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Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Statement – Commonwealth Budget

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 25/03/2025

    The ACT Government welcomes the wide range of initiatives in the 2025-26 Commonwealth Budget that will benefit Canberrans and our city.

    Continued cost of living relief for all Canberrans

    The ACT Government welcomes new relief for Canberrans who need it most, with tax cuts across the board including a further exemption for low-income earners with increases to the Medicare levy low-income thresholds.

    We also know that Canberra households have faced significantly rising costs over the past two years, which thankfully have started to moderate. The $150 Energy Bill Relief for every household in the ACT will provide much needed relief for nearly two hundred thousand Canberra households as well as small businesses.

    Across the five jurisdictions in the National Electricity Market, the ACT is expected to have the lowest standing offers in 2025-26 – the future is renewable.

    Additionally, the Commonwealth Government’s largest investment in Medicare since its inception will help take some of the pressure off our hospital system and continue to ensure Canberrans get the care they need when they need it.

    Canberrans deserve to be able to access bulk-billed GPs and appropriately funding primary care is critical to address the complexities of demand in our health system.

    Funding for an additional urgent care clinic in Woden is delivered through the budget, as is a boost to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that will benefit all Canberrans.

    Canberrans are more likely than any other Australians to have a tertiary qualification and so will disproportionately benefit from further reductions in HECS-HELP debts; we want more Canberrans to attain tertiary qualifications for the jobs of the future and for more Australians to choose our great universities as their preferred place of study.

    Housing

    The ACT Government remains committed to delivering on the targets set out in the National Housing Accord and we are working to deliver above our per capita share of the national target of 1.2 million homes. We know that increasing housing supply will improve housing affordability, access and choice for Canberrans.

    The ACT Government welcomes the increased income and property price caps under the Government’s Help to Buy scheme which will support more Canberrans to enter the housing market with lower deposits and smaller mortgages. Purchase of homes of up to $1 million in Canberra will now be supported under the scheme, up from $750,000.

    The ACT’s apprentices in residential construction will benefit from $10,000 in cost of living completion payments, which will support the construction industry to build more homes.

    National Capital Investment Framework

    The ACT Government welcomes this additional investment into major transport infrastructure across our city.

    We will continue to work in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to deliver projects that create local jobs and strengthen our economy.

    This pipeline of investment supports our broader strategic objectives for transport planning including unlocking land for more housing, new public transport routes and improving connections with our surrounding region.

    The Budget commits another $53.5 million as part of the 2025-26 to support the next stage of growth and ensure projects across the territory can actually be delivered. This includes:

    • $30 million to complete the Monaro Highway Upgrade
    • $20 million to complete for the Monaro Highway Upgrade Stage 2 Upgrades
    • $3.5 million to complete the duplication of Gundaroo Drive

    The Budget also provides a $30 million boost over five years for the ACT under the Roads to Recovery program, which will go directly to maintaining the ACT’s existing road network. This includes $8.6 million for resurfacing the Kings Highway near Kowen.

    Under the previous Commonwealth Government, Commonwealth infrastructure investment for Canberra lagged behind the rest of the country.

    Public Service

    A strong Australian Public Service is crucial to Canberra’s economy and local businesses. The ACT Government welcomes the continued strong support for the Public Service by the Commonwealth Government which has supported continued low unemployment and strong wage growth across the broader economy.

    Over this term of government, the Commonwealth Government has supported this growth in the APS across every part of our city. The ACT Government welcomes the continued investment in the National Security Office Precinct which started construction earlier this year.

    An alternative approach of severe and prolonged cuts to the Australian Public Service would be an attack on Canberra’s economy and local businesses.

    National Broadband Network

    The ACT will be the largest proportionate beneficiary from a $3 billion investment the National Broadband Network. This investment will see 100,000 more Canberrans connected with faster and more reliable internet by upgrading remaining fibre-to-the node (FTTN) network.

    – Statement ends –

    Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Federal Budget provides funding for new and extended measures

    Former investment manager sentenced for creating false documents for investors following ASIC investigation and CDPP prosecution
    Ben.PetersJones

    On 20 December 2024, Brett Trevillian was convicted and sentenced in the NSW District Court to three years’ imprisonment, to be served by way of an intensive correction order, following a plea of guilty to two charges of making a false document to obtain a financial advantage, contrary to s 253(b)(ii) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW). 

    The Offending

    Mr Trevillian was an investment manager and the sole secretary and director of a company called Metal Alpha Pty Ltd (Metal Alpha). 

    Mr Trevillian, through Metal Alpha, was contracted as the investment manager for a company called AlphaThorn Pty Ltd. AlphaThorn was controlled by Gabriel Yakob and offered investment products to private clients/investors (‘high net-worth individuals‘). Two such products AlphaThorn offered were the ‘Secured Service’ and the ‘Enhanced Service’. Both these products were based on Mr Trevillian’s purported trading strategy, which he called ‘The Gold Method’. 

    In March 2019, Yakob and AlphaThorn instructed Mr Trevillian to retain an accountancy firm to verify the returns on investments that Mr Trevillian purportedly had been traded in the past using The Gold Method. The report was, ultimately, to be used as a form of advertisement for AlphaThorn, to show prospective investors the high return on investments that had been achieved in the past and induce future investment. Mr Trevillian knew the purpose of the reports was to provide the report to prospective future investors.

    Mr Trevillian never went to an accountancy firm to obtain such a report. Instead, during the period 22 April 2019 to 2 October 2019, Mr Trevillian created four forged documents, each called a ‘Portfolio Performance Verification – Report of factual findings’ (PVR). He then provided the PVRs to AlphaThorn and claimed he received them from the accountancy practice, Bell Partners Advisors Auditors Pty Ltd (Bell Partners).

    The forged PVRs falsely verified or claimed a history of successful investment returns and falsely claimed that trading had been conducted through a particular broking firm and that the reports had been produced by an external firm of accountants who had verified actual trading – including forging the signature of an accountant.

    On 14 July 2020, Bell Partners learnt of the forgery and subsequently reported the matter to ASIC.

    Following an ASIC investigation and referral to the CDPP, Mr Trevillian was charged with four offences contrary to section s 253(b)(ii) of the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), to which he entered early pleas of guilty at committal to two rolled up offences. The maximum penalty for each offence was imprisonment for 10 years.

    Sentence

    The sentence hearing was heard before Judge Neilson in the Downing Centre District Court on 23‑25 September 2024, with judgment handed down on 8 November and 20 December 2024. 

    His Honour sentenced the offender to three years’ imprisonment to be served by way of an intensive correction order (ICO).

    His Honour noted the offender’s good character, found him to have good prospects of rehabilitation and noted the onerousness of a custodial sentence. His Honour also applied a 25% discount for the early guilty pleas.

    Relevant links

    ASIC Media Release (11 November 2024) – Former investment manager Brett Trevillian sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for forging reports for investors

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Empowering young changemakers in Wanneroo

    Source: South Australia Police

    We’re pleased to welcome 12 local primary schools into the 2025 City of Wanneroo School Leadership Program.

    Since 2019, the program has fostered leadership, teamwork and community connection among young people in our community and has helped nearly 500 students develop confidence and skills to lead positive change within their community.

    As part of the program, participating students band together to create a community action project that focuses on improving the environment, safety, advocacy, inclusion or health in their neighbourhoods.

    Mayor Linda Aitken said the program played an important role in shaping the future leaders of our communities.

    “The School Leadership Program empowers young people to make a real difference in their own backyard, and investing in our young people is investing in the future of the City of Wanneroo,” she said.

    “Through this program, we are not only developing leadership skills but also fostering a sense of belonging and responsibility that will benefit our community for years to come.”

    This year’s participating schools are:

    • Alkimos Primary
    • Carnaby Rise Primary
    • Carramar Primary
    • Clarkson Primary
    • East Wanneroo Primary
    • Mindarie Primary
    • Our Lady of Mercy Primary
    • Quinns Rocks Primary
    • Rawlinson Primary
    • St Anthony’s Wanneroo
    • St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary
    • Tapping Primary

    The program kicks off with the Youth Leadership Forum on 8 May, where students will engage in interactive workshops, hear from inspiring leaders and start developing their Community Action Projects.

    Stay tuned as these young changemakers embark on their leadership journey.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Senegal

    Source:

    We’ve reviewed our advice and continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution in Senegal. Protests in Senegal have turned violent, resulting in several deaths and injuries. Avoid protests and public gatherings, limit unnecessary travel and remain vigilant. Mobile communications may be disrupted without notice. Follow the advice of local authorities and monitor local media for updates. The Australian High Commission in Accra currently has very limited capacity to provide consular assistance in Senegal.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Raf Epstein, Melbourne Mornings, ABC Radio

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    Raf Epstein:

    Jim Chalmers has delivered his fourth Budget. He’s the federal Treasurer. Good morning.

    Jim Chalmers:

    Good morning, Raf. How are you?

    Epstein:

    I’m good. Look, people on $45 grand might really need it, but people earning $200 grand don’t need an extra $500 a year in a tax cut. High earners are getting tax cuts. Why?

    Chalmers:

    Well, every Australian taxpayer’s getting another 2 tax cuts in addition to the one that started rolling out in July. And that’s what we’re doing in the Budget. We’re topping up the tax cuts.

    And when you cut the bottom rate from 19 cents all the way down to 14 cents, that flows to every taxpayer. That’s just how the tax system works. But the benefits will be disproportionately felt for people on lower incomes, younger people, people entering the workforce, and that’s deliberate.

    Epstein:

    Why are high income earners getting it? I just want to understand the rationale. You and I don’t need that money. It could be better spent by the government, it could be targeted at people who need it. Why are we getting it?

    Chalmers:

    Because the way the tax system works is it’s a marginal tax system and when you cut the bottom rate, it means that every taxpayer benefits and the –

    Epstein:

    – that’s an explanation. That’s not a reason.

    Chalmers:

    The only easy way to limit the tax cuts is to provide it in people’s tax returns. We’ve done that in the past, but we wanted to make this a weekly, enduring, ongoing benefit to people. The benefit, when you combine our 3 tax cuts together is an average tax cut of about $50 a week.

    You ask me about cost‑of‑living relief more broadly. It’s not the only thing we’re doing. You know, strengthening Medicare is about out of pocket health costs, cheaper medicines, energy bill rebates, cutting student debt. These are all of the ways that we are responsibly helping people with the cost of living.

    Epstein:

    Without an election, would there have been tax cuts?

    Chalmers:

    Yes, we’re very keen to top up the tax cuts which started flowing in July. And that’s because we recognise that even though we’re making a heap of very encouraging progress in the fight against inflation, we’ve got inflation down lower and earlier in the budget than was expected, even at the end of last year.

    But we know that people are still under pressure and so we’re providing cost‑of‑living relief, really one of the main focuses in the Budget. And, and we’re doing that in a whole bunch of ways and giving people 2 more tax cuts to top up the tax cuts, which are already flowing, is a very effective way of doing that.

    Epstein:

    Jim Chalmers, as Treasurer, your shared equity scheme, it is extra help for some people to buy a house, but there’s not much for most people trying to buy a house. Why do you keep kicking that can down the road?

    Chalmers:

    I don’t think we are. You know, the Help to Buy scheme, the expansion means about 40 – helping about 40,000 Australians into the housing market. That’s a significant amount of people. But it’s not the only thing we’re doing in housing.

    There’s about $33 billion being invested in housing in all kinds of responsible ways, from social and affordable housing to the Help to Buy scheme, to working with the states to open up new estates and make sure that it’s got the infrastructure that it needs.

    We’re investing in housing in a whole bunch of ways. We know that there’s a shortage. It’s one of the big challenges in our economy, as you and I have spoken about, I think, on a number of occasions, Raf and that’s why we’re doing something about it.

    Epstein:

    But aren’t those changes on the edges? The big changes are how we incentivise people to build wealth. Negative gearing, capital gains, like that’s the big lever that you haven’t pulled?

    Chalmers:

    We haven’t. That’s correct. But whether it’s cost of living or housing, it’s best not to look at any one measure in isolation. You look across what we’re doing in housing, we’ve got the most ambitious housing programme of any government in my lifetime.

    Epstein:

    Are you scared of negative gearing changes?

    Chalmers:

    We’re not going down that route because we’re not convinced that it would build more homes to change that. We’ve made that clear. And our emphasis is on housing supply. We want to build more homes, 1.2 million homes in the next 5 years. That’s going to be difficult. It’s ambitious, but it’s achievable if everybody does their bit.

    We’ve shown a willingness and enthusiasm to invest in housing because we know it’s the source of a lot of this cost‑of‑living pressure, which is still hanging around. We know we don’t have enough homes. That’s why we’re acting decisively with $33 billion of investment.

    Epstein:

    Jim Chalmers is the Treasurer on 774. We’ll have a word to the Shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor, soon as well.

    Treasurer, if you had 60 seconds in a lift with Donald Trump, what would you say to him?

    Chalmers:

    I think I’d tell President Trump, exactly what I told his Treasury Secretary in Washington D.C. a few weeks ago. Ours is an economic relationship of mutual benefit. They run a big trade surplus with us, they enjoy tariff‑free access to our markets. We believe that should be taken into consideration and we will always speak up for and stand up for our interests.

    Epstein:

    Do you think he cares about Australia?

    Chalmers:

    I don’t think that’s a question really for me. You’d have to ask him. But I do believe whoever is in the White House and whoever is in the Lodge, this is such an important economic relationship and security relationship, it benefits both countries. And we will continue to make our case to stand up and speak for our interests.

    We don’t want to trade away the things that we’re proud of in Australia, things like the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that I invested in in the Budget. We want to make sure that we’re strengthening that because Australians need us to, not weakening it because American multinationals want us to. So that’s been in the mix. That’s been some of the things that have been discussed. I would make the same points to President Trump that I made to his Treasury Secretary.

    Epstein:

    You did pull a bit of a rabbit out of your hat with the tax cuts last night. One thing you did not mention is Melbourne’s suburban rail loop. Why not?

    Chalmers:

    Because we’d already funded that. As you know, I think the funding got released a few weeks ago. But that’s been in our, that $2 billion or so has been in our budget for a while. Usually in the Budget speech, you mentioned the new things.

