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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Dementia Cafe Awareness Day, March 2025

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    Perth and Kinross Dementia Cafe will be holding an awareness day event on Wednesday 5 March 2025 from 10am to 12.30pm at the North Church on Perth High Street, to which all are welcome.

    The Dementia Cafe meets on the first Wednesday of each month, providing advice and information to people living with dementia in Perth and Kinross, their families and carers.  

    Alongside staff from Perth and Kinross Council’s Safer Communities and Trading Standards teams and Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership, organisations also being represented at the session will be NHS Tayside (Occupational Therapy, Podiatry, Community Mental Health), Telecare Services, Alzheimer’s Scotland, SCARF, Live Active Leisure, PKAVS Carers Support, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Blueberry Hill Meals and Macnabs Solicitors.  

    Hot filled rolls from Langs Foods will be available as well as a selection of other refreshments. 

    Last modified on 27 February 2025

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    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Enerflex Ltd. Announces Fourth Quarter 2024 Financial and Operational Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ADJUSTED EBITDA OF $121 MILLION AND FREE CASH FLOW OF $76 MILLION1

    EI CONTRACT BACKLOG AND ES BACKLOG OF $1.5 BILLION AND $1.3 BILLION, RESPECTIVELY, PROVIDING STRONG OPERATIONAL VISIBILITY

    REDUCED BANK ADJUSTED NET DEBT-TO-EBITDA RATIO2TO 1.5X TIMES AT YEAR-END

    CALGARY, Alberta, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enerflex Ltd. (TSX: EFX) (NYSE: EFXT) (“Enerflex” or the “Company”) today reported its financial and operational results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024.

    All amounts presented are in U.S. Dollars (“USD”) unless otherwise stated.

    Q4/24 FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW         

    • Generated revenue of $561 million compared to $574 million in Q4/23 and $601 million in Q3/24.
    • Recorded gross margin before depreciation and amortization of $174 million, or 31% of revenue, compared to $158 million, or 28% of revenue in Q4/23 and $176 million, or 29% of revenue during Q3/24.
      • Energy Infrastructure (“EI”) and After-Market Services (“AMS”) product lines generated 67% of consolidated gross margin before depreciation and amortization during Q4/24 and 69% on a full-year basis in 2024.
      • ES gross margin before depreciation and amortization increased to 21% in Q4/24 compared to 15% in Q4/23 and 19% in Q3/24, benefiting from favorable product mix and strong project execution.
    • Adjusted earnings before finance costs, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“adjusted EBITDA”) of $121 million compared to $91 million in Q4/23 and $120 million during Q3/24. The year-over-year increase in adjusted EBITDA reflects improved gross margin and favorable foreign exchange rate movements.
    • Cash provided by operating activities was $113 million, which included net working capital recovery of $39 million. This compares to cash provided by operating activities of $158 million in Q4/23 and $98 million in Q3/24. Free cash flow was $76 million in Q4/24 compared to $139 million during Q4/23 and $78 million during Q3/241.
    • Invested $47 million in the business in Q4/24, consisting of $32 million in capital expenditures and $15 million for expansion of an EI project in the Eastern Hemisphere (“EH”) that will be accounted for as a finance lease.
    • Recorded ES bookings of $301 million inclusive of a $75 million derecognition, with no associated gross margin on future revenue, related to the termination of the cryogenic natural gas processing facility project contract in Kurdistan. The majority of bookings originated in the North America segment and relate to gas compression solutions. Total backlog as at December 31, 2024 was $1.3 billion, providing strong visibility into future revenue generation and business activity levels.
    • Enerflex’s USA contract compression business continues to perform well, led by increasing natural gas production in the Permian basin and continued discipline across industry competitors.
      • This business generated revenue of $36 million and gross margin before depreciation and amortization of 78% during Q4/24 compared to $33 million and 76% in Q4/23 and $37 million and 70% during Q3/24.
      • Utilization remained stable at 95% across a fleet size of approximately 428,000 horsepower. Enerflex expects its North American contract compression fleet will grow to over 475,000 horsepower by the end of 2025.
    • The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of CAD$0.0375 per share, payable on March 24, 2025, to shareholders of record on March 10, 2025.

    BALANCE SHEET AND LIQUIDITY

    • Enerflex exited Q4/24 with net debt of $616 million, which included $92 million of cash and cash equivalents, a reduction of $208 million compared to Q4/23 and $76 million lower than the third quarter.
    • During Q4/24, Enerflex redeemed $62.5 million (or 10% of the aggregate principal amount originally issued) of its 9.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2027. The redemption was completed at a price of 103% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but excluding, the redemption date. The redemption was funded with available liquidity, which included cash and cash equivalents and the undrawn portion of Enerflex’s lower cost $800 million revolving credit facility.
    • Enerflex’s bank-adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio was approximately 1.5x at the end of Q4/24, down from 2.3x at the end of Q4/23 and 1.9x at the end of Q3/24. The leverage ratio at the end of Q4/24 is within Enerflex’s target bank-adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio range of 1.5x to 2.0x.
    • The Company maintains strong liquidity with access to $614 million under its credit facility.

    __________________________________________
    1 During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company modified its calculation of free cash flow. Free cash flow is now defined as cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less total capital expenditures (growth and maintenance) for PP&E and EI assets, mandatory debt repayments, and lease payments, while proceeds on disposals of PP&E and EI assets are added back. Refer to the “Free Cash Flow” section of this press release for further details.
    2 The Company defines bank-adjusted net debt to EBITDA as borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility (“RCF”) and its 9.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2027 (the “Notes”) less cash and cash equivalents, divided by EBITDA as defined by the Company’s lenders for the trailing 12- months.


    MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

    “We delivered a strong finish to the year, with solid operating results across Enerflex’s geographies and product lines,” said Marc Rossiter, Enerflex’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our Energy Infrastructure and After-Market Services business lines continue to provide steady, reliable performance and revenue streams, reinforcing Enerflex’s ability to deliver sustainable returns across our global platform. Our Engineered Systems business delivered solid performance throughout 2024, highlighted by strong project execution.”

    Rossiter continued, “As we enter 2025, visibility across our business remains solid, underpinned by a $1.5 billion contract backlog for our Energy Infrastructure assets, the recurring nature of our After-Market Services business, and a $1.3 billion Engineered Systems backlog. By focusing on operational execution, optimizing our core business, and maintaining disciplined capital allocation, we expect to further reduce debt and create meaningful long-term value for our shareholders.”

    Preet S. Dhindsa, Enerflex’s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, stated, “Enerflex delivered fourth-quarter results that exceeded the ranges included in our 2024 guidance. We are particularly pleased with our ongoing progress in efficiently managing working capital, lowering net finance costs, and optimizing the Company’s debt stack. Backed by Enerflex’s strong global leadership team and talented employees, we continue to enhance the profitability and resilience of our operations. Our focus remains on generating sustainable free cash flow, further improving our balance sheet health and positioning the Company for long-term growth and value creation.”

    SUMMARY RESULTS

      Three months ended
    December 31,    		 Twelve months ended
    December 31,
    ($ millions, except percentages and ratios)   2024   2023   2024   2023
    Revenue $ 561 $ 574 $ 2,414 $ 2,343
    Gross margin   140   119   504   457
    Gross margin as a percentage of revenue   25.0%   20.7%   20.9%   19.5%
    Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”)   92   74   327   293
    Foreign exchange (gain) loss   (2)   16   4   43
    Operating income   50   29   173   121
    EBITDA1   92   –   364   240
    EBIT1   47   (51)   179   42
    EBT1   21   (76)   81   (52)
    Net earnings (loss)   15   (95)   32   (83)
    Cash provided by operating activities   113   158   324   206
                     
    Key Financial Performance Indicators (“KPIs”)2                
    ES bookings3 $ 301 $ 265 $ 1,401 $ 1,306
    ES backlog3   1,280   1,134   1,280   1,134
    EI contract backlog4   1,545   1,700   1,545   1,700
    Gross margin before depreciation and amortization (“Gross margin before D&A”)5   174   158   642   609
    Gross margin before D&A as a percentage of revenue5   31.0%   27.5%   26.6%   26.0%
    Adjusted EBITDA6   121   91   432   378
    Free cash flow7   76   139   222   95
    Net debt   616   824   616   824
    Bank-adjusted net debt to EBITDA ratio   1.5x   2.3x   1.5x   2.3x
    Return on capital employed (“ROCE”)8   10.3%   2.1%   10.3%   2.1%


    1    EBITDA is defined as earnings before finance costs, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBIT is defined as earnings before finance costs and income taxes. EBT is defined as earnings before taxes.
    2These KPIs are non-IFRS measures. Further detail is provided in the “Non-IFRS Measures” section of the fourth quarter 2024 MD&A.
    3Refer to the “ES Bookings and Backlog” section of the MD&A for more information on these KPIs.
    4Refer to the “EI Contract Backlog” section of the MD&A.
    5Refer to the “Gross Margin by Product line” section of the MD&A for further details.
    6Refer to the “Adjusted EBITDA” section of the MD&A for further details.
    7During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company modified its calculation of free cash flow. Free cash flow is now defined as cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less total capital expenditures (growth and maintenance) for PP&E and EI assets, mandatory debt repayments, and lease payments, while proceeds on disposals of PP&E and EI assets are added back. Refer to the “Free Cash Flow” section of this press release for further details.
    8Determined by using the trailing 12-month period.

    Enerflex’s consolidated financial statements and notes (the “financial statements”) and Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) as at December 31, 2024, can be accessed on the Company’s website at www.enerflex.com and under the Company’s SEDAR+ and EDGAR profiles at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov/edgar, respectively.

    OUTLOOK        

    During 2025, Enerflex’s priorities include: (1) enhancing the profitability of core operations; (2) leveraging the Company’s leading position in core operating countries to capitalize on expected increases in natural gas and produced water volumes; and (3) maximizing free cash flow to further strengthen Enerflex’s financial position, provide direct shareholder returns, and invest in selective customer supported growth opportunities.

    Industry Update

    Enerflex’s preliminary outlook for 2025 reflects steady demand across its business lines and geographic regions. Operating results will be underpinned by the highly contracted EI product line and the recurring nature of AMS, which together are expected to account for approximately 65% of our gross margin before depreciation and amortization. Enerflex’s EI product line is supported by customer contracts, which are expected to generate approximately $1.5 billion of revenue during their current terms.

    Complementing Enerflex’s recurring revenue businesses is the ES product line, which carried a backlog of approximately $1.3 billion as at December 31, 2024, the majority of which is expected to convert into revenue over the next 12 months. During 2025, ES gross margin before depreciation and amortization is expected to be more consistent with the historical long-term average for this business line, reflective of the weakness in domestic natural gas prices during much of 2024 and a shift of project mix in Enerflex’s ES backlog. Notwithstanding, near-term revenue for this business line is expected to remain steady. Enerflex is encouraged by initial customer response to improved domestic natural gas prices, and the medium-term outlook for ES products and services continues to be attractive, driven by expected increases in natural gas and produced water volumes across Enerflex’s global footprint.

    The Company continues to closely monitor geopolitical tensions across North America, including the potential application of tariffs. Based on currently available information, the direct impact of tariffs on Enerflex’s business is expected to be mitigated by the Company’s diversified operations and proactive risk management. Enerflex’s operations in the USA, Canada and Mexico are largely distinct in the customers and projects they serve, and the Company has been working to mitigate the impact of potential tariffs. The United States is Enerflex’s largest operating region, generating 45% of consolidated revenue in 2024 by destination of sale, and we believe the Company is well positioned to benefit from growth in domestic energy production. Enerflex’s operations in Canada and Mexico generated 10% and 3% of consolidated revenue in 2024, respectively.

    Capital Spending

    Enerflex is targeting a disciplined capital program in 2025, with total capital expenditures of $110 million to $130 million. This includes a total of approximately $70 million for maintenance and PP&E capital expenditures. Similar to 2024, disciplined capital spending will focus on customer supported opportunities in the USA and Middle East. Notably, the fundamentals for contract compression in the USA remain strong, led by expected increases in natural gas production in the Permian basin and capital spending discipline from market participants. Enerflex will continue to make selective customer supported growth investments in this business.

    Capital Allocation

    Providing meaningful direct shareholder returns is a priority for Enerflex. With the Company operating within its target leverage range of bank-adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 1.5x to 2.0x, Enerflex is positioned to increase direct shareholder returns. This is reflected through the previously announced 50% increase of the Company’s quarterly dividend.

    Going forward, capital allocation decisions will be based on delivering value to Enerflex shareholders and measured against Enerflex’s ability to maintain balance sheet strength. In addition to increases to the Company’s dividend, share repurchases, and disciplined growth capital spending, Enerflex will also consider reducing leverage below its target range to further improve balance sheet strength and lower net finance costs. Unlocking greater financial flexibility positions the Company to capitalize on opportunities to optimize its debt stack and respond to evolving market conditions.

    DIVIDEND DECLARATION

    Enerflex is committed to paying a sustainable quarterly cash dividend to shareholders. The Board of Directors has declared a quarterly dividend of CAD$0.0375 per share, payable on March 24, 2025, to shareholders of record on March 10, 2025. With this dividend declaration, Enerflex has shortened the number of calendar days between its record date and payment date to better align the Company’s dividend approach with peers.

    CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST DETAILS

    Investors, analysts, members of the media, and other interested parties, are invited to participate in a conference call and audio webcast on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at 8:00 a.m. (MST), where members of senior management will discuss the Company’s results. A question-and-answer period will follow.

    To participate, register at https://register.vevent.com/register/BI3947144f36ac4488be4e38db59385a7f. Once registered, participants will receive the dial-in numbers and a unique PIN to enter the call. The audio webcast of the conference call will be available on the Enerflex website at www.enerflex.com under the Investors section or can be accessed directly at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/dvksnz6g/.

    NON-IFRS MEASURES

    Throughout this news release and other materials disclosed by the Company, Enerflex employs certain measures to analyze its financial performance, financial position, and cash flows, including net debt-to-EBITDA ratio and bank-adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio. These non-IFRS measures are not standardized financial measures under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar financial measures disclosed by other issuers. Accordingly, non-IFRS measures should not be considered more meaningful than generally accepted accounting principles measures as indicators of Enerflex’s performance. Refer to “Non-IFRS Measures” of Enerflex’s MD&A for the three months ended December 31, 2024, for information which is incorporated by reference into this news release and can be accessed on Enerflex’s website at www.enerflex.com and under the Company’s SEDAR+ and EDGAR profiles at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov/edgar, respectively.

    ADJUSTED EBITDA

    Three months ended
    December 31, 2024
    ($ millions)   NAM   LATAM   EH   Total
    Net earnings1             $ 15
    Income taxes1               6
    Net finance costs1,2               26
    EBIT3 $ 34 $ 11 $ 4 $ 47
    Depreciation and Amortization   19   12   14   45
    EBITDA $ 53 $ 23 $ 18 $ 92
    Restructuring, transaction and integration costs   1   –   –   1
    Share-based compensation   11   2   3   16
    Impact of finance leases                
    Principal payments received   –   –   10   10
    Loss on redemption options3               2
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 65 $ 25 $ 31 $ 121


    1    The Company included net earnings, income taxes, and net finance costs on a consolidated basis to reconcile to EBIT.
    2Net finance costs are considered corporate expenditures and therefore have not been allocated to reporting segments.
    3EBIT includes $2 million loss on redemption options associated with the Notes. Debt is managed within Corporate and is not allocated to reporting segments.

    Three months ended
    December 31, 2023
    ($ millions)   NAM   LATAM   EH   Total
    Net loss1             $ (95)
    Income taxes1               19
    Net finance costs1,2               25
    EBIT $ 47 $ (84) $ (14) $ (51)
    Depreciation and amortization   18   14   19   51
    EBITDA $ 65 $ (70) $ 5 $ –
    Restructuring, transaction and integration costs   3   2   13   18
    Share-based compensation   (1)   –   –   (1)
    Impact of finance leases                
    Principal payments received   –   –   9   9
    Goodwill impairment   –   65   –   65
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 67 $ (3) $ 27 $ 91


    1    The Company included net earnings, income taxes, and net finance costs on a consolidated basis to reconcile to EBIT.
    2Net finance costs are considered corporate expenditures and therefore have not been allocated to reporting segments.

    Twelve months ended
    December 31, 2024
    ($ millions)   NAM   LATAM   EH   Total
    Net earnings1             $ 32
    Income taxes1               49
    Net finance costs1,2               98
    EBIT3 $ 166 $ 29 $ (33) $ 179
    Depreciation and amortization   74   53   58   185
    EBITDA $ 240 $ 82 $ 25 $ 364
    Restructuring, transaction and integration costs   7   4   3   14
    Share-based compensation   19   5   5   29
    Impact of finance leases                
    Upfront gain   –   –   (3)   (3)
    Principal payments received   –   1   44   45
    Gain on redemption options3               (17)
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 266 $ 92 $ 74 $ 432


    1    The Company included net earnings, income taxes, and net finance costs on a consolidated basis to reconcile to EBIT.
    2Net finance costs are considered corporate expenditures and therefore have not been allocated to reporting segments.
    3EBIT includes $17 million gain on redemption options associated with the Notes. Debt is managed within Corporate and is not allocated to reporting segments.

    Twelve months ended
    December 31, 2023
    ($ millions)   NAM   LATAM   EH   Total
    Net loss1             $ (83)
    Income taxes1               31
    Net finance costs1,2               94
    EBIT $ 127 $ (90) $ 5 $ 42
    Depreciation and amortization   69   48   81   198
    EBITDA $ 196 $ (42) $ 86 $ 240
    Restructuring, transaction and integration costs   11   10   23   44
    Share-based compensation   4   1   1   6
    Impact of finance leases                
    Upfront gain   –   –   (13)   (13)
    Principal payments received   –   1   35   36
    Goodwill impairment   –   65   –   65
    Adjusted EBITDA $ 211 $ 35 $ 132 $ 378


    1    The Company included net earnings, income taxes, and net finance costs on a consolidated basis to reconcile to EBIT.
    2Net finance costs are considered corporate expenditures and therefore have not been allocated to reporting segments.


    FREE CASH FLOW AND DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO

    The Company modified its calculation of free cash flow to include a deduction for growth capital expenditures and exclude the deduction for dividends paid. Free cash flow is now defined as cash provided by (used in) operating activities, less total capital expenditures (growth and maintenance) for PP&E and EI assets, mandatory debt repayments, and lease payments, while proceeds on disposals of PP&E and EI assets are added back. This modification is aimed at providing additional clarity into Enerflex’s free cash flow and help users of the financial statements assess the level of free cash generated to fund other non-operating activities. These activities could include dividend payments, share repurchases, and non-mandatory debt repayments. Free cash flow may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies as it does not have a standardized meaning under IFRS. Management has adopted this non-IFRS measure to improve comparability with its peers.

      Three months ended
    December 31,    		 Twelve months ended
    December 31,
    ($ millions, except percentages)   2024   2023   2024   2023
    Cash provided by operating activities before changes in working capital and other1 $ 74 $ 46 $ 218 $ 193
    Net change in working capital and other   39   112   106   13
    Cash provided by operating activities2 $ 113 $ 158 $ 324 $ 206
    Less:                
    Capital expenditures – Maintenance and PP&E   (21)   (13)   (53)   (45)
    Capital expenditures – Growth   (11)   (4)   (22)   (61)
    Mandatory debt repayments   –   (10)   (10)   (20)
    Lease payments   (5)   (3)   (20)   (15)
    Add:                
    Proceeds on disposals of PP&E and EI assets   –   11   3   30
    Free cash flow $ 76 $ 139 $ 222 $ 95
    Dividends paid   2   2   9   9
    Dividend payout ratio   2.6%   1.4%   4.1%   9.5%


    1    Enerflex also refers to cash provided by operating activities before changes in working capital and other as “Funds from operations” or “FFO”.
    2Enerflex also refers to cash provided by operating activities as “Cashflow from operations” or “CFO”.


    BANK-ADJUSTED NET DEBT-TO-EBITDA RATIO

    The Company defines net debt as short- and long-term debt less cash and cash equivalents at period end, which is then divided by EBITDA for the trailing 12 months. In assessing whether the Company is compliant with the financial covenants related to its debt instruments, certain adjustments are made to net debt and EBITDA to determine Enerflex’s bank-adjusted net debt-to-EBITDA ratio. These adjustments and Enerflex’s bank-adjusted net-debt-to EBITDA ratio are calculated in accordance with, and derived from, the Company’s financing agreements.

    GROSS MARGIN BEFORE DEPRECIATION AND AMORTIZATION

    Gross margin before depreciation and amortization is a non-IFRS measure defined as gross margin excluding the impact of depreciation and amortization. The historical costs of assets may differ if they were acquired through acquisition or constructed, resulting in differing depreciation. Gross margin before depreciation and amortization is useful to present operating performance of the business before the impact of depreciation and amortization that may not be comparable across assets.

    ADVISORY REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

    This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and “forward-looking statements” (and together with “forward-looking information”, “FLI”) within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact are FLI. The use of any of the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “future”, “intend”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “predict”, “should”, “will” and similar expressions, (including negatives thereof) are intended to identify FLI.

    In particular, this news release includes (without limitation) forward-looking information and statements pertaining to:

    • expectations that the North American contract compression fleet will grow to over 475,000 horsepower by the end of 2025;
    • the Company’s expectations to further reduce debt, provide direct shareholder returns and create meaningful long-term value for Enerflex shareholders, and the timing associated therewith, if at all;
    • disclosures under the heading “Outlook” including:
      • steady demand will continue across our business lines and geographic regions for 2025;
      • the highly contracted EI product line and the recurring nature of AMS will, together, account for approximately 65% of Enerflex’s gross margin before depreciation and amortization;
      • customer contracts within Enerflex’s EI product line will generate approximately $1.5 billion of revenue during their current terms;  
      • a majority of the ES product line backlog of approximately $1.3 billion as at December 31, 2024, will convert into revenue over the next 12 months;
      • ES gross margin before depreciation and amortization is expected to be more consistent with the historical long-term average for this business line with near term revenue remaining steady;
      • the potential application of tariffs and the anticipated impact of such tariffs including the Company’s expectation that such impact to Enerflex will be mitigated by the Company’s diversified operations and proactive risk management;
      • that the Company is well positioned to benefit from growth in domestic energy production;
      • total capital expenditures in 2025 will be $110 million to $130 million which includes approximately $70 million for maintenance and PP&E capital expenditures; and
      • the fundamentals for contract compression in the USA remain strong, led by expected increases in natural gas production in the Permian and capital spending discipline from market participants;
    • the ability of Enerflex to continue to pay a sustainable quarterly cash dividend.

    FLI reflect management’s current beliefs and assumptions with respect to such things as the impact of general economic conditions; commodity prices; the markets in which Enerflex’s products and services are used; general industry conditions, forecasts, and trends; changes to, and introduction of new, governmental regulations, laws, and income taxes; increased competition; availability of qualified personnel; political unrest and geopolitical conditions; and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Enerflex. More specifically, Enerflex’s expectations in respect of its FLI are based on a number of assumptions, estimates and projections developed based on past experience and anticipated trends, including but not limited to:

    • any potential tariffs imposed will have a manageable impact on our operations and cost structure and increased domestic energy production will offset any negative effects of such tariffs;
    • market dynamics, including increased energy demand, infrastructure development, and production activity, will drive growth in natural gas and produced water volumes across Enerflex’s core operating countries;
    • market conditions, customer activity, and industry fundamentals will support stable demand across our business lines and geographic regions throughout 2025;
    • the high level of contractual commitments within the EI product line and the predictable, recurring revenue from AMS will continue;
    • existing customer contracts within the EI product line will remain in effect and with no material cancellations or renegotiations over their remaining terms;
    • the execution of projects within the ES product line will proceed as scheduled and the conversion to revenue will proceed without significant delays or cancellations;
    • no significant unforeseen cost overruns or project delays;
    • Enerflex will maintain sufficient cash flow, profitability, and financial flexibility to support the ongoing payment of a sustainable quarterly cash dividend, subject to market conditions, operational performance, and board approval.

    As a result of the foregoing, actual results, performance, or achievements of Enerflex could differ and such differences could be material from those expressed in, or implied by, the FLI. The principal risks, uncertainties and other factors affecting Enerflex and its business are identified under the heading “Risk Factors” in: (i) Enerflex’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2024, dated February 27, 2025; and (ii) Enerflex’s Annual Report dated February 28, 2024, copies of which are available under the electronic profile of the Company on SEDAR+ and EDGAR at www.sedarplus.ca and www.sec.gov/edgar, respectively.

    The FLI included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and are based on the information available to the Company at such time and, other than as required by law, Enerflex disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any FLI, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. This news release and its contents should not be construed, under any circumstances, as investment, tax, or legal advice.

    The outlook provided in this news release is based on assumptions about future events, including economic conditions and proposed courses of action, based on Management’s assessment of the relevant information currently available. The outlook is based on the same assumptions and risk factors set forth above and is based on the Company’s historical results of operations. The outlook set forth in this news release was approved by Management and the Board of Directors. Management believes that the prospective financial information set forth in this news release has been prepared on a reasonable basis, reflecting Management’s best estimates and judgments, and represents the Company’s expected course of action in developing and executing its business strategy relating to its business operations. The prospective financial information set forth in this news release should not be relied on as necessarily indicative of future results. Actual results may vary, and such variance may be material.

    ABOUT ENERFLEX

    Enerflex is a premier integrated global provider of energy infrastructure and energy transition solutions, deploying natural gas, low-carbon, and treated water solutions – from individual, modularized products and services to integrated custom solutions. With over 4,600 engineers, manufacturers, technicians, and innovators, Enerflex is bound together by a shared vision: Transforming Energy for a Sustainable Future. The Company remains committed to the future of natural gas and the critical role it plays, while focused on sustainability offerings to support the energy transition and growing decarbonization efforts.

    Enerflex’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “EFX” and on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “EFXT”. For more information about Enerflex, visit www.enerflex.com.

    For investor and media enquiries, contact:

    Marc Rossiter
    President and Chief Executive Officer
    E-mail: MRossiter@enerflex.com

    Preet S. Dhindsa
    Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
    E-mail: PDhindsa@enerflex.com

    Jeff Fetterly
    Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations
    E-mail: JFetterly@enerflex.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor’s actor

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Will Jeffery, Sessional Academic, Discipline of Film Studies, University of Sydney

    Gene Hackman, an acting titan of 1970s and ‘80s Hollywood with more than 80 screen credits to his name, has died at 95. He was found dead in his home with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, and his dog.

    Hackman had a rugged, dominating and commanding presence on screen, known for his emotionally honest, raw and fierce performances. Always the tough guy, never the romantic lead, off camera he was shy and enjoyed the quiet life.

    I first saw Hackman as a child in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). My dad put the film on for the upside-down ocean liner disaster sequences, but it was Hackman who left a lasting impression. I vividly remember being so moved by his final speech berating God for deserting the ship’s passengers and crew while he hangs from a pressure valve door over flames.

    There is no actor who comes close to conveying authority with such humanity and reserve.

    He was often referred to as the actor’s actor and mentioned by Hollywood A-listers such as Kevin Costner as the best actor they’ve ever worked with. Clint Eastwood, once Hackman retired, described him as “too good not to be performing”.

    Hackman will leave a legacy to be studied and appreciated for years to come.

    Finding a foot in show business

    Born in San Bernardino, California, on January 30 1930, Hackman’s family moved to Danville, Illinois, when he was three. Hackman’s father left when he was 13, which he described to James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio as his father “driving by with a casual wave goodbye”.

    Hackman joked to Lipton the departure of his father at an early age made him a better actor.

    Hackman left Danville at the age of 16 to join the marines, where he spent roughly four years. He was a rebellious child, but as Peter Shelley detailed in his biography of Hackman, the marine corps was the first time he gave in to authority.

    After the marine corps, Hackman moved to New York wanting to become an actor, telling people he was inspired by tough guy James “Jimmy” Cagney.

    In New York, Hackman struggled making a living as an artist while waiting for his breakthrough (his uncle told him to give up and get an honest job). Moving to California, he became friends early on with Dustin Hoffman (they finally appeared opposite each other in Hackman’s penultimate film, 2003’s Runaway Jury).

    After struggling for years, Hackman landed his first credited screen role in 1964’s Lilith at the age of 34. He played a small part opposite upcoming star Warren Beatty.

    As Hackman recounted to Lipton, Beatty told director Arthur Penn how great Hackman was in a scene they did together. That landed Hackman his breakthrough role playing Buck Barrow opposite Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the 1967 hit Bonnie and Clyde, earning him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

    Breaking through in the 1970s

    It wasn’t until the 1970s that Hackman began his leading role career, starring in The French Connection (1971) as the unforgettable hard-boiled New York detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. This role earned him his first Academy Award, for best actor.

    He was to wait more than 20 years for his second and final Academy Award, for playing the ruthless Little Bill Daggett opposite Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992).

    Throughout the 1970s, Hackman was gaining huge popularity on screen, sharing records with the likes of Robert Redford and Harrison Ford as the highest grossing stars at the box office.

    There are too many great Hackman performances to mention, but my favourites are Unforgiven, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation (1974), Hoosiers (1986), Mississippi Burning (1988) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

    The French Connection’s director, William Friedkin, said in an interview Hackman was anti-authority and anti-racism because of his upbringing in an area known for its large Ku Klux Klan presence, and his absent father.

    Hackman almost pulled out of The French Connection one week into shooting because he didn’t like “beating on people” for a four-month shoot. He told Friedkin “I don’t think I can do this,” but Friedkin refused to let him go.

    Hackman recalled he was eternally grateful Friedkin didn’t, as it was “the start of [his] career”.

    Hackman said his character Popeye Doyle was a “bigot, an antisemitic, and whatever else you wanted to call him”, and he famously struggled to say the N-word in one key scene. He initially protested the line but eventually went with it, believing “that’s who the guy is […] you couldn’t really whitewash him”.

    Hackman often played the character who had the greatest authority on the surface but slipped up, whether he was playing the hero or the villain. Even for a role such as Reverend Scott in The Poseidon Adventure, in which Hackman played a self-righteous preacher onboard the capsized SS Poseidon, he questions his religion as he leads the entire band of escapees to safety.

    A life after acting

    Hackman retired from acting in 2004 at age 74.

    There are many stories about why he retired, like, as Shelley writes, not wanting to play Hollywood “grandfathers” and his “heart wasn’t in shape”, but his life after acting gives a strong hint: he had other interests.

    Over the past 20 years, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels, was a keen painter, and enjoyed exercise such as cycling. Married to classical pianist Arakawa from 1991 until their death, they lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he designed his own home (yes, he also loved architecture!).

    A man of many talents who played a kaleidoscopic range of authoritative roles, Hackman will almost certainly be remembered mainly for his tough-guy performance in The French Connection – though many will also remember him as the Hollywood actor’s actor.

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

    – ref. Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor’s actor – https://theconversation.com/gene-hackman-will-be-remembered-as-the-hollywood-actors-actor-233109

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London leaders unveil Growth Plan to turbocharge productivity and add more than £100bn to London’s economy

    Source: Mayor of London

    • London Growth Plan aims to put an extra £11k a year in the pocket of every Londoner and provide £27bn extra tax revenue to fund vital public services in the capital and across the country  
    • The plan targets restoring London’s productivity growth back to 2% per year – making London’s economy £107bn larger by 2035 
    • Plan’s inclusive growth ambitions include a 20% rise in household income for the lowest earning 20% of Londoners 
    • £21m additional funding this year will revitalise local high streets  
    • The Mayor and London Councils issue joint call on UK Government for more investment and devolution to boost local and national growth 

     

    The Mayor of London and London Councils have come together today (Thursday 27 February 2025) with local leaders from business, education and the voluntary sector to launch a bold new plan to turbocharge economic growth and increase prosperity across the capital.

     

    Developed together with London & Partners – in collaboration with businesses, trade unions and London’s communities – the London Growth Plan sets out a blueprint to kickstart the capital’s productivity, which has flatlined since the 2008 global financial crisis.

     

    The plan aims to restore productivity growth to an average of two per cent a year in the next decade, which would make London’s economy £107bn* larger by 2035 and put an extra £11,000 on average in the pockets of the near-nine million Londoners. This would also mean the capital contributing an extra £27.5bn in taxes to the Treasury in 2035, providing vital revenues for investment in public services.

     

    London’s productivity grew by an average of 3.16 per cent each year between 1998 and 2007, but between 2008 and 2022, average productivity growth was just 0.12 per cent a year. Growing productivity is the key to higher wages, higher living standards and increased investment in public services in London and across the UK.

     

    The new plan focuses on inclusive economic growth to make sure that more Londoners can contribute to and benefit from the capital’s success. Helping more Londoners into work, bringing down housing costs and improving public transport are all vital to reducing poverty in London, improving living standards and driving growth. The plan aims to achieve a 20 per cent rise in the household weekly income (after housing costs) of the lowest earning 20 per cent of Londoners – which would mean more than a million London households would have an extra £50 to spend each week, on average, after paying for housing costs. 

     

    The London Growth Plan outlines huge opportunities for turbocharging the capital’s economy and harnessing the growth potential of sectors such as AI, life sciences, robotics, clean tech, quantum computing and the creative industries. Key drivers to deliver the plan’s growth ambitions for the capital include a renewed focus on nurturing world-class talent, helping Londoners get the skills they need for productive careers, backing business innovation with new investment and technology, taking a bolder approach to housing and infrastructure, and reinvigorating London’s local high streets. 

     

    A long-term strategic relationship between London and the UK Government will be a crucial part of delivering the plan. London is the engine of the UK economy and, with national support, this plan can harness its economic power and potential for the benefit of all Londoners and the whole country, helping to fund investment in public services across Britain.

     

    Priorities in the London Growth Plan include:  

     

    • Backing business: London government will help to power ‘industrial innovation corridors’ around the capital – supporting new space, facilities and infrastructure to ensure innovation can thrive. This will build on the potential of the WestTech Corridor (anchored in White City going through Old Oak and Park Royal), the UK Innovation Corridor (anchored in the Knowledge Quarter going towards Cambridge) and the Thames Estuary (anchored in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park going out to Essex and Kent).  A new proposed London Tech and Inclusive Growth Fund could provide up to £100m loan and equity funding for high-growth small and midsize enterprises.  
    • Talent and skills: An Inclusive Talent Strategy will build the capital’s skilled workforce to unleash the potential of Londoners and – in turn – London’s economy. This will help create at least 150,000 high quality jobs, with a focus on fair pay and good work, to deliver Mayoral manifesto commitments. As well as supporting more people into work and ensuring all Londoners can get the skills or training needed to progress their careers, the strategy will help attract world-class talent to study and work in the capital. New rent-controlled Key Worker Homes will also help London to attract and retain its essential workforce. 
    • Housing and infrastructure: Local leaders will work with UK Government to extend and upgrade London’s public transport network, prioritising transformational projects to unlock new affordable homes and growth – including the Docklands Light Railway extension to Thamesmead, the Bakerloo line extension and the West London Orbital. The plan also calls for more devolution of London’s suburban rail services. This will be reinforced by the next London Plan, which will prioritise growth, increase housing delivery and ensure better digital connectivity.  
    • Inward investment and promotion: London will take the lead in implementing national reforms to the Local Government Pension Scheme, exploring the development of a major joint fund to invest in places that encourage innovation, including venture capital. The plan will also support London’s goal to be a net-zero city by 2030, attracting significant institutional capital for green infrastructure. There will be support to set up a new quantum tech incubator, London Life Sciences Week will be backed to become a key global event for the sector, and London leaders will explore a new business visitor centre to promote the capital’s world-leading offer by bringing companies together with agencies and developers.  
    • High streets and local economies: £21m additional funding this year will support boroughs with town centre regeneration, including potentially creating a publicly owned High Street Estate Agency to bring empty properties back into use. The plan also reiterates the Mayor’s commitment to revitalising neighbourhood policing so that the capital’s high streets always feel welcoming and safe.  

     

    Delivering the London Growth Plan will be a genuine partnership between the Mayor, local government leaders and central government, working in coalition with universities, incubators, accelerators, venture capitalists, innovation districts, corporate innovators, capital markets and international investors.  

     

    London’s leaders want central government to help unleash the capital’s economic potential by giving the Mayor and boroughs more freedoms to fund their own growth priorities, and the flexibility to spend money in the best way to drive good growth. This is on top of continuing to lobby the Government to secure agreements with our biggest international trading partners that ensure London’s key sectors can continue to grow and thrive.  

     

    Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “This growth plan provides a golden opportunity to turbocharge growth and unlock London’s full potential – for the benefit of all Londoners and the whole country.  

     

    “It’s a blueprint for how we can help to create 150,000 good jobs, build more affordable homes, deliver major new transport upgrades and skill up Londoners for the well-paid jobs of tomorrow. From AI, life sciences and climate tech to our financial and creative industries, London is home to many of the best businesses in the world, which we want to back to grow and thrive over the next decade. 

     

    “Ultimately, growth means little if people cannot feel the benefits or see the positive change it brings to their area. So our goal is to deliver economic growth in every corner of our city that helps to raise living standards, puts more money in people’s pockets and enables us to invest in our public services, as we continue to build a fairer and more prosperous London for all.” 

     

    Cllr Claire Holland, leader of London Councils, added: “The London Growth Plan is a blueprint to drive inclusive economic growth in the capital and across the UK, boosting productivity and ensuring more Londoners can feel the benefits of growth.

     

    “It sets out our ambitions to unleash growth in the industries of the future, deliver new housing and infrastructure to support the London economy, and develop a new Inclusive Talent Strategy, helping more people to get into work and get the skills they need to progress.

     

    “Boroughs are resolutely pro-growth and are committed to working with business, the Mayor of London and national government to turbocharge growth in every corner of our city.” 

     

    Laura Citron, chief executive of London & Partners, concluded: “This is a huge moment for our city: a shared vision, a clear plan, and now the momentum to make it happen. As the capital’s growth agency, we’ll be working closely with investors, entrepreneurs, partners, and places across the city to drive growth for London and Londoners – attracting investment, scaling our businesses, bringing in visitors and world-class events, while telling London’s story brilliantly. Our city is built on reinvention, and this is our next big chapter.”

    London’s universities and research institutes will be key partners in nurturing the talent and innovation required to deliver the Plan’s growth targets. The Plan highlights University College London’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory and Imperial’s recent purchase of the Victoria Industrial Estate in the proposed WestTech innovation corridor as examples of the specialist spaces needed to support inclusive growth. 

    Prof Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, said: “Universities like Imperial play a critical role in attracting and nurturing world-class talent, fuelling inclusive growth, and strengthening London’s position as a global leader in innovation. That’s why the best innovation ecosystems have world-renowned research universities at their heart.

    “The WestTech Corridor, anchored by Imperial College London, will be central to delivering the Mayor’s ambitious London Growth Plan, driving a vibrant innovation ecosystem in West London and acting as a powerful engine for investment, economic growth and job creation across the UK and the wider world.”

    Dr Michael Spence, President and Provost at UCL, said: “Innovation, driven by universities working with local government and businesses, has huge potential to spur growth and create jobs in London. The London Growth Plan reflects the importance of universities like UCL in helping to attract, nurture and realise inclusive growth in our capital city.

    “UCL’s campuses are at the heart of London’s innovation corridors, driving the talent pipeline alongside our cutting-edge facilities delivering world class research. Within ten minutes of our Bloomsbury campus, one of the world’s largest and most collaborative innovation districts is taking shape in the Knowledge Quarter, with huge potential to bring together life science, technology, healthcare and academia in one place. On Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, UCL East is at the heart of the UK’s newest culture and learning quarter at East Bank, a driving force behind cultural and creative industries innovation and regeneration in London.”

    The newly published London Growth Plan has also been welcomed by leading voices from across the capital’s business community.  

    Karim Fatehi OBE, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “LCCI welcomes the Mayor’s London Growth Plan to maximise London’s economic potential and maintain its position as the best city in the world to do business. Businesses of all sizes are the lifeblood of the London economy, and measures such as the London Tech and Inclusive Growth fund will help them grow and attract investment.

    “We especially welcome the Growth Plan’s focus on skills – giving Londoners access to industry-relevant training, employment and careers support. This inclusive strategy will ensure London’s economic success means prosperity for all Londoners.”

    Laura Timm, London Policy Representative at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “FSB is delighted to see a strong, ambitious and upbeat Growth Plan that hones in on three key FSB drivers for small business growth—namely, access to targeted finance, cultivating a high-functioning skills system, and presenting opportunities for small firms to win public procurement contracts.

    “Over 99 per cent of all firms in the capital are small in size but significant in growth potential. We look forward to working with the Mayor of London, the Deputy Mayor for Business and other stakeholders in implementing the Growth Plan – which we hope will create the environment that helps a local small firm take on their first apprentice, seal an exporting opportunity, and tackle the scourge of business crimes up and down our high streets.”

    John Dickie, Chief Executive of Business LDN, said: “The bold ambitions set out in the London Growth Plan rightly focus on unlocking the city’s full potential so that businesses can succeed and Londoners thrive. Delivering on this agenda will require the city to double down on existing efforts to tackle barriers to inclusive growth such as housing and skills where we have the agency to act.

    “The Government needs to ensure London has the tools it needs to turbocharge growth and help the UK get out of the economic slow lane. This means stepping up by providing long-term, flexible funding to unlock vital infrastructure and affordable housing so that the city remains an attractive place to live, work, visit and do business.”

    Read more at www.growthplan.london.  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Perth and Kinross to commemorate 80th anniversary of VE Day

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    Victory in Europe Day took place on May 8 1945 when the Allies accepted the unconditional surrender of Germany.

    To mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, a series of events is planned across Perth and Kinross.

    On the morning of May 8, wreaths will be laid at the Veterans’ Memorial on St John Street in Perth and at The 51st Highland Division Memorial at the North Inch.

    That night, a series of VE Day 80 beacons will be lit at seven locations across Perth and Kinross – Perth, Blairgowrie, Auchterarder, Crieff, Kinross, Pitlochry and Aberfeldy – to commemorate the end of the Second World War in Europe.

    On Sunday May 11, there will be a commemorative church service in St John’s Church, Perth. There will also be a display of military vehicles, live music from pipe and brass bands, and other street entertainment, on the streets outside the church.

    Provost of Perth and Kinross Xander McDade said: “Commemorating the 80th anniversary of VE Day allows us to honour the immense sacrifices made by millions of people during World War II.

    “This allows us to reflect on our shared history, educate younger generations about the importance of peace, and express our gratitude to those who fought for our freedom.”

    Bailie Chris Ahern, Armed Forces and Veterans Champion for Perth and Kinross Council, said: “This will be a historic occasion and a chance for people across Perth and Kinross to remember the sacrifices made during the Second World War.”

    Stephen Leckie, Lord-Lieutenant of Perth and Kinross, added:“So many people from Perth and Kinross gave their lives in the defeat of the Nazis and their allies in Europe. This is such an important anniversary, and the Lieutenancy is delighted to be working with Perth and Kinross Council and The Black Watch to lay on a series of events on the 8th and 11th of May for the veterans, those others who lived through the second world war, as well as the serving armed forces, cadets and general public. 

    “We encourage you to come along and join us.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Axi Recognised With ‘Best Workplace 2025’ Award by Xref Engage

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    SYDNEY, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading online FX and CFD broker Axi announced that it has been recognised with the Best Workplace 2025 award by Xref Engage. The latest award builds on the broker’s previous recognition by Voice Project, where Axi won the ‘Best Workplace’ award for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021.

    Rajesh Yohannan, CEO at Axi, shared his excitement for the company’s newest recognition: “This award is a testament to the strong culture we’ve built together—one grounded in innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to excellence. At Axi, we continually invest in creating a safe and respectful environment where everyone can express their opinion and be heard, and thrive and succeed, and we’re incredibly proud to see our efforts reaffirmed.”

    Founded in 2007, the Australian-based broker has grown from a two-person startup to a highly respected global group of companies, with over 400 staff members from 45+ nationalities across nine offices worldwide: Australia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Dubai, Philippines, Malaysia, India, and Vanuatu.

    The latest accolade follows a series of other notable achievements for Axi. In 2024, the broker was recognised with the ‘Innovator of the Year’ award at the 2024 Dubai Forex Expo and was recently named ‘Most Innovative Proprietary Trading Firm’ by Finance Feeds. Additionally, the broker was also named Best Broker (MENA), Most Trusted Broker (LatAm), Most Reliable Broker (Europe), and Best Introducing Broker Programme (Asia) for 2024 by Global Forex Awards.

    About Axi

    Axi is a global online FX and CFD trading company, with thousands of customers in 100+ countries worldwide. Axi offers CFDs for several asset classes including Forex, Shares, Gold, Oil, Coffee, and more.

    For more information or additional comments from Axi, please contact: mediaenquiries@axi.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cccccb40-307b-4f21-bcf2-1af3f88de766

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor’s actor

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Will Jeffery, Sessional Academic, Discipline of Film Studies, University of Sydney

    Gene Hackman, an acting titan of 1970s and ‘80s Hollywood with more than 80 screen credits to his name, has died at 95. He was found dead in his home with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, and his dog.

    Hackman had a rugged, dominating and commanding presence on screen, known for his emotionally honest, raw and fierce performances. Always the tough guy, never the romantic lead, off camera he was shy and enjoyed the quiet life.

    I first saw Hackman as a child in The Poseidon Adventure (1972). My dad put the film on for the upside-down ocean liner disaster sequences, but it was Hackman who left a lasting impression. I vividly remember being so moved by his final speech berating God for deserting the ship’s passengers and crew while he hangs from a pressure valve door over flames.

    There is no actor who comes close to conveying authority with such humanity and reserve.

    He was often referred to as the actor’s actor and mentioned by Hollywood A-listers such as Kevin Costner as the best actor they’ve ever worked with. Clint Eastwood, once Hackman retired, described him as “too good not to be performing”.

    Hackman will leave a legacy to be studied and appreciated for years to come.

    Finding a foot in show business

    Born in San Bernardino, California, on January 30 1930, Hackman’s family moved to Danville, Illinois, when he was three. Hackman’s father left when he was 13, which he described to James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio as his father “driving by with a casual wave goodbye”.

    Hackman joked to Lipton the departure of his father at an early age made him a better actor.

    Hackman left Danville at the age of 16 to join the marines, where he spent roughly four years. He was a rebellious child, but as Peter Shelley detailed in his biography of Hackman, the marine corps was the first time he gave in to authority.

    After the marine corps, Hackman moved to New York wanting to become an actor, telling people he was inspired by tough guy James “Jimmy” Cagney.

    In New York, Hackman struggled making a living as an artist while waiting for his breakthrough (his uncle told him to give up and get an honest job). Moving to California, he became friends early on with Dustin Hoffman (they finally appeared opposite each other in Hackman’s penultimate film, 2003’s Runaway Jury).

    After struggling for years, Hackman landed his first credited screen role in 1964’s Lilith at the age of 34. He played a small part opposite upcoming star Warren Beatty.

    As Hackman recounted to Lipton, Beatty told director Arthur Penn how great Hackman was in a scene they did together. That landed Hackman his breakthrough role playing Buck Barrow opposite Beatty and Faye Dunaway in the 1967 hit Bonnie and Clyde, earning him an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

    Breaking through in the 1970s

    It wasn’t until the 1970s that Hackman began his leading role career, starring in The French Connection (1971) as the unforgettable hard-boiled New York detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle. This role earned him his first Academy Award, for best actor.

    He was to wait more than 20 years for his second and final Academy Award, for playing the ruthless Little Bill Daggett opposite Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven (1992).

    Throughout the 1970s, Hackman was gaining huge popularity on screen, sharing records with the likes of Robert Redford and Harrison Ford as the highest grossing stars at the box office.

    There are too many great Hackman performances to mention, but my favourites are Unforgiven, The French Connection, The Poseidon Adventure, The Conversation (1974), Hoosiers (1986), Mississippi Burning (1988) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001).

    The French Connection’s director, William Friedkin, said in an interview Hackman was anti-authority and anti-racism because of his upbringing in an area known for its large Ku Klux Klan presence, and his absent father.

    Hackman almost pulled out of The French Connection one week into shooting because he didn’t like “beating on people” for a four-month shoot. He told Friedkin “I don’t think I can do this,” but Friedkin refused to let him go.

    Hackman recalled he was eternally grateful Friedkin didn’t, as it was “the start of [his] career”.

    Hackman said his character Popeye Doyle was a “bigot, an antisemitic, and whatever else you wanted to call him”, and he famously struggled to say the N-word in one key scene. He initially protested the line but eventually went with it, believing “that’s who the guy is […] you couldn’t really whitewash him”.

    Hackman often played the character who had the greatest authority on the surface but slipped up, whether he was playing the hero or the villain. Even for a role such as Reverend Scott in The Poseidon Adventure, in which Hackman played a self-righteous preacher onboard the capsized SS Poseidon, he questions his religion as he leads the entire band of escapees to safety.

    A life after acting

    Hackman retired from acting in 2004 at age 74.

    There are many stories about why he retired, like, as Shelley writes, not wanting to play Hollywood “grandfathers” and his “heart wasn’t in shape”, but his life after acting gives a strong hint: he had other interests.

    Over the past 20 years, Hackman wrote three historical fiction novels, was a keen painter, and enjoyed exercise such as cycling. Married to classical pianist Arakawa from 1991 until their death, they lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he designed his own home (yes, he also loved architecture!).

    A man of many talents who played a kaleidoscopic range of authoritative roles, Hackman will almost certainly be remembered mainly for his tough-guy performance in The French Connection – though many will also remember him as the Hollywood actor’s actor.

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

    – ref. Gene Hackman will be remembered as the Hollywood actor’s actor – https://theconversation.com/gene-hackman-will-be-remembered-as-the-hollywood-actors-actor-233109

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Eugene Doyle: Yellow Peril!  Red Peril! ‘We cannot hide anymore’. Chinese warships in the Tasman Sea. 

    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. –

    COMMENTARY: By Eugene Doyle

    The Western media went into overdrive this week to work the laconic Kiwis into a mild frenzy over three Chinese naval vessels conducting exercises in the Tasman Sea a few thousand kilometres off our shores.

    What was really behind this orchestrated campaign?

    The New Zealand government led the rhetorical charge over the Hengyang, the Zunyi and the Weishanhu in mare nostrum (“Our Sea”, as the Romans liked to call the Mediterranean).

     “We cannot hide at this end of the world anymore,” Defence Minister Judith Collins said in light of three Chinese boats in the Tasman.

    Warrior academics were next . “We need to go to the cutting edge, and we need to do that really, really fast,” the ever-reliable China hawk Anne-Marie Brady of Canterbury University said, telling 1 News the message of the live-firing exercises was that China wants to rule the waves.

    The British Financial Times chimed in with a warning that “A confronting strategic future is arriving fast”.

    Could this have anything to do with the fact we are fast approaching the New Zealand government’s 2025 budget and that they — and their Australian, US and UK allies — are intent on a major increase in Kiwi defence funding, moving from around 1.2 percent of GDP to possibly two percent? A long-anticipated Defence Capability Review is also around the corner and is likely to come with quite a shopping list of expensive gear.

    The New Zealand government led the rhetorical charge over the Hengyang, the Zunyi and the Weishanhu in mare nostrum (“Our Sea”, as the Romans liked to call the Mediterranean). Image: www.solidarity.co.nz

    What’s good for the goose . . .
    It is worth pointing out that New Zealand and Australian warships sailed through the contested Taiwan Strait and elsewhere in the South China Sea as recently as September 2024. What’s good for the goose is good for the Panda.

    And, of course, at any one time about 20 US nuclear submarines are prowling in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea. Each can carry missiles the equivalent of over 1000 Hiroshima bombs — truly apocalyptic.

    Veteran New Zealand peace campaigner Mike Smith (a friend) was not in total disagreement with the hawks when it came to the argy-bargy in the Tasman.

    “The emergence apparently from nowhere of a Chinese naval expedition in our waters I think may be intended to demonstrate that they have a large and very capable blue water navy now and won’t be penned in by AUKUS submarines when and if they arrive off their coast.

    “I think the main message is to the Australians: if you want to homebase nuclear-capable B-52s we have more than one way to come at you. That was also the message of the ICBM they sent into the Pacific: Australia is no longer an unsinkable aircraft carrier.”

    According to the Asia Times, China fired the ICBM — the first such shot into the Pacific by China — just days after HMNZS Aotearoa sailed through the Taiwan Strait with Australian vessel HMAS Sydney.

    Smith says our focus should be on building positive relationships in the Pacific on our terms. “Buying expensive popguns will not save us.”

    China Scare a page out of Australia’s Red Scare playbook
    For people good at pattern recognition this week’s China Scare was obviously a page or two out of the same playbook that duped a majority of Australians into believing China was going to invade Australia. They were lulled into a false sense of insecurity back in 2021 — the mediascape flooded with Red Alert, China panic stories about imminent war with the rising Asian power.

    As a sign of how successful the mainstream media can be in generating fear that precedes major policy shifts: research by Australia’s Institute of International & Security Affairs showed that more Australians thought that China would soon attack Australia than Taiwanese believed China would attack Taiwan!

    Once the population was conditioned, they woke one morning in September 2021 with the momentous news that Australia had ditched a $90 billion submarine defence deal with France and the country was now part of a new anti-Chinese military alliance called AUKUS. This was the playbook that came to mind last week.

    There are strong, rational arguments that could be made to increase our spending at this time. But I loathe and decry this kind of manipulation, this manufacturing of consent.

    I also fear what those billions of dollars will be used for. Defending our coastlines is one thing; joining an anti-Chinese military alliance to please the US is quite another.

    Prime Minister Luxon has called China — our biggest trading partner — a strategic competitor. He has also suggested, somewhat ludicrously, that our military could be a “force multiplier” for Team AUKUS.

    We are hitching ourselves to the US at the very time they have proven they treat allies as vassals, threatened to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal, continue to commit genocide in Gaza, and are now imposing an unequal treaty on Ukraine.


    Australia’s ABC News on Foreign Minister Winston Peter’s talks in China. Video: ABC

    Whose side – or calmer independence?
    Whose side should we be on? Or should we return to a calmer, more independent posture?

    And then there’s the question of priorities. The hawks may convince the New Zealand population that the China threat is serious enough that we should forgo spending money on child poverty, fixing our ageing infrastructure, investing in health and education and instead, as per pressure from our AUKUS partners, spend some serious coin — billions of dollars more — on defence.

    Climate change is one battle that is being fought and lost. Will climate funding get the bullet so we can spend on military hardware? That would certainly get a frosty reaction from Pacific nations at the front edge of sea rise.

    The government in New Zealand is literally taking the food out of children’s mouths to fund weapons systems. The Ka Ora, Ka Ako programme provides nutritious lunches every day to a quarter of a million of New Zealand’s most needy children.

    Its funding has recently been slashed by over $100 million by the government despite its own advisors telling it that such programmes have profound long-term wellbeing benefits and contribute significantly to equity. In the next breath we are told we need to boost funding for our military.

    The US appears determined to set itself on a collision course with China but we don’t have to be crash test dummies sitting alongside them. Prudence, preparedness, vigilance and risk-management are all to be devoutly wished for; hitching our fate to a hostile US containment strategy is bad policy both in economic and defence terms.

    In the absence of a functioning media — one that showcases diverse perspectives and challenges power rather than works hand-in-glove with it — populations have been enlisted in the most abhorrent and idiotic campaigns: the Red Peril, the Jewish Peril and the Black Peril (in South Africa and the southern states of the USA), to name three.

    Our media-political-military complex is at it again with this one — a kind of Yellow Peril Redux.

    New Zealand trails behind both Australia and China in development assistance to the Pacific. If we wish to “counter” China, supporting our neighbours would be a better investment than encouraging an unwinnable arms race.

    In tandem, I would advocate for a far deeper diplomatic and cultural push to understand and engage with China; that would do more to keep the region peaceful and may arrest the slow move in China towards seeking other markets for the high-quality primary produce that an increasingly bellicose New Zealand still wishes to sell them.

    Let’s be friends to all, enemies of none. Keep the Pacific peaceful, neutral and nuclear-free.

    Eugene Doyle is a community organiser and activist in Wellington, New Zealand. He received an Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian award in 2023 for community service. His first demonstration was at the age of 12 against the Vietnam War. This article was first published at his public policy website Solidarity and he is a regular contributor to Asia Pacific Report and Café Pacific.

    This article was first published on Café Pacific.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

    As the Albanese government struggles to stay on its political feet, who would have thought the China issue would suddenly insert itself into the campaign, leaving the prime minister looking, at best, flat-footed?

    Improving and stabilising what had become a toxic bilateral relationship under Scott Morrison has been one of the Albanese government’s major pluses in its foreign and trade policy.

    China has taken off all of the roughly $20 billion in barriers it had enacted on Australian exports. Australian lobsters are back on Chinese menus. And who can forget the PM’s visit to China, when he was lauded as “a handsome boy”.

    But now, almost on the eve of the election campaign, a Chinese military exercise in the Tasman Sea has not just reminded Australians of Chinese military power, but has left the PM appearing poorly informed. Or not wanting to offend the Chinese.

    Of course, China did not set out to force Anthony Albanese into what were publicly misleading comments. That was all his own doing.

    The China incident was on the morning of Friday last week, when its navy commenced the live-fire exercise.

    Albanese was briefed on Friday afternoon. Later in the day, a reporter asked him about an ABC report of “commercial pilots [being] warned about a potential hazard in airspace” where three Chinese warships had been sailing.

    The PM said: “China issued, in accordance with practice, an alert that it would be conducting these activities, including the potential use of live fire”. This told, at best, a sliver of what was a rather alarming story.

    The government says the Chinese had acted in accordance with the law but the amount of notice they’d given (which was not provided directly to Australia) was inadequate. Representations about this were made by Foreign Minister Penny Wong to the Chinese.

    It took evidence before Senate estimates hearings this week to paint a full picture of what happened.

    On Monday, Rob Sharp, CEO of Airservices Australia (the country’s civil air navigation services provider) told senators: “We became aware at two minutes to ten on Friday morning – and it was, in fact, a Virgin Australia aircraft that advised one of our air traffic controllers – that a foreign warship was broadcasting that they were conducting a live firing 300 nautical miles east off our coast. So that’s how we first found out about the issue.”

    Initially, “we didn’t know whether it was a potential hoax or real”.

    Meanwhile, a number of commercial planes were in the air and some diverted their routes.

    On Wednesday, Australian Defence Force Chief David Johnston was asked at another estimates hearing whether Defence was only notified of what was happening from a Virgin flight and Airservices Australia 28 minutes after the Chinese operation firing window commenced. Johnston’s one-word reply was “Yes”.

    Australia does not know whether the Chinese ships, which proceeded towards Tasmania, intend to circumnavigate the continent, or whether they have been accompanied by a submarine.

    Relations with China won’t be a first-order issue with most voters at this cost-of-living election. But these events play to the Dutton opposition, for whom national security is home-ground territory.

    They reinforce the broader impression, which has taken hold, of Albanese being poor with detail.

    Dutton said on Sydney radio on Thursday, “I don’t know whether he makes things up, but he seems to get flustered in press conferences. You hear it – the umming and ahing, and at the end of it, you don’t know what he’s actually said.

    “But what we do know is that he is at odds with the chief of the Defence force, and he needs to explain why, on such a totemic issue, he either wasn’t briefed, that he’s made up the facts, that he’s got it wrong.”

    Wong hit back, “We have been very clear China is going to keep being China, just as Mr Dutton isn’t going to stop being Mr Dutton – the man who once said it was inconceivable we wouldn’t go to war is going to keep beating the drums of war.

    “The Labor government will be calm and consistent; not reckless and arrogant.”

    There’s one political complication for Dutton in seeking to exploit the China issue. Despite his natural hawkishness, in recent times he has been treading more softly on China, with an eye to the importance of voters of Chinese heritage in some seats.

    The Trump administration has dramatically increased the uncertainty of the international outlook that the Australian government, whether Labor or Coalition, will face during the next parliamentary term.

    Defence Minister Richard Marles this week talked up the US administration’s policy in the region. “We are very encouraged by the focus that the Trump Administration is giving in terms of its strategic thinking to the Indo Pacific.”

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who was in Washington lobbying for a tariff exemption was also, declared that “the alliance and the economic partnership between Australia and the US is as strong as it’s ever been.”

    Whether we get that exemption will be an early indication of where we stand in terms of the special relationship with the US. But who knows what the US might want in return.

    A volatile world and perhaps pressure from the US may push Australia into spending more on defence, which on present planning is due to tick past 2% of GDP.

    Dutton has already said he would put more funding into defence, although, like most other aspects of opposition policy, the amount is vague. The Coalition says when it produces its costing (which will be in the last days before the election) there will be more precision.

    We’ve yet to see how the crucial US-China relationship evolves. That trajectory will have implications for Australia, positive or negative. On the very worst scenario, if China, encouraged by US President Donald Trump’s benign attitude to Russia, moves on Taiwan, the security of which the president has refused to guarantee, that could produce a dire situation in the region.

    Australia remains confident of continuing American support for AUKUS. But if Trump becomes even more arbitrary and adventurous, AUKUS could become a lot less popular not in America but in Australia.

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

    – ref. Grattan on Friday: Albanese falls victim to a Chinese burn – https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-albanese-falls-victim-to-a-chinese-burn-251029

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

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

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

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

    Source: Asia Development Bank

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND, GARBARINO, NADLER, KEAN, GOLDMAN INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL LEGISLATION TO FIX WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH PROGRAM FUNDING SHORTFALL

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Charles E Schumer

    Without Congressional Action, The WTCHP Will Have To Start Turning Away First Responders And Survivors, Cut Back Access To Care For Existing Enrollees By 2028

    Today, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and U.S. Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Dan Goldman (D-NY) joined advocates and survivors to introduce the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025. Representative Tom Kean (R-NJ) is also an original House cosponsor. 

    Despite recent congressional action, the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) continues to face an impending funding shortfall. As a result, by October 2028, the program will be forced to close enrollment to new 9/11 responders and survivors, and existing enrollees will face direct cuts to their care and be denied medical monitoring and treatment. 

    The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would update the program’s outdated funding formula to ensure adequate funding until the program’s expiration in 2090. The bill would also increase funding for data collection on 9/11-related conditions and expand access to mental health care for program members. 

    “‘Never Forget’ does not mean just commemorating 9/11, it is a promise to always take care of our 9/11 first responders and survivors. That’s why we are introducing legislation to stop funding patches and make this healthcare program funded permanently: now and forever,” said Senator Schumer. “Our 9/11 heroes should not have to come down here year after year, month after month, pleading for the funding for the healthcare they have earned, deserve, and was promised to them. It’s time for America to put its money where its mouth is and prove to the heroes of 9/11 that we mean it when we say will Never Forget.”

    “Yet again, we are introducing a bill to fix a projected funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Thousands of Americans risked their lives to protect our country in its darkest hour, and it is now our responsibility as members of Congress to be there for them as they continue to battle the horrific health ramifications from that day and the many days after. Our bill updates the funding formula for the WTCHP so that no 9/11 hero has to worry about losing coverage year after year. It is beyond time to get this passed, and I look forward to working across the aisle to do so.” 

    “Today, alongside my House and Senate co-leads, responders, and survivors, I was proud to announce the reintroduction of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act,” said Congressman Garbarino. “This legislation would ensure the World Trade Center Health Program has the resources it needs to continue providing care for those suffering from 9/11-related conditions. We made a promise to never forget, and today, we stood together to reaffirm our commitment to delivering on that promise.”

    “While over twenty years have passed since the 9/11attacks, so many of our heroic responders and survivors continue to carry with them the burden of that terrible day as they have fallen sick from the air surrounding Ground Zero,” said Congressman Nadler. “Congress must uphold the promise made to our first responders and survivors by fully funding the WTCHP to provide the injured and their families the aid they need and deserve. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, which will address the funding shortfall to keep the program available for those who need it for years to come.”

    “Every New Yorker has been impacted by the profound loss and devastating pain from the September 11th attacks, including those like me who lived in Lower Manhattan at the time,” said Congressman Goldman. “We owe a permanent debt to the first responders and unwavering support for the survivors who continue to bear the physical and emotional scars. The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act will ensure that these heroes receive the health care they are owed. As representatives of New York, it is our bipartisan duty to guarantee that these American heroes receive the assistance they deserve from the federal government.”

    “Everyone remembers the dark day of 9/11, a day etched in history,” said Congressman Kean. “We honor all who ran toward danger, risking everything to help those in need. As an original cosponsor of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, I am committed to ensuring that the heroes and survivors of 9/11 receive the care and support they deserve. This bill corrects outdated funding formulas, expands mental health resources, and strengthens data collection to address the long-term health impacts of that tragic day. We have a responsibility to stand by those who sacrificed so much, and this legislation reaffirms that commitment.”

    In addition to Reps. Garbarino, Nadler, Goldman, and Kean the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Reps. Michael Lawler (R-NY), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), George Latimer (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Josh Riley (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Nydia Valazquez (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

    “Cancer, COPD, Pulmonary Fibrosis and other serious respiratory illnesses are literally decimating the 9/11 Community from the toxic aftermath of 9/11,” said 9/11 advocate John Feal. “But we fail to mention the Toxic Redundancy in DC that continues to to take its toll on the deathly ill men & women, uniform and non uniform heroes and survivors who continue to travel over and over and over again to implore lawmakers to enact legislation again. The redundancy of traveling, the redundancy of being away from family, the redundancy of telling their stories, and the redundancy of me watching them die one by one. So one more time, no one last time we implore Congress to “ACT” now, so we can be left alone. The WTCHP is a lifeline for 140,000. $3 billion is a small ask for what we have been through dealing with our injuries, illnesses and most of all the redundancy we had to put up with for over two decades now. Together, today “WE” all have the opportunity “NOW” to stop the madness, the cruelty and redundancy!”

    “My name is Mariama James. I’m the daughter of two now late survivors dead of 9/11-related disease, the mom of three young survivors all with multiple WTC Health Program certifications, and I’m a health-impacted survivor myself,” said Mariama James, 9/11 survivor and advocate. “I stepped into this fight as a young woman, believing justice and care would swiftly follow the devastation of 9/11. Now, nearly 24 years later, I stand here still, imploring our leaders: fully and permanently fund the WTC Health Program. Time is not healing, it’s revealing the ongoing toll, and our commitment must match that reality.” 

    “Firefighters and officers are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses every day,” said Jim Brosi, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. “Congress has a duty to uphold the promise made to first responders and ensure the WTCHP is fully funded for as long as our members need care. Access to treatment and medication is the least we can do for those who sacrificed their personal health to save the lives of countless victims.”

    “While it has been nearly 24 years since terrorists attacked our nation on 9/11, we still have daily reminders of the heavy price paid by the NYPD, FDNY, and first responders across this nation who willingly and selflessly answered the call to duty,” said NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) President Vincent Vallelong. “These brave men and women did not delay, they did not hesitate, and their actions in the weeks and months that followed September 11 gave our nation hope and the strength to rebuild.  The original Zadroga Act and the World Trade Center Health Program recognize our nation’s obligation to care for those first responders who sacrificed so much on that fateful day. The SBA is grateful for the continuing strong leadership of Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Garbarino, Sen. Schumer, and the New York delegation in reintroducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act and ensuring Congress fulfills its obligation to fully fund this critical program.”

    ““We walked the halls of Congress in 2010 to enact the World Trade Center Health Program, and again in 2015 to reauthorize this vital program to ensure our nation took care of those suffering from 9/11-related chronic health conditions as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Attacks that left many Port Authority Police Officers with severe disabling and life-threatening illnesses contracted during the selfless performance of their duties in the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery efforts,” said Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association. “The WTCHP is facing a significant funding gap that, if not addressed by Congress, will impact its ability to provide necessary care to our nation’s 9/11 responders and survivors, including the officers we represent. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Representatives Garbarino and Goldman for their support, and we stand with them in urging Congress to pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act now. This is not over…the sacrifice continues.”  

    “We fought for the enactment and near permanent reauthorization of the WTCHP as we view it as our obligation and duty to ensure that responders, who risked their lives to protect us, and survivors continue to receive the care that they deserve,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act honors that obligation and ensures the WTCHP is fully funded. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Garbarino for their leadership and stand with them in support of this legislation.”

    We have vowed to never forget our heroes and survivors of the horrific attacks of 911. Yet, here we stand today, fighting for them once more. The actions Elon Musk has taken against the World Trade Center Health program are as insulting as they are inhumane. Our heroes and survivors deserve the utmost respect and the best possible care. I would like to thank the New York and New Jersey Republican members of Congress, led by Congressman Garbarino, for having the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. Their actions were instrumental in having President Trump rescind the termination of many of the program’s key providers. Standing here in solidarity, hopefully Congressman Garbarino can convince more of his colleagues to do the right thing and fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program. As stated earlier we will never forget, and we will never go away until all our heroes and survivors are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.” said Thomas Hart, President of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act and President of Local 94 International Union of Operating Engineers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

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

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

    Petr Podrouzek/Shutterstock

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Getting Australians around the world

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    More competition for Qantas

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

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

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

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

    Turning things around

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Out of touch pollies?

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

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

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

    Veiled wealth

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

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

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

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

    Uncomfortable questions

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

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

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

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

    Tax loopholes for some

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

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

    Financial vehicles

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

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

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

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

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

    Level the playing field

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

    Shutterstock

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The ‘education gap’

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

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

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

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

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

    Ripple effects of violence against women

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI: Unifiedpost delivers on strategic refocus and improves balance sheet strength

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Press  release – Regulated information –  Inside inforrmation

    La Hulpe, Belgium – February 27, 2025, 7:00 a.m. CET – [REGULATED INFORMATION] Unifiedpost Group SA (Euronext: UPG) (Unifiedpost), a leading provider of integrated business communications solutions, presents its results for FY 2024. Unifedpost has executed its strategic priorities, including portfolio rationalisation, while improving its balance sheet strength and operational efficiencies.

    Strategic & Operational Highlights

    • Completed divestments of FitekIN/ONEA and Wholesale Identity Access Business
    • De-risked balance sheet through partial repayment of Francisco Partners’ senior facility loan by €95m
    • Significantly reduced net debt position by ~€ 73m at year-end
    • Enhanced governance structure with a strengthened Board and new CEO
    • Strategic partnerships delivering value creation across key markets

    FY 2024 Financial Highlights – Continuing operations1

    • Reported first contributions from income from client money2 amounting to €0,7m
    • Steady growth in Subscription and Transaction3 revenue of 8,2% y/y and 9,3% y/y, respectively
    • Digital service gross margin (incl. net income from client money) increased by 1,7%pts y/y to 59,7%
    • EBITDA (incl. net income from client money) improved to € -9,2m from € -11,0m in FY 2024

    FY 2025 Guidance (based on current reporting structure)

    • ~25% increase in Subscription revenue, with a gradual improvement expected throughout the year
    • FCF4 positive by year-end

    Commenting on the FY 2024 results, Nicolas de Beco, CEO, remarked: “2024 was marked by strategic refocusing and important structural changes. We have streamlined our business with the completed divestments of FitekIN/ONEA and the Wholesale Identify Access Business, the reduction of complexity and the de-risking of our balance sheet. While our financial performance reflects these necessary adjustments, this marks a key turning point – we have established a solid framework which allows us to move forward with greater clarity and direction. There is strong engagement from our customers, teams, and stakeholders.

    Looking to 2025, we have a clear roadmap and a strong commitment to execution. Our focus will be on selected geographies where e-invoicing regulations are expected to come into force within the next 12-18 months, strengthening strategic partnerships, and embedding payment solutions as a key upselling driver. At the same time, we remain committed to disciplined cost and cash management. As a SaaS business, accelerating growth remains a priority. We have set clear subscription revenue targets for the next 12 months, and with continued discipline, collaboration, and focus, we are well-placed to make progress on our objectives.”

    Key financial figures – Continuing operations1 (unless otherwise stated)

    (EUR thousands) FY 2024 FY 2023 Change (%)
    Group revenue and income from client money 84.273 94.169 -10,5%
    Digital service revenue 47.132 50.336 -6,4%
               Subscription 14.435 13.343 +8,2%
               Transaction 20.192 18.472 +9,3%
    • of which includes income from client money2
    		 723 – N/A
                Other 12.505 18.521 -32,5%
    Traditional communication service revenue 37.141 43.833 -15,3%
    Gross profit digital services (incl. net income from client money) 28.119 29.207 -3,7%
    Gross margin digital services 59,7% 58,0% +1,7%pts
    EBITDA (incl. net income from client money) (9.204) (11.032) 16,6%
    Profit/(loss) for the period (continuing and discontinuing operations)5 71.195 (83.146) N/A
    Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period6 14.525 22.534 -35,5%

    Portfolio rationalisation and value crystallisation

    Throughout 2024, Unifiedpost executed several strategic divestments of non-core assets that substantially strengthened its financial position while maintaining valuable commercial partnerships.

    In July, Unifiedpost completed the divestment of FitekIN/ONEA for €7,2m and announced the sale of 21 Grams to PostNord Strålfors, which remains subject to regulatory approval from the Swedish Competition Authority.

    In December, Unifiedpost completed the sale of its Wholesale Identity Access Business to Your.World B.V. for an aggregate equity purchase price projected between € 108,4m and € 116,1m, subject to the realisation of the earn-out condition. Unifiedpost has utilised part of the proceeds from the sale of the Wholesale Identity Access business to reduce its debt obligations to Francisco Partners Credit. Upon completion of the transaction, Unifiedpost repaid a principal amount of €75 million, along with accrued and due interest, bringing the total repayment to €94,8 million. The remaining balance is expected to be paid back within 2025.

    Looking ahead, Unifiedpost will continue to evaluate opportunities for divesting non-digital services as part of its strategic focus on core digital offerings and platform development.

    Digital services business

    Both subscription and transaction revenue reported steady growth of 8,2% and 9,3% y/y, respectively. Meanwhile, other revenue decreased from € 18,5m to € 12,5m, reflecting a higher base effect from one-off deals in Q4 2023, and the ending of low margin professional service contracts.

    The gross margin percentage increased by 1,7% pts y/y to 59,7%, driven by two key factors: (i) improvement in cost efficiencies, and (ii) income from client money.

    The income from client money, results from leveraging our network and upselling embedded payment services. Income from client money amounted to € 0,7m in 2024, with momentum building in the fourth quarter.

    Moving forward, Unifiedpost will focus on accelerating subscription revenue growth as a key performance indicator. This growth will primarily be driven by opportunities in core European geographies where regulatory requirements for e-invoicing and digital business communications are expected to come into force within the next 12-18 months. Unifiedpost is positioned to capitalise on these regulatory catalysts, particularly in Benelux, France and Germany, where mandatory e-invoicing requirements will create market opportunities.

    Furthermore, the European Commission’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) initiative represents a shift in digital reporting and e-invoicing requirements across the EU, creating additional momentum for digital adoption. This regulatory framework will require businesses to implement digital solutions for real-time transaction reporting and e-invoicing, aligning with Unifiedpost’s platform capabilities and market positioning.

    Traditional communication services business

    Traditional communication services revenue decreased as expected (€ 37,1m in FY 2024 compared to € 43,8m in FY 2023), driven by a continued shift towards digital solutions and a decrease in managed service volumes. This led to a corresponding reduction in gross profit of € 2,9m. Additionally, the gross margin percentage decreased by 3,0%pts to 23,9%.

    Execution of cost-saving plan 2023-2024

    Unifiedpost launched a cost-saving plan in 2023, resulting in an overall cost decrease of € 5,9m y/y and a decrease in cash outflows of € 6,9m y/y.

    • R&D expenses decreased from € 18,4m y/y to € 17,0m. The cash component within these costs decreased by € 3,2m, while non-cash expenses (amortisation) rose by € 1,8m.
    • G&A expenses decreased from € 34,0m y/y to € 30,9m. Expenses for 2024 included € 0,7m in non-recurring costs directly associated with legal and consultancy costs.
    • S&M expenses decreased from € 21,1m y/y to € 19,6m.

    Significantly reduced net debt position by ~€73m at year end

    As at December 31, 2024, the net debt position amounts to € 29,5m, a decrease of € 72,9m compared to December 31, 2023.
    At the end of 2024, Unifiedpost reported a financial position with cash and cash equivalents totalling € 14,5m, including € 1,2m of restricted cash.

    Management remains committed to achieving a positive free cash flow7 position by the end of 2025. 

    Statement from the external auditor

    We are currently finalising the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Our independent auditor has confirmed that its audit procedures in relation to the financial information for the year ended 31 December 2024 as included in this press release are substantially completed and have not revealed any material corrections required to be made to the financial information included in this press release. Should any material changes arise during the audit’s finalisation, an additional press release will be issued.

    Investors & Media webcast

    Management will host a live video webcast for analysts, investors and media today at 11:00 a.m. CET.

    To register and attend the webcast, please click here:

    https://unifiedpost-group-full-year-2024-financial-results.open-exchange.net/registration

    A full replay will be available after the webcast at: https://investors.unifiedpostgroup.com/

    Financial Calendar:

    • 17 April 2025: Publication of the Annual Report for 2024
    • 20 May 2025: General Shareholder Meeting
    • 23 May 2025: Publication of the Q1 2025 business update
    • 26 August 2025: Publication of the H1 2025 results (webcast)

    Contact

    Alex Nicoll
    Investor Relations
    Unifiedpost Group
    alex.nicoll@unifiedpost.com

    Consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income (unaudited)

    Thousands of Euro, except per share data   For the period ended 31 December
        2024 2023 (*)
           
    Digital services revenues   46.409 50.336
    Digital services cost of services   (18.874) (21,129)
    Digital services gross profit   27,535 29.207
           
    Traditional communication services revenues   37.141 43.833
    Traditional communication services cost of services   (28.282) (32,075)
    Traditional communication services gross profit   8.859 11.758
           
    Research and development expenses   (17.022) (18.414)
    General and administrative expenses   (30.924) (33.961)
    Selling and marketing expenses   (19.592) (21.074)
    Other income / (expenses) – net   (1.160) (72)
    Net impairment losses   – (39.000)
    Loss from operations   (32.305) (71.556)
           
    Net financial income from client money   584 –
    Financial income   268 62
    Financial expenses   (22.998) (15.441)
    Share of profit / (loss) of associates and joint ventures   146 (573)
    Gain upon losing control over a subsidiary   3,972 –
    Loss before tax   (50.333) (87.508)
           
    Corporate income tax   (846) (745)
    Deferred tax   152 243
    LOSS FOR THE PERIOD FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS   (51.027) (88.011)
           
    Net profit from discontinued operations   122.222 4.865
    PROFIT / (LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD   71.195 (83.146)
    Other comprehensive income / (loss):   (656) (15)
    Items that will not be reclassified to profit or loss, net of tax:      
    Remeasurements of defined benefit pension obligations   (37) 123
    Items that will or may be reclassified to profit or loss, net of tax:      
    Exchange gains arising on translation of foreign operations   104 36
    Exchange losses arising on translation of foreign operations related to discontinued operations   (723) (174)
    TOTAL COMPREHENSIVE PROFIT / (LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD   70.539 (83.161)
    Total loss for the period is attributable to:      
    Owners of the parent   71,031 (83,899)
    Continuing operations   (51,191) (88,764)
    Discontinued operations   122,222 4,865
    Non-controlling interests   164 753
    Total comprehensive loss for the period is attributable to:      
    Owners of the parent   70,375 (83,914)
    Continuing operations   (51,124) (88,604)
    Discontinued operations   121,499 4,690
    Non-controlling interests   164 753
    Profit/(loss) per share attributable to the equity holders of the parent:      
    Basic   1,94 (2,32)
    Diluted   1,94 (2,32)
    Loss from continuing operations per share attributable to the equity holders of the parent:      
    Basic   (1,41) (2,46)
    Diluted   (1,41) (2,46)

    (*) The comparative figures for period ended 31 December 2023 have been restated to reflect the restatement of the profit and loss related to the discontinued operations in accordance with IFRS 5

    Consolidated statement of financial position (unaudited)

    Thousands of Euro   As at 31 December As at 31 December
        2024 2023
           
    ASSETS      
    Goodwill   92.048 113.069
    Other intangible assets   66.725 82.856
    Property and equipment   1.486 7.420
    Right-of-use-assets   9.391 9.734
    Investments in associates   2.400 1.493
    Deferred tax assets   39 776
    Other non-current assets   3.036 2.561
    Non-current assets   175.125 217.909
    Inventories   544 612
    Trade and other receivables   16.494 25.318
    Contingent consideration receivable   7.774 –
    Current tax assets   291 770
    Prepaid expenses   1.483 1.901
    Restricted cash related to client money8   75.798 3.789
    Cash and cash equivalents   14.525 22.534
    Current assets from continuing operations   116.909 54.924
    Assets classified as held for sale   31.250 5.145
    Current assets   148.159 60.069
    TOTAL ASSETS   323.284 277.978
           
    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND LIABILITIES      
    Share capital   329.238 326.806
    Costs related to equity issuance   (16.029) (16.029)
    Share premium reserve   492 492
    Accumulated deficit   (164.603) (232.257)
    Reserve for share-based payments   175 1.831
    Other reserve   2.697 (1.581)
    Cumulative translation adjustment reserve   (4.470) (3.851)
    Equity attributable to equity holders of the parent   147.500 75.411
    Non-controlling interests   758 499
    Total shareholders’ equity   148.258 75.910
    Non-current loans and borrowings   29.010 110.517
    Liabilities associated with puttable non-controlling interests     200
    Non-current lease liabilities   6.376 6.193
    Non-current contract liabilities   387 4.430
    Deferred tax liabilities   1.463 4.636
    Non-current liabilities   37.236 125.976
    Current loans and borrowings   5.698 5.059
    Current liabilities associated with puttable non-controlling interests   3.980 7.560
    Current lease liabilities   3.232 3.547
    Trade and other payables   31.127 40.194
    Liabilities related to client money8   75.774 3.736
    Contract liabilities   5.330 13.487
    Current income tax liabilities   410 1.845
    Current liabilities from continuing operations   125.551 75.428
    Liabilities directly associated with assets classified as held for sale   12.239 664
    Current liabilities   137.790 76.092
    TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES   323.284 277.978

    Consolidated statement of changes in equity (unaudited)

    Thousands of Euro

     

    		  

     

     

     

    		 Share capital Costs related to equity issuance Share premium reserve Accumulated deficit Share based payments Other reserves Cumulative translation adjustment reserve Non-controlling interests Total equity
    Balance at 1 Jan 2024 326.806 (16.029) 492 (232.257) 1.831 (1.581) (3.851) 499 75.910
                         
    Result for the period   – – – 71.031 – – – 164 71.195
                         
    Other comprehensive income / (loss)   – – – (37) – – (619) – (656)
    Total comprehensive loss for the period   – – – 70.994 – – (619) 164 70.539
                         
    Conversion subscription rights   2.432 – – – (1.656) 1.656 – – 2.432
                         
    Current period profit AND OCI of NCI with put option   – – – – – 171 – (171) –
                         
    Changes in carrying value of liabilities associated with puttable NCI   – – – – – 280 – – 280
                         
    Acquisition of 20% of the shares in Unifiedpost d.o.o.   – – – (2.437) – 2.437 – – –
                         
    Release of NCI due to acquisition of 20% of the shares in Unifiedpost d.o.o.   – – – – – (266) – 266 –
                         
    Dividend payments   – – – (965) – – – – (965)
                         
    Other   – – – 62 – – – – 62
                         
    Balance at 31 Dec 2024 329.238 (16.029) 492 (164.603) 175 2.697 (4.470) 758 148.258
    Thousands of Euro

     

     

     

    		 Share capital Costs related to equity issuance Share premium reserve Accumulated deficit Share based payments Other reserves Cumulative translation adjustment reserve Non-controlling interests Total equity
    Balance at 1 Jan 2023 326.806 (16.029) 492 (148.497) 1.813 (2.864) (3.713) 281 158.290
                         
    Result for the period   – – – (83.899) – – – 753 (83.146)
                         
    Other comprehensive income / (loss)   – – – 123 – – (138) – (15)
    Total comprehensive loss for the period   – – – (83.776) – – (138) 753 (83.161)
                         
    Share-based payments   – – – – 18 – – – 18
                         
    Current period profit AND OCI of NCI with put option   – – – – – 535 – (535) –
                         
    Changes in carrying value of liabilities associated with puttable NCI   – – – – – 750 – – 750
                         
    Other   – – – 16 – (3) – – 13
                         
    Balance at 31 Dec 2023 326.806 (16.029) 492 (232.257) 1.831 (1.581) (3.851) 499 75.910

    Consolidated statement of cash flows (unaudited)

    Thousands of Euro For the period ended 31 December
        2024 2023
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES      
    Loss for the period   71.195 (83.146)
    Adjustments for:      
    • Amortisation and impairment of intangible fixed assets
    		   20.546 21.332
    • Impairment losses of goodwill
    		   – 38.574
    • Depreciation of property. plant & equipment
    		   1.041 1.489
    • Depreciation of right-of-use-assets
    		   4.129 4.429
    • Impairment of trade receivables
    		   (389) 335
    • Gain on disposal of fixed assets
    		   (15) (33)
    • Financial income
    		   (334) (174)
    • Financial expenses
    		   23.579 15.910
    • (Gain) realised upon losing control over subsidiaries
    		   (124.168) –
    • Loss of remeasurement at fair value less costs to sell for disposal groups
    		   6.342 –
    • Share of profit / (loss) of associate
    		   (146) 573
    • Income tax expense / (income)
    		   3.894 2.319
    • Deferred income tax expense
    		   (841) (1.387)
    • Share-based payment expense / own shares
    		   – 18
    Subtotal   4.833 238
           
    Changes in Working Capital      
    • (Increase) / decrease in trade receivables and contract assets
    		   (5.318)                         6.145
    • (Increase) / decrease in other current and non-current receivables
    		   (448) (61)
    • (Increase) / decrease in inventories
    		   (93) 209
    • Increase / (decrease) in trade and other liabilities
    		   9.420 7.729
    Cash generated from / (used in) operations   8.394 14.260
    Income taxes paid   (1.763) (3.222)
    Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities   6.631 11.038
           
    CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES      
    Payments made for the purchase of associate   (282) –
    Payments received for divestment of business   114.388 –
    Payments made for the purchase of intangibles and development expenses   (16.015) (16.372)
    Proceeds from the disposal of intangibles and development expenses   415 15
    Payments made for the purchase of property, plant & equipment   (247) (739)
    Proceeds from the disposal of property, plant & equipment   442 17
    Interest received   – 175
    Net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities   98.701 (16.904)
           
    CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES      
    Conversion of subscription rights   2.432 –
    Proceeds from loans and borrowings   2.720 3.913
    Repayments of loans and borrowings – Francisco Partners   (75.000) –
    Repayments of loans and borrowings – other   (6.813) (6.367)
    Repayment of lease liabilities   (4.485) (4.524)
    Interest received   334 –
    Interest paid on loans and borrowings – Francisco Partners   (21.590) (3.286)
    Interest paid on loans and borrowings – other   (1.898) (1.295)
    Net cash provided by / (used in) financing activities   (104.300) (11.559)
    FX impact cash   (487) –
    Net increase / (decrease) in cash & cash equivalents   545 (17.425)
    Cash classified within current assets held for sale   (5.423) (74)
    Cash movement due to change in the consolidation range   (3.131) –
    Net increase/(decrease) in cash & cash equivalents, including cash classified within current assets held for sale   (8.009) (17.499)
    Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period   22.534 40.033
    Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period   14.525 22.534
           
           
           
               

    About Unifiedpost Group

    Unifiedpost is a leading SaaS company for SME business services built on “Documents”, “Identity” and “Payments”. Unifiedpost operates and develops a 100% SaaS-based platform for administrative and financial services that allows real-time and seamless connections between Unifiedpost’s customers, their suppliers, their customers, and other parties along the financial value chain. With its one-stop-shop solutions, Unifiedpost’s mission is to make administrative and financial processes simple and smart for its customers. For more information about Unifiedpost Group and its offerings, please visit our website: Unifiedpost Group | Global leaders in digital solutions

    Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: The statements contained herein may include prospects, statements of future expectations, opinions, and other forward-looking statements in relation to the expected future performance of Unifiedpost Group and the markets in which it is active. Such forward-looking statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions regarding future events. By nature, they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that appear justified at the time at which they are made but may not turn out to be accurate. Actual results, performance or events may, therefore, differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, Unifiedpost Group does not undertake any obligation to update, clarify or correct any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in light of new information, future events or otherwise and disclaims any liability in respect hereto. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

    1 Excludes discontinued operations: Wholesale Identity Access Business and 21 Grams

    2 Money a company receives from or holds for, or on behalf of, a client (application IAS 7)

    3 Income from client money is a result of e-payment services and is included in digital services transaction revenue

    4 Free cash flow is defined as net income (i) plus non-cash items in the income statement, (ii) minus cash out for IFRS 16 adjustments, (iii) minus capital expenditure, (iv) minus reimbursement on loans and leasing for the reporting period

    5 Including capital gains from divested transactions

    6 Excluding restricted cash related to client money

    7 Free cash flow is defined as net income (i) plus non-cash items in the income statement, (ii) minus cash out for IFRS 16 adjustments, (iii) minus capital expenditure, (iv) minus reimbursement on loans and leasing for the reporting period

    8 The comparative figures 2023 have been restated to demonstrate the accounting policy related to client money.

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Update: Incident Port Noarlunga

    Source: South Australia Police

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

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

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

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

    There are no suspicious circumstances.

    MIL OSI News –

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

    Source: Government of Victoria 3

    Key messages

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

    What is the issue?

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The Royal Melbourne Hospital Emergency Department

    300 Grattan St, Parkville VIC 3050

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

    The Royal Melbourne Hospital-Emergency Department

    300 Grattan St, Parkville VIC 3050

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

    DiagnostiCare Specialist Radiology Clinic

    Unit 46/235 Milleara Rd, Keilor East VIC 3033

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

    Australian Clinical Labs

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

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

    Eastbrooke Family Clinic Lincolnville

    493-495 Keilor Road, Niddrie VIC 3042

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

    Bendigo Hospital – Emergency Department

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

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

    Chemist Warehouse Airport West

    Westfield Airport West

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

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

    Keilor East Leisure Centre Swimming Pool

    84 Quinn Grove, Keilor East VIC 3033

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

    Epsom Village

    16-20 Howard St, Epsom VIC 3551

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

    Epsom Village Pizza

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

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

    Chemist Warehouse Epsom

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

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

    Woolworths Epsom

    16/40 Howard St, Bendigo VIC 3550

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

    Aldi Epsom

    182/192 Midland Hwy, Epsom VIC 3551

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

    Coles Bendigo

    Williamson St & Myers St, Bendigo VIC 3550

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

    Oscar Nails and Beauty

    305a Buckley St, Aberfeldie VIC, 3040

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

    Lansell Square

    267 High St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555

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

    Coles Lansell Square

    267 – 283 High St, Kangaroo Flat VIC 3555

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

    Highpoint Shopping Center

    120-200 Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong VIC 3032

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

    Timezone Highpoint

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

    		 Sunday 9 March 2025

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

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

    Who is at risk?

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

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

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

    Symptoms and transmission

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

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

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

    Figures: Example of a typical measles rash

    Recommendations

    For the general public

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

    For health professionals

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

    MIL OSI News –

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

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

    Al Cruz/Unsplash

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

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

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

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

    The categorical approach

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

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

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

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

    Then, the listings become increasingly complex:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

    Is it just about neurological pathways?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Pleasure for purpose

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The Conversation

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

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

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

    Roadwarrior Photography/Shutterstock

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

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

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

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

    Valuing our ecosystems

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The accounts also track changes in Australia’s ecosystems.

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

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

    Why do we need ecosystem accounting?

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

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

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

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

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

    Boundless plains and golden soil, girt by sea

    The accounts distinguish between environmental “realms”.

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

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

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

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

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

    Where to now?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Seasonal bushfire outlook – Autumn

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    It is recommended that residents:

    Close windows and bring any washing in.

    Anticipate smoky conditions for the duration of the burns.

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

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

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

    Media contact
    Rickie Abraham

    8923 9303

    MIL OSI News –

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

    Source: New Zealand Government

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Incident at Port Noarlunga

    Source: South Australia Police

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

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

    Paramedics are currently treating the patient.

    Further updates will be provided when known.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Injured skipper rescued from yach near Eddystone Point

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Injured skipper rescued from yach near Eddystone Point

    Thursday, 27 February 2025 – 2:58 pm.

    A man has been rescued after being injured while sailing from George Town to Hobart yesterday.
    A distress call was received by Tas Maritime Radio about 2.30pm Wednesday after the skipper of a yacht – who was sailing alone – had been struck in the head by the yacht’s boom.
    Tasmania Police’s Northern Marine Services was contacted and police boarded a St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue vessel along with an Ambulance Tasmania paramedic.
    The man was treated on the yacht by the paramedic while the vessel was skippered by police to Binalong Bay.
    The patient was transferred from the yacht about 9pm and transported to St Helens District Hospital for assessment.
    Tasmania Police would like to thank the members of St Helens Volunteer Marine Rescue for their assistance and skill during difficult sailing conditions.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What’s the difference between burnout and depression?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gordon Parker, Scientia Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney

    Yuri A/Shutterstock

    If your summer holiday already feels like a distant memory, you’re not alone. Burnout – a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion following prolonged stress – has been described in workplaces since a 5th century monastery in Egypt.

    Burnout and depression can look similar and are relatively common conditions. It’s estimated that 30% of the Australian workforce is feeling some level of burnout, while almost 20% of Australians are diagnosed with depression at some point in their lives.

    So what’s the difference between burnout and depression?

    Depression is marked by helplessness and burnout by hopelessness. They can have different causes and should also be managed differently.

    What is burnout?

    The World Health Organization defines burnout as an “occupational phenomenon” resulting from excessively demanding workload pressures. While it is typically associated with the workplace, carers of children or elderly parents with demanding needs are also at risk.

    Our research created a set of burnout symptoms we captured in the Sydney Burnout Measure to assist self-diagnosis and clinicians undertaking assessments. They include:

    • exhaustion as the primary symptom

    • brain fog (poor concentration and memory)

    • difficulty finding pleasure in anything

    • social withdrawal

    • an unsettled mood (feeling anxious and irritable)

    • impaired work performance (this may be result of other symptoms such as fatigue).

    People can develop a “burning out” phase after intense work demands over only a week or two. A “burnout” stage usually follows years of unrelenting work pressure.

    What is depression?

    A depressive episode involves a drop in self-worth, increase in self-criticism and feelings of wanting to give up. Not everyone with these symptoms will have clinical depression, which requires a diagnosis and has an additional set of symptoms.

    Clinically diagnosed depression can vary by mood, how long it lasts and whether it comes back. There are two types of clinical depression:

    1. melancholic depression has genetic causes, with episodes largely coming “out of the blue”

    2. non-melancholic depression is caused by environmental factors, often triggered by significant life events which cause a drop in self-worth.

    When we created our burnout measure, we compared burnout symptoms with these two types of depression.

    Burnout shares some features with melancholic depression, but they tend to be general symptoms, such as feeling a loss of pleasure, energy and concentration skills.

    We found there were more similarities between burnout and non-melancholic (environmental) depression. This included a lack of motivation and difficulties sleeping or being cheered up, perhaps reflecting the fact both have environmental causes.

    Looking for the root cause

    The differences between burnout and depression become clearer when we look at why they happen.

    Personality comes into play. Our work suggests a trait like perfectionism puts people at a much higher risk of burnout. But they may be less likely to become depressed as they tend to avoid stressful events and keep things under control.

    Excessive workloads can contribute to burnout.
    tartanparty/Shutterstock

    Those with burnout generally feel overwhelmed by demands or deadlines they can’t meet, creating a sense of helplessness.

    On the other hand, those with depression report lowered self-esteem. So rather than helpless they feel that they and their future is hopeless.

    However it is not uncommon for someone to experience both burnout and depression at once. For example, a boss may place excessive work demands on an employee, putting them at risk of burnout. At the same time, the employer may also humiliate that employee and contribute to an episode of non-melancholic depression.

    What can you do?

    A principal strategy in managing burnout is identifying the contributing stressors. For many people, this is the workplace. Taking a break, even a short one, or scheduling some time off can help.

    Australians now have the right to disconnect, meaning they don’t have to answer work phone calls or emails after hours. Setting boundaries can help separate home and work life.



    Read more:
    Australians now have the right to disconnect – but how workplaces react will be crucial

    Burnout can be also be caused by compromised work roles, work insecurity or inequity. More broadly, a dictatorial organisational structure can make employees feel devalued. In the workplace, environmental factors, such as excessive noise, can be a contributor. Addressing these factors can help prevent burnout.

    As for managing symptoms, the monks had the right idea. Strenuous exercise, meditation and mindfulness are effective ways to deal with everyday stress.

    Regular exercise can help manage symptoms of burnout.
    alexei_tm/Shutterstock

    Deeper contributing factors, including traits such as perfectionism, should be managed by a skilled clinical psychologist.

    For melancholic depression, clinicians will often recommend antidepressant medication.

    For non-melancholic depression, clinicians will help address and manage triggers that are the root cause. Others will benefit from antidepressants or formal psychotherapy.

    While misdiagnosis between depression and burnout can occur, burnout can mimic other medical conditions such as anemia or hypothyroidism.

    For the right diagnosis, it’s best to speak to your doctor or clinician who should seek to obtain a sense of “the whole picture”. Only then, once a burnout diagnsois has been affirmed and other possible causes ruled out, should effective support strategies be put in place.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

    Gordon Parker receives funding from the University of of NSW.

    – ref. What’s the difference between burnout and depression? – https://theconversation.com/whats-the-difference-between-burnout-and-depression-250043

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gillibrand, Schumer, Garbarino, Nadler, Kean, Goldman Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation To Fix World Trade Center Health Program Funding Shortfall

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
    Without Congressional Action, The WTCHP Will Have To Start Turning Away First Responders And Survivors, Cut Back Access To Care For Existing Enrollees By 2028
    Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Representatives Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), and Dan Goldman (D-NY) joined advocates and survivors to introduce the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025. Representative Tom Kean (R-NJ) is also an original House cosponsor. 
    Despite recent congressional action, the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) continues to face an impending funding shortfall. As a result, by October 2028, the program will be forced to close enrollment to new 9/11 responders and survivors, and existing enrollees will face direct cuts to their care and be denied medical monitoring and treatment. 
    The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 would update the program’s outdated funding formula to ensure adequate funding until the program’s expiration in 2090. The bill would also increase funding for data collection on 9/11-related conditions and expand access to mental health care for program members. 
    A full recording of the press conference is available here. 
    “Yet again, we are introducing a bill to fix a projected funding shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Thousands of Americans risked their lives to protect our country in its darkest hour, and it is now our responsibility as members of Congress to be there for them as they continue to battle the horrific health ramifications from that day and the many days after. Our bill updates the funding formula for the WTCHP so that no 9/11 hero has to worry about losing coverage year after year. It is beyond time to get this passed, and I look forward to working across the aisle to do so.” 
    “‘Never Forget’ does not mean just commemorating 9/11, it is a promise to always take care of our 9/11 first responders and survivors. That’s why we are introducing legislation to stop funding patches and make this healthcare program funded permanently: now and forever,” said Senator Schumer. “Our 9/11 heroes should not have to come down here year after year, month after month, pleading for the funding for the healthcare they have earned, deserve, and was promised to them. It’s time for America to put its money where its mouth is and prove to the heroes of 9/11 that we mean it when we say will Never Forget.”
    “Today, alongside my House and Senate co-leads, responders, and survivors, I was proud to announce the reintroduction of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act,” said Congressman Garbarino. “This legislation would ensure the World Trade Center Health Program has the resources it needs to continue providing care for those suffering from 9/11-related conditions. We made a promise to never forget, and today, we stood together to reaffirm our commitment to delivering on that promise.”
    “While over twenty years have passed since the 9/11attacks, so many of our heroic responders and survivors continue to carry with them the burden of that terrible day as they have fallen sick from the air surrounding Ground Zero,” said Congressman Nadler. “Congress must uphold the promise made to our first responders and survivors by fully funding the WTCHP to provide the injured and their families the aid they need and deserve. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, which will address the funding shortfall to keep the program available for those who need it for years to come.”
    “Every New Yorker has been impacted by the profound loss and devastating pain from the September 11th attacks, including those like me who lived in Lower Manhattan at the time,” said Congressman Goldman. “We owe a permanent debt to the first responders and unwavering support for the survivors who continue to bear the physical and emotional scars. The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act will ensure that these heroes receive the health care they are owed. As representatives of New York, it is our bipartisan duty to guarantee that these American heroes receive the assistance they deserve from the federal government.”
    “Everyone remembers the dark day of 9/11, a day etched in history,” said Congressman Kean. “We honor all who ran toward danger, risking everything to help those in need. As an original cosponsor of the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025, I am committed to ensuring that the heroes and survivors of 9/11 receive the care and support they deserve. This bill corrects outdated funding formulas, expands mental health resources, and strengthens data collection to address the long-term health impacts of that tragic day. We have a responsibility to stand by those who sacrificed so much, and this legislation reaffirms that commitment.”
    In addition to Reps. Garbarino, Nadler, Goldman, and Kean the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act of 2025 is cosponsored by Reps. Michael Lawler (R-NY), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), George Latimer (D-NY), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Nick Langworthy (R-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Pat Ryan (D-NY), Josh Riley (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Nydia Valazquez (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tim Kennedy (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
    “Cancer, COPD, Pulmonary Fibrosis and other serious respiratory illnesses are literally decimating the 9/11 Community from the toxic aftermath of 9/11,” said 9/11 advocate John Feal. “But we fail to mention the Toxic Redundancy in DC that continues to to take its toll on the deathly ill men & women, uniform and non uniform heroes and survivors who continue to travel over and over and over again to implore lawmakers to enact legislation again. The redundancy of traveling, the redundancy of being away from family, the redundancy of telling their stories, and the redundancy of me watching them die one by one. So one more time, no one last time we implore Congress to “ACT” now, so we can be left alone. The WTCHP is a lifeline for 140,000. $3 billion is a small ask for what we have been through dealing with our injuries, illnesses and most of all the redundancy we had to put up with for over two decades now. Together, today “WE” all have the opportunity “NOW” to stop the madness, the cruelty and redundancy!”
    “My name is Mariama James. I’m the daughter of two now late survivors dead of 9/11-related disease, the mom of three young survivors all with multiple WTC Health Program certifications, and I’m a health-impacted survivor myself,” said Mariama James, 9/11 survivor and advocate. “I stepped into this fight as a young woman, believing justice and care would swiftly follow the devastation of 9/11. Now, nearly 24 years later, I stand here still, imploring our leaders: fully and permanently fund the WTC Health Program. Time is not healing, it’s revealing the ongoing toll, and our commitment must match that reality.” 
    “Firefighters and officers are suffering from 9/11-related illnesses every day,” said Jim Brosi, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association. “Congress has a duty to uphold the promise made to first responders and ensure the WTCHP is fully funded for as long as our members need care. Access to treatment and medication is the least we can do for those who sacrificed their personal health to save the lives of countless victims.”
    “While it has been nearly 24 years since terrorists attacked our nation on 9/11, we still have daily reminders of the heavy price paid by the NYPD, FDNY, and first responders across this nation who willingly and selflessly answered the call to duty,” said NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) President Vincent Vallelong. “These brave men and women did not delay, they did not hesitate, and their actions in the weeks and months that followed September 11 gave our nation hope and the strength to rebuild.  The original Zadroga Act and the World Trade Center Health Program recognize our nation’s obligation to care for those first responders who sacrificed so much on that fateful day. The SBA is grateful for the continuing strong leadership of Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Garbarino, Sen. Schumer, and the New York delegation in reintroducing the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act and ensuring Congress fulfills its obligation to fully fund this critical program.”
    ““We walked the halls of Congress in 2010 to enact the World Trade Center Health Program, and again in 2015 to reauthorize this vital program to ensure our nation took care of those suffering from 9/11-related chronic health conditions as a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Attacks that left many Port Authority Police Officers with severe disabling and life-threatening illnesses contracted during the selfless performance of their duties in the World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery efforts,” said Frank Conti, President of the Port Authority Police Benevolent Association. “The WTCHP is facing a significant funding gap that, if not addressed by Congress, will impact its ability to provide necessary care to our nation’s 9/11 responders and survivors, including the officers we represent. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Representatives Garbarino and Goldman for their support, and we stand with them in urging Congress to pass the 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act now. This is not over…the sacrifice continues.”  
    “We fought for the enactment and near permanent reauthorization of the WTCHP as we view it as our obligation and duty to ensure that responders, who risked their lives to protect us, and survivors continue to receive the care that they deserve,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “The 9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act honors that obligation and ensures the WTCHP is fully funded. We thank Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Garbarino for their leadership and stand with them in support of this legislation.”
    We have vowed to never forget our heroes and survivors of the horrific attacks of 911. Yet, here we stand today, fighting for them once more. The actions Elon Musk has taken against the World Trade Center Health program are as insulting as they are inhumane. Our heroes and survivors deserve the utmost respect and the best possible care. I would like to thank the New York and New Jersey Republican members of Congress, led by Congressman Garbarino, for having the courage to stand shoulder to shoulder with us. Their actions were instrumental in having President Trump rescind the termination of many of the program’s key providers. Standing here in solidarity, hopefully Congressman Garbarino can convince more of his colleagues to do the right thing and fully fund the World Trade Center Health Program. As stated earlier we will never forget, and we will never go away until all our heroes and survivors are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.” said Thomas Hart, President of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act and President of Local 94 International Union of Operating Engineers.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Wāhine toa and women’s health champion a finalist for Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year – Vic

    Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

    Professor Bev Lawton ONZM (Ngāti Porou), founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington’s national centre for women’s health research, gets up every morning to save lives—and she’s up for the 2025 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year award for her groundbreaking research.

    Throughout her career, first as a GP, then as founder of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine, Bev has sought to reduce preventable harm and death for Māori and non-Māori women, their children and whānau. With a kaupapa Māori lens, she focuses on clinical care pathways, and systems to identify how these can better perform for women, babies, and whānau.

    “Every member of my team works to eliminate preventable harm and death for women, babies, and whānau. One such goal includes eliminating cervical cancer. With the taonga of vaccination, and HPV self-testing, this is now achievable,” says Bev.

    The achievement Bev is most proud of in her career is her advocacy for HPV self-testing. She says, “The voices of women in Aotearoa New Zealand have contributed to everything about the way in which this programme has been implemented. It was research in real-time. Those that had had the test as part of research projects, were informing the programme as it was being rolled out.”

    “Regularly I meet people who tell me they were not just happy to do their HPV self-test, they were proud of it—because they own it, and they tell their friends to do it too. It is reaching a lot of people. Screening rates are going up.”

    Bev is a partner in the ongoing campaign to eliminate cervical cancer. “We have the tools, but it will require funding, and a plan. The introduction of HPV self-testing in September 2023 is a fantastic step, but our HPV vaccination coverage is very low in comparison to Australia, where their government has committed nearly $50m to support the national elimination strategy.

    “If I had a wish, it is that tomorrow, myself and every woman in Aotearoa be literally or figuratively, standing behind the Minister of Health when they announce their commitment to resourcing a cervical cancer elimination strategy.”

    Previous Patron of Te Tātai Hauora o Hine and advisory board member Dame Silvia Cartwright says, “Over many years of association with Bev, I have been deeply impressed both by the quality and breadth of her research, but also by the skill she has demonstrated in nurturing the work of a whole generation of younger researchers who share her passion for the improvement in health care delivery. Bev has the rare ability to gather wide support for her work, but also to make it available at every level of the health care community. Her academic rigour and advocacy for improvement in health care together make her stand out in a field where it is notoriously difficult to achieve real, practical results.”

    Working with iwi and communities, including Ngāti Pāhauwera, Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Toa, Bev leads projects and programmes to create positive, long term health system transformation. Each, she says, comes from years of relationship-building across iwi, hapū, health care providers and champions—all with the overall goal or serving community to reduce harm and save lives.

    Bev speaks to the impact of having a rōpū Kaumātua advising her, saying, “The kaumātua ensure our mahi is tika (true) and responds to community. I get the right people on the waka. It’s not just my effort that has achieved the successes we have had in women’s health. It takes a lot of people to make this happen, as well as our vision for māmā and pēpi flourishing,” says Bev.

    Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Māori, Professor Rawinia Higgins says, “Bev’s career exemplifies how research can create real-life, meaningful change. Her research shapes a better world, where women and children live longer, healthier lives.

    “Her ability to collaborate with health providers, policy advisers, kuia kaumātua, funders, and people in the Māori community, exemplifies what we as a university want to achieve through research. Her achievement, to become a finalist in these prestigious awards, is superbly well-deserved—and if one more person self-tests because they’ve seen her story and experienced her advocacy, then she has achieved her goal.”

    The other two finalists in New Zealander of the Year are Dame Lisa Carrington for pushing boundaries in sport and inspiring the next generation, and Sarah Hirini ONZM for redefining what is possible on and off the rugby field.

    The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on 20 March.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Management plan in the works to help protect Yanchep’s developing foreshore

    Source: Government of Western Australia

    A Preliminary Foreshore Management Plan has been established to support the sustainable development of Yanchep’s foreshore.

    Wanneroo Council has endorsed a Preliminary Foreshore Management Plan (PFMP) for Yanchep Lagoon, with a subsequent Foreshore Management Plan (FMP) in the works.

    The PFMP aligns with the City’s Strategic Community Plan 2021-2031 for a well-planned, safe and resilient City that is easy to travel around and provides a connection between people and places.

    Mayor Linda Aitken said establishing Yanchep as a strategic centre was a necessity in order to provide essential services to the community.

    “There are currently 75,000 residents from Butler to Two Rocks, and that number is expected to grow to over 190,000 in the next 20 years,” she said.

    “The development of the Foreshore Management Plan will ensure that Yanchep will become and remain a sustainable coastal hub.

    “Preserving the immersive dune parklands will enrich the Yanchep Lagoon experience for both our locals and visitors and ensure that it remains as Perth’s coastal jewel.”

    The PFMP is characterised by a light-touch approach to foreshore development that prioritises the protection of its natural features in order to protect the Lagoon’s well-established sense of place.

    It was prepared with input from representatives of the Yanchep community and is a step towards realising the vision of the 2019 Master Plan, which would see Yanchep serving as a multi-purpose centre providing a range of economic and community services for the growing local and surrounding areas.

    The FMP will now be developed in collaboration with the local community and various State Government agencies.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Serious assault – Katherine

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information in relation to a serious assault that occurred in Katherine this morning.

    Around 03:30am, police received a report that a woman had been located at an address on Maluka Road with serious injuries. It is alleged she was assaulted by her partner while they were exiting a taxi on Maluka Road.

    Police and St John attended, and the 35-year-old woman was conveyed to Katherine Hospital for treatment for serious physical injuries to her neck.

    The alleged offender was not at the scene at the time of police attendance.

    Detectives from the Northern Investigation Section are investigating and urge anyone who was in the area of Maluka Road and Acacia Drive between midnight and 3am to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference NTP2500021142.

    Alternatively, you can report anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Appointment – Chair of Commonwealth Grants Commission

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    The Government has agreed to recommend to the Governor‑General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, that Mr Michael Callaghan AM PSM be reappointed as part‑time Chairperson of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) for a five‑year period.

    The Commission is an independent authority that provides advice to the Government on how revenue from the goods and services tax should be distributed to the states and territories to ensure equitable access to services.

    Mr Callaghan has been the Chairperson of the CGC since June 2020. Prior to his role as Chairperson, he spent 38 years in the Australian Treasury, including as the Deputy Secretary responsible for Macroeconomic Group from 2008 to 2012. He was Chief of Staff to former Treasurer Peter Costello, served as Australia’s G20 Finance Deputy and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy, International Economy, and spent four years on the IMF Executive Board in Washington DC.

    Mr Callaghan chaired the Government’s review of the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax and the review of the Economic Impact of the Government’s Regulation Agenda in 2017. He also chaired the Northern Australia Insurance Premiums Taskforce. From 2013 to 2014 he was Director of the G20 Studies Centre at the Lowy Institute.

    This proposed reappointment would ensure the CGC continues to provide high quality advice to the Government on the distribution of the GST revenues.

    The Government congratulates Mr Callaghan on the Government’s recommendation of his reappointment to the Governor‑General.

    MIL OSI News –