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Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Tom McIlroy, Australian Politics podcast, The Guardian

    Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

    Tom McIlroy:

    Hi, I’m Tom McIlroy, coming to you from the lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples in Canberra. We have a special early episode in your podcast feed this week.

    Ahead of his trip to the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in Durban this week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers joins the podcast to talk about Australia’s dream scenario in dealing with Donald Trump’s trade war.

    Jim Chalmers:

    Oh, the dream scenario is that these unnecessary tariffs are lifted. I mean we have to be realistic about that.

    McIlroy:

    As well as immediate challenges at home on housing and taxation.

    Chalmers:

    We’ve all got an interest in building more homes, it’s one of the defining challenges in our economy is that we don’t have enough.

    McIlroy:

    Plus, on a lighter note, the reading challenge laid down by his wife.

    Chalmers:

    And I gave her about a 12‑book head start in the lead‑up to the election. I’m trying to rein that in.

    McIlroy:

    From Guardian Australia, this is the Australian Politics podcast.

    Jim Chalmers, thanks for joining us on the pod.

    Chalmers:

    Thanks for having me back, Tom.

    McIlroy:

    This is actually my first face‑to‑face podcast interview with you, but I think you’ve been in the pod cave a few times over the years.

    Chalmers:

    I’ve been in here a bunch, all the way back to Murph days. And I really like it ‘cause it’s a good chance to go beyond the sound bites and key lines and themes that often dominate press conferences – a good chance to have a chat.

    McIlroy:

    That’s great, that’s great. Well, you’ve got a busy week. We’re going to talk about the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in a moment.

    I’ll start with the story of the day. There’s been a bit of a snafu with the Treasury incoming government brief, parts of it that would have been redacted, some sub‑headings have been made public. You say you’re relaxed about it. Tell us what’s going on here.

    Chalmers:

    Every incoming government, whether they’re a re‑elected government or when there’s a change, every department writes one briefing for a Labor government, one briefing for a Coalition government. And that advice is provided to you – well, in both of our instances, both times we’ve been elected I’ve received it on the Sunday morning after the election. And it runs through really all of the challenges in the portfolio, all the issues around policy.

    What’s happened this time is that there’s been a mistake made in the Treasury. Somebody’s sent out a document which has usually got bits of it pulled out, and they’ve left those parts in. And when I say I’m relaxed, we can’t change it now, it’s out there, so be it, is really my view about it. But the other reason I’m relaxed about it is because the Treasury is talking about a lot of things that I’ve talked about publicly when I’ve tried to be upfront with people about our economic challenges.

    Our economy is growing, there’s lots that’s going well in our economy, but it’s not productive enough. We’ve made a lot of progress getting the budget in much better nick, but we need it to be even more sustainable. And at a time when the global conditions are so volatile we need our economy to be more resilient as well. And those are really the major themes of the Treasury brief that was released. But also the major themes of really every opportunity I’ve taken since the election to talk about our challenges and what the government is doing about them. I’ve been focused on those 3 things too.

    McIlroy:

    One of the things that we’ve picked up with you today is that the brief says that the housing targets might not be met, or will not be met, I think is the language. You say that’s not quite right, that the government’s got real ambition. Give me some examples of the things that are happening, cutting red tape and speeding up housing construction that you think mean you will hit that 1.2 million.

    Chalmers:

    We’ve all acknowledged that this is an extremely ambitious target, and the Treasury advice is that we need to do better, and we need to do more in order to hit that target.

    I think that’s entirely consistent with what we’ve said, what the government and its ministers have said publicly.

    So there’s lots of things we’re focused on, we’re investing tens of billions of dollars in housing – record amounts of housing from a Commonwealth investment point of view. We’ve changed the tax arrangements when it comes to Build to Rent, for example, a whole range of things. A really important piece of the puzzle is around zoning and regulations and what you call red tape.

    We’re engaged with the state and territory governments and with local government to see where we can sensibly minimise that to get more homes built sooner. We’ve all got an interest in building more homes, it’s one of the defining challenges in our economies that we don’t have enough. And that’s why rents are higher than we would like, it’s why it’s harder than we would like for people to get a toe‑hold as first home buyers.

    Really the best solution is to build more homes. We have a whole bunch of ways that we intend to go about that, and the Treasury is really warning us that we’ll need to be better, we’ll need to do more, we’ll need to be quicker in order to hit the target.

    As I said to you earlier on when we did our press conference here in Canberra, I think it’s good to have ambitious targets. I think this challenge has been hanging around for so long, and the alternative to the ambition that we’re showing is to not build enough homes for our people. And we’d rather be ambitious, we’d rather set a big target and try and hit it than to continue to pretend that there’s not a challenge here.

    McIlroy:

    The incoming government brief talked about the need to increase taxes, and we’re going to talk in our interview today about the upcoming roundtable. That’s probably one of the things that has to come out, right; some taxes might have to be higher when the mix is reassessed?

    Chalmers:

    I think it’s good to think about the mix, as you just did in your question, Tom. Because for example, in our first term, we increased taxes on the PRRT, which is offshore gas, so that people – Australians – would get more return for their resources earlier. And that helped us pay for some other things like income tax cuts.

    We’re a government that’s actually enthusiastically been cutting income taxes 3 times for every Australian taxpayer. There is a mix in the tax system. We’re trying not to artificially limit the ideas or narrow the ideas that people will bring to that reform roundtable next month. There will be a whole bunch of ideas, some that the government will want to pick up and run with and some that we won’t be able to for whatever reason.

    But there’s a lot of pressure on the budget, and what we showed in the first term is we could deliver budget surpluses, we could engineer the biggest nominal turnaround in the Budget in a single term in our history, we could get the Liberal debt down, we could do all of those things. But we need ongoing effort to make the budget even more sustainable, and that will typically require a combination of spending restraint, which we’ve shown, spending cuts, which we’ve been able to deliver $100 billion worth working with Katy Gallagher. But also if there are opportunities like we found in multinational taxes or the PRRT, then sometimes that can help pay for lower taxes elsewhere.

    McIlroy:

    Today you’ve talked about the themes for the roundtable; resilience, productivity and sustainability. I think it’s going to attract a lot of attention; we’ll certainly be watching closely for Guardian readers. Are you expecting concrete outcomes quickly from that process; will they guide the rest of the term?

    Chalmers:

    I’m certainly expecting a lot of guidance. I think it’s still to be determined whether we pop up at the end of the 3 days and we’ve got some immediate changes that we want to make or whether we’ll need a bit more time to work with the States or with my Cabinet colleagues, or in other ways of consultation.

    So I think that remains to be seen, that’s an open question. But I spend a big chunk of my week thinking through the ideas that have already started coming in to us and thinking about the structure of the agenda and who we’ll invite and all of those sorts of things.

    I think the most likely outcome is that there are a couple of obvious things which we can commit to in one way or another, but obviously there will be the need to further explore and work up some of the other ideas that are put to us.

    But one of the things that’s been really encouraging, really surprised on the up side, is this – really this tsunami of interest that people have shown in that.

    We can’t have everyone in the room, ‘cause there’s a lot of interest in being in the room. But all these other opportunities people have taken, including the superannuation sector today have put forward a whole bunch of considered ideas; that’s good, that’s exactly what we want.

    And ideally the government can take from that ways to build on the progress we’re already making in our economy, to build on the big agenda we already have in economic policy and to work out what the next steps are. And that’s because from the Prime Minister down we genuinely believe that the best way to work out what the next steps are are together. And that’s why we go to this roundtable with not just an open door but an open mind.

    McIlroy:

    You’re off to Durban this week for the G20 Finance Ministers meeting hosted by South Africa. You’re going to meet with your counterparts from Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, the UK. Will tariffs be one of the big things you’re talking about with your counterparts, will economic uncertainty around the world be guiding those talks?

    Chalmers:

    I think that will be the dominant theme, and the way we come at this is to recognise that the best defence against all of this uncertainty in the global economy. All this unpredictability and volatility which comes from either the trade tensions or conflict in the Middle East, conflict in Eastern Europe. The best defence against all of that is more engagement, not less, more diverse markets, not less diverse markets, and also more resilience in our own economy.

    And so that’s – when we engage with the world we engage with those objectives in mind, finding good reliable markets, good reliable partners and making our economy more resilient.

    I expect that the – really the foundation of all of the discussions we have with our international counterparts will be this global uncertainty and the big shift that’s happened in my thinking. But also I think in the world’s thinking, is that it used to be that periods of uncertainty were these sort of punctuation points. There’d be long periods of calm, they’d be punctuated by kind of an outbreak of uncertainty, temporary uncertainty, and I think there’s a more structural thing going on here where uncertainty and volatility and unpredictability has become the norm rather than the exception.

    We’ve had 4 big economic shocks now in less than 2 decades, and so this rolling challenge of volatility in the global economy is something that we’ve all had to adapt to.

    When I meet with my G20 counterparts, obviously trade will be a big part of the story, supply chains, critical minerals, how we get capital flowing more effectively in the global economy. These are the sorts of things I expect to be talking with them about.

    McIlroy:

    Are you and those ministers that you’re meeting with the same as the rest of us, you wake up every day and think, God what’s Donald Trump done this morning? Another round of tariffs, another setting his trade war. It must be taking years off your life.

    Chalmers:

    Look, I don’t know about that, but certainly when you check in with the international media every morning we’re becoming more and more accustomed to, probably more and more desensitised to some of these big announcements, and not just out of D.C., to be fair. That’s an important source of the uncertainty in the global economy but it’s not the only source of uncertainty.

    A lot of the old rules, as I said a moment ago, have kind of been thrown out the window. There’s a step change in the way that the world conducts its business, and that is – what I was trying to say earlier – uncertainty’s gone from a cyclical challenge to a kind of a structural challenge and part of that means expect the unexpected. Whether it’s the pretty much weekly news out of different parts of the world, some element of these escalating trade tensions, but also conflict, real conflict as well.

    I think all of that really feeds into this sense that the global economy is a dangerous place. We’re pretty well‑placed and pretty well‑prepared to deal with it as Australians, but we’re not spared from it. And that’s why our engagement’s so important, whether it’s what I’m doing at the G20 or what the Prime Minister’s doing in China.

    McIlroy:

    The proposed tariffs on pharmaceuticals were a big story last week, and a concerning one for you and for the economy here. Give us an update on how things are going in that specific area. You must have heard a lot from business about the possible effect those tariffs could have.

    Chalmers:

    The big developments from our point of view last week, I mean our baseline tariff has not changed, 10 per cent is at the low end. The lowest end of what the Americans are proposing as a baseline, but last week there was news about developments on copper and pharmaceuticals.

    Now copper is, we export less than 1 per cent of our copper to the US, it’s a very small part of our market. We, I think from memory, export 5 times more to Indonesia than we do to the US. And so our copper sector, our wonderful copper sector will work out the best way to adapt to those tariffs if and when they occur.

    Pharmaceuticals are a bit different in that a bigger part, a bigger chunk of our industry, are exports to the US. And President Trump has said he will take some time to work out the pharmaceutical arrangements. And so that gives us the opportunity to do what we have been doing, which is engage with the industry, try and work out what they think their exposures are. CSL, for example, has made a public contribution to our thinking about all of that.

    So we work through these issues, even when there’s a sense of unpredictability and volatility, we actually work through these issues in a pretty calm and considered way. And I think that’s been important, whether it’s been reacting to the initial tariff announcements on so‑called Liberation Day, or subsequently. We work through these issues in a methodical, calm, considered way from the Prime Minister right down, and that’s served us pretty well.

    McIlroy:

    Would a good outcome be Australia sticks on the 10 per cent, it’s the best deal going, the baseline, and the other steel and aluminium, pharmaceuticals, those kind of things we get an exemption from; is that your dream scenario?

    Chalmers:

    The dream scenario is that these unnecessary tariffs are lifted, we have to be realistic about that, and it feels like this discussion has a long way to run. Partly because as you rightly pointed out in your question before, you know, there’s a shift in emphasis or policy relatively frequently. And so we’re engaging at every level that we can to try and get the best outcome from Australia.

    We see these tariffs as unnecessary and self‑defeating; we’ve been pretty blunt about that, certainly blunt by the standards of international diplomacy. We’ve made it really clear that we think these tariffs are bad for the US, bad for Australia and bad for the global economy. Big implications potentially for global demand at a time when global growth is not exactly thick on the ground.

    We come at these issues, as I said a moment ago, in a pretty considered way. But we’ve been very, very clear that the best outcomes would be if they’re not levied in the first place.

    McIlroy:

    All right. Let me bring you home to some domestic matters here. The parliament’s coming back next week, it will be our first taste of Sussan Ley as Opposition Leader up against Anthony Albanese. What’s your assessment of her and of Ted O’Brien, your new Coalition counterpart, shadow? How do you see the term playing out politically in the parliament?

    Chalmers:

    Yeah, my general rule with politics is you don’t underestimate anyone. And for all his faults I didn’t underestimate Angus Taylor when he was my opposite number. And I won’t underestimate Ted O’Brien or Sussan Ley either.