    Epstein:

    You don’t think it’s a sketchy project, you’ve got faith in it?

    Chalmers:

    Well, it’s cleared the hurdles. And So we’re providing that $2 billion. We believe in it. We think it’s a project worthy of Commonwealth investment. That’s why Catherine King, my colleague, has been working closely with the Victorians to provide and release that funding for Suburban Rail Loop. But in the Budget speech last night, we focused on Sunshine Station because that’s part of a big new investment we’re making in the Airport Rail line.

    Epstein:

    Tobacco excise. I think it’s about $1.40 of tax per cigarette at the moment. That is failing in your Budget. You’re taking in even less money than you thought you would. It’s failing on the streets. Why are you sticking with that while shops are burning?

    Chalmers:

    There are 2 reasons why tobacco excise is down. There’s a good reason and there’s a bad reason. Good reason is more people giving it away. But I do acknowledge the essence of your question, which is we’ve got a challenge here and too many people are avoiding the excise, and that’s why we’ve actually invested a substantial amount of money and resources in the Budget last night to try and crack down on people avoiding the excise. There’s a lot of money in the Budget for compliance and enforcement because we do have a problem there. I acknowledge that. We’re doing something about it.

    Epstein:

    Will we ever get a surplus?

    Chalmers:

    We’ve delivered 2 surpluses, Raf.

    Epstein:

    I’m talking looking forward.

    Chalmers:

    I know, but this is too easily lost. When we came to office, there were deficits in every year, we turned 2 of them into surpluses. And we’ve shrunk the deficit this year and that’s helping us get debt down this year by $177 billion. I think that is too easily lost.

    We do acknowledge there are structural issues in the budget in the medium term and in the longer term. That’s what’s motivated us in terms of making spending on the NDIS and in aged care more sustainable. We have made a structural difference, a structural improvement to the budget over time with those measures. But the work of budget repair is ongoing.

    In every single one of our 4 Budgets, we’ve had savings. We’ve tried to. When we’re investing money in helping with the cost of living or strengthening Medicare, we’ve done it in the most responsible way that we can, which recognises these pressures on the budget.

    Epstein:

    Thanks so much for your time this morning.

    Chalmers:

    Appreciate it, Raf. All the best.

    Epstein:

    Jim Chalmers there, the federal Treasurer.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Sarah Abo and James Bracey, Today Show, Channel 9

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    James Bracey:

    Now more on the Albanese government’s fourth federal Budget. Jim Chalmers catching the country off guard with a surprise tax cut for every Australian, a move the Coalition is calling an election bribe.

    Sarah Abo:

    And the Treasurer joins us live now from Parliament House in Canberra. Good morning to you, Treasurer, or should I call you the re‑election salesman with a Budget like that? $5 a week barely buys a cup of coffee. Can it buy an election?

    Jim Chalmers:

    It’s more than that, Sarah, that’s the first point. If you combine the 3 tax cuts that Labor is providing, it’s around $50 a week on average. It’s not the only cost‑of‑living help that we’re providing. We know that cost of living is front of mind for most Australians and it’s absolutely front and centre in the Budget. The tax cuts, strengthening Medicare, cheaper medicines, cutting student debt, providing energy bill rebates. This is all about providing the most cost‑of‑living help that we can in the most responsible way that we can.

    Bracey:

    Treasurer, why across the whole board, for everyone with this tax cut? We spoke to Kirsty earlier, cafe owner, mother of 7, who says the $5 bucks a week just won’t touch the sides.

    Chalmers:

    That’s only one of the 2 tax cuts that we’re providing, and 3 in total in our time in office, the average –

    Abo:

    But why is it for everyone Treasurer?

    Chalmers:

    The average is $50 a week. That’s the first point.

    Abo:

    Shouldn’t you prioritise the first 2?

    Chalmers:

    When you cut the bottom rate of tax, it flows right up and down the income scale, so it’s a tax cut for every taxpayer. These are modest tax cuts, they’re responsible tax cuts, but they’re meaningful when you take them in combination with the tax cuts which are flowing already, we’re topping up those tax cuts and we’re also providing cost‑of‑living relief in other ways.

    Abo:

    It’s barely going to help those top part of the brackets, as you know but it will, if it was doubled, be more of an impact for those underneath. I mean, there is still a big household onus now to find savings. The cost‑of‑living pressures are unlikely to change in the short term.

    Chalmers:

    That’s why we’re helping people with the cost of living. We’ve made a lot of progress together as Australians on inflation and in our economy more broadly. The Australian economy is turning a corner and that’s a very good thing. But we know that there’s more work to do. That’s why we’re providing more cost‑of‑living help and that’s why it beggars belief that the Coalition is opposing this cost‑of‑living relief.

    What it means for the election is that it’s a simple choice between Labor cutting taxes to help with the cost of living versus Peter Dutton’s secret cuts which will make people worse off. Peter Dutton wants to cut everything except income taxes and that will be part of the choice that we’ll be asking people to make at the election.

    Bracey:

    There really is no Treasurer budget for an election and you set aside a further billion dollars for that election. What is up your sleeve?

    Chalmers:

    I don’t agree with that characterisation. It’s a budget about building Australia’s future and strengthening Medicare and helping with the cost of living. When it comes to that line in the Budget about decisions taken but not announced, that’s actually very small by historical standards. There are good reasons to have a small amount of money provisioned for in that way. If you compare that with earlier budgets, that line item is actually incredibly small.

    Abo:

    The surpluses are firmly in the review mirror, aren’t they, Treasurer? I mean, what a legacy; 10 years of deficit. Now you’re staring down extraordinary debt as far as the eye can see and without a real concrete plan to pay for it.

    Chalmers:

    I think it’s unusual, Sarah, that your question doesn’t acknowledge that when we came to office there were only deficits, and we turned 2 of them into surpluses and we shrunk the deficit for this year. We’ve made a lot of progress in the Budget. We’ve helped engineer the biggest ever nominal improvement in the Budget position in a single parliamentary term. More than $200 billion improvement, much less debt than what we inherited from our predecessors and that’s making a structural improvement to the budget as well. We have got the budget in better nick. We’re providing responsible cost‑of‑living help, we’re strengthening Medicare and we’re investing in the future of this country. And we’re doing that in the most responsible way that we can.

    Bracey:

    There’s a legitimate crisis in amongst all this though, Treasurer. The tobacco taxes collapsed to a 14‑year low. It’s blown a $17.6 billion hole in the tax base. Meanwhile, we see fire bombings almost daily, fuelling the black‑market wars that are going on as we speak. So, what will the government be doing about it all?

    Chalmers:

    There are 2 reasons why tobacco excise goes down. One of them is a good reason, one of them is a bad reason. The good reason is more and more people giving up the darts, which is what we want to see. But the bad reason is the case that people are finding more ways around tobacco excise. That’s why we’ve invested a substantial amount of money in new resources for compliance and enforcement. We do know there’s an issue. We acknowledge that. That’s why we’re trying to resource some more compliance and some more enforcement, because there has been some leakage in the Budget in that regard.

    Abo:

    Long night for you, Treasurer, and an early start. Thank you for joining us this morning and speaking to our audience. Appreciate it.

    Chalmers:

    Nice to talk to you both. Thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Headline and underlying inflation fall in February

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    New figures show that headline and underlying inflation fell last month.

    This is more positive and promising news that shows we’re making progress together in the fight against inflation.

    Monthly inflation fell to 2.4 per cent in the year to February 2025.

    Annual trimmed mean inflation fell to 2.7 per cent.

    Today’s headline result was below the median market expectation.

    Inflation was high and rising when we came to government and now it’s much lower and falling.

    Headline inflation has been at or below the midpoint of the Reserve Bank’s target band for six consecutive months.

    Underlying inflation has been below three per cent for three consecutive months.

    This is even more proof that inflation continues to moderate in our economy.

    The Budget we handed down this week continues the fight against inflation and shows that Treasury now expects inflation to return sustainably to the target band six months sooner – in the middle of this year, rather than at the end.

    Today’s result is a reminder of our substantial and sustained progress in the fight against inflation.

    Under Labor, inflation is down, wages are up, unemployment is low, interest rates have started to come down and we’ve topped up our tax relief to give every taxpayer two new tax cuts from next year.

    We know that these monthly numbers are volatile and can bounce around but the direction of travel on inflation is clear.

    On the official quarterly measure, inflation under Labor is almost a third of the 6.1 per cent we inherited. Australia’s inflation is now lower than most major advanced economies.

    While most other advanced economies have paid for progress on inflation with much higher unemployment, growth going backwards, or a recession, we’ve managed to preserve the progress we’ve made in our labour market while inflation has come down.

    Electricity prices fell 13.2 cent in the year to February but would have fallen only 1.2 per cent without the energy rebates for every household we are rolling out with the states.

    Rents rose 5.5 per cent in the year but would have increased 6.8 per cent without the recent increase to Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

    Even with this substantial progress, we know people are still under pressure and that’s why our cost‑of‑living help is so important.

    We’re delivering two new tax cuts that will put an average of about $50 a week back in taxpayers’ pockets when combined with our tax cuts from 2024.

    Our Budget is all about helping with the cost of living and finishing the fight against inflation, strengthening Medicare and building Australia’s future.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Notification of avian influenza and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection

    Source: FairTrading New South Wales

    Key messages

    • From 1 April 2025, avian influenza and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection will become notifiable conditions in Victoria.
    • Avian influenza in a person will become an urgent notifiable condition. Medical practitioners and pathology services must notify cases immediately (as soon as practicable, and in any case, within 24 hours) upon diagnosis to the Department of Health. Pathology services must also provide written notification within 5 working days.
    • Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection will become a routine notifiable condition for pathology services only. Pathology services must provide written notification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus detection or isolation in a clinical specimen to the Department of Health within 5 working days.
    • Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection of birds that can rarely affect people. Those who have had close or prolonged contact with infected birds or other animals or their contaminated environments are at highest risk of infection.
    • Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection most commonly presents as acute gastroenteritis associated with consumption of raw and undercooked seafood.

    What is the issue?

    The Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 requires that prescribed conditions and micro-organisms are notified to the Department of Health. This law exists to monitor, prevent and control the occurrence of infectious diseases and other specified conditions to protect the Victorian community from further illness.

    From 1 April 2025, avian influenza will become an urgent notifiable condition and Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection will become a routine notifiable condition for both medical practitioners and pathology services in Victoria.

    Making these conditions notifiable enables public health response actions to be initiated more promptly and facilitates the collection of more comprehensive and accurate surveillance data.

    Avian influenza, commonly referred to as ‘bird flu’, is a contagious infection of birds, caused by multiple avian influenza viruses. Wild birds are considered the natural host for these viruses. Sometimes these viruses spill over from wild birds into domestic bird populations causing disease. Several outbreaks have previously occurred in Australia among commercial flocks of birds. In May 2024, Australia reported its first human case of avian influenza H5N1 in a returned overseas traveller.

    Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterium found in marine waters that most commonly causes acute gastroenteritis with watery diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and headache. Illness is primarily associated with consumption of raw or undercooked seafood, particularly oysters and other shellfish. In Australia, several multi-jurisdictional outbreaks linked to locally grown oysters have occurred over the past ten years, with significant human health, economic and international trade impact. Less commonly Vibrio parahaemolyticus can also cause wound infection when sea water contaminates an open wound.

    Who is at risk?

    Most people are not at risk of avian influenza, as the viruses do not spread easily from birds to people. People who have close or prolonged unprotected contact with infected birds or animals or their contaminated environments are at highest risk of infection.

    Although limited human-to-human transmission of avian influenza viruses may have occurred in some instances, sustained human-to-human transmission has not been identified to date.

    People cannot be infected with avian influenza through eating fully cooked poultry or eggs, even in areas with an outbreak.

    Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection can infect individuals of any age. Risks factors for developing severe disease include underlying chronic illness, being immunocompromised, consumption of antibiotics and medications that reduce stomach acid levels.

    Vibrio parahaemolyticus does not usually spread from person to person, however, person-to-person transmission is possible if there is poor personal hygiene.

    Diagnosis

    Diagnosis of avian influenza is confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for avian influenza viruses, on nasopharyngeal and throat swabs. As sample collection may induce coughing, where avian influenza is suspected swabs should be collected in a negative pressure room if available and using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

    Not everyone with symptoms of influenza needs to be tested for or notified as having suspected avian influenza.

    A suspected case of avian influenza requires both clinical evidence and epidemiological evidence. Epidemiological evidence may include:

    • close contact with a probable or confirmed human avian influenza case
    • exposure to birds, bird carcasses, or to environments contaminated by bird faeces, in an area with suspected or confirmed avian influenza infections in birds or other animals
    • consumption of raw or undercooked poultry products from an area with suspected or confirmed avian influenza infections in birds
    • close contact with a confirmed avian influenza infected animal other than birds (for example, cat or pig)
    • handling samples suspected of containing avian influenza virus in a laboratory or other setting.

    For more information refer to the Communicable Diseases Network Australia Surveillance Case Definition – Avian influenzaExternal Link.

    Diagnosis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection relies on laboratory detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus by nucleic acid testing or isolation of the bacterium from an appropriate clinical specimen. For more information refer to the Communicable Diseases Network Australia Surveillance Case DefinitionExternal Link.

    Confirmed cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection are designated based only on definitive laboratory evidence and are therefore required to be notified by pathology services.

    Recommendations

    For medical practitioners

    • From 1 April 2025, medical practitioners must notify all patients with suspected or confirmed avian influenza to the Department of Health immediately (as soon as practicable and within 24 hours) upon diagnosis by telephone on 1300 651 160 (24/7). Notifying medical practitioners will be connected to the appropriate Local Public Health Unit.
    • Seek laboratory confirmation urgently for all suspected cases of avian influenza. All suspected cases should be discussed with the relevant Local Public Health Unit who can provide advice on testing and coordinate with the laboratory.
    • All samples should be sent for urgent testing at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL). Record relevant clinical details, suspected diagnosis and risk factors on the request form.
    • Consider the need for contact management of patients with avian influenza. This may include post-exposure prophylaxis in eligible high-risk contacts. For further advice, refer to an infectious disease specialist or contact your Local Public Health Unit (after hours contact via 1300 651 160).
    • Further information about the notification process and the Public Health and Wellbeing legislation are available on the Notifiable infectious diseases, conditions and micro-organisms page.

    For pathology services

    • From 1 April 2025, pathology services must notify any isolation or detection of avian influenza (subtype of Influenza A) to the Department of Health immediately (as soon as practicable and within 24 hours) upon diagnosis by telephone on 1300 651 160 (24/7). Notifying pathology services will be connected to the appropriate Local Public Health Unit. Pathology services must also follow up with written notifications within 5 working days.
    • From 1 April 2025, pathology services must provide written notification of any isolation or detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus within five working days to the Department of Health by electronic laboratory report (ELR) or by faxing the laboratory report to 1300 651 170.

    More information

    For more information, please contact the Department of Health on 1300 651 160 (24/7).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Brigades gear up for the final week of State Championships

    Source:

    We saw our firefighters of tomorrow kick off 2025 CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships last weekend, but there is more to come with our Senior Urban and Senior and Junior Rural teams gearing up for the final weekend.

    The friendly competition will continue as a new batch of participants, supporters and families are set to return to Mooroopna Recreation Reserve across the weekend, 29 and 30 March, to close out the competition.  

    The first weekend of the Championships was a success, with Melton A bringing home the title of Urban Junior Champions after a very close battle.  

    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan was pleased to see the excitement of the eager youngsters over the weekend and looks forward to seeing the competition continue to reach new heights. 

    “The Championships are an important and much-loved event on the CFA calendar and go a long way to build and grow the future of the organisation and our next generation of firefighters,” he said. 

    “For our seniors the competition is an opportunity to strengthen and showcase their firefighting skills as well as meet up with old friends and make new ones.  

    This weekend will see more teams compete, among them will be teams from Osbourne Park who are a group of teams from a range of brigades in the broader area. 

    The unique team set up is a way for those at brigades who don’t have a team to take part in.  

    Col Jordan helped establish the Osborne Park group eight years ago to keep the sport alive and give people a chance to take part.  

    Col has been passionate about the sport since he was a teenager.  

    “As a 17-year-old I got invited down to a training session and I guess I took to it like a duck to water,” he said.  

    “I really enjoy it is a team sport; I have played a lot of different sports in my life, and I find this the most rewarding. 

    “It is a great sport and has a long history.” 

    The Osborne Park teams sure stand out on the track in their fluro work wear uniforms.  

    “When we started, I wanted a uniform that was easy to get and also affordable for people, so we settled on the fluro workwear,” Col said. 

    This year for the first time Osborne Park has a women’s team competing who will be proudly wearing fluro pink.  

    “Everyone is welcome,” Col said. 

    “We have members from all over the district, we have members ranging from 16 to 64. 

    “You build up a team, and together you do your best.” 

    He said the support the teams get from parents, grandparents, and other community supporters is what keeps the teams running; whether it is in judging, committee representation, or helping out at competitions it really takes a lot of people to keep the sport going.   

    Col said it would be a bonus to take home a trophy or two from seniors’ weekend but that the real aim was working together and having a great time as a team.  

    “This is as a way of getting people, both juniors and seniors, involved and giving them the opportunity to be really involved with the brigades,” he said.  

    “It provides a form of team building and camaraderie.” 

    The Torchlight Procession will take place following the competition on Saturday 29 March from 8pm on the Midland Highway in Mooroopna near Mooroopna Recreation Reserve.  

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 50 Years of Good Friday in Lakes Entrance

    Source:

    Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade is this year celebrating 50 years of collecting for the Good Friday Appeal.

    Lakes Entrance Fire Brigade is this year celebrating 50 years of collecting for the Good Friday Appeal. 

    Over their incredible 50 years of fundraising the brigade has raised a total of $607,155.31 

    The appeal began in Lakes Entrance over 50 years ago when local barber Billy Bills was asked to coordinate the effort.  

    Billy was motivated to take on the role because of a well-known local boy who was living at the Royal Children’s Hospital with Spina Bifida. 

    After Billy’s passing his son, Alan Bills, continued the work for over 30 years until ill health led him to pass the responsibility to Area Manager and Lakes Entrance Brigade member John Upton.  

    John, along with his daughter Lesley Garth, continue to coordinate the appeal today. 

    John said it is amazing to have watched the appeal grow into what it is today.  

    “It is a pretty good effort for a small town like ours to keep it going, to keep collecting, and to keep supporting the cause,” he said. 

    Fundraising efforts started with a collection point at Billy’s own home, with a focus around can collection and support from local businesses.  

    John said the support from local businesses has only grown in recent years and he is thankful to have such a supportive community behind the brigade’s efforts.  

    “Over time, raffles were introduced, and CFA members, their partners, and children all became involved,” he said.  

    “Families assisted with collections at caravan parks, using a fire truck to attract attention. 

    “Fire trucks and community buses filled with children collect from local houses, and we hold raffles at several evening venues.” 

    Brigade Captain Phil Loukes said it has become a real community event and it’s heartwarming to see the brigade still going strong after 50 years of collecting.  

    “It is a whole brigade thing, it is absolutely embraced by all of the brigade,” he said.  

    “Lakes has really suffered first from covid and then from the 2019/2020 bushfires, we haven’t really recovered so our community has been amazing in supporting us.” 

    The Good Friday Appeal became personal for John after his granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer when she was 18 months old. 

    John’s own children and another grandchild also needed to rely on the services of the RCH. he said it is a special place that deserves all the help it gets.  

    “It is an absolute necessity to make sure the kids are okay,” he said. 

    He said many members of the brigade and the broader community have been touched by the world class care of the Royal Children’s Hospital. 

    “The RCH is unique and a very important place for kids who need it,” he said 

    “The legacy that those early people have left, they built a really strong foundation and as a brigade it is a highlight.  

    “It pulls people together with a common goal.” 

    John said the totals the brigade sees each year are a testament to the hard work of so many people behind the scenes including brigade life member Graeme Adams and his wife Truus who have been involved since the very beginning.   

    “None of this would have been possible without the ongoing support of CFA members, their partners, children, and the broader community,” John said. 

    “To anyone out there please give as generously as you can as you can afford to, even just a few cents, it all goes a long way.” 

    This year, CFA volunteers are aiming to surpass $40 million in total funds collected for the Good Friday Appeal across 74 years. 

    On Good Friday call 1300 APPEAL between 9am and 11pm. 

    Submitted by Brittany Carlson

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Death at Christie Downs

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Police are investigating a suspicious death at Christie Downs this morning.

    About 10am on Wednesday 26 March, police were called to a home at Rufus Crescent after a woman was found collapsed at the property.

    Sadly, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Southern District CIB detectives are at the scene investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.

    Further information will be provided when known.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Research reveals gender bias blind spot among men in local leadership

    Source:

    26 March 2025

    Men in local leadership positions are unaware of gender leadership disparities and are less likely to challenge dominant stereotypes compared to women, suggests new research by the University of South Australia.

    UniSA researchers interviewed more than 30 people in local leadership roles in regions experiencing industrial transformation, across government, business, sporting clubs, religious organisations and academia. All participants were from communities directly affected by the closure of Australia’s automotive industry in 2017, in suburban Melbourne, northern Adelaide and Geelong. They were interviewed in 2023 about gendered stereotypes that existed when the crisis unfolded and progressed, as well as when COVID hit.

    The findings suggest that women and men leaders agreed on what makes a good leader. However, women experienced daily impacts related to gender leadership stereotypes and actively worked to break down these biases. On the other hand, men leaders tended to be unaware of gender differences, believing they didn’t exist.

    Lead researcher Dr Lynette Washington says the men in the study largely accepted dominant gender leadership norms without questioning them, limiting their ability to push for alternative leadership styles which might assist to drive real change in regions undergoing a major industrial shift.

    “The thing that was most striking was that when we spoke to women, they immediately identified that they were impacted by stereotypes and they undertook detailed, sophisticated work to deconstruct those ideas. They understood how stereotypes impacted them, they thought about that impact regularly and deeply, and it was very much front of mind for them,” she says.

    “When we asked the men about gender bias, they didn’t believe that it existed for women or men leaders. And because of that, they couldn’t deconstruct these ideas to understand how they functioned and impacted people in the workplace.”

    The research was centred around the concept of ‘place-based leadership’, a collaborative, community-led approach to leadership that aims to improve the social and economic outcomes for a specific community.

    Dr Washington says place-based leadership is not much so much about the job a leader is doing but the way they’re doing it – with an emphasis on collaboration, leading through persuasion, soft power and networking.

    “It’s about their understanding and care of the place. Many place-based leaders live in the place they lead and key to being a placed-based leader is having a connection or a personal investment,” she says.

    “The findings of our study suggest that greater awareness of gender in leadership would help create more inclusive and effective leadership and this could lead to fairer outcomes.”

    One of the research participants shared her experience with gender bias in local government. 

    “The first time I stood up to speak in council the town clerk said to me, “Well that’s very nice. Now be a good girl and sit down,” she said.

    Researchers have documented gender bias in leadership since the 1970s, a phenomenon that US researcher Dr Virginia Schein called “think manager, think male”. Dr Washington explains the issue now is that men must do more to help deconstruct bias.

    “If men can’t take that first step of acknowledging gender stereotyping in the workplace is real, they can’t do the work to address it. Women are acknowledging it and working hard to deconstruct and change it, but part of the reason it’s not progressing in the way that it needs to is that men aren’t also doing that work to the degree that is required for change,” she says.

    “Without equality in leadership, we can’t access the full wealth of knowledge, experience and ability that exists in places. Left behind places need to access the full range of skills and abilities that they hold to ensure they can meet the challenges ahead.

    “Places like the northern suburbs in Adelaide and Geelong in Victoria experienced significant disruption when the car manufacturing industry closed and were also hit hard during the pandemic. We need the best possible leadership in these places and that means challenging old ways of leading and introducing new, more effective leadership styles. One way to do that is to have a greater awareness of gender within leadership.

    “This will result in more equal outcomes across the regions.”

    To access the research paper: Washington, L., Beer, A., & Kulik, C. T. (2024). Gender, place leadership and levelling up across regions. Contemporary Social Science, 19(4), 583–601. https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2024.2441856

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Dr Lynette Washington, Research Fellow, UniSA E: Lynette.Washington@unisa.edu.au

    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +403 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: TPG pays penalties for alleged non-compliance with its Functional Separation Undertaking

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    TPG Telecom Limited has paid $75,120 in penalties after the ACCC issued it with four infringement notices for alleged contraventions of the Telecommunications Act by failing to comply with its joint functional separation undertaking.

    TPG’s undertaking includes obligations designed to ensure separation of wholesale and retail functions as required by the carrier separation rules in the Telecommunications Act.

    The ACCC alleges that, from 31 August 2023 to 22 May 2024, TPG failed to have measures in place to prevent staff of its wholesale and retail businesses from accessing the other’s premises unless accompanied to the extent practicable while on the premises, as required in the undertaking.

    It is alleged that on four occasions a senior TPG wholesale staff member worked unaccompanied in offices where TPG retail staff were located without any physical or other security barriers separating the respective staff.

    The staff separation obligations are intended to prevent staff from the two businesses sharing sensitive information that could favour TPG’s own retail operations over third-party retailers on its Vision Network.

    Although there was no evidence that sensitive information was shared, the alleged conduct had the potential to affect competition in relation to the supply of retail broadband services to a significant number of consumers.

    “This is our first enforcement action for an alleged contravention of the carrier separation rules as we continue to focus on promoting competition in essential services, such as telecommunications,” ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver said.

    “Carriers must comply with the carrier separation rules which are designed to promote retail competition and choice for consumers on alternative fixed-line broadband networks.” 

    “The new telecommunications infringement notice powers allow us to respond quickly to instances of non-compliance. However, where warranted, we will not hesitate to pursue matters in the Federal Court and seek significant penalties, of up to $10 million per contravention,” Ms Carver said.

    Background

    On 7 April 2022, the ACCC accepted a joint functional separation undertaking given by TPG on behalf of the TPG Retailers and TPG Wholesalers under Part 8 of the Telecommunications Act.

    The undertaking was given under the carrier separation rules in the Telecommunications Act, which require superfast network operators to operate on a wholesale-only basis, unless they seek an exemption from the ACCC. This means that a company that controls a superfast broadband network cannot supply retail services over it unless there is a class exemption or a functional separation undertaking in place.

    On 4 September 2024, the ACCC issued the ACCC Telecommunications (Infringement Notices) Guidelines 2024 informing telecommunications operators of the ACCC’s approach to exercising its infringement notice powers for failure to comply with the carrier separation rules under Part 8 of the Telecommunications Act.

    The ACCC has also published industry guidance on the carrier separation rules that provides an overview of the obligations which apply to network operators and intermediaries supplying retail services, including apartment building owners, property managers and retirement village operators.

    Details of the infringement notices given to TPG are available on the Telecommunications infringement notices register.

    Note to editors

    The payment of a penalty specified in an infringement notice is not an admission of a contravention of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

    The ACCC Chair, as an authorised infringement notice officer, can give an infringement notice when they have reasonable grounds to believe a person or business has contravened certain civil provisions of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia stands firm behind its foreign aid in the budget, but the future remains precarious

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Conley Tyler, Honorary Fellow, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne

    This week’s budget will come as a relief to Australia’s neighbours in the Indo-Pacific that rely on development assistance. The Albanese government did not follow the lead of US President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in cutting its foreign aid.

    The Trump administration froze foreign assistance and dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID) when it came into office. Meanwhile, the UK announced 40% aid cuts of its own.

    It is to Australia’s credit this has not happened here. Australia’s development budget remains intact this year and in forward estimates.

    Sensible policymakers seem to recognise that Australia’s strategic circumstances are different. As a nation surrounded by low- and middle-income countries, Australia cannot vacate the field on development issues without enormous reputational, diplomatic and strategic damage.

    This budget shows Australia is committed to its region – with 75% of the foreign assistance budget flowing to the Indo-Pacific – and sees development partnerships as a way to solve shared problems.

    What’s in the budget for aid and development

    The details of the development budget show Australia has been listening to its partners to identify critical gaps and reprioritise funds.

    In the Pacific, funding has risen to a historic high, with no country receiving less aid. There have been changes in focus to respond to the US funding cuts, including programs on HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea and Fiji and gender-based violence in the Pacific.

    This fits with Australia’s desire to be a partner of choice – and to prevent an increased Chinese presence in the region.

    In Southeast Asia, Australia has increased its aid to all countries and has shifted funding, particularly in health where the US was a major donor.

    This is in Australia’s interest. A new program on Indonesian human and animal health, for example, will help prevent health system failures in areas such as tuberculosis and polio elimination on Australia’s doorstep.

    Funds have also been reallocated to support civil society organisations working in vital areas like media freedom and human rights, which would have been a casualty in the US cuts.

    There was also a shift in humanitarian funding to Myanmar and Bangladesh, where the US aid withdrawal has left Rohingya refugees in a desperate state.

    Importantly, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is helping local organisations survive US cuts by allowing temporary flexibility in the use of grant funding to help them continue to deliver essential services.

    Beyond these reprioritisations, the other heartening thing about the budget is its normality.

    It maintains funding for assistive technology for people with disabilities and an Inclusion and Equality Fund to support LGBTQIA+ civil society organisations and human rights defenders. There are programs on maternal health, including reproductive rights.

    The future is still precarious

    However, it would be wrong to think this budget will fill the gaps left by the US withdrawal.

    The ANU Development Policy Centre estimates that traditional OECD donors will cut at least 25% of their aid by 2027. It said, “when that much of a thing goes missing, it’s clearly at risk of collapse”.

    Some development organisations will close their doors, potentially including household names that Australians have donated to for years. This is a time of huge transformation for the sector.

    Another future problem will be maintaining multilateral institutions that rely on US funding – including the World Health Organization, World Food Programme, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. This will require a concerted effort with other countries.

    So, while the Australian budget shows a government deploying current funding as intelligently as possible, there will eventually be limits to this approach.

    In the “new world of uncertainty” described in the treasurer’s budget speech, it simply won’t be possible to meet Australia’s strategic aims and keep development spending at its current rate. It is still far away from 1% of the federal budget.

    At some point, Australia must rethink the trajectory of its international commitments.

    Analysis by the Development Intelligence Lab, a think tank working on development cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, has shown that over the last 25 years, the international parts of the federal budget – defence, intelligence, diplomacy and development – have held steady at around 10%.

    In a time of disruption, this might need to change. In 1949, for example, Australia invested almost 9% of the federal budget on development and diplomacy alone – not including defence.

    Those in the foreign aid sector can celebrate Australia has not pulled back on its commitments like the US and UK. At the same time, we should expect the next government will inevitably be called on to do more.

    Melissa Conley Tyler is Executive Director at the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D), an initiative funded by the foreign affairs and defence portfolios and hosted by the Australian Council for International Development..

    – ref. Australia stands firm behind its foreign aid in the budget, but the future remains precarious – https://theconversation.com/australia-stands-firm-behind-its-foreign-aid-in-the-budget-but-the-future-remains-precarious-253028

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Leak of US military plans on Signal is a classic case of ‘shadow IT’. It shows why security systems need to be easy to use

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Toby Murray, Professor of Cybersecurity, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne

    Yesterday, The Atlantic magazine revealed an extraordinary national security blunder in the United States. Top US government officials had discussed plans for a bombing campaign in Yemen against Houthi rebels in a Signal group chat which inadvertently included The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.

    This is hardly the first time senior US government officials have used non-approved systems to handle classified information. In 2009, the then US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton fatefully decided to accept the risk of storing her emails on a server in her basement because she preferred the convenience of accessing them using her personal BlackBerry.

    Much has been written about the unprecedented nature of this latest incident. Reporting has suggested the US officials involved may have also violated federal laws that require any communication, including text messages, about official acts to be properly preserved.

    But what can we learn from it to help us better understand how to design secure systems?

    A classic case of ‘shadow IT’

    Signal is regarded by many cybersecurity experts as one of the world’s most secure messaging apps. It has become an established part of many workplaces, including government.

    Even so, it should never be used to store and send classified information. Governments, including in the US, define strict rules for how national security classified information needs to be handled and secured. These rules prohibit the use of non-approved systems, including commercial messaging apps such as Signal plus cloud services such as Dropbox or OneDrive, for sending and storing classified data.

    The sharing of military plans on Signal is a classic case of what IT professionals call “shadow IT”.

    It refers to the all-too-common practice of employees setting up parallel IT infrastructure for business purposes without the approval of central IT administrators.

    This incident highlights the potential for shadow IT to create security risks.

    Government agencies and large organisations employ teams of cybersecurity professionals whose job it is to manage and secure the organisation’s IT infrastructure from cyber threats. At a minimum, these teams need to track what systems are being used to store sensitive information. Defending against sophisticated threats requires constant monitoring of IT systems.

    In this sense, shadow IT creates security blind spots: systems that adversaries can breach while going undetected, not least because the IT security team doesn’t even know these systems exist.

    It’s possible that part of the motivation for the US officials in question using shadow IT systems in this instance might have been avoiding the scrutiny and record-keeping requirements of the official channels. For example, some of the messages in the Signal group chat were set to disappear after one week, and some after four.

    However, we have known for at least a decade that employees also build shadow IT systems not because they are trying to weaken their organisation’s cybersecurity. Instead, a common motivation is that by using shadow IT systems many employees can get their work done faster than when using official, approved systems.

    Usability is key

    The latest incident highlights an important but often overlooked lesson in cybersecurity: whether a security system is easy to use has an outsized impact on the degree to which it helps improve security.

    To borrow from US Founding Father Benjamin Franklin, we might say that a system designer who prioritises security at the expense of usability will produce a system that is neither usable nor secure.

    The belief that to make a system more secure requires making it harder to use is as widespread as it is wrong. The best systems are the ones that are both highly secure and highly usable.

    The reason is simple: a system that is secure yet difficult to use securely will invariably be used insecurely, if at all. Anyone whose inbox auto-complete has caused them to send an email to the wrong person will understand this risk. It likely also explains how The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief might have been mistakenly added by US officials to the Signal group chat.

    While we cannot know for certain, reporting suggests Signal displayed the name of Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat group only as “JG”. Signal doesn’t make it easy to confirm the identity of someone in a group chat, except by their phone number or contact name.

    In this sense, Signal gives relatively few clues about the identities of people in chats. This makes it relatively easy to inadvertently add the wrong “JG” from one’s contact list to a group chat.

    Signal is one of the most secure messaging apps, but should never be used to store and send classified information.
    Ink Drop/Shutterstock

    A highly secure – and highly usable – system

    Fortunately, we can have our cake and eat it too. My own research shows how.

    In collaboration with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group, I helped develop what’s known as the Cross Domain Desktop Compositor. This device allows secure access to classified information while being easier to use than traditional solutions.

    It is easier to use because it allows users to connect to the internet. At the same time, it keeps sensitive data physically separate – and therefore secure – but allows it to be displayed alongside internet applications such as web browsers.

    One key to making this work was employing mathematical reasoning to prove the device’s software provided rock-solid security guarantees. This allowed us to marry the flexibility of software with the strong hardware-enforced security, without introducing additional vulnerability.

    Where to from here?

    Avoiding security incidents such as this one requires people following the rules to keep everyone secure. This is especially true when handling classified information, even if doing so requires more work than setting up shadow IT workarounds.

    In the meantime, we can avoid the need for people to work around the rules by focusing more research on how to make systems both secure and usable.

    Toby Murray receives funding from the Department of Defence. He is Director of the Defence Science Institute, which is funded by the Victorian, Tasmanian and Commonwealth Governments. He previously worked for the Department of Defence.

    – ref. Leak of US military plans on Signal is a classic case of ‘shadow IT’. It shows why security systems need to be easy to use – https://theconversation.com/leak-of-us-military-plans-on-signal-is-a-classic-case-of-shadow-it-it-shows-why-security-systems-need-to-be-easy-to-use-253036

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What makes a good search engine? These 4 models can help you use search in the age of AI

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Coghlan, Senior Lecturer in Digital Ethics, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics, School of Computing and Information Systems, The University of Melbourne

    beast01/Shutterstock

    Every day, users ask search engines millions of questions. The information we receive can shape our opinions and behaviour.

    We are often not aware of their influence, but internet search tools sort and rank web content when responding to our queries. This can certainly help us learn more things. But search tools can also return low-quality information and even misinformation.

    Recently, large language models (LLMs) have entered the search scene. While LLMs are not search engines, commercial web search engines have started to include LLM-based artificial intelligence (AI) features into their products. Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Overviews are examples of this trend.

    AI-enhanced search is marketed as convenient. But, together with other changes in the nature of search over the last decades, it raises the question: what is a good search engine?

    Our new paper, published in AI and Ethics, explores this. To make the possibilities clearer, we imagine four search tool models: Customer Servant, Librarian, Journalist and Teacher. These models reflect design elements in search tools and are loosely based on matching human roles.

    The four models of search tools

    Customer Servant

    Workers in customer service give people the things they request. If someone asks for a “burger and fries”, they don’t query whether the request is good for the person, or whether they might really be after something else.

    The search model we call Customer Servant is somewhat like the first computer-aided information retrieval systems introduced in the 1950s. These returned sets of unranked documents matching a Boolean query – using simple logical rules to define relationships between keywords (e.g. “cats NOT dogs”).

    Librarian

    As the name suggests, this model somewhat resembles human librarians. Librarian also provides content that people request, but it doesn’t always take queries at face value.

    Instead, it aims for “relevance” by inferring user intentions from contextual information such as location, time or the history of user interactions. Classic web search engines of the late 1990s and early 2000s that rank results and provide a list of resources – think early Google – sit in this category.

    Librarians don’t just retrieve information, they strive for relevance.
    Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

    Journalist

    Journalists go beyond librarians. While often responding to what people want to know, journalists carefully curate that information, at times weeding out falsehoods and canvassing various public viewpoints.

    Journalists aim to make people better informed. The Journalist search model does something similar. It may customise the presentation of results by providing additional information, or by diversifying search results to give a more balanced list of viewpoints or perspectives.

    Teacher

    Human teachers, like journalists, aim at giving accurate information. However, they may exercise even more control: teachers may strenuously debunk erroneous information, while pointing learners to the very best expert sources, including lesser-known ones. They may even refuse to expand on claims they deem false or superficial.

    LLM-based conversational search systems such as Copilot or Gemini may play a roughly similar role. By providing a synthesised response to a prompt, they exercise more control over presented information than classic web search engines.

    They may also try to explicitly discredit problematic views on topics such as health, politics, the environment or history. They might reply with “I can’t promote misinformation” or “This topic requires nuance”. Some LLMs convey a strong “opinion” on what is genuine knowledge and what is unedifying.

    No search model is best

    We argue each search tool model has strengths and drawbacks.

    The Customer Servant is highly explainable: every result can be directly tied to keywords in your query. But this precision also limits the system, as it can’t grasp broader or deeper information needs beyond the exact terms used.

    The Librarian model uses additional signals like data about clicks to return content more aligned with what users are really looking for. The catch is these systems may introduce bias. Even with the best intentions, choices about relevance and data sources can reflect underlying value judgements.

    The Journalist model shifts the focus toward helping users understand topics, from science to world events, more fully. It aims to present factual information and various perspectives in balanced ways.

    This approach is especially useful in moments of crisis – like a global pandemic – where countering misinformation is critical. But there’s a trade-off: tweaking search results for social good raises concerns about user autonomy. It may feel paternalistic, and could open the door to broader content interventions.

    The Teacher model is even more interventionist. It guides users towards what it “judges” to be good information, while criticising or discouraging access to content it deems harmful or false. This can promote learning and critical thinking.

    But filtering or downranking content can also limit choice, and raises red flags if the “teacher” – whether algorithm or AI – is biased or simply wrong. Current language models often have built-in “guardrails” to align with human values, but these are imperfect. LLMs can also hallucinate plausible-sounding nonsense, or avoid offering perspectives we might actually want to hear.

    Staying vigilant is key

    We might prefer different models for different purposes. For example, since teacher-like LLMs synthesise and analyse vast amounts of web material, we may sometimes want their more opinionated perspective on a topic, such as on good books, world events or nutrition.

    Yet sometimes we may wish to explore specific and verifiable sources about a topic for ourselves. We may also prefer search tools to downrank some content – conspiracy theories, for example.

    LLMs make mistakes and can mislead with confidence. As these models become more central to search, we need to stay aware of their drawbacks, and demand transparency and accountability from tech companies on how information is delivered.

    Striking the right balance with search engine design and selection is no easy task. Too much control risks eroding individual choice and autonomy, while too little could leave harms unchecked.

    Our four ethical models offer a starting point for robust discussion. Further interdisciplinary research is crucial to define when and how search engines can be used ethically and responsibly.

    Damiano Spina has received funding from the Australian Research Council and is an Associate Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S).

    Falk Scholer has received funding from the Australian Research Council and is an Associate Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S).

    Hui Chia and Simon Coghlan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. What makes a good search engine? These 4 models can help you use search in the age of AI – https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-good-search-engine-these-4-models-can-help-you-use-search-in-the-age-of-ai-252927

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Cuddles for crims out, rights for victims in

    Source: ACT Party

    Welcoming the third-reading passage of sentencing reforms today, ACT Justice spokesperson Todd Stephenson says:

    “Cuddling criminals didn’t work, so ACT campaigned on restoring consequences for crime, and rights for victims. Now, that’s written into law,” says Mr Stephenson.

    “The reforms passed today deliver on ACT coalition commitments to create new aggravating factors for crimes against people working sole charge, or in a business attached to the family home.

    “We also committed to giving greater weight to the needs of victims and communities over offenders. That’s come to pass with the principles of sentencing amended to include requirement to take into account information provided to the court about victims’ interests.

    “Protecting the safety and property of New Zealanders is the government’s first and most important job. That’s why ACT is restoring balance to a system that has become too focused on criminals instead of victims.”

    On retail crime:

    “People working alone feel especially vulnerable, as do those who work in a business attached to the family home, because they can’t flee without putting loved ones at risk,” says ACT Ethnic Communities spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar.

    “I’ve met with shop workers and retailers in Auckland, who have taken costly security measures just so they feel safe as they provide for their families. It is heartbreaking because many people come to New Zealand and take these jobs with the understanding that this is a safe country.

    “Now, these workers’ vulnerability is recognised in law. It is a great example of how ACT celebrates the contribution of peaceful and productive communities.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Shareholder activism: reflections on the current, and future, landscape

    Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

    Campaigns keep evolving, with more high stakes ahead 11 min read

    Last year was another big one for shareholder activists globally, with investor sentiment in 2024 taking its cues from disruption across the broader economic and geopolitical landscape. Closer to home, activity was more stable in Australia—as it typically is, owing to our smaller footprint, more stringent company laws and stable markets—but campaigns continue to evolve, with activists refining their strategies to both capitalise on financial opportunities and seek redress for governance concerns.

    We expect high stakes for the rest of the year as the Trump administration’s policies upend commercial and regulatory settings and potentially tip the scales in favour of activists. While shareholder activism is now a standard part of the investment landscape in the US, the practice is reverberating around Australia and the rest of the world.

    In this Insight, we bring together the key takeaways from 2024 and provide our thoughts on what we see ahead.

    A snapshot of the numbers

    Activist activity has well and truly bounced back from the subdued levels brought about by the pandemic.

    Over 1000 companies were targeted by activist campaigns worldwide for the second consecutive year.1 The US continues to be the epicentre of activity, with nearly 600 US-listed companies facing activist demands, marking a 7% increase from 2023 and 16% from 2022. There was a strong showing from non-traditional and first-time activists—a record-breaking 160 different investors launched campaigns in the US in 2024, which included 45 first-time activists, also a record.

    Activity in Asia was similarly strong (particularly in Japan and South Korea), though Europe trended down, owing to ongoing disruption brought about by the conflict in Ukraine and generally subdued economic activity. There, the United Kingdom hosts the lion’s share of activity, with 42% of campaigns targeting British companies.

    Australia saw a modest rise in activity year on year, with 56 companies targeted, up nominally from the 54 campaigns recorded in 2023. While the volume of campaigns remained steady, the effectiveness of Australian activists improved—activists were assessed as having achieved their objectives in 25% of resolved campaigns, up from 16% in 2023.

    Despite this, Australian activists struggled to secure board representation in target companies, with only seven board seats gained in 2024, down significantly from 26 in 2023. This divergence suggests that although activism remains a powerful force for corporate engagement, the dominant institutional investors and influential proxy advisors remain selective and largely hesitant in delivering changes at the board level.

    All up, campaign volumes continue to be strong, though success is trickier to measure. Whether the public demands of activists are met is one tangible way of assessing effectiveness, but the overall impact of a campaign can often manifest in less direct ways. For example, the opportunity cost of management in responding to a campaign, the inherent value derived from the ensuing publicity and any derivative or other trading in the target securities—and, of course, the concessions that play out behind closed doors—often contribute to the effectiveness of shareholder activism.

    Stories from the front line

    These are some of the headline-grabbing campaigns that played out in the last year or so that have set the tone for activist causes.

    One of the most closely watched activist campaigns was Glenview Capital’s attempt to gain board representation at CVS Health. Glenview increased its stake in CVS in the third quarter of 2024 by 31%, making its US$635 million holding (equivalent to 1% of the stock) the largest of all three activist hedge funds with an interest in the company. The intervention came following a 27% drop in share price since the beginning of 2024, a market reaction reportedly attributed to higher medical costs in CVS’s insurance segment caused by an influx of medical procedures delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Glenview secured four board seats in November 2024, including Glenview CEO Larry Robbins. It was reported that the board appointments were made amid the prospect of Glenview initiating a public and more aggressive proxy fight. This case highlights the increasing sophistication of activist investors targeting high-profile global companies, and underscores the importance of clear, proactive shareholder engagement strategies—a strategy that Australian boards should observe as activism intensifies.

    The activist campaign led by Elliott Investment Management resulted in a change of CEO at Starbucks and a correspondent increase in share value by 24%, equating to US$26 billion in value and marking the company’s most successful day since its initial public offering in 1992.

    In July 2024, it was reported that Elliott had become one of the largest investors in Starbucks, and sought to leverage its position by presenting a proposal to the board for an overhaul of domestic and international strategy. The move followed the stock price having declined by 24% since the former CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, was appointed in March 2023. While Elliott approached the board in private and did not publicly advocate for a replacement CEO, there were persistent leaks to the media, which commentators assessed as likely prompting the decision. On 13 August 2024, the board announced the appointment of Brian Niccol, former CEO of restaurant chain Chipotle, who is credited with Chipotle’s modernisation and an increase in its stock price by 770% since 2018.

    The campaign illustrates that one response strategy in dealing with activists, particularly high-profile investors, can be to move pre-emptively to instigate change before the issues are forced.

    In June 2024, Elliott also disclosed an 11% economic stake in Southwest Airlines worth US$1.9 billion, and converted enough of its derivate holdings in September to amass a 10% common stock holding that enabled Elliott to call a special meeting. Conversely to its approach for Starbucks, it engaged in a more public campaign, by proposing that ‘enhancing the board, upgrading leadership and a comprehensive business review’ were necessary to increase Southwest’s stock price. In October 2024, it was announced that Southwest would appoint five independent directors nominated by Elliott in addition to another board member, and that the former chief executive and then chairman would accelerate his retirement. Following the announcement of the personnel changes, Elliott withdrew its demand for a special shareholder meeting intended to replace 10 members of Southwest’s 15-person board. Elliott’s influence has continued to grow since then, with Southwest disclosing on 19 February 2025 that the company’s agreement with Elliott has been amended to increase the maximum aggregate economic exposure that Elliott may acquire, from 14.9% to 19.9%, but limit it from acquiring more than 12.49% of outstanding common stock until 1 April 2026. When Elliott disclosed its position in June 2024, the Southwest stock price was US$29.70, and as at 14 March 2025, it was US$31.73.

    Consistent with the sentiments of the Trump administration’s focus on rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, a group of Apple shareholders submitted on 25 February 2025 a proposal titled ‘Request to Cease DEI Efforts’. This was rejected at Apple’s shareholder meeting in February 2025, with 97.67% of the vote being against the proposal. The campaign against Apple is one of several anti-DEI proposals that have been levied against prominent companies, including Costco, where the proposal was defeated by 98% of votes, and farm equipment maker John Deere, where the proposal was defeated by 98.7%. These proposals have attracted significant attention, by harnessing viral social media campaigns advocating for customer boycotts, inundating company social media accounts with negative comments, and lobbing the threat of lawsuits alleging that DEI initiatives constitute a breach of fiduciary duty. Despite the spotlight (or perhaps because of it?), shareholders of the world’s most valuable listed company voted overwhelmingly not to abandon its DEI initiatives.

    Activist themes

    We see two broad themes that motivate activists at the moment. For the reasons set out in the next section, we think the global economic and geopolitical settings provide an opportunity to shape activist behaviours.

    First, there is the more traditional activist strategy where professional investors identify companies that they perceive could optimise their performance or enhance their governance structures, and then seek to exert influence to encourage the company to focus on increasing shareholder returns. They do this by pushing for one or a combination of:

    Second, there is the rising influence of public sentiment and political undercurrents playing out in the theatre of public markets, and the volatility that comes with it. Activist campaigns are increasingly becoming a proxy for broader societal dissatisfaction.

    In Australia, this dual-track activism—balancing financial imperatives with political and social influences—reinforces the heightened investor expectations for action and accountability for these issues at the board level.

    For instance, shareholder dissent on pay has markedly increased in Australia recently, seeing over 40 strikes among ASX 300 companies in 2023 and 2024, compared with 22–26 strikes recorded between 2018 and 2022.2 Among those receiving a strike was the Australian Securities Exchange itself, with 26.15% of votes against the adoption of the remuneration report. Commentators assessed that the vote was an expression of shareholder dissatisfaction with the $250 million write-down and anticipated cost of a further $300 million to replace the CHESS technology system. Although 13 companies in the ASX 300 received a second strike in 2024, not a single board spill proposal came close to succeeding, with none receiving more than 20% of votes in favour.3 This demonstrates that while strikes are increasing, this is not being accompanied by momentum to trigger broader change to leadership structures—it would appear that shareholders are looking to use their vote to send a shot across the bow as an appropriate warning, rather than achieve a fundamental governance reset.

    Shareholders and special interest groups have also used the proxy forum to express dissatisfaction regarding climate action, reflecting broader societal concerns around environmental sustainability and climate change. Last year, Market Forces led an activist campaign against Woodside Energy, advocating for an overhaul to its climate transition action plan and encouraging other shareholders to push for further board renewal at the 2025 AGM. At the AGM in April 2024, 58.4% of proxies cast were against the transition strategy, following three hours of questions. Earlier this month, another activist shareholder group, the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, advised investors to vote against the re-election of all three directors standing at the 2025 AGM and continues to integrate climate concerns into its analysis of shareholder returns.

    There is a similar experience in the UK, where Shell shareholders are still asked to vote on resolutions brought by activists to align the company’s medium-term emissions reduction targets with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and to factor ‘Scope 3’ emissions from fuels burnt by consumers into such calculations. Although the resolution received just 18.6% support from shareholders in 2024 (down 1.4% from 2023), the sustained pressure and media exposure may have contributed to the environmental, social and governance (ESG) proposals instead advanced by Shell’s board.

    For a more detailed analysis of the specific tactics that activists deploy pursuing these issues and how companies can prepare, see our earlier Insight.

    Our expectations for the road ahead

    Economic and geopolitical disruption to fuel activity

    The global economy is currently experiencing disruption. The focal point is, of course, the US, where the combination of (promised) tax cuts and deregulation will free up capital for investors to pursue short-term opportunities. As the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Chair, John Lonsdale, remarked in his recent address at the Australian Financial Review Banking Summit, ‘what happens in the world’s biggest economy has implications for the world, and therefore for Australia’. We thus expect the positive conditions for activists will spill across borders, and perhaps the momentum will too—the Australian Securities and Investments Commission recently outlined its first steps towards easing compliance obligations for directors.

    The hoped-for spike in M&A activity creates the opportunity for shareholder activism, so we anticipate elevated volumes of activity in the near term. At the same time, the imposition of tariffs and other protectionist policies—and the market volatility and trade war they may set off—will create winners and losers, with companies that struggle in the turbulence becoming targets for activists.

    A reckoning on ESG and DEI initiatives

    There has been mounting pushback on ESG and, more recently, DEI policies of corporations, with activists querying their necessity and appropriateness. Critics, who may not be shareholders, will be even more emboldened by the priorities and tone of the Trump administration.

    We expect that activists will continue to seek out opportunities to make high-profile examples of some companies. However, while proponents of these initiatives have attracted significant attention, we haven’t yet seen this noise translate into strong shareholder support for campaigns, as the recent experience with Apple demonstrates.

    The anti-anti-ESG and DEI cause

    While some activists are seeking to challenge ESG and DEI initiatives as a corporate priority, we anticipate others that may already be frustrated with perceived slow progress on sustainability, diversity and broader governance issues will look to double down and push for companies to stay the course.

    This sentiment will be particularly emboldened if governments consider rolling back regulations or shifting priorities. If it is perceived that lawmakers and regulators aren’t creating the framework to manage these issues, then we expect activists to take matters into their own hands by using shareholder meetings as forums or otherwise turning to the courts.

    Scrutiny of board composition and director accountability

    We are seeing investors pay closer attention to the fitness for office of individual board members, by using their vote to signal dissatisfaction and impose accountability for governance missteps when directors stand for election or re-election. This can be in relation to a company that has experienced an issue, or could follow individual directors to unrelated companies.

    Expect to see closer scrutiny of board composition and more protest votes against director elections. Even if candidates still easily obtain the ordinary majority needed to carry the resolution, this is a far cry from the near 100% backing candidates would typically receive, and, particularly for larger companies, shows at least some institutional investors (whose holding may have previously been seen as more passive) are sending a message.

    Leveraging technology and AI in activist strategies

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed a number of different fields, and has a role to play in the shareholder activism space as well, by making campaigns data driven and, as a consequence, more cost effective.

    AI can be deployed by activists to monitor and analyse tremendous amounts of data associated with corporate disclosures and financial performance, and to recognise the vulnerabilities and patterns in would-be candidates for a campaign. As these tools grow in sophistication, we expect to see activists be able to penetrate the market more deeply, and move with greater efficiency and precision in identifying opportunities.

    Activism has never been a simple strategy. We anticipate a continued evolution of the activist playbook in light of the above.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski and Colleagues Reintroduce Resolution Affirming Support for the Equal Rights Amendment

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski

    03.25.25

    Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joins Mazie Hirono (D-HI), along with Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), and Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), in reintroducing a bipartisan, bicameral resolution to overcome a significant obstacle to the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This resolution would eliminate an arbitrary deadline set by Congress in 1972, paving the way to for the ERA to become the 28th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex.

    “The state of Alaska ratified the ERA and amended the State Constitution in 1972, and that is a legacy I am proud to continue advocating for at the federal level,” said Senator Murkowski. “It is past time for the equal rights of women to be guaranteed in the United States Constitution, and I will continue to advocate for the passage of this resolution until that is achieved.”

    “I am proud that Hawaii was the first state to ratify the ERA, but we must finally amend the Constitution to ensure that the next generation of women are guaranteed equal rights,” said Senator Hirono. “With the reintroduction of this resolution, we reaffirm our commitment to fighting for equal opportunity and equal rights for all. It has been over a century-long fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, and we won’t stop until gender equity is enshrined in the Constitution.”

    “For centuries, women – particularly women of color and LGBTQ+ folks – have been treated as less than – less deserving of pay, less protected by law, less free to show up as our authentic selves in a world that constantly pushes us down,” said Rep. Pressley. “By enshrining the ERA into law, we are taking the necessary step to center our most vulnerable and marginalized communities, close the gender wage gap, combat sex discrimination, reduce gender-based violence, ensure freedom over our bodies, and more. The time is now to affirm gender equality once and for all.”

    “The Equal Rights Amendment is a short yet powerful declaration — ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex,’” Congresswoman Dean said. “Words matter—and we must be explicit in our Constitution to ensure that equality is a reality for every person in our nation. I’m grateful for Congresswoman Pressley’s leadership in this century-long fight and in the enduring legacy of Congresswoman Shirley Chislom and others before us. We must expand the mission of the 19th Amendment and fulfill the promise of the ERA.”

    “When I was 27, I represented my state at the National Women’s Conference in Houston—and I still have the ERA pin I wore that day. I’ve kept it all these years because the fight isn’t over. Two years ago, I went to Seneca Falls and met with the next generation of activists. Let me tell you—they are just as committed, just as fearless, as I was back then. And like me, they’re still waiting for this country to guarantee women the same constitutional protections as men,” said Congresswoman Garcia. “Those fighting against the ERA are the same ones who fear powerful women—the ones who pay us less, promote us less, and try to silence us. It’s long overdue to make the ERA the 28th Amendment of the Constitution. I stand today for justice, for fairness, and for future generations of women and girls who deserve fairness, justice, and equality of opportunities.”

    “There is no deadline for equal rights,” said Congresswoman Kamlager-Dove. “The United States Congress and the required number of states have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, which is over 100 years in the making. An arbitrary deadline will not stop progress on equal rights. Now is the time for Congress to pass this resolution to ensure that we enshrine equal protections for our mothers, sisters, daughters, and grandmothers who have championed this cause.”

    “Generations of women, especially women of color, have relentlessly fought for equal rights in a system that has long denied them fairness under the law — and that fight is far from over,” said Rep. McClellan. “I led the fight in Virginia to make our Commonwealth the final state needed to ratify the ERA, taking a stand on the right side of history. Now, we must finish the job by enshrining gender equality in the Constitution once and for all.”

    “Women throughout history have fought tirelessly against sexism and inequality, refusing to accept a world that denied them their full rights. Their courage paved the way for progress—but the fight is far from over. We are grateful for the leadership of Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Mazie Hirono, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley in reintroducing this important resolution, recognizing the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. This Women’s History Month we renew our commitment to the pursuit of true gender equality. The women who came before us didn’t give up, neither will we,” said Zakiya Thomas, President & CEO, ERA Coalition.

    The full text of the resolution can be found here.

    Background

    The Equal Rights Amendment states that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” When the resolution was passed by Congress on March 22, 1972, Congress set a deadline of 1977, and later extended to 1982, for the amendment to be adopted by three-quarters of the states required for ratification. The ERA reached the 38-state threshold in 2020.

    Senator Murkowski has cosponsored this resolution in every Congress since it was first introduced during the 112th Congress.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: BlackRock® Canada Announces Final March Cash Distributions for the iShares® Premium Money Market ETF

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (“BlackRock Canada”), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the final March 2025 cash distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF. Unitholders of record on March 26, 2025 will receive cash distributions payable on March 31, 2025.

    Details regarding the final “per unit” distribution amounts are as follows:

    Fund Name Fund
    Ticker    		 Cash
    Distribution
    Per Unit
    iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR $0.121

    Further information on the iShares ETFs can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca.

    About BlackRock
    BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @BlackRockCA

    About iShares ETFs
    iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1500+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$4.2 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2024, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

    iShares® ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited.

    Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

    Contact for Media:
    Sydney Punchard
    Email: Sydney.Punchard@blackrock.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How Netflix has shaped (and shattered) our content landscape over the past decade – and what comes next

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexa Scarlata, Research Fellow, Media & Communication, RMIT University

    Shutterstock

    To mark 10 years since Netflix began operating in Australia, we and our colleagues at the Streaming Industries and Genres Network have published a report that looks at the state of Australia’s streaming industry today – and back at the platforms that have failed over the years.

    It once seemed like Netflix was the be-all and end-all of streaming in Australia. But a decade of competition with other streamers, and stress on local content, paint a very different picture.

    The streaming wars rage on

    Australia’s “streaming wars” kicked off in early 2015 with the arrival of Stan and Netflix, joining smaller players already on the scene. At the time, some industry insiders predicted the new streaming video-on-demand services would quickly consolidate – that there was room for only two major players: Netflix and one other.

    These early assumptions were proven wrong. Instead, Australia has sustained numerous streamers of different sizes, audiences and ownership. The larger, more generalist services such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ compete directly with each other for exclusive content.

    Other niche genre players such as Shudder (horror) and Hayu (reality TV) have managed to stay afloat by catering to a specific audience segment and keeping their prices low.

    There have also been a few fatalities along the way. Quickflix and Presto were early to the market. Both services had gained considerable ground by 2014, with Quicklix leading the way. But they were eventually viewed as sluggish and limited in comparison to Netflix.

    Netflix always on top

    Netflix has always been the most popular streaming service in Australia. One million users had access to the platform within just three months of its arrival in 2015.

    In 2020, analytics firm Ampere Analysis identified Australia as the most highly-penetrated Netflix market in the world, then available in 63% of Australian homes, compared to 50% in the United States.

    In the first half of 2024, it was used by 67% of Australian adults, including some 800,000 people with an ad-tier subscription.

    The global behemoth has produced some notable local titles.

    In January of last year, the series adaptation of Boy Swallows Universe became Netflix’s most successful Australian-made show in its first two weeks on the platform.

    Later in April, the second season of the Heartbreak High reboot debuted at number one in Australia and stayed on the Global Top 10 English TV Series list for three consecutive weeks.



    Read more:
    Streaming, surveillance and the power of suggestion: the hidden cost of 10 years of Netflix

    Collectively, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+ and Stan spent A$225.2 million on 55 commissioned or co-commissioned Australian programs in the 2023–24 financial year.

    That said, their commitment to the local production sector over the last decade has been limited, as they have no obligation to invest in local content.

    A lack of regulation decimates local genres

    The lack of streaming regulation in Australia, alongside the gradual watering-down of commercial broadcaster obligations, has resulted in the collapse of investment in local content.

    Children’s TV, documentary, drama TV programming and Australian film have all suffered as a result.

    The introduction of multi-national streamers has radically shifted financing practices in Australia, leaving our production sector in distress.

    Last year, we partnered with ACMI to pull together a symposium where streaming industry insiders discussed the deeper implications of streaming on local genres, as well as the opportunities and challenges ahead.

    We heard from Andy Barclay, manager of business and legal affairs at Screen Producer Australia, who said the traditional “jigsaw puzzle” of finance planning based on international territories was all but gone in favour of major streamers offering full funding and “a little premium” upfront.

    But this comes at a cost, as the streamers then control global distribution and hold a tight grip on viewership data. It also means local production can become beholden to the whims of US business interests. As Barclay explain:

    These huge [streaming] companies, their Australian businesses […] we don’t drive their business decisions. It’s what happens over in the United States that drives their business decisions.

    Nonetheless, having fresh, cash-rich and risk-taking players in the Australian content market has led to opportunities for some local creators.

    As Sam Lingham of Australian comedy group Aunty Donna remarked on the same panel:

    Netflix, creatively, were pretty hands-off. We pitched them the show and they were like, ‘yeah, go do that’.

    What’s on the horizon?

    The streaming sector in Australia is now poised to splinter even further.

    Warner Bros Discovery will launch its streaming platform, Max, next week. It will be a real blow to the Foxtel-owned streamer, Binge, which has long touted its exclusive rights to much of the Warner catalogue.

    There are also concerns about the access and affordability of sport. This year, a new AFL broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and Channel Seven saw Saturday night games move behind a paywall. People will now need Kayo Sports or Foxtel to watch these games live.

    Big streamers have also entered the fray. Back in 2016, Netflix said it had no intention of investing in live sport. But we’re now seeing it and other players such as Prime Video, Apple TV+ and YouTube buy into sports rights around the world.

    According to Free TV Chief Executive Bridget Fair

    we saw it [in 2023] with Amazon hoovering up the whole of the World Cup cricket and it’s going to keep happening […] people who previously got a lot of stuff for free are going to have to start paying.

    Finally, many streamers – Netflix, Binge, Prime Video and Stan – have introduced or announced that they will introduce ad-tier subscriptions. Streamers can expect to see better profit margins on their advertising-supported offerings, compared to the monthly subscription model.

    Cheaper, ad-supported subscriptions may prove to be a popular option for viewers stacking multiple subscriptions. Already, 800,000 Australians have signed up to Netflix’s A$7.99 + ads option. But this does make for a disrupted, broadcast-like viewing experience (and one you still have to pay for).

    As the last 10 years of streaming in Australia has shown, the future can be hard to predict when it comes to new players entering established markets. One thing seems certain though – Netflix is here to stay.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Netflix has shaped (and shattered) our content landscape over the past decade – and what comes next – https://theconversation.com/how-netflix-has-shaped-and-shattered-our-content-landscape-over-the-past-decade-and-what-comes-next-251471

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Budget delivers cheaper medicines and more bulk billing but leaves out long-term health reform

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Henry Cutler, Professor and Director, Macquarie University Centre for the Health Economy, Macquarie University

    Less than two months from an election, the Albanese government last night presented a budget that aims to swing the voting pendulum its way.

    Headline health expenditure includes:

    • $8.5 billion to encourage more GP bulk billing and to train doctors and nurses
    • $1.7 billion to help public hospitals reduce their waiting lists
    • $644 million to establish 50 more urgent care clinics
    • $689 million to reduce the price of prescriptions to $25 for non-concessional patients
    • $793 million for women’s health, to provide greater access to contraception, treatment for urinary tract infections and greater access to perimenopause and menopause care.

    These announcements were already strategically made over the past month to maximise media coverage and build election momentum.

    Australians want more access to affordable health care – and the budget delivers this for many. But it doesn’t push the process of health reform forward, which is needed to secure the health system’s long-term sustainability.

    How does this compare to previous health budgets?

    While the budget contains large health expenditure items, a significant amount was not strictly new funding, but already provided for by the government.

    Consequently, the budget only allocates an additional $7.7 billion to health compared to actual spending for 2024-25.

    This increase aligns with steady long-term spending trends from previous years. It reflects a 6.6% increase in nominal spending (when inflation is included), but only a 3.9% increase in real spending (when inflation is taken out).

    Actual and estimated expenditure from the health portfolio

    Health spending as a proportion of the budget is reducing.
    Treasury

    The proportion of the budget spent on health could be considered historically low, projected to be 15.9% for 2025-26.

    It’s unclear whether Australians want more of the budget allocated to health, but there is certainly a need for greater investment.

    Will this health budget improve Australians’ health?

    The Albanese government is trying to kill three birds with one stone with this health budget. It wants to reduce the cost of living, improve health outcomes, and win an election.

    Keeping the cost of living down and improving health services are the top two most important issues for this election. Headline health announcements directly address these two issues.

    However, they also deliver a political benefit by shifting the media spotlight away from Opposition leader Peter Dutton. He was unable to legitimately counter attack headline health announcements given his unpopularity when he was a health minister. Instead, he promised to match some health announcements if elected.

    Increasing bulk-billing rates and reducing prescription prices will directly reduce out-of-pocket costs for many Australians. This will mostly be for people without a concession card.

    Increasing access to urgent care clinics will also help reduce cost of living pressures because they deliver services free of charge.

    Making health care cheaper for patients will also improve health outcomes. Many Australians sometimes choose not to access health care because of its cost, which can lead to worse health outcomes and expensive hospital care.

    The magnitude of any health improvement will depend on how patients respond to cheaper health care.

    More health benefit will go to patients who start seeing their GP rather than staying at home and trying to manage their condition themselves.

    The health benefit will be less for patients who start seeing their GP instead of an emergency department or urgent care clinic, because they are substituting one place of care for another.

    Is this good health policy?

    There is an “opportunity cost” every time the government spends money. Using the health budget to reduce the cost of living means less money to improve the health system elsewhere.

    In that context, this health budget has missed an opportunity to build a more sustainable health system.

    Medicare is not the best way to fund community care from GPs, nurses and allied health providers. It imposes barriers to establishing seamless multidisciplinary team-based care. These include restricting the types of services non-GP clinicians deliver, and not funding enough care coordination. People with chronic disease, such as diabetes and heart disease, often fall through the cracks and become sicker.

    A review of general practice incentives submitted to the health department last year recommended transition towards new funding models. This could include funding models that pay for a bundle of services delivered together as a team, rather than a fee for every service delivered by each team member.

    But payment reform is extremely hard. Medicare has not substantially changed since 1984 when it was first introduced.

    Given this budget allocated $7.9 billion to increase bulk billing alone, and $2.4 billion ongoing, this budget has a missed opportunity to start the payment reform process. This extra funding will reinforce current payment structures, and could have been used as leverage to get GPs over the line on reforming Medicare.

    The government also missed an opportunity to start reforming the health workforce. An independent review, also submitted last year, sought to improve access to primary care, improve care quality, and improve workforce productivity.

    It outlined 18 recommendations, including payment reform, to remove barriers to increase access to care delivered by multidisciplinary teams of doctors, nurses and allied health providers such as psychologists and physiotherapists.

    Again, there was nothing in this budget to suggest this will be pursued in 2025-26.

    What happens next?

    What next usually depends on which party wins the election.

    In this case, Dutton has agreed to match the health budget spending on bulk billing and price reductions for PBS scripts. But the Coalition has not committed to 50 more urgent care clinics.

    Whichever party wins, there is an urgent need to substantially reform health care if our health system is to remain one of the world’s best.



    Read more:
    At a glance: the 2025 federal budget

    Henry Cutler was a member of the Expert Advisory Panel that delivered its final review of general practice incentives mentioned in this article. He received remuneration from the Department of Health and Aged Care for this role.

    – ref. Budget delivers cheaper medicines and more bulk billing but leaves out long-term health reform – https://theconversation.com/budget-delivers-cheaper-medicines-and-more-bulk-billing-but-leaves-out-long-term-health-reform-251921

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What works to prevent violence against women? Here’s what the evidence says

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kristin Diemer, Associate Professor of Sociology, The University of Melbourne

    Journalist and activist Jess Hill’s Quarterly Essay argues Australia’s primary prevention framework to end violence against women isn’t working.

    Hill says the framework focuses too much on addressing gender inequality and changing attitudes, while overlooking crucial opportunities to address drivers of violence such as child maltreatment, alcohol and gambling.

    So what does the evidence say works to prevent violence against women?

    Australia’s plan to reduce and prevent violence

    The World Health Organisation RESPECT framework guides most global intervention programs and includes seven specific strategies to prevent violence against women:

    • Relationship skills strengthening
    • Empowerment of women
    • Services ensured
    • Poverty reduced
    • Environments (schools, workplaces, public spaces) made safe
    • Child and adolescent abuse prevented
    • Transformed attitudes, beliefs and norms.

    These are embedded in the 12 actions of Australia’s prevention framework, called Change the Story, but are not explicitly listed.

    The RESPECT strategies are also included in Australia’s National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.

    Interventions are usually separated into three complementary, but overlapping approaches: primary (prevention), secondary (early intervention) and tertiary (responses).

    Primary prevention in Change the Story is aimed at addressing the underlying drivers of violence before it occurs. But most interventions have dual purposes of reducing or preventing current and future violence, as we transform into a violence-free community.

    Australia’s national plan includes reducing the harmful use of alcohol, support for children to live free from violence, holding perpetrators to account, changing the law, and promoting gender equality in public and private lives.

    Together, these strategies chip away at harmful underlying attitudes that drive domestic violence.

    Australia’s strategy for preventing violence against women includes holding perpetrators to account.
    Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

    What does the evidence say works?

    Systematic reviews of interventions to prevent or reduce violence against women and girls find that sufficient investment into the right programs can address the core drivers of violence and lead to a significant reduction and prevention of violence.

    The reviews identify that most successful interventions do not typically separate out prevention from early intervention and response. They focus on gender dynamics, power and control, and locally relevant social structures that disempower women and girls.

    The global program What Works to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls, for example, reviewed 96 evaluations of interventions. Of these, seven interventions had positive effects across all three domains of responding to, reducing and preventing domestic violence.

    None of the effective interventions were the same, but they had common features.

    One of the common indicators of success was that they addressed multiple drivers of violence while being relevant to what was important in the participants’ lives, such as an intervention to reduce HIV or couples counselling. These two interventions were designed to challenge gender inequity and the use of violence, while empowering couples with improved communications skills.

    Effective interventions also commonly included support for survivors, for things such as mental health support, safe spaces, empowerment activities and mediation skills.

    Effective interventions incldue support for survivors and empowerment activites.
    Oleg Elkov/Shutterstock

    Equally important was including work with perpetrators or key influencers, such as other family members or local leaders. One example developed in Tajikistan involved in-laws, which enabled young women to attend and implement ideas from the program into their family life.

    The final two key components of successful interventions were related to implementation of the programs: having the ability to deliver the program with sufficient, well-trained and supported staff, and for a length of time allowing reflection and learning through experience.

    The Transforming Masculinities program in the Democratic Republic of Congo promoted gender equality and positive masculinity within faith communities. Careful selection of staff and volunteers was crucial to the intervention’s success.

    Effective interventions were delivered over 15 to 30 months. They included a combination of community activities and weekly workshops, allowing facilitators to build on content from previous sessions.

    Putting this all together, the most effective programs were rigorously planned and suitable to the client group. They focused on multiple core drivers of violence against women and girls. They worked with perpetrators and community influencers. They also worked with and supported survivors.

    Elements which prevented programs from being effective included short-term or inadequate funding, and a lack of sufficient planning to ensure the intervention was adapted to the client’s context.

    We have clear evidence about they types of programs that can prevent and reduce violence against women and girls, both internationally and in Australia. We also have service providers and program leaders who have been sharing evidence with governments for more than five decades. What we need now is the will and commitment for intensive programming.



    Read more:
    Despite some key milestones since 2000, Australia still has a long way to go on gender equality

    Kristin Diemer has received funding from the Australian Research Council, ANROWS, the Department of Social Services, the Victorian Government and is on the Advisory Group for the Australian National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey.

    – ref. What works to prevent violence against women? Here’s what the evidence says – https://theconversation.com/what-works-to-prevent-violence-against-women-heres-what-the-evidence-says-252873

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Tamatha Paul needs to talk to normal people

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Police spokesperson Todd Stephenson is calling on Green MP Tamatha Paul to host a public meeting on law and order in her electorate to find out what normal people think about the Police.

    At an event promoting – in her own words – ‘radical police abolition’, Paul recently stated:

    ‘Wellington people do not want to see police officers everywhere, and, for a lot of people, it makes them feel less safe. It’s that constant visual presence that tells you that you might not be safe there, if there’s heaps of cops.’

    ‘All they do is walk around all day, waiting for homeless people to leave their spot, packing their stuff up and throwing it in the bin.’

    “It’s easy to be anti-Police, until you need to call them yourself,” says Mr Stephenson.

    “Tamatha Paul has spent so much time hanging out with radical left-wing student groups that she’s got law and order completely backwards. It’s criminals who are the problem, not the Police who catch them.

    “Tamatha Paul is the MP for Wellington Central, but she clearly hasn’t spent much time listening to her constituents, who are regularly victimised by crimes and need help from Police. Last year in Wellington City, there were 1,413 assaults, 124 sexual assaults, six abductions, and 1,804 burglaries.*

    “If she’s serious about her law and order portfolios, she should host a public meeting in her electorate and hear what normal people – including victims of crime – think about the Police.”

    *Police Crime Snapshot, 1 Jan 2024 – 31 Dec 2024

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Tauranga City Council spends $180,000 on a film that no-one’s watched

    Source: ACT Party

    “Finally, Tauranga ratepayers can watch the $180,000 documentary the Council produced to promote its $306 million redevelopment of the civic centre,” says Tauranga-based ACT MP Cameron Luxton.

    “The documentary was privately launched at a party for VIPs four months ago. On the 1st of this month it was finally uploaded to the Council’s YouTube channel as a three-episode series. Eleven days later, the most-viewed episode had drawn less than 300 views. Now, it’s been re-posted and has drawn just 273 views.

    “The documentary is already out of date – Anne Tolley is prominently featured as Tauranga’s Commission Chair, despite leaving the post eight months ago.

    “The documentary comes soon after the Council’s $75,000 tourism app flop, and the installation of a $300,000 sculpture in Red Square.

    “With the Council projecting a 12.5% rate hike for 2025, its entrance into the film industry is an unwelcome indulgence, and a bitter cherry on top of the wasteful legacy of Labour’s commissioners.

    “The film doesn’t actually discuss the building project itself, so we get no insight into how the development ended up costing ratepayers so much.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Is this the right budget for these economic times? We asked 5 experts

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matt Garrow, Editorial Web Developer

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers has described the income tax cuts in this week’s federal budget as a “top-up”. They will amount to roughly one cup of coffee a week for every taxpayer in the first year.

    But they will add another A$17 billion to the deficit over coming years, in addition to a raft of previously announced spending measures and very little savings.

    That is against a backdrop of the most uncertain global economic outlook since the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–08. Australia may face a real economic shock if trade wars trigger recessions in our major trading partners.

    We asked five experts if this is the right budget for these economic times. Only two agreed, with three saying much more is needed to address long-term structural debt and meaningful economic reform.

    – ref. Is this the right budget for these economic times? We asked 5 experts – https://theconversation.com/is-this-the-right-budget-for-these-economic-times-we-asked-5-experts-252922

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Three youths charged over series of Launceston burglaries

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Three youths charged over series of Launceston burglaries

    Wednesday, 26 March 2025 – 10:22 am.

    Three youths have been charged over a series of burglaries and stealings in Launceston between 22 March and 24 March following an investigation by Taskforce Raven and Northern CIB.
    Two 17 year old boys were charged by Northern CIB on 22 March and 23 March in relation to burglaries at a number of commercial businesses and a private residence.
    They are each facing charges of stealing, aggravated burglary, burglary, and motor vehicle stealing and will appear in the Youth Justice Division of the Launceston Magistrates Court at a later date.
    During a subsequent search of a private residence at West Launceston yesterday, members of Taskforce Raven and Northern CIB located and seized approximately $8000 worth of the stolen property and arrested a third youth.
    The 14 year old boy was charged with aggravated burglary, stealing, burglary, attempt to unlawfully set fire to property, and motor vehicle stealing.
    He was detained to appear in the Youth Justice Division of the Launceston Magistrates Court.
    During the five burglaries more than $15,000 worth of damage was caused and more than $30,000 worth of property stolen.
    Investigations into the burglaries are ongoing and anyone with information should contact Taskforce Raven on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI: Dundee Corporation Delivers on Strategic Goals and Reports 2024 Profit

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, March 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — “2024 marked a transformative year for Dundee with broad positive performance in our core strategy and key initiatives that further align our capital structure with our long-term growth objectives,” said Jonathan Goodman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Dundee Corporation. “During the third quarter, we sold 11 million shares of our position in G Mining Ventures Corp. (“G Mining”) for proceeds of $95.9 million, which was partially used to redeem both classes of our preferred shares and substantially pay down our outstanding loan balance. The redemption of the preferred shares and repayment of our corporate loan is a significant milestone, reducing our cash outflows, enhancing our financial flexibility and positioning Dundee for continued, sustainable growth for the long-term. As we move into 2025, our focus is increasingly on broadening Dundee’s sources of cash flow. Development of the Borborema Project, where we hold an attractive royalty, is progressing well, according to its operator, Aura Minerals Inc., with ramp-up scheduled for early 2025 and commercial production expected in the latter half of the year. This key milestone marks a pivotal step in reinforcing Dundee’s financial position and highlights our ongoing efforts to establish income streams that support our long-term growth objectives.”

    “In addition, we continue to make considerable progress in simplifying Dundee as we shed non-core businesses and investments and free up our capital and talent which can be deployed more strategically. In September, we announced our exit from the investment management business with the divestiture of our flow-through funds which will position us to operate with greater agility in the mining sector. Post year-end, we announced that the ownership group of Android, of which we are 20%, has agreed to sell its interest in the company which demonstrates continued rationalization of the non-core legacy assets and enables us to recycle capital into our core mining business.

    Mr. Goodman concluded: “The entire team at Dundee continues to work diligently to implement and execute our strategy across all fronts. I am encouraged by our ability to sustain and grow our momentum into 2025 as we look forward to the opportunities ahead of us. Our team remains committed to growing the core business, and positioning Dundee to deliver long-term, sustainable value for our stakeholders, shareholders and partners. I would like to thank the entire team for their hard work in navigating a time of continued evolution.”

    SOLID YEAR-END 2024 RESULTS

    • In August 2024, the Corporation sold 11.0 million shares of G Mining Ventures Corp. (“G Mining”) for net proceeds to the Corporation of $95.9 million. Subsequent to year-end, the Corporation sold its remaining 2.9 million shares of G Mining for net proceeds of $45.3 million.
    • Upon the partial sale of G Mining in August of 2024, the Corporation partially repaid $14.0 million of its outstanding loan with Earlston Investments Corp. in 2024 and paid the remaining $5.0 million of loan principal in 2025.
    • In September 2024, the Corporation paid an aggregate of $46.7 million to exercise its option to redeem all its outstanding Preference Shares Series 2 and Preference Shares Series 3 at a price of $25.00 per share and pay the final associated dividends.
    • Subsequent to year-end, Dundee announced the sale of its interest in Android Industries, L.L.C. (“Android”) for cash proceeds of approximately $24.5 million at closing, with additional proceeds payable contingent upon the release of all escrows.
    • In December 2024, the Corporation announced its exit from the investment management business with the divesture of its flow-through related investment management contracts for nominal consideration, aligning internal resources to our long-term strategic priorities.
    • In the third quarter of 2024, Dundee backstopped an $8.0 million rights offering for Maritime Resources Corp. (“Maritime”) and made purchases pursuant to private agreements to acquire approximately 253.0 million common shares of the company and increase our undiluted ownership interest to 43%. The Corporation earned 33.2 million compensation warrants for backstopping the rights offering. Subsequent to year-end, Dundee exercised warrants to acquire 11.8 million additional common shares of Maritime, increasing Dundee’s undiluted ownership interest to 44%.
    • Reported net loss from all portfolio investments for the fourth quarter of 2024 of $2.1 million (2023 – loss of $0.8 million). The key drivers during the quarter included a $4.3 million and $2.9 million market depreciation in the Corporation’s investments in Saturn Metals Limited (“Saturn Metals”) and Ausgold Limited (“Ausgold”), respectively, offset by a $3.7 million investment gain in G Mining. For 2024, the Corporation reported net income from portfolio investments of $65.9 million (2023 – loss of $23.0 million). The top performer of 2024 was the $53.6 million fair value gain in Reunion Gold Corporation.
    • In October 2024, the Corporation announced the completion of the sale of 8,000 shares of TauRx Pharmaceuticals Ltd. to a private investor at a price of US$125.00 per share for proceeds of US$1.0 million (Cdn$1.4 million).
    • Reported consolidated general and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of $3.8 million (2023 – $2.5 million). For 2024, the Corporation reported consolidated general and administrative expenses of $16.3 million (2023 – $16.1 million).
    • Reported net loss attributable to owners of the Corporation for the fourth quarter of 2024 of $8.2 million (2023 – $2.8 million). For 2024, the Corporation reported net earnings attributable to owners of the Corporation of $59.1 million (2023 – loss of $38.8 million), or earnings of $0.64 per share (2023 – a loss of $0.43 per share).

    SEGMENTED FINANCIAL RESULTS

    Mining Investments

    In the fourth quarter of 2024, the Corporation reported a net loss before taxes from the mining investments segment of $4.2 million (2023 – $1.6 million). Performance from the mining portfolio investments incurred a total loss of $2.6 million (2023 – $1.3 million), which is included in net earnings or loss from this segment. Key drivers during the quarter included a $4.3 million and $2.9 million market depreciation in the Corporation’s investments in Saturn Metals and Ausgold, respectively, offset by a $3.7 million investment gain in G Mining Ventures Corp. (“G Mining”). The share of losses from equity accounted mining investments during the fourth quarter of 2024 was $1.6 million (2023 – $0.3 million).

    During 2024, the Corporation reported net earnings before taxes from the mining investments segment of $61.6 million (2023 – loss of $24.0 million). Performance from the mining investments portfolio contributed $62.5 million (2023 – loss of $24.0 million) to net earnings or loss before taxes in this segment. The key driver of performance during the current year was a $53.6 million market appreciation in the Corporation’s investment in Reunion Gold Corporation, prior to the business combination with G Mining. The share of losses from equity accounting mining investments during 2024 was $1.7 million (2023 – $2.2 million).

    Corporate and others

    The Corporation reported a pre-tax loss from the corporate and others segment, including non-core subsidiaries, of $0.5 million (2023 – $0.3 million) during the three months ended December 31, 2024. During 2024, the corporate and others segment reported pre-tax earnings of $5.5 million (2023 – loss of $12.0 million).

    The fair value of non-mining portfolio investments in the corporate and others segment increased by $0.5 million (2023 – $0.5 million) during the fourth quarter of the current year. The fair value of portfolio investments in this segment increased by $3.4 million (2023 – $1.1 million) during 2024.

    In the fourth quarter, the segment’s non-mining equity accounted investments reported pre-tax earnings of $1.9 million (2023 – $0.3 million). During the same period, the segment’s subsidiaries reported pre-tax losses of $0.1 million (2023 – $0.1 million). During 2024, the segment’s non-mining equity accounted investments reported pre-tax earnings of $1.5 million (2023 – loss of $1.9 million), while subsidiaries reported pre-tax losses of $1.3 million (2023 – $3.2 million).

    Mining Services

    During the three months ended December 31, 2024, the mining services segment, comprised of the Corporation’s 78%-owned subsidiary, Dundee Sustainable Technologies Inc. (“Dundee Technologies”), reported a pre-tax loss of $4.5 million (2023 – $1.2 million), which included a $2.9 million impairment charge to intangible assets and receivables. During 2024, Dundee Technologies incurred a pre-tax loss of $7.9 million (2023 – $4.3 million).

    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY ON A PER SHARE BASIS

           
    Carrying value as at December 31,   2024       2023  
    Mining Investments      
    Portfolio investments $ 95,490     $ 126,671  
    Equity accounted investments   30,013       15,731  
    Royalty   18,921       18,921  
        144,424       161,323  
    Corporate and Others      
    Corporate   32,976       18,342  
    Portfolio investments ‒ other   70,495       68,482  
    Equity accounted investments ‒ other   30,240       28,874  
    Real estate joint ventures   2,364       2,852  
    Subsidiaries   3,403       7,738  
        139,478       126,288  
    Mining Services      
    Subsidiaries   (208 )     2,439  
    Equity accounted investment   –       98  
        (208 )     2,537  
           
    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY $ 283,694     $ 290,148  
    Less: Shareholders’ equity attributable to holders of:      
    Preference Shares, series 2   –       (27,667 )
    Preference Shares, series 3   –       (18,125 )
    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO CLASS A SUBORDINATE SHARES AND CLASS B SHARES OF THE CORPORATION $ 283,694     $ 244,356  
           
    Number of shares of the Corporation issued and outstanding:      
    Class A Subordinate Shares   86,269,735       85,832,805  
    Class B Shares   3,114,491       3,114,491  
    Total number of shares issued and outstanding   89,384,226       88,947,296  
           
    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY ON A PER SHARE BASIS * $ 3.17     $ 2.75  

    * Shareholders’ Equity on a per share basis is calculated as total shareholders’ equity per the financial statements, less the carrying amount of Preference shares, series 2 and series 3, and divided by the total number of Class A and Class B shares issued and outstanding.

    The Corporation’s audited consolidated financial statements as at and for years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, along with the accompanying management’s discussion and analysis, as well as the Annual Information Form, have been filed on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) and may be viewed by interested parties under the Corporation’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca or the Corporation’s website at www.dundeecorporation.com.

    ABOUT DUNDEE CORPORATION:

    Dundee Corporation is a public Canadian independent mining-focused holding company, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “DC.A”. The Corporation is primarily engaged in acquiring mineral resource assets. The Corporation operates with the objective of unlocking value through strategic investments in mining projects globally. Our team conducts due diligence in order to assess the geological, technical, environmental, and financial merits and risks of each project and looks to deploy capital where it can either seek to generate investment returns or where the Corporation can collaborate with operating partners and take strategic partnerships through direct interests in mining operations.

    FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

    This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects Dundee Corporation’s current expectations regarding future events. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Dundee Corporation’s control, which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the Annual Information Form of Dundee Corporation and subsequent filings made with securities commissions in Canada. Dundee Corporation does not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

    Investor and Media Relations
    T: (416) 864-3584
    E: ir@dundeecorporation.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Trump silences Voice of America – end of a propaganda machine or void for China and Russia to fill?

    ANALYSIS: By Valerie A. Cooper, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

    Of all the contradictions and ironies of Donald Trump’s second presidency so far, perhaps the most surprising has been his shutting down the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) for being “radical propaganda”.

    Critics have long accused the agency — and its affiliated outlets such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia — of being a propaganda arm of US foreign policy.

    But to the current president, the USAGM has become a promoter of “anti-American ideas” and agendas — including allegedly suppressing stories critical of Iran, sympathetically covering the issue of “white privilege” and bowing to pressure from China.

    Propaganda is clearly in the eye of the beholder. The Moscow Times reported Russian officials were elated by the demise of the “purely propagandistic” outlets, while China’s Global Times celebrated the closure of a “lie factory”.

    Meanwhile, the European Commission hailed USAGM outlets as a “beacon of truth, democracy and hope”. All of which might have left the average person understandably confused: Voice of America? Wasn’t that the US propaganda outlet from World War II?

    Well, yes. But the reality of USAGM and similar state-sponsored global media outlets is more complex — as are the implications of the US agency’s demise.

    Public service or state propaganda?
     The USAGM is one of several international public service media outlets based in Western democracies. Others include Australia’s ABC International, the BBC World Service, CBC/Radio-Canada, France Médias Monde, NHK-World Japan, Deutsche Welle in Germany and SRG SSR in Switzerland.

    Part of the Public Media Alliance, they are similar to national public service media, largely funded by taxpayers to uphold democratic ideals of universal access to news and information.

    Unlike national public media, however, they might not be consumed — or even known — by domestic audiences. Rather, they typically provide news to countries without reliable independent media due to censorship or state-run media monopolies.

    The USAGM, for example, provides news in 63 languages to more than 100 countries. It has been credited with bringing attention to issues such as protests against covid-19 lockdowns in China and women’s struggles for equal rights in Iran.

    On the other hand, the independence of USAGM outlets has been questioned often, particularly as they are required to share government-mandated editorials.

    Voice of America has been criticised for its focus on perceived ideological adversaries such as Russia and Iran. And my own research has found it perpetuates stereotypes and the neglect of African nations in its news coverage.

    Leaving a void
     Ultimately, these global media outlets wouldn’t exist if there weren’t benefits for the governments that fund them. Sharing stories and perspectives that support or promote certain values and policies is an effective form of “public diplomacy”.

    Yet these international media outlets differ from state-controlled media models because of editorial systems that protect them from government interference.

    The Voice of America’s “firewall”, for instance, “prohibits interference by any US government official in the objective, independent reporting of news”. Such protections allow journalists to report on their own governments more objectively.

    In contrast, outlets such as China Media Group (CMG), RT from Russia, and PressTV from Iran also reach a global audience in a range of languages. But they do this through direct government involvement.

    CMG subsidiary CCTV+, for example, states it is “committed to telling China’s story to the rest of the world”.

    Though RT states it is an autonomous media outlet, research has found the Russian government oversees hiring editors, imposing narrative angles, and rejecting stories.

    A Voice of America staffer protests outside the Washington DC offices on March 17, 2025, after employees were placed on administrative leave. Image: Getty Images/The Conversation

    Other voices get louder
     The biggest concern for Western democracies is that these other state-run media outlets will fill the void the USAGM leaves behind — including in the Pacific.

    Russia, China and Iran are increasing funding for their state-run news outlets, with China having spent more than US$6.6 billion over 13 years on its global media outlets. China Media Group is already one of the largest media conglomerates in the world, providing news content to more than 130 countries in 44 languages.

    And China has already filled media gaps left by Western democracies: after the ABC stopped broadcasting Radio Australia in the Pacific, China Radio International took over its frequencies.

    Worryingly, the differences between outlets such as Voice of America and more overtly state-run outlets aren’t immediately clear to audiences, as government ownership isn’t advertised.

    An Australian senator even had to apologise recently after speaking with PressTV, saying she didn’t know the news outlet was affiliated with the Iranian government, or that it had been sanctioned in Australia.

    Switched off
     Trump’s move to dismantle the USAGM doesn’t come as a complete surprise, however. As the authors of Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America described, the first Trump administration failed in its attempts to remove the firewall and install loyalists.

    This perhaps explains why Trump has resorted to more drastic measures this time. And, as with many of the current administration’s legally dubious actions, there has been resistance.

    The American Foreign Service Association says it will challenge the dismantling of the USAGM, while the Czech Republic is seeking EU support to keep Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty on the air.

    But for many of the agency’s journalists, contractors, broadcasting partners and audiences, it may be too late. Last week, The New York Times reported some Voice of America broadcasts had already been replaced by music.

    Dr Valerie A. Cooper is lecturer in media and communication, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington.  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Protecting salmon farming at the expense of the environment – another step backwards for Australia’s nature laws

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Phillipa C. McCormack, Future Making Fellow, Environment Institute, University of Adelaide

    A bill introduced to parliament this week, if passed, would limit the government’s power to reconsider certain environment approvals when an activity is harming the environment.

    It fulfils Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s promise last month to introduce new laws to allow salmon farming to continue in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour. This salmon farming is currently mooted for reconsideration.

    There’s no doubt Australia’s nature laws need reform. The latest review found “Australians do not trust that the EPBC Act is delivering for the environment, for business or for the community”.

    But stopping the government from reconsidering a past decision is no way to fix these flaws. Reconsidering decisions is necessary if new evidence shows the activity is causing much more harm to nature, or a different kind of harm, than anticipated.

    Salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour

    Salmon have been farmed in Macquarie Harbour for almost 40 years, but activity has increased over the past decade.

    In 2012, Tasmania’s Department of Primary Industries sought approval to expand farming in the harbour, despite possible impacts on threatened species and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

    But then-Environment Minister, Tony Bourke, declared no further consideration was needed and the action could proceed, because the proposal was not
    “a controlled action”. Under the Act, a controlled action is any activity likely to impact on a matter of national environmental significance, such as a threatened species. A project or development deemed a controlled action then requires approval from the environment minister.

    However, Bourke’s decision was subject to conditions – most importantly, to ensure no significant impacts to the Maugean skate.

    In late 2023, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek received a series of requests to reconsider Bourke’s 2012 decision.

    New evidence comes to light

    The power to request a reconsideration is available to anyone. If substantial new information justifies it, the minister may revoke the original decision and make a new one.

    In the Macquarie Harbour case, these reconsideration requests relied on scientific studies completed after 2012. One highlighted the skate’s vulnerability to changing water conditions. Another released last month showed a strong correlation between more intense salmon farming and increased extinction risk for the skate.

    Plibersek has not made a decision yet. However, documents her office released under Freedom of Information laws show new evidence. This evidence supports a declaration that salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour should be reconsidered. That could trigger a full review of salmon farming in the Harbour.

    However, the bill Labor has introduced would strip the minister’s powers to reconsider the earlier decision.

    Prime minister promises law change to protect salmon farms, February 2025 (ABC News)

    What does the new bill propose?

    On Monday a government spokesperson said:

    This bill is very specific – it’s a minor change, with extremely strict criteria – focused on giving Tasmanian workers certainty while government investments protect the Maugean Skate. The existing laws apply to everything else, including all new proposals for coal, gas, and land clearing.

    But we disagree. The bill describes the circumstances in which the minister can reconsider a decision. These are cases (such as Macquarie Harbour) where an activity is allowed to proceed without full assessment and approval, in a “particular manner”. The “particular manner” must include complying with a state or territory management arrangement. For example, the salmon farmers have to comply with a Tasmanian government plan for Macquarie Harbour. Finally, these activities must be currently underway, and ongoing in that way, for at least five years.

    It is not uncommon for “particular manner” decisions to require compliance with state or territory management arrangements. So the new legislation will catch more than just the Macquarie Harbour project in the “net”.

    For instance, our quick search of the EPBC Act portal revealed a similar particular manner decision. This means that, after five years of operation, this second decision will also be immune from challenge.

    There would be more where that came from. The bill will not only protect salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.

    What’s more, reconsideration powers have been used sparingly – there seems no reason to limit their use further. A search of the EPBC Act public portal reveals only 52 reconsideration requests since the Act began, averaging just two a year. Many of these requests were made by proponents, disgruntled with a “controlled action” decision made in relation to their own projects.

    One bad bill after another

    This may sound familiar, because Labor’s bill is similar to Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck’s private bill proposed in December, which also concerned protecting salmon farming jobs in Macquarie Harbour.

    The Senate’s Environment and Communications Legislation Committee made a single recommendation on that bill: that it not be passed.

    The majority report (from Labor, Greens and Independent senators) provided sensible reasons for recommending the bill be abandoned. It noted the power to request a reconsideration already has “appropriate safeguards”.

    Furthermore, these “safeguards strike an appropriate balance by providing industry with confidence and certainty that a decision made will not be easily reversed, while allowing decisions to be reconsidered should new and significant information relating to the decision arise”.

    Just four months later, these remain compelling reasons for maintaining the power to reconsider decisions.

    We don’t have time to go backwards

    This amendment will not achieve the comprehensive reforms the EPBC Act needs. In fact, it will actively undermine these goals. It has been rushed through after years of effort to improve nature laws, on the eve of an election, in a marginal electorate, and has been put to Parliament on the day of a budget lockup.

    Despite removing this scrutiny, the bill is unlikely to resolve the controversy in Macquarie Harbour.



    Read more:
    Labor’s dumping of Australia’s new nature laws means the environment is shaping as a key 2025 election issue

    Phillipa McCormack receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the National Environmental Science Program, Natural Hazards Research Australia, Green Adelaide and the ACT Government. She is a member of the National Environmental Law Association and an affiliated member of the Centre for Marine Socioecology.

    Justine Bell-James receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the Queensland Government, and the National Environmental Science Program. She is a Director of the National Environmental Law Association and a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists.

    – ref. Protecting salmon farming at the expense of the environment – another step backwards for Australia’s nature laws – https://theconversation.com/protecting-salmon-farming-at-the-expense-of-the-environment-another-step-backwards-for-australias-nature-laws-252814

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –