaties, and across many federal laws and policies, and it has been consistently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. These trust and treaty obligations in some cases predate both the establishment of all of the agencies in question as well as the United States itself. Pursuant to those legal obligations, the U.S. must adequately fund and staff agencies that provide these essential services and programs, including at BIA, BIE, and IHS.
    We have many concerns about the legality of the administration’s recent actions and, importantly, the ways in which those actions impact the sovereignty, self-determination, and trust and treaty obligations for Indian Country. The implementation of these obligations is a vital, non-discretionary part of federal law and the federal budget. This is not a partisan issue. We urge your administration to immediately halt, exempt, and reverse any federal workforce or federal funding reductions for Tribal programs or services and to engage in formal consultation with affected Tribal Nations at the government-to-government level. Any attempts to unilaterally dismantle or undermine these programs violates trust and treaty obligations, the U.S. Constitution, and centuries of legal precedent.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: IDEX Biometrics interim report for the fourth quarter and preliminary result for 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Oslo, Norway: IDEX Biometrics ASA’s interim report for the fourth quarter and preliminary result 2024 is attached to this notice, including the fourth quarter 2024 presentation.

    The report and presentation are available on the IDEX Biometrics website:

    www.idexbiometrics.com/investors

    Recent highlights 

    • Certification of IDEX PAY platform allowing manufacturers to certify and launch Biometric Payment Card programs with both Visa and Mastercard globally.
    • Reaching scale manufacturing quality among key partners, enabling them and us to go beyond pilot volumes.
    • IDEX Biometrics partner KONA I becomes first manufacturer certified by Mastercard for both PVC and metal biometric cards.
    • Access: Received an order from DigAware to deliver a biometric sensor solution to enhance their smart badges. DigAware’s new biometric ID badge incorporates RFID radios for emergency situations in environments such as schools, hospitals, and enterprises.
    • Payments: First commercial launch in Japan together with Life Card, subsidiary to AIFUL Japan’s third largest consumer finance company. Life Card’s commercial roll-out is targeted for the first half of 2025.
    • Streamlined global operations and progressed on cost efficiencies, aligning resources with key market priorities and further optimized our workforce.
    • Completed rights issue in November, allowing retail investors to participate at the same terms as shareholders participating in the September capital raise.

    Financial results Q4 2024

    • No product revenues in the fourth quarter.
    • Operating expenses excluding cost of products sold and bad debt provisions amounted to $2.4 million in the fourth quarter, below target at $2.5 million.
    • An accrual for loss on receivables from Zwipe AS amounting to $0.6 million has been included in the fourth quarter of 2024.
    • Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2024 was $2.1 million. The result includes net financial gain amounting to $2.4 million caused by value change of warrants and the derivative related to the convertible debt. Adjusted for these items, the result would have been a net loss of $4.6 million.
    • A non-cash impairment of goodwill amounting to $968 thousand was recorded in the fourth quarter.
    • Cash balance per 31 December 2024 at $2.0 million

    For further information contact: 
    Marianne Bøe, Head of Investor Relations, +47 91800186
    Kristian Flaten, CFO + 47 95092322
    E-mail: ir@idexbiometrics.com

     

    About IDEX Biometrics 

    IDEX Biometrics ASA (OSE: IDEX) is a global technology leader in fingerprint biometrics, offering authentication solutions across payments, access control, and digital identity. Our solutions bring convenience, security, peace of mind and seamless user experiences to the world. Built on patented and proprietary sensor technologies, integrated circuit designs, and software, our biometric solutions target card-based applications for payments and digital authentication. As an industry-enabler we partner with leading card manufacturers and technology companies to bring our solutions to market.

    For more information, visit www.idexbiometrics.com (http://www.idexbiometrics.com)

     

    Trademark Statement

    IDEX, TrustedBio, IDEX Biometrics and the IDEX logo are trademarks owned by IDEX Biometrics ASA. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.

     

    About this notice

    This notice was issued by Marianne Bøe, Head of Investor Relations, on 27 February 2025 at 08:00 CET on behalf of IDEX Biometrics ASA. The information shall be disclosed according to section 5‑6 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act (STA) and published in accordance with section 5‑12 of the STA.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Development Asia: Enhancing Vaccine Regulation for Pandemic Preparedness

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Strengthening regulatory frameworks is critical in ensuring that vaccines are quickly approved and distributed. Using a systematic approach, gaps in key areas of the regulatory system can be identified, prioritized, and effectively addressed through regulatory capacity building and education of regulatory professionals.

    The World Health Organization Global Benchmarking Tool was developed to evaluate regulatory systems objectively and systematically, identify strengths and areas for improvement, guide interventions, and monitor progress in strengthening the regulatory system. Consistent and regular training of national regulators can also complement regulatory systems strengthening efforts by focusing on the identified gaps.

    The diverse and fragmented regulatory environment in Asia and the Pacific calls for regulatory convergence[1] and cooperation to facilitate timely and equitable access in the region. Stable, well-functioning national regulatory authorities in the region listed as WHO Maturity Level 3 and 4 and WHO Listed Authorities, such as those in the People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam, could foster regional regulatory cooperation and serve as reference agencies for lower-resourced regulatory agencies.

    Such cooperation could be facilitated by formalized processes and relationships such as memoranda of understanding. For example, Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority has adopted a confidence-based regulatory approach that leverages the decisions of established and trusted regulatory agencies through formal recognition mechanisms and has expedited reviews without compromising the robustness of regulatory decisions. This has reduced approval timelines to 90 working days from 270 working days for the Health Sciences Authority’s full evaluation route under its verification evaluation system.

    Confidence-based approaches can be adopted in various stages of the vaccine life cycle. The ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Good Manufacturing Practice Inspection enables member states to leverage on the regulatory inspections performed by other member states. It is legally binding for member states to recognize one another’s good manufacturing practice certificates, benchmarked against the international Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation Scheme.

    Regulatory cooperation can range from legally-binding mechanisms in the form of mutual recognition agreements and reliance mechanisms to other forms of cooperation such as joint collaborative assessments, report sharing and work sharing. Work sharing can promote mutual learning and the sharing of best practices among participating national regulatory authorities and can encourage regulatory convergence. For industry, the work-sharing model can be commercially attractive, providing simultaneous access to multiple countries and shorten timelines with the consolidation of questions.

    While cooperation on vaccine regulation is still nascent, there are other examples of regulatory cooperative mechanisms. Work sharing is practiced by Access Consortium, comprising the national regulatory authorities of Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. A similar coalition is the Opening Procedures at EMA to Non-EU authorities (OPEN) initiative, led by the EMA, which partners Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Switzerland and WHO in joint assessments. In Asia and the Pacific, the Indo-Pacific Regulatory Strengthening Program, comprising Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, and Viet Nam, and supported by Australia, successfully expedited approval of the antimalarial tafenoquine in Thailand in 2019 in its joint review.

    While the work-sharing model has its advantages, the following points also need to be considered:

    • Participating national regulatory authorities may have different priority drug lists and approval timelines.
    • Participating national regulatory authorities may have different technical requirements.
    • Lack of clarity in regulatory decisions could impact company filing strategies.

    Convergence of regulatory requirements can further contribute to successful work-sharing collaborations. One way to incentivize the alignment of key regulatory requirements is the creation of a consensus on indicators that measure overall efficiency of the work-sharing pathway, which participating countries can jointly work towards. Regional regulatory convergence efforts include the APEC Action Plan on Vaccination Across the Life-Course, which sets key policy targets to achieve by 2030. Priorities for alignment include post-approval change management, labeling, and packaging.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Development Asia: Building Sustainable Vaccine Manufacturing Practices in Lower-Resourced Settings

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Vaccines are inherently labile biologicals that require complex manufacturing and handling processes. Vaccine manufacturing requires multiple considerations, such as technical expertise, production capabilities, market demand, and stringent regulatory requirements. Underpinning these considerations is the need for sustainable funding. Vaccine manufacturing is a capital-intensive endeavor with facilities and equipment costing up to $700 million. This excludes the costs of product development, licensing, regulatory, and overhead costs, clubbed with a significant risk of development failure and unprofitability. Because of the high investments needed, there are often conflicting interests between commercial drivers and public health needs. The COVAX manufacturing task force highlighted key prerequisites for vaccine manufacturing to address future pandemic responses. These include a wide range of efforts, including upgrading manufacturing facilities to international standards, expanding the vaccine manufacturing workforce and regulatory capabilities, and enabling technology transfer.

    Maintaining quality throughout the process of vaccine production to delivery is paramount. As it involves many upstream and downstream processes, vaccine manufacturing demands a robust quality management system to ensure an uninterrupted supply of raw materials, consumables, current Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant facilities, and state-of-the-art equipment. Optimizing the scale-up of production, validation, and prompt resolution of technical issues are important to address when expanding the production capacity. The complexity of production is further constrained by vaccine lability, with many vaccines requiring cold chain maintenance during transportation and storage, some at very low temperatures. In addition, supply chain networks for manufacturing and packaging processes spread across different countries add to the complexity of producing consistently good quality batches of these susceptible biological products.

    From an economic perspective, investing in or scaling up vaccine manufacturing capacity has limited utility without sustainable demand. Overall vaccine demand depends on several factors: i) private, public, and donor market demands; ii) disease prevalence; iii) vaccine effectiveness and safety; iv) trust in the government and health system; and v) social norms, such as social influence, vaccination decisions of peers and vaccine free-riding behavior. For example, Gavi, the Global Vaccine Alliance, provides data on forecasting vaccine demand to assist stakeholders in understanding the vaccine market needs. On the supply side, health systems must also have adequate facility readiness to effectively deliver the vaccines.

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, expedited regulatory approvals were crucial for the rapid development, manufacturing, and delivery of vaccines. However, prior to the pandemic, fragmented regulatory requirements, complex quality control standards, and the lack of a central monitoring and coordinating system to manage capacity had hampered vaccine manufacturing efforts.

    Setting up sustainable vaccine manufacturing capabilities also depends on issues around intellectual property rights of the vaccines. The current Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) established by the World Trade Organization grants disproportionate market power to the bigger developers and manufacturers and leads to market oligopoly, further increasing the barrier of entry for smaller manufacturers. While technology transfer as a method of collaboration is proposed to improve efficiency in manufacturing, it requires extensive and transparent knowledge sharing and active support from the original manufacturers to reproduce the original vaccines with acceptable variations. This entire technology transfer process may take from 18 months up to 30 months as it involves a wide range of activities and expertise, including specialized skills, documentation, laboratory technicians, and regulation registration. In public health emergencies where it is essential to ramp up vaccine production, this timeline delays access to life-saving vaccines.

    Vaccine manufacturing also has a profound impact on the environment. Vaccine packaging material, which is essential for transport and storage, can raise costs including disposal expenses. There is a significant increase in glass, plastic, and rubber residues from vaccine containers as well. Combined with the added waste from the process of vaccination, such as needles and syringes that are often non-biodegradable, vaccine manufacturing greatly affects the environment.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Development Asia: Ensuring Sustainable, Locally Relevant Vaccine R&D in Resource-Limited Settings

    Source: Asia Development Bank

    Decisions on vaccine platform choice should be context-specific.

    Various vaccine technologies or platforms are available to help the body defend against pathogens (Table 1). While mRNA-based vaccines were the fastest to be developed and the most effective against SARS-CoV-2, the technology is not a solution for all pathogens. Each vaccine platform has its advantages and limitations, and choosing one depends on factors such as the pathogen, immune response, outbreak situation, cost, and ease of manufacturing.

    The understanding of how the human body defends against different pathogens often guides vaccine technology selection. The two major protective, vaccine-induced immune components include: 1) neutralizing antibodies in the blood that can block infection and 2) immune T cells that kill infected cells. For example, the immune system combats bacterial infections through T-cell-dependent antibodies targeting the outer bacterial polysaccharide coating. As a result, most bacterial vaccines use polysaccharide conjugate vaccine technologies.

