NewzIntel.com

    • Checkout Page
    • Contact Us
    • Default Redirect Page
    • Frontpage
    • Home-2
    • Home-3
    • Lost Password
    • Member Login
    • Member LogOut
    • Member TOS Page
    • My Account
    • NewzIntel Alert Control-Panel
    • NewzIntel Latest Reports
    • Post Views Counter
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Individual Page
    • Register
    • Subscription Plan
    • Thank You Page

Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Changes to syphilis testing during pregnancy

    Source: Government of Victoria 3

    Key messages

    • The recommendations for syphilis testing during pregnancy have been updated to align with new national guidance.
    • All pregnant people in Victoria should be tested for syphilis at least 3 times during pregnancy – at the first antenatal visit, 26 to 28 weeks and 36 weeks or birth, whichever is earlier. This represents a change from previous testing in pregnancy in Victoria which occurred once at the first antenatal visit, with additional tests recommended for people in high-risk groups.
    • In addition, any pregnant person presenting with signs and symptoms suggestive of a sexually transmissible infection (STI) or who has been exposed to an STI, should be tested for syphilis.
    • Congenital syphilis has re-emerged in Victoria since 2017, with 19 cases notified between 2017 and 2024.
    • Congenital syphilis can result in stillbirth, prematurity, and other adverse consequences in affected babies.
    • Congenital syphilis can be prevented with appropriate treatment and follow-up. Babies born to mothers who were diagnosed with syphilis during pregnancy require specialist follow-up.
    • Birthing hospitals must be made aware of a mother’s syphilis infection, even if it has been treated.
    • Preventing congenital syphilis requires vigilance and active follow-up on the part of clinicians.

    What is the issue?

    Cases of congenital syphilis represent a serious and preventable public health problem which has re-emerged in Victoria since 2017 with a total of 19 cases of congenital syphilis, including 10 deaths. Prior to 2017, only 2 congenital cases were notified in the preceding 25 years. This has occurred along with an increase in infectious syphilis among women and men of reproductive age (15 to 49 years of age) over the past 8 years with the highest number of notifications in Victoria occurring in 2023 (2,778 cases).

    Syphilis occurring in pregnancy requires prompt treatment and follow-up to prevent serious adverse consequences in the baby.

    Eliminating congenital syphilis requires active screening of all pregnant people, early case detection, timely and appropriate treatment, and adequate follow-up of pregnant people, their babies, and their sexual partners.

    National guidelines have recently been updated to recommend a minimum of 3 syphilis tests for every pregnant person during each pregnancy: at the first antenatal visit, at 26 to 28 weeks, and at 36 weeks or birth (whichever is earlier). See Syphilis – CDNA National Guidelines for Public Health UnitsExternal Link, updated 5 November 2024, for further information.

    Who is at risk?

    All sexually active people are at risk of syphilis. The following groups are at increased risk of syphilis during pregnancy:

    • those who have multiple sexual partners
    • sexual partners of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men
    • those who use drugs
    • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
    • those presenting with any other STIs during pregnancy.

    Symptoms and transmission

    Congenital syphilis occurs as a result of transplacental transmission during pregnancy or from mother to baby during birth. A person with syphilis can remain infectious during the primary, secondary and early latent periods of the clinical course, usually for up to 2 years from the time of infection acquisition if left untreated.

    Primary syphilis is typically characterised by an ulcerative and painless lesion (chancre) located at the site of inoculation. A headache, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, fever, sore throat, rash, mucocutaneous lesions and condylomata lata (raised, whitish or grey, flat-topped lesions found in warm moist areas like the mouth, genitals or anus) may occur in secondary syphilis, while early latent syphilis is no longer symptomatic.

    Congenital syphilis can result in stillbirth, prematurity, low birth weight or neonatal death. Babies born with congenital syphilis can appear normal at birth but develop a wide range of clinical manifestations by 2 months of age.

    Late manifestations of congenital syphilis can appear from 2 years after birth and include central nervous system abnormalities, eye and hearing problems, and bone or teeth abnormalities.

    Recommendations

    For health professionals

    Testing during pregnancy

    • The recommendations for universal syphilis testing during pregnancy have changed in Victoria. It is recommended that clinicians test all pregnant people a minimum of 3 times:
      • at the first antenatal visit
      • at 26 to 28 weeks and
      • at 36 weeks or birth (whichever is earlier).
    • Indicate pregnancy status on the requesting pathology slip clinical notes.
    • Repeat syphilis testing in all pregnant people presenting with signs or symptoms of any other STIs.
    • Neonates must not be discharged without confirming that the mother’s syphilis status has been documented at least once during pregnancy. If in doubt, maternal syphilis serology should be ordered at birth.
    • Primary laboratories are requested to forward to VIDRL all specimens from pregnant people with positive syphilis serology, for reference testing. This enables VIDRL to perform parallel testing of samples throughout the entire pregnancy and at birth, thus addressing intra and inter-laboratory variability and better informing risk assessment and treatment decisions.

    Management of pregnant people and their contacts

    • Notify all cases of syphilis to the Department of Health.
    • All cases of syphilis in pregnancy require close cooperation between GPs, laboratories, and specialist clinics to ensure the pregnant woman and their baby are treated appropriately.
    • Actively follow up pregnant people who do not attend for testing. Ensure pregnant people are not lost to follow-up. Local Public Health Units and the Department’s Partner Notification Officers (see below) can assist with cases lost to follow-up.
    • Any pregnant person diagnosed with syphilis requires prompt and appropriate treatment with long acting (benzathine) penicillin. Short acting formulations such as benzylpenicillin are ineffective and should not be used.
    • Advice on appropriate management in pregnancy is available from Infectious Diseases physicians, or from the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre doctors’ information line. Call 1800 009 903.
    • Sexual partners of people diagnosed with syphilis during pregnancy should be tested and treated without waiting for test results, to prevent reinfection during pregnancy.
    • All babies born to mothers diagnosed with syphilis in pregnancy will require follow-up and testing overseen by a specialist paediatric clinic such as those at the Royal Children’s Hospital or the Monash Children’s hospital.

    Partner notification

    • Ensure timely testing and treatment of partners to prevent reinfection. Refer to another service if required.
    • Local Public Health Units and the Partner Notification Officers from the Department of Health are available to assist in contacting the sexual partners of any patient diagnosed with an STI, including syphilis. This is a confidential service. Parter Notification Officers can be reached on (03) 9096 3367 or by email at contact.tracers@dhhs.vic.gov.au.
    • Partner notification tools are available to contact partners anonymously at Let Them KnowExternal Link.

    Education

    • Advise all people diagnosed with syphilis in pregnancy of the importance of adequate treatment and appropriate follow-up of mother and baby to prevent adverse health consequences in the baby.
    • Advise all pregnant people at risk of STIs of the importance of being tested for syphilis in both early and late pregnancy and of the importance of safer sex in preventing syphilis in pregnancy.
    • Advise all people diagnosed with syphilis on the importance of partner notification, testing, and treatment to prevent further infections. Offer active support with partner notification.
    • All pregnant people diagnosed with syphilis are at risk of reinfection if their current partners remain untested and untreated for syphilis.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Press conference – Apex Park, Cessnock

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

    DAN REPACHOLI: G’day all. I just want to start by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Well, we’re here today with Minister Catherine King, Mayor Dan Watton of Cessnock, and what an announcement we’ve got today for you. We’ve got $14 million going to Apex Park, an amazing amount of money coming into the Cessnock region to really uplift this park and make a beautiful space for our kids, for adults to be here. And as you can see by the pool, the pool is chockers right now today, so there’ll be kids coming and playing in this park all the time. So, really looking forward to seeing what they can do. And I just want to say thank you to the Minister for seeing the value in this project and seeing the value in our area here in Cessnock, to make sure that we continue to deliver for the Hunter. And that’s what Labor does, and that’s why Labor is here. We’re here to deliver for the Hunter, and we will continue to do that as well. So, I’ll pass over to the Minister very shortly, then we’ll pass over to Dan as well. But this project only came about because of Cessnock City Council. They put this project forward to us so to see if they can get funding through a few different channels. So, we worked hard, we pushed extremely hard to make sure that we can get what we need for this project, and it’s going to be a $14 million project. And I can’t wait to see this get up and going. So, thank you all. Thank you to the Minister. Thank you to the Mayor and to council for all the work they’ve done on this. Now, I’ll pass to the Minister. 

    CATHERINE KING: Beautiful. Thanks very much. Catherine King, I’m the Federal Minister for infrastructure. And I’m here, of course, with the magnificent two Dan’s – Dan Repacholi, the Labor Member for Hunter, and Dan Watton, the Mayor of Cessnock. This is a great announcement for Cessnock today. The regional Precincts and Partnership Program that this funding is coming out of, I cannot think of a better example of what we are trying to do with this program than Apex Park. The regional Precincts and Partnerships Program is trying to take under-utilised areas of central business districts, towns, communities, larger centres, and reinvigorate them so that community can use them. And you can look around us here. Apex Park, you’ve got the sign and the gateway up there, 1930’s, honouring a former Mayor, this park really was put together for the community, is now really not a very well utilised space. The $14 million that the Albanese Labor Government is announcing today, budgeted part of the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program, is going to see this space transformed. You will see more amenity for the local community – barbecue spaces, shade, seating, spaces, better parking, a kiosk which might provide the opportunity for a small cafe here. Really rewilding this magnificent- the creek that is here that has been concreted over for long peaks- a period of time. Rewilding it, trying to get, attract wildlife back into the area, but making it a beautiful place that is the gateway and part of the CBD. As I said, can I congratulate the Mayor, but also the staff at the city. As I said, we have been looking for projects that really take the CBD’s and those under-utilised areas that need repurposing, and lifting them up so you’re actually seeing the way in which your space is used in a city differently. The idea for the program actually came when Dan took me to Muswellbrook and showed me what had been done in the community of Muswellbrook. And that really is the catalyst for the idea of the regional Precincts and Partnerships Program. The Hunter was the catalyst for this program, and now it’s very much here in Cessnock, the beneficiary of this program – $14 million announced here today. I might hand over to the mayor to say a few words and then happy to take questions. 

    CESSNOCK MAYOR DAN WATTON: Well, absolutely excited to be here this morning. It’s fantastic news. I want to thank the Honourable Catherine King for coming up to Cessnock to make this announcement, and of course, our local Member, our Federal Member, Dan Repacholi. There’s been so much work go into this behind the scenes so, firstly, I want to acknowledge that, and thank Dan Repacholi for his hard work behind the scenes for advocating for this project. Absolutely fantastic work. There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears going into this, so I want to thank Dan for that. Also, really want to thank Council staff and I hope I don’t get in trouble for naming and shaming one particular staff member in particular, but Tony Chadwick worked really hard behind the scenes on this. So, I just want to really acknowledge Tony for his hard work. He had a vision for this. I believe there was a very slim chance of getting this grant, but combined with Dan’s hard work and working collaboratively with Council, that’s what it’s all about. We want to work together to get the best outcome for our community, and what an outcome we’re getting today. Fantastic – $14 million to revamp this area, the gateway to the Hunter as Catherine just mentioned before. Fantastic opportunity. We’re going to see this whole thing revitalised – parking, EV parking, disabled toilets. We’re going to see sandstone, it’s going to look beautiful – lighting, the whole thing. So, we welcome this. On behalf of Cessnock City Council, welcome this funding and thank you so much. 