    I personally get a bit worried by this idea because we won a big majority that the next election is kind of assured, I don’t believe it is. There are few such assurances I think in politics in modern times, but I think there are good reasons not to assume the outcome of the next election. Politics is volatile, and I mean it when I say I don’t underestimate either of those 2 people that you mentioned.

    I’s been interesting to see their reaction, you know, I invited Ted O’Brien to the reform roundtable in good faith. It’s been interesting to see his reaction to that, whether he takes up that opportunity in a mature way or wastes that opportunity, whether he reads the room. If Ted O’Brien comes to the reform roundtable and treats it as an extension of Question Time, I think that will go down pretty badly in the room.

    I also think if they aren’t constructive it will show that they haven’t learned anything from the last term which delivered that pretty stunning outcome on 3 May. And so let’s see how they perform.

    We intend to engage with them in a respectful way but there will be robust exchanges as well, no doubt, that’s the nature of our politics. But I for one won’t be underestimating anyone.

    McIlroy:

    They’ve signalled strong opposition to the $3 million super changes from the last parliament. You say you’ve got a mandate on that having won the election. Is the test for the Opposition on tax reform more broadly, that constructive approach that you mentioned? Is there any possibility of a bipartisan tax reform plan coming out of this?

    Chalmers:

    Oh, we’ll see. We need to have realistic expectations about that. I think a lot of the commentary, whether it’s from Ted O’Brien or Sussan Ley, I don’t think they are by their nature constructive, collaborative types. Here again, it feels like – when I listen to them it feels like they weren’t paying attention on 3 May.

    Ted O’Brien kind of looks like Scott Morrison but he sounds like Peter Dutton. And I think that’s interesting, because if I were them and I saw the outcome of 3 May I’d try and work out how to be different from the last term. Whereas they seem to be putting a lot of effort into working out how they can be the same with that obstructionist kind of hyper‑partisan, hyper‑critical approach.

    So let’s see, I might be wrong about that, let’s see. But by inviting Ted O’Brien to the roundtable, what we are trying to convey is we think that these big challenges in our economy will outlast governments. We’re talking about generational challenges – we’ve got all this global volatility which I think is structural and not cyclical. But it’s against the backdrop of changes in energy, technology, demography, industry, geopolitics, and we’d be mad to think they were constrained to kind of 3‑year Australian political cycles.

    From an Australian point of view, to take all of the parties out of it, all the partisanship out of it, the best outcome for our people would be if both parties could take a long‑term view about necessary reform and not just the Labor Party on its own.

    McIlroy:

    Are you open to the Greens counter‑proposals on 3 million super, for example, the $2 million threshold they’ve talked about?

    Chalmers:

    I’m grateful that the Greens have been privately and publicly pretty constructive about this. And at some stage, I’m not sure when – we were hoping that would be quite soon, but our pretty congested diaries with parliament coming back – at some point we’ll engage properly with the Greens on this. We can’t pass anything in the Senate on our own, that’s just the reality of the Senate. So we’ll have those discussions.

    But this won’t be the first piece of parliamentary business. We’ve made it clear that our first parliamentary priority coming back is to legislate the student debt relief. And so at some point there will be those discussions, but ideally we would legislate the proposal we announced a long time ago.

    McIlroy:

    Jillian Segal presented her report on combating antisemitism last week. Have you picked up any concern within the caucus about that? Some of those recommendations are pretty broad and there’s been a bit of bumpy politics, I would say, across the weekend.

    Chalmers:

    I’ve had conversations with a bunch of colleagues in the last week or so, but not about that. So if there is that concern, I haven’t heard it directly, it may be that others have heard that directly.

    But I don’t think it should surprise us in an area this contentious in the community, that there would be a range of views. And my personal point of view is that some of the antisemitism that we have seen, some of the attacks that we have seen are disgraceful, they have no place in a society like ours. So we are already taking a whole bunch of steps to crack down on antisemitism.

    The Envoy has provided us with some proposals; I think Tony and Anthony and others will work through those proposals.

    But as we do that, it would be pretty naive, I think, to assume that there was a unanimous view about the way forward here in an area which has got so much history, so much contention, where emotions are running hot for good reason. So let’s see where those considerations lead us.

    McIlroy:

    Okay. We’ve got a couple more minutes before we have to wrap up. Let me ask you about a budget question for the term ahead. Big big opportunities for Labor, big ambitions, as you’ve outlined. What’s a sign of success on budget repair for the end of this term, perhaps for you as Treasurer longer term; fixing the structural deficit perhaps, changing some of the settings to make things better going forward?

    Chalmers:

    I see it as an important part of our work, not on my own but with Katy Gallagher obviously, the Finance Minister, would see it along similar lines to the government. We’re lucky we’ve got a Prime Minister and a Cabinet very engaged and very enlightened about our budget challenges, that’s a good thing, and we have made all this progress together, that’s too easily dismissed, not by you but by a lot of commentators.

    They pretend that we haven’t engineered already this stunning improvement in the budget. Hundreds of billions of dollars better off than we inherited, much less debt, 2 surpluses for the first time in 2 decades.

    But Katy and I have always recognised that budget repair and budget sustainability is not the task of one budget, it’s the task of every budget.

    Measuring success would be making the budget more sustainable over time. There is a structural challenge in there, we have got some fast‑growing areas in the care economy and elsewhere which we’re very attuned to. And we would like to make some more progress on that.

    But the reason I’ve set up this roundtable around 3 priorities is because I think the big challenges are budget sustainability, but also our economy needs to be more productive. You can’t just flick a switch and make it more productive overnight, you’ve got to do that over time. And also resilience in the face of this global economic uncertainty. And so if we could make some progress on those 3 fronts for however long I’m here, then that would be good.

    McIlroy:

    Is there a risk that Labor is baking in some pretty big spending that will become part of the structural challenge itself? Your critics would say some of the big social spending – social policy areas, the spending in there is contributing to that problem even before the NDIS challenge is addressed properly.

    Chalmers:

    If you think about the 6 big fast‑growing areas in the budget, we’ve made really good progress on 3 of them – which is debt interest, aged care and the NDIS. And the other 3 are defence, childcare and health and hospitals. And so some of those changes are deliberate; in both directions necessary, some of them reflect demographic change. Our society is changing, our society is ageing, our preferences are changing, our industrial base is changing, the role of technology and energy, all of these things are happening, and so that has implications for the budget.

    There are some structural challenges there, but we’ve made more progress, I think, than is broadly acknowledged in reining in some of those structural challenges, but we know that there’s more work to do.

    McIlroy:

    Okay, Jim Chalmers, you’ve got a busy job, you’ve got a busy couple of weeks ahead.

    Tell us about a time when you’re not at work. What do you do to relax, what do you do when you’ve got a bit of free time?

    Chalmers:

    I think normal people have New Year’s resolutions, and people like me have after election resolutions. That’s because in elections you eat your feelings and you run out of time to do exercise and all those sorts of things. So my post‑election resolutions are more running, more reading – and I’m trying to get back into those 2 things.

    McIlroy:

    You’re an early‑morning runner, I think, right?

    Chalmers:

    I was, I haven’t been running a lot lately, I ran today, which was an effort, let’s say. When you’re – I’m not sure how old you are now, Tom, but I’m 47 now, and I’ve noticed that taking a break from running is more consequential than it used to be. I really felt that around Lake Burley Griffin this morning, so I’m trying to get back into better shape on that front.

    McIlroy:

    And what about reading? Tell us something that’s on your bedside table coming up.

    Chalmers:

    My reading is divided into my directly work reading and what I call nights and flights, and my nights and flights reading is – increasingly I’m getting back into a lot of history.

    But also I’ve got this – what seemed like a good idea at the time at the start of the year – my wife Laura and I, we agreed we’d try and read 30 books each this year. And I gave her about a 12‑book head start in the lead‑up to the election, I’m trying to rein that in. And so I’m trying to churn through a lot, but a lot of history, but also some classics too. Obviously I’m reading your book about Jackson Pollock and Blue Poles.

    McIlroy:

    Thanks for the plug.

    Chalmers:

    Yeah, everyone should get out and buy it. But if we’ve got time I’ll tell you a quick story. I was in Noosa with my family the other day and we went into the Village Bookshop and there’s a wonderful, wonderful woman there called Noelle. And I said to her quietly ‘cause the kids were there and Laura was there, I said, ‘Noelle, I’m a few books behind in our family reading challenge’. And she said, ‘I’ve got just the thing for you’, so she recommended to me the Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men, but it’s a bleak but beautiful thing. And she said, ‘Come over here’, and she took me to the classics and she sold me a couple of classics of shorter length, let’s say, and that helped me –

    McIlroy:

    Some quick runs on the board.

    Chalmers:

    Quick runs on the board, it will help me make up the difference. So big shout‑out to Noelle at the Village Bookshop, a former schoolteacher. She knew exactly what I needed to try and close the gap on my reading.

    McIlroy:

    Well, Jim Chalmers, thanks for making some time for us today, we’ve covered a lot of ground. It’s really great to speak to you on the pod.

    Chalmers:

    I appreciate it, Tom. All the best, thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Deluzio Announces $1 Million Federal Grant to Support Western PA Seniors, Kids

    Source: US Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA)

    CARNEGIE, PA – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced new senior positions in his congressional office in Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District. The positions are key to serving the people of Western Pennsylvania, with responsibilities for managing Congressman Deluzio’s district offices and overseeing a team of constituent services representatives.

    Seron Cox, District Director. Seron is a native of Beaver County and is stepping into this role after having previously served as Congressman Deluzio’s Deputy District Director and Director of Constituent Services. Before that, she worked in the offices of Congressmen Conor Lamb and Jason Altmire, as well as an Executive Administrative Assistant at the Shell cracker plant in Monaca, PA. She holds an associate’s degree in paralegal studies.

    Victoria Adamson, Director of Constituent Services. Victoria is moving into the position of Director of Constituent Services for Congressman Deluzio, having previously served the office as a Constituent Services Representative. She has also served as a Constituent Services Representative with the PA House of Representatives. Victoria is a native of Beaver County and attended the Community College of Beaver County. 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After a hopeful start, Labor’s affordable housing fund is proving problematic

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, Per Capita and Research Associate, The University of Melbourne

    When the Albanese government announced the A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the news reverberated through the housing sector.

    A new funding facility to help build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in five years. Given we only increased Australia’s social housing stock by 24,000 dwellings in the decade to 2024, this represents a significant uptick.

    The future fund is part of the National Housing Accord’s overall commitment to build 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade. This target is now in serious doubt following advice from Treasury.

    Nonetheless, people were genuinely excited and hopeful about the focus on meeting the housing needs of lower income people.

    But stakeholders were also sceptical – and they had every right to be.

    How it works

    The future fund is a dedicated investment vehicle which helps finance new housing builds using the returns on the original $10 billion endowment.

    It does this by distributing loans and grants via competitive funding rounds open to not-for-profits, the private sector and other levels of government.

    When announcing the scheme, then Housing Minister Julie Collins said it would help address acute housing needs for people who are especially vulnerable:

    […] this will provide housing support to remote Indigenous communities, women and children experiencing domestic and family violence, older women at risk of homelessness, and veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

    Two funding rounds have so far been announced – 9,284 social dwellings and 9,366 affordable homes.

    State and territory governments are involved in the process by providing access to land, expediting planning approvals and sometimes acting as developers.

    Reasons for hope

    The future fund is what the housing sector has been begging for for decades. It is a consistent, somewhat protected, pot of funding with a mandate to build social and affordable housing at scale.

    It is one of several hopeful changes underway in the housing space. The housing portfolio is now ensconced in cabinet after being elevated in the first Albanese ministry.

    Summerhill Village is a social housing project in Melbourne designed for older women to live independently.
    Author supplied, CC BY

    The relocation of housing and homelessness into Treasury is another positive development. Previously, policy areas were fragmented across a variety of departments.

    This is particularly welcome given we are yet to see the promised National Housing and Homeless Plan despite consultations beginning in 2023.

    Room for improvement

    While the future fund is a welcome infusion of money, my discussions with stakeholders have provided mixed feedback.

    As with any new program, there have been teething issues. Red tape has slowed contracts, while the May election paused all negotiations.

    Housing funding in Australia remains lumpy – characterised by sudden changes in the scale and priorities of funding – and policy is highly politicised.

    Survival of the cheapest

    Loans and grants are distributed through competitive, oversubscribed funding rounds.

    Coupled with a need for quick political wins, bigger players with lower cost projects are far more likely to receive funding to guarantee a larger quantum of housing.

    While this may appear to reflect greater value for money, it means the scheme is incentivised to fund affordable housing aimed at moderate income households rather than social housing aimed at more vulnerable people. New homes are not targeted where need is greatest.

    Given affordable housing will be delivered at 75% of market rent, there are many people who will still not be able to afford it. While we undoubtedly need both, the need is far greater for social housing.

    As the chart above shows, almost all funding in round one went to Tier One Community Housing Providers, who are the biggest developers with the most in-house capacity.

    While privileging larger organisations is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean smaller players with more location or cohort-specific strengths are continuing to miss out.

    For example, only one Aboriginal Community Housing Provider was successful in the first round, sparking calls for an Aboriginal-specific funding round.

    Program inefficency

    Submitting bids is time consuming and uncertain, especially for funding rounds designed to stimulate new partnerships between stakeholders who haven’t worked together before.

    Further, establishing partnerships and contracts with government is labour intensive and complex.

    One industry insider recently joked the main things being funded by the scheme are new backyard pools for Sydney-based lawyers.

    Beyond this, the future fund provides availability payments – which recur quarterly during the operating phase of projects – rather than upfront capital grants.

    According to research, this is one of the most inefficient ways to fund social housing. Capital grants paid at the start to support construction are far more cost effective.

    Lack of operational funds

    Another key barrier is the focus on “bricks and mortar” to the exclusion of ongoing service costs.

    Funding to cover tenancy support, building maintenance and operations, and other wrap-around services is essential, especially for social housing aimed at individuals with higher needs.

    This is not covered by the fund and is yet to be substantively picked up by state governments either.

    Clearly, there are aspects of the housing future fund that need improvement. But this is not a call to abolish the scheme.

    The last thing the sector needs is another policy pivot or funding cut. In fact, doubling the fund to $20 billion would be warranted.

    The 30,000 new homes fall well short of the estimated 640,000 Australian households whose housing needs are currently unmet.

    The Housing Australia Future Fund is just one element – but an important one – in the suite of measures we should be using to address acute housing needs.

    Katrina Raynor is the Director of Per Capita’s Centre for Equitable Housing. Per Capita is an independent think tank that receives funding from a range of sources including philanthropy, unions, individuals and government.

    – ref. After a hopeful start, Labor’s affordable housing fund is proving problematic – https://theconversation.com/after-a-hopeful-start-labors-affordable-housing-fund-is-proving-problematic-260085

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After a hopeful start, Labor’s affordable housing fund is proving problematic

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Katrina Raynor, Director of the Centre for Equitable Housing, Per Capita and Research Associate, The University of Melbourne

    When the Albanese government announced the A$10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund in 2023, the news reverberated through the housing sector.

    A new funding facility to help build 30,000 social and affordable rental homes in five years. Given we only increased Australia’s social housing stock by 24,000 dwellings in the decade to 2024, this represents a significant uptick.

    The future fund is part of the National Housing Accord’s overall commitment to build 1.2 million new homes by the end of the decade. This target is now in serious doubt following advice from Treasury.

    Nonetheless, people were genuinely excited and hopeful about the focus on meeting the housing needs of lower income people.

    But stakeholders were also sceptical – and they had every right to be.

    How it works

    The future fund is a dedicated investment vehicle which helps finance new housing builds using the returns on the original $10 billion endowment.

    It does this by distributing loans and grants via competitive funding rounds open to not-for-profits, the private sector and other levels of government.

    When announcing the scheme, then Housing Minister Julie Collins said it would help address acute housing needs for people who are especially vulnerable:

    […] this will provide housing support to remote Indigenous communities, women and children experiencing domestic and family violence, older women at risk of homelessness, and veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

    Two funding rounds have so far been announced – 9,284 social dwellings and 9,366 affordable homes.

    State and territory governments are involved in the process by providing access to land, expediting planning approvals and sometimes acting as developers.

    Reasons for hope

    The future fund is what the housing sector has been begging for for decades. It is a consistent, somewhat protected, pot of funding with a mandate to build social and affordable housing at scale.

    It is one of several hopeful changes underway in the housing space. The housing portfolio is now ensconced in cabinet after being elevated in the first Albanese ministry.

    Summerhill Village is a social housing project in Melbourne designed for older women to live independently.
    Author supplied, CC BY

    The relocation of housing and homelessness into Treasury is another positive development. Previously, policy areas were fragmented across a variety of departments.

    This is particularly welcome given we are yet to see the promised National Housing and Homeless Plan despite consultations beginning in 2023.

    Room for improvement

    While the future fund is a welcome infusion of money, my discussions with stakeholders have provided mixed feedback.

    As with any new program, there have been teething issues. Red tape has slowed contracts, while the May election paused all negotiations.

    Housing funding in Australia remains lumpy – characterised by sudden changes in the scale and priorities of funding – and policy is highly politicised.

    Survival of the cheapest

    Loans and grants are distributed through competitive, oversubscribed funding rounds.

    Coupled with a need for quick political wins, bigger players with lower cost projects are far more likely to receive funding to guarantee a larger quantum of housing.

    While this may appear to reflect greater value for money, it means the scheme is incentivised to fund affordable housing aimed at moderate income households rather than social housing aimed at more vulnerable people. New homes are not targeted where need is greatest.

    Given affordable housing will be delivered at 75% of market rent, there are many people who will still not be able to afford it. While we undoubtedly need both, the need is far greater for social housing.

    As the chart above shows, almost all funding in round one went to Tier One Community Housing Providers, who are the biggest developers with the most in-house capacity.

    While privileging larger organisations is not necessarily a bad thing, it does mean smaller players with more location or cohort-specific strengths are continuing to miss out.

    For example, only one Aboriginal Community Housing Provider was successful in the first round, sparking calls for an Aboriginal-specific funding round.

    Program inefficency

    Submitting bids is time consuming and uncertain, especially for funding rounds designed to stimulate new partnerships between stakeholders who haven’t worked together before.

    Further, establishing partnerships and contracts with government is labour intensive and complex.

    One industry insider recently joked the main things being funded by the scheme are new backyard pools for Sydney-based lawyers.

    Beyond this, the future fund provides availability payments – which recur quarterly during the operating phase of projects – rather than upfront capital grants.

    According to research, this is one of the most inefficient ways to fund social housing. Capital grants paid at the start to support construction are far more cost effective.

    Lack of operational funds

    Another key barrier is the focus on “bricks and mortar” to the exclusion of ongoing service costs.

    Funding to cover tenancy support, building maintenance and operations, and other wrap-around services is essential, especially for social housing aimed at individuals with higher needs.

    This is not covered by the fund and is yet to be substantively picked up by state governments either.

    Clearly, there are aspects of the housing future fund that need improvement. But this is not a call to abolish the scheme.

    The last thing the sector needs is another policy pivot or funding cut. In fact, doubling the fund to $20 billion would be warranted.

    The 30,000 new homes fall well short of the estimated 640,000 Australian households whose housing needs are currently unmet.

    The Housing Australia Future Fund is just one element – but an important one – in the suite of measures we should be using to address acute housing needs.

    Katrina Raynor is the Director of Per Capita’s Centre for Equitable Housing. Per Capita is an independent think tank that receives funding from a range of sources including philanthropy, unions, individuals and government.

    – ref. After a hopeful start, Labor’s affordable housing fund is proving problematic – https://theconversation.com/after-a-hopeful-start-labors-affordable-housing-fund-is-proving-problematic-260085

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Don’t blame toxic masculinity for online misogyny – the manosphere is hurting men too

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kate Cantrell, Senior Lecturer – Writing, Editing, and Publishing, University of Southern Queensland

    “Imagine her tenderly pressing her soft lips against yours”, writes one incel on Reddit, before concluding, “you will never get to experience this because your skeleton is too small or the bones in your face are not the right shape”.

    In his debut book, The Male Complaint, Simon Copland escorts his readers through the manosphere and into the minds of its inhabitants. He illustrates how boys and men who are “terrifyingly normal” become attracted to the manosphere’s grim logic – and the cognitive distortions of anti-feminist influencers like Andrew Tate and Jordan Peterson.

    While mainstream debates often cite toxic masculinity as the cause of online misogyny, Copland, a writer and researcher at the Australian National University, shifts the blame to a deeper cultural malaise. It’s caused, he argues, by the cruel optimism of the manosphere, the multiple social and economic crises of late-stage capitalism and a collective nihilistic misery in which complaint becomes futile and destruction “the only way out”.

    Review: The Male Complaint – Simon Copland (Polity)

    The manosphere is a network of loosely related blogs and forums devoted to “men’s interests” – sites like The Rational Male, Game Global and the subreddits ForeverAlone, TheRedPill and MensRights. These online communities, separate in their specific beliefs, are united by their misogynistic ideas – and anti-women and anti-diversity sentiments.

    They’re also united by the growing tendency of the men in these communities towards nihilistic violence: not only against others, but also against themselves.

    In The Male Complaint, Copland relays his dismay at discovering “a constant stream” of suicide notes on Reddit, including a subreddit, IncelGraveyard, which catalogues close to 100 suicide notes and letters posted by self-identified incels.

    Since I was a kid I was fed up with ‘Don’t worry, it will get better’, ‘You will find someone’ […] it’s not even that I want a SO (significant other) anymore. Women are awful. People are awful. I have no friends.

    For Copland, the violence incels inflict on themselves is a form of passive nihilism. Incels “don’t just express disgust and despair at the world, but in themselves – their looks, body, lives, personality, intelligence, and more”.

    Who’s in the manosphere?

    The manosphere includes men’s rights activists, pick-up artists and “Men Going Their Own Way” (male separatists who avoid contact with women altogether). And of course, incels: men who believe they are unable to find a romantic or sexual partner due to their perceived genetic inferiority and oppression.

    Incels also blame their problems on women’s alleged hypergamy: the theory women seek out partners of higher social or economic status and therefore marry “up”. Put another way, hypergamy, a concept rooted in evolutionary psychology, is the belief “women are hard-wired to be gold diggers”.

    Rollo Tomassi, the so-called “godfather of the manosphere”, complains on his blog that “women love opportunistically”, while “men believe that love matters for the sake of it”.

    According to Tomassi, the “cruel reality” of modern dating is that men are romantics who are “forced to be realists”, while women are realists whose use “romanticisms to effect their imperatives”. Tomassi complains:

    Our girlfriends, our wives, daughters and even our mothers are all incapable of idealized love […] By order of degrees, hypergamy will define who a woman loves and who she will not, depending upon her own opportunities and capacity to attract it.

    Ten years ago, these communities were largely regarded as fringe groups. Today, their ideology has infiltrated the mainstream.

    On Sunday, ABC TV’s Compass reported that misogyny is on the rise in Australian classrooms, with female teachers sharing their experiences of sexual assault and harassment on school grounds – ranging from boys writing stories about gang raping their teachers to masturbating “over them” in the bathrooms. One student even pretended to stab his pregnant teacher as a “joke”.

    A 2025 report published by UN Women shows 53% of women have experienced some form of technology-facilitated, gender-based violence. The dark side of digitalisation disproportionately affects young women aged between 18 and 24, LGBTQI+ women, women who are divorced or who live in the city, and women who participate in online gaming.

    ‘Biologically bad’?

    Copland argues that simplified critiques of toxic masculinity minimise the problem of male violence. They fail to consider the context and history of gendered behaviour, assuming toxic traits are somehow innate and unique to men, rather than the product of social expectations and relations.

    This, in turn, promotes the idea that male violence derives from something “biologically bad” in the nature of masculinity itself. As Copland explains, “this is embedded in the term ‘toxic’, which makes it sound like men’s bodies have become diseased or infected”.

    Blaming toxic masculinity for digital misogyny also embraces a form of smug politics in which disaffected men are dismissed as degenerates who are fundamentally different to “us” (meaning the activist left and leftist elites). They are “cellar dwellers”, “subhuman freaks”, or “virgin losers” who need to be either enlightened or locked up. “We”, on the other hand, are educated, progressive, superior.

    This kind of rhetoric, as Copland explains, is unhelpful. It does not create the conditions for changing the opinions, narratives and futures of manosphere men because it does not allow people to understand their complaints and where those concerns come from – even if we do not agree with them.

    Belittling attitudes and demeaning discourses alienate men who already feel socially isolated. This pushes those men further to the fringes – into the hands of “manfluencers” who claim to understand.

    ‘Not having love becomes everything’

    The manosphere, Copland observes, is not “an aberration that is different and distinct from the rest of the world”, nor is it a community that exists solely on the “dark corners of the web”.


    Rather, the manosphere, as an echo chamber, enables and encourages what Copland calls “the male complaint”: a sense of collective pain or “injury” so intrinsic to the group’s identity, it cannot be redressed.

    As injured subjects who believe their problems are caused through no fault of their own, manosphere men cannot mend the “wound” they believe society has inflicted upon them. Their “marginalisation” and injured status are the lens through which they view themselves and the world.

    In the Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) community, for example, some men talk about the movement as a hospital where “physicians of the male soul” use different “methods of healing” to treat the “illness of gynocentric-induced disease weighing them down”. These methods include “self-improvement” strategies that are designed to build men’s power and wealth: purchasing gym equipment, investing in the stock market, even abstaining from pornography and sex.

    Others in the MGTOW community are vocally anti-victim: “You can live an extraordinary life,” one man says to another, “but you’re wasting your time on complaints and negativity”.

    Even when they disagree, though, manosphere men frame women and feminism as the enemy. In this way, the machinery of the manosphere capitalises on men’s discontent, reflects that messaging back to them and displaces their anger and hurt onto an easy scapegoat.

    As Copland observes, it is easier for men to blame women for their unhappiness than it is to blame the complex systems of capitalism: “if love and sex is everything, then not having love becomes everything as well”.

    Blackpilled incels, lookism and anonymity

    This preoccupation with intimacy is central to the incel community. It is exemplified by the various artefacts Copland embeds in his book – memes and posts from the manosphere itself.

    Blackpilled incels are a subgroup of incels who believe their access to romantic and sexual relationships is doomed because of “lookism”: the belief women choose sexual partners based solely on their physical features.

    Blackpilled ideology attributes romantic failure to genetically unalterable aspects of the human body, such as one’s height or skull shape. Some blackpilled incels, who call themselves wristcels, even blame their lack of sexual success on the width of their wrists.

    This logic is countered by research that demonstrates men, in fact, show stronger preferences for physical attractiveness than women, with women tending to prioritise education level and earning potential.

    On Reddit, incels often imagine and bitterly dismiss the potential for love and intimacy because of their looks.
    Ohsineon/Pexels

    The manosphere, however, amplifies this type of thinking and filters out information that challenges these ideas and opinions, increasing group polarisation. Despite its promise of solidarity, the manosphere isolates boys and men, and ultimately distances them from their wider community. This segregation results in a deep sense of alienation – these boys and men become stuck in a perpetual cycle of ideological reinforcement.

    The manosphere thrives on anonymity, writes Copland, which only reinforces the idea it is not designed to foster deep relationships or connections.

    No silver bullets

    The sense of community the manosphere claims to offer is a sham; its alienating structures do not offer boys and men genuine belonging and connection, or real solutions to their problems.

    “From one day to the next, the ability to communicate depends on the whims of hidden engineers,” writes media studies professor Mark Andrejevic of online networks more broadly. The manosphere, like other virtual constructs, is subject to manipulation by those who control the infrastructure and the rules of engagement.

    More than this, the manosphere does not provide an alternative to complaint. When complaint is the only option, writes Copland, nihilism and violence are the inevitable result.

    When nothing matters, there are no consequences to anything, including violence […] Manosphere men do not look to convince others, but rather seek their destruction. Destruction is the outlet they find to deal with their complaint.

    That’s what makes the manosphere so dangerous.

    ‘Popular boys must be punished’

    In 2014, 22-year-old Elliot Rodger, a British-American college student, embarked on an hours-long stabbing and shooting spree in the university town of Isla Vista, California, killing six and injuring 14. On the morning of May 23 – the “Day of Retribution” – Rodger emailed a 140-page “manifesto” to his family, friends and therapists. He also uploaded several YouTube videos in which he lamented his inability to find a girlfriend, the “hedonistic pleasures” of his peers and his painful existence of “loneliness, rejection, and unfilled desires”.

    In his memoir-manifesto, Rodger – the supposed “patron saint of inceldom” – explains the motive for his violence:

    I had nothing left to live for but revenge. Women must be punished for their crimes of rejecting such a magnificent gentleman as myself. All of those popular boys must be punished for enjoying heavenly lives and having sex with all the girls while I had to suffer in lonely virginity.

    Four years later, in April 2018, Alek Minassian, a self-described incel, drove a rented van onto a busy sidewalk in Toronto, killing 11 (nine of them women) and injuring many more. On Facebook, Minassian explained that his actions were part of the “incel rebellion” led by the “Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger”. Later, Minassian told police, “I feel like I accomplished my mission”.

    Rodger, too, ended his final YouTube video with a similar message: “If I can’t have you girls, I will destroy you”.

    In his book, Copland even draws a parallel between the Westfield Bondi Junction attack and the explanation for attacker Joel Cauchi’s violence, put forward by his father just two days after the attack: “To you, he is a monster. To me, he was a very sick boy […] he wanted a girlfriend and he’s got no social skills and he was frustrated out of his brain”.

    In fact, Cauchi suffered from treatment-resistant schizophrenia and had been unmedicated at the time of the attack: “after almost two decades of treatment, Cauchi had no regular psychiatrist, was not on any medications to treat his schizophrenia and had no family living nearby”. The multifaceted causes of Cauchi’s crime are more complex than misogynistic violence.

    Indeed, the pieces of the manosphere puzzle, when put together, reveal a sobering image of the male complaint. However, they demonstrate misogyny is bad for everyone – not just women and girls.

    As Copland concludes:

    The manosphere promises men that it can make their lives better […] But it really cannot deliver. The promises it offers are not real, and in many cases make things worse […] This is how cruel optimism works, always offering, but never delivering.

    ‘It’s the combinations’

    Recent evidence suggests there is no single route to radicalisation, and no single cause of violent extremism. Rather, complex interactions between push, pull, and personal factors are the root causes of male violence.

    The Netflix sensation Adolescence – the harrowing story of a 13-year-old boy who is arrested and charged with murder – is powered by a single question: why did Jamie kill Katie?

    In attempting to answer this question, critics and fans have offered a range of explanations: bullying, low self-esteem, emotional dysregulation, obsession with love and sex, deprivation of love and sex, the manosphere. The real answer is less obvious and infinitely more complex. It can be found in a simple line of dialogue, spoken at the end of the series by Jamie’s sister.

    “It’s the combinations,” Lisa says. “Combinations are everything.”

    In this moment, Lisa is justifying her outfit to her parents as they await Jamie’s trial. But subtextually, her statement doubles as the most likely explanation for his actions. And it’s the closest explanation for why some boys and men commit extreme acts of violence: the combinations.

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

    Kate Cantrell 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. Don’t blame toxic masculinity for online misogyny – the manosphere is hurting men too – https://theconversation.com/dont-blame-toxic-masculinity-for-online-misogyny-the-manosphere-is-hurting-men-too-254802

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney

    Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock

    Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish?

    Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and change fish behaviour. Many of these behaviours are essential for healthy ecosystems.

    In a new study, my colleagues and I found that pesticides affect many different behaviours in fish. Overall, the chemical pesticides make fish less sociable and interactive. They spend less time gathering in groups, become less protective of their territory, and make fewer attempts to mate.

    Imagine the ocean without the vibrant schools of fish we’ve come to love – only isolated swimmers drifting about. Quietly, ecosystems begin to unravel, long before mass die-offs hit the news.

    Healthy reef ecosystems feature fish swimming together and socialising.
    Mike Workman, Shutterstock

    Fish are living and dying in polluted water

    Australia is a major producer and user of pesticides, with more than 11,000 approved chemical products routinely used in agricultural and domestic settings. Remarkably, some of these chemicals remain approved in Australia despite being banned in other regions such as the European Union due to safety concerns.

    When a tractor or plane sprays pesticides onto crops, it creates a mist of chemicals in the air to kill crop pests. After heavy rain, these chemicals can flow into roadside drains, filter through soil, and slowly move into rivers, lakes and oceans.

    Fish swim in this diluted chemical mixture. They can absorb pesticides through their gills or eat contaminated prey.

    At high concentrations, mass fish deaths can result, such as those repeatedly observed in the Menindee Lakes. However, doses in the wild often aren’t lethal and more subtle effects can occur. Scientists call these “sub-lethal” effects.

    One commonly investigated sub-lethal effect is a change in behaviour – in other words, a change in the way a fish interacts with its surrounding environment.

    Our previous research has found most experiments have looked at the impacts on fish in isolation, measuring things such as how far or how fast they swim when pesticides are present.

    But fish aren’t solitary — they form groups, defend territory and find mates. These behaviours keep aquatic ecosystems stable. So this time we studied how pesticides affect these crucial social behaviours.

    Pesticide exposure makes fish less social

    Our study extracted and analysed data from 37 experiments conducted around the world. Together, these tested the impacts of 31 different pesticides on the social behaviour of 11 different fish species.

    The evidence suggests pesticides make fish less social, and this finding is consistent across species. Courtship was the most severely impacted behaviour – the process fish use to find and attract mates. This is particularly alarming because successful courtship is essential for healthy fish populations and ecosystem stability.

    Next, we found pesticides such as the herbicide glyphosate, which can disrupt brain function and hormone levels had the strongest impacts on fish social behaviours. This raises important questions about how brain function and hormones drive fish social behaviour, which could be tested by scientists in the future.

    For example, scientists could test how much a change in testosterone relates to a change in territory defence. Looking at these relationships between what’s going on inside the body mechanisms and outward behaviour will help us better understand the complex impacts of pesticides.

    We also identified gaps in the current studies. Most existing studies focus on a limited number of easy-to-study “model species” such as zebrafish, medaka and guppies. They also often use pesticide dosages and durations that may not reflect real-world realities.

    Addressing these gaps by including a range of species and environmentally relevant dosages is crucial to understanding how pesticides affect fish in the wild.

    One of the experiments in our study involved convict surgeonfish, which gather in large groups or ‘shoals’.
    Damsea, Shutterstock

    Behaviour is a blind spot in regulation

    Regulatory authorities should begin to recognise behaviour as a reliable and important indicator of pesticide safety. This can help them catch pesticide pollution early, before mass deaths occur.

    Scientists play a crucial role too. By following the same methods, scientists can produce comparable results. A standardised method then provides regulators the evidence needed to confidently assess pesticide risks.

    Together, regulatory authorities and scientists can find a way to use behavioural studies to help inform policy decisions. This will help to prevent mass deaths and catch pesticide impacts early on.

    Leave no stone unturned in restoring our waters

    Rivers, lakes, oceans and reefs are bearing the brunt of an ever-growing human footprint.

    So far, much of the spotlight has focused on reducing carbon emissions and managing overfishing — and rightly so. But there’s another, quieter threat drifting beneath the surface: the chemicals we use.

    Pesticides used on farms and in gardens are being detected everywhere, even iconic ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. As we have shown, these pesticides can have disturbing effects even at low concentrations.

    Now is the time to cut pesticide use and reduce runoff. Through switching to less toxic chemicals and introducing better regulations, we can reduce the damage. If we act with urgency, we can limit the impacts pesticides have on our planet.

    Kyle Morrison 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. Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart – https://theconversation.com/many-fish-are-social-but-pesticides-are-pushing-them-apart-256230

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne

    A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee.

    This is not only important for Cambodia, but also raises important questions for atrocity sites in Australia.

    Before this, the World Heritage list only recognised seven “sites of memory” associated with recent conflicts, which UNESCO defines as “events having occurred from the turn of the 20th century” under its criterion vi. These sat within a broader list of more than 950 cultural sites.

    In recent years, experts have intensely debated the question of whether a site associated with recent conflict could, or should, be nominated and evaluated for World Heritage status. Some argue such listings would contradict the objectives of UNESCO and its spirit of peace, which was part of the specialised agency’s mandate after the destruction of two world wars.

    Sites associated with recent conflicts can be divisive. For instance, when Japan nominated the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, both China and the United States objected and eventually disassociated from the decision. The US argued the nomination lacked “historical perspective” on the events that led to the bomb’s use. Meanwhile, China argued listing the property would not be conducive for peace as other Asian countries and peoples had suffered at the hands of the Japanese during WWII.

    Heritage inscriptions risk reinforcing societal divisions if they conserve a particular memory in a one-sided way.

    Nonetheless, the World Heritage Committee decided in 2023 to no longer preclude such sites for inscription. This was done partly in recognition of how these sites may “serve the peace-building mission of UNESCO”.

    Shortly after, three listing were added: the ESMA Museum and Site of Memory, a former clandestine centre for detention, torture and extermination in Argentina; memorial sites of the Rwandan genocide at Nyamata, Murambi, Gisozi and Bisesero; and funerary and memory sites of the first world war in Belgium and France.

    A number of legacy sites associated with Nelson Mandela’s human rights struggle in South Africa were also added last year.

    Atrocities of the Khmer Rouge

    The recently inscribed Cambodian Memorial Sites include prisons S-21 (now known as Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) and M-13, as well as the execution site Choeung Ek.

    These sites were nominated for their value in showing the development of extreme mass violence in relation to the security system of the Khmer Rouge in 1975–79. They also have value as places of memorialisation, peace and learning.

    The Khmer Rouge developed its methods of disappearance, incarceration and torture of suspected “enemies” during the civil conflict of 1970–75. It established a system of local-level security centres in so-called “liberated” areas.

    One of these centres was known as M-13, a small, well-hidden prison in the country’s rural southwest. A man named Kaing Guek Eav – also called Duch – was responsible for prisoners at M-13.

    Shortly after the entire country fell to the Khmer Rouge in April 1975, Duch was assigned to lead the headquarters of the regime’s security system: a large detention and torture centre known as S-21.

    Under his instruction, tens of thousands of people were detained in inhumane conditions, tortured and interrogated. Many detainees were later taken to the outskirts of the city to be brutally killed and buried in pits at a place called Choeung Ek.

    The sites operated until early 1979, when the Khmer Rouge was forced from power.

    The S-21 facility and the mass graves at Choeung Ek have long been memorialised as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre.

    However, the former M-13 site shows few visual clues to its prior use, and has only recently been investigated by an international team led by Cambodian archaeologist and museum director Hang Nisay. The site is on an island in a small river that forms the boundary between the Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu provinces.

    Further research, site protection and memorialisation activities will now be supported, with help from locals.

    From repression to reflection

    The Cambodian memorial sites have been recognised as holding “outstanding universal value” for the way they evidence one of the 20th century’s worst atrocities, and are now places of memory.

    In its nomination dossier for these sites, Cambodia drew on findings from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal to verify and link the conflict and the sites.

    In 2010, the tribunal found Duch guilty of crimes against humanity and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions. Duch was sentenced to 30 years in prison (which eventually turned into life imprisonment). He died in 2020.

    While courts such as the International Criminal Court have previously examined the destruction of heritage as an international crime, drawing on legal findings to assert heritage status is an unusual inverse. It raises important questions about the legacies of former UN-supported tribunals and the ongoing implications of their findings.

    The recent listings also raise questions for Australia, which has many sites of documented mass killing associated with colonisation and the frontier wars that lasted into the 20th century.

    Might Australia nominate any of these atrocity sites in the future? And could other processes such as truth-telling, reparation and redress support (or be supported by) such nominations?

    Rachel Hughes has consulted to UNESCO Cambodia.

    Maria Elander 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. UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict – https://theconversation.com/unesco-grants-world-heritage-status-to-khmer-rouge-atrocity-sites-paving-the-way-for-other-sites-of-conflict-260923

    MIL OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: PRRT assessable receipts

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Assessable petroleum receipts

    Commercial recovery of petroleum is the most significant assessable receipts that result from a petroleum project. These are referred to as assessable petroleum receipts. They generally arise when recovered petroleum is sold before it is processed or after some preliminary processing has been undertaken.

    Certain other kinds of receipts are also assessable under the petroleum resource rent tax (PRRT). Broadly, these receipts are assessable to ensure there is symmetry in the PRRT as they generally arise from amounts that have been previously claimed as a deduction. For example, the consideration received from the disposal of property used in a petroleum project is assessable as the original purchase is deductible under the PRRT.

    There is no revenue or capital distinction in the PRRT. Therefore, receipts of a revenue or capital nature may be assessable under the PRRT.

    For more information, see PRRT concepts.

    Derivation of assessable receipts

    Assessable receipts derived in relation to a petroleum project need to be taken into account in the financial year in which they are receivable or, in certain cases, when they are deemed to be receivable.

    As assessable receipts are derived when they are receivable or deemed to be receivable, they may be derived before the project commences (that is, before a production licence comes into force) or after it has ceased.

    Broadly, assessable receipts from the North West Shelf project derived from 1 July 2012 will be assessable.

    Types of assessable receipts

    There are 7 types of assessable receipts for petroleum projects:

    For further information, see PRRT deductible expenditure.

    Assessable petroleum receipts

    Assessable petroleum receipts are derived when consideration becomes receivable from the sale of a marketable petroleum commodity (MPC). Assessable petroleum receipts are the consideration receivable for the sale less any expenses payable in relation to the sale.

    An MPC is a product produced from petroleum (for example, stabilised crude oil, sales gas and condensate) that is in its final form for the purpose of either sale, use as feedstock for conversion to another product or direct consumption as energy. However, it does not include a product that was produced from an MPC.

    In a situation where the MPC is not sold but it becomes an excluded commodity, the assessable petroleum receipts represent the market value of the MPC before it becomes or became an excluded commodity. Where there is insufficient evidence of the market value, the Commissioner of Taxation may determine a fair and reasonable amount to be the assessable petroleum receipts.

    An excluded commodity is an MPC that has been sold, further processed or treated after being produced, moved from the place of its production other than to an adjacent storage site or moved from a storage site adjacent to the place of production.

    Special rules

    Special rules apply in calculating assessable petroleum receipts from sales gas produced in an integrated gas-to-liquid (GTL) operation or an integrated gas-to-electricity (GTE) operation whereby the sales gas is further processed into a liquefied product or consumed in the commercial production of electricity.

    For more information, see:

    Assessable tolling receipts

    Assessable tolling receipts are consideration receivable for the processing of internal or external petroleum in relation to a petroleum project.

    Internal petroleum is petroleum recovered from a production licence area of the project. For example, a joint venturer who owns the processing facility may process the share of petroleum of one or more other venturers.

    External petroleum is petroleum recovered from an area other than the production licence area of the project. For example, petroleum recovered from project A is processed in the processing plant of project B.

    Assessable exploration recovery receipts

    Assessable exploration recovery receipts are derived in a similar manner as assessable petroleum receipts, except that they are derived from petroleum (or an MPC produced from the petroleum) recovered from the eligible exploration or recovery area (other than a production licence area) in relation to a petroleum project. In other words, they relate to recovery of petroleum from the area of an exploration permit or a retention lease.

    Assessable property receipts

    Assessable property receipts include certain amounts receivable in respect of the disposal, loss or destruction of property for which a deduction for capital expenditure (being eligible real expenditure) was incurred in relation to the project.

    Assessable property receipts include all of the following amounts:

    • consideration receivable on disposal of project property
    • the market value of property on termination of its use in the project
    • insurance payments for loss or damage to project property
    • consideration receivable for hiring, leasing out or granting of a right to use project property
    • consideration receivable for the provision of information obtained by incurring eligible real expenditure in relation to the project (for example, amounts receivable from sale of information obtained from a survey, appraisal or study).

    Where property has been purchased for use partly in relation to a project (and accordingly only that proportion of capital expenditure has been claimed as eligible real expenditure of the project), only a corresponding proportion of the receipts from the disposal of that property (or other things referred to above) will be included as assessable property receipts in relation to the project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts include amounts receivable by way of insurance, compensation or indemnity in respect of all of the following:

    • the loss or destruction (or in respect of the loss of any profit caused by the loss or destruction) of petroleum before an MPC had been produced from the petroleum
    • the loss or destruction (or in respect of the loss of any profit caused by the loss or destruction) of an MPC before it becomes an excluded commodity
    • the loss of any amounts that would otherwise have been assessable receipts in relation to a project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts also include amounts receivable by way of refund, rebate, discount, commission, compensation or indemnity received in relation to eligible real expenditure incurred in relation to a project.

    Assessable miscellaneous compensation receipts will include grossed up amounts of refunds of resource tax expenditure for the North West Shelf project.

    Refunds of resource tax expenditure

    The North West Shelf project is subject to certain Commonwealth, state and territory excise and royalties (resource tax expenditure).

    From 1 July 2012, resource tax expenditure is creditable against the PRRT liability of the North West Shelf project. This is achieved by grossing up payments of resource taxes by the PRRT rate that is then deductible against assessable receipts of the project.

    Entities may be entitled to a refund where there has been an overpayment of a royalty or excise. In these circumstances the refund will be grossed up (by dividing it by the PRRT rate) and will be treated as an assessable miscellaneous compensation receipt in the year it is received.

    However, refunds received after 1 July 2012 that relate to petroleum extracted before 1 July 2012, will not be assessable.

    Assessable employee amenities receipts

    Amounts receivable for or in respect of the provision of employee amenities in respect of which eligible real expenditure was incurred, are assessable employee amenities receipts.

    The term ’employee amenities’ means provision of non-profit housing, health, education, recreation, welfare or similar facilities and services (including provision of meals) to project employees or their dependents.

    Assessable incidental production receipts

    Consideration receivable from the sale of incidental products other than petroleum or an MPC which have been recovered, extracted or produced using operations, facilities and other things that are related to the petroleum project and for which eligible real expenditure was incurred, will be treated as assessable incidental production receipts.

    Examples include consideration receivable from the sale of both:

    • water from a water treatment facility that is an integral part of a petroleum project
    • excess electricity that is produced as part of a petroleum project.

    Assessable incidental production receipts also include consideration receivable from the sale of services relating to carbon capture and storage provided to another entity using operations, facilities and other things of the petroleum project and for which eligible real expenditure was incurred.

    Receipts which are not assessable receipts

    Some receipts are not assessable for PRRT purposes, particularly those receipts that relate to expenditure which has been categorised as excluded expenditure for PRRT purposes. Examples include:

    • amounts received as loans, or in respect of loans made
    • receipts of interest and capital repayments received from borrowers
    • share capital received as shareholders’ funds
    • dividend or bonus shares received from associated companies
    • private override royalty income
    • proceeds from the sale of interests in an exploration permit, retention lease or production licence.

    For more information, see PRRT deductible expenditure.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Talisman Sabre 2025 Begins with Record Participation and Enduring Purpose

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    Sydney, Australia — Exercise Talisman Sabre 25 formally commenced today from the flight deck of HMAS Adelaide in Sydney Harbor, launching military activities involving 19 nations and over 30,000 service members across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace. This marks the largest bilateral military training event between the United States and Australia to date.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.

    A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s

    ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous

    Is there any hope for the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:

    Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of

    Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in

    Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.

    Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and

    Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up

    Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,

    View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president

    David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the

    Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report

    Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis

    Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee. This is not only important

    How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling

    Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch

    Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for July 15, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on July 15, 2025.

    A warning from the future: the risk if NZ gets climate adaptation policy wrong today
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tom Logan, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar, Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury Getty Images New Zealand 2050: On the morning of February 27, the sea surged through the dunes south of the small town of Te Taone, riding on the back of Cyclone Harita’s

    ABC’s and CBS’s settlements with Trump are a dangerous step toward the commander in chief becoming the editor-in-chief
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael J. Socolow, Professor of Communication and Journalism, University of Maine Will settlements by news companies with President Donald Trump turn journalists into puppets? MARHARYTA MARKO/iStock Getty Images Plus It was a surrender widely foreseen. For months, rumors abounded that Paramount would eventually settle the seemingly frivolous

    Is there any hope for the internet?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aarushi Bhandari, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Davidson College Hate and mental illness fester online because love and healing seem to be incompatible with profits. Ihor Lukianenko/iStock via Getty Images In 2001, social theorist bell hooks warned about the dangers of a loveless zeitgeist. In “All About Love:

    Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of

    Luxon and Peters to miss Cook Islands’ 60th Constitution Day celebrations
    By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist New Zealand will not send top government representation to the Cook Islands for its 60th Constitution Day celebrations in three weeks’ time. Instead, Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro will represent Aotearoa in Rarotonga. On August 4, Cook Islands will mark 60 years of self-governance in free association with New Zealand.

    Keith Rankin Analysis – Reporting International Migration: Less than the Truth
    Analysis by Keith Rankin. Yesterday I listened to RNZ’s political commentators. The principal topic was an aspect of the recently released May 2025 international migration. Kathryn Ryan starts by reminding us of the “old saying, would the last person to leave New Zealand please turn out the lights” (a saying which has been used in

    Antisemitism plan fails on a number of fronts – a contentious definition of hate is just the start
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Louise Chappell, Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney The antisemitism strategy presented to the Albanese government has attracted considerable – and wholly justifed – criticism. Produced by Jillian Segal, the special envoy to combat antisemitism, the blueprint falls short in a range of areas essential to good public policy.

    Do I have prostate cancer? Why a simple PSA blood test alone won’t give you the answer
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kevin M. Koo, NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow, The University of Queensland Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australia, with about 26,000 men diagnosed per year. The majority (more than 85%) are aged over 60. Prostate cancer kills around 3,900 Australians a year. Yet most prostate

    Many fish are social, but pesticides are pushing them apart
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kyle Morrison, PhD Candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UNSW Sydney Kazakov Maksim, Shutterstock Scientists have detected pesticides in rivers, lakes and oceans worldwide. So what are these pesticides doing to the fish? Long before pesticides reach lethal doses, they can disrupt hormones, impair brain function and

    Almost half of young workers expected to work unpaid overtime, while a quarter aren’t paid compulsory super
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Howe, Associate Dean (Research), Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne Anna Kraynova/Shutterstock A young person gets a job, excited to earn their first paycheck. Over time, they realise the hours are long and the payslips small. They are told to stay back to clean up

    Israeli settlers shoot, beat to death 2 Palestinians in latest lynchings
    BEARING WITNESS: By Cole Martin in occupied West Bank Two young Palestinians were shot and beaten to death on their land, and 30 injured, by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank on Saturday. A large group of settlers attacked the rural Palestinian village of Sinjil, in the Ramallah governorate, beating Sayfollah “Saif” Mussalet, 20,

    View from The Hill: Segal’s antisemitism plan gives government controversy, not clarity
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Prime Minister Anthony Albanese may be rueing what seemed a good idea at the time – the appointment of a special envoy to combat antisemitism (as well as an envoy to combat Islamophobia). Or perhaps Jillian Segal, a former president

    David Robie condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Report by Dr David Robie – Café Pacific. – A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the

    Was the Air India crash caused by pilot error or technical fault? None of the theories holds up – yet
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Guido Carim Junior, Senior Lecturer in Aviation, Griffith University Over the weekend, the Indian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released a preliminary report on last month’s crash of Air India flight 171, which killed 260 people, 19 of them on the ground. The aim of a preliminary report

    Confusing for doctors, inequitable for patients: why Australia’s medicinal cannabis system needs urgent reform
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christine Mary Hallinan, Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne Vanessa Nunes/Getty Images In 2024 alone, Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), authorised at least 979,000 prescription applications for medicinal cannabis

    Treasury warns the government it may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Hawkins, Head, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra Kokkai Ng/Getty In the runup to each election, federal treasury produces a “blue book” and a “red book”, with advice tailored to the priorities of the two alternative governments. One of these is given to the incoming

    UNESCO grants World Heritage status to Khmer Rouge atrocity sites – paving the way for other sites of conflict
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Hughes, Associate Professor of Geography, The University of Melbourne A series of atrocity sites of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have been formally entered onto the World Heritage list, as part of the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee. This is not only important

    How do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What the Grok drama reveals about AI training
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Aaron J. Snoswell, Senior Research Fellow in AI Accountability, Queensland University of Technology Anne Fehres and Luke Conroy & AI4Media, CC BY Grok, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot embedded in X (formerly Twitter) and built by Elon Musk’s company xAI, is back in the headlines after calling

    Author condemns ‘callous’ health legacy of French, US nuclear bomb tests in Pacific
    Asia Pacific Report A journalist who was on the Rainbow Warrior voyage to Rongelap last night condemned France for its “callous” attack of an environmental ship, saying “we haven’t forgotten, or forgiven this outrage”. David Robie, the author of Eyes of Fire: The Last Voyage and Legacy of the Rainbow Warrior, said at the launch

    Washington’s war demands – Australia right to refuse committing to a hypothetical conflict with China over Taiwan
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By John Blaxland, Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University Andy. LIU/Shutterstock The United States can count on Australia as one of its closest allies. Dating back to the shared experiences in the second world war and the ANZUS Treaty signed in 1951, Australia has steadfastly

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthias Dehling, Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    Matthias Dehling

    The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.

    It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.

    In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.

    But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.

    This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.

    If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.

    Biased measurements

    There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.

    In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.

    An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.

    At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.

    The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    Global hotspots for endemic species

    This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.

    We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.

    These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.

    Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.

    Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Matthias Dehling

    Not much land, a lot of ocean

    The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.

    Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.

    The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    A heightened vulnerability

    Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.

    In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.

    For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.

    The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.

    Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked – https://theconversation.com/the-southern-hemisphere-is-full-of-birds-found-nowhere-else-on-earth-their-importance-has-been-overlooked-260828

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Matthias Dehling, Researcher, School of Biological Sciences, Monash University

    Matthias Dehling

    The snow petrel, a strikingly white bird with black eyes and a black bill, is one of only three bird species ever observed at the South Pole. In fact, the Antarctic is the only place on Earth where this bird lives.

    It isn’t alone in this. Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic harbour a large number of endemic species, which means these species are only found in one or a few locations in the world.

    In other words, these regions have a high degree of “endemism” – an important metric that tells us where to focus species conservation efforts.

    But our new study shows that the degree of endemism in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic – and in the southern hemisphere more generally – has been underestimated.

    This is important because areas with a high degree of endemism harbour species with restricted ranges, unique evolutionary history or unique ecological functions. This makes them potentially more vulnerable to disturbances such as climate change, fundamental changes in habitat, or invasive introduced species.

    If the degree of endemism is underestimated, conservation efforts may overlook the sites that are home to irreplaceable birds.

    Biased measurements

    There are two reasons why global patterns of species endemism aren’t well defined. First, the most common method used to calculate endemism tends to give higher values to places with more species overall – this is known as species richness.

    In addition, global studies of diversity often exclude areas that are comparatively species-poor. These areas are mainly in the southern hemisphere – most notably the Antarctic region. When sites that only contain a few species are left out, this influences the estimates of endemism for all other sites.

    An alternative way to calculate endemism takes into account a site’s “complementarity”. This metric considers whether species found at a site are also found elsewhere. With this method, we can find sites that have the highest percentage of species with a restricted range.

    At such highly endemic sites, the local ecosystem relies heavily on species with restricted ranges to function, which makes them all the more irreplaceable.

    The superb lyrebird, known for its skillful vocal imitations, is endemic to southeast Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    Global hotspots for endemic species

    This is the approach we used in our new study to reassess the endemism of birds worldwide. In our study, we also considered other aspects of bird diversity. We measured endemism with regard to whether sites hold irreplaceable evolutionary history and ecological functions of birds.

    We found that southern-hemisphere communities showed higher rates of local endemism than northern-hemisphere communities across all aspects of diversity. The sub-Antarctic islands and the High Andes, as well as several regions in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand and southern Africa, stand out as global hotspots of endemism.

    These regions hold many charismatic birds with unique evolutionary histories or unique ecological functions, and these birds are largely restricted to the southern hemisphere.

    Among these are the palaeognaths – the bird lineage that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and ostriches. They also include the lyrebirds and the New Zealand wrens, as well as iconic Antarctic species such as penguins and albatrosses.

    Tawaki or Fiordland crested penguin is only found in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Matthias Dehling

    Not much land, a lot of ocean

    The higher rates of endemism in the southern hemisphere are likely related to the uneven global distribution of landmass. Put simply, there is much more available landmass in the northern hemisphere. As you go further south, landmasses become increasingly separated by vast expanses of ocean.

    Because of the smaller and separated landmasses, species in the southern hemisphere have much smaller ranges than species in the northern hemisphere. Consequently, local species communities share fewer species with each other. This leads to the higher observed endemism in the southern hemisphere.

    The black-breasted buttonquail is a secretive rainforest bird whose range is restricted to a tiny area in south-east Queensland, Australia.
    Matthias Dehling

    A heightened vulnerability

    Our findings suggest that birds in the northern and southern hemisphere might react differently to environmental pressures. Unfortunately, most studies on the impact of climate change to date are from the northern hemisphere.

    In response to climate change in particular, species are expected to shift their ranges towards cooler climates. While northern-hemisphere birds are likely free to shift their ranges across large stretches of uninterrupted landmass, birds in the southern hemisphere are hindered by vast expanses of ocean that separate the different landmasses on which they live.

    For species at the southern tips of South America, Africa or Australia, the nearest major landmass towards the south is Antarctica. But it is unsuitable for most bird species.

    The potentially heightened vulnerability of southern-hemisphere birds suggests they deserve more protection. In addition to known species diversity hotspots that hold large numbers of species, conservation efforts should consider areas that might hold only a small number of species, but irreplaceable ones that aren’t found anywhere else.

    Matthias Dehling receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. The southern hemisphere is full of birds found nowhere else on Earth. Their importance has been overlooked – https://theconversation.com/the-southern-hemisphere-is-full-of-birds-found-nowhere-else-on-earth-their-importance-has-been-overlooked-260828

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Asia-Pacific Power Summit 2025 Kicks Off Today Taipower Partners with International Utilities to Advance Smart Grid Resilience

    Source: Republic of China Taiwan

    In response to global trends such as the growth of renewable energy and the pursuit of net-zero emissions, the development and strengthening of smart grid resilience has become a priority for power utilities worldwide. Taipower, together with the Taiwan Smart Grid Industry Association (TSGIA), the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER), and Moxa, is co-hosting the three-day Asia-Pacific Power Summit 2025, which opened today (May 26) at Taipower’s headquarters. The event brings together representatives from major international utilities for discussions and exchanges. The Summit gathers power companies from across the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Australia, alongside industry leaders, system integrators, and technical experts. By sharing international technologies and hands-on experiences, the Summit aims to accelerate grid modernization and drive the smart transformation of the energy sector.

    This year’s Summit, themed Enhancing Smart Grid Resilience, features senior executives from eight power companies, including Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), Kansai Electric Power Company, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Indonesia’s PLN, and Australia’s Endeavour Energy, as well as leading research institutions such as the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Salt River Project (SRP) from the United States. Representing Taipower, Vice President Chin-Chung Wu delivered a keynote speech outlining the Company’s comprehensive strategy to strengthen power supply stability and enhance grid resilience while expanding renewable energy integration.

    Vice President Chin-Chung Wu highlighted that from 2022 to 2024, Taipower ranked second globally in the Smart Grid Index (SGI), a prominent benchmark for smart grid development based in Singapore, demonstrating Taipower’s strong technical capabilities. In recent years, Taipower has continued to integrate and apply information and communications technology (ICT) across its power grid operations. Through smart dispatch and generation, grid management, distributed energy storage, demand response load management, and ICT infrastructure, Taipower has optimized supply-demand balancing, improved monitoring and automation, bolstering system resilience, and ensured stable power supply and high power quality.

    To further exchange practical experience, Taipower also held a three-way technical session with TEPCO and Japanese ICT company NESIC, sharing how the Geospatial Outage Management System (GeoOMS) is used during natural disasters to quickly assess damage and expedite power restoration. Additionally, Taipower met with KEPCO to discuss best practices for grid stability and reliability. Taipower emphasized that it will continue to deepen its cooperation with international utilities on smart grid applications, working together to build more resilent, smarter grids, and to achieve the shared goals of stable power supply, optimal energy utilization, and net-zero emissions.

    Spokesperson: Vice President Chih-Meng Tsai
    Tel: (02 )2366-6271/0958-749-333
    Email: u910707@taipower.com.tw

    Contact Person: Director of the Power Dispatch Department Fang-Cheng Chou
    Tel: (02 )2366-6600/0952-810-417
    Email: u027007@taipower.com.tw

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USS America arrives in Brisbane

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    BRISBANE, Australia – The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) and embarked U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Brisbane, Australia, for a scheduled port visit July 9 while conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USS America arrives in Brisbane

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    BRISBANE, Australia – The amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) and embarked U.S. Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Brisbane, Australia, for a scheduled port visit July 9 while conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The Tri-Ship America Amphibious Ready Group Visits Brisbane

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    BRISBANE, Australia – The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47), and embarked elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Brisbane for a scheduled port visit July 10 while conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: From TAGRS to Tigers: Bilateral refueling operation marks new milestone for MRF-D

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    DARWIN, Australia – In a first-of-its-kind operation, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) used the Tactical Air-Ground Refueling System (TAGRS) to refuel an Australian ARH Tiger helicopter for the first time, showcasing the expanding interoperability between allied forces in the Indo-Pacific.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: From TAGRS to Tigers: Bilateral refueling operation marks new milestone for MRF-D

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    DARWIN, Australia – In a first-of-its-kind operation, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) used the Tactical Air-Ground Refueling System (TAGRS) to refuel an Australian ARH Tiger helicopter for the first time, showcasing the expanding interoperability between allied forces in the Indo-Pacific.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: From TAGRS to Tigers: Bilateral refueling operation marks new milestone for MRF-D

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    DARWIN, Australia – In a first-of-its-kind operation, U.S. Marines with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) used the Tactical Air-Ground Refueling System (TAGRS) to refuel an Australian ARH Tiger helicopter for the first time, showcasing the expanding interoperability between allied forces in the Indo-Pacific.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Reps. Sherman, Lucas, Calvert, Kamlager-Dove & Moore Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.-03), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), and Blake Moore (R-Utah-01)  introduced bipartisan legislation to support and commemorate the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to take place in Los Angeles, California and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively, through the minting of new commemorative coins. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

    “The dedication demonstrated by the American athletes who participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games is truly inspiring and our nation is honored to host both the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games and Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Games. That is why I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating our athletes by introducing America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act. As a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over this legislation, I look forward to Congress moving quickly to advance this important bill. As an Angelino, I am excited to witness the Olympics return to Los Angeles after 44 years, and I am proud to join with my colleagues to honor the Salt Lake City 2034 Games as well,” said Congressman Sherman.

    The America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue four types of coins each in commemoration of the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The coins would be minted at no cost to the federal government, and any proceeds collected from the sale of these commemorative coins would aid in the execution of the 2028 and 2034 Games as well as support their legacy programs, which include the promotion of youth sports in the United States.

     “After years of careful preparation and federal collaboration, Los Angeles will be under the world spotlight for the Olympic and Paralympic Games before we know it,” said Senator Padilla. “Our bipartisan legislation will help ensure Los Angeles has the resources it needs to put on a world-class event — with a token to commemorate the Games for years to come. There is strong congressional interest in promoting and supporting all upcoming U.S.-hosted Olympic events to showcase our nation and our athletes on the global stage, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to advance this bill.”

     “The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will showcase Utah’s pioneer spirit, community strength, and commitment to excellence,” said Senator Curtis. “These commemorative coins honor not just the athletes, but the values that built our state and the legacy we’ll pass on to future generations.”

     “It is such an honor that our Golden State will be hosting the 2028 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. And I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to commemorate these historic games and our incredible athletes,” said Senator Schiff.

     “American athletes are the pinnacle of our exceptionalism and I am looking forward to them leading the way as we host both the 2028 Summer Olympic Games and the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. As Oklahoma’s world-class facilities will be home to multiple official venues, I am honored to join with my colleagues on this important legislation,” said Senator Mullin.

     “It is no small honor to host the Olympic Games, and no small feat to organize them either. That is why these commemorative coins would not only pay proper tribute to such a great honor, but also help pay for the preparations to ensure the upcoming Olympic games – including the 2028 games in my home state – receive the resources they need,” said Representative Lucas. 

     “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are incredible events that celebrate athletic achievement and the human spirit. I’m especially excited for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, which will allow southern California residents to get an up-close look at these remarkable competitions as well as deliver a tremendous boost to our tourism economy. I want to thank all of my colleagues who have worked together to advance the bipartisan America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act,” said Representative Calvert.

     “As we gear up for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I’m proud to co-lead the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act,” said Representative Kamlager-Dove. “This commemorative coin will celebrate not only the upcoming games, but also nearly a century of Olympic history in Los Angeles. The 2028 Games in Los Angeles memorialized by this coin will be a feat all Angelenos and Americans can be proud of.”

     “I’m immensely proud to represent Utah in co-leading the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act. The return of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Salt Lake City in 2034 will mark only the second time in history that the Winter Olympics have returned to the same city, and I cannot wait to see Utah front and center on the world stage once again,” said Representative Moore. “This bid was supported by over 80% of Utahns and will bring billions in GDP growth, tens of thousands of jobs, and showcase the world’s best athletes on the Greatest Snow on Earth. I’m also thrilled that the Summer Olympics will return stateside to Los Angeles in 2028 and look forward to this bill quickly passing through both houses of Congress.”

     “The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will mark the historic return of the summer Games to America in more than 30 years,” said LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover. “The heart and dedication demonstrated by the athletes who participate in the Games is truly unparalleled. Los Angeles 2028, followed by Salt Lake 2034 will serve as an opportunity for American athletes to showcase their talent and resilience on the world’s stage. We’re grateful to Senators Padilla, Curtis, Schiff, and Mullin and Congressmembers Sherman, Lucas, Calvert, Kamlager-Dove and Moore for moving this bill forward to honor these athletes and our U.S. host cities for the 2028 and 2034 Games.”

     “As a four-time Olympian, I greatly appreciate the commemorative coin program as another means of showcasing our Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” said Catherine Raney Norman, Vice President Development and Athlete Relations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034, A four-time Olympic speed skater. 

     Specifically, the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue commemorative $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, half-dollar clad coins, and proof silver $1 coins in commemoration of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to be held in in Los Angeles and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to be held in Salt Lake City.

     The United States has hosted the modern Olympic Games nine times, with the 2028 Games set to become the third time Los Angeles will host the summer Olympic Games and the 2034 Games set to become the second time Salt Lake City will host the Olympic Winter Games. 

     Senator Padilla has secured millions of dollars in federal investments to help prepare Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Last year, Padilla, Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), and former Representative Grace F. Napolitano celebrated nearly $900 million in federal investments in LA Metro to improve mobility and upgrade transportation infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This included $139 million for LA Metro’s “Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy” project, which will reconnect communities and strengthen mobility across highway and arterial barriers ahead of the Games. The funding comes through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program (RCN), which includes the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program that was modeled off the Reconnecting Communities Act that Padilla co-led in 2021. Padilla also traveled on a presidential delegation to Paris last year for the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

     Full text of the bill is available here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: MEDIA RELEASE: Aeris Resources’ André Labuschagne joins AREEA Board of Directors

    Source:

    The Australian Resources & Energy Employer Association (AREEA) is pleased to announce André Labuschagne, Executive Chairman of Aeris Resources, has joined its Board of Directors.

    Mr Labuschagne is an experienced mining executive, carving out a 35-year career primarily in the gold and copper industry.

    He has held various executive roles in South Africa, PNG, Fiji and Australia for leading gold companies including Emperor Gold Mines, DRD Gold and AngloGold Ashanti.

    As the former managing director of Norton Gold Fields Limited, Mr Labuschagne led the ASX-lister’s evolution into a significant Australian gold producer before its sale to a major Chinese gold company in 2012.

    AREEA Chief Executive Steve Knott AM said Mr Labuschagne would be a strong addition to the national employer group’s Board of Directors.

    “André is a hands-on leader whose strategic thinking, inclusive approach and decisiveness have not only contributed to successful corporate transactions but stood at the heart of building great teams and companies,” Mr Knott said.

    “His executive and operational skills – and long record of bringing value to businesses – will be of great benefit to AREEA’s membership.”

    About AREEA’s Board

    AREEA is the largest and most diverse national employer group for the Australian resources and energy industry.

    Its members include employers in hard rock and critical minerals mining, oil and gas, coal, smelting, refining, transport, logistics, engineering and all other supply and servicing sectors.

    As of July 2025, the AREEA Board comprises:

    • Julie Fallon (AREEA President), Executive Vice President Technical and Energy Development, Woodside Energy Limited
    • Tom Quinn (AREEA Vice President), Non-Executive Director, pitt&sherry, and Vast
    • Jo Taylor, (AREEA Vice President), Managing Director, Compass Group Australia
    • Johnpaul Dimech, Zone President APMEA, Brazil and LatAm; Region CEO, APMEA, Sodexo
    • André Labuschagne, Executive Chairman, Aeris Resources
    • Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO, Perenti
    • Bill Townsend, Senior Vice President Corporate, INPEX
    • Simon Younger, Chair, ExxonMobil Australia

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Your annual lodgment performance

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Your annual on-time lodgment performance overview is available via the Lodgment program status feature in Online services for agents. The feature also allows you to track your lodgment performance throughout the year.

    Find out how we calculate your on-time lodgment performance and the simple things you can do to improve it, including:

    • notifying us when a return is not necessary.
    • updating your client list to remove those you no longer represent.

    It’s important to note that meeting the benchmark is not a prerequisite for ongoing access to the lodgment program. However, we monitor it as an indicator of when agents may require additional support.

    We may contact agents who have fallen significantly below the benchmark or those who are requesting large numbers of deferrals compared to other practices, to offer our support.

    Find out about our support strategies if you don’t meet the performance benchmark or answers to frequently asked questions about the lodgment program framework.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Recruitment eases as employers hold steady on staffing outlook

    Source: Jobs and Skills Australia

    Recruitment eases as employers hold steady on staffing outlook

    Linda


    News and updates
    The June RIR suggests a resilient labour market, despite slower employment growth earlier this year. Read more.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 07/14/2025 Blackburn, Cortez Masto Bipartisan Bill to Help Americans Recover from Natural Disasters Passes Senate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statements after their bipartisan bill to provide relief for impacted taxpayers in states that have issued state-level disaster declarations passed the Senate. The Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act would allow the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to postpone filing deadlines for taxpayers affected by state-declared natural disasters, instead of only presidentially-declared federal disasters. The legislation passed the House earlier this year and now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. It is also co-sponsored by Senators John Kennedy (R-La.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). 

    Under current law, families impacted by floods and fires in areas with a state-level disaster declaration are not eligible for any tax relief because the disaster was not also declared by the President of the United States. Senator Blackburn’s legislation will change that, ensuring that everyone impacted by fires, floods, and storms gets the tax relief they need.

    “When a disaster like Hurricane Helene hits, the last thing Tennesseans should have to worry about is meeting a tax-filing deadline,” said Senator Blackburn. “The Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act empowers the governor to extend tax deadlines, giving Tennesseans the flexibility to focus on disaster recovery and I’m thrilled it’s headed to President Trump’s desk.” 

    “A natural disaster is devastating for anyone. Impacted taxpayers should not have to worry about whether their state’s natural disaster has been recognized by the President for them to receive the support they deserve,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “This bipartisan legislation will ensure that anyone impacted by state-level emergencies can have some peace of mind when filling their taxes.”

    THE FILING RELIEF FOR NATURAL DISASTERS ACT

    • The Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act would allow the governor of a state or territory to extend a federal tax filing deadline in the event of a state-declared emergency or disaster, which happens automatically for federally-declared disasters. Extending this authority to states gives them the ability to provide relief independent of the federal government’s involvement in an emergency or natural disaster.
    • The legislation would also expand the mandatory federal filing extension from 60 days to 120 days.
    • Representatives David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) and Judy Chu (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, which also passed.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Curtis, Schiff, Mullin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Curtis, Schiff, Mullin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Support America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislationto support and commemorate the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to take place in Los Angeles, California and Salt Lake City, Utah, respectively, through the minting of new commemorative coins. Representatives Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.-03), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.-41), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), and Blake Moore (R-Utah-01) introduced companion legislation in the House.

    The America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue four types of coins each in commemoration of the 2028 and 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The coins would be minted at no cost to the federal government, and any proceeds collected from the sale of these commemorative coins would aid in the execution of the 2028 and 2034 Games as well as support their legacy programs, which include the promotion of youth sports in the United States.

    “After years of careful preparation and federal collaboration, Los Angeles will be under the world spotlight for the Olympic and Paralympic Games before we know it,” said Senator Padilla. “Our bipartisan legislation will help ensure Los Angeles has the resources it needs to put on a world-class event — with a token to commemorate the Games for years to come. There is strong congressional interest in promoting and supporting all upcoming U.S.-hosted Olympic events to showcase our nation and our athletes on the global stage, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to advance this bill.”

    “The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will showcase Utah’s pioneer spirit, community strength, and commitment to excellence,” said Senator Curtis. “These commemorative coins honor not just the athletes, but the values that built our state and the legacy we’ll pass on to future generations.”

    “It is such an honor that our Golden State will be hosting the 2028 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. And I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan legislation to commemorate these historic games and our incredible athletes,” said Senator Schiff.

    “American athletes are the pinnacle of our exceptionalism and I am looking forward to them leading the way as we host both the 2028 Summer Olympic Games and the 2034 Winter Olympic Games. As Oklahoma’s world-class facilities will be home to multiple official venues, I am honored to join with my colleagues on this important legislation,” said Senator Mullin.

    “The dedication demonstrated by the American athletes who participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games is truly inspiring and our nation is honored to host both the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games and Salt Lake City 2034 Winter Games. That is why I am proud to join my colleagues in celebrating our athletes by introducing America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act. As a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over this legislation, I look forward to Congress moving quickly to advance this important bill. As an Angelino, I am excited to witness the Olympics return to Los Angeles after 44 years, and I am proud to join with my colleagues to honor the Salt Lake City 2034 Games as well,” said Representative Sherman.

    “It is no small honor to host the Olympic Games, and no small feat to organize them either. That is why these commemorative coins would not only pay proper tribute to such a great honor, but also help pay for the preparations to ensure the upcoming Olympic games – including the 2028 games in my home state – receive the resources they need,” said Representative Lucas.

    “The Olympic and Paralympic Games are incredible events that celebrate athletic achievement and the human spirit. I’m especially excited for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, which will allow southern California residents to get an up-close look at these remarkable competitions as well as deliver a tremendous boost to our tourism economy. I want to thank all of my colleagues who have worked together to advance the bipartisan America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act,” said Representative Calvert.

    “As we gear up for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I’m proud to co-lead the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act,” said Representative Kamlager-Dove. “This commemorative coin will celebrate not only the upcoming games, but also nearly a century of Olympic history in Los Angeles. The 2028 Games in Los Angeles memorialized by this coin will be a feat all Angelenos and Americans can be proud of.”

    “I’m immensely proud to represent Utah in co-leading the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act. The return of the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to Salt Lake City in 2034 will mark only the second time in history that the Winter Olympics have returned to the same city, and I cannot wait to see Utah front and center on the world stage once again,” said Representative Moore. “This bid was supported by over 80% of Utahns and will bring billions in GDP growth, tens of thousands of jobs, and showcase the world’s best athletes on the Greatest Snow on Earth. I’m also thrilled that the Summer Olympics will return stateside to Los Angeles in 2028 and look forward to this bill quickly passing through both houses of Congress.”

    “The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games will mark the historic return of the summer Games to America in more than 30 years,” said LA28 Chief Executive Officer Reynold Hoover. “The heart and dedication demonstrated by the athletes who participate in the Games is truly unparalleled. Los Angeles 2028, followed by Salt Lake 2034 will serve as an opportunity for American athletes to showcase their talent and resilience on the world’s stage. We’re grateful to Senators Padilla, Curtis, Schiff, and Mullin and Congressmembers Sherman, Lucas, Calvert, Kamlager-Dove and Moore for moving this bill forward to honor these athletes and our U.S. host cities for the 2028 and 2034 Games.”

    “As a four-time Olympian, I greatly appreciate the commemorative coin program as another means of showcasing our Olympic and Paralympic athletes,” said Catherine Raney Norman, Vice President Development and Athlete Relations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034, A four-time Olympic speed skater. 

    Specifically, the America’s Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue commemorative $5 gold coins, $1 silver coins, half-dollar clad coins, and proof silver $1 coins in commemoration of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games set to be held in in Los Angeles and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to be held in Salt Lake City.

    The United States has hosted the modern Olympic Games nine times, with the 2028 Games set to become the third time Los Angeles will host the summer Olympic Games and the 2034 Games set to become the second time Salt Lake City will host the Olympic Winter Games.

    Senator Padilla has secured millions of dollars in federal investments to help prepare Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Last year, Padilla, Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), and former Representative Grace F. Napolitano celebrated nearly $900 million in federal investments in LA Metro to improve mobility and upgrade transportation infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This included $139 million for LA Metro’s “Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy” project, which will reconnect communities and strengthen mobility across highway and arterial barriers ahead of the Games. The funding comes through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program (RCN), which includes the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program that was modeled off the Reconnecting Communities Act that Padilla co-led in 2021. Padilla also traveled on a presidential delegation to Paris last year for the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Republican Energy and Water Development Funding Bill Increases Energy Costs

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09)

    Despite Heightened Risks, Bill Makes Americans More Vulnerable to Nuclear Threats

    **STATE-BY-STATE FACT SHEET** Republicans Slash Vital Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Funding for States

    Washington, DC — House Appropriations Committee Republicans today released the draft fiscal year 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The bill raises costs for American households, undermines infrastructure investments, and weakens our national security.

    For 2026, the Energy and Water bill provides $57.3 Billion in discretionary funding. Within that amount, the bill provides $24.1 Billion for nondefense programs, a cut of over $675 Million, or 2.7 percent, below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level, and $33.2 Billion for defense programs, a cut of $91 Million, or 0.3 percent, below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level.

    The legislation:

    • Increases energy costs, jeopardizes energy independence, and hurts United States’ competitiveness by slashing the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy programs nearly in half, revoking more than $5 Billion from the Department of Energy’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law resources, and eliminating funding for the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
    • Weakens national security and leaves Americans more vulnerable to nuclear threats by cutting the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation account by 17 percent.
    • Abandons commitments to communities to clean up radioactive waste by eliminating funding for the Corps of Engineers’ Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program and cutting the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management by 9 percent.

    “House Republicans have once again produced a reckless and short-sighted proposal that betrays working families and undermines America’s future. Their FY26 Energy and Water bill would gut the Department of Energy’s clean energy and efficiency programs — slashing investments that lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and protect our national security,” Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-09) said. “This bill cedes American leadership in the global energy race to our adversaries like Communist China. It also weakens vital nuclear nonproliferation programs that help keep our country and allies safe. By turning their backs on communities still suffering from the legacy of our early atomic weapons programs, Republicans show how little regard they have for America’s promises. We must invest in our energy independence in perpetuity — not abandon it. I strongly oppose this bill and will continue fighting for policies that uplift our communities and secure our energy future for all the generations to come.”

    “Once again, instead of working to find ways to address the cost-of-living crisis, House Republicans introduced a bill that would make the problem worse,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “Middle class, working class, and vulnerable Americans continue to struggle to pay their bills, but House Republicans’ 2026 Energy and Water funding proposal slashes resources for programs that lower energy costs for families and businesses and eliminates resources that provide clean, affordable, secure energy to households. While President Trump continues to inflame tensions with our adversaries, House Republicans’ bill would leave our country more vulnerable to nuclear threats and yield American leadership of the world’s energy future to China. With this bill, Republicans are failing to confront the climate crisis and putting tens of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs at risk. This legislation is an attack on the country’s energy future. Democrats are at the table and ready to pass legislation that actually lowers energy costs for the American people and ensures America leads the global transition to a clean energy economy.”

    A summary of House Republicans’ 2026 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill is here. A fact sheet is here. The text of the bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

    A state-by-state breakdown of the amount of funding House Republicans are trying to slash from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) programs is here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    A new Tasmanian DemosAU poll gives the Liberals a 34.9–24.7 statewide vote lead over Labor, implying the Liberals will win the most seats but be short of a majority at this Saturday’s election. I also cover the Coalition’s vote was inefficiently distributed at the federal election, as well as US and UK politics.

    The Tasmanian state election will be held this Saturday. Tasmania uses the proportional Hare-Clark system for its lower house elections. The five Tasmanian seats used at federal elections each have seven members, for a total of 35 MPs. A quota for election is one-eighth of the vote, or 12.5%.

    A DemosAU poll for Pulse Tasmania, conducted July 6–10 from a sample of 3,421, gave the Liberals 34.9% of the vote (up 0.9 since the June 19–26 DemosAU poll), Labor 24.7% (down 2.6), the Greens 15.6% (up 0.5), the Nationals 2.7%, the Shooters 1.8% and independents 20.3% (up 1.0).

    The Nationals are only contesting Bass, Braddon and Lyons, and the poll would not have included them in the other two electorates of Clark and Franklin, so the Nationals’ vote in the electorates they are contesting would be higher than their statewide vote.

    With a total sample of over 3,400, the sample size per electorate would be over 680. Using the results in individual electorates, this poll has the Liberals on a total of 13–14 seats out of 35, Labor on 9–10, the Greens on 6–7, independents on 4–6 and both the Nationals and Shooters either winning zero or one seat.

    If the election results reflect this poll, the Liberals would easily be the largest party, but they would not win the 18 seats needed for a majority. There would probably be a majority for Labor, the Greens and left-wing independents, but Labor did not attempt to form government in a similar situation after the March 2024 election.

    It’s been 11 years since Labor last held government in Tasmania, with the Labor/Greens government at that time widely blamed for Labor’s heavy defeat in the March 2014 election. But with the continuing decline of the major parties, Labor may have to reach an agreement with the Greens if they want to form government again in Tasmania.

    Labor and the Liberals have both supported construction of a new AFL stadium. I believe this partly explains the drop in Labor’s vote, as many on the left would oppose this stadium. Labor’s refusal to attempt to form government after the March 2024 election probably also contributed to its low vote.

    Voters may also be blaming Labor for this early election, just 16 months after the previous Tasmanian election. This election is just over two months after the federal election.

    Federal election: Coalition’s vote inefficiently distributed

    Analyst Kevin Bonham has a pendulum of House of Representatives seats after the results of the May 3 federal election. There are likely to be federal redistributions from July 2026 in some states, so this won’t be the pendulum used at the next federal election.

    Labor won 94 of the 150 seats, the Coalition 43 and all Others 13, from a two-party vote of 55.2–44.8 to Labor. Assuming the Others are unchanged, Labor would need to lose 19 seats to drop below the 76 needed for a majority. On the pendulum, this occurs when the seat of Whitlam falls, but Labor won Whitlam by 56.3–43.7, more than 1% higher than their national vote.

    This means that, using a uniform swing on the actual results, Labor would have won a majority even if they had lost the national two-party vote by 51.0–49.0, despite 13 Other seats.

    Despite the electoral hammering, the Coalition retained many regional seats by large margins. This contributed to an inefficiently distributed vote. With voters in the cities making up a majority of all Australian voters, the Coalition can’t win by appealing just to voters in the regions.

    The Coalition would be the largest party if they won 26 seats from Labor. This happens when the Coalition gains Braddon, which Labor won by 57.2–42.8, so the Coalition would need a 51.9–48.1 national two-party margin. For a Coalition majority, they would need 33 gains, and need a 53.7–46.3 national two-party win.

    US and UK politics

    I wrote for The Poll Bludger on Saturday that United States President Donald Trump’s net approval was nearly unchanged at -6.7 after the passage of the “big beautiful bill” through Congress. I also covered Elon Musk’s new party and New York City mayoral general election polls.

    In the United Kingdom, a Labour MP has defected to a potential Jeremy Corbyn-led party. The far-right Reform has led Labour in UK national polls since the early May local elections. In a House of Commons vote on a welfare reform bill, 49 Labour MPs rebelled.

    Two Queensland poll give LNP big leads

    A Queensland state DemosAU poll, conducted July 4–9 from a sample of 1,027, gave the Liberal National Party a 55–45 lead (53.8–46.2 to the LNP at the October 2024 election). The Poll Bludger said this was a one-point gain for the LNP since a February DemosAU poll.

    Primary votes were 40% LNP (steady), 28% Labor (down two), 13% Greens (up one), 12% One Nation (up two) and 7% for all Others (down one). On the recent Queensland state budget, 24% thought it would be good for the Queensland economy, 19% bad and 57% were unsure. By 43–26, respondents thought Labor would not have delivered a better budget.

    A Queensland state Redbridge poll gave the LNP a 56–44 lead. Primary votes were 43% LNP, 29% Labor, 11% Greens and 17% for all Others (there was no One Nation breakdown).

    Queensland was the only state the Coalition won at the federal election, though only by 50.6–49.4. The state LNP is still benefiting from a honeymoon after ousting Labor at last year’s election.

    Adrian Beaumont 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. Hung parliament still likely outcome of Tasmanian election, with Liberals well ahead of Labor in new poll – https://theconversation.com/hung-parliament-still-likely-outcome-of-tasmanian-election-with-liberals-well-ahead-of-labor-in-new-poll-261073

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Marine Environment – Sea spurge found at Kapowairua (Spirits Bay) Northland

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    A new sea spurge infestation has been found at Kapowairua (Spirits Bay) – the first discovery of the unwanted beach weed east of Cape Reinga and at least 60 kilometres from the closest known site on Te Oneroa-a-Tōhe – Ninety Mile Beach.
    Joanna Barr, Northland Regional Council’s Biosecurity Manager – Pest Plants, says the infestation was discovered by Ngāti Kuri’s Te Haumihi team which has been progressively surveying the coastline in their rohe to check whether sea spurge (Euphorbia paralias) has established.
    The weed is native to Europe, but it is likely to have arrived in New Zealand on ocean currents from Australia, where it has become a major weed on their southern coastline.
    “Having local teams supported to undertake proactive surveillance work has meant that this new site has been detected while it is still relatively small and in a relatively contained area.”
    Te Haumihi Programme Manager Melanie Dalziel says the find included more than 50 plants in a six square metre area including one larger plant that was likely the original plant, 18 smaller mature plants that had seeded, and 32 seedlings.
    While it was very disheartening to find these plants, she acknowledged her team, and the support of NRC, in being able to locate and safely remove the plants before more plants could set seed.
    Ms Dalziel says her team has now prioritised regular surveillance and monitoring to beaches along the eastern ridgeline of the rohe of Ngāti Kuri.
    Ms Barr says the surveillance work behind the latest find was undertaken as part of a management programme, delivered in partnership with iwi and hapū, the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Department of Conservation and the Northland Regional Council.
    She says there are a number of iwi and hapū groups engaged in the surveillance programme, controlling known sites and surveying the coast. Locals and volunteers have also been involved in surveying and reporting sites.
    “Over the past 12 months 175km of Northland’s coastline has been surveyed, focused primarily on the west coast.”
    Ms Barr says there are now sea spurge sites recorded in seven different areas in Northland; Poutō peninsula, the Waipoua River mouth, Mitimiti, Ahipara, Waipapakauri, Hukatere and now Kapowairua, Spirits Bay.
    The plants in all of these areas have been controlled and the sites are searched every four months to detect and remove any new seedlings, which can reach maturity and set seed in less than five months if not controlled.
    Ms Barr says sea spurge is causing major environmental damage at many Australian beaches, displacing native plants and changing natural patterns of sand movements.
    “It has the potential to overrun our native dune species and threaten the habitats of native birds.”
    She says an adult plant can produce between 5000 and 20,000 buoyant and salt-tolerant seeds every year, and these can travel long distances on ocean currents.
    “This means there is an ongoing risk of seeds making their way over and establishing along our long stretch of coastline, with the west coast being the most at risk.”
    She says that makes it vital that any sightings are reported.
    Sea spurge looks like a small shrub and typically grows up to 50 centimetres in height although it can sometimes reach up to one metre.
    “It has tightly packed leaves that are bluish green in colour, with the stem having often a red tinge at the base. Do not touch it as it has a milky sap, which is toxic to people and animals and may cause temporary blindness.”
    Its flowers are composed of yellowish green petal less flowers found in clusters while leaves are stalkless, hairless, alternate, crowded and overlapping along the stems.
    Ms Barr says anyone who thinks they have found sea spurge should report it as soon as possible using the Ministry for Primary Industries Pests-and-Diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
    “Take some clear photos and please do not disturb the plants as the sap is toxic, and you could also spread the seeds via your clothing and equipment.” “Plants can also regrow from root fragments.”
    People should note the location as accurately as possible – GPS coordinates are ideal, or you can open Google Maps and drop a pin on the map (and/or screen shot your location on the map). You can also use the iNaturalist app to mark potential sites.
    Ms Barr says sea spurge looks similar to the rare native spurge, waiūatua / waiū-o-Kahukura (Euphorbia glauca), however, the native spurge has much larger leaves that are 30-80mm long. The New Zealand linen flax (Linum monogynum) and the sand daphne / toroheke (Pimelea villosa) which grow in the coastal environment are also similar.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –