Australia’s Disability and Age Discrimination Commissioners have called out the governments of NSW and Western Australia for failing older people and people with disability by not requiring new homes in their jurisdictions to meet the minimum national accessibility standards in the National Construction Code (NCC).
All other Australian states and territories have committed to the NCC’s minimum accessibility standards such as a step-free entrance, wider doorways, accessible bathrooms and corridors that allow for easy movement with mobility aids, ensuring a safe and continuous path of travel throughout a dwelling.
However, the NSW and WA governments have refused to adopt the NCC standards which advocates say is creating significant problems for older people and people with disability now and into the future.
Age Discrimination Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald AM: “Accessibility and affordability are central elements of the human right to adequate housing and it’s shameful that the NSW and WA governments are refusing to sign up to the same accessibility standards that all other states agreed to years ago.
“Confoundingly, their resistance is in spite of all the evidence of the benefits these standards provide for older people and people with disability specifically, as well as our community and economy more broadly.”
“Right now, older people and people with disability are at greater risk of housing stress because of a lack of accessible and affordable dwellings in the private rental market, and this situation will only get worse in the future as Australia’s population ages.
“We need more accessible dwellings now and we’ll need a lot more in the future, so it’s perplexing that the NSW and WA governments continue to block such a simple and straightforward reform that will deliver the kind of housing stock our country desperately needs.”
Disability Discrimination Commissioner Rosemary Kayess: “NSW and WA can’t keep ignoring the need for accessible housing because the cost of retrofitting dwellings in those states to meet the accessibility needs of residents is much more costly than making new homes align with minimum accessibility standards now.
“The lack of affordable and accessible housing contributes to the segregation of people with disability into ‘specialised’ housing, contributes to bed blockages within the health system, contributes to homelessness of people with disability, and contributes to people with disability living in inappropriate and inaccessible housing, generating a range of significant social, health and economic problems.”
Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The ACCC has today published data detailing the National Broadband Network’s (NBN) service quality and network performance, as mandated by a new Record Keeping Rule.
These quarterly datasets will offer insights into the quality of NBN services including connection times, fault rectification, appointment keeping, and the extent of planned and emergency network outages.
“By sharing these insights regularly, we aim to keep the public informed about the service quality they can expect when using the NBN,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
“Over time, we will highlight areas where households and businesses are receiving good service quality and areas where there are opportunities for improvement by NBN Co.”
“This will provide incentives for NBN Co and retail service providers to improve service quality and expand the range of offers that retailers can make, which is a win for consumers,” Ms Brakey said.
The dataset published today is for the quarter ending September 2024. Key takeouts from this quarter indicate that:
Most service orders were completed and service faults restored within one business day of acceptance of the work request due to increased automation that has been introduced by NBN Co.
NBN Co connects a very high percentage of services within the timeframes allowed by its current service standards. However, this percentage reduces when the data only relates to connections used for the supply of a standard telephone service, where faster timeframes apply.
Most of the reported outages were for planned maintenance or upgrade work, rather than for emergency outages. The proportion of outages on the HFC network was relatively high compared to the proportion of services that use this network type. Outages attributable to third parties such as electricity utilities are not included in this data set.
A relatively small number of households or businesses are connected to copper lines that NBN Co has identified as needing out-of-the-ordinary network improvement work for the lines to meet minimum standards. NBN Co’s current target allows it up to 18 months to fix these problem lines.
“NBN Co is currently consulting with the public on proposed improvements to its current service standards consistent with service quality aspects that are most valued by consumers. The dataset that we have published today would likely allow stakeholders to better engage in NBN Co’s consultation,” Ms Brakey said.
The next dataset will relate to the quarter ending December 2024 and will be published later this month.
Background
On 5 April 2024, the ACCC published a record keeping rule (RKR) and explanatory statement for NBN Co’s service quality and network performance. The RKR was subsequently amended in October 2024.
This RKR requires NBN Co to collect data relating to National Broadband Network service quality and network performance. NBN Co is required to report this data to the ACCC.
The RKR commenced on 1 July 2024 with quarterly reporting required for the September 2024 quarter onwards.
The inquiry found that improvements in NBN Co’s reporting to retail service providers would assist them to better manage end-user expectations. It also found that improved reporting on service level metrics would provide an incentive for NBN Co to improve its performance and result in better end-user outcomes over time.
More recently, there was a need for improved regulatory oversight and public transparency relating to NBN Co’s service quality identified during the ACCC’s 2023 review of NBN Co’s Special Access Undertaking (SAU) variation.
The varied SAU, which the ACCC accepted in October 2023, included commitments from NBN Co for regular and expanded operational reporting on its service quality performance to its retail service providers. It also included greater public reporting on the outcomes of its annual Service Improvement Plans and Performance Reviews.
This week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea issued an appeal to the international community. She expressed concern about the future of civil society work on North Korean human rights.
The cause for alarm is a sudden freeze on the funds of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED)- a US nongovernmental organisation.
One major beneficiary of funds from the NED are groups documenting and helping to stop human rights abuses in North Korea.
The funding halt threatens to damage further the lives of people living under one of the world’s most egregious authoritarian regimes.
What is the NED?
The NED is a US institution with a long history in its foreign policy, described as a “bastion of Republican internationalism”. Established by an act of Congress, it was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983.
With bipartisan support, the NED is squarely based on core Republican values of spreading democracy through the world. It supports the work of nongovernmental organisations in more than 100 countries every year.
While it is unclear why Elon Musk, in his role in the Department of Government Efficiency, has suddenly taken aim at this institution, the consequences of cutting off funding overnight are easy to see.
One result is the likely end of decades-long work on North Korean human rights.
How this affects North Korea
One of the groups hit hard by this funding freeze is the Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights. The original single-issue North Korean human rights organisation, it’s now planning to shut its doors.
Without NED funding, it says it cannot cover its running costs, such as paying the rent or staff salaries.
It also can’t continue its important work investigating and documenting human rights abuses suffered by North Korean people.
The Citizens’ Alliance is just one of many groups, most of which are based in South Korea, that rely on the NED for their work.
The political environment in South Korea is uncertain and precarious for North Korean human rights activists. Despite efforts to diversify funding sources over many decades, there are few other options.
I have studied this question in-depth and over two decades. It’s a problem that cannot be overcome overnight, or even in the medium term, as it’s so deeply embedded, both politically and socially.
In the absence of funding opportunities in South Korea, Seoul-based groups must look abroad.
Yet many of the international support schemes available exist to fund in-country democratisation and human rights efforts.
The authoritarian regime in North Korea is so complete that no active, open civil society efforts can safely take place. The movement relies entirely on transnational activism and so doesn’t neatly fit into existing funding schemes.
On top of this, the funding freeze comes at a particularly bad time, with South Korea in a state of political turmoil. In the wake of the President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment following his declaration of martial law, it is unclear what the future of the limited number of existing initiatives will be.
Putting North Korea in the spotlight
For a long time, the plight of those suffering human rights abuses inside the secretive country was not well known to the outside world.
For decades, civil society groups built coalitions, gathered information, wrote reports, compiled databases, held public awareness-raising events, and lobbied politicians at all different levels. They then succeeded in bringing about the 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry into North Korean Human Rights.
This inquiry, chaired by Australia’s Michael Kirby, has been the definitive document on North Korean human rights for more than ten years.
Its findings of gross violations of human rights inside the country have formed the evidentiary basis for international action on North Korean human rights. Examples of the report’s findings include:
the use of political prison camps, torture, executions and other sorts of arbitrary detention to suppress real or perceived political dissent
an almost complete denial of the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and association
the use of access to food as a means of control over the population.
Non-profit North Korean human rights groups remain at the centre of this work. Having succeeded in putting the issue squarely on the international agenda, they continue to press for greater attention on the human rights situation from the international community.
But now this work could all end more suddenly than anyone could have expected.
More power to a dictator
The Database Center for North Korean Human Rights has paused all but its most urgent programs and launched an appeal for donations. Executive Director Hannah Song has described the situation as a crisis of “a massive and sudden cut to funding that threatens the crucial work of those on the frontlines”.
Sokeel Park, the leader of another nongovernmental group working in this space, described it as “by far the biggest crisis facing NGOs working on this issue since the start of the movement in the 1990s”.
This is no exaggeration. The North Korean human rights movement has had an outsized effect on the international community’s awareness and understanding of how the North Korean government maintains order and represses dissent.
So who wins out of this? North Korea’s Supreme Leader and dictator, Kim Jong-un.
Back in 2018, US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address centred on the human rights violations suffered by the North Korean people at the hands of the authoritarian regime. Trump declared:
we need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat it could pose.
Now, by effectively silencing the government’s most vocal critics, the Trump administration appears to be giving breathing room to one of the world’s most atrocious authoritarian regimes.
Danielle Chubb does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
This photo taken on Feb. 13, 2025 shows a projected poster for the Chinese fantasy feature “Ne Zha 2” at a shopping mall in Sydney, Australia. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese animated blockbuster “Ne Zha 2” has become the first non-Hollywood film to exceed $2 billion in global earnings, including presales, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.
The milestone, reached as of Monday afternoon, comes just 33 days after its release on Jan. 29 during the Chinese New Year and 13 days after it surpassed Disney’s 2024 film “Inside Out 2” to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
This achievement adds to the film’s growing list of accolades, including being the first to gross $1 billion in a single market and the first non-Hollywood title to enter the billion-dollar club.
Directed by Yang Yu, known as Jiaozi, the sequel to the 2019 animated hit “Ne Zha” — which grossed 5 billion yuan (about $696.91 million) and topped the Chinese box office that year — now ranks seventh on the all-time global box office charts, just behind Marvel’s 2018 film “Avengers: Infinity War.”
The film’s unprecedented box office success, with over 98 percent of the revenue generated on the Chinese mainland according to Maoyan data, has redefined the ceiling for single-film earnings in Chinese cinema.
“This success has not only boosted the confidence of creators but also showcased the resilience and immense growth potential of the Chinese market,” said Lai Li, a Maoyan analyst.
“Ne Zha 2” continues the tale of the iconic boy god from Chinese mythology, as Nezha and his ally Aobing struggle to rebuild their physical forms and secure their fate with the help of the immortal Taiyi Zhenren.
The film’s rich storytelling, jaw-dropping visuals, and universal themes of defiance, fate, and self-confidence have captivated audiences worldwide. Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, praised the film for seamlessly blending traditional Chinese mythology with modern storytelling, creating a narrative that speaks to contemporary sensibilities.
Chen Xuguang, director of the Institute of Film, Television, and Theatre at Peking University, hailed “Ne Zha 2” as “a miracle and a peak in Chinese cinema, a record that may remain unbroken for a long time.”
“‘Ne Zha 2’ has not only boosted the morale and confidence of Chinese filmmakers but also drawn new audiences back to theaters from other entertainment mediums,” Chen told Xinhua.
The film’s technical mastery is equally staggering, featuring nearly 2,000 special effects shots and contributions from 138 animation studios. This collaborative effort exemplifies the strength of China’s creative ecosystem and heralds a new era of aesthetic and industrial standards for the country’s film industry, he said.
In North America, “Ne Zha 2” has grossed an estimated $18 million after three weekends, according to Comscore. Released by CMC Pictures in Mandarin with English subtitles across over 600 theaters, the film has consistently ranked in the top five at the North American box office, becoming the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in the region since 2006.
Sheila Sofian, a professor at the University of Southern California and a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, praised the film’s production design, sound design, and music, calling it “mind-blowing” and noting its universal appeal, in a video interview shared by China Media Group.
The film’s success has also injected much-needed optimism into China’s film industry, which saw a 23 percent decline in earnings in 2024 compared to 2023 and a 34 percent drop from its pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Driven by “Ne Zha 2,” China’s box office revenue hit a record high during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday and has since experienced robust growth.
Dong Wenxin, a film critic and manager of a cinema in Jinan, Shandong Province, told Xinhua that the film’s success has been a boon for the industry. “Friends in the business have told me their theaters have already hit 50 percent of their annual box office goals over the first two months of 2025,” she said.
Beyond its commercial triumph, “Ne Zha 2” is poised to serve as a cultural bridge, offering global audiences a window into China’s rich mythology and traditions. According to Shi Anbin, director of the Israel Epstein Center for Global Media and Communication at Tsinghua University, films like “Ne Zha 2” and video games like “Black Myth: Wukong” are part of a broader cultural renaissance in which ancient tales are reimagined through a modern lens.
In a video interview, Jiaozi reflected on the personal journey the “Ne Zha” films have taken him on, from a passion project to a global phenomenon. “The first step was creating something I loved, and domestic audiences loved it too,” he said. “Over time, I’ve worked to improve it, to refine my craft. I believe that one day, new ideas, deeper meanings and new soul will emerge from it, and the whole world will be able to appreciate it.”
The next federal election will be conducted on new electoral division boundaries in the Northern Territory after a notice was published today in the Commonwealth Government Notices Gazette.
While final names and boundaries for House of Representatives seats in the Northern Territory were announced on Tuesday 7 January 2025, today’s gazette is the step that formally sets them in place and provides people with further information about the new boundaries.
The final redistribution report will be available after the Minister has tabled material in both houses of Parliament.
Northern Territory households notified of seat change ahead of the 2025 federal election
Approximately 2,000 households in the city of Palmerston that were previously in the electoral division of Lingiari will now be in the division of Solomon for the federal election. In the coming few weeks, the AEC will be notifying these households of that change.
AEC Northern Territory Manager Geoffrey Bloom said that a federal election date could be announced any day, and that it must be held sometime in either April or May.
“With a federal election coming it is important that voters know whether they’ll be voting in either Lingiari or Solomon for the House of Representatives,” Mr Bloom said.
“There will be an automatic change made on their enrolment record but the action required by voters is simply to know what their seat is ahead of time so they can be prepared when they’re thinking about who they might vote for.”
Editor’s notes:
People on the electoral roll who are affected by the redistribution will now be moved into their new federal electoral division in readiness for the 2025 election. No action is necessary.
The Albanese and Minns Labor Governments have reached an Agreement to fully and fairly fund New South Wales public schools. As part of the Heads of Agreements signed today, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to New South Wales. This will lift the Commonwealth contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034 and follows New South Wales delivering its election commitment to reach 75 per cent of the SRS in 2025, two years ahead of the former Liberal National Government. This will see an estimated $4.8 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to New South Wales public schools over the next 10 years.
This represents the biggest ever new investment in New South Wales public schools by the Australian Government. New South Wales has also committed to removing the 4 per cent provision of indirect school costs such as capital depreciation so that New South Wales schools will be fully funded over the life of the Agreement. Commonwealth funding will be tied to the reforms needed to lift education standards across the country, including more individualised support for students, continuing evidence-based teaching practices, and more mental health and wellbeing support for schools.
This is not a blank cheque. The Agreement will be accompanied by a New South Wales Bilateral Agreement, which ties funding to reforms that will help students catch up, keep up and finish school, such as:
Year 1 phonics and early years of schooling numeracy checks to identify students who need additional help;
evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind;
initiatives that support wellbeing for learning – including greater access to mental health professionals;
access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning, and
initiatives that improve the attraction and retention of teachers.
In addition to these reforms, the Agreements have national targets that complement the New South Wales Government’s own public school targets released last week.
National targets include:
Improving NAPLAN proficiency levels for reading and numeracy across all year levels;
Increasing the outcomes for priority equity cohorts in NAPLAN results;
Increasing the Student Attendance Rate;
Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students; and
Increasing the proportion of students leaving school with a Year 12 certificate.
This means more help for students and more support for teachers.
Today’s agreement with New South Wales follows agreements with Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Victoria. The Commonwealth is continuing to work with Queensland. Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “Building Australia’s Future means investing in the next generation. “That’s why every dollar of this funding will go into helping children learn. “We know that education opens the doors of opportunity, and we want to widen them for every child in Australia. “This is about investing in real reform with real funding – so all Australian children get the best possible education.” Quotes attributable to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns: “Public education is the best investment any government can make. Every dollar spent in this space is a dollar spent on the future of our country.
“Every single child in Australia has the right to a quality, free public education and we are proud to work with the Albanese Labor Government to ensure New South Wales schools are fully funded. “We’ve seen a 40% reduction in teacher vacancies since we came to government, but we know there’s still more to do.
“This investment is vital as we work to lift education standards across the state by ensuring there is a qualified, dedicated teacher at the front of the classroom.” Quotes attributable to Minister for Education, Jason Clare:
“This is big. The biggest state in the country has now signed up. “This will help more than 780,000 kids in more than 2,200 public schools. “This is real funding tied to real reforms to help students catch up, keep up and finish school. “It’s not a blank cheque. I want this money to get results. “That’s why funding will be directly tied to reforms that we know work. “It will help make sure every child gets a great start in life. What every parent wants. And what every Australian child deserves.” Quotes attributable to New South Wales Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car:
“This incredible outcome for public schools will allow us to deliver on the ambitious targets we have set for the public education system in New South Wales.
“Our commitment to rebuilding public education will now be underpinned by an agreement that delivers full funding for public schools. “The Minns Labor Government inherited a teacher shortage crisis and falling outcomes after a decade of under funding by Federal and State Liberal and National Governments that saw 10,000 merged and cancelled classes daily and over 3000 teacher vacancies. “With teacher vacancies now down 40 per cent and the number of cancelled classes halved, we are delivering tangible results.
“This investment will enable us to restore public education in New South Wales to the world-leading standards that families deserve.”
EDDIE WILLIAMS: Bega will become home to a new Medicare urgent care clinic, while the existing clinic at Batemans Bay will see its hours extended under an election promise from the Labor Government. It’s part of a $644 million commitment to open another 50 urgent care clinics across the country. The Member for Eden-Monaro is Kristy McBain. Good morning.
KRISTY MCBAIN: Good morning, Eddie.
WILLIAMS: How do these clinics work?
MCBAIN: These clinics are aimed at trying to free up emergency departments for real emergencies. Those urgent matters like cuts that need stitches, burns, a sprain at the local football on the weekend, minor breaks. Those things can all be done through the Urgent Care Clinic, so that you’re not waiting in an emergency department, and you’re leaving the resources there for people who need emergency care.
WILLIAMS: Have they been effective in that? Or do patients often end up being referred to the emergency department anyway?
MCBAIN: There are times where patients do get referred to the emergency department. I was at an Urgent Care Clinic yesterday, and previously they had referred someone who had chest pains to the emergency department. They do refer patients that are in emergency situations anyway, that’s what they’re required to do. It’s our health system working to its best, where we’ve got GPs taking care of those routine appointments, where you’ve got Urgent Care Clinics dealing with people that have got, urgent medical needs. Then you’ve got the emergency department dealing with those serious emergency issues in our hospitals.
WILLIAMS: Why Bega as a location for one of these clinics?
MCBAIN: We went to the last election with a commitment to open 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics and we’ve delivered 87. We know that they’ve been incredibly effective, but the locations of the additional 50 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics were determined based on advice from the Department of Health and Aged Care. The exact locations of those will be worked through with an independent commissioning process, which is the same process that has delivered the previous 87. That commissioning process is run by the primary health networks or state and territory governments, independent of the Commonwealth. We’re looking at the data which shows where these clinics are best located, and making sure we’re giving people more options and more choice for healthcare.
WILLIAMS: When you say, you know that they’re working, the Royal Australian College of GPs says there’s been no sign of an evaluation to show whether they are actually providing value for money or helping keep people away from hospital. Is this really the best use of $644 million, or would, more support for GPs be a better bang for buck?
MCBAIN: Obviously, we’ve strengthened Medicare rebates over the last three years. We’ve tripled that bulk billing incentive, and worked really closely with GPs on a whole range of things. The announcement we made to strengthen Medicare by a further investment of $8.5 million not only provides additional rebates in the Medicare system, it also provides more Commonwealth supported places at universities to train doctors. It provides scholarships to nurses and nurse practitioners to upskill themselves to get further qualifications. It provides incentives to get those medical graduates to take up the GP specialisation so that we can get more doctors into our system. That’s on top of waiving HECS for doctors and nurse practitioners who go out and practice in rural and remote Australia. We’re really focused on that workforce issue, as well as strengthening Medicare, as well as providing more healthcare options across our communities.
WILLIAMS: Yeah. Does that work for workforce issue going to be a challenge here as well? How difficult will it be to staff these clinics?
MCBAIN: The workforce issue has been there for many decades. What we’re doing is concentrating on how we can get more people studying medicine at university. As I said, more Commonwealth supported places. We’ve worked with communities across the country to put in rural medical schools and training options into our regional hospitals so that people, when they come out and train in a regional area, are more likely to stay there. We are continuing to focus on that workforce issue with a number of the incentive programs that we’ve got now for doctors and nurse practitioners to go out into our region. We’ll continue to focus on the training option as well as strengthening the rebates, as well as making sure we’ve got more care options. It’s incredibly important that we continue to keep those focuses on all aspects of healthcare.
WILLIAMS: When would you hope that this clinic in Bega would open?
MCBAIN: Obviously following the next election that independent commissioning process will be undertaken by the Primary Health Network or the state government, depending on who we partner with at that time. Hopefully we’ll see one up and running very soon.
WILLIAMS: You’re hearing from Kristy McBain, the Member for Eden-Monaro. Labor’s also promising to freeze the excise on beer. The Coalition’s committed to the same. Will you consider freezing the tobacco excise as well?
MCBAIN: We’ve listened to communities and I’ve spoken to numerous publicans and club managers across our community. What we don’t want to see is people not going out to socialise. We don’t want to see some of our small businesses that provide social connection in our community fail because of the excise, which goes up by CPI twice a year. We’ve campaigned really heavily to make sure that this announcement was made. It’s incredibly important that we continue to focus on how we can assist people with cost of living. This is another way, along with our cheaper medicines policy, the cheaper childcare policy. At this stage, we haven’t discussed the excise on tobacco.
WILLIAMS: Telstra held a community forum in Narooma on Friday. That was something you’d asked them to do after a lot of locals had poor mobile coverage during peak holiday season. How confident are you that things will be better next summer?
MCBAIN: It was really good for Telstra to hear directly from community members about the frustrations they had with congested signals and call drop outs, particularly during the summer period. They have assessed the tower that services the main township of Narooma and have found that it is congested and they are looking at putting up additional spectrum on that tower. It’s in addition to the work that they’re doing for a new tower in Dalmeny, and small cells in mystery Bay, which have been funded already. It was incredibly pleasing for community to hear that their concerns were being heard, and that there is more work happening, particularly on that Narooma Tower with additional spectrum. It is important, though, that we continue to tell Telstra when there are problems, so that it can be reported and it can be looked into by the Telstra engineers. We remain open to passing that feedback directly to Telstra for consumers, if that’s what’s required.
WILLIAMS: Couple of quick questions from the community on health. Jane asks where’s the funding for dental clinics in the hospital and down at Pambula Community Centre? Or what can the government do when it comes to dental care in the region?
MCBAIN: Obviously dental care is provided by Community Health through New South Wales Health. We continue to work with them on how we can provide more options to the community, particularly into dental care. The community health fair in Pambula does a great job, but it takes a while to get an appointment and we continue to work with the New South Wales Health Department on what additional options they can provide.
WILLIAMS: Robyn in Bega asks, if you have a fracture, wouldn’t a hospital be faster than an Urgent Care Clinic?
MCBAIN: At times an Urgent Care Clinic can be faster. We saw over the weekend when I was in Queanbeyan someone that came in with what appeared to be a fracture or a break in the foot. It turned out to be a serious sprain instead. They were in and out of that Urgent Care Clinic within an hour. It’s important to know if you do need to be referred on to emergency department, you will, but in many cases, it can be dealt with quicker through the emergency care centre.
WILLIAMS: Kristy McBain, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you.
Work has started on the Fraser Coast Turtle Rehabilitation and Research Centre dedicated to the recovery of sick and injured marine turtles and vital research on the threats they face.
Led by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the centre on the Hervey Bay foreshore will transform care for many at-risk marine turtles, removing the need to transport them several hours to receive life-saving treatment.
More than 1,400 turtles have been rescued on the Fraser Coast over the past two years, with more than 300 needing specialist care at the nearest rehabilitation facility on the Sunshine Coast.
The project will retrofit existing buildings with a new fit-for-purpose facility including a specialist turtle life support system and indoor tanks to care for sick and injured sea turtles.
The Centre will also be a hub for researchers investigating the general health of marine life across the wider region, and the emerging threats they face, including a deadly “soft shell syndrome”, which is plaguing the local turtle population.
The Australian Government is providing $250,000 funding for the works with the Queensland Government allocating $1.17 million.
Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm:
“Queensland is home to some of the world’s most diverse marine wildlife and this $250,000 investment will help safeguard the Fraser Coast’s turtle populations for future generations.
“This facility will also boost the local economy with an estimated 15 jobs set to be created, along with students, researchers and tourists all set to walk through its doors, which benefits the entire region.”
Quotes attributable to Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie:
“We’re proud to partner with the University of Sunshine Coast to deliver this critical infrastructure on the Hervey Bay foreshore.
“Queenslanders voted for a fresh start and the State Government is committed to partnering with local government to deliver local projects that create jobs, provide long-term economic benefits and improve the lifestyle of Queenslanders no matter where they live.”
Quotes attributable to Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour:
“This facility will benefit the region’s wildlife, university students and the broader community, including Butchulla traditional owners.
“This is an excellent partnership between all three levels of government, community groups and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
“The turtles are an endangered species, so it is important that we research what has been happening to the local population that has caused the large number of fatalities and casualties.”
Quotes attributable to University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett
“We are pleased to formally announce the name for the new centre, which will give our threatened turtles the greatest opportunity for survival, is the ‘UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation’.
“Milbi is the Butchulla word for sea turtle and the Dayman Park site where the centre is located holds great cultural significance for the Butchulla people and their deep connection with the Milbi and other sea and land creatures.
“This is reflected in the design and operation of the centre, where Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers will help to care for rescued sea turtles on country, and science and Indigenous knowledge will combine to fill gaps in our local and global understanding of marine turtles.
“Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles are found in the region – all listed as vulnerable or endangered – and are ecologically and genetically linked to other parts of Australia and the wider Pacific region.
“To rescue and care for marine turtles is vitally important, as is research to better understand the cause of strandings and deaths, and to increase their chances of survival once they are rehabilitated and returned safely to the sea.
“This centre will be a hub for vital research that will help to inform local, state, national and international responses to mitigate threats to marine turtles, including disease and climate change.
“Ongoing funding support from governments, organisations and the community is vital for our endangered sea turtles.”
Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development
Work has started on the Fraser Coast Turtle Rehabilitation and Research Centre dedicated to the recovery of sick and injured marine turtles and vital research on the threats they face.
Led by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the centre on the Hervey Bay foreshore will transform care for many at-risk marine turtles, removing the need to transport them several hours to receive life-saving treatment.
More than 1,400 turtles have been rescued on the Fraser Coast over the past two years, with more than 300 needing specialist care at the nearest rehabilitation facility on the Sunshine Coast.
The project will retrofit existing buildings with a new fit-for-purpose facility including a specialist turtle life support system and indoor tanks to care for sick and injured sea turtles.
The Centre will also be a hub for researchers investigating the general health of marine life across the wider region, and the emerging threats they face, including a deadly “soft shell syndrome”, which is plaguing the local turtle population.
The Australian Government is providing $250,000 funding for the works with the Queensland Government allocating $1.17 million.
Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development, Anthony Chisholm:
“Queensland is home to some of the world’s most diverse marine wildlife and this $250,000 investment will help safeguard the Fraser Coast’s turtle populations for future generations.
“This facility will also boost the local economy with an estimated 15 jobs set to be created, along with students, researchers and tourists all set to walk through its doors, which benefits the entire region.”
Quotes attributable to Queensland Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie:
“We’re proud to partner with the University of Sunshine Coast to deliver this critical infrastructure on the Hervey Bay foreshore.
“Queenslanders voted for a fresh start and the State Government is committed to partnering with local government to deliver local projects that create jobs, provide long-term economic benefits and improve the lifestyle of Queenslanders no matter where they live.”
Quotes attributable to Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour:
“This facility will benefit the region’s wildlife, university students and the broader community, including Butchulla traditional owners.
“This is an excellent partnership between all three levels of government, community groups and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
“The turtles are an endangered species, so it is important that we research what has been happening to the local population that has caused the large number of fatalities and casualties.”
Quotes attributable to University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett
“We are pleased to formally announce the name for the new centre, which will give our threatened turtles the greatest opportunity for survival, is the ‘UniSC Milbi Centre – Sea Turtle Research and Rehabilitation’.
“Milbi is the Butchulla word for sea turtle and the Dayman Park site where the centre is located holds great cultural significance for the Butchulla people and their deep connection with the Milbi and other sea and land creatures.
“This is reflected in the design and operation of the centre, where Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers will help to care for rescued sea turtles on country, and science and Indigenous knowledge will combine to fill gaps in our local and global understanding of marine turtles.
“Six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles are found in the region – all listed as vulnerable or endangered – and are ecologically and genetically linked to other parts of Australia and the wider Pacific region.
“To rescue and care for marine turtles is vitally important, as is research to better understand the cause of strandings and deaths, and to increase their chances of survival once they are rehabilitated and returned safely to the sea.
“This centre will be a hub for vital research that will help to inform local, state, national and international responses to mitigate threats to marine turtles, including disease and climate change.
“Ongoing funding support from governments, organisations and the community is vital for our endangered sea turtles.”
Parliament didn’t sit last week, so your property was safe. ACT’s MPs were out, including at the Northland Field Days, Auckland’s Round the Bays, and holding public meetings as far south as Invercargill. This Thursday David Seymour and Todd Stephenson are holding a public meeting in Queenstown,details here, and on Friday Simon Court is in Hokitika,details here.
The Week the World Changed
Lots changed last week, or at least long-telegraphed changes were spelled out more in neon lights than dots and dashes. New Zealand’s insularity is famous, if there was a nuclear war in Europe theHeraldwould still lead with Auckland property prices, or whether the All Blacks will be free-to-air.
Insularity is all fine, most of the world is a hellhole most of the time anyway. But insularity can’t protect us from all hells, and some of them have got closer in the last week.
The protection we’ve had from the seas and friendly navies is ebbing away, even though we’ve relied on it since humans arrived here.
Part I: Nobody else could get here.
Part II: Only the British could get here.
Part III: Only the Americans could get here.
Depending on your perspective, the British part might be a mixed blessing, but on the whole we’ve built one of the most successful societies in history with little care for our security.
If that changes, we’re going to have very different things to think and worry about. We’ll have to think about confronting others who want to dominate and perhaps kill us for the first time in generations. Even theHeraldwill need to sharpen up.
The Trump-Zelensky-Vance conflagration was extraordinary. Trump is elected and the U.S. is a sovereign nation. They can act however they like, so we’re not passing judgement. We’re just trying to think through what it means for our sovereign nation. We don’t think there’s enough public debate about this to be ready for the world we’re entering.
After World War I the U.S. went isolationist, when World War II began the German Army was ten times larger than theirs. By the time they had U-Boats off the Eastern seaboard and planes bombing Hawaii, they were arming up again.
After World War II they decided to keep policing the world. It led to an extraordinary period of peace and prosperity (maybe it will be known as the second Elizabethan era, after QEII). Now the Americans are out of that game again. The Oval Office conflagration was perhaps just the neon-lit spelling out of something that’s been coming a long time.
Add that together with the Chinese ‘taskforce’ of three ships (and one sub?). It was not extraordinary, it just hasn’t happened here for a couple of generations. Ships that could easily rain down munitions on New Zealand cities, with there being little we can do about it, is a new thing to living New Zealanders. Perhaps nuclear-powered American ships weren’t that bad after all?
The Cook Islands appear to be shifting their allegiance or at least trying to eat their cake and have it, too. Their comprehensive strategic partnership with the Chinese Government appears to open the Cooks up to Chinese investment and development, as well as resource extraction. It might allow a workforce of Chinese nationals in the Cooks that would give the Chinese Government reason to ‘protect’ them. That would be a crisis.
From a defence and security point of view, the Cook’s gambit is a stationary version of the ships. The Chinese Government is asserting that the South Pacific is in their sphere of influence, and that’s a different proposition from the democratic British or Americans doing it.
It all adds up to our country needing to change footing. Muldoon once said ‘New Zealanders will never vote on foreign affairs.’ We’ve been shielded, but as our shields ebb away, we will need to change our stance.
A lot of questions become much clearer.
Could we afford to ban oil and gas exploration?
Could we afford to shut the country down for an extravagantly long time over COVID?
Could we afford to create a binary state based on a false interpretation of the Treaty?
The answer was always no, but now there is another reason why.
The New Zealand project needs to sort its internal problems with a lot more maturity, so we can face up to external ones. Another reason why we cannot afford a Labour-Green-Te Pāti Māori fiasco, and why ACT must keep the alternative Government bold.
New figures out today again reinforce the importance of tourism to sustained economic growth, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston says.
International Visitor Survey results for the year ending December 2024 show a significant increase of 23 per cent in annual visitor spend.
“These figures are further encouragement for a sector which continues to work really hard to regain its pre-2019 ground,” Louise Upston says.
“While the annual visitor spend is still below pre-pandemic levels, it’s clearly on the rise.
“Today’s MBIE numbers show that international visitors spent $12.2 billion in New Zealand in 2024, including $3.2 billion in the December quarter alone. When adjusted for inflation, this is 86 per cent of 2019 levels.
“The increase in spending aligns with a higher number of international visitors to our shores, up 12 per cent from the previous year.
“Visitors on holiday typically spend more than those visiting for other reasons, and because there were more international holidaymakers in 2024, that drove up the overall spend.
“While different data sets and time periods mean some differences between these figures and those released with the Tourism Satellite Account last week, the consistent message across both is one of positive recovery for tourism in New Zealand.
“The International Visitor Survey is our most up to date dataset to track international visitor spending.
“The Government has a clear priority to unleash economic growth and getting our visitor numbers back to pre-pandemic levels will be critical to that goal. Economic growth is also key to creating more jobs and higher incomes and reducing the cost of living
“The initiatives we’ve already launched under the Tourism Boost package, including those to support our off-peak travel and regional tourism, will ensure that our tourism industry recovers and thrives.
“We’ve recently announced
$500,000 for marketing New Zealand as the ‘go now’ destination for Australians
$30 million to support conservation visitor related experiences
$3 million for regional tourism boost
$9 million for Great Rides cycle infrastructure
“That drive to encourage more visitors was also reflected during the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Viet Nam, where Vietjet announced four flights a week between Auckland and Ho Chi Minh City from September.
“There will be more to come. 2025 is our chance to reinforce the value of tourism to a humming, vibrant country, where we welcome anyone, from anywhere, anytime,” Louise Upston says.
Western road police are calling for people to heed safety advice, following a series of offences detected over the weekend. Acting Inspector Martin Parker said a range of drivers had been caught driving dangerously, drink driving, speeding and driving while disqualified. “On Saturday evening a 32-year-old Penguin man was arrested after reportedly evading police, crossing train lines and driving into an apple orchard on Mersey Main Road at Spreyton,” he said. “The vehicle’s registration had expired, the driver was unlicensed and he returned a positive drug test.” “The man was charged with a range of offences and had his vehicle seized by police.” “The same day, a 20-year-old man from Mountain River was charged with drink driving after he was intercepted on Edward Street, Devonport and returned a reading of 0.140.” “Also on Saturday, a 29-year-old man from Wynyard was charged with evading police and speeding after being caught on Calder Road at Wynyard.” “On Sunday, a 37-year-old man from Upper Burnie was caught driving while disqualified after a random intercept on Reeve Street, South Burnie.” “Three men were also caught speeding on the Murchison Highway between Tullah and Waratah on Sunday.” “A 34-year-old man and a 68-year-old man both from Victoria were each caught driving at 137 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.” “A 31-year-old man from Shorewell Park was caught at 125 km/h.” “Police will continue to enforce the road rules to keep everyone in our community safe.” “If you’re committing an offence, you can expect to be caught.”
Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
The ACCC has released guidance on transitional arrangements to assist businesses and their advisers considering a merger in 2025, ahead of Australia’s new merger regime coming into effect.
Under the new regime, all acquisitions that meet a prescribed threshold must be notified to the ACCC from 1 January 2026.
“The new rules and processes for mergers and acquisitions will be a major change for businesses and the ACCC. Supporting businesses and other stakeholders by providing clarity on key dates and processes is crucial to a successful transition,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.
The new law contains provisions to assist businesses to transition to the new regime which include the option for businesses to start using the new regime on a voluntary basis from 1 July 2025.
The guidance indicates how the ACCC intends to assist businesses navigate this period, taking into account questions we have received about the transition.
In particular, the ACCC has sought to clarify how businesses can engage with the ACCC on their mergers throughout 2025 , and what might happen in a range of potential scenarios. These include whether informal clearances received during 2025 will mean those acquisitions are exempt from the obligation to notify from 1 January.
“A key message is that if businesses are considering seeking an informal merger review after 1 July 2025, it is important they engage with us as soon as possible,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
“This will help manage the risk that there won’t be enough time for the ACCC to complete its assessment before the new mandatory merger review process comes into effect.”
The ACCC will continue to work with businesses to navigate the transition to the new regime and the guidance may be progressively updated to ensure it addresses new questions that emerge.
“We are committed to ensure the transition to the new mandatory regime is transparent and smooth,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
Businesses, advisers, consumers and other interested members of the community can now subscribe for updates on merger reform on the ACCC website: Subscribe to merger reform updates
Background
Currently Australia’s merger regime does not require merger parties to notify the ACCC of proposed acquisitions or to wait for ACCC clearance before proceeding with the acquisition.
On 28 November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Mergers and Acquisitions Reform) Bill 2024. The ACCC welcomed the new legislation.
Under the new regime, all transactions above a prescribed threshold must be notified to the ACCC.
The ACCC first released proposed merger reforms at the Law Council conference in 2021. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb commenced her term in 2022. She has continued to advocate for merger reform including at the National Press Club in April 2023.
The ACCC has consistently outlined why the changes are necessary to achieve effective merger control in Australia and ensure there is strong competition across the economy, driving dynamism, productivity and restraint on prices for the benefit of consumers and efficient businesses.
The ACCC issued a Statement of Goals in October 2024 to outline its approach to implementing the new regime and to reduce uncertainty during the transition.
The ACCC encourages businesses considering a merger during the transition to contact us at mergers@accc.gov.au
We’ve stopped issuing automated statement of accounts (SOAs) when the only transaction on an account is a general interest charge (GIC).
This means there’ll be less ATO correspondence for you or your clients to receive and process, but you’ll still have access to up-to-date account information when it comes to interest accruing on debts.
Your clients can view their account balance and recent transactions in ATO online services.
Our regular debt correspondence with taxpayers will continue to advise that GIC may accrue until the debt is paid in full, and the amount owing will include any GIC incurred up to that point.
In certain circumstances, we may send taxpayers reminders by SMS, myGov message or email that GIC is accruing.
You or your client can contact us to request a SOA at any time.
We’ll continue to issue SOAs for other events, such as when interest accrues on early payments, when credits or refunds are used to offset other debts, and in some cases, when a Notice of Assessment issues.
The 2025 SMSF Association conference was a great success, with Deputy Commissioner Emma Rosenzweig, Superannuation and Employer Obligations, speaking in collaboration with Leah Sciacca, Senior Executive Leader, Financial Advice & Investment Management, from ASIC. They discussed regulatory issues and updates:
Non-lodgment of Self-Managed Super Fund annual returns (SARs) continues to be a concern. If a trustee fails to lodge on time and doesn’t contact us, their SMSF’s compliance status could be removed from Super Fund lookup. This can stop rollovers and impact employer contributions; trustees may also face penalties.
The SMSF illegal early access gap decreased from $256.1 million in 2020–21 to $250.1 million in 2021–22. The latest estimate shows the amount accessed illegally either blatantly, or through prohibited loans being $481.8 million this is a statistically significant increase from the 2021 estimate. Prohibited loans contributed to this increase, highlighting the ongoing need for compliance.
Identity fraud and scams continue to rise in the SMSF sector. We’ve strengthened identity checks, but its important trustees educate themselves about being vigilant to identity fraudsters.
Recent changes to the Tax Practitioners Board Code of Conduct reinforce obligations for registered agents. They include maintaining client records, providing advice, and managing conflicts of interest and confidentiality.
Trustees not actioning release authorities. This means super could be taxed concessionally when it shouldn’t be and there are consequences for this.
The proposed commencement of Payday Super in July 2026 will almost certainly drive significant change for funds in the way contributions are received.
For more detailed information, you can read Emma’s speech from the conference.
We also released our last education module Running a SMSFExternal Link at our booth. This completes our suite of resources which help trustees understand their obligations are each stage of an SMSF’s lifecycle.
Looking for the latest news for SMSFs? You can stay up to date by visiting our SMSF newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly SMSF newsletter.
You can use these yields if you made an election under former section 160APHR of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (ITAA 1936). This means you:
are a qualified person for the purposes of Division 1A of the former Part IIIA of the ITAA 1936
will not be denied a franking credit or tax offset under paragraph 207-145(1)(a) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.
Note: Under the simplified imputation system, applying from 1 July 2002, franking accounts are expressed in dollars of tax paid, rather than the corresponding taxable income. From this time, average franking credit yield equals average franking rebate yield.
Example: how to calculate average franking credit yield for periods prior to 1 July 2002 before the franking accounts were expressed in dollars of tax paid.
Find out more in TD 2007/11Income tax: imputation: franked distributions: qualified persons: does an entity have to be a qualified person within the meaning of Division 1A of former Part IIIAA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936.
List of yields
These yields are calculated with the assistance of S&P Dow Jones Indices and are generally available by the middle of the following month.
The ‘All Ordinaries’ is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates (‘SPDJI’) and ASX Operations Pty Ltd., S&P®, S&P 500®, US 500, The 500, iBoxx®, iTraxx® and CDX® are trademarks of S&P Global, Inc. or its affiliates (‘S&P’); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (‘Dow Jones’); ASX, ALL ORDINARIES are trademarks of ASX Operations Pty Ltd. SPDJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates, or ASX Operations Pty Ltd. and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in investment product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of the All Ordinaries.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jessica Kerr, Research Fellow, Adolescent Population Health and Obesity Epidemiology, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Since the 1990s, the proportion of the world’s population who are overweight (with a body mass index of 25–30) or obese (with a body mass index of 30 or above) has doubled.
If current patterns continue, we estimate that by 2050, 30% of the world’s children and adolescents (aged five to 24 years) will be overweight or obese, according to our new research in The Lancet.
By 2050, we forecast that 2.2 million Australian children and adolescents will be living with obesity. A further 1.6 million will be overweight. This is a combined prevalence of 50% – and an increase of 146% between 1990 and 2050.
Already in 2017–18, excess weight and obesity cost the Australian government A$11.8 billion. The projected disease burden will add billions of dollars to these health costs.
So how did we get here? And most importantly, what can we do to turn this trajectory around?
It’s not just about health problems later in life
Living with obesity increases the likelihood of living with disability and dying at a young age.
Obesity doesn’t just cause health problems later in life. Living with obesity increases the chance of developing many serious diseases during childhood or adolescence, including fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Due to weight-related teasing, bullying and stigma, obesity can also cause problems with mental health, and school and community engagement.
Some of the negative health effects of obesity can be reversed if young people return to a normal weight.
But reducing your weight from an obese BMI (30-plus) to a normal weight BMI (18.5–25) is very difficult. As a result, 70–80% of adolescents with a BMI of 30 or above live their adult years with obesity.
So it’s important to prevent obesity in the first place.
How did this happen?
Obesity is often blamed on the individual child, parent or family. This is reflected in significant weight-based stigma that people in larger bodies often face.
Yet the rapidly changing patterns of obesity throughout the world reinforce the importance of viewing it as a society-level problem.
The drivers of the obesity epidemic are complex. A country’s increasing obesity rates often overlap with their increasing economic development.
Economic development encourages high growth and consumption. As local farming and food supply systems become overtaken by “big-food” companies, populations transition to high-calorie diets.
Meanwhile, our environments become more “obesogenic”, or obesity-promoting, and it becomes very difficult to maintain healthy lifestyles because we are surrounded by very convenient, affordable and addictive high-calorie foods.
Some people are more negatively affected by living in these environments and gain more body weight than others. As our recent study showed, compared to those born with low genetic risk, adolescents who are born with a high genetic risk of developing obesity are more likely to become overweight or obese when living in poverty.
Other research shows those with a high genetic risk are more likely to gain weight when living in obesity-promoting environments.
Can we fix this problem?
The steepest increase in the proportion of young people with obesity is expected to be in the coming years. This means there is an opportunity to address this public health issue through bold actions now.
Some young people with severe obesity should be provided access to funded, stigma-free team-based weight-management health care. This may include:
access to GPs and nurses for lifestyle advice about diet and exercise
Because obesity doesn’t belong to any one part of government, action can fall through the cracks. Although there are significant efforts being made, action requires coordinated investments from numerous government portfolios – health, education, transport, urban planning – at local, state and national levels.
Governments should commit to an immediate five-year action plan to ensure we don’t fail another generation of children and adolescents.
Jessica Kerr has received funding from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. This research was also funded by the Gates Foundation.
Peter Azzopardi receives funding from NHMRC.
Susan M. Sawyer has received funding from National Health and Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust.
Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture
04 March 2025
Who does this notice affect?
All clients required to use the department’s Biosecurity Import Conditions System (BICON) website.
Information
Start time: As of: 09:30 Tuesday 04 March 2025 (AEDT).
The department’s BICON website is currently experiencing an unplanned service disruption. As a result, users may experience service degradation (e.g. slowness) and/or an inability to load BICON webpages.
The Australian Government is investing in Norfolk Island’s shipping needs, with a $10 million project to repair and raise the Cascade Pier apron, as well as supporting future freight containerisation.
The apron section of the Cascade Jetty sustained significant damage with large rocks being deposited on it from Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.
The Australian Government’s investment will see this important commercial and recreational asset repaired and upgraded.
The project will see the apron raised and extended with storage and washdown facilities established for cargo containers, for the enhanced loading and unloading of materials, vessels and goods to and from the island.
It will improve cyclone resilience, marine access and shipping operations, along with safety for jetty users.
The Norfolk Island community and stakeholders will have opportunities for input throughout the design and construction of the Cascade Pier upgrades, particularly in considering the needs of business, industry and pier users.
Project design consultants will be on island for stakeholder engagement to support the detailed design works for the project in the next few months.
The project to deliver two purpose-built Cargo Transfer Vessels (CTVs) is also now almost complete with construction being finalised and the CTVs anticipated to be delivered to the island by April this year.
The CTVs have been specifically constructed for Norfolk Island lighterage and delivered in partnership with Norfolk Island Regional Council to improve safety, efficiency and reliability, including for the crew loading and unloading the cargo.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Territories, Kristy McBain MP:
“As the first issue raised with me when I commenced as Minister, I understand the importance of reliable shipping to Norfolk Island.
“Cascade Pier is not only critical for Norfolk’s sea freight supply, it’s an iconic part of the island’s coastline and heritage – which is why we’re investing in its future.
“Upgrading the Cascade Pier apron is part of our Government’s commitment to supporting the long-term resilience and sustainability of Norfolk Island’s freight network.”
Quotes attributable to the Member for Bean, David Smith MP:
“From fishing boats, to supply ships and cargo and lighterage vessels – Cascade Pier is a vital part of Norfolk Island.
“These essential upgrades have the potential to reshape how freight is transported to and from the island, which is why I’m proud we’re delivering this targeted investment.
“I’ll continue working with the community on ways we can support Norfolk Island’s distinct needs into the future.”
With the AFL and NRL seasons kicking off, fantasy footy players have been deep in draft mode, carefully building their best teams.
Fantasy sports have transformed the way fans engage with many sports, sparking interest beyond simply watching matches or supporting a favourite team.
What are fantasy sports?
In simple terms, fantasy sports involve participants acting as team coaches/managers, selecting real-life players to form a fantasy team within the constraints of the game’s rules.
These teams compete based on the actual performance of the selected players in real matches. Points are awarded on various performance metrics, depending on the sport.
Many fantasy leagues also incorporate a stock market-like element. When a real-life player exceeds expectations, their fantasy value increases, while underperformance leads to a decrease in value.
This allows coaches to trade players in and out strategically, aiming to build the most valuable and high-scoring team during a season.
Success in fantasy sports often depends on statistical analysis, player scouting, and smart decision-making when it comes to trades and team selection.
The origins of fantasy sports
The first mainstream fantasy game can be attributed to Rotisserie League Baseball in 1980 by Daniel Okrent and friends.
Rotisserie League Baseball is said to be the oldest fantasy sports league in the world.
This league required participants to track their own players’ progress using a scoring system based on statistics obtained in newspapers after a game.
With the rapid progression of technology, fantasy sports have evolved significantly, with most major sporting codes worldwide now offering multiple fantasy platforms, formats and prizes.
In Australia, the number of people playing fantasy sports has doubled since 2021, with nearly 2.5 million players engaged in one league or another.
This growth presents opportunities for content creation, expanded revenue streams, and potentially increased engagement with sports betting.
Fan engagement
The way fans engage with sports has evolved with the rise of fantasy sports, social media, and real time data tracking, leading to “second screen consumption”.
This involves fans using multiple digital platforms such as fantasy sports apps, social media and tracking of live statistics while simultaneously watching live broadcasts.
This shift has redefined the traditional sports fandom experience.
Fantasy coaches watch more games each week, with a dual identity that extends beyond traditional loyalty to the team they support.
While sports fans have historically supported a single team, fantasy sports reshape fan identity by encouraging engagement with both their favourite team and their fantasy team. Fans often watch games they normally wouldn’t be interested in specifically to watch the fantasy-relevant players involved.
Community engagement is a key motivator for participation, often surpassing interest in the real-life sports.
In Australia, a study by News Corporation Australia, which owns SuperCoach, found bragging rights, social connection and learning more about sport drive participation.
While prizes matter, the main reason people join is to connect with others.
In 2021, Australian fantasy players were largely concentrated in the larger sporting codes such as the AFL and NRL, but by 2023 it had broadened into the Big Bash League (BBL) and National Basketball League (NBL).
There are many Australians playing fantasy leagues in global sports too, from the English Premier League (soccer) to the United States’ National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Some 14% of the Australian fantasy audience plays in global leagues.
Media involvement
With some sporting seasons becoming longer and the connection to fantasy sports extending beyond live games, fans are kept invested throughout the off-season as they analyse trades, follow pre-season developments and prepare for the next competition.
This almost year-round involvement offers extended media coverage and consumption of new content in a variety of formats.
Fantasy sport complements traditional media by offering alternative coverage, such as podcasts and short-form content that extends beyond game day, keeping fans connected throughout the week as they adjust their lineups and strategies.
Fantasy sports are also boosting viewership for new formats like AFLW by increasing fan engagement.
Rich pickings
Fantasy sport has been big business for a long time but the global fantasy sports market is challenging to quantify.
In 2013, Forbes estimated the NFL fantasy football market alone to be worth $US70 billion ($A111 billion), significantly surpassing the NFL’s 2021 revenue of $US11 billion ($A17 billion), highlighting its major role in the global sporting market.
Their key argument is that betting is a game of chance whereas fantasy sports are games of skill.
Despite these differences, concerns have been raised about the links between fantasy sports and sports betting.
An Australian fantasy betting app was recently fined more than $A500,000 for illegally offering inducements to gamble in dozens of ads on its platform.
Whether or not fantasy sports are likely to encourage gambling is a grey area – studies in this space are mixed.
However, others describe fantasy sports as a more positive alternative to gambling and that participants are motivated by the social benefits, rather than being motivated by a chance to win money.
As fantasy sports continue to evolve and attract new players, their ability to deepen fan engagement, foster community connections, and enhance the sports watching experience ensures they will remain a dynamic and influential part of the sporting world.
I have worked with members of the AFL Fantasy Traders before in schools.
Vaughan Cruickshank does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Whether it’s for a work meeting or a class assignment, presenting data to others is a common task on our to-do list.
We use data to make decisions on our health, finances and the world we live in, yet finding the best ways to communicate data without boring your audience can be daunting.
However, there are some tried and true techniques to getting your message across effectively.
First, you need to boost your data literacy – which includes learning about the different kind of charts and how to use them.
What is data literacy?
Data literacy is the ability to “plot” and present complex data in a way that’s easy to digest. There is even a branch of statistics focusing on the best way to present data.
It’s one of the most desired skills in the workplace, yet a 2020 survey found only one in five employees across nine different countries (including Australia) believe they are data literate.
With seemingly countless options available, choosing the right chart is challenging, and the wrong choice can influence how data is interpreted.
Passing on the humble pie
Pie charts are often the first pick when it comes to presenting data with different categories, such as age group or blood type. These categories are represented as slices, with the size of each slice proportional to the amount of data.
Doughnut charts, a close relative of the pie chart, work the same way but are shown with a hole in the middle.
Pie charts present data in a circular pattern, making it difficult to make comparisons when there are many groups, or when groups are similar in size. They can also misrepresent data entirely, especially when data add up to over 100%.
Here are some alternatives to pie charts that sound just as tasty, but are easier to digest.
Bar charts
Bar charts summarise data across different categories, but present them next to each other. This makes it easier to compare several categories at once.
Here is an example from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing the different generations from the last census.
Waffle charts
Waffle charts are a good option for data organised by categories.
They present data in a grid, with each unit representing a fixed number. This is useful for presenting both large and small percentages that are difficult to compare side-by-side.
We can clearly see most people eat meat from the figure.
However, a bar chart would make comparing less common diets difficult. With a waffle chart, we can see 4% of people surveyed are vegan, while 2% are pescetarian.
Histograms
Data often represent different measurements, such as height and weight, or time taken to write an article.
Histograms also present data with bars but, unlike bar charts, are used for data collected as numbers, or numerical data.
This chart type is used to show how a set of numbers are spread out, and can be useful in seeing which numbers occur more often than others.
It’s tempting to simplify data by fitting them into categories, but this can sometimes hide interesting facts.
The example below shows the body mass index (BMI) of a group of people as a bar chart.
It’s easy to lose information when trying to simplify BMI into categories, especially among people who may be obese.
Each category in the bar chart could easily be misunderstood as representing BMI as similar ranges. However, if we look at the histogram, BMI for obese people can be as high as 70.
A doctor using this data would need to take into account that someone with a BMI of 60 may need a different treatment method compared to someone with a BMI of 30.
Line charts and scatterplots
Other chart types for numerical data, such as line charts and scatterplots, allow us to explore how different measurements are related to one another.
Line charts are used to visualise trends over time, such as stock prices and weekly flu cases.
In contrast, scatterplots show how two different measurements collected on the same subject are related.
While scatterplots summarise trends, they sometimes show unusual results that would go unnoticed if measurements were charted separately.
For example, the figure below compares life expectancy and health expenditure in different countries.
If we’re only looking at health expenditure, people from the United States would appear healthier as the US spends the most money on health care per person.
Presenting this information along with life expectancy tells a different story.
Keep it simple and avoid ‘chart junk’
It is always tempting to add more information.
“Chart junk” refers to extra information such as excess labels, 3D effects or even different types of data in the same chart.
This makes them more difficult to read and can distort the data, and is usually a sign your data is too complicated. You’re better off using multiple charts to tell the full story.
As Coco Chanel once said, “simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance”.
Keep these words in mind and choose a chart that keeps it simple without compromising style, content and detail.
Nicole White is a member of the Statistical Society of Australia.
The United States is abandoning its traditional role as the anchor of the liberal world order — a set of norms, rules, customs and international institutions designed to maintain global stability and foster peaceful interchange between states.
Under these circumstances, it’s more urgent than ever that Canada clarifies its vision in world affairs and accepts its responsibility to sustain the rules-based global order. By looking into the past, we can see what Canada can do in the present.
The U.S. isn’t the only country with a vested interest in maintaining the liberal international order — even if it has been the only nation with the will and capacity to serve as its safeguard.
In fact, Canada has been an engaged member of the international community. The country played a leading role in establishing the UN Emergency Force during the Suez Crisis, fighting apartheid in South Africa and building a coalition to ban anti-personnel land mines in the 1990s, to name a few examples.
Canada has done so because it’s been in the best interest of the country. A liberal, rules-based international order is a framework in which Canada can make a meaningful difference in global affairs disproportionate to its limited size and capabilities.
It also makes for a more prosperous, stable and peaceful world. One where norms, rules and institutions constrain aggressive or malevolent world leaders and facilitates co-operation on global problems.
But what can lessons from the past offer Canada in sustaining global order in an “America First” world. This is a policy espoused by the Trump administration that is focused inwards. It approaches international affairs as a transactional, zero-sum game.
Learning from the past
First, Canada is at its most effective when Canadians act in unison towards a common goal.
During the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, Canadians of all stripes and levels of government worked in tandem to organize a truly national response to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. Regular citizens contributed more than $30 million — potentially saving over 700,000 people from starvation.
This domestic political consensus also provided the requisite support for the federal government to co-ordinate an international famine relief effort. This was despite the resistance of Canada’s major allies in the U.S. and the U.K., due to the Marxist orientation of the Ethiopian government.
Granted, few international causes offer such grounds for unity. Political polarization has only made this type of unity more difficult. And yet, as recent events (such as Trump’s threat to coerce Canada into becoming the 51st state) make clear, Canadians are willing to put aside their differences and rally together when there’s a coherent vision for the country rooted in its values and aspirations.
Second, Canada needs to work closely with like-minded states through multilateral institutions — such as the United Nations and the Commonwealth. Under Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, Canada relied on its membership in nearly every major international association to build and maintain the global coalition against South African apartheid.
Australia, India, Zambia and Zimbabwe emerged as key partners. Such efforts entailed both political and economic costs. But there was a reason why one of Nelson Mandela’s first visits following his release from prison in 1990 was to Canada.
By redoubling its engagement in international organizations, Canada can punch above its weight in world affairs and shape global priorities. It also provides a counter to the influence of the United States in Canadian foreign policy.
Third, the U.S. is more than its president. Canada can still cultivate ties with Americans beyond the White House. Returning to the Mulroney government, Ottawa’s efforts to persuade the Ronald Reagan administration to negotiate restrictions on emissions resulting in acid rain were unsuccessful.
Nonetheless, by lobbying congressional leaders in impacted states and partnering with environmental non-governmental organizations, Canada and the U.S. eventually agreed to the 1991 Air Quality Agreement.
Surviving hostile administrations
Canada should also be realistic about the degree to which it can diversify its economic and diplomatic relationships outside of the U.S.
In the early 1970s, President Richard Nixon imposed a 10 per cent surcharge on Canadian imports. Then, just as it is now, Ottawa looked for alternative markets to offset Canada’s dependency on the Americans. These initiatives ultimately failed to materialize — but the surcharge was rescinded. Canada-U.S. relations ultimately survived the Nixon administration.
Similarly, while Trump has offered a stark reminder that Canada needs to take an active role in sustaining the rules-based international order on which it depends, the ties that bind the two countries together are deeper and longer-lasting than any one administration or government.
Even so, with a world in chaos, Canada needs to step up to defend international norms and institutions. It has done so in the past and can do so again — provided it develops a coherent foreign policy strategy moving forward.
Daniel Manulak receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Today, the Minns Labor Government has expanded a new free virtual healthcare service to all Sydney residents.
Residents from Western Sydney, South West Sydney, Nepean Blue Mountains, Central Coast and the Illawarra Shoalhaven local health districts will be able to access free and safe virtual care for non-life threatening conditions, right from the comfort of their own home.
It is expected to save 85,000 people from an unnecessary wait in an emergency department each year.
This virtual care service will provide care for urgent but non-life threatening illnesses or injuries including:
Coughs, colds, fevers and flu;
Respiratory symptoms;
Vomiting and diarrhoea; or
Minor infections and rashes.
The service will be available between 8am and 10pm seven days a week for people aged 16 years and older.
You can access this service by phoning HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 where patients will first speak to a registered nurse who will assess your condition, and if appropriate, refer you to the virtual care service.
The service uses video conferencing technology to connect patients with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, including doctors and nurses, where clinically appropriate.
Virtual care forms part of a broader range of measures to relieve pressure on the state’s busy EDs, including:
$100 million investment for a further two years to continue our urgent care services, providing a pathway to care outside of our hospitals for an estimated 114,000 patients;
$70 million over 4 years to expand emergency department short stay units to improve patient flow to reduce ED wait times by nearly 80,000 hours;
$15.1 million for an Ambulance Matrix that provides real time hospital data to enable paramedics to transport patients to emergency departments with greater capacity and reducing wait times;
$31.4 million over 4 years to increase Hospital in the Home across the state allowing over 3,500 additional patients each year to be cared for in their home rather than a hospital bed; and
$53.9 million to improve patient flow and support discharge planning by identifying patients early that are suitable to be discharged home with the appropriate supports in place.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
“Today, we are announcing that virtual care for non-life threatening conditions will now be available to all residents across Sydney.
“This virtual care service is a free, convenient and safe way to access care right from the comfort of home.
“People from right across Sydney will be able to avoid for a wait for a GP or in a hospital through this expanded virtual care service.
“It will relieve pressure on our busy emergency departments by creating more alternative pathways to care outside the hospital.”
Released by: Minister for Regional Transport and Roads
A rare but highly disruptive problem for heavy vehicle operators on the Pacific Motorway is now a thing of the past following the installation of new technology and truck turning areas at the Tugun bypass tunnel.
Drivers of overheight vehicles would sometimes slip past warning signs and find themselves stuck at the northbound or southbound tunnel entrances.
It was a particular problem approaching the tunnel from the north because if an overheight vehicle reached the tunnel from the Queensland side, the driver would have to reverse his or her rig four kilometres back up the motorway before they could turn around.
And they had to have support from Transport for NSW, Transport and Main Roads Queensland and the police forces of the two states to resolve.
That chaos is now a thing of the past following the completion of a project to improve advance warning for drivers of overheight vehicles and the installation of new turning areas closer to the north and southbound entries to the Tugun Bypass tunnel.
This means that if any operators do happen to go past the warning signs, they will only have to reverse a short distance up the highway to reach an area where they can cross over.
Most of the work to fix the issue was carried out over two years during the quarterly maintenance tunnel closures to minimise impacts to motorists.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison:
“With the investment from the Minns Labor Government, overheight vehicles should never reach the tunnel, but if they do, they can be turned around with help from the Tugun incident response officer or a single police officer.
“The time and cost savings from this change are enormous and it will mean the lengthy delays when an overheight vehicle inadvertently entered the tunnel are a thing of the past.
“Transport for NSW put in new overheight detection systems to notify staff of a vehicle approaching the tunnel, so they can immediately activate variable speed limit signs to stop them reaching the tunnel.
“We’ve also installed five new advance warning signs and new traffic lights just short of where we’ve put in new heavy vehicle crossovers.
“The Tugun tunnel goes underneath the Coolangatta Airport, with the southern end of the tunnel in NSW and the northern end in Queensland, and we had great collaboration with the Queensland authorities to get the work done.
“The project has improved advance warning technology as well as the infrastructure, so if any overheight vehicles did get past the advance warning systems, they would be stopped and able to turn around at the entrance to the tunnel.”
Released by: Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism
The long-awaited Moama Police Station is reaching a significant milestone today, with the first sod to be turned on site, officially marking the start of construction.
The $7.9million station will bolster police capabilities and community safety in the growing Murray River region.
The state-of-the-art facility is being built on the corner of the Cobb Highway and Francis Street and will be a central regional policing hub for the entire district.
The station will be fitted with modern technology and facilities to support local officers to better serve the district and drive down crime.
The new Moama Police Station will include:
Public front counter
Custody area
Command and administration offices
Highway Patrol and Crime Management Unit areas
Detectives area and Task Force room
Specialist teams, including Police Prosecutors, and Emergency Management
Storage areas for exhibits and investigation materials
Vehicle parking for first responders and Highway Patrol
General Duty & Duty Rooms
Meeting/conference areas
Staff amenities, including meal rooms, lockers, and other facilities.
The new police station is scheduled to be completed in early 2026.
This facility is a key part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to providing modern policing services and supporting local officers with the resources they need to protect their communities.
The NSW Government is building a better NSW and ensuring our frontline police have the capability they need to fight crime and support every community.
Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley said:
“Our police officers do incredible work keeping our communities safe and this new station will provide them with the modern facilities and resources they need to continue this important work.
“As Moama and the surrounding regions continue to grow, it’s important that our police have the infrastructure to keep up with the increased demand for services.
“The new station will bolster the capability of local police to respond to and drive down crime.”
NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar APM, Southern Region Commander said:
“This new fit-for-purpose Moama police station provides a more centralised location for officers to be deployed across the district with improved capacity, in turn improving response times.”
“We know the population in and around Moama is growing and the current police station is no longer fit for purpose. This modern station will be fitted with the most up to date technology, which means we are better able to serve the local community and its future needs.”
Independent Member for Murray, Helen Dalton MP said:
“This new Moama Police Station will play an important role in the safety of our region.”
“People might remember that I was quite critical of the delays to this project involving the previous NSW Government and I congratulate the Minns Government for getting on with the job.”
“We all have a right to feel safe in our homes and on our streets. And as our community grows, it’s essential that our police force grows with us.”
“Our police officers need proper facilities and equipment to do their jobs and we can all be confident that this new station will help NSW police continue to keep us all safe.”
Released by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
In a stunning display of just how out of touch they are, the NSW Opposition have ignored the Illawarra, Hunter and Central Coast in a desperate attempt to criticise planning reforms that will deliver homes for young people.
The Opposition Spokesperson for Planning has tried to pass off a flawed examination of the NSW Government’s Low and Mid-Rise planning reforms as ‘analysis’, conveniently leaving out one-in-five locations.
The Low and Mid-Rise reforms, introduced last week, address the “missing middle” by allowing terraces, townhouse and mid-rise apartments within 800m of 171 stations across Sydney, the Hunter, Central Coast, the Illawarra and Shoalhaven filling the supply gap between high-rise and single dwellings – a planning solution the Opposition were unable to deliver for twelve years when they were in Government.
The Opposition Spokesperson has claimed that the regional Low and Mid-Rise sites should not be considered in the total number of sites, defying both logic and explanation.
The majority of Low and Mid-Rise changes are in Labor electorates. Of the top 12 councils taking the largest amount of new housing set through council targets, 10 are council areas represented predominantly by Labor electorates.
This follows the NSW Opposition also moving a bill in parliament last year to abolish the Transport Oriented Development program, a program that also delivered housing in a majority of Labor electorates.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“I represent a large regional city called Wollongong. While the Opposition don’t seem to have heard of it, it is host to three Low and Mid-Rise sites, that is contributing to solving the housing challenge.
“It is particularly insulting to have the Opposition continue to ignore regional centres like they did in government.
“I think the Opposition Spokesperson needs to buy a map of NSW and a calculator.
“Passing off this sort of rubbish as analysis says everything you need to know about the attitude of the NSW Liberals.
“I would encourage the Opposition Spokesperson to step outside of his Sydney bubble, stop obsessively worrying about the North Shore and speak to people living in regional NSW, struggling to buy a house.
“As the Shadow Minister for cities, you’d think he’d know there’s more than one city in NSW.”
Support for the LMR program from stakeholders:
Property Council NSW Executive Director, Katie Stevenson:
“These long-awaited reforms bring certainty and confidence to support the industry to deliver more housing, improve affordability, and provide greater choice for homebuyers and renters.”
Urban Development Institute of Australia NSW CEO, Stuart Ayres:
“Today’s announcement is welcome and long overdue. UDIA has consistently advocated to increase availability of medium density housing options in locations close to existing services and transport to help tackle a worsening housing supply crisis.”
Released by: Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
1 in 2 people in New South Wales have now heard of coercive control and understand what it means, following the NSW Government’s recent awareness campaign.
The campaign on social media and other platforms demonstrated behaviour that may indicate coercive control with the tag line: ‘It’s not love, it’s coercive control’.
Independent research shows awareness and understanding of coercive control has increased since the campaign, compared to one in three people pre-campaign.
Among those who saw the campaign, over 75 per cent took some form of positive action such as discussing coercive control with others, reflecting on their own or other relationships or visiting the website for more information.
More people can also now correctly identify key behaviours linked to coercive control, such as threats, manipulation or monitoring someone’s movements (21 per cent pre-campaign to 33 per cent post-campaign).
In NSW, coercive control became a criminal offence in current or former intimate partner relationships on 1 July 2024.
Coercive control is a pattern of behaviour which may include financial abuse, threats against pets or loved ones, tracking someone’s movements, or isolating them from friends and family to control them.
Coercive control has been strongly linked to intimate partner homicide, with the NSW Domestic Violence Death Review Team finding that in 97% of intimate partner domestic violence homicides in NSW between 2000 and 2018 were preceded by the perpetrator using coercive and controlling behaviours, such as emotional and psychological abuse, towards the victim.
The results from this campaign will help inform ongoing campaigns for new target audiences, including older people, people with disability, and additional culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to build a safer New South Wales by addressing domestic and family violence through a whole of community approach. This includes work in primary prevention and earlier intervention, as well as ensuring perpetrators take accountability for their actions.
Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Jodie Harrison said:
“Coercive control is insidious and can manifest in many ways, but it can also be easily overlooked, excused, or not recognised as abuse.
“The ‘It’s not love, it’s coercive control’ campaign has been important to raise community awareness of this abuse, and empowered people to take positive steps towards better understanding the signs of abuse.
“Along with the implementation of coercive control laws since July last year, people in NSW can understand the seriousness of these behaviours and that coercive control is a crime.
“The NSW Government remains committed to reducing domestic violence in our society because all of us have a right to feel safe, no matter where we are and who we are with.”
NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said:
“Coercive control in current or former intimate partner relationships is criminal behaviour that will not be tolerated in this state and is punishable by up to seven years’ imprisonment.
“We know from the results of this awareness campaign that there is awareness of coercive control in the community and that the justice system is responding.
“We also know that legal reform is just one of the ways we are tackling domestic and family violence with a whole-of-government approach.
“The NSW Government is listening to victim-survivors and the sector and is committed to continue taking meaningful action against domestic and family violence.”
Women’s Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel OAM said:
“The domestic and family violence sector knows the devastating impact of coercive control on the people we support every day. It’s heartening to see so many people took positive action after seeing this campaign – talking with a friend or colleague, researching further, or reaching out to someone. The campaign represents the efforts of so many advocates, including many with lived expertise.
“Building understanding and awareness of coercive control across New South Wales, along with providing support to those experiencing it, will help us meaningfully interrupt cycles of violence.”
Support:
If you or someone you know are in immediate danger, call the Police on Triple Zero / 000.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic and family violence, call the NSW Domestic Violence Line on 1800 65 64 63 for free counselling and referrals, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For confidential advice, support, and referrals, contact 1800 RESPECT or 13 YARN.
The Albanese Government is partnering with Goulburn Mulwaree Council to improve the safety of local roads, with $3.6 million in federal funding supporting the delivery of two new priority road upgrades.
$2.3 million in federal funding will support upgrading the surface of Lansdowne Street, along with line marking and kerb and guttering improvements – to ensure this heavy vehicle route keeps pace with increased traffic.
Construction is expected to commence by the end of this year, and be completed in September 2026.
$1.3 million from the Albanese Government will support replacing the ageing Glynmar Road Causeway with a higher concrete bridge.
Design works will be finalised by the end of this year, with construction expected to begin by September next year, and be completed by August 2027.
These two new projects are supported by the Albanese Government’s Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program, and the Roads to Recovery Program.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council is receiving $9.4 million in Roads to Recovery funding over five years for a pipeline of priority projects – a funding boost of over $4 million thanks to the Albanese Government.
Over $2.9 million under the Albanese Government’s Road Safety Program is also supporting a package of safety improvements on Crookwell Road, along with Albert, Deccan, Clifford, Goldsmith, Verner, and Faithful Streets.
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain MP:
“As someone that drives hundreds of thousands of kilometres across Eden-Monaro, I know how important it is to improve the safety of our local roads, which is why I’m proud to be delivering $3.6 million for repairs on Lansdowne Street, and to replace the Glynmar Road Causeway outside of Marulan.
“Lansdowne Street is under increasing pressure from heavy vehicles and this has caused parts of the road to deteriorate – something we’ll repair, to keep local freight businesses moving, and to make it safer for the 1,800 motorists that pass through this street every day.
“The Glynmar Road Causeway over Stony Creek is reaching the end of its operational life, and local property owners have said it needs to be replaced – which is exactly why we’re delivering a new concrete structure that’s both higher and wider.
“These two new projects build on a series of road safety upgrades we’re already delivering across the Goulburn Mulwaree region, as part of my commitment to working with council and the community to support their local priority projects.”
Quotes attributable to Mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree Council, Cr Nina Dillon:
“We welcome this additional funding from the Australian Government, because it means Goulburn Mulwaree Council can continue improving the safety of our local roads.
“Delivering these two new projects is a major win for our community – because we know how important it is that our local roads keep pace with increasing traffic.
“We have a strong partnership with the Australian Government, and this is what we can deliver for our community when we work together.”
The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen Australia’s philanthropic sector through historic reforms to support community foundations.
Community foundations pool donations from individuals, businesses and institutions to fund local initiatives and address community needs. A community foundation operates as a permanent, independent trust, investing funds to generate ongoing grants for charities and grassroots projects within a specific region.
By fostering local giving and collaboration, community foundations strengthen social cohesion and drive long‑term, place‑based change.
Community foundations are located across Australia, in regions including Bass Coast, Geelong, Mackay, Alice Springs, the Eyre Peninsula, Albany and Fremantle. Community foundations support a wide range of initiatives, including education, mental health, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and disaster recovery.
Prior to this reform, community foundations have faced barriers attracting donations from private ancillary funds, which are used by individuals and families for private giving. Community foundations have also been constrained from directly supporting community groups that don’t have deductible gift recipient status.
The Community Charity Guidelines were developed in close consultation with the charitable sector. Community Foundations Australia Chair, Ben Rodgers, has said of the new guidelines:
‘The implementation of this reform brings more than 20 years of sector‑wide advocacy to a successful close, creating a new and better tax and regulatory framework for community foundations, in recognition of the vital role they play building thriving communities across Australia.’
Philanthropy Australia’s Chair, Maree Sidey, has said:
‘It’s vital that our policy and regulatory environment empowers people to give … these reforms remove big roadblocks, helping unlock the flow of more resources to important community initiatives,’
Labor’s support for community foundations is part of our goal to double philanthropic giving by 2030. We know that when charities thrive, communities thrive – and these reforms will provide a significant boost to the sector.
This reform reflects the Albanese Government’s commitment to fostering a robust charity sector and more resilient communities. It builds on our achievements to date. Since coming into government, the Australian Government has:
Improved the deductible gift recipient system by creating a new pathway for community foundations to access tax deductible status.
Streamlined the deductible gift recipient application process for environmental organisations, harm prevention charities, cultural organisations, and overseas aid organisations.
Introduced legislation to give the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission greater discretion to comment publicly on harmful breaches of compliance, to better support public trust and confidence in the regulatory framework.
Appointed a widely respected charity sector expert, Sue Woodward, to head the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission.
Refreshed the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission Advisory Board to be more representative of the charity sector, bringing First Nations, CALD and youth voices onto the Board.
Sent a clear signal that charitable advocacy is supported and welcomed by this government.
Funded a new General Social Survey with new questions on participation in volunteering and involvement in cultural events and cultural activities, and providing insights reflecting the impact of giving, participation, and purpose driven activity.
Worked with state and territory governments to streamline and harmonise charitable fundraising rules across jurisdictions.
Appointed representatives from all states and territories to the advisory board of the Australian Charities and Not‑for‑profits Commission
Our government is proud to work alongside the charitable sector to create a stronger, more generous Australia.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister for Charities, Dr Andrew Leigh MP
“These reforms will make it easier for people to support charitable foundations in their local area.”
“The Australian Government has set a target of doubling philanthropic giving by 2030, and this announcement is an important step towards that goal.”
“By reducing the paperwork burden and expanding eligibility for tax‑deductible donations, the Albanese Government is ensuring that more money flows to charities that are making a real difference in people’s lives.”
Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs
Today I am pleased to announce a pilot program that will harness the knowledge and experience of Asian Australians to deepen our understanding of our region and make Australia stronger and more influential in the world.
Australia’s diversity is one of our strengths – it gives us broader perspectives, deeper connections and a better ability to engage with our region on issues that matter to all Australians.
The Asian Australian Voices pilot program will equip professionals with the training and skills to contribute to public life.
The program will help to ensure Australians with deep expertise and personal experience of our region are part of the national conversation on the economic, security and diplomatic challenges and opportunities shaping our future.
It will also ensure we are using our strengths to Australia’s advantage, building Australia’s Asia literacy and creating a pipeline of senior Asian-Australian representation in civic life.
In partnership with Asia Society Australia, this initiative is a collaboration between DFAT’s National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, Centre for Australia-India Relations, and ASEAN-Australia Centre.
It reflects the Albanese Government’s commitment to ensuring all Australians can contribute to our engagement with the world.