    CATHERINE KING: Happy to take questions. Who would you like? 

    JOURNALIST: Either one. 

    JOURNALIST: Maybe one for Mayor Dan first? 

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, let’s go. 

    JOURNALIST: Just some of the nitty gritty. Obviously, this been something that you’ve been working towards for quite a while. Do you have, at this point, a sort of a timeline of when you’re hoping to have it completed by? 

    DAN WATTON: A timeline? Well, I guess we’ll get the funding. So, at the moment, we’re going through a master plan review, so we’re hoping that all ties up well with their CBD master plan. So we’re looking at finishing that by this year, end of this year, so hopefully we can break some ground following 2026. 

    JOURNALIST: And obviously, how important is it in Cessnock to have these kind of third spaces for people where they can just come and just be, rather than having to pay to be somewhere, especially in a cost of living crisis? 

    DAN WATTON: Huge. Yeah, absolutely huge to have three free things like this to do. So go into a park, close to the pool as well, which runs at a very good cost as well. So having amenities like this available to our community to come to sit around, to relax, have some lunch, is fantastic. So yeah, if you don’t want to pay money. You can come and park your car. And great for tourists as well – you know, we’ve got wine country just down the road, so they can come up, park their car, have a swim and explore a bit of Cessnock as well. 

    JOURNALIST: I’m not sure if this is a question for Dan or the Minister – just clarification, is this only if Labor is re-elected? 

    CATHERINE KING: No, this is actually a budgeted program as part of the normal funding. We’re getting on with the business of government. I know there is an election not too far away. You’ll hear us making election commitments. This is a budgeted, locked in program. It will- the funding will be delivered via the New South Wales State Government to the local council to do the delivery of the project, which is a good way of doing things. We’re used to doing that together. And it’s really- this will be delivered, absolutely – of course, unless Peter Dutton gets elected and decides to cut things. And we’ve heard already that he’s planning to do that; I’ll be very disappointed if he cuts something like this. 

    JOURNALIST: I only have one [indistinct], Minister … we’ve seen this morning that it’s possible that you could travel from Newcastle to Sydney within an hour on the high-speed rail. 

    CATHERINE KING: Yep. So the business case for high-speed rail is now being delivered to government. And it is under the assessment of Infrastructure Australia. Be in no doubt, the Albanese Labor Government is very serious about the delivery of high-speed rail between Newcastle and Sydney, and high speed rail will be a game changer for this region. What it will deliver is- but first, of course, it is about jobs. Jobs in construction, jobs in helping people getting to the CBD of Sydney and a rail project. But it is also about getting high quality, high paid jobs out of Sydney into the Hunter. Absolutely what it is about – getting those jobs out of Sydney, because we know people want to come and live in this area. We know through the delivery of the Housing Support Program which has delivered, I think, about $22 million here in Cessnock to unlock 900 new homes. We know people want to come and live here, but they also have to be able to work here as well. And so, high speed rail provides that opportunity, that if you do have a job in the city, in Sydney, you can actually live and work here and get into the CBD. We’ll make some announcements about what the next steps of the project are, but be in no doubt, Labor is very serious about delivering high speed rail between Sydney and Newcastle, and also some stops along the way at Central Coast. 

    JOURNALIST: What would it mean for Newcastle and Hunter residents to be able to travel to Sydney that quickly? 

    CATHERINE KING: What it will mean- so one of the things that I have had the opportunity to go and have a look at is High Speed Rail Two over in the UK, which is transforming Birmingham, a really important city centre, and what [indistinct] has actually seen. So the travel times are important – so being able to get from Birmingham into London really quickly, being able to get from Newcastle into Sydney is really important. It means you can work, you can live here in the Hunter and then you can get into town in that really quick time frame. It means why would you drive your car? Like, you wouldn’t. You’d just – you’d save a massive savings on petrol, parking costs, toll – all the toll costs. You would use the train- absolutely be a game changer. But the thing that High Speed Rail Two has been – has done for Birmingham, and why I’ve been at pains to make sure that the High Speed Rail Authority opened an office in Newcastle, and people can go in to that office and have a look at what high speed rail will do, is you have seen major banks that had their headquarters in London moved to Birmingham. All of those jobs allowing people to live in Birmingham and surrounds and have those high paid, high quality jobs in the region. And that is really what high speed rail delivers. It’s not just about faster rail, it’s about growing the economy of Newcastle and the Hunter. The jobs that will be in construction, again, on High Speed Rail Two – I met people who had come off- had come out of mining, had come out of a hairdressing salon, had- was doing environmental approvals on High Speed Rail Two – huge jobs, great opportunities for people in construction, but then- and also in train manufacture, all of those jobs. So this is a really big economic development opportunity for Newcastle and the Hunter, and we’re very excited to be part of it. We’ll have more to say about the next stages of delivery now that the business case has been delivered to government. This is a long term project. You won’t see shovels in the ground tomorrow, but this is a long term project that requires a serious long term government that wants to invest in infrastructure in the Hunter, and that’s what the Albanese Labor Government is. 

    DAN REPACHOLI: Can I just add something to that if I can please? 

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, you can- yeah. 

    DAN REPACHOLI: As you can see, we’ve just had our $14 million upgrade to this park that we’ve promised that we’re going to do. And we’re the gateway to Paradise here in the Hunter. We really are. We have the beautiful wine country just there. Within five minutes we’re in a vineyard, so we have so much to offer this place. We are- between us here at the Cessnock LGA and Maitland LGA, we’re the two fastest growing LGAs in New South Wales. So we know people want to come here. We know people want to experience this beautiful place, and that’s why we’re also helping and putting funding into projects like this. We’re looking into the high speed rail to make sure that we can give people what they need and what they want, to make sure they can have the best of both worlds and have a really good paying job in the city, and then live in amazing, beautiful place like here in the Hunter. So we’re making sure we’re doing that along the way, and we’ll continue to work with council, continue to work with our ministers to keep pushing these things so that the Hunter does not get left behind, because we are here to keep growing the Hunter and to keep pushing to get more and more residents here, and more businesses to come and enjoy this beautiful part of the world. 

    CATHERINE KING: Lovely. 

    JOURNALIST: Thank you guys. 

    CATHERINE KING: Thank you, you’re welcome.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 60th anniversary of the Gippsland fires

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    On 17 February 1965 dry lightning sparked several fires in the densely forested areas of East Gippsland.

    Two of these strikes became major fires: one near Omeo and another near Valencia Creek. The fires would burn for several weeks and were reportedly the worst in the region since the Black Friday fires of 1939. 

    Fuelled by hot weather and strong winds, the fires burnt through kilometres of forest, occasionally heading out of the bushland and threatening townships along the forest edge. In early March, a third fire started to the north of Glenmaggie.

    On Friday 5 March, a day of Total Fire Ban, the Victorian Government declared a State of Emergency. Members of the Defence Force were moved in to assist with the firefighting effort.

    By the middle of March, two of the three fires had joined and stretched all the way from Lake Glenmaggie to Tambo Crossing in the east.

    Key reports vary, but around 750,000 acres of forest and 40,000 acres of grassland were burnt. More than 60 properties and 4,000 livestock were lost. Remarkably, despite the sheer size and scale of the fires, there were no human fatalities.

    In terms of size, the 1965 Gippsland fires were some of the most significant in the region and yet not many official accounts exist today. Peter McHugh, a former Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP) employee released this detailed account in 2020.

    A recent online oral history project has also captured some memories from Gippsland residents who lived through the fires. You can hear some of these first-hand accounts in the video below:

    Do you have memories or photos of these fires? If so, share your story with us via internalcomms@cfa.vic.gov.au

    • Front page of The Age newspaper – 5 March 1965
    Submitted by Alison Smirnoff

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Blast from the past: Sports reminiscence hits loneliness out of the park

    Source: University of South Australia

    17 February 2025

    From Australia’s historic victory in the 1983 America’s Cup to Freeman’s gold-medal sprint at the Sydney Olympics, sport has the unique ability to captivate and inspire us all.

    Now, a study by the University of South Australia is exploring the experiences and benefits of older people involved in a community reminiscence program – Sporting Memories Australia – tapping into their memories and experiences of sport in a move to address loneliness and social isolation.

    Working with SportsUnited, the program is actively connecting people over the age of 65 (many living with dementia) to discuss historic sporting events, participate in activities, and share memories from past decades. A knowledgeable facilitator guides the group and promotes inclusivity.

    Initial results from the study indicate wide-ranging positive impacts, with participants reporting that it helps them feel included, socially connected, and engaged.

    Participants say that the program lets them talk freely about any topic, presenting them with opportunities to share and learn with others, a proven factor that stimulates cognitive functioning and social engagement.

    It’s a valuable finding given Australia’s ageing population, where current estimates indicate that 4.2 million Australians (16% of the population) are aged 65+.

    UniSA researcher Robert Laidlaw says the Sporting Memories Australia program is helping address the challenges of aging by providing a group setting for older people to develop new friendships through sharing memories.

    “Social isolation and loneliness have become a public health concern as people age. But while individual approaches such as psychological interventions and medications have been trialled, their effectiveness is limited,” Laidlaw says.

    “Community group reminiscence programs have been developed as a novel approach to combat social isolation. In the Sporting Memories Australia program, we bring a group of older people together to talk about past sporting events.

    “Some of the participants may be socially isolated or lonely, while others struggle with anxiety, depression or even have mild cognitive changes. But together, we engage everyone though a range of inclusive and fun activities including games, quizzes, memorabilia, guest speakers and trips to sporting venues.”

    The program, originally developed in the United Kingdom, aims to attract people with an interest in sport who are living with cognitive changes, loneliness, and/or depression.

    Co-researcher, UniSA’s Dr Richard McGrath, says that in addition to the health and social benefits, participants value the opportunity to learn about and from each other as they play games and share stories.

    “Learning is important for older people because it fosters an active and enquiring mind while promoting social interaction and broadening their horizons,” he says.

    “The benefits of the Sporting Memories Australia program can do wonders for a person’s general quality of life – mentally, socially, and physically. And anything that support a positive mind and spirit is good for our health and wellbeing – and that goes regardless of our age.”

    Sporting Memories Australia holds fortnightly and monthly sessions across seven South Australian locations. To find out more visit: https://www.sportsunited.org.au/sporting-memories-australia.html 

    Notes to editors

    The full paper –‘A qualitative study of a Sporting Memories program in South Australia: belonging, participation, and social connection’ is published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health with contributions from: Robert Laidlaw, Dr Richard McGrath, Prof Saravana Kumar, Dr Caroline Adams and Dr Carolyn M. Murray.

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

    Contacts for interview: Dr Richard McGrath E: Richard.McGrath@unisa.edu.au

    Robert Laidlaw M: +61 407 979 163 E: robert.laidlaw@mymail.unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Visitor arrivals up in 2024 – Stats NZ media and information release: International travel: December 2024

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Visitor arrivals up in 2024 – 17 February 2025 – Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand totalled 3.3 million in the December 2024 year. This was up 357,000 (12 percent) from the December 2023 year, according to data released by Stats NZ today.

    Australia led the increase in visitor arrivals, up 127,000 (10 percent) from 2023. China followed with an increase of 97,000 (64 percent), and the United States with an increase of 32,000 (10 percent).

    “There were just over 2,200 more international flights to New Zealand in 2024 than in 2023,” international travel statistics spokesperson Sarah Drake said.

    “This included 1,700 more direct flights from Australia, China, and the United States, combined. These countries were the three main sources of visitor arrivals to New Zealand.”

    Files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $15.7 million in additional funding to combat family violence in Tasmania

    Source: Australian Ministers for Social Services

    17 February 2025

    Joint with:

    The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
    Minister for Social Services 
    Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme
    Member for Kingston
     

    The Hon Jo Palmer MLC 
    Minister for Education
    Minister for Disability Services
    Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence

    The Albanese Labor Government is partnering with the Tasmanian Liberal Government to provide additional funding for frontline services under a renewed five-year National Partnership Agreement on Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence Responses (FDSV National Partnership).

    Working collaboratively to end gender-based violence, the renewed National Partnership will see the Tasmanian and Federal Government’s equally contribute to invest $15.7 for critical Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence programs in Tasmania from July 2025.

    This brings the total allocation of Commonwealth National Partnership funding to $23.4 million for Tasmania since 2022.

    Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth, said the renewed partnership demonstrates the strong commitment the Commonwealth and state and territory governments have to ending gender-based violence in Australia. 

    “By working together at a state and federal level, we are taking significant strides to make Australia safe for all women and children,” Minister Rishworth said.

    “The renewed National Partnership provides longer term funding guarantees for Tasmanian family, domestic and sexual violence services, resulting in victim-survivors receiving ongoing access to supports needed to build a life free from violence.

    “Added assistance on the frontlines of the fight against family, domestic and sexual violence will not only improve lives, but save them.”

    Across all jurisdictions, the National Partnership will deliver $700 million in new, matched investments from the Commonwealth and states and territories, supporting frontline FDSV services, including specialist services for women and children exposed to FDSV, and men’s behaviour change programs.

    Tasmanian Minister for Women and the Prevention of Family Violence, Jo Palmer, said the additional funding is an important step forward in meeting the needs of victim-survivors across Tasmania. 

    “We are committed to working side by side with the Australian Government to end family, domestic and sexual violence in Tasmania and to ensure our State gets the support it needs over the coming years,” Minister Palmer said. 

    “All Tasmanians should not only feel safe in their communities and their homes, they should be safe, and this additional investment will help ensure essential services and programs can be delivered across the State.”

    The Tasmanian Government investment is in addition to its $100 million commitment to implement measures through Tasmania’s Third Family and Sexual Violence Action 2022-2027: Survivors at the Centre. 

    More information on the FDSV National Partnership Agreement is available on the Federal Financial Relations website.

    If you or someone you know is experiencing, or at risk of experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732 or visit www.1800respect.org.au for online chat and video call services:

    • Available 24/7: Call, text or online chat
    • Mon-Fri, 9am – midnight AEST (except national public holidays): Video call (no appointment needed) 

    If you are concerned about your behaviour or use of violence, you can contact the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491 or visit www.ntv.org.au

    Feeling worried or no good? Connect with 13YARN Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporters on 13 92 76, available 24/7 from any mobile or pay phone, or visit www.13yarn.org.au No shame, no judgement, safe place to yarn.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Visitor arrivals up in 2024 – Stats NZ media and information release: International travel: December 2024

    Source: Statistics New Zealand

    Visitor arrivals up in 2024 – 17 February 2025 – Overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand totalled 3.3 million in the December 2024 year. This was up 357,000 (12 percent) from the December 2023 year, according to data released by Stats NZ today.

    Australia led the increase in visitor arrivals, up 127,000 (10 percent) from 2023. China followed with an increase of 97,000 (64 percent), and the United States with an increase of 32,000 (10 percent).

    “There were just over 2,200 more international flights to New Zealand in 2024 than in 2023,” international travel statistics spokesperson Sarah Drake said.

    “This included 1,700 more direct flights from Australia, China, and the United States, combined. These countries were the three main sources of visitor arrivals to New Zealand.”

    Files:

    • Visitor arrivals up in 2024
    • International travel: December 2024

    MIL OSI –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Gamified building sites provide safer, more accessible learning opportunities for UniSA students

    Source: University of South Australia

    17 February 2025

    Construction education is being transformed with immersive virtual learning environments, allowing University of South Australia students to safely and freely navigate building sites and connect theory to practice.

    The virtual site visits create a realistic digital environment where architecture and construction students can explore the complexity of construction sites from a first-person perspective, like a video game.

    Through the UniSA-developed SiteSeer program, students experience the full fabrication process and learn to translate two-dimensional plans into three-dimensional structures, bridging the gap between plans and built reality.

    UniSA Senior Lecturer: Architecture Dr Sean Pickersgill says the development of the gamified platform was born out of the logistical challenges often faced by academics when co-ordinating physical construction site visits as part of students’ practical learning.

    “Organising physical site visits for students is challenging because there’s no way to ensure that all students receive the same experience without organising a site visit for the entire class. This is where co-ordination challenges arise because there’s no guarantee that a construction site’s schedule will align with the students’ learning progress,” he says.

    “Then there’s the organisational complexity of arranging student access to construction sites which requires significant liaison with builders and there’s also safety and liability concerns with having students on site.

    “There’s also the difficulty of students’ travelling to building sites, sometimes outside of regular teaching hours. For some students it’s impractical, especially if they rely on public transport or have long commute times, and because of that in the past we’ve observed higher absentee rates as students are reluctant to attend.

    In response to these complexities, four UniSA academics developed an original digital platform, called OnSite, in 2015. Capturing five stages of the construction process – site set out, slab, single-storey wall framing, double-storey wall framing and roof framing.

    The project evolved over the next decade, with more than 1000 first year students engaging in the gamified platform as part of a first-year introductory course on Australian construction practices.

    In 2024, OnSite advanced into a new digital model, SiteSeer, containing more than 70 distinct phases of the construction process of a small, double-storey studio. A mixture of timber frame and brick veneer, the new structure demonstrates a broad scope of construction phases a first-year student is expected to understand.

    The newest current version achieves an even greater level of simulated realism with detailed elements such as bins, vegetation and tools providing an additional aspect of authenticity to the experience.

    Dr Pickersgill says construction and architecture students observing real-world methods echoes the apprenticeship model where trade skills are learned alongside skilled craftspeople.

    “Tertiary architecture and building degrees face challenges in providing this first-hand experience due to time restraints – but this foundational knowledge is critical,” he says. “SiteSeer is allowing students to explore every detail of the environment and gain an in-depth insight to each building stage, all within one seamless platform.

    “We’re diversifying and elevating learning in the digital age.”

    For more information on SiteSeer, read the research paper: Sean Pickersgill, Andrew Lymn-Penning, Damian Madigan, and Darcy Holmes. 2024. Virtual Site Visits through Gamification for AEC Students: Perspectives on Practice. In SIGGRAPH Asia 2024 Educator’s Forum (SA ’24). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, Article 2, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1145/3680533.3697062

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

    Contact for interview: Dr Sean Pickersgill, Senior Lecturer: Architecture, UniSA E: Sean.Pickersgill@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +61 406 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Canberra light rail steams ahead

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    Canberra’s light rail is one step closer to reaching Woden, with construction beginning today on the Stage 2A extension. 

    Stage 2A of the Canberra Light Rail involves extending the existing rail network from Civic to Commonwealth Park to improve transport connections as the capital grows. 

    Canberra is one of Australia’s fastest growing cities with the population predicted to approach 750,000 by mid-century.

    This $577 million joint investment by the Albanese and Barr Labor Governments will prevent future congestion and provide greater ease of movement through our capital.  

    The project includes the construction of 1.7 kilometres of new rail line from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park, a new bridge over Parkes Way, and three new stations for City Edinburgh Avenue, City South and Commonwealth Park. 

    Once complete, the new rail connection will unlock housing and commercial opportunities and bring Canberra’s CBD closer to the lake.

    Construction is due to be complete in 2027. Light rail services will connect Gungahlin and North Canberra to City West, the ANU, New Acton, Commonwealth Park and Lake Burley Griffin. 

    The Stage 2A project is expected to create 1000 jobs and shape the way visitors and locals move around the city. 

    Quotes attributable to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:

    “Light rail is future-proofing Canberra with a modern public transport system, connecting residential areas with employment precincts, and recreation and lifestyle hubs.

    “This is about more than just transport, it’s about reshaping the way people move around Canberra and unlocking the growth of our nation’s capital.

    “It’s one of a number of significant projects we’re investing in to build Australia’s future, from the cities to the suburbs.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Finance and Senator for the ACT Katy Gallagher:

    “When I was ACT Chief Minister, I saw the potential that light rail had to transform and connect our city and that’s why we started this project.

    “Stage one of light rail has proven popular and has transformed the City to Gungahlin corridor and I am excited to see the next stage of this project getting underway to extend the tracks south of the lake.

    “Only Labor delivers investments in city-changing projects like this one that build Canberra, create jobs and grow our local economy.”

    Quotes attributable to ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr:

    “Light rail is a long-term asset for Canberra.

    “It will service our city for decades to come.

    “I’m pleased to see construction on Light Rail to Commonwealth Park in the heart of our city, connecting to the future Acton Waterfront, more homes and better commercial precincts in an underused part of our CBD.

    “This is the next stage of a long-term plan to make the Canberra we love, even better.”

    Quotes attributable to ACT Minister for Transport Chris Steel:

    “Light rail has proven the benefits of mass transit in Canberra.

    “This next stage is critical to building out the network and delivering better public transport to the rest of the city.

    “Stage 2A is part of our wider vision of building a north-south light rail line to Woden, integrated with electric buses to our suburbs.

    “The extension of the light rail network will also support more housing, so that more people can choose to live in well-located areas close to public transport and access to services.”

    Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Canberra Alicia Payne MP: 

    “Canberra’s light rail is one of the most transformative infrastructure projects in our city’s history, and this next stage will make it even easier for people to get around. 

    “With construction now underway on Stage 2A, we are bringing light rail closer to the lake, unlocking new opportunities for housing and businesses, and ensuring our growing city has the modern, sustainable transport it needs.

    “This project is about making Canberra an even better place to live, work, and visit—now and for future generations.”

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Pacific Islands: Zone of peace or ocean of discontent? – Vic

    Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

    A conference focused on Pacific politics is being hosted this week at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Entitled “Zone of peace or ocean of discontent?”, the event will run from 19-21 February 2025.

    The conference is taking place at a time when international geopolitical structures may be changing forever with far-reaching consequences. At the same time, there are internal political pressures in many Pacific nations.

    The conference programme centres on both geopolitical impacts on the region and on internal political issues. The event will bring together Pacific experts to discuss where the region is heading.

    The programme is available here: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/strategic-studies/documents/PIPSA2025-Programme-10-02.pdf

    It is the first annual conference of the Pacific Islands Political Studies Association since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: SH2 summer renewals progressing in Central Hawke’s Bay

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is advising road users travelling on State Highway 2 (SH2) between Waipawa and Takapau in Central Hawke’s Bay to expect some delays day and night as the summer renewals programme focusses on this part of the region.

    SH2 resealing between Waipukurau and Takapau – day work

    Starting this week, a stretch of SH2 between Takapau and Waipukurau will be resealed over the next 6 weeks.

    Crews will be working onsite Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm each weekday.

    The road will be under stop/go traffic management and road users are encouraged to plan for possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Outside of the work hours, temporary speed limits will be in place.

    SH2 road rebuild in Waipawa – night works begin next week

    The road rebuild project between Victoria Street and Tamumu Road, just north of the Waipawa township is progressing.

    The first stage of the road rebuild project, the kerb and channel, was completed last week.

    The second stage, the road rebuild, is starting on Monday 17 February. Working at night between 8pm and 5am Mondays to Fridays, crews will rebuild the road section by section.

    On Monday crews will start with section 2 at the Victoria St end of the worksite, working up to Tamumu Road. See the map included.

    Stop/go traffic management will be in place during the night works with possible delays of up to 20 minutes. Road users are encouraged to plan ahead using Journey Planner.

    Journey Planner(external link)

    This work is happening at night to reduce daytime disruption and complete the job faster.

    NZTA appreciates the work will cause delays and is confident resealing this stretch of road will improve its resilience, safety and ultimately efficiency of travel for everyone who uses it.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Public invited to have their say on next tranche of gaming reforms

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 16 February 2025

    Last updated: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Gaming and Racing

    The public is invited to have its say on two new schemes that fulfill election commitments and build on the Minns Labor Government’s delivery of gaming reforms to address gambling harm and money laundering while supporting a thriving hospitality industry.

    From today the community can give feedback on consultation papers for a proposed third-party exclusion scheme and proposed mandatory facial recognition technology to support a statewide exclusion register for NSW hotels and clubs with gaming machines. 

    Facial recognition technology will support gambling harm-minimisation by removing the guesswork of staff identifying excluded patrons, often in crowded venues. There would still need to be human interaction to verify the match made by the system. Currently, the list of excluded patrons and images that venue staff need to memorise can be difficult to manage.

    The Government is building strict parameters into the reforms to protect people’s privacy to ensure hotels and clubs can only use facial recognition for the purpose of identifying excluded patrons. Venues will be prohibited from using the technology for customer tracking, surveillance and marketing purposes.

    The Government is also delivering on its election commitment to introduce a third-party exclusion scheme that would allow family, friends and venues to apply to ban someone experiencing significant gambling harm.

    Research estimates that more than a million Australians experienced harm in the past year because of another person’s gambling.

    It is proposed the minimum period for an exclusion order would be 12 months, with a maximum period of two or three years, with a temporary exclusion of 21 days while an application is considered.

    In addition to the consultation papers, the Government has also developed a draft facial recognition Code of Practice that gives pubs and clubs already operating the technology guidelines to support identification of self-excluded patrons.

    The code has been developed over several rounds of consultation with government, industry and community stakeholders, including cyber security and privacy experts.

    The Independent Panel for Gaming Reform provided advice on considerations for third party exclusion and facial recognition technology in its Roadmap Report. The issues raised in this advice were incorporated in both discussion papers.   

    These measures are the latest in a suite of reforms introduced by the Minns Labor Government to reduce gambling harm, delivering more in 22 months than the previous government did in 12 years, including:

    • reducing the cash input limit from $5,000 to $500 for all new gaming machines;
    • reducing the state-wide cap on gaming machine entitlements by approximately 3,000;
    • banning political donations from clubs with electronic gaming machines;
    • banning external gaming-related signage, and internal gaming-related signage that can be seen from outside the venue;
    • requiring that venues with more than 20 gaming machine entitlements have a Responsible Gambling Officer on duty while poker machines are in operation;
    • mandating that venues keep an updated Gaming Plan of Management and a Gaming Incident Register;
    • banning the placement of any signage or advertising relating to gaming machines either on, or visible from an ATM or EFTPOS terminal with cash withdrawal facilities;
    • announcing a ban on gaming advertising from public transport; and
    • establishing the Independent Panel for Gaming Reform and commissioning its roadmap report, which the Government is considering.

    The Third-Party Exclusion Consultation Paper is available here: https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/third-party-exclusion-pubs-and-clubs and Facial Recognition Technology in Pubs and Clubs Consultation Paper is available here:  https://www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/facial-recognition-technology. The consultation period will close on 14 March 2025.

    Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said:

    “The Minns Labor Government is committed to addressing gambling harm through evidence-based policy and it’s important that we get the balance right. 

    “Third-party exclusions are designed to help those experiencing gambling harm and their loved ones when other avenues to seek help may have failed.

    “It recognises the physical, psychological, emotional and financial flow-on effects of gambling on a person’s family and friends.

    “This is complex reform which is why we are seeking feedback on a range of issues.

    “Facial recognition will also be an important harm-minimisation tool by providing another way to identify excluded patrons in crowded venue environments, which can often be challenging for venue staff.

    “I encourage everyone to have their say on these important harm-minimisation measures.”

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Central Barangaroo gets the tick of approval

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Lands and Property, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces

    Barangaroo has reached its next major milestone with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces granting approval of the modification request for Central Barangaroo.

    This decision follows more than a decade of inaction and indecision from the former Government which left this site stuck in limbo.

    The planning determination means that the central Barangaroo proposal can proceed subject to conditions.

    This development is the final piece of Barangaroo to proceed, enabling the transformation of a once neglected and inaccessible part of the city into a dynamic cultural, residential, business and retail hub.

    The development will comprise a mix of residential and retail including restaurants and bars, a hotel and community facilities.  It allows for the area to become a destination in its own right on the Sydney Harbour foreshore due to its proximity to the new Barangaroo Metro.

    The approval requires high standards of quality and sustainability, in line with the rest of Barangaroo, with a focus on water efficiency, carbon neutrality, and zero waste.

    At least 50% of public open space will be maintained, a key principle of the original proposal.

    The modification also delivers an extra 800 square metres of community floor space and two new public plazas. It also establishes view corridors along the northern and southern plazas.

    On the nearby Central Barangaroo foreshore there are also separate plans for a new 1.8-hectare waterfront public park for recreation, events and entertainment, currently known as Harbour Park.

    When assessing the proposal, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) carefully assessed the historic view impacts of the proposal, particularly between Observatory Hill and Sydney Harbour. Conditions on the project include incorporating the Heritage Impact Statement into the consent.

    It also included a condition being imposed requiring the height of the northern part of the block facing Nawi Cove to be reduced from 8 storeys down to 5 storeys. This provides continued connection to the water view from Observatory Hill.

    In addition, the measures outlined in the Heritage Impact Assessment together with design guidelines will support a design within the building envelope which will further minimise impacts on historic views.

    The planning approval enables the proponent to undertake detailed design work, which will include community consultation.

    For more information visit: Central Barangaroo | Barangaroo

    Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:

    “The renewal of the strategically important Barangaroo site has always been about providing greater access to Sydney’s harbour foreshore. It will create jobs and homes, enhance our cultural facilities, civic spaces and parkland, and create diverse experiences and destinations – all easily accessible by public transport.

    “Detailed design work can now proceed on this prominent space under consent conditions to support design excellence to respect the surrounding area.

    “This approval considers Barangaroo’s prominent position and is respectful of the contribution of the area to Sydney’s development and future.”

    Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

    “Under the former Government this project was stuck in planning purgatory for over a decade, and this site had been a blight on the harbour for many years before that.

    “This is a fantastic outcome. Now that planning approval has been granted, we can get on with the job of delivering the final piece of the Barangaroo puzzle.

    “With the Barangaroo Metro station now open, the Pier Pavilion and the Cutaway nearing completion, Barangaroo Reserve, Marrinawi and Nawi Cove open, it will be fantastic to see the full vision for Barangaroo finally realised for locals and visitors to enjoy.”

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Government partners with NRL and PCYC to keep kids on the right track

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: The Premier, Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Minister for Regional NSW, Minister for Sport

    The Minns Labor Government is continuing work to build better regional communities and address concerning rates of regional youth crime with a new partnership with the National Rugby League  and PCYC to help keep kids on the right track. 

    Over $270,000 is being invested into the program which will see senior NRL players including Brad Fittler, PCYC staff and NSW Police representatives engaging with young people across a series of events including Schoolboy and Schoolgirl Cup games, PCYC centre events and Fit for Life sessions.

    Designed to support social cohesion, collaboration and skills building, the program will also engage young people in important conversations about mental health, physical fitness and nutrition.

    As the Government continues to pull every lever to increase community safety across regional NSW these programs will be rolled out in all corners of regional New South Wales, including Dubbo, Cessnock, Queanbeyan, the Central Coast, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth.

    This is part of the Minns Labor Government’s ongoing work to engage young people and crackdown on crime across the state, which has included:

    • Amending the Bail Act to include an additional bail test for young people between 14 and 18 charged with committing a ‘serious break and enter offence’ or motor vehicle offence while on bail for a similar offence.
    • Creating a new ‘post and boast’ offence under the Crimes Act, criminalising the filming and disseminating of footage of certain serious offences to publicise or advertise the commission of that offence.
    • Paying recruits to attend the Goulburn Police Academy and welcoming 294 probational constables to the NSWPF ranks in December, the largest class to graduate in a decade.
    • Passing and enacting ‘Jacks Law’ which provides NSW Police with powers to scan people for knives without a warrant and raised the age from 16 to 18 for the sale of knives to young people.
    • Doubling the maximum penalty for certain knife crimes.

    Further, this follows the launch of Project Pathfinder last year, a partnership between the NSW Police Force, National Rugby League and Youth Justice NSW which provides at risk teenagers from regional areas with mentorships and opportunities to reach their full potential.

    Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns said:

    “This is a great initiative and one the NSW Government is really proud to support.

    “We want our regional communities to be safe, which is why we are working around the clock to take every action we can from legislative reform, to supporting grassroots interventions.

    “Programs like this are vital to keeping kids engaged with their local community and on the right track.”

    Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley said:

    “The NSW Police and Government are doing everything we can to keep our regional communities safe – we don’t want to see anyone living in fear.

    “Our police are working around the clock to not only investigate crimes but to engage with young people and show them positive alternatives to crime.

    “I thank the NRL and PCYC for their continued support for our young people and regional communities.”

    Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty said:

    “The NSW Government is putting resources into initiatives like this that are ready to go, and use methods which regional youth will relate to and engage with and then experience activities and learnings which can create conversations that help build a brighter future.

    “This partnership means more kids in regional NSW will have the opportunity to come together, learn, stay fit and grow through a shared love for rugby league.

    “This initiative is about opening doors for regional youth by turning sport into platforms for connection, resilience and community empowerment.”

    Minister for Sport, Steve Kamper said:

    “The outcome of sport is so often greater than the scoreboard. Sporting communities in many cases are the heart of our regional communities and they can be great ways to engage our younger generations and promote positive role models.”

    Andrew Abdo, National Rugby League CEO said:

    “Rugby league changes lives and this new partnership will harness the power of government, community and sport to positively impact on young people across NSW.

    “Supporting youth in regional areas is important to us and this funding will help us reach even further into communities to provide opportunities and a support network to young people who need a helping hand.”

    Ben Hobby, Police Citizens Youth Club NSW (PCYC NSW) CEO said:

    ‘’The PCYC has a strong and enduring tradition of working with youth in regional areas across NSW, and we know how impactful the role models in the NRL can be to these communities – young people look up to these incredible athletes and sports stars.

    “We value our partnership with the Government and the NRL and know that having current and former players of the NRL and WNRL working with regional youth will be life-changing for the rising generation and the broader communities we support.”

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: New sports high school for South-West Sydney

    Source: New South Wales Premiere

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: The Premier, Deputy Premier, Minister for Education and Early Learning

    The Minns Labor Government have delivered on another election commitment with Eagle Vale High School becoming Australia’s newest sports high school, as work continues to ensure families in Western Sydney have access to world class public education opportunities.

    The school’s Talented Sports Program kicked off on day one term one this year with 60 students who successfully competed in the athletic trials last year excelling across Rugby League, Basketball and Cricket.

    The delivery of this election commitment means for the first time families in the Macarthur region have a school on their doorstep catering for students excelling in sports alongside a strong academic program.

    Previously, aspiring athletes in the region had to travel up to an hour to pursue their athletic ambitions at their nearest sports high school.

    To support Eagle Vale High School’s students the NSW Government is funding multimillion-dollar upgrades to the school with new cricket nets and upgraded change rooms already delivered.

    Further upgrade works are also underway including for a new running track, resurfacing the school’s full-sized playing field, new lighting for the sports field, new pickleball courts, a new multipurpose hall, a new Health and PE Learning Hub and a new PE Fitness Laboratory.

    The Talented Sports Program has a proven track record of nurturing some of the country’s best up-and-coming athletes, including more than 170 national senior level representatives in NRL and AFL, and professional basketballers, golfers and surfers.  

    Successful alumni of NSW sports high schools include Test cricketer Usman Khawaja, former national cricket captain Michael Clarke, soccer greats Harry Kewell and Alanna Kennedy, and former Australian rugby league captain Boyd Cordner.

    This investment is part of the Minns Labor Government’s plan to rebuild public education in NSW, ensuring families in growing Western Sydney communities have access to world-class schools, no matter their postcode. This ongoing work includes:

    • Investing a record $3.6 billion to deliver new and upgraded schools in Western Sydney
    • Delivering five new public schools across Western Sydney which welcomed students for the first time day one, term one 2025
    • Valuing the workforce by delivering the largest pay rise in a generation to NSW’s 95,000 teachers
    • Giving teachers job security by making 16,000 teachers and school support staff on temporary contacts permanent
    • Reducing teacher vacancies by 40 per cent, ensuring more students have a qualified teacher at the front of their classrooms.

    Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:

    “No matter the postcode we want to ensure that children across New South Wales are given every opportunity to achieve their dreams.

    “This means kids in South-West Sydney will have a real opportunity to pursue their sporting aspirations without their parents having to commit to hours of travel each day.

    “For both budding athletes and their parents, this is a game changer.

    “There is such a strong sporting culture in this part of Sydney and it’s great that the opportunities available to local school children finally reflects that.”

    Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Prue Car said:

    “The population in the Macarthur region is continuing to grow, and the Minns Labor Government is committed to supporting young people to reach their potential in their local area.

    “Previously, Macarthur students had to travel an hour or more each way to access a Talented Sports Program. Now, these students can follow their sporting dreams in their local area.

    “Eagle Vale High will be a school where some of South-West Sydney’s most talented athletes get their start as possible future Olympic champions.”

    Member for Leppington Nathan Hagarty said:

    “It is fantastic to see the upgrade works underway at Eagle Vale High School.

    “Delivering a selective sports stream for the Macarthur community is giving talented young athletes from our local area more opportunities.

    “I cannot wait to see the dividends this investment delivers for our strong local sporting community.”

    Eagle Vale High School principal Craig Butler said:

    “The community is very excited about the new sports facilities. They think it’s wonderful that we’re supporting our kids and showing a commitment to the Macarthur area.

    “We are going to have kids who will become Olympic champions and professional athletes, but as a sports high school, we can allow them to manage their study so they don’t have to make a choice between academic success and sport.

    “The students know they are part of something special and talk about the school with pride.”

    MIL OSI News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA News: President Donald J. Trump Approves Kentucky Emergency Declaration

    Source: The White House

    class=”has-text-align-left”>Today, President Donald J. Trump declared that an emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and ordered Federal assistance to supplement Commonwealth and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, and landslides beginning on February 14, 2025, and continuing. 

    The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population. FEMA will provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 120 counties of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
     
    Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide, at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding. 
     
    Mr. Jeremy Slinker of FEMA has been appointed to coordinate Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
     
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT THE FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@FEMA.DHS.GOV.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: ‘I feel constant anxiety’: how caring for a seriously unwell pet can lead to stress and burnout

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Susan Hazel, Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Adelaide

    Ground Picture/Shutterstock

    Living with a pet brings many benefits, including constant presence, love and support. Pet ownership is also linked with a lower long-term risk of early death.

    Most of us would do anything for our pets if they become unwell. But just as caring for a human loved one can come at great personal cost, a growing body of research shows that’s also true for many pet owners looking after a seriously ill pet.

    This stress is often known as “caregiver burden”.

    Most of us would do anything for our pets if they become unwell.
    Haletska Olha/Shutterstock

    Stress, depression, burnout and anxiety

    One 2017 study looked at how people with healthy pets fared compared to those caring for pets with serious diseases.

    It found many of those looking after seriously ill animals felt they didn’t have enough time for themselves due to the time they had to spend with their pet.

    Compared to owners of healthy pets, those caring for unwell pets experienced:

    greater burden, stress and symptoms of depression/anxiety, as well as poorer quality of life.

    Our 2023 research into experiences of people looking after older dogs showed similarly concerning results.

    We surveyed people with dogs eight years or older. Some of these dogs were living with canine cognitive dysfunction, a form of dementia similar to Alzheimer’s disease in people.

    Out of the 637 respondents to our survey, 16% had a high burden of care likely to be associated with negative psychological, physical and financial outcomes.

    One respondent told us:

    My partner and I cannot leave him home alone for long at all […] I worry about [my pet’s] quality of life. I feel my partner is really struggling with [my pet’s] deterioration and when the time comes for euthanasia I know it will be me forcing the issue. I feel constant anxiety about this decision looming.

    A higher burden of care was associated with the dog having more severe canine cognitive dysfunction, pet owners who were aged between 25 and 44 years, and those who lived alone.

    This makes sense, because people who live alone don’t have another person to support or help them. The most difficult dog behaviours people reported were night-time disturbances and barking.

    Burden of care in other situations

    Any significant pet disease or disability is likely to be associated with stress in their caregivers.

    Even behavioural problems in dogs, such as aggression or separation-related disorder, have been associated with clinically significant strain in more than 68% of people.

    Most of the research has been done in dogs, but owners of ill cats also have a higher burden, although it appears less than owners of an ill dog.

    We previously showed that a third of owners of cats with epilepsy are likely to be experiencing high levels of carer stress or strain.

    These problems were worse in owners who did not feel supported by their vet. For example, they may feel they’re being rushed through appointments, or that their concerns are being dismissed.

    Pet owners more likely to feel this caregiver stress included those who were younger than 55, and those whose cat had uncontrolled seizures.

    Strong emotions and complex needs

    The burden of caring for an unwell pet is not well recognised, even by vets.

    People suffering this kind of carer stress are likely to require more time in consultations at the vet’s office, visit more frequently, and become angry and emotional.

    From a vet’s perspective, clients with such strong emotions and complex needs can be challenging.

    People suffering a high burden of care are likely to require more time in consultations at the vet.
    Beach Creatives/Shutterstock

    How can you get help?

    If you or somebody you know is struggling with caring for a seriously ill pet, find a vet you trust and feel comfortable with. If you can tell them what you are struggling with, the vet may be able to provide some support.

    Call on your village! Ask friends and family for help to provide you with respite. We often do it when we first bring a new puppy or kitten home, but don’t think it’s OK to ask for help when they’re sick or ageing and need more care.

    Know that it’s OK to sometimes feel frustrated, overwhelmed, or even resentful towards your pet. It doesn’t mean you don’t love them. It means providing this level of care is hard.

    Being a carer is hard work.
    Soloviova Liudmyla/Shutterstock

    Despite the hardships, many caregivers find comfort in their deep connection to their pets. One of our respondents in the senior dog study wrote:

    every moment I have with her now is a blessing. She has given me so much over the last ten years; it’s time to pay back now.

    Pets also give meaning to our lives. In our study of cats with epilepsy, one person wrote:

    I think that most of the people are not aware of the benefits of living with the cat with special needs.

    Supporting the human-animal bond means supporting both humans and animals. We’re all better off when we recognise and support people struggling with caring for their pets.

    If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

    Susan Hazel has received funding from the Waltham Foundation and is affiliated with the Dog and Cat Management Board of South Australia, and the RSPCA South Australia.

    Tracey Taylor receives funding from the Waltham Foundation.

    – ref. ‘I feel constant anxiety’: how caring for a seriously unwell pet can lead to stress and burnout – https://theconversation.com/i-feel-constant-anxiety-how-caring-for-a-seriously-unwell-pet-can-lead-to-stress-and-burnout-247329

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: NDIS reforms aim to make the scheme fairer. But we’ve found the groups struggling to gain access

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By George Disney, Research Fellow, Social Epidemiology, The University of Melbourne

    Edwin Tan/Getty Images

    When the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was established in 2013, one of its driving aims was to make disability services and support systems fairer.

    However, our new research shows significant inequalities remain, with some groups finding it much harder than others to be deemed eligible and access a funding plan.

    Recent NDIS reforms in part aim to address inequity, and to manage costs.

    So, what can we do to ensure these reforms don’t further embed existing inequalities? Here’s what we found.

    Inequalities in scheme access

    To receive funding from the NDIS, participants are required to demonstrate their eligibility.

    We wanted to explore whether decisions about eligibility were leading to inequalities in who could access and use NDIS funding.

    Our study looked at the individual NDIS applications of 485,676 people aged seven or older, made between 2016 and 2022, to see if they were deemed eligible.

    We then compared differences in eligibility rates between groups, considering:

    • age (applicants 55 or older versus those under 55)
    • gender (women and girls versus other applicants)
    • socioeconomic disadvantage (those from the poorest 30% of areas versus all other areas).

    Who is deemed ineligible?

    We found some groups are more likely to be rejected from the scheme than others: women and girls, people aged 55 and over, and those who live in disadvantaged areas.

    Within these groups, eligibility rates also vary.

    For example, people with intellectual disability, autism, and brain injury or stroke were very likely to be deemed eligible, regardless of their age, gender or socioeconomic disadvantage (900 or more were accepted per 1,000 applicants).

    However, people with physical disability and psychosocial disability (disabilities that can arise from a mental health issue, such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia) were significantly more likely to be rejected.

    This was true across groups, but particularly evident among women and girls.

    We compared eligibility rates within every 1,000 applications made by women and girls versus men and boys.

    Among those who had physical disability, 145 more women and girls were rejected, compared to men and boys.

    Among those with psychosocial disability, 83 more applications were deemed ineligible for every 1,000 applications made by women, compared to men.

    Age was also a factor. Older Australians with a physical disability had 235 fewer approvals per 1,000 applications than those with physical disability under 55.

    Older Australians were more likely to be found ineligible.
    Christina RasoBoluda/Shutterstock

    What about once they’re eligible?

    Inequalities are more pronounced among those trying to prove eligibility for the scheme.

    Once accepted into the NDIS, our research found women and girls, and people living in poorer areas, received similar amounts of funding as men and boys, and those living in better-off areas.

    This budget is based on what the participant wants to achieve in everyday life and their support needs relating to their disabilities.

    However once people receive and are using plans, we then see some differences in how much these people are able to spend. This relates to factors such as the availability of services in an area or whether culturally safe supports are available.

    We found that women with psychosocial disability spent more than men with similar sized budgets.

    This result could reflect that women with psychosocial disability on the NDIS have higher support needs than men.

    It could be that it is harder for women to get onto the scheme in the first place, so those who are deemed eligible have more significant disability than men.

    But we need more research to unpack this further.

    Why do we see these inequalities?

    In the early days of the NDIS, to help fast-track applications, the National Disability Insurance Agency (which runs the NDIS) specified a list of diagnoses closely related to disability.

    Known as list A conditions, people with these diagnoses are automatically eligible for the NDIS.

    Disabilities likely to be associated with a list A diagnosis include level 2 or 3 autism (requiring substantial or very substantial support) and intellectual disability.

    However some people who could have permanent and significant disability, may have a diagnosis not on list A, such as Down syndrome and motor neurone disease. They must provide a broader range of evidence on the impact of their disability to be eligible.

    If they face other challenges – such as socioeconomic disadvantage – it may be harder for them to collect this evidence. For example, they may not be able to afford private health care that would help support their application.

    This might explain why people who do not have a list A diagnosis are less likely to prove their eligibility for the scheme.

    Where next for the scheme?

    Following recommendations from an independent review into the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Agency is currently making changes to how it assesses eligibility.

    One of the changes suggested is removing list A classifications altogether.

    Instead, the agency will use a suite of functional assessment tools. These are still in the process of being designed, but they are one way to assess a person’s ability to perform everyday tasks and identify the level of support they require.

    This approach aims to assess more objectively and fairly how much someone is impacted by their disability.

    However, there are longstanding critiques of these tools. These include concerns they are not safe for minority groups, such as those with a culturally or linguistically diverse background, LGBTQIA+ people, and First Nations applicants.

    Our new research demonstrates how and why some inequalities arise. We should put this understanding front-and-centre in any changes to the NDIS.

    Most importantly, we should make sure reforms are co-designed with a broad range of different groups, to ensure we don’t perpetuate old inequalities or introduce new ones.

    George has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (NDIS service use), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (inequalities in NDIS service use), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    Alexandra Devine receives funding from the NHMRC.

    Anne Kavanagh receives funding from the ARC, NHMRC, MRFF, MS Australia and the Australian government.

    Helen Dickinson receives funding from ARC, NHMRC and Department of Social Services.

    Yi Yang has conducted commissioned work for the Australian Department of Social Services (inequalities in NDIS service use), the Victorian Department of Families Fairness and Housing (inequalities in NDIS service use), and the Queensland Department of Seniors, Disability Services, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (inequalities in NDIS service use in regional and remote Queensland).

    – ref. NDIS reforms aim to make the scheme fairer. But we’ve found the groups struggling to gain access – https://theconversation.com/ndis-reforms-aim-to-make-the-scheme-fairer-but-weve-found-the-groups-struggling-to-gain-access-248562

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: In Afghanistan, families are forced to sell children to survive. Trump’s USAID cuts will be devastating

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Amin Saikal, Emeritus Professor of Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, Australian National University

    The dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is a serious blow to the soft power of the United States and disastrous for many poor countries where it helps provide humanitarian, health and educational services.

    One country whose citizens will bear the brunt of it is Afghanistan, under the misogynistic and draconian rule of the Taliban.

    According to United Nations reports, more than half of Afghanistan’s estimated 40 million population is dependent on international handouts for their survival. Most of the remaining barely earn enough to exist.

    USAID has played a critical part in alleviating the suffering of Afhghans since the hasty retreat of the US and its allies from the country and the return of the Taliban to power in mid-2021.

    Since then, the United States has been the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, amounting to US$3.71 billion (A$5.8 billion), channelled through UN agencies and other international organisations. USAID has been responsible for delivering a large proportion of it.

    The effects are already being felt. A major midwifery program has closed, while “secret schools” for girls and the American University of Afghanistan has suspended classes.

    US aid, along with help from other donors, has also been critical in keeping mass starvation at bay.

    Aid propping up the Taliban

    Indeed, not all the aid has directly been delivered to the needy. The Taliban have creamed off a portion of it in the process of permitting and supervising its delivery.

    As widely reported, the group has indirectly received some US$40 million (A$63 million) a week of donor funds. The United Nations says it’s unavoidable that some money makes its way to Afghanistan’s central bank, which is under the control of the Taliban.

    This aid money, together with US$7 billion (A$11 billion) worth of light and heavy arms left behind by the US and its allies, has been crucial in enabling the Taliban to enforce its extremist rule, despite lacking domestic and international legitimacy.

    US President Donald Trump’s objection to the flow of any American aid to the Taliban is well placed. He has criticised the Biden administration for its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and failure to curtail the indirect benefits of American aid to the group.

    He has called for an end to American money going to the Taliban and for the return of US military equipment from the group. He has even floated the idea of retaking the strategically important Bagram air base outside Kabul, which he claims is now under Chinese influence.

    Further, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who both served in Afghanistan, have vowed to continue to fight terrorism around the world. Waltz believes terrorist groups are regrouping in Afghanistan under the Taliban and the Pentagon may need to send US troops back there.

    A halt to any aid that can advantage the Taliban is absolutely imperative. Countering the group is vital to combating violent extremism and terrorism.

    Afghans still desperately need aid

    However, this effort needs to be managed in ways that do not deprive the needy people of Afghanistan.

    Afghanistan’s economy, industries, reconstruction projects and work opportunities have virtually collapsed, while many schools have been closed or transformed into religious institutions.

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that in the last three years, Afghanistan’s economy has contracted by 27%, with staggeringly high unemployment and inflation.

    Living conditions are so bad that some families are selling their children in order to feed the rest of the family.

    No section of the society is in more desperate need than girls and women, who have been stripped of all their basic rights to education, work and public life. They are not even allowed to speak in public or pray outside the four walls of their homes. As put by actor Meryl Streep, a cat has more freedom than women in Afghanistan.

    This has caused a mental health crisis among women in Afghanistan, with rising numbers of suicides.

    What can be done?

    The disembowelling of USAID will have far-reaching consequences for the people of Afghanistan.

    If the Trump administration wants to achieve its anti-Taliban objectives, it needs a two-pronged policy approach:

    • identify new ways to continue humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan in ways that don’t benefit the Taliban

    • increase pressure on the Taliban by strictly enforcing international sanctions and maintaining its isolation on the international stage.

    The suspension of American aid has already resulted in a devaluation of the Afghani currency. This has prompted the Taliban to impose severe restrictions on the transfer of dollars out of the country.

    Some analysts predict that if the economy continues to worsen, it will impact the Taliban’s ability to govern.

    In turn, this could strengthen civil and armed opposition groups – including the women’s Purple Saturday movement, which stands for a free and legitimately governed Afghanistan. These groups have increasingly become active in different parts of the country.

    Amin Saikal 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. In Afghanistan, families are forced to sell children to survive. Trump’s USAID cuts will be devastating – https://theconversation.com/in-afghanistan-families-are-forced-to-sell-children-to-survive-trumps-usaid-cuts-will-be-devastating-249713

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: Unrest in Bangladesh is revealing the bias at the heart of Google’s search engine

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Abdul Aziz, Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies, School of Arts and Social Sciences, Monash University

    Google’s search engine handles the vast majority of online searches worldwide. By one estimate, it fields 6.3 million queries every second.

    Because of the search engine’s enormous scale, its outputs can have outsized effects. And, while Google’s search results are shaped by ostensibly neutral rules and processes, research has shown these algorithms often produce biased results.

    This problem of algorithmic bias is again being highlighted by recent escalating tensions between India and Bangladesh and cases of violence against Bangladeshi citizens in India and violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. A pro-Indian misinformation and disinformation campaign is exploiting this algorithmic bias to further its agenda – an agenda that has been described as Islamophobic and alarmist.

    This kind of misinformation has been implicated in several riots and violent incidents in Bangladesh.

    All of this serves as an important reminder of the power Google’s search engine has in shaping public perceptions of any event – and its vulnerability to being exploited. It’s also an important reminder to anyone who uses Google’s search engine to engage critically with the results it dishes up, rather than accepting them at face value.

    What is algorithmic bias?

    The algorithms that power Google’s search engine are trained on massive amounts of data. This data is gathered by computer bots which crawl billions of pages on the Internet and automatically analyse their content and quality. This information is stored in a large database, which Google’s search engine relies on to serve up relevant results whenever it receives a query.

    But this process doesn’t capture every website on the Internet. It is also governed by predetermined rules about what is high quality and what is low quality, and reflects existing biases in data. For example, even though only 16% of the world’s population speaks English, it accounts for 55% of all written content online.

    This means the reality of life on the ground in non-English speaking countries is often not reflected in Google search results. This is especially true for those countries located in the Global South.

    This lack of representation perpetuates real-world biases. It can also hinder a nuanced public understanding of global issues.

    What’s happening between Bangladesh and India?

    Relations between Muslim-majority Bangladesh and neighbouring India, which is currently led by the Hindu nationalist BJP government, have deteriorated recently.

    In August last year, youth-led anti-government protests erupted in Bangladesh.

    These protests resulted in the downfall of prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s long-lasting autocratic regime, which had been supported by the Indian government.

    An interim government filled the void. But certain Indian media outlets have leveraged sensitive issues such as Hindu minority rights to undermine its legitimacy.

    In November, Bangladeshi authorities arrested Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on sedition charges over allegations he had disrespected the Bangladeshi flag. This triggered violent clashes between his supporters and police. These clashes resulted in the death of a Muslim lawyer.

    Hindu activists also attacked a Bangladeshi consulate in India.

    There have also been verified instances of mob violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. However, the Bangladeshi government claims these incidents are politically motivated rather than communal attacks.

    The unrest intensified earlier this month, with thousands of protestors destroying the family home of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

    Boosting a disinformation campaign

    A disinformation campaign based in India has exaggerated some cases of religious violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

    This campaign has been boosted by Google’s algorithmic bias.

    For example, an analysis by the Tech Global Institute of Google search results about Chinmoy Krishna Das’s arrest between November 25 and December 20 last year found a “consistent pattern of bias”.

    Specifically, Indian news outlets – including Hindu ultranationalist news outlets – “disproportionately” dominated the top search results. This overshadowed

    factual reporting from credible Bangladeshi media outlets […] despite the search originating from within Bangladesh, the country where the incident originally occurred.

    This bias was also evident in search queries coming from overseas. For example, roughly 90% of the top results about Chinmoy Krishna Das were from Indian outlets when searched from Australia and the United States. Bangladeshi news outlets featured on the thirteenth and fourteenth pages of results.

    Indian news outlets – unlike their Bangladeshi counterparts – produce a substantial amount of content in English. They also employ more advanced search engine optimisation – or SEO – techniques, such as using effective keywords and sensationalist headlines. This gives them an advantage in Google search results compared to their Bangladeshi counterparts.

    Another investigation by Bangladeshi fact-checking outlet Rumor Scanner in December 2024 found 72% of social media accounts spreading fake and misinformation are located in India.

    The Conversation asked Google a series of questions about its search engine. It did not receive a response.

    An illustrative case of a global problem

    Bangladesh is an illustrative case of the global problem of algorithmic bias. It highlights how search engines can be exploited to promote disinformation and misinformation and powerfully shape people’s perceptions about what’s happening in the world.

    It also highlights how everybody should think critically about the information they find online about the current situation in Bangladesh. Or about any news event, for that matter.

    The case also reinforces the urgent need for policymakers, tech companies and governments to work together to effectively address algorithmic bias. This is especially urgent in the Global South, where marginal voices remain silenced.

    Abdul Aziz 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. Unrest in Bangladesh is revealing the bias at the heart of Google’s search engine – https://theconversation.com/unrest-in-bangladesh-is-revealing-the-bias-at-the-heart-of-googles-search-engine-249131

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Joint statement on the first anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death

    Source: Government of Iceland

    On the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death, which followed years of persecution by the Kremlin, we again extend our condolences to his family. We reiterate that the ultimate responsibility for his death lies with the Russian authorities. One year on, Russia’s dire human rights record continues to deteriorate. The Kremlin crushes peaceful dissent, maintains a climate of fear and undermines the rule of law. All to serve its own interests. As we reflect on Navalny’s enduring legacy, we continue to stand with civil society and human rights defenders working tirelessly to build a better future for Russia in the face of immense personal risk. 

    There are over 800 political prisoners in Russia, including many imprisoned for speaking out against the Kremlin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the brutality shown towards the Ukrainian people. The UN Special Rapporteur’s reports illustrate how many political prisoners are tortured, denied adequate medical treatment and placed in forced psychiatric detention. We are clear: the Russian authorities must uphold their international obligations and release all political prisoners. 

    Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Iceland, Bulgaria and the United Kingdom.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch 14

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL4

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 14
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    940 AM EST Sun Feb 16 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of
    Eastern North Carolina
    Southeast Virginia
    Coastal Waters

    * Effective this Sunday morning and afternoon from 940 AM until
    300 PM EST.

    * Primary threats include…
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible

    SUMMARY…A fast-moving convective line will move east across the
    Watch area. Scattered damaging gusts will be the primary severe
    hazard before the severe threat moves east of the coast.

    The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 70
    statute miles east and west of a line from 45 miles north northeast
    of Elizabeth City NC to 35 miles southwest of Wilmington NC. For a
    complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline
    update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are
    favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area.
    Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening
    weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible
    warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce
    tornadoes.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 12…WW 13…

    AVIATION…A few severe thunderstorms with hail surface and aloft to
    0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind gusts to 60 knots. A
    few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 300. Mean storm motion vector
    26050.

    …Smith

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW4
    WW 14 SEVERE TSTM NC VA CW 161440Z – 162000Z
    AXIS..70 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    45NNE ECG/ELIZABETH CITY NC/ – 35SW ILM/WILMINGTON NC/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 60NM E/W /16E ORF – 35SW ILM/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..0.5 INCH. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 300. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 26050.

    LAT…LON 36867460 33917711 33917955 36867712

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU4.

    Watch 14 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Low (

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 17, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joint statement on the first anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    • English
    • Русский язык

    The UK and partners pay tribute to Alexei Navalny

    On the anniversary of Alexei Navalny’s death, which followed years of persecution by the Kremlin, we again extend our condolences to his family. We reiterate that the ultimate responsibility for his death lies with the Russian authorities. One year on, Russia’s dire human rights record continues to deteriorate. The Kremlin crushes peaceful dissent, maintains a climate of fear and undermines the rule of law. All to serve its own interests. As we reflect on Navalny’s enduring legacy, we continue to stand with civil society and human rights defenders working tirelessly to build a better future for Russia in the face of immense personal risk. 

    There are over 800 political prisoners in Russia, including many imprisoned for speaking out against the Kremlin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the brutality shown towards the Ukrainian people. The UN Special Rapporteur’s reports illustrate how many political prisoners are tortured, denied adequate medical treatment and placed in forced psychiatric detention. We are clear: the Russian authorities must uphold their international obligations and release all political prisoners. 

    Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom

    Share this page

    The following links open in a new tab

    • Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
    • Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-Evening Report: View from The Hill: government nabs Coalition policy on foreigners buying houses, Dutton eyes action on insurance companies

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

    With the unembarrassed audacity parties show as an election nears, the government has stolen the opposition’s policy to ban foreign investors buying established homes.

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Housing Minister Clare O’Neil have announced foreigners won’t be able to purchase established homes from April 1 for at least two years, with a review to determine whether the ban should be extended.

    When the opposition announced its policy last year, Labor was dismissive, pointing out the numbers were minuscule. But the idea is popular with the public and the government is anxious to neutralise it.

    The turnabout comes immediately ahead of the Reserve Bank’s’s two-day meeting starting Monday, with expectations high that on Tuesday the bank may finally start moving rates down.

    A rate cut would increase speculation Anthony Albanese will opt for an April rather than a May election. That would mean cancelling the March 25 budget.

    With the election fast approaching and polls suggesting a high prospect of a minority government, attention has turned to how crossbenchers would react in the event of a hung parliament.

    Much conjecture is around the “teals” who occupy former Liberal seats but are more progressive than the current Liberal party.

    Opposition leader Peter Dutton said on Sunday: “It would be unusual that if we were able to achieve 72 [a majority is 76] and we were a number of seats ahead of the Labor Party, that there wouldn’t be a guarantee of supply and confidence from the crossbench.

    “But some of them will only ever support the Labor Party. I think if they’re into transparency and honesty, they should be transparent and honest with the public before the election about if you vote for Kate Chaney, are you going to get Anthony Albanese or will she support a Coalition government in a minority situation?”

    Chaney, one of the teals, holds the Western Australian seat of Curtin, which the Liberals believe is a chance for them.

    In their statement about foreign investors, Chalmers and O’Neil said the government would also “crack down” on foreign land banking.

    The ministers admitted these latest initiatives were small but said they were an important part of the government’s broad housing policy,

    “Until now, foreign investors have generally been barred from buying existing property except in limited circumstances, such as when they come to live here for work or study,” they said.

    Under the new arrangements, “foreign investors (including temporary residents and foreign-owned companies) will no longer be able to purchase an established dwelling in Australia while the ban is in place unless an exception applies.”

    On landbanking, the ministers said foreign investors are presently subject to developmental conditions requiring they put vacant land to use within a reasonable time.

    “The Government is focused on making sure these rules are complied with and identifying any investors who are acquiring vacant land, not developing it while prices rise and then selling it for a profit.”

    The Australian Taxation Office and Treasury will be funded for an audit program and to improve compliance.

    Dutton hints at action against insurance companies that ‘rip off’ people

    While Labor sought to shore up its credentials on housing, Dutton was venturing further down the interventionist road, hinting a Coalition government might use divestiture against recalcitrant insurance companies.

    The Coalition has already courted controversy with its threat supermarkets could face divestiture.

    Dutton is now looking more widely, after being concerned about how people in areas recently devastated by fires or floods often haven’t insurance because they can’t afford the increasingly high premiums.

    Asked on Sky whether the Coalition would reduce the cost of insurance, Dutton said, “We need to make sure that we’re not being ripped off by insurance companies.

    “As we’ve done with the supermarkets, where we have threatened divestment if consumers are being ripped off, similarly, in the insurance market, we will intervene to make sure that consumers get a fair go because at the moment people are paying too much for their insurance and what’s resulting is that people aren’t taking out insurance. […] People just simply can’t afford to insure the car or their home at the moment.”

    In a wideranging interview, Dutton cast doubt on whether the opposition would support any extension of government relief on power bills.

    “If it’s going to be inflationary and it’s going to keep interest rates higher for longer and it’s going to keep grocery prices higher for longer and it’s going to keep electricity prices higher for longer, then no.”

    (The relief the government has already provided put downward pressure on inflation.)

    The opposition leader criticised the government for not putting enough effort into its handling of the Trump administration.

    “Every minister should have been cycling through Washington. I’m not aware that other ministers have been to Washington since Penny Wong was there for the inauguration,” he said.

    “If they have, that’s great. But the prime minister probably should have been on a plane to the US, as we’ve seen with other world leaders and there should have been greater engagement with the president earlier on.”

    Dutton apparently forgot the visit made by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who was the first defence minister to meet new defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

    Reminded of the Marles visit, he immediately criticised him. “Richard Marles is a nice guy, but he’s batting fairly significantly down the list in terms of the government’s key hitters.”

    Dutton said Trump had to be seen in a different light to other presidents.

    “Donald Trump is different to any of his predecessors, certainly in the modern age. If you look at his background, he’s a businessman, he does deals, he brings parties together, he swaps contracts. That’s been his background, and it’s not a background, probably, that’s been shared by too many of his predecessors. So, I don’t think you’re taking everything he says literally.”

    Dutton left his options open when asked whether he would replace Kevin Rudd as ambassador to the United States.

    “We have to have an ambassador who is in our country’s best interests. Kevin, obviously, is an accomplished person as prime minister of our country and if he’s the best person for the job, then he should stay in the job.

    “If it turns out that he’s had no access to the White House and no real influence in relation to this [tariff] issue or whatever the next issue might be, then you would have to reassess his position. But at the moment, we’re being told that he’s effective in his advocacy in the administration. I suppose time will tell.

    “My instinct would be to leave him in the job. But […] if there are insurmountable problems that he has, or that the administration has with him, then that would make it very difficult.”

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

    – ref. View from The Hill: government nabs Coalition policy on foreigners buying houses, Dutton eyes action on insurance companies – https://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-government-nabs-coalition-policy-on-foreigners-buying-houses-dutton-eyes-action-on-insurance-companies-250023

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC Tornado Watch 11

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Note:  The expiration time in the watch graphic is amended if the watch is replaced, cancelled or extended.Note: Click for Watch Status Reports.
    SEL1

    URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
    Tornado Watch Number 11
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    205 AM EST Sun Feb 16 2025

    The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

    * Tornado Watch for portions of
    Northern and Western Georgia
    Far Southeast Tennessee

    * Effective this Sunday morning from 205 AM until 900 AM EST.

    * Primary threats include…
    A couple tornadoes possible
    Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph likely

    SUMMARY…A line of thunderstorms will continue to pose a threat for
    a couple of tornadoes and scattered to numerous damaging winds up to
    60-70 mph as it moves quickly eastward early this morning.

    The tornado watch area is approximately along and 40 statute miles
    east and west of a line from 15 miles north northwest of Chattanooga
    TN to 55 miles south southwest of Macon GA. For a complete depiction
    of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS
    WOU1).

    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

    REMEMBER…A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
    tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
    area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
    threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
    and possible warnings.

    &&

    OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 9…WW 10…

    AVIATION…Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
    surface and aloft to 1 inch. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
    gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
    storm motion vector 27045.

    …Gleason

    Note: The Aviation Watch (SAW) product is an approximation to the watch area. The actual watch is depicted by the shaded areas.
    SAW1
    WW 11 TORNADO GA TN 160705Z – 161400Z
    AXIS..40 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE..
    15NNW CHA/CHATTANOOGA TN/ – 55SSW MCN/MACON GA/
    ..AVIATION COORDS.. 35NM E/W /18NNW GQO – 23NE PZD/
    HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT..1 INCH. WIND GUSTS..60 KNOTS.
    MAX TOPS TO 450. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 27045.

    LAT…LON 35238459 31968333 31968469 35238601

    THIS IS AN APPROXIMATION TO THE WATCH AREA. FOR A
    COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE WOUS64 KWNS
    FOR WOU1.

    Watch 11 Status Report Message has not been issued yet.

    Note:  Click for Complete Product Text.Tornadoes

    Probability of 2 or more tornadoes

    Mod (40%)

    Probability of 1 or more strong (EF2-EF5) tornadoes

    Low (20%)

    Wind

    Probability of 10 or more severe wind events

    High (70%)

    Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots

    Low (20%)

    Hail

    Probability of 10 or more severe hail events

    Low ( 2 inches

    Low (

    MIL OSI USA News –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Break-in reveals homemade explosive

    Source: South Australia Police

    A man has been arrested for firearms and weapon offences after an alleged break-in on his Port Pirie property.

    About 12.45am on Sunday 16 February, police attended a Port Pirie West home in relation to a break-in and theft.

    The victim, a 32-year-old man from the address, advised a person broke into his home and threatened him. An altercation ensued and the victim was struck in the head with a metal object.  The suspect stole his wallet containing cash and cards and the victim chased him from the property.  The suspect is described as being aged in his 20s, 170cm tall with blonde hair.

    The victim was taken to hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.  Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.  You can anonymously provide information to Crime Stoppers online at https://crimestopperssa.com.au or free call 1800 333 000.

    Port Pirie Detectives and Crime Scene officers attended the address to examine the scene.  During a search of the property police located a homemade explosive, a pen gun, ammunition, four gel blasters, two expandable batons, a homemade taser, a trafficable amount of cannabis and other drug paraphernalia.

    Police attended the hospital and arrested the homeowner, he was charged with possessing a firearm without a licence, possessing ammunition without a licence, three counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and three counts of contravening an intervention order.  He was refused police bail and will appear in Port Pirie Magistrates Court on Monday 17 February.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Albanese Government clamping down on foreign purchase of established homes and land banking

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    The Albanese Government will ban foreign investors from buying established homes for at least two years and crack down on foreign land banking.

    We’re coming at this housing challenge from every responsible angle.

    This is all about easing pressure on our housing market at the same time as we build more homes.

    These initiatives are a small but important part of our already big and broad housing agenda which is focused on boosting supply and helping more people into homes.

    It’s a minor change, but a meaningful one because we know that every effort helps in addressing the housing challenge we’ve inherited.

    We’re banning foreign purchases of established dwellings from 1 April 2025, until 31 March 2027. A review will be undertaken to determine whether it should be extended beyond this point.

    The ban will mean Australians will be able to buy homes that would have otherwise been bought by foreign investors.

    Until now, foreign investors have generally been barred from buying existing property except in limited circumstances, such as when they come to live here for work or study.

    From 1 April 2025, foreign investors (including temporary residents and foreign‑owned companies) will no longer be able to purchase an established dwelling in Australia while the ban is in place unless an exception applies.

    These limited exceptions will include investments that significantly increase housing supply or support the availability of housing supply, and for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.

    We will also bolster the Australian Taxation Office’s (ATO) foreign investment compliance team to enforce the ban and enhance screening of foreign investment proposals relating to residential property by providing $5.7 million over 4 years from 2025–26.

    This will ensure that the ban and exemptions are complied with and tough enforcement action is taken for any non‑compliance.

    Alongside the temporary ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings, we will tackle land banking by foreign investors.

    We’re cracking down on land banking by foreign investors to free up land to build more homes more quickly.

    Foreign investors are subject to development conditions when they acquire vacant land in Australia to ensure that it is put to productive use within reasonable timeframes.

    The Government is focused on making sure these rules are complied with and identifying any investors who are acquiring vacant land, not developing it while prices rise and then selling it for a profit.

    This activity breaks the rules and results in delays to the development of essential residential housing and commercial developments.

    We are providing the ATO and Treasury $8.9 million over four years from 2025–26 and $1.9 million ongoing from 2029–30 to implement an audit program and enhance their compliance approach to target land banking by foreign investors.

    Foreign investors that have already acquired or are proposing to acquire vacant residential or non‑residential land will be subject to heightened scrutiny by the ATO and Treasury to ensure they comply with development conditions.

    A temporary ban on foreign purchases of established dwellings, strengthened compliance activity by the ATO to enforce the ban, and an enhanced compliance approach by both the ATO and Treasury to discourage land banking by foreign investors will help ensure that foreign investment in housing is in our national interest.

    The ATO and Treasury will publish updated policy guidance prior to the commencement of these changes.

    These initiatives are an important part of the Albanese Government’s $32 billion Homes for Australia plan.

    We’re investing more in housing than any government in history.

    Peter Dutton and the Coalition have promised to cut tens of billions from housing and to halt construction on thousands of new homes by scrapping Labor’s Housing Australia Future Fund.

    The housing crisis would only get worse under Peter Dutton.

    The contrast is clear – Labor is all about more homes, the Liberals are all about more cuts.

    We’ll continue to do everything we can to ease pressure on the housing market and build more homes, more quickly, in more parts of Australia.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Ambassador to Palau

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Today I announce the appointment of Mr Toby Sharpe as Australia’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Palau.

    Australia and the Republic of Palau enjoy a close relationship. Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Palau’s independence and establish diplomatic relations 30 years ago.

    Australia will continue to work in partnership with Palau, including to boost air connectivity with the Palau Paradise Express, promoting tourism, trade and stronger people to people links.

    As part of the Pacific family, Australia and Palau are working together to achieve our shared vision of a peaceful, stable, prosperous, and unified Pacific.

    Mr Sharpe is a career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently First Secretary, Australian Embassy, Beijing.

    He has also previously served overseas with the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, Honiara.

    I thank outgoing Ambassador Richelle Turner for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in Palau since 2020.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: High Commissioner to New Zealand

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Today I announce the appointment of Mr Daniel Sloper PSM as Australia’s next High Commissioner to New Zealand.

    Australia has no closer partner than New Zealand. It is a relationship built upon shared history, democratic values, a common outlook as Pacific countries, and generations of deep friendship and cooperation.

    The trans-Tasman trade and economic relationship is among the most closely integrated in the world, underpinned by our Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement and Single Economic Market.

    Mr Sloper is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently First Assistant Secretary, East Asia Division.

    His previous roles include First Assistant Secretary of the Pacific Division, where he led work on relations with New Zealand, and Australia’s G20 Special Representative.

    He has served overseas as Australia’s Special Representative on Afghanistan (based in Doha), as Deputy Head of Mission in Berlin, and in Tokyo.

    I thank outgoing High Commissioner Ms Harinder Sidhu AM for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in New Zealand since 2022.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 16, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Ambassador to the Holy See

    Source: Australian Government – Minister of Foreign Affairs

    Today I announce the appointment of the Honourable Keith Pitt as Australia’s next Ambassador to the Holy See.

    Mr Pitt served Australia as a member of the Federal Parliament from 2013 until 2025. He has served as Assistant Minister and Minister across a range of portfolios, including Trade, Tourism and Investment, Resources, and Water.

    Mr Pitt looks forward to continuing his public service in a new role advocating Australia’s interests in the Holy See, particularly in 2025 as the Holy See celebrates a Jubilee year, expecting 35 million visitors to Rome.

    Australia and the Holy See have a valuable relationship underpinned by cooperation on shared interests, including peace and conflict prevention and alleviating poverty.

    I thank former Ambassador Chiara Porro for her contributions to advancing Australia’s interests in the Holy See since 2020.

    MIL OSI News –

    February 16, 2025
←Previous Page
1 … 391 392 393 394 395 … 546
Next Page→
NewzIntel.com

NewzIntel.com

MIL Open Source Intelligence

  • Blog
  • About
  • FAQs
  • Authors
  • Events
  • Shop
  • Patterns
  • Themes

Twenty Twenty-Five

Designed with WordPress