    Tackling pandemic versus endemic pathogens requires vastly different vaccine development considerations. During a pandemic, rapid vaccine development technologies, such as mRNA, are critical. However, for vaccines against endemic pathogens, priorities may shift to long-term immunity and cost-effectiveness. When developing vaccines in or for populations in low-resource settings, cost and manufacturing complexity are key considerations. Furthermore, up-to-date knowledge of the major circulating pathogen strains—both locally and globally—and their associated epidemiology should inform vaccine development.

    Investment in a range of vaccine platforms is critical for maximizing success.

    As countries tackle a vast range of emerging infectious diseases, experts recommend judicious R&D investments in a variety of platforms, as well as innovations in manufacturing. The “portfolio approach” by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is a case in point. It refers to the deliberate investment in a diverse range of vaccine platforms. Portfolio diversification enhances overall success by ensuring that different platforms do not share the same features and risks of failure.

    Investment in early-stage R&D is instrumental for understanding how vaccine candidates provide protection and for generating evidence to support early go/no-go decisions in vaccine development. All vaccine R&D investments require a comprehensive assessment to evaluate market demand, barriers to access, and expected public health impact. For example, GAVI’s vaccine investment analysis framework aims to understand and capture the full value of vaccines, including social, economic, and population health benefits.

    CEPI’s 100-day mission proposes to build a global vaccine library to promote coordinated investments and a global collaborative network for rapid content sharing. This initiative aims to build a library of vaccine prototypes and incorporate AI tools to forecast virus variants for high-priority diseases before their emergence.

    Accelerating vaccine development requires multi-stakeholder effort.

    The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the possibility of drastically shrinking clinical development timelines by combining clinical trial phases and using adaptive trial designs. The use of immune correlates of protection (CoP)—i.e., immune parameters responsible for vaccine-induced protection—also enabled the rapid licensure of several COVID-19 vaccines. This was achieved through bridging studies, where immunology results from completed clinical trials were extrapolated to different populations. Fundamental research on high-priority pathogens is therefore crucial for establishing and validating CoP for future pandemic pathogens. Newer methods, such as controlled human challenge models, offer further potential to provide rapid insights into protection and safety.

    Regulatory agility during the pandemic facilitated the expedited development of safe and high-quality vaccines. Similarly, regional and global collaboration in sharing manufacturing processes and vaccine safety and efficacy data further accelerated vaccine R&D. Therefore, continued data sharing, harmonization of regulatory requirements and resolving intellectual property issues will lead to faster availability of new vaccines during emergencies.

    Limited infrastructure, funding, technical expertise, operational and manpower limitations currently hamper trials in resource-limited countries. Equitable vaccine access may be facilitated through international public-private partnerships in vaccine development and technology transfer. Understanding the magnitude and extent of knowledge and expertise gaps in these countries is important for guiding capacity building initiatives.

    Affordability dictates the success of vaccine development programs in resource-limited countries.

    Innovative strategies are essential in ensuring financial sustainability of vaccine R&D in lower-resourced countries. Design and discovery of new and improved vaccine technologies usually require decades of investment in basic scientific research, which is mostly sustainable in high-resource settings. To level the playing field, initiatives such as the WHO mRNA transfer hub and private and philanthropic joint ventures like Hilleman laboratories are working to make new vaccine technologies more accessible to lower-resource countries through technology transfer mechanisms.

    Additionally, vaccine clinical trials require significant financial investments for setting up infrastructure, capacity development and clinical trial implementation. As a solution, WHO recently set up the Global Clinical Trials Forum to strengthen the clinical trial ecosystem in the Global South and promote domestic financing of clinical trials.

    Table 1: Major Vaccine Platforms and Considerations for Development in Resource Constrained Settings

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ProClimb Supports Climbing Competition

    Source: Press Release Service – Press Release/Statement:

    Headline: ProClimb Supports Climbing Competition

    ProClimb, a leading provider of arborist and tree care services in Auckland, proudly participated in a recent climbing competition, with several crew members volunteering to support the event.

    The post ProClimb Supports Climbing Competition first appeared on PR.co.nz.

    – –

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Sinoboom Now Available at Youngman Richardson

    Source: Press Release Service – Press Release/Statement:

    Headline: Sinoboom Now Available at Youngman Richardson

    Youngman Richardson (YR), a leading provider of Elevated Work Platforms (EWP) in New Zealand, is proud to offer Sinoboom Access Equipment as an option. Recognised globally for high-performance and durable access equipment, Sinoboom serves construction, industrial, agricultural and hire sectors across 70 countries, including Europe, Southeast Asia, Africa and Oceania.

    The post Sinoboom Now Available at Youngman Richardson first appeared on PR.co.nz.

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    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Waimauku Automotive Launches TradeTyres

    Source: Press Release Service – Press Release/Statement:

    Headline: Waimauku Automotive Launches TradeTyres

    Waimauku, New Zealand – Feb 2025 – Waimauku Automotive, a well-established and trusted automotive service provider, is thrilled to announce the launch of its new online tyre retail platform. This exciting venture brings a vast selection of high-quality tyres at competitive prices directly to consumers, coupled with the reliable service Waimauku Automotive is known for.

    The post Waimauku Automotive Launches TradeTyres first appeared on PR.co.nz.

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    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI:   Ageas reports full-year results 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Ageas reports full-year results 2024

    • Successful completion of Impact24, delivering on all financial targets
    • Strong commercial performance accelerated across businesses and segments, resulting in a 10% growth
    • Continued strengthening of the business profitability leading to a Net Operating Result of EUR 1.24 billion, at the top half of the 2024 full-year guidance
    • Holding cash position above EUR 1.0 billion
    • Proposed total dividend of EUR 3.50 per share. Final dividend of EUR 2.00 per share
    Key Figures 2024
    Result
    • Net Operating Result of EUR 1,240 million, representing a Return on Equity of 16.3%
    • Net Result of EUR 1,118 million
    • Operational Capital Generation of EUR 2.2 billion
    • Operational Free Capital Generation of EUR 1.5 billion
    Inflows
    (at constant exchange rate and constant scope)
    • Inflows amounted to EUR 18.5 billion, representing a strong growth of +10%
    • Life inflows rose to EUR 11.7 billion (+9%) thanks to a return to growth in Belgium and Europe and a maintained solid performance in Asia
    • Non-Life inflows increased to EUR 6.8 billion (+14%) with significant business growth in all segments and product lines
    Operating Performance
    • Combined ratio of 93.3%
      • Guaranteed Margin of 149 bps and Unit Linked Margin of 41 bps
    Balance Sheet
    • Comprehensive Equity of EUR 16.1 billion or EUR 88.14 per share
    • Pillar II Solvency II ratio improved, reaching 218%, well above the Group’s neutral risk appetite
    • General account Total Liquid Assets as at 31 December 2024 stood at EUR 1,066 million
    • Life Liabilities excl. UG/L stood at EUR 91.4 billion
    Non-financial and Sustainability Targets
     
    • During the Impact24 cycle, Ageas’s scores from the six ESG rating agencies assessing the Group significantly improved, reaching Top Quartile with one.
    • 29% of Gross Written Premiums comes from sustainable products, while EUR 14,6 billion was invested in sustainable assets.
    • Six entities have achieved a Top Quartile cNPS score and five a Top Quartile eNPS score.
    • Significant progress has been made in diversifying distribution, encompassing both agency and digital platforms.

    Hans De Cuyper, CEO Ageas: “I am very pleased to announce an excellent performance in 2024. We grew inflows considerably, increased the profitability of our business and secured a Net Operating Result of 1.24 billion euro at the upper half of our guidance, while maintaining a strong cash and solvency position. This strong performance enables us to announce a total gross cash dividend of 3.50 euro for 2024, consistent with our Impact24 commitment. I am also proud that we successfully completed our Impact24 strategic cycle, achieving sustainable growth, strengthening profitability, and diversifying cash flows, while meeting all financial targets and most non-financial ones. While we have made significant progress in various aspects of our business, I am especially pleased that our ESG efforts have been recognised by rating agencies, which has led to the inclusion of the Ageas share in the BEL®ESG index. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we anticipate a cash upstream from the business between 850 to 900 million euro in 2025, giving us a good starting position to meet our Elevate27 dividend commitment.”

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: BW Offshore: Fourth quarter and full year results 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Fourth quarter and full year results 2024

    HIGHLIGHTS

    • Q4 EBITDA USD 72 million and 2024 EBITDA USD 318 million in line with guidance
    • Strong commercial performance with Q4 operating cashflow of USD 79 million and 2024 operating cashflow of USD 363 million
    • Robust balance sheet with an equity ratio 30.8% and USD 540 million in available liquidity
    • Q4 cash dividend raised to USD 0.14 per share
    • Increased cash flow in sight with Barossa FPSO on track for April sail-away
    • Full-year 2025 EBITDA guidance in the range of USD 220-250 million

    BW Offshore continues to progress the Barossa project according to schedule and well within the updated budget. As of end January 2025, construction and integration was 99% complete and commissioning at 85% completion. The vessel is currently being prepared for sail-away in late April. The FPSO is on track for first gas in mid-2025.

    For 2025, BW Offshore expects to report EBITDA in the range of USD 220 to 250 million. The EBITDA outlook reflects the firm backlog for BW Adolo and BW Catcher and the expected start of IFRS revenue recognition from BW Opal at full practical completion during the fourth quarter. Dayrate received for the BW Opal during the start-up and early production phase from mid-2025 will be amortised over the 15-year contract period. Contract negotiations for BW Pioneer are progressing well, however no guidance on EBITDA has been included beyond firm contract.

    The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of USD 0.14 per share. The shares will trade ex-dividend from 3 March 2025. Shareholders recorded in VPS following the close of trading on Oslo Børs on 4 March 2025, will be entitled to the distribution payable on or around 11 March 2025. The total dividend for 2024 amounts to USD 59.2 million, equal to 50% of net Income for the year.

    “We continue to maintain a strong balance sheet supported by consistent high commercial uptime and robust cash generation from the fleet with 2024 EBITDA above initial guidance. Our commitment to returning value to shareholders stands firm as reflected in the increased fourth-quarter dividend, and a total distribution for 2024 reflecting 50% of net profit for a second consecutive year,” said Marco Beenen, CEO of BW Offshore. “As BW Opal progresses to schedule and soon departs the yard in Singapore for the Barossa field, we are moving ahead with potential new FPSO projects that meet our selection criteria in a market with high tendering and FEED activity.”

    FINANCIALS
    EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2024 was USD 71.9 million (USD 83.2 million in Q3). The EBITDA reflects solid operational performance across the FPSO fleet. Third quarter EBITDA was higher due to the final contribution from engineering and design work on the Sakarya project.

    EBIT for the fourth quarter was USD 30.8 million (USD 37.6 million).

    Net financial items were positive at USD 19.4 million (negative USD 16.4 million), of which net interest expense amounted to USD 3.0 million (USD 4.3 million). Fourth quarter was impacted by the recognition of a valuation gain on the finance liability related to the Barossa project, due to changes in timing of future expected cash flows and a positive mark-to-market adjustment on interest rate hedges resulting from an increase in swap rates.

    The share of loss from equity-accounted investments was USD 9.5 million, including a valuation adjustment on the Barossa finance receivable related to changes in timing of future expected cash flows (loss of USD 5.7 million).

    Net profit for the fourth quarter increased significantly to USD 40.8 million (USD 13.0 million).

    Total equity as of 31 December 2024 was USD 1 246.6 million (USD 1 208.6 million). The equity ratio was 30.8% at the end of the quarter (29.6%).

    As a result of strong cash generation from the fleet and the sale of BW Energy shares in 2024, the Company was net cash positive by USD 74.4 million as of 31 December 2024 (USD 38.4 million net cash positive at the end of September).

    Available liquidity was USD 540 million, excluding consolidated cash from BW Ideol and including USD 233.8 million available under the corporate loan facility.

    FPSO OPERATIONS
    The FPSO fleet continued to deliver stable uptime in the quarter with a weighted average fleet uptime of 99.2% (98.9% in the third quarter).

    BW Adolo delivered strong commercial performance as fourth quarter production increased to 37,150 barrels per day (bbls/day), resulting in strong cash flow stemming from the tariff under the contract that generate USD 1.5/bbl for the first 20,000 bbls/day of production and USD 3/bbl for production beyond 20,000 bbls/day.

    Performance from BW Catcher and BW Pioneer was stable and consistent with high commercial uptime.

    FPSO PROJECTS
    In January, BW Offshore was selected to perform the pre-FEED study for the Bay du Nord FPSO project by Equinor. The project reflects BW Offshore’s expertise in floating production solutions for harsh environment conditions, and commitment to delivering sustainable and innovative solutions. The pre-FEED study will play an important role in supporting Equinor’s strategic goals for the Bay du Nord development.

    LOW CARBON ENERGY SOLUTIONS
    BW Offshore is committed to contribute to the energy transition by developing low-carbon offshore energy production solutions, by leveraging FPSO expertise to deliver low-carbon energy and expand into new sectors, focusing on low-emission oil and gas, CO2 transport, gas-to-power and floating ammonia to meet evolving energy demands. The Company maintains a disciplined approach with selective and diligent allocation of capital and a commitment to creating shareholder value.

    BW Offshore also owns 64% of BW Ideol. BW Ideol is a leader in offshore floating wind technology and co-development, with over 14 years of experience in the development of floating wind projects.

    In December, BW Ideol’s project partners, EDF Renewables and Maple Power, were awarded the Mediterranean Tender (AO6) floating offshore wind project in France. The 250-megawatt (MW) development will leverage BW Ideol’s proprietary Damping Pool® technology, a proven solution that optimises the stability and performance of floating wind turbines in challenging marine environments. A total of 12 floating foundations and turbines are planned to be installed at the site.

    OUTLOOK
    Growing energy demand continues to drive interest in developing new infrastructure-type FPSO projects with long production profiles, low break-even costs and focus on lower emissions. Increased project complexity, combined with higher construction costs, necessitates financial structures with significant day rate prepayments during the construction period for new lease and operate projects.

    Alternatively, oil and gas majors may finance and own FPSOs, relying on FPSO specialists for the design, construction and installation scope, combined with operation and maintenance services. BW Offshore is well positioned to offer both solutions.

    In recent years, the number of sanctioned FPSO projects have lagged market expectations. Consequently, there is a growing number of projects at various stages of maturity, reflecting a pent-up demand for FPSOs. Increased FEED and tendering activity is a function of this, and BW Offshore expects that a number of the FPSO projects the Company is engaging with will reach a final investment decision over the next 12 to 36 months. The market dynamics, combined with the high competence levels required for project execution, should enable better risk-reward and improved margins for FPSO companies going forward.

    BW Offshore continues to selectively evaluate new projects that meet required return targets, offer contracts with no residual value risk after firm period, and provide a financeable structure with strong national or investment-grade counterparties.

    BW Offshore expects that the fleet will continue to generate significant cash flows in the time ahead, supported by the USD 5.3 billion firm contract backlog at the end of December 2024.

    Please see attached the Q4 Presentation. The earnings tables are available at:

    https://www.bwoffshore.com/ir/

    BW Offshore will host a webcast of the financial results 09:00 (CET) today. The presentation will be given by CEO Marco Beenen and CFO Ståle Andreassen.

    Webcast information:
    You can follow the presentation via webcast with supporting slides and a Q&A module, available on:

    BW Offshore Limited – Q4 Presentation Webcast

    Please note, that if you follow the webcast via the above URL, you will experience a 30 second delay compared to the main conference call. The web page works best in an updated browser – Chrome is recommended.

    For further information, please contact:
    Ståle Andreassen, CFO, +47 91 71 86 55
    IR@bwoffshore.com or www.bwoffshore.com

    About BW Offshore:
    BW Offshore engineers innovative floating production solutions. The Company has a fleet of 3 FPSOs with potential and ambition to grow. By leveraging four decades of offshore operations and project execution, the Company creates tailored offshore energy solutions for evolving markets world-wide. BW Offshore has around 1,100 employees and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

    This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

    Attachments

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Minister of Trade and Industry of Timor-Leste

    Source: ASEAN

    Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, today met with Minister of Trade and Industry of Timor-Leste Filipus Nino Pereira, in Johor, Malaysia, on the sidelines of the 31st ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat. They discussed Timor Leste’s accession process to ASEAN, particularly under the pillar of ASEAN Economic Community.

    The post Secretary-General of ASEAN meets with the Minister of Trade and Industry of Timor-Leste appeared first on ASEAN Main Portal.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Chrystal Zhang, Associate Professor, Aerospace Engineering & Aviation, RMIT University

    Petr Podrouzek/Shutterstock

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers has given the green light for Qatar Airways to buy a 25% stake in Virgin Australia, as part of a strategic alliance. The deal will shake up the Australian aviation market.

    The announcement follows a detailed assessment by the Foreign Investment Review Board, and a draft determination to authorise the deal by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

    The deal allows Qatar Airways to buy the 25% stake from the US private equity firm Bain Capital, and makes an eventual initial public offering of Virgin more likely. It also allows Virgin to operate regular services from some of Australia’s major capital cities to Doha.

    Chalmers said the agreement will be subject to enforceable conditions, including retaining Australians on the board of Virgin and protecting consumer data.

    The ACCC has previously said the tie-up would boost competition and benefit consumers.

    The announcement comes on the same day as competitor Qantas posted its latest half-year earnings, showing statutory profits up 6% on the same period last year. So, will Australian flyers be the ultimate winners?

    Getting Australians around the world

    For many Australian travellers, getting where they want to go around the world has long meant making a stopover, especially if travelling to Europe.

    Currently, Qantas does operate direct flights between Perth and three cities in Europe: London, Paris and Rome.

    Doha’s Hamad International Airport is an important global aviation hub.
    Light Orancio/Shutterstock

    However, other international carriers – including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airways and some Chinese carriers – all provide connecting flights via an international hub airport.

    Doha’s Hamad International Airport is one such hub, and Qatar Airways currently flies from there to more than 170 destinations.

    At the heart of this new partnership is what’s called a “wet lease arrangement”. Virgin will be able to use both the aircraft and crew of Qatar Airways to operate its own flights.

    That will allow Virgin to compete as if it were an established international carrier, because it provides access to Qatar’s international network. It should also mean streamlined transit procedures, minimal waiting times, and better baggage handling.

    This deal is expected to create 28 new weekly return services to Doha, from Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. Having additional flights to this hub by Virgin will give travellers many more options for getting around the world.

    More competition for Qantas

    The agreement will greatly expand Virgin’s international reach and make it more competitive with Qantas. Virgin had to scale back its international footprint after it went into receivership in 2020.

    Qantas will continue to be a major player in flying Australians to Europe. It has also recently added more direct flights from Perth to European destinations.

    But we may be seeing signs of more robust competition pressures already. In its profit announcement on Thursday, Qantas outlined a plan for cabin upgrades for its Boeing 737s as it awaits delivery of new Airbus aircraft.

    Virgin will offer international flights through a ‘wet lease’ arrangement with Qatar.
    Seth Jaworski/Shutterstock

    Turning things around

    Virgin Australia has come a long way since entering voluntary administration in April 2020. After being sold to Bain Capital, the airline restructured its cost base, fleet and commercial functions.

    With a focus on cutting costs and improving its Velocity frequent flyer program, Virgin has since been able to bounce back from the brink and win back market share.

    That success means Virgin is now better positioned to return to international markets and compete with Qantas there, too.

    It will give the airline’s owners more confidence in handing over to a new chief executive and preparing the ground for a long-delayed initial public sharemarket offering that would see Virgin return to the Australian Securities Exchanges (ASX).

    Chrystal Zhang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Virgin Australia’s deal with Qatar has been given the green light. Travellers should be the winners – https://theconversation.com/virgin-australias-deal-with-qatar-has-been-given-the-green-light-travellers-should-be-the-winners-251025

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rod Campbell, Honorary fellow, Deakin University

    Not so long ago, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was branded “Mr Harbourside Mansion”, a moniker bestowed upon him by his own side of politics.

    Turnbull’s estimated A$200 million in wealth when he entered politics was well known. So too was the estimated $56 million in riches accrued outside of politics by Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and his family.

    Not all politicians are multimillionaires like Turnbull and Rudd. But generally, they are wealthier than their constituents. They are also more likely to own more than one home.

    A recent ABC analysis of the parliamentary public interests register found 215 of Australia’s 227 members and senators own at least one property. 77 of them recorded interest in three or more properties.

    Out of touch pollies?

    Australians know their politicians tend to be richer than they are and sometimes it makes waves.

    Anthony Albanese’s purchase of a $4 million home on the New South Wales Central Coast dominated headlines for weeks, and it’s still being raised in focus and research groups as an issue with voters.

    Crucially, like Turnbull and Rudd’s wealth, Albanese’s cash splash on his coastal dream home has always been publicly available information.

    Veiled wealth

    But Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has mostly managed to skate by in the conversations about MPs and their money. He has kept the media’s focus on his brief career as a Queensland police officer, rather than the riches he has accrued through investing in property.

    While Dutton has not made a secret of his previous investments, and elements of his wealth have dripped into the public domain in the past, his affluence has rarely been discussed in whole terms. That changed this week with the Nine newspapers estimating his property investments at $30 million in transactions across 26 pieces of real estate.

    The portfolio, bought and sold over 35 years, eclipse Albanese’s property interests several times over.

    Dutton’s story highlights a tension that continues to frustrate voters: politicians who enjoy superior wealth are the ones who decide the financial circumstances of their constituents’ lives.

    Uncomfortable questions

    The stories highlighting Dutton’s prosperity have pointed out his past use of tax structures, including discretionary trusts, self-managed super funds and family companies to manage his money.

    Dutton has defended the millions he has made in property purchases. He’s accused his political rivals of mounting a “smear campaign” by trying to discredit him for being an “astute investor”.

    On the other side of politics, Albanese has refused to say if he used negative gearing before he became prime minister to reduce his tax bill.

    Exposing and debating the wealth of our leaders may be uncomfortable for them, but it’s an opportunity to push all sides of politics to address the aspects of our tax system that make it less fair.

    Tax loopholes for some

    The first thing to understand is that there are far fewer tax loopholes for avoiding tax on wages. If you work for a living, like most Australians, there are not many tax tricks for you.

    If you own assets and earn income from investments, however, things are a little different. How you own the assets is also important. Simply owning your own home is nice, but not as good as owning assets through a discretionary trust, a self-managed super fund, or a family company.

    Financial vehicles

    A discretionary trust is a way of holding income earning assets where the income stream can be split between beneficiaries. This means money can be directed to the people in the trust who face the lowest marginal tax rates, such as adult children, rather than a higher-earning parent, who faces a higher tax rate.

    The income earned from trusts overwhelmingly goes to high income earners. Treasury estimates (page 47) that the top 10% of income earners receive 63% of the income from trusts, while the bottom half of income earners get just 11% of the income.

    A self-managed super fund helps reduces taxation because of the various tax breaks for superannuation. For example, an owner might have their business in their self-managed super fund, with the income to the fund being taxed at a lower rate than it would have if it was owned in the business owner’s name.

    A family company, like trusts and self-managed super funds, is a vehicle for owning assets. If the assets are owned by a family company, then profits are subject to company tax rates. This can be as low as 25% if the company turnover is less than $50 million per year.

    All three of these asset-owning vehicles are entirely legal. And they can have legitimate uses. But they also provide tax loopholes that can be used to reduce the amount of tax someone has to pay and to obscure who actually owns the assets.

    Level the playing field

    This is fundamentally unfair. These structures for reducing tax are mostly only available to the wealthy. The average wage earner cannot structure their income through such complex tax structures.

    Scrapping the capital gains tax discount, getting rid of discretionary trusts, placing more limits on the types of assets that can be held in self-managed super funds, and increasing tax rates on people with big super balances would reduce the ability of the wealthy to avoid paying tax.

    It is hard to reform tax loopholes because most people don’t understand them and the people who do understand them reap the biggest benefits from them.

    The current discussion around Dutton’s investments might help more people become cognisant of these tax structures and how some of the biggest beneficiaries are politicians pretending to understand what it’s like to be a worker in a cost-of-living crisis.

    Rod Campbell is the Research Director at The Australia Institute, an independent research organisation based in Canberra. See www.australiainstitute.org.au

    – ref. Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth – https://theconversation.com/politics-and-property-how-our-leaders-are-among-the-privileged-using-legal-loopholes-to-build-their-wealth-250929

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anne Summers, Professor, UTS Business School, University of Technology Sydney

    Shutterstock

    The greatest achievements in women’s economic progress in recent decades are potentially being eroded by domestic violence. This is the key finding of a new research report being released today by the University of Technology Sydney’s Business School. The report provides data that enable us, for the first time, to quantify the economic impact of domestic violence on Australian women.

    The increase in women’s participation in employment and higher education in recent decades has been nothing short of dramatic. In 1966, about 37% of women were in the labour force, compared to 84% of men. By 2024 that figure had climbed to 63%, with almost 7 million women employed, 57.3% of them in full-time jobs.

    Yet our research shows a dramatic “employment gap” between women who have experienced domestic violence and those who have not.

    In 2021-22, the employment rate for women who had experienced partner violence or abuse (physical, sexual, emotional or economic) was 5.3% lower than the employment rates for women who had never experienced violence.

    The gap is larger for women who have experienced economic abuse, reaching 9.4% in 2021-22, according to customised data commissioned from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) especially for this report.

    The employment gap varies among sub-groups of women. For instance, the gap between women with disability who have recently experienced economic abuse by a partner and women with disability who have never experienced partner violence or abuse is 13.4%. For culturally and linguistically diverse women, the employment gap was 3.7%.

    We used the 2018-19 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey to try to calculate employment gaps for First Nations women. They certainly existed but, because of the small sample size, the results were not statistically significant. Further research is urgently needed.

    The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey conducted by the ABS reported that 451,000 women have had a previous partner who had controlled or tried to control them from working or earning money. More than 30,000 women have experienced similar conduct from their current partner.

    In other words, many men are using forceful tactics to try to sabotage their partners’ employment. They resort to such tactics as hiding her car keys, letting down the car tyres, damaging her work clothes, even getting into her phone’s calendar to change her appointments, trying to make her appear unreliable as an employee.

    The ‘education gap’

    What is of perhaps even greater concern for the long-term employment prospects of women is the other key finding of our report: the existence of an “education gap” among young women at university. This is especially the case because the growth of women’s participation in higher education has been spectacular.

    In 1982, a mere 8% of women aged 25-34 held a bachelor degree or higher. By 2023, this had skyrocketed to 51.6% of women in this age range holding at least a bachelor degree, amounting to 990,000 women.

    The education gap is a new and truly shocking finding that young women who experience domestic violence fail to complete their university degrees. For young women, by the time they are 27, there is a nearly 15% gap in the rates of university degree attainment between victim-survivors and other women.

    Statistical analysis of data obtained from the Australian Longitudinal Study in Women’s Health, which surveys the same women over time, allows us to track the direct impact of domestic violence in the following years. We show that domestic violence causes a 5.2% decline in young women’s university degree attainment in the year following the first time they report experiencing violence. This rises to 9.7% three years after the violence is first reported.

    These findings on the impact of violence on university education in Australia have never previously been reported.

    Ripple effects of violence against women

    The implications of these findings are immensely significant for the progress of women’s employment.

    The lifelong consequences of failing to complete their degrees are significant, with individuals holding a bachelor’s degree in Australia earning 41% more annually than those with only Year 12 schooling. In addition, these young women are likely to have accrued an indexed HECS debt that could affect their credit rating throughout their lives. Their lower earnings also mean a concomitant decrease in retirement savings.

    These young women’s economic futures are severely compromised and it will be extremely difficult for them to ever recover those lost opportunities.

    Neither can we overlook the fact of, and possible connection between, the dramatic fall in men’s share of bachelor degrees. Women are now outperforming men at university. In 2023, a majority (57.2%) of bachelor students were women. Is this a source of resentment among men?

    The existence of domestic violence among students may be news to many people. Indeed, it is not something that has attracted much attention, including from universities, which have policies to provide paid leave and other supports for staff members who experience domestic violence but little for students.

    Yet it ought not to be surprising. We know that many students cohabit and so the possibility for violence exists. And we know from the Personal Safety Survey in 2016 that women aged 18-24 experience the highest rates of recent partner violence: 19.3% (compared to 11.5% for women aged 25 to 34 and 7.7% for women aged 35-44).

    Our findings point to the growing prevalence of men trying to exert economic control over their partners. Essential to this has been the use of surveillance, especially stalking of women, designed to intimidate and further control. In 2021-22 the Personal Safety Survey found 323,800 women reported a male intimate partner had “loitered or hung around outside their workplace, school or educational facility”. Often such stalking is accompanied by harassment using a phone or other device, which has been made easier by the advent of new technologies.

    In other words, the two gaps identified in this report represent the economic consequences of domestic violence, in addition to the physical harm women suffer when targeted by violent partners.

    The full report, by Anne Summers, with Thomas Shortridge and Kristen Sobeck (2025), will be available online on Friday, February 28.

    Anne Summers has received research funding from the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the federal Office for Women.

    – ref. Revealed: the profound economic impact on women who experience domestic violence – https://theconversation.com/revealed-the-profound-economic-impact-on-women-who-experience-domestic-violence-250278

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Planisware delivered strong revenue growth, profitability and cash generation in 2024

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Planisware delivered strong revenue growth, profitability and cash generation in 2024

    • Revenue up +17.4% in constant currencies to € 183.4 million
    • Adjusted EBITDA* up +23.7% to € 64.6 million, representing 35.2% of revenue (+180bps year-on-year)
    • Adjusted FCF* up +24.5% to € 54.6 million, representing a 84.5% cash conversion rate*
    • Proposed dividend representing 50% of profit for the period, above Group policy
    • 2025 objectives:
      • Mid-to-high teens revenue growth in constant currencies
      • c. 35% adjusted EBITDA margin*
      • Cash Conversion Rate* of c. 80%

    Paris, France, February 27, 2025 – Planisware, a leading B2B provider of SaaS in the rapidly growing Project Economy market, announces today its FY 2024 results. Revenue amounted to € 183.4 million, up by +17.3% in current currencies, mainly led by the continued success of the Group’s market-leading SaaS platform. In constant currencies, revenue growth reached +17.4% (€+27.2 million), in line with the 17% to 18% 2024 objective. Recurring revenue amounted to € 162.7 million (89% of total revenue) and was up by +21.0% in constant currencies.

    Adjusted EBITDA1 reached € 64.6 million (+23.7% vs. FY 2023), representing 35.2% of revenue, above the c. 34% 2024 objective. The year-on-year improvement by c. +180 basis points resulted from revenue growth, positive mix effect, and further efficiency gains on employee-related costs, in particular on R&D spendings benefitting from increased usage of AI tools.

    Current operating profit reached € 51.8 million, up by +20.8% compared to FY 2023 and Profit for the period amounted to € 42.7 million.

    Cash generation was particularly strong with adjusted FCF* reaching € 54.6 million, up by +24.5% year-on-year. It represented a cash conversion rate* of 84.5%, above the c. 80% 2024 objective. Net cash position* was € 176.1 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to € 142.6 million as of December 31, 2023 and € 156.4 million as of June 30, 2024.

    Loïc Sautour, CEO of Planisware, commented: “In 2024, Planisware continued to deliver sustainable and profitable growth. Despite significant uncertainties in the macroeconomic and geopolitical context, our clients continued to trust Planisware for their digital transformation and operational excellence efforts. These close relationships enabled us to deliver a robust revenue growth.

    We also delivered profitability and cash generation above this year’s objectives thanks to the continuous positive mix effect of our activities and further efficiencies on employee-related costs, in particular on R&D spendings benefitting from increased usage of AI tools.

    In parallel, Planisware’s CSR efforts were recognized by the EcoVadis gold medal award, the all-round Great Place to Work certification, and by a satisfying B score for our first rating by CDP. These distinctions illustrate Planisware’s rapid progress and ongoing commitment to building a more responsible society.

    For 2025, taking into account our strong commercial pipeline on one hand and uncertainties in the timing of contract starts and the evolution of sales cycle length on the other hand, we set the mid-to-high teens range for revenue growth objective. We also intend to maintain a strong profitability and to keep delivering a best-in-class cash conversion rate.”

    FY 2024 revenue by revenue stream

    To address the needs of strategic defense-sector clients who require mission-critical solutions to operate on their own infrastructures rather than through Cloud-based SaaS, Planisware has introduced a new delivery mode that includes annual licenses. These multi-year agreements allow the solution to be licensed on a yearly basis. Planisware anticipates that this innovative delivery mode will be particularly relevant for companies with specific security and sovereignty requirements. Planisware reports this line of revenue for the first time in 2024, within its recurring revenue (under Planisware’s SaaS model), since first such contracts was signed in Q4 2024.

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    YoY    		 Variation
    in cc*
    Recurring revenue 162.7 134.7 +20.8% +21.0%
    SaaS & Hosting 82.0 64.6 +27.1% +27.1%
    Annual licences 1.1 – N/A N/A
    Evolutive support 48.7 42.0 +16.0% +16.3%
    Subscription support 11.9 9.4 +26.5% +26.4%
    Maintenance 19.1 18.8 +1.8% +1.8%
    Non-recurring revenue 20.7 21.1 -1.7% -1.7%
    Perpetual licenses 7.5 5.7 +30.8% +30.8%
    Implementation & others non-recurring 13.3 15.4 -13.8% -13.8%
    Revenue with customers 183.4 155.7 +17.8% +17.9%
    Other revenue – 0.7    
    Total revenue 183.4 156.4 +17.3% +17.4%

    * Revenue evolution in constant currencies, i.e. at FY 2023 average exchange rates

    Reaching € 183.4 million in 2024, revenue was up by +17.3% in current currencies and +17.4% in constant currencies. The exchange rates effect was almost mostly related to the appreciation of the euro versus the Japanese yen compared to FY 2023. In order to reflect the underlying performance of the Company independently from exchange rate fluctuations, the following analysis refers to revenue evolution in constant currencies, applying FY 2023 average exchange rates to FY 2024 revenue figures, unless expressly stated otherwise.

    Recurring revenue

    Representing 89% of 2024 total revenue versus 86% in 2023, recurring revenue reached € 162.7 million, up by +21.0%.

    Revenue growth was led by +24.1% growth of Planisware’s SaaS model (i.e. SaaS & Hosting, Evolutive & Subscription support, and Annual licenses), of which SaaS & Hosting revenue was up by +27.1% thanks to contracts secured with new customers as well as continued expansion within the installed base. Revenue of support activities (Evolutive & Subscription support), intrinsically related to Planisware’s SaaS offering, grew by +18.1%. Finally, Annual licenses contributed for €+1.1 million in Q4 2024.

    Maintenance revenue was up by +1.8% in the context of the Group’s shift from its prior Perpetual license model to a SaaS model.

    Non-recurring revenue

    Non-recurring revenue was slightly down by -1.7% over the year, with a contrasted trend of Perpetual licenses up by +30.8% and Implementation down by -13.8%.

    Perpetual licenses benefited from a strong demand for extensions and upgrades from existing customers with specific on-premises needs, mostly in the defense industry. On the other hand, Planisware’s focus on shorter implementations and faster delivery to customers, combined with project start delays, led to revenue decline in Implementation.

    FY 2024 revenue by region

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    YoY    		 Variation
    in cc*
    Europe 87.2 76.1 +14.7% +14.5%
    North America 80.3 68.5 +17.3% +17.3%
    APAC & ROW 15.9 11.2 +41.8% +44.0%
    Revenue with customers 183.4 155.7 +17.8% +17.9%
    Other revenue – 0.7    
    Total revenue 183.4 156.4 +17.3% +17.4%

    * Revenue evolution in constant currencies, i.e. at FY 2023 average exchange rates

    In 2024, all key geographies contributed to Planisware revenue growth, although with contrasted contributions for each semester of the year:

    • Representing 44% of total revenue in 2024, North America strongly contributed to year-end growth (+19.0% in H2 2024) after having faced elongated customer’ decision-making processes translating into slower growth in non-recurring activities and Implementation services in particular over the first periods of the year (+15.6% in H1 2024). All in all, thanks to a significant level of cross-selling and up-selling with existing customers and new customer wins, North America grew by +17.3% over the year.
    • By contrast, after a decent growth in H1 2024 (+18.1%) driven in particular by strong dynamics in Germany, revenue growth in Europe significantly slowed down in H2 2024 (+11.4%) due to macroeconomic uncertainties and political concerns in France as well as difficulties seen in some of the Group’s key verticals such as automotive. As a result, revenue in Europe grew by +14.5% in 2024.
    • Planisware’s growth in APAC & rest of the world of +44.0% resulted from a strong commercial momentum in Japan, Singapore, and the Middle East, as well as from the consolidation of IFT KK and, to a lesser extent, of Planisware MIS.

    FY 2024 revenue by pillar

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    YoY    		 Variation
    in cc*
    Product Development & Innovation 97.8 87.5 +11.8% +11.9%
    Project Controls & Engineering 37.2 27.4 +35.7% +35.6%
    IT Governance & Digital Transformation** 32.2 26.8 +20.2% +20.1%
    Project Business Automation 15.9 13.6 +16.5% +17.0%
    Others 0.4 0.4 -5.7% -5.7%
    Revenue with customers 183.4 155.7 +17.8% +17.9%
    Other revenue – 0.7    
    Total revenue 183.4 156.4 +17.3% +17.4%

    * Revenue evolution in constant currencies, i.e. at FY 2023 average exchange rates

    In 2024, all key pillars contributed to Planisware’s revenue growth with the most recent ones ramping-up as growth relays:

    • Product Development & Innovation (“PD&I”) drives R&D and product development teams with a focus on companies in the life sciences, manufacturing and engineering, automotive design and fast-moving consumer goods sectors. In 2024, it remained Planisware’s principal pillar, with 53% of total revenue and +11.9% growth, resulting from both new customer wins and the expansion of offerings to existing customers.
    • Project Controls & Engineering (“PC&E”) supports production teams in industries with sophisticated products, plants and infrastructure, such as aerospace and defense, energy and utilities, manufacturing and engineering and life sciences. While still a recent pillar for Planisware, it represented 20% of 2024 total revenue. Supported by the successful roll-out of offerings in North America, PC&E grew by +35.6%.
    • IT Governance & Digital Transformation (“IT&DT)** helps IT teams across all sectors develop comprehensive solutions to automate IT portfolio management, accelerate digital transformation and simplify IT architecture. IT&DT represented 18% of 2024 total revenue and grew by +20.1%, fueled by continuous cross-sell to Planisware clients needing to accelerate their digital transformation.
    • Project Business Automation (“PBA”) supports companies in all industries that seek to increase their revenue-based projects and enhance their operating results through automated processes. Due to a more recent entry of Planisware in the market relating to this pillar, PBA represented only 9% of 2024 total revenue and was up by +17.0% thanks to new customer wins and cross-selling.

    Commercial dynamic

    In 2024, despite elongated sales cycles, Planisware welcomed a significant number of new clients from a wide range of industries, further diversifying its customer base and solidifying its position as a trusted partner for organizations of all sizes. Revenue growth is driven both by contracts with new customers and the expansion of Planisware’s solutions and services within its existing customer base.

    In 2024, Planisware’s customer loyalty remained high, as translated in the 121% Net Retention Rate* (NRR), reflecting Planisware ability to grow within its installed base. At 2.2% of revenue, 2024 churn rate* remained low thanks to Planisware’ ability to leverage strong product capabilities and high industry recognition, resulting in high customer loyalty.

    FY 2024 key financial figures

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023 Variation
    YoY
    Total revenue 183.4 156.4 +17.3%
    Cost of sales -50.1 -45.1 +11.1%
    Gross profit 133.3 111.3 +19.8%
    Gross margin 72.7% 71.2% +150 bps
    Operating expenses -81.5 -68.4 +19.1%
    Current operating profit 51.8 42.9 +20.8%
    Other operating income & expenses -5.7 3.0  
    Share of profit of equity-accounted investees**              – 0.3 -100.0%
    Operating profit 46.1 46.2 -0.1%
    Profit for the period 42.7 41.8 +2.1%
           
    Adjusted EBITDA* 64.6 52.2 +23.7%
    Adjusted EBITDA margin* 35.2% 33.4% +180 bps
           
    Adjusted FCF* 54.6 43.8 +24.5%
    Cash Conversion Rate* 84.5% 84.0% +60 bps
    Net cash position* 176.1 142.6 +23.5%

    * Net of tax
    ** Non-IFRS measure. Non-IFRS measures included in this document are defined in the disclaimer at the end of this document

    Gross profit

    Cost of sales increased by €+5.0 million (or +11.1%) year-on-year to € 50.1 million. As a percentage of revenue, cost of sales decreased by -150 basis points thanks to a continued strict monitoring of costs, in particular with respect to recruitment, and the internalization of outsourced services.

    This enabled Planisware to deliver a € 133.3 million gross profit (+19.8% year-on-year), representing a 72.7% gross margin, a significant improvement of c. +150 basis points compared to 71.2% in 2023.

    Operating profit

    R&D expenses, consisting primarily of staff expenses directly associated with R&D teams, as well as amortization of capitalized development costs and the benefits from the French research tax credit, reached € 22.2 million and represented 12% of revenue compared to 13% in 2023. While Planisware intends to maintain a high level of R&D spending, the R&D efficiency improves thanks to the deployment of AI tools, boosting the Group’s ability to leverage its R&D efforts to provide innovative products and software solutions, expand its offering portfolio and promote its offerings in the project management market. In 2024, capitalized development costs amounted to € 2.5 million, +21.9% compared to € 2.0 million in 2023.

    Reaching € 33.3 million in 2024 (18% of revenue), Sales & marketing expenses increased by +23.1% compared to 2023, led in particular by the increase in employee-related costs in the salesforce and marketing team. Sales & marketing expenses are expected to increase in absolute amounts in the future as Planisware plans on strengthening its leading market position.

    Representing 14% of revenue in 2024, as in 2023, General & administrative expenses reached € 26.0 million. Planisware continued to strengthen its global support functions to contribute to the growth of the business and the international expansion of the Group. Planisware expects that, as the Company continues to scale up in the future, General & administrative expenses will slightly decrease as a percentage of revenue.

    As a result, current operating profit reached € 51.8 million in 2024, up by +20.8% compared to 2023.

    Other operating income & expenses amounted to a net expense of € 5.7 million related to IPO costs.

    As a results of the above, operating profit reached € 46.1 million in 2024, stable compared to € 46.2 million in 2023, which benefited from € 7.5 million non-taxable gains on remeasurement at fair value of investments in associates.

    Adjusted EBITDA

    Adjusted EBITDA** reached € 64.6 million, a strong increase compared to 2023 (€+12.4 million, or +23.7%). It represented 35.2% of 2024 revenue, c. +180 basis points compared to 33.4% in 2023. The increase of adjusted EBITDA reflects the revenue growth, a positive mix effect, and further efficiency gains on employee-related costs, in particular on R&D spending benefitting from increased usage of AI tools.

    Profit for the period and dividend

    Reaching € 5.4 million in 2024, financial income significantly increased compared to € 2.5 million in 2023. This was primarily driven by income from time deposits and realized and unrealized gains on marketable securities, as well as foreign exchange gains and losses arising from the revaluation at closing rates of cash and cash equivalents held in foreign currencies.

    Income tax expense amounted to € 8.8 million in 2024, up by +27.8% compared to € 6.9 million in 2023, in line with taxable profit increase.

    As a result of these evolutions, profit for the period reached € 42.7 million in 2024, up by +2.1% compared to 2023.

    Finally, subject to the approval of the Annual General Meeting of the Company’s shareholders and effective approbation of 2024 consolidated financial statements by the Board of directors, and in line with its historical dividend distribution, the Group will pay a dividend representing 50% of its profit for the period. This would represent € 21.4 million or € 0.31 per share.

    Cash generation and net cash position

    Reflecting the growth of subscription contracts billed in advance of the services rendered, change in working capital was €+2.5 million, compared to €+3.6 million in 2023 which benefited from a catch-up effect form negative change in 2022. Capital expenditures totaled € 5.5 million, representing 3.0% of revenue, compared to € 4.9 million in 2023 (3.1% of revenue), in line with the usual c. 3% level targeted. Tax paid in 2024 was € 8.4 million compared to € 7.5 million in 2023.

    As a result, Cash Conversion Rate* reached 84.5%, above the 80% level that the Group considers being the normative Cash Conversion Rate for the coming years, and adjusted Free Cash Flow* totaled € 54.6 million, +24.5% compared to € 43.8 million in 2023.

    As of December 31, 2024, except for lease liabilities related to offices and datacenter facilities which amounted to € 17.0 million (€ 14.9 million as of December 31, 2023) and small amounts of bank overdrafts, Planisware did not have any financial debt. As a result, the Group’s net cash position* as of December 31, 2024 amounted to € 176.1 million, compared to € 142.6 million as of December 31, 2023.

    2025 objectives

    Taking into account its strong commercial pipeline on one hand and uncertainties in the timing of contract starts and the evolution of sales cycle length on the other hand, Planisware’s 2025 objectives are:

    • Mid-to-high teens revenue growth in constant currencies
    • c. 35% adjusted EBITDA margin*
    • Cash Conversion Rate* of c. 80%

    Appendices

    Q4 2024 revenue by revenue stream

    In € million Q4 2024 Q4 2023 Variation
    YoY    		 Variation
    in cc*
    Recurring revenue 44.7 38.3 +16.7% +16.2%
    SaaS & Hosting 22.4 17.9 +25.3% +24.8%
    Annual licences 1.1 – N/A N/A
    Evolutive support 12.8 12.2 +5.0% +4.6%
    Subscription support 3.4 3.1 +9.8% +9.0%
    Maintenance 5.0 5.1 -2.5% -2.8%
    Non-recurring revenue 5.2 5.8 -11.2% -11.5%
    Perpetual licenses 1.3 2.1 -36.4% -36.7%
    Implementation & others non-recurring 3.8 3.7 +3.1% +2.8%
    Total revenue 49.9 44.1 +13.0% +12.5%

    * Revenue evolution in constant currencies, i.e. at Q4 2023 average exchange rates

    Non-IFRS measures reconciliations

    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023
    Current operating profit after share of profit of equity-accounted investee 51.8 43.2
    Depreciation and amortization of intangible, tangible and right-of-use assets 7.7 7.2
    Share-based payments 5.1 1.9
    Adjusted EBITDA** 64.6 52.2
    In € million FY 2024 FY 2023
    Net cash from operating activities 59.0 47.3
    Capital expenditures -5.5 -4.9
    Other finance income/costs -4.7 -2.8
    IPO costs paid 5.7 4.2
    Adjusted Free Cash Flow** 54.6 43.8

    ** Non-IFRS measure. Non-IFRS measures included in this document are defined in the disclaimer at the end of this document

    FY 2024 revenue Investors & Analysts conference call

    Planisware’s management team will host an international conference call on February 27, 2025 at 8:00am CET to details FY 2024 performance and key achievements, by means of a presentation followed by a Q&A session. The webcast and its subsequent replay will be available on planisware.com.

    Upcoming event

    • April 29, 2025:                 Q1 2025 revenue publication
    • June 19, 2025:                 Annual General Meeting of shareholders
    • July 31, 2025:                 H1 2025 results publication
    • October 21, 2025:         Q3 2025 revenue publication

    Contact

    About Planisware

    Planisware is a leading business-to-business (“B2B”) provider of Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”) in the rapidly growing Project Economy. Planisware’s mission is to provide solutions that help organizations transform how they strategize, plan and deliver their projects, project portfolios, programs and products.

    With circa 750 employees across 16 offices, Planisware operates at significant scale serving around 600 organizational clients in a wide range of verticals and functions across more than 30 countries worldwide. Planisware’s clients include large international companies, medium-sized businesses and public sector entities.

    Planisware is listed on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Compartment A, ISIN code FR001400PFU4, ticker symbol “PLNW”).

    For more information, visit: https://planisware.com/ and connect with Planisware on LinkedIn.

    Disclaimer

    The primary financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2024 were approved by the Board of Directors on February 26, 2025. The audit procedures and verifications related to the information contained in the sustainability report are in progress. The full consolidated financial statements will be published on completion of these procedures.

    Forward-looking statements

    This document contains statements regarding the prospects and growth strategies of Planisware. These statements are sometimes identified by the use of the future or conditional tense, or by the use of forward-looking terms such as “considers”, “envisages”, “believes”, “aims”, “expects”, “intends”, “should”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “thinks”, “wishes” and “might”, or, if applicable, the negative form of such terms and similar expressions or similar terminology. Such information is not historical in nature and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future performance. Such information is based on data, assumptions, and estimates that Planisware considers reasonable. Such information is subject to change or modification based on uncertainties in the economic, financial, competitive or regulatory environments.

    This information includes statements relating to Planisware’s intentions, estimates and targets with respect to its markets, strategies, growth, results of operations, financial situation and liquidity. Planisware’s forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this document. Absent any applicable legal or regulatory requirements, Planisware expressly disclaims any obligation to release any updates to any forward-looking statements contained in this document to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances, on which any forward-looking statement contained in this document is based. Planisware operates in a competitive and rapidly evolving environment; it is therefore unable to anticipate all risks, uncertainties or other factors that may affect its business, their potential impact on its business or the extent to which the occurrence of a risk or combination of risks could have significantly different results from those set out in any forward-looking statements, it being noted that such forward-looking statements do not constitute a guarantee of actual results.

    Rounded figures

    Certain numerical figures and data presented in this document (including financial data presented in millions or thousands and certain percentages) have been subject to rounding adjustments and, as a result, the corresponding totals in this document may vary slightly from the actual arithmetic totals of such information.

    Variation in constant currencies

    Variation in constant currencies represent figures based on constant exchange rates using as a base those used in the prior year. As a result, such figures may vary slightly from actual results based on current exchange rates.

    Non-IFRS measures

    This document includes certain unaudited measures and ratios of the Group’s financial or non-financial performance (the “non-IFRS measures”), such as “recurring revenue”, “non-recurring revenue”, “gross margin”, “Adjusted EBITDA”, “Adjusted EBITDA margin”, “Adjusted Free Cash Flow”, “cash conversion rate”, “Net cash position”, “churn rate” and “Net Retention Rate” (or “NRR”). Non-IFRS financial information may exclude certain items contained in the nearest IFRS financial measure or include certain non-IFRS components. Readers should not consider items which are not recognized measurements under IFRS as alternatives to the applicable measurements under IFRS. These measures have limitations as analytical tools and readers should not treat them as substitutes for IFRS measures. In particular, readers should not consider such measurements of the Group’s financial performance or liquidity as an alternative to profit for the period, operating income or other performance measures derived in accordance with IFRS or as an alternative to cash flow from (used in) operating activities as a measurement of the Group’s liquidity. Other companies with activities similar to or different from those of the Group could calculate non-IFRS measures differently from the calculations adopted by the Group.

    Non-IFRS measures included in this document are defined as follows:

    • Adjusted EBITDA is calculated as Current operating profit including share of profit of equity-accounted investees, plus amortization and depreciation as well as impairment of intangible assets and property, plant and equipment, plus either non-recurring items or non-operating items.
    • Adjusted EBITDA margin is the ratio of Adjusted EBITDA to total revenue.
    • Adjusted FCF (Free Cash Flow) is calculated as cash flows from operating activities, plus IPO costs paid, if any, less other financial income and expenses classified as operating activities in the cash-flow statement, and less net cash relating to capital expenditures.
    • Cash Conversion Rate is defined as Adjusted FCF divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Planisware considers Cash Conversion Rate to be a meaningful financial measure to assess and compare the Group’s capital intensity and efficiency.
    • Net cash position is defined as Cash minus indebtedness excluding lease liabilities.
    • Net Retention Rate (NRR) is the percentage of recurring revenue generated in a given year compared to the prior year by customers’ existing in the prior year, excluding terminated contracts, in constant currency.
    • Churn rate is defined as percentage of recurring revenue generated in year N-1, by customers terminating in year N, compared to recurring revenues generated by clients existing at the start of year N, in constant currency.

    1 Non-IFRS measure. Non-IFRS measures included in this document are defined in the disclaimer at the end of this document.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Update: Incident Port Noarlunga

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police are preparing a report for the State Coroner following a death of a man at Port Noarlunga.

    Just after 1.30pm today (Thursday 27 February), police and emergency services were called to the Esplanade near the jetty after a 64-year-old man was pulled out of the water.

    Police believe the man was diving at the time and may have suffered a medical episode.

    Paramedics worked desperately to revive the man but sadly he died at the scene.

    There are no suspicious circumstances.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Local outbreak of measles in Victoria

    Source: Government of Victoria 3

    Key messages

    • An outbreak of measles has been identified in Victoria, after two new cases were reported who likely acquired their infection in metropolitan Melbourne. These cases have had no history of overseas travel or known contact with other cases of measles.
    • These cases were infectious at multiple locations around Melbourne and Greater Bendigo. People who have attended a listed exposure site during the specified dates and times should monitor for symptoms of measles and follow the instructions below.
    • Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can spread from person-to-person and potentially lead to serious health complications including pneumonia and brain inflammation (encephalitis).
    • Anyone who develops symptoms of measles should seek medical care and testing for measles. Wear a face mask and call ahead to make sure you can be isolated from others.
    • Healthcare professionals should be alert for measles in patients with fever and rash, particularly those who have recently returned from overseas or attended a listed exposure site during the specified period.
    • Clinicians should also consider measles in people with compatible symptoms who have spent time in metropolitan Melbourne in the prior 7 to 18 days.
    • Suspected cases should be tested, advised to isolate, and notified to the Department of Health immediately by calling 1300 651 160.
    • All Victorians are eligible to receive the free measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine if born during or after 1966. Two doses are required for immunity.
    • Victorians born between 1966 and 1992 may not have received two doses of vaccine. If you are unsure, see an immunisation provider now to ask for an MMR vaccine.
    • Anyone planning overseas travel should make sure they have received appropriate travel vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine. This is especially important for anyone planning on travelling to South and South-East Asia, including Vietnam.

    What is the issue?

    Two new cases of measles have been reported in Victoria that have not travelled overseas, and have no known links to recent cases of measles. These cases were infectious at multiple locations in Greater Bendigo and metropolitan Melbourne. This means there is now local transmission of measles in the community.

    Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to uncommon but serious complications, such as pneumonia and brain inflammation (encephalitis). There have been 8 cases of measles identified in Victoria in 2025.

    A number of populations in Victoria are susceptible to measles, including anyone who is unvaccinated, infants under 12 months of age, immunocompromised people and adults who were born between 1966 and 1992 who may not have received two MMR vaccines in childhood.

    Any overseas travel could also lead to exposure to measles, with outbreaks reported in multiple countries and regions, including Vietnam, Thailand, India, Africa, Europe and the UK, the Middle East, and the USA.

    Active public exposures sites in Victoria for recent cases are listed in the table below.

    Date Time Location Monitor for onset of symptoms up to
    Wednesday 26 February 2025 12:01am to 12:25am

    The Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency Department

    300 Grattan St, Parkville VIC 3050

    		 Sunday 16 March 2025
    Tuesday 25 February 2025 5:20pm to 12:00am (midnight)

    The Royal Melbourne Hospital-Emergency Department

    300 Grattan St, Parkville VIC 3050

    		 Saturday 15 March 2025
    Tuesday 25 February 2025 11:00am to 12:00pm (mid-day)

    DiagnostiCare Specialist Radiology Clinic

    Unit 46/235 Milleara Rd, Keilor East VIC 3033

    		 Saturday 15 March 2025
    Tuesday 25 February 2025 10:00am to 11:00am

    Australian Clinical Labs

    Eastbrooke Family Clinic Lincolnville, 493-495 Keilor Road, Niddrie VIC 3042

    		 Saturday 15 March 2025
    Tuesday 25 February 2025 9:00am to 11:00am

    Eastbrooke Family Clinic Lincolnville

    493-495 Keilor Road, Niddrie VIC 3042

    		 Saturday 15 March 2025
    Monday 24 February 2025 5:50am to 9:00am

    Bendigo Hospital – Emergency Department

    Bendigo Health, Drought St & Arnold Street, North Bendigo VIC 3550

    		 Thursday 14 March 2025
    Saturday 22 February 2025 4:30pm to 5:05pm

    Chemist Warehouse Airport West

    Westfield Airport West

    40/29-35 Louis St, Airport West VIC 3042

    		 Tuesday 12 March 2025
    Saturday 22 February 2025 11:30am to 4:30pm

    Keilor East Leisure Centre Swimming Pool

    84 Quinn Grove, Keilor East VIC 3033

    		 Tuesday 12 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 4:30pm to 6:30pm

    Epsom Village

    16-20 Howard St, Epsom VIC 3551

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 5:50pm to 6:30pm

    Epsom Village Pizza

    Shop 8/16-20 Howard St, Epsom VIC 3551

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 5:20pm to 6:15pm

    Chemist Warehouse Epsom

    S/C 16 to Shops 1 to 3/40 Howard St, Epsom VIC 3551

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 5:10pm to 5:45 pm

    Woolworths Epsom

    16/40 Howard St, Bendigo VIC 3550

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 4:30pm to 5:45pm

    Aldi Epsom

    182/192 Midland Hwy, Epsom VIC 3551

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Thursday 20 February 2025 12:30pm to 01:05pm

    Coles Bendigo

    Williamson St & Myers St, Bendigo VIC 3550

    		 Monday 10 March 2025
    Wednesday 19 February 2025 4:00pm to 5:30pm

    Oscar Nails and Beauty

    305a Buckley St, Aberfeldie VIC, 3040

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025
    Wednesday 19 February 2025 8:30pm to 9:05pm

    Lansell Square

    267 High St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025
    Wednesday 19 February 2025 8:30 pm to 9:05pm

    Coles Lansell Square

    267 – 283 High St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025
    Wednesday 19 February 2025: 4:00pm to 5:00pm

    Highpoint Shopping Center

    120-200 Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong VIC 3032

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025
    Wednesday 19 February 2025 4:00pm to 5:00pm

    Timezone Highpoint

    Level 1 Highpoint Shopping Centre 120-200 Rosamund Rd, Maribyrnong VIC 3032

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025

    Anyone who has attended a listed exposure site during the specified times above should monitor for symptoms and seek medical care if symptoms develop for up to 18 days after the exposure and follow the recommendations below.

    In addition, anyone who presents with signs and symptoms compatible with measles should be tested and notified to the Department of Health immediately. There should be an especially high level of suspicion if they have travelled overseas or visited any of the sites listed above and are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated for measles.

    Who is at risk?

    Anyone born during or since 1966 who does not have documented evidence of having received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or does not have documented evidence of immunity, is at risk of measles. This is also known as being susceptible to measles.

    Unvaccinated infants are at particularly high risk of contracting measles. Victorians born between 1966 and 1992 may not have received two doses of vaccine, which are required to provide immunity.

    Young infants, pregnant women and people with a weakened immune system are at increased risk of serious complications from measles.

    Symptoms and transmission

    Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, sore or red eyes (conjunctivitis), runny nose, and feeling generally unwell, followed by a red maculopapular rash. The rash usually starts on the face before spreading down the body. Symptoms can develop between 7 to 18 days after exposure.

    Initial symptoms of measles may be similar to those of COVID-19 and influenza. If a symptomatic person tests negative for COVID-19 and/or influenza but develops a rash, they should be advised to continue isolating and be tested for measles.

    People with measles are considered infectious from 24 hours prior to the onset of initial symptoms until 4 days after the rash appears. Measles is highly infectious and can spread through airborne droplets or contact with nose or throat secretions, as well as contaminated surfaces and objects. The measles virus can stay in the environment for up to 2 hours.

    Figures: Example of a typical measles rash

    Recommendations

    For the general public

    • Anyone who has attended a listed exposure site during the specified date and time should monitor for symptoms and seek medical care if symptoms develop for up to 18 days after the exposure.
    • Anyone who attended a listed exposure site and is not fully vaccinated for measles may be eligible to receive the MMR vaccine if they present within 72 hours (3 days) of exposure. Anyone who is immunocompromised or pregnant and not fully vaccinated for measles should seek medical review if within 6 days of exposure to a measles case.
    • Anyone who develops symptoms of measles should seek medical care and testing for measles. Call the health service beforehand to advise that you may have been exposed to measles and wear a face mask.
    • The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine provides safe and effective protection against measles. The MMR vaccine is available for free:
      • on the National Immunisation Program, routinely given at 12 months and 18 months of age.
      • for anyone born during or after 1966 who have not already received two doses of measles-containing vaccine, are unsure of their vaccination status, or do not have evidence of immunity to measles.
      • for young infants aged 6 to 12 months prior to overseas travel to countries where measles is endemic or where outbreaks of measles are occurring. If an infant receives an early dose of MMR vaccine prior to travel, they should still receive routine doses at 12 months and 18 months of age as per the National Immunisation Program schedule.
    • Victorians born between 1966 and 1992 may not have received two doses of vaccine. If you are unsure, see an immunisation provider now to ask for an MMR vaccine. Two doses are required for immunity.
    • Anyone planning overseas travel should make sure they have received appropriate travel vaccinations, including MMR vaccination.

    For health professionals

    • For persons who have attended an exposure site, anyone who is not fully vaccinated for measles may be eligible to receive the MMR vaccine if they present within 72 hours (3 days) of exposure. Anyone who is immunocompromised or pregnant and not fully vaccinated for measles may be eligible to receive normal human immunoglobulin (NHIG) if they present up to 144 hours (6 days) after close exposure to a measles case.
    • Clinicians should be alert for measles in patients presenting with compatible illness if they have travelled overseas or attended a listed exposure site during the specified dates and times and are not fully vaccinated against measles.
    • These new cases now indicate local transmission of measles within Victoria. Clinicians should also consider measles in people with compatible symptoms who have spent time in metropolitan Melbourne in the prior 7 to 18 days.
    • Anyone who presents with signs and symptoms compatible with measles should be tested, isolated and notified to the Department of Health immediately, by calling 1300 651 160 and connecting to the relevant Local Public Health Unit.
    • Discuss the need for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing using nose and throat swabs with the Local Public Health Unit (PCR testing for measles does not attract a Medicare rebate).
    • Take blood samples for measles serology in all suspected cases.
    • Minimise the risk of measles transmission within your practice/department/community:
      • avoid keeping patients with fever and rash in shared waiting areas (send to a separate room).
      • if measles is suspected, give the patient a single use, fitted face mask and isolate under airborne precautions until a measles diagnosis can be excluded.
      • leave all rooms that were used to assess the suspected case vacant for at least 30 minutes after the consultation.
      • if returning home, patients should isolate at home until test results are available.
    • Offer MMR vaccine to people born during or after 1966 who do not have documented evidence of receiving two doses of a measles-containing vaccine or documented evidence of immunity.
    • Serology is not required before vaccinating.
    • People who are not Medicare eligible can also receive the free MMR vaccine. Refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook – MeaslesExternal Linkfor further guidance on immunisation.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why does music make us feel things?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina McFerran, Professor and Head of Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit; Director of Researcher Development Unit, The University of Melbourne

    Al Cruz/Unsplash

    Imagine a scene from the movie Jaws, with the great white shark closing in on another helpless victim. The iconic semi-tone pattern builds and your heartbeat rises with it; the suspense pulls you further to the edge of your seat.

    Now picture that scene without the score. Much of the tension evaporates.

    Maybe it’s a heartfelt pop ballad or a suspenseful soundtrack. If you are my age, it might be the Friends theme song, forever associated with the (largely unfulfilled) hope for sharing apartments with mates and growing old together in a blissful acceptance of one another’s limitations. Music is a powerful force to induce and pre-empt all kinds of emotions in us.

    But how do so many different combinations of rhythm, harmony and melody trigger such profound reactions?

    The categorical approach

    Swedish music psychology researcher Patrik Juslin proposed the most popular explanation of music’s ability to trigger emotion.

    He identified eight key mechanisms under the acronym BRECVEMA. The categories begin with more fundamental connections:

    Brain stem reflexes – maybe a movie jumpscare moment or another sudden, frightening sound triggering a pre-conscious response. Evolution programmed these reactions into the brain over thousands of years in order to influence arousal levels and initiate the necessary emotional response.

    Rhythmic entrainment, like the tendency to tap your foot to the beat; the benefits of moving in time together have been critical to human survival and evolution.

    Then, the listings become increasingly complex:

    Evaluative conditioning in the fashion of Pavlov’s dog. After years of watching and cultural references, we hear the Jaws music and automatically feel tense.

    The contagion effect, wherein we feel the emotions we perceive in the music. Lyrics aren’t necessary; the Peanuts cartoon’s signature tune, for example, strongly conveys childhood wonder and freedom without any words.

    The visual imagery many people experience when listening to music, imagery which is often tied to some deep emotion.

    Episodic memories, when hearing certain music brings up recollections of a past event. Music therapists can monitor the emotional reactions people have when unexpectedly reminded of particular situations, be they positive, negative or both. The therapists then use their expertise to support people in processing these resulting emotions.

    From there, Juslin’s model gets more technical and music theory-based:

    Musical expectancy, when we anticipate the resolution of a chord or phrase. This is something you might feel rather than consciously notice. Take My Heart Will Go On: a delicate tension builds through the chorus, before finally resolving as Celine Dion sings the final line of the section and listeners are put to ease.

    Aesthetic judgements, closely related to the ways we experience pleasure, are our personal emotional responses to how beautiful (or not) we consider a piece of music.



    Read more:
    Different songs for different days: why it’s important to actively choose the music for your mood

    It makes sense that a theory using the brain to explain otherwise indescribable relationships would be popular. It provides a level of objectivity to what is, in essence, a purely subjective and non-generalisable experience.

    Celine Dion keeps listeners on tenterhooks before the chorus comes to a beautifully satisfying resolution.

    Is it just about neurological pathways?

    Evolutionary theories suggest music and emotions are connected because of the inherent musicality we are each born with, essential to our ability to develop relationships and flourish.

    Parent-infant interactions often have musical aspects to them, described as:

    • pulse, a shared tempo, where infant and carer move in time together and synchronise to one underlying beat

    • quality, the character and melodic interplay of voices and movements, mirroring one another in dynamics and timbre

    • narrative, the tendency for the same phrases, gestures and movements to be repeated on the same pitch and pace over time.

    When responding to musical sounds, babies are also able to recognise musical phrases even when they start on a different note.

    Subsequently, however, other learning and our limited brain capacity mean this ability is buried deep, so it rarely translates to perfect pitch or other forms of music theory knowledge that underpin Mozart-like genius.

    A mother, laying on a bed, holds her smiling baby up on her chest.
    All of us are born with an inherent musicality.
    FamVeld/Shutterstock

    This baby-talk theory may be the most intimate and emotion-based explanation for why music affects us so strongly – it was designed to enhance our emotional bonds with others. When adults coo and dance with babies, they are being musical, meaning emotional reactions to music are implicit in human nature.

    Cognitive developmental theorists like Steven Pinker have opinions firmly in contrast to this. Pinker calls music “evolutionary cheesecake”, functioning only to tickle the senses and serving no evolutionary purpose.

    Pleasure for purpose

    Cultures across the world have long acknowledged the healing power of music.

    Sound healing practitioners in India and China, for example, point to ancient traditions of healing and draw correlations between recovery from illness and certain tones, scales and chants. Some suggest the vibrations of different tones can serve specific purposes.

    In the West, the idea of emotional differences between major and minor scales still has public traction even though its academic credibility hasn’t really extended in the past 100 years.

    None of these concepts have been used in the modern practice of music therapy, but they do reflect assumptions many people hold about how music works.

    Instead, a fundamental principle of music therapy is based on how each person’s unique connections with music shapes their emotional reactions. What moves your sibling to tears might leave you cold, for example. It always depends on a range of conditions – historical, cultural and personal.

    Cultural upbringing, simple song-like phrases from infancy and our own unique musical preferences and behaviours all shape these connections. They’re powerful, but they sure ain’t simple.

    The Conversation

    Katrina McFerran has received funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate music and emotions. She is affiliated with the Australian Music Therapy Association.

    – ref. Why does music make us feel things? – https://theconversation.com/why-does-music-make-us-feel-things-250756

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Result of the Daily Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction held on February 27, 2025

    Source: Reserve Bank of India

    Tenor 1-day
    Notified Amount (in ₹ crore) 50,000
    Total amount of bids received (in ₹ crore) 49,955
    Amount allotted (in ₹ crore) 49,955
    Cut off Rate (%) 6.26
    Weighted Average Rate (%) 6.27
    Partial Allotment Percentage of bids received at cut off rate (%) N.A.

    Ajit Prasad          
    Deputy General Manager
    (Communications)    

    Press Release: 2024-2025/2255

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-Evening Report: New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Senior Lecturer, Canberra School of Politics, Economics and Society, University of Canberra

    Roadwarrior Photography/Shutterstock

    Climate regulation through carbon storage was worth A$43.2 billion to Australia in 2020-21, according to a report released today which seeks to put a monetary value on the benefits flowing from our natural assets.

    Australia’s first national ecosystem accounts were released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics today. Together, they reveal the key ways our environment contributes to Australia’s economic and social wellbeing in dollar terms.

    Ecosystems covered by the accounts include desert, grasslands, native forests, rivers, streams, coastal areas and oceans.

    The accounts provide a holistic view of Australia’s land, freshwater and marine environments. They intend to help policymakers look beyond GDP to a broader measurement of how ecosystems contribute to society and the economy.

    Valuing our ecosystems

    The accounts cover services provided by Australia’s ecosystems in 2020–21.

    Australian ecosystems stored more than 34.5 billion tonnes of carbon – the most valuable service by ecosystems examined in the accounts, according to the ABS.

    It brought a $43.2 billion benefit to Australia in the form of climate regulation. Plants and other organisms reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by removing and storing them. This helps stabilise the climate, avoiding damage caused by climate change.

    Grasslands made the biggest contribution to carbon storage, followed by native forests and savannas.

    The accounts show grazed biomass, or grasslands, provide $40.4 billion in benefits, through the forage provided to cattle and sheep. The dollar figure represents what farmers would otherwise have spent on feeding their livestock.

    The accounts also examined the provision of surface water taken from ecosystems, and used for drinking, energy production, cooling, irrigation and manufacturing. This was valued at $1.4 billion.

    The provision of wild fish, sold to consumers to eat, was put at $39.2 million.

    The accounts also reveal how coral reefs, sandbanks, dunes and mangroves protect our coastlines against tides and storm surges.

    The ABS estimates mangroves protected 4,006 dwellings around Australian coastlines. This prevented more than $57 million worth of building damage.

    The accounts also track changes in Australia’s ecosystems.

    Some 281,000 hectares of mostly farmland were converted to urban and industrial uses between 2015–16 and 2020–21. And 169,000 hectares of “steppe” land – flat, unforested grassland – was converted to sown pastures and fields.

    Feral animal and weed species continue to spread. Meanwhile, the number of threatened native species is increasing.

    Why do we need ecosystem accounting?

    Think of a logged forest. The value of the timber produced counts towards Australia’s gross domestic product. But cutting trees down also produces a loss. For example, the forest is no longer there for the community to enjoy. And it no longer provides “services” such as filtering water and preventing soil erosion.

    There are many reasons to measure the value of those services. For example, governments might then be able to charge a logging company a licence fee which reflects the community value of the forest. A government may decide the forest is too valuable to allow logging at all, or the fee may just be set too high for any company to find it profitable to log it.

    To date, the value lost when trees are cut down, or other ecosystems are damaged, has not been included in the national accounts. The new environmental accounts seek to change this.

    Obviously, ecosystems are complex and difficult to measure. The ABS has been guided by an international framework developed by the United Nations.

    The ecosystem accounts are a collaboration between several federal agencies: the ABS, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and the CSIRO.

    Boundless plains and golden soil, girt by sea

    The accounts distinguish between environmental “realms”.

    About half of Australia’s terrestrial (dry land) realm is desert. About a quarter is savanna and grassland. Intensively used land, such as pastures, is a smaller proportion.

    There are contrasts between the states. Western Australia has 158 million hectares of desert while Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory have none. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory host 97% of Australia’s mangroves.

    About half of Australia is the marine realm, covering 681 million hectares. Some 30% of this is the marine shelf and 70% deep sea. About 14 million hectares comprise coral reefs. The darker areas in the map below show where most fish are caught.

    The coastal realm comprises mangroves and saltmarsh. In 2021, mangroves covered an estimated 1.1 million hectares of Australia’s coastal areas.

    A small but important proportion of Australia is our freshwater realm, comprising rivers and streams. The accounts show between 2015–16 and 2020–21, 4% of natural environments along perennial rivers were converted to higher intensity land uses.

    Where to now?

    These accounts are just the first step in estimating the value of Australia’s natural assets.

    The ABS will update Australia’s ecosystem accounts annually. It describes the inaugural accounts as “experimental” and says the government agencies involved will run a consultation process to improve them.

    We can expect the accounts to become more useful over time as data accrues and trends can be identified.

    According to the ABS, policy uses for the accounts include managing healthy and resilient ecosystems, and integrating biodiversity into planning.

    Poet and playwright Oscar Wilde defined a cynic as someone who “knows the price of everything but the value of nothing”. In today’s society we often underrate things that do not have a dollar value attached.

    So this compilation of Australia’s ecosystems, and their value to us, is a welcome development. It should lead to more informed, holistic decisions about whether natural assets should be protected, or damaged for economic benefit.

    John Hawkins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. New report slaps an official price tag on Australia’s precious natural assets – https://theconversation.com/new-report-slaps-an-official-price-tag-on-australias-precious-natural-assets-250623

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Seasonal bushfire outlook – Autumn

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) has today released its latest bushfire outlook for Autumn 2025, highlighting an elevated risk of bushfires in parts of Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria. Dry conditions are expected to persist along much of Australia’s southern coastline during the outlook period.

    The Northern Territory (NT) is currently facing a normal risk of bushfire, however, a dry spell could increase the likelihood of fires spreading in areas with available fuel, particularly in Central Australia.

    The AFAC outlook highlights higher fuel loads in regions southwest of Alice Springs, including the southern Tanami and MacDonnell Ranges. Landholders in these areas are strongly encouraged to prepare their properties for ongoing fire risk.

    Stephen Hunter A/Deputy Chief Fire Officer emphasised the importance of avoiding complacency and encouraged landholders to ensure their fire management plans are up-to-date and firefighting equipment is in working order.

    “Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service reminds the public that the Central Australian bushfire season will continue through until April 2025. We encourage everyone to stay informed about fire danger ratings and bushfire warnings, and to be prepared to implement emergency plans,” he said.

    “Fire activity is recurring in Central Australia, even in areas affected by last year’s fires, so it is important to monitor grass regrowth and perform regular property maintenance.”

    One of the best ways to protect your property and community is by maintaining firebreaks. Ensure firebreaks are at least 4 meters wide, and vegetation within them is kept below 50mm in height.

    In the Top End, Territorians are reminded that prescribed burning is common during this time and there is a possibility that controlled burns may impact surrounding areas with smoke and falling ash.

    It is recommended that residents:

    Close windows and bring any washing in.

    Anticipate smoky conditions for the duration of the burns.

    When driving pay attention and if the roads are smoke affected, turn on your lights and drive carefully.

    For more information on the AFAC outlook, visit AFAC Seasonal Bushfire Outlook Autumn 2025.

    For fire ban information, bushfire warnings, and advice, visit Secure NT

    Media contact
    Rickie Abraham

    8923 9303

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New wellness clinic opens for local patients

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey today officially opened a new community wellness clinic in Lower Hutt that will better integrate the clinic’s services into the community.

    The clinic is primed to expand its service offerings, and currently caters to people receiving treatment. It offers an alternative to more clinical settings, with a more comfortable and therapeutic environment for clients with a kitchen space and a variety of activities – such as arts and crafts – to make use of while waiting. 

    “It’s great to be here today at the opening of this new clinic and to see what a therapeutic environment it provides people using the services,” Mr Doocey says.

    “Having a space where people feel comfortable and safe is vitally important for their wellbeing, and I’m glad to see this in action for people getting support with their mental health challenges.”

    The clinic is a partnership between Health New Zealand’s Community Mental Health service and PACT, an NGO that provides a broad range of support to people with mental health issues. 

    “The two agencies collaborated on scoping out and understanding how our communities would benefit from accessing services that welcome them in their treatment space,” Mr Doocey says. 

    “This clinic sees that collaboration come to fruition and is a great example of how NGOs and clinical specialist services are working together to deliver care closer to the community for those who need it. It aligns with one of the Government’s five mental health targets, specifically around ‘Faster access to specialist mental health and addiction services’. 

    “The next steps are to replicate the clinic in other spaces around the country, ultimately with the intention of creating pleasant, convenient spaces and reducing barriers for people needing treatment. This will create better outcomes for them and their families, friends, loved ones, and communities, which is what we’re all striving for.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Incident at Port Noarlunga

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police and emergency services are currently at the Port Noarlunga Jetty.

    Just after 1.30pm today (Thursday 27 February), police and emergency services were called to the Esplanade after a person was pulled from the water.

    Paramedics are currently treating the patient.

    Further updates will be provided when known.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Council backs funding for Auckland’s St James Theatre

    Source: Auckland Council

    Auckland Council has backed a commitment of $15 million towards the restoration of the St James Theatre. The council’s funding is one part of an agreement between the council, central government and the owner of the St James.  

    The decision to uphold the grant came at today’s Governing Body meeting. Mayor Wayne Brown says the council’s commitment will enable public access to the theatre in the future.

    “I’m keen to get on with things to improve the safety and amenity of mid-town Auckland as a priority. My expectation is the funding will allow work to begin immediately to clean up the eyesore on Queen Street at the same time as the theatre restoration. Residents and visitors will hopefully see an improvement to this important part of the city as a result. It’s been left like this far too long,” says Mayor Brown. 

    How will the funding help?  

    This decision cements the pledge made by Auckland Council in 2016. The council is only one piece of this puzzle, and the restoration requires funding from all the parties involved to go ahead.  

    The funding will help to carry out critical foundational and strengthening work which aims to prepare the St James to operate for many years to come. It will enable the theatre to reopen and be operational, with a total capacity of approximately 900 people seated, or 1800 standing.  

    A star-studded past 

    Designed by architect Henry Eli White, St James Theatre is a unique blend of traditional and Spanish-renaissance styles. It sits at the heart of central Auckland’s arts quarter between the art gallery, library, Civic Theatre and Town Hall. Conservation of the St James will positively complement other critical investments and rejuvenation efforts in central Auckland.   

    After first opening its doors in 1928 as a Vaudeville theatre, the St James was part of a wave of theatres built worldwide in the 1920s for live performance. It was later converted to show off the new world of motion pictures. Notable performers such as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh have graced the St James stage over its long history, as well as James Brown, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell and Aotearoa New Zealand’s own Sir Howard Morrison.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Community-based approaches to reduce alcohol harm

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Alcohol-related harm in New Zealand’s communities is being addressed through a new fund that will focus on local and community-led early prevention, intervention, and innovation, Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey announced today.
    “Alcohol can cause serious harm and has an ongoing impact on individuals, families, and communities, which can be multi-generational. However, these same groups can have a massive impact in prevention, and in helping others who may be struggling with alcohol.
    “As Mental Health Minister, I see the impact of hazardous alcohol consumption when it can contribute to exacerbating mental health issues. The Government has a clear focus on early intervention and prevention.
    “The new Community Action Fund is focussed on funding more local, community-led services and innovative local projects and initiatives that focus on alcohol harm. It will also support partnerships and greater collaboration, and focus on high-needs groups that are most impacted by alcohol harm.
    “The initiatives it will enable can include community-led partnerships, education on alcohol for young people, and alternative social spaces. The fund can also enable better capability and resourcing among services, including workshops, and initiatives to reduce the supply of alcohol to underage people.
    “We know that community-based organisations are already delivering results, for example initiatives to encourage positive change, and early intervention projects working with high-risk young people.
    “They provide a valuable option in the toolkit of methods to reduce alcohol harm, and will build on the other work being done in areas including health and education.
    “The goal is to form sustainable partnerships and systems to support local action and build stronger, more resilient communities – to help more Kiwis to get through what they’re struggling with, so that they ultimately can thrive in life and in their relationships, and pursue what they desire. 
    “We have incredible providers and organisations around the country who are doing amazing work. We want to grow that, and we’re committed to supporting communities to be innovative and work in ways that work for them.”
    The first funding round of $1 million will include grants, pilot projects and contracts, with hopes of a second round of funding later this year.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police presence in Ngaruawahia during tangi

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attribute to Inspector Will Loughrin, Area Commander Waikato West

    Police had a large presence in the Ngaruawahia and Taupiri area today in relation to a tangi for a patched gang member.

    An operation to monitor the behaviour of those involved in the tangi was carried out by Police to ensure minimal disruption to the public.

    During the operation, one person was arrested for displaying gang insignia and another person who was unrelated to the tangi was arrested for a Warrant to Arrest.

    Police staff monitoring the tangi saw the man of interest travelling in the area and he was taken into custody sometime later.

    Police engaged with the whānau and Marae throughout the day to ensure minimal impact to the community, while allowing those attending the tangi to have space to grieve.

    While it is not always possible to take action at the time, Police are committed to enforcing the gang insignia legislation and will take every opportunity to not only follow up on these breaches but also any other unlawful activity.

    We would like to thank the members of the Ngaruawahia community for their patience.

    Police encourage the public to report any instances of unlawful activity to us, so we can take appropriate action.

    Please contact 111 if it is happening now, or report non-emergencies to Police by calling 105 or making an online report via 105.police.govt.nz.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Te Poi road rebuild – section of SH29 to close 

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    A short section of State Highway 29 (SH29) at Te Poi near Matamata will be closed 24/7 for road rebuilding from Monday 10 March until Sunday 23 March. 

    The 2-week closure is between Te Poi Road and Stopford Road. 

    Closing the road means the work will be completed more quickly than if stop/go was in place says Andy Oakley, Waikato System Manager at NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA). 

    “We do not take road closures lightly, but by completely closing this small section of SH29, NZTA and contractors are able to complete the work more efficiently and safely,” Mr Oakley says. 

    Traffic (light vehicles) will be detoured via Te Poi Road and State Highway 24 or Te Poi South Road and State Highway 28 – adding around 5 minutes to journeys along SH29. Heavy vehicles will be detoured via SH27, SH24 and SH28 adding around 15 minutes. See map attached. 

    Access to properties and businesses within the closure zone will be maintained, however there may be delays entering and exiting the closure site, depending on the work being carried out at the time.   

    “We know that road works are disruptive for residents and local businesses, but this is critical maintenance work, which will improve everyone’s journeys long-term,” Mr Oakley says.  

    The work is scheduled to be completed by Sunday 23 March; however, this may be impacted by bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances. 

    NZTA thanks road users and especially the local community for their patience while we complete this rebuild. 

    View larger map [PDF, 297 KB]

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –