Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti traveled to Indiana to visit Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane Division, located on Naval Support Activity (NSA) Crane to speak with Sailors, civilians, and elementary school students, and then visited Purdue University for a series of engagements with university leadership, research lab professors, and midshipmen, Feb. 10.
The visit enabled CNO to see and discuss key efforts that support her Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy to include the project 33 targets to operationally integrate robotic and autonomous systems, restore critical infrastructure, and recruit and retain talent, as well as elements of the NAVPLAN’s 5+4 related to building long-term warfighting advantage.
“Our Navy is the most powerful Navy in the world, but it doesn’t do anything without cutting-edge technology and the people who develop and operate it. For well over 80 years Crane, Indiana has been making a difference for the warfighter, and that was evident in everything I saw today,” said Franchetti. “You provide critical warfighting capability from readiness and modernization to the kinetic and non-kinetic effects we need to deter – and defeat – any adversary.”
At NSWC Crane, Franchetti recognized top performing Sailors and civilians, visited NSWC Crane’s Electromagnetic Warfare Center of Excellence, and received updates on the Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile Program, hypersonic programs, and microelectronics investments.
NSWC Crane has a STEM partnership with over 40 area schools, providing education opportunities to over 10,000 students annually, and CNO had the opportunity to engage with a group of elementary school students participating in the program.
“Being in the Navy is really fun, you can operate ships, submarines, and planes – from seabed to space, and work alongside Allies and partners to defend our nation,” Franchetti told the 4th grade students. “I joined the Navy for free college and to see the world, but I stayed for the mission and the teams we get to be a part of. With over 150 job specialties, there’s something for everyone. I hope you will think about joining our Navy team.”
At Purdue University, Franchetti met with academic leadership including Dr. Mung Chiang, Purdue University president and toured their Applied Research Institute laboratories where she learned about their research with hypersonics and reviewed their rapidly evolving additive manufacturing capabilities, toured their infrastructure and innovation laboratory, and observed simulated flight operations at Purdue’s UAS Research and Test Facility.
“I’m grateful for our research partnership and its focus on battlefield innovation,” said Franchetti. “The importance of our initiatives on advanced technology development such as hypersonics, microelectronics and energetics are critical to the future of our nation’s defense and directly contribute to my priorities of warfighting, warfighters and the foundation that supports them.”
CNO also met with Purdue University’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit, which hosts 102 midshipmen and 11 staff members, and she commended their decision to serve in America’s Warfighting Navy.
“Thank you for being part of NROTC, and for wanting to serve something greater than yourselves. You have an amazing opportunity in front of you,” Franchetti told the midshipmen. “Our Navy – Marine Corps team provides options to our Nation’s decision makers every day. From the Red Sea where we’ve been defending the free flow of commerce, protecting innocent mariners and our Allies and partners in the region – to the Indo-Pacific where we deter the PRC, your Navy is in high demand.”
For over eight decades, NSWC Crane has delivered innovative solutions and readiness to the Nation, with a focus on Electromagnetic warfare, Expeditionary warfare and Strategic Missions.
Unlicensed drug driver detected speeding in school zone
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 – 10:59 am.
An unlicensed driver who tested positive on a drug test was detected speeding in a school zone at Cambridge yesterday. Members of Southern Road Policing Services were conducting speed checks in the 40km/h zone on Cambridge Road when the man was detected travelling at 49km/h. The 42-year-old Sorell man was subjected to an oral fluid test, and returned a positive result. All drivers are reminded to keep to 40 km/h or under in school zones during operating times and within 50 metres of a school bus with flashing amber light. Inspector Kathy Bennett said Tasmania Police will continue to proactively conduct patrols of school zones, and target the fatal five – which includes driving while under the influence of drugs. “It is incredibly disappointing that this driver not only chose to speed in an area where there are vulnerable young children, but also to drive while allegedly under the influence of an illicit substance,” she said. “Speeding and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is dangerous – not only for the driver, but for all road users.”
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
February 11, 2025
In his remarks, Durbin spoke about the dangerous misconduct and criminal records of pardoned insurrectionists
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered remarks on the Senate floor detailing the crimes that January 6th insurrectionists have been charged with since President Trump’s reckless decision to pardon them for their crimes committed during the storming of the U.S. Capitol, including the violent assault on law enforcement officers. The events of that day resulted in the death of five law enforcement officers and the injury of more than 140 others. Durbin began his speech by recounting his own experience on January 6, 2021, as Congress had convened to certify the 2020 election.
“The President made these statements during the course of his campaign, but it still came as something of a shock, when on the first day of his presidency, Donald Trump decided to issue a blanket pardon for those who had been convicted for the January 6 riot that took place in this building,” Durbin began. “For those of us who were physically present, it’s a moment we’ll never forget. The Vice President of the United States was sitting in your chair, presiding over the United States Senate as we addressed the constitutional responsibility of counting the electoral votes. It was roughly ten minutes after 2:00 in the afternoon when someone came along in a suit, walked up to the Vice President of the United States, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him off of the chair.”
“The Capitol of the United States of America taken over by demonstrators. The United States Senate and House of Representatives stopped in progress of doing their constitutional responsibility of counting the electoral votes. And we’ve seen the videotapes. There are plenty of them that show these mob demonstrators breaking the windows to get into the Capitol building, knocking down the doors, and then beating up on the police officers,” Durbin said.
“They [law enforcement officers] were beaten up by these mobsters, these thugs, these demonstrators, who were egged on by the President of the United States to come up and go wild in the United States Capitol. They went wild, spraying bear spray into the face of individual policemen, beating up on them with poles and pieces of furniture,” Durbin said.
Durbin went on to denounce President Trump’s decision to issue sweeping pardons for those on trial or convicted of crimes related to the January 6th insurrection.
“Then came the President of the United States on his first day in office, and what did he do? He decided that every single person arrested for a crime related to January 6 should be released with a full and unconditional pardon. That’s what he did,” Durbin said.
Durbin continued on, explaining that there has been a flood of stories related to the disturbing criminal history and new crimes committed by insurrectionists since President Trump has issued his pardon.
“In the three weeks that have passed since the President made that decision, there’s some interesting stories… Emily Hernandez pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds in relation to her actions at the Capitol on January 6. Ms. Hernandez was seen holding a stolen, broken name plate of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She served 30 days in federal prison and was released. Days after being pardoned by President Trump, she was sentenced to ten years in prison for a 2022 deadly drunk driving crash in Missouri during which she collided with a couple, Victoria and Ryan Wilson, who just left dinner celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary. Victoria died in the crash, and Ryan sustained serious injuries,” Durbin said.
“Then there’s Daniel Ball, arrested for throwing an explosive device that detonated on at least 25 officers and forcefully shoving police at the Capitol on January 6. Daniel Ball was in possession of a gun and ammunition upon his arrest, which was illegal considering his criminal background. The Department of Justice dismissed Ball’s charges following President Trump’s pardon,” Durbin said.
Durbin spoke then spoke about Guy Reffitt, the first defendant to stand trial on charges related to the January 6 insurrection. Just weeks after his pardon, Reffitt returned to the Capitol to support Kash Patel, who has been nominated to serve as FBI Director despite a troubling record of peddling conspiracy theories about January 6 and whistleblower reports that he was personally involved in the ongoing purge of senior law enforcement officials at the FBI.
“Guy Reffitt…was sentenced to 87 months in prison for bringing a firearm to the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Reffitt’s 19-year-old son, Jackson, turned him into law enforcement after the attack. Jackson also indicated that Reffitt had threatened to shoot him and his sister, Peyton, if they reported him to authorities,” Durbin said.
“After receiving a pardon from President Trump, Guy Reffitt attended Kash Patel’s Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing. Kash Patel is President Trump’s nominee to be the Director and head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reffitt attended that committee nomination [hearing]. Here’s what he posted on social media afterward… ‘Present and in support of @KashPatel as the leftist commies continue to spew lies, misinformation and disinformation. My man Klean House Kash…!!!’” Durbin quoted Reffitt.
“He certainly seems like he learned his lesson, right? Served time in jail, released with a pardon by the President. He’s at it again, defying the authorities, defying anyone who disagrees with him politically. Full, unconditional pardon from Donald Trump,” Durbin concluded his remarks.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
Half of Pacific children sometimes going without food is just one of many heartbreaking lowlights in the Salvation Army’s annual State of the Nation report.
“This devastating report shows just how far this country has gone backwards under this coalition of chaos,” Labour’s social development spokesperson Carmel Sepuloni said.
“While Government parties scrap with each other, our kids are going hungry, more people are living in cars and our best and brightest are leaving for Australia.
“Across most of the report’s indicators in the past year, outcomes have either worsened or not changed for children and youth.
“Homelessness is on the rise as the Government kicks families out of emergency housing without knowing where they all go, and next year the number of Kainga Ora homes in Auckland will go backwards.
“Unemployment is on the rise, with about 1 in 10 Māori and Pacific people unemployed while the Government chooses to give billions to landlords and tobacco companies, instead of helping struggling families.
“The Government is shamelessly boasting about growth, but the only growth we’re seeing is in the numbers of hungry, homeless and unemployed New Zealanders,” Carmel Sepuloni said.
The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s Future, today announcing regional Australia will continue to receive critical aviation services into the future.
The Albanese Government will work with the Administrators of Regional Express Holdings (Rex), as part of an upcoming competitive sale process, to ensure crucial regional aviation services continue beyond 30 June 2025.
We will work with shortlisted bidders on what support the Albanese Government may be able to provide to maximise the prospect of a successful sale.
Terms of Commonwealth support will be subject to negotiation, but will be conditional on commitments by bidders to provide an ongoing, reasonable level of service to regional and remote communities, the need to provide value for money to taxpayers and good governance.
The Government is not a bidder in the upcoming sale process and would like to see a successful market-led outcome. However, in the event there is no sale, the Albanese Government will undertake necessary work, in consultation with relevant state governments, on contingency options, including preparations necessary for potential Commonwealth acquisition.
The Albanese Government is also providing further support through a waiver of the “use it or lose it” test for Rex regional flight slots at Sydney Airport, which will ensure its access to those slots until 24 October 2026.
This comes on top of the Albanese Government providing a loan of up to $80 million to keep Rex’s vital regional routes operating until 30 June 2025, and acquiring $50 million of debt from Rex’s largest creditor, PAGAC Regulus Holdings Limited, earlier this year to ensure the airline could continue to operate.
These actions make clear the Government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining access to aviation services for regional and remote communities, and recognises the critical role of the Rex network to local economies.
The Albanese Labor Government will back regional aviation just like we back regional telecommunications because we know our great country towns deserve quality services and connectivity just like our cities.
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
“Regional Australians deserve access to quality and crucial regional aviation services.
“We are working collaboratively with the administrators of Rex to ensure that regional services continue beyond June 2025, including looking at what support the Commonwealth can provide.
“Regional Australians can be assured that our Government will continue to fight to ensure these regional airfares remain available.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher:
“The Albanese Government believes regional and remote communities deserve reliable, affordable and accessible air travel.
“That’s why we’re taking steps to ensure the best possible deal for the sale of Rex.
“Aviation services are essential for our regions, and our government is committed to seeing these services continue into the future.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:
“Regional Australians rely on these important services and the Albanese Government making sure communities outside capital cities aren’t shortchanged.
“When markets fail or struggle to deliver for regional communities the Government has a role to ensure people do not miss out on opportunities, education and critical connections.
“We are recognising that today and stepping in to keep these routes in the air.”
Data released by CFA and the Crime Statistics Agency has revealed a concerning number of fire-related offences across Victoria over the past five years.
Between 2019 and 2024, there were 1,010 recorded instances of lighting a fire during the Fire Danger Period (FDP) and 187 cases of lighting a fire on a Total Fire Ban (TFB) day.
The Fire Danger Period is a designated time in each Victorian municipality when fire restrictions apply due to increased fire risk. A Total Fire Ban is declared on days of extreme conditions, prohibiting any fires in the open air.
Under the CFA Act, penalties for allowing an open-air fire to escape during a declared FDP can include fines of up to $23,710, 12 months’ imprisonment, or both. The penalties double if the escape occurs on a Total Fire Ban Day.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the stats are worrying.
“Lighting a fire during the Fire Danger Period and on days of Total Fire Ban puts lives, homes, and emergency responders at risk,” he said.
“If you ignore fire restrictions, you could be facing serious legal repercussions and more importantly, you could be responsible for devastating losses.
“Victoria is already one of the most fire-prone regions in the world, so we certainly don’t need unnecessary challenges created by carelessness or deliberate acts.”
A recent incident in Diamond Creek serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of ignoring FPD restrictions.
CFA was called to a property at around 6:28pm on Monday, January 20, where crews arrived to find smoke issuing from a pile of green tree branches approximately a metre high.
Victoria Police attended the scene and are now pursuing charges against the resident for lighting a fire during Nillumbik Shire Council’s Fire Danger Period.
All Victorian municipalities are currently in the Fire Danger Period, you can find out more information on what you can and can’t do during the FDPhere.
If you see illegal or suspicious fire activity, report it immediately by calling Triple Zero (000) or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Background Criminals are impersonating real businesses and offering fake investment bonds. They claim these bonds offer high returns and are protected by the government. Scammers will encourage you to register your name, mobile number and email on a fake website. They steal money by getting people to buy fake investment bonds. They will also use your personal details to commit other scams. The National Anti-Scam Centre works with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) to remove investment scam websites, which led to thousands of websites being taken down in 2024.
How to spot the scam
This scam can be hard to spot because criminals set up fake emails where they pretend to be legitimate brokers. They also have a fake website which looks like the real business’s website. The fake website has the business’s branding and uses links that go to the real website. The fake website comes up in internet searches for investment opportunities. Recently criminals were impersonating Bunnings in one of these types of scams. Scammers offered environmental bonds that support carbon reduction, sustainability and waste reduction. They offered 3 investment options ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 and promised higher than market returns of up to 9%. They said that the investments are supported by Bunnings and protected by government finance regulations. ASIC has taken down the fake Bunnings websites.
What you should know There are steps you can take to help avoid investment scams:
Don’t trust surprise offers to invest. Don’t take investment advice from people you have met on social media. Check the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) website to confirm if the person offering the investment is licenced. Check the Moneysmart investor alert list for companies and websites you should not trust. Check if the business details match the company’s real website.
If you’ve been affected If you’ve had money or personal information stolen contact your bank or card provider immediately. If you’ve been scammed or have provided personal information call IDCARE on 1800 595 160. You can help others by reporting to Scamwatch.
A London court has found Sam Kerr not guilty of the racially aggravated harassment of Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell.
As captain of the Australian women’s national soccer team, Kerr was widely condemned when news broke she had used a “racial slur” against an officer during an altercation.
The high-profile incident sparked debate across the globe.
Initially, former Australian soccer player Craig Foster criticised Kerr’s behaviour before retracting it and publicly apologising to her.
Meanwhile, politicians and academics argued her comments did not amount to racism given the power dynamics at play: not only is Kerr of Indian descent, but official inquiries have found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist.
Kerr has maintained she and her partner – United States’ women’s national team player Kristie Mewis – believed they were being kidnapped by a cab driver.
He refused to let them out of the cab after Kerr vomited, taking them to Twickenham police station instead of their destination.
There, Mewis broke the cab window in an attempt to get out of the vehicle.
At the station, Kerr reportedly appealed to officers to “understand the emergency that both of us felt”, referencing the 2021 abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a Metropolitan Police officer.
However, Kerr soon faced an allegation of racism after becoming distressed and antagonistic towards the officers.
Believing they were siding with the cab driver after forming negative preconceptions because of her skin colour, she repeated “you guys are stupid and white, you guys are fucking stupid and white”.
What are the legal ramifications in the UK?
Kerr pleaded not guilty to the offence of intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress to another by using threatening, abusive, or insulting words under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986, and to the racial aggravation of the offence per the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
She faced a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Kerr accepted she used the words “fucking stupid and white”. But it still had to be proven she intended and caused harassment, alarm, or distress to Lovell and that the offence was racially motivated.
Initially, the Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was not enough evidence to charge Kerr.
But after receiving a request from the Metropolitan Police to review the case, and a new statement from Lovell about Kerr’s words making him feel “belittled” and “upset”, they authorised police to charge the athlete.
A jury found her not guilty after a seven-day trial.
Broadly speaking, public order offences criminalise words and behaviour that might breach the peace. Police have significant discretion to use these offences as tools to regulate people’s uses of public space.
In Australia and the UK, police have been shown to use these powers in discriminatory ways.
Kerr has conceded her behaviour was regrettable but the charge against her is difficult to align with the purpose of public order legislation.
What does it mean for Kerr’s soccer career?
It is unclear what this verdict means for Kerr’s career.
Her English club, Chelsea, is anticipating she will return from a long-term knee injury soon.
It is possible the club was kept in the loop about Kerr’s altercation with police from the beginning, as she reportedly threatened to involve its lawyers in the body-cam footage shown at trial.
The club is yet to make a statement about the trial or verdict.
Football Australia is in a different position though, having been blindsided by the news Kerr had been charged by police.
The fact Kerr is the captain of the Matildas, and the sport’s highest-profile marketing asset, adds layers of complexity to Football Australia’s decision-making.
CEO of Football Australia James Johnson declined to weigh in on Kerr’s captaincy until her trial concluded.
It is possible the governing body will impose a sanction, with Kerr falling afoul of clause 2.14 of their national code of conduct and ethics after being charged with a criminal offence.
Kerr could return to the pitch later this month, but has been left out of the Matildas squad for the SheBelieves Cup in the US because of her fitness.
With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup on the horizon, interim Matildas head coach Tom Sermanni no doubt hopes her recovery stays on track.
Meanwhile, Kerr is yet to play under Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor. She could prove crucial as the club chases an elusive UEFA Women’s Champions League title, but faces competition for her spot.
Megan McElhone 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.
The man, who is believed to be known to the victim, was arrested on Sunday and was charged with Murder late last night.
He has been remanded in custody to appear in Alice Springs Court today.
If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties due to domestic violence, support services are available, including, but not limited to, 1800RESPECT (1800737732) or Lifeline 131 114.
You can also contact police on 131 444, or in an emergency dial 000.
Source: France-Diplomatie – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development
Statement on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence for people and the planet
1. Participants from over 100 countries, including government leaders, international organizations, representatives of civil society, the private sector and the academic and research communities gathered in Paris on February 10 and 11, 2025 to hold the AI Action Summit. Rapid development of AI technologies represents a major paradigm shift, impacting our citizens and societies in many ways. In line with the Paris Pact for People and the Planet, and the principles that countries must have ownership of their transition strategies, we have identified priorities and launched concrete actions to advance the public interest and to bridge digital divides through accelerating progress towards the SDGs. Our actions are grounded in three main principles of science, solutions – focusing on open AI models in compliance with countries’ frameworks – and policy standards, in line with international frameworks.
2. This Summit has highlighted the importance of reinforcing the diversity of the AI ecosystem. It has laid an open, multi-stakeholder and inclusive approach that will enable AI to be human rights based, human-centric, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy while also stressing the need and urgency to narrow the inequalities and assist developing countries in artificial intelligence capacity-building so they can build AI capacities.
3. Acknowledging existing multilateral initiatives on AI, including the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, the Global Digital Compact, the UNESCO Recommendation on Ethics of AI, the African Union Continental AI Strategy, and the works of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Council of Europe and European Union, the G7 including the Hiroshima AI Process and G20, we have affirmed the following main priorities:
Promoting AI accessibility to reduce digital divides;
Ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all
Making innovation in AI thrive by enabling conditions for its development and avoiding market concentration driving industrial recovery and development
Encouraging AI deployment that positively shapes the future of work and labour markets and delivers opportunity for sustainable growth
Making AI sustainable for people and the planet
Reinforcing international cooperation to promote coordination in international governance
To deliver on these priorities:
Founding members have launched a major Public Interest AI Platform and Incubator, to support, amplify, decrease fragmentation between existing public and private initiatives on Public Interest AI and address digital divides. The Public Interest AI Initiative will sustain and support digital public goods and technical assistance and capacity-building projects in data, model development, openness and transparency, audit, compute, talent, financing and collaboration to support and co-create a trustworthy AI ecosystem advancing the public interest of all, for all and by all.
We have discussed, at a Summit for the first time and in a multi-stakeholder format, issues related to AI and energy. This discussion has led to sharing knowledge to foster investments for sustainable AI systems (hardware, infrastructure, models), to promoting an international discussion on AI and environment, to welcoming an observatory on the energy impact of AI with the International Energy Agency, to showcasing energy-friendly AI innovation.
We recognize the need to enhance our shared knowledge on the impacts of AI in the job market, though the creation of network of observatories, to better anticipate AI implications for workplaces, training and education and to use AI to foster productivity, skill development, quality and working conditions and social dialogue.
4. We recognize the need for inclusive multistakeholder dialogues and cooperation on AI governance. We underline the need for a global reflection integrating inter alia questions of safety, sustainable development, innovation, respect of international laws including humanitarian law and human rights law and the protection of human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, protection of consumers and of intellectual property rights. We take notes of efforts and discussions related to international fora where AI governance is examined. As outlined in the Global Digital Compact adopted by the UN General Assembly, participants also reaffirmed their commitment to initiate a Global Dialogue on AI governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and to align ongoing governance efforts, ensuring complementarity and avoiding duplication.
5. Harnessing the benefits of AI technologies to support our economies and societies depends on advancing Trust and Safety. We commend the role of the Bletchley Park AI Safety Summit and Seoul Summits that have been essential in progressing international cooperation on AI safety and we note the voluntary commitments launched there. We will keep addressing the risks of AI to information integrity and continue the work on AI transparency.
6. We look forward to next AI milestones such as the Kigali Summit, the 3rd Global Forum on the Ethics of AI hosted by Thailand and UNESCO, the 2025 World AI Conference and the AI for Good Global Summit 2025 to follow up on our commitments and continue to take concrete actions aligned with a sustainable and inclusive AI.
First Nations arts and language organisations across the country will receive significant funding to support vital cultural practices thanks to the Albanese Labor Government.
83 First Nations-owned art centres, fairs, regional hubs and industry service organisations will receive a share of more than $38 million in funding over four years through the Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) program.
The IVAIS program supports a professional, viable and ethical First Nations arts industry to enable artists and arts workers to earn income, develop professional skills and connect to the art market. Amongst the grant recipients are:
Arlpwe Artists Aboriginal Corporation – to support Arlpwe Art and Culture Centre’s newly established ceramics program through employment of an onsite ceramist to engage with First Nations artists in Ali Curung, Northern Territory.
Ardyaloon Art and Culture Centre Aboriginal Corporation – to support the Ingarlgalandji Arts and Culture Hub to provide visual arts services to Bardi Jawi artists on the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Badhulgaw Kuthinaw Mudh TSI Corporation – to support urgent upgrades to the art centre and refurbishment of the printmaking and textiles workspace for the Badu Art Centre on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, Far North Queensland.
Additionally, nearly $30 million in funding will go toward 70 community-led First Nations language and arts activities through the Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program.
The ILA program supports First Nations peoples to express, conserve and sustain their cultures through languages and arts activities. Amongst the grant recipients are:
Numburindi Development Aboriginal Corporation –to conserve and revitalise the Wuybuy language of the Numburindi people by employing community members to develop and produce a Wuybuy dictionary and become certified local language teachers and community linguists to facilitate community-led language workshops in Numbulwar, Northern Territory.
Yirra Yaakin Aboriginal Corporation – to commission, develop, rehearse and tour three new Aboriginal language-based theatre shows to be shared with children far and wide and to include Yamatji and Wongatha language in productions in Perth, Western Australia.
Funding for the programs is delivered directly to community-led organisations.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the funding demonstrated the government’s commitment to Revive.
“We understand the importance of arts and language in community. It’s how stories and traditions are passed on from generation to generation.
“The Albanese Labor Government is committed to investing now and into the future, so we can make sure the next generation has sustainable language and arts infrastructure supporting them.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy said the programs played a vital role in supporting the First Nations arts sector and cultural practices.
“Investing in First Nations-owned art centres fosters connection to the world’s oldest living culture and enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to earn income from their works.
“The First Nations-owned art centres provide an environment where people can learn about Indigenous culture and ethically purchase artworks.
“Our investment in language centres also recognises the proud links First Nations people have to their language, community and Country.”
More information about the programs, including other funding recipients, can be found here:
Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program | Office for the Arts
Indigenous Languages and Arts program | Office for the Arts
The Albanese Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen protections for telco consumers with new laws introduced to Parliament today. The Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025 will give effect to a number of significant reforms to boost the enforcement powers and penalties available to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The proposed changes will enable the ACMA to take direct and immediate enforcement action against telecommunications providers that have breached their obligations to customers under industry codes. This will remove the current two-step process whereby the ACMA must first issue a direction to comply to offending telcos – no matter how significant the breach – and only take further action if non-compliance continues. It allows instead for the ACMA to take quick and appropriate action in response to breaches to immediately address consumer harm and hold telcos to account. The Bill will also significantly increase the maximum general penalty for breaches of industry codes and standards under theTelecommunications Act 1997from $250,000 to approximately $10 million. Further changes will allow penalties for codes, standards and determinations to be based on the value of the benefit obtained from the offending conduct or the turnover of the relevant provider – allowing for penalties greater than $10 million in certain circumstances. This penalty framework will incentivise industry compliance and better aligns with those in other relevant sectors like energy and banking, and under the Australian Consumer Law. To ensure the ACMA has a range of effective enforcement tools at its disposal, an additional change will expand and clarify the Government’s ability to increase infringement notice penalty amounts the ACMA can issue for all applicable breaches, including consumer protection rules. The Bill will also increase visibility of providers operating in the market, especially telecommunications retailers, through the establishment of a Carrier Service Provider (CSP) registration scheme. This will allow for more effective regulation of CSPs, including by empowering the ACMA to stop a CSP operating where they’ve been found to pose unacceptable risk to consumers, or have caused significant consumer harm. Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP: “The significant reforms included in this Bill will better equip the ACMA with the tools and powers it needs to protect telco consumers and hold providers to account. “The changes provide a powerful deterrent. They incentivise telcos to educate themselves about their obligations to consumers, and to abide by those obligations – boosting compliance and improving the functioning and fairness of the telecommunications sector. “The introduction of this Bill is another way the Government is putting consumers at the centre of the telco industry, recognising the importance of quality telecommunications services for all Australians.”
Two men charged in connection to wounding at Gagebrook on 18 January
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 – 7:23 am.
Police have charged two men with multiple offences as part of the ongoing investigation into an isolated incident at Gagebrook on 18 January where a man received injuries believed to be from a firearm. Police will allege the men were arrested at a residence at Herdsmans Cove yesterday, and several items were seized from the property including loaded firearms, ammunition and illicit drugs. A 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old man, both from Herdsmans Cove, were charged with a range of drug and serious firearm offences. They were both detained to appear before the Hobart Magistrates Court today. Police investigations into the wounding incident on 18 January are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Bridgewater CIB on 131 444 and quote OR 766527 & 764484. Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000.
Australia’s energy future is taking a giant leap forward with the announcement of the recently published National Roadmap for Bidirectional Electric Vehicle Charging (the Roadmap), commissioned by ARENA in partnership with RACE for 2030 and delivered by enX Consulting.
The Roadmap lays the foundation on which key industry and government stakeholders can identify and adopt policy settings and strategy initiatives to realise the benefits of bidirectional EV charging for Australians.
Bidirectional charging refers to the ability of an electric vehicle (EV) or other energy storage systems to not only draw power from the grid to charge its battery, but also to send power back to the grid, your home or directly to other devices. This capability allows the EV to act as an energy source when needed – essentially turning cars into batteries on wheels.
Bidirectional charging has the potential to become one of the largest forms of flexible energy storage in Australia and to materially reduce electricity costs for millions of Australians and accelerate national emissions reduction.
While not yet directly available to Australians, the technology has been successfully tested through small-scale trials and future benefits could include:
Energy storage: Your EV can act as a backup power supply for homes or businesses in case of a power outage in place of a dedicated home battery.
Reduced power bills: Once the technology becomes widely available, consumers with V2G-enabled EVs will have the opportunity to take advantage of their own ‘battery on wheels’ to respond to dynamic electricity pricing and make further savings.
Grid support: It can help stabilise the power grid by supplying power back during times of high demand.
ARENA CEO, Darren Miller, said bidirectional charging, and particularly Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, means EVs won’t just be vehicles; they’re the future of distributed energy storage and represent a game-changing opportunity for Australia’s energy future.
“By the early 2030s, the battery capacity of our electric vehicle fleet is projected to outstrip all other forms of energy storage in the National Electricity Market”, Mr Miller said.
“With estimates suggesting 1.5 million EVs on Australian roads by 2030, even 10% of those adopting V2G could meet 37% of the NEM’s total storage needs while also giving Australians control over their contribution to the clean energy transition”
“This innovation isn’t just beneficial for the grid – it could also save Australians up to $5 billion in total by reducing the need for large-scale battery storage investments.
Bidirectional charging is a small but important step toward creating an Australian energy network that’s more renewable, more reliable and more affordable for all Australians”.
ARENA has been active in this space for several years. The Bidirectional Roadmap is the latest in a series of Australian-first studies and projects initiated by ARENA since 2019.
This included ARENA’s first V2X strategy, which committed to developing a national V2X market activation strategy, in partnership with wider government, industry and academic institutions.
The Albanese Labor Government is building Australia’s future, investing almost $12 million to upgrade regional airports across New South Wales.
Airports are vital for regional communities, providing critical access to emergency healthcare, as well as commerce, industry, tourism and education.
This funding, which is provided under Round 4 of the Regional Airports Program, will deliver essential upgrades – such as runway resurfacing, fencing, lighting and drainage – that improve safety, enhance accessibility and boost capacity at our regions’ airports.
In Merimbula, Bega Valley Shire Council will receive almost $3.8 million to deliver stage two of Merimbula Airport’s runway extension. This will construct an 80-metre pavement extension at both ends of the runway, providing an 1,800-metre runway take-off length.
The extended length will enable larger narrow-bodied aircraft to land, supporting emergency services including larger firefighting and military aircraft, as well as additional capacity for passenger services, boosting the economy and tourism and protecting the region’s community.
Further north, in Moruya, Eurobodalla Shire Council will receive over $200,000 to reseal the runway, taxiways and apron pavement and replace the apron lighting at Moruya Airport.
This will ensure the continued safe operation of the airport, safeguarding its role as a lifeline for the community and a gateway for access to vital services and for visitors to the region. Works will support the continued use of the airport by emergency services, including the RFDS and aerial fire-fighting even for night and low visibility operations, as well as regular passenger services
Other works to be funded under Round 4 include:
$5 million for Albury City Council to deliver a full runway overlay to improve safety and strengthen the surface for larger aircraft to land at Albury Airport. This will support visitor levels and emergency services, particularly during bushfire season;
$1 million for Moree Plains Shire Council to upgrade the aeromedical apron, taxiway and parking bays at Moree Regional Airport, creating a 24-hour aeromedical facility;
Almost $500,000 for Griffith City Council to replace the ageing runway lights at Griffith Regional Airport, which is critical for safety and ongoing operations, especially for RFDS and NSW Air Ambulance;
$220,000 for Mid-Western Regional Council to upgrade stormwater drainage at Mudgee Regional Airport, which has experienced prolonged closure due to heavy rain affecting passenger and emergency medical flights;
Today’s announcement builds on the nearly $100 million that has already been delivered to support 194 projects under the first three rounds of the program.
For more information on the Regional Airports Program, including a full list of Round 4 projects in NSW, visitwww.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/regional-remote-aviation/regional-airports-program.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:
“We’re backing regional communities by backing regional aviation, because we know our regions deserve access to critical services that only aviation can deliver.
“Upgrades like these aren’t just improvements, they’re the difference between regional residents getting medical help, firefighters getting access during an emergency and economies growing through tourism.
“We want our regions to remain connected to loved ones, healthcare and opportunity.”
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Eden-Monaro Kristy McBain:
“Merimbula Airport is a critical access point for our community and emergency services during disasters, which is why I’m proud to deliver over $3.7 million towards this runway extension.
“This upgrade will support larger aerial firefighting tanker aircraft to land when we need them most, make it easier for larger military transport to operate out of the airport, and also increase the safety for in-flight emergency recoveries.
“The extended runway will also ensure Merimbula Airport continues to attract aircraft that support our local businesses and visitor economy – while keeping people connected to work, health services and family.”
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips:
“I am absolutely delighted to see improvements at Moruya Airport which is a lifeline for our economy, cuts commuting times for local people, and helps get our local produce to national and international markets.
“Not only that, but many people rely on air services for healthcare, emergency services and to stay connected with family.
“This investment will create more jobs, help local farmers, and support our social and economic connections across Australia. It’s great news for our regions.”
In response to Russia’s illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union swiftly adopted unprecedentedly tough sanctions, in close cooperation with partners including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Japan. The rapid succession of 15 packages of EU sanctions adopted since then have resulted in an unparalleled set of measures targeting Russian political elites and key sectors of the Russian economy. New sanctions have also been adopted against Belarus, Iran and North Korea in response to their involvement in Russia’s war of aggression. Furthermore, in 2024 the EU adopted two new regimes of sanctions, addressing human rights violations and repression in Russia (May 2024), and responding to Russia’s destabilising activities (‘hybrid attacks’) abroad (October 2024). The unprecedented nature of the sanctions imposed on Russia, in scale and scope, has created new implementation challenges. Member States and EU institutions have renewed efforts to improve the enforcement of sanctions and to close loopholes to prevent circumvention, including reinforcing cooperation with third countries. A specific anti-circumvention tool was included in the 11th package of sanctions (June 2023), followed by additional measures in the successive packages, including those to counter Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’. Furthermore, a newly adopted EU directive (April 2024) obliges the EU Member States to introduce minimum criminal offences and penalties for violating and circumventing EU sanctions. It also aims to improve cross-border cooperation on investigations, prosecutions and sentencing of EU sanctions violations. Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol in 2014, the European Parliament has been a vocal advocate of severe sanctions. It has unequivocally condemned Russia’s unjustified aggression against Ukraine, demanded broader and better-enforced sanctions and called for the confiscation of Russian assets frozen by the EU to pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction. Parliament has demanded a full review of more centralised EU-level oversight of sanctions implementation and a full ban on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, among other measures. This briefing updates and complements a previous briefing published in September 2023.
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) continues its rapid expansion, now operating in 17 countries while actively developing business opportunities in 10 additional markets. This growth, combined with QCI’s presence across 30 U.S. states and 90 tribal nations, cements the company’s position as a global leader in casino and resort intelligence.
“Our expansion into 17 countries is a testament to the universal value of our solutions,” said Andrew Cardno, CTO and Co-Founder of QCI. “We are seeing a clear validation of our business model across diverse markets, proving that our technology can adapt to regional needs while maintaining its core strength in data-driven decision-making. As we continue to grow, our focus remains on delivering unparalleled analytics that drive operational excellence.”
A key factor in QCI’s success has been the introduction of generative cognitive offloading, allowing operators to streamline complex decision-making by leveraging real-time data intelligence without the burden of manual query building. The Chatalytics™ graph and query builders have been particularly well received, providing a revolutionary way for operators to interact with their data using natural language and intuitive visualizations. This next-generation tooling ensures that decision-makers can effortlessly explore insights, refine queries, and drive actions with unprecedented speed and accuracy.
QCI’s expansion is bolstered by its strong partnerships, including Modulus, a leading international technology firm.
“This level of global adoption underscores the effectiveness of QCI’s platform in optimizing gaming and hospitality operations,” said Marc Attal, COO of Modulus. “We are excited to see QCI’s solutions enhancing data activation, operational efficiency, and customer engagement across multiple continents. The ability to offload complex analytical tasks onto generative cognitive models, coupled with Chatalytics’ intuitive graph and query builders, is transforming how operators interact with their data.”
With an increasing presence across North America, Europe, Asia, and beyond, QCI is at the forefront of innovation, empowering gaming and resort operators with generative cognitive offloading, intuitive query-building tools, and real-time data activation.
ABOUT Modulus Group As one of the world’s largest independent gaming management system providers, Modulus operates across 40 countries spanning Europe, Africa, South America, Canada, and Asia. Our multilingual suite of management software empowers gaming operators to optimize revenues and efficiently manage costs. With headquarters in Monaco and offices in France and Austria, along with partner offices in South Africa, Latin America, and Asia, our dedicated team of R&D and support professionals ensures the highest levels of customer engagement and product development. Explore the innovative technology of SYSTM Connect, enhancing player experiences and delivering fast, reliable network communication. Visit our website at www.modulusgroup.eu.
ABOUT QCI Quick Custom Intelligence (QCI) has pioneered the revolutionary QCI Enterprise Platform, an artificial intelligence platform that seamlessly integrates player development, marketing, and gaming operations with powerful, real-time tools designed specifically for the gaming and hospitality industries. Our advanced, highly configurable software is deployed in over 250 casino resorts across North America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Latin America, and The Bahamas. The QCI AGI Platform, which manages more than $35 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, stands as a best-in-class solution, whether on-premises, hybrid, or cloud-based, enabling fully coordinated activities across all aspects of gaming or hospitality operations. QCI’s data-driven, AI-powered software propels swift, informed decision-making vital in the ever-changing casino industry, assisting casinos in optimizing resources and profits, crafting effective marketing campaigns, and enhancing customer loyalty. QCI was co-founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno and is based in San Diego, with additional offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas, and Tulsa. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715. Visit us at www.quickcustomintelligence.com.
ABOUT Andrew Cardno Andrew Cardno is a distinguished figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and data plumbing. With over two decades spearheading private Ph.D. and master’s level research teams, his expertise has made significant waves in data tooling. Andrew’s innate ability to innovate has led him to devise numerous pioneering visualization methods. Of these, the most notable is the deep zoom image format, a groundbreaking innovation that has since become a cornerstone in the majority of today’s mapping tools. His leadership acumen has earned him two coveted Smithsonian Laureates, and teams under his mentorship have clinched 40 industry awards, including three pivotal gaming industry transformation awards. Together with Dr. Ralph Thomas, the duo co-founded Quick Custom Intelligence, amplifying their collaborative innovative capacities. A testament to his inventive prowess, Andrew boasts over 150 patent applications. Across various industries—be it telecommunications with Telstra Australia, retail with giants like Walmart and Best Buy, or the medical sector with esteemed institutions like City Of Hope and UCSD—Andrew’s impact is deeply felt. He has enriched the literature with insights, co-authoring eight influential books with Dr. Thomas and contributing to over 100 industry publications. An advocate for community and diversity, Andrew’s work has touched over 100 Native American Tribal Resorts, underscoring his expansive and inclusive professional endeavors.
The release of the Productivity Commission Report on Government Services 2025 (ROGS) highlights the growing disparity in government funding between public and private schools.
“ROGS has shown once again that the gap in funding between public schools and private schools is increasing, with government spending in private schools outpacing government funding for public schools by 22% over the last decade,” said AEU Federal President, Correna Haythorpe.
The data clearly shows the inequity that exists in school funding between the public and private sectors and reinforces the urgency of the current bilateral agreement negotiations between the Albanese Government and state and territory governments.
“Resources delayed are resources denied. For too long, public schools have carried the burden of resource shortages, and yet public schools educate the vast majority of students with the greatest need.”
The Productivity Commission Report On Government Services 2025 shows that private schools have received greater growth in real government investment than public schools over the last decade, in both total and per student funding.
The report found that:
Over the last decade from 2012-13, total per student funding to public schools has increased by 24.5% at an average of 2.45% per year.
Private school per student government funding has increased by 30.2% over the last decade at an average of 3.0% per year – 1.22 times the rate of the public school increase.
Combined State/Territory and Commonwealth government funding to private schools has grown 22% faster than it has for public schools.
Ms Haythorpe said that all governments have a fundamental responsibility to address the growing disparity in government funding between public and private schools.
ROGS highlights the importance of the Albanese Government’s recent commitment to public schools to deliver full and fair funding of 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by 2034.
“There must be bi-partisan support for full funding of public schools. We call on Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton to declare the Coalition’s position and commit to support for all public schools to be fully funded at 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) by delivering a minimum 25 per cent from the Commonwealth,” Ms Haythorpe said.
“We urge all governments to work together in the negotiations for new bilateral agreements with clear timelines that ensure this much needed funding is in public schools as soon as possible.”
Key news and analysis of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s half year 2025 financial results.
CommBank CEO Matt Comyn:
1H25 result
“During the half, we continued to focus on supporting our customers, investing to protect the community, and providing strength and stability for the broader economy.
“Every day we lend to more than 200 businesses, help almost 400 households buy a home, process more than 20 million payments, and send customers 18,000 alerts about suspicious account activity.
We’ve invested more than $450 million to combat fraud and scams, and financial and cyber crime. Our continued investment has reduced customer fraud and scam losses by more than 70 per cent over the past two years.”
Supporting our customers
“We know many Australians are continuing to deal with cost-of-living pressures.
“This half, we maintained our focus on engaging with our customers on a range of support options, and provided more than 65,000 tailored payment arrangements for those most in need of support.
“We helped more than 3 million customers each month better manage their finances through our digital money management tools.
“And we’ve kept our promise to keep all of our regional branches open to support communities and jobs in regional Australia.”
Economic outlook
“The past four years have been challenging for households.
“There are some risks around the outlook, however there are reasons for optimism in the Australian economy, with near record low unemployment and real disposable incomes starting to lift.
“We know many households are looking forward to lower rates.
“Continued effort is required to get underlying inflation sustainably into the target band.”
The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on its commitment to safe and inclusive communities for people with disability as part of its initial response to the Disability Royal Commission.
Today, the first grant round of the Inclusion and Accessibility Fund will open for applications under an $18 million commitment over the next four years.
The fund aims to boost community understanding so people can take action to improve inclusion and participation for people with disability in society.
The first round of grant opportunities will be awarded to experienced Disability Representative Organisations and Disabled People’s Organisations for high quality projects between $50,000 and $300,000 that focus on reducing harm and improving inclusion for people with disability.
This will help professionals, like doctors, to improve the way they communicate and better include people with disability in the things that are important to them.
It will also support mainstream services and community spaces to take actions to become more inclusive and responsive to the needs of people with disability so they can participate in their communities.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the Fund has been designed to improve everyday interactions with people with disability.
“We know that people with disability can face barriers because other people don’t understand what it means to live with disability, and that discriminatory beliefs and stigma against people with disability are a key source of harm and barrier to participation in employment, education and community life,” Minister Rishworth said.
“That’s why increasing understanding of disability and changing community attitudes is so important. If people have a better understanding about the barriers people with disability face, they can take the steps to remove these barriers increase the safety and inclusion of the more than 5.5 million Australians with disability.
“Addressing community attitudes and changing mindsets is a priority area under Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, and a key step towards increasing genuine inclusion in all aspects of life.”
Grant round applications open today and close on 6 March 2025.
Interested organisations can find more information on the Grant Connect website at www.grants.gov.au.
WOODLAND PARK, N.J., Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Anterix (NASDAQ: ATEX) today announced its third quarter fiscal 2025 results and filed its Form 10-Q for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2024. The Company also issued an update on its Demonstrated Intent metric which can be found on Anterix’s website at https://investors.anterix.com/Q32025.
Financial and Operational Highlights
Tom Kuhn appointed as Executive Chairman of the Board following the retirement of Morgan O’Brien
Industry engagement initiative announced in February 2025 to accelerate private wireless broadband opportunity
Strategic review process initiated in February 2025 after receiving inbound interest in the Company
Cash and cash equivalents of $28.8 million as of December 31, 2024
Approximately $147 million of contracted proceeds outstanding with $1.0 million received from Ameren Corporation in October 2024 and $34.0 million received from Oncor Electric Delivery Company in January 2025
Projected operating expenses run rate reduction of approximately 20% planned for fiscal 2026
Approximately $3 billion pipeline of prospective contract opportunities across 60+ potential customers
Liquidity and Balance Sheet
At December 31, 2024, the Company had no debt and cash and cash equivalents of $28.8 million. In addition, the Company had a restricted cash balance of $7.6 million in escrow deposits.
The Company has an authorized share repurchase program for up to $250.0 million of the Company’s common stock on or before September 21, 2026. In the fiscal third quarter of 2025, Anterix had share repurchase activity of $4.4 million and approximately $229.6 million remains under the current share repurchase program as of December 31, 2024.
Conference Call Information
Anterix senior management will hold an analyst and investor conference call to provide a business update at 9:00 A.M. ET on Wednesday February 12, 2025. Participants interested in joining the call’s live question and answer session are required to pre-register by clicking here to obtain a dial-in number and unique PIN. It is recommended that you join the call at least 10 minutes before the conference call begins. The call is also being webcast live and will be accessible on the Investor Relations section of Anterix’s website at https://investors.anterix.com/events-presentations. Following the event, a replay of the call will also be available on the Anterix website.
About Anterix Inc.
At Anterix, we partner with leading utilities and technology companies to harness the power of 900 MHz broadband for modernized grid solutions. Leading an ecosystem of more than 100 members, we offer utility-first solutions to modernize the grid and solve the challenges that utilities are facing today. As the largest holder of licensed spectrum in the 900 MHz band (896-901/935-940 MHz) throughout the contiguous United States, plus Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, we are uniquely positioned to enable private wireless broadband solutions that support cutting-edge advanced communications capabilities for a cleaner, safer, and more secure energy future. To learn more and join the 900 MHz movement, please visit www.anterix.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future events or achievements such as statements in this press release related to Anterix’s business or financial results or outlook. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contemplated in this press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements, as they are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause Anterix’s actual future results to differ materially from results indicated in the forward-looking statement. Such statements are based on assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including: (i) the timing of payments under customer agreements; (ii) Anterix’s ability to clear the 900 MHz Broadband Spectrum on a timely basis and on commercially reasonable terms; (iii) Anterix’s ability to qualify for and timely secure broadband licenses; (iv) Anterix’s ability to execute on its industry engagement initiatives; (v) the timing and outcome of Anterix’s strategic review process; (vi) whether Anterix will be able to identify, develop or execute on any actions as a result of its strategic review process and (vii) competition in the market for spectrum and spectrum solutions offered by Anterix. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contemplated in this press release. Anterix’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which you may obtain for free at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, discuss some of the important risk factors that may affect the Company’s financial outlook, business, results of operations and financial condition. Anterix undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein.
Anterix Inc. Earnings Release Tables Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands, except share and per share data)
December 31, 2024
March 31, 2024
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$
28,797
$
60,578
Spectrum receivable
8,147
8,521
Escrow deposits
198
—
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
3,139
3,912
Total current assets
40,281
73,011
Escrow deposits
7,433
7,546
Property and equipment, net
1,579
2,062
Right of use assets, net
4,717
4,432
Intangible assets
246,215
216,743
Deferred broadband costs
25,976
19,772
Other assets
478
1,328
Total assets
$
326,679
$
324,894
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and other accrued expenses
$
9,009
$
8,631
Accrued severance and other related charges
2,290
—
Operating lease liabilities
1,745
1,850
Contingent liability
5,397
1,000
Deferred revenue
5,962
6,470
Total current liabilities
24,403
17,951
Operating lease liabilities
3,609
3,446
Contingent liability
22,033
15,000
Deferred revenue
120,099
115,742
Deferred gain on sale of intangible assets
4,911
4,911
Deferred income tax
6,736
6,281
Other liabilities
143
531
Total liabilities
181,934
163,862
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders’ equity
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 10,000,000 shares authorized and no shares outstanding at December 31, 2024 and March 31, 2024
—
—
Common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized and 18,586,786 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2024 and 18,452,892 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2024
2
2
Additional paid-in capital
543,939
533,203
Accumulated deficit
(399,196
)
(372,173
)
Total stockholders’ equity
144,745
161,032
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
326,679
$
324,894
Anterix Inc. Earnings Release Tables Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited, in thousands, except share and per share data)
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Spectrum revenue
$
1,566
$
1,271
$
4,642
$
2,931
Operating expenses
General and administrative
9,203
11,252
33,451
34,830
Sales and support
1,309
1,380
4,516
3,965
Product development
1,120
1,238
4,646
3,454
Severance and other related charges
3,513
—
3,513
—
Depreciation and amortization
142
198
472
653
Operating expenses
15,287
14,068
46,598
42,902
Gain on disposal of intangible assets, net
(20,753
)
(13,737
)
(20,846
)
(33,035
)
Gain on sale of intangible assets, net
—
(32
)
—
(7,364
)
Loss from disposal of long-lived assets, net
—
3
—
39
Gain (loss) from operations
7,032
969
(21,110
)
389
Interest income
434
666
1,713
1,448
Other income
10
31
35
189
Income (loss) before income taxes
7,476
1,666
(19,362
)
2,026
Income tax (benefit) expense
(234
)
1,338
1,218
1,743
Net income (loss)
$
7,710
$
328
$
(20,580
)
$
283
Net income (loss) per common share basic
$
0.41
$
0.02
$
(1.11
)
$
0.02
Net income (loss) per common share diluted
$
0.41
$
0.02
$
(1.11
)
$
0.01
Weighted-average common shares used to compute basic net income (loss) per share
18,609,736
18,704,400
18,557,453
18,858,472
Weighted-average common shares used to compute diluted net income (loss) per share
18,783,445
18,916,246
18,557,453
19,082,867
Anterix Inc. Earnings Release Tables Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited, in thousands)
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income (loss)
$
7,710
$
328
$
(20,580
)
$
283
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities
Depreciation and amortization
142
198
472
653
Stock compensation expense
2,865
3,921
10,619
12,024
Deferred income taxes
(934
)
519
455
892
Right of use assets
394
(1,803
)
1,226
(1,258
)
Gain on disposal of intangible assets, net
(20,753
)
(13,737
)
(20,846
)
(33,035
)
Gain on sale of intangible assets, net
—
(32
)
—
(7,364
)
Loss from disposal of long-lived assets, net
—
3
—
39
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
Prepaid expenses and other assets
(260
)
(466
)
1,265
322
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
1,920
1,214
383
1,588
Accrued severance and other related charges
2,290
—
2,290
—
Due to related parties
—
—
—
(533
)
Operating lease liabilities
(421
)
1,700
(1,453
)
941
Contingent liability
—
15,000
10,000
15,000
Deferred revenue
(566
)
26,795
3,849
46,301
Other liabilities
(86
)
—
(388
)
—
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities
(7,699
)
33,640
(12,708
)
35,853
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchases of intangible assets, including refundable deposits, retuning costs and swaps
(1,717
)
(4,732
)
(12,621
)
(14,809
)
Proceeds from sale of spectrum
—
249
—
25,427
Purchases of equipment
—
(55
)
(41
)
(267
)
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
(1,717
)
(4,538
)
(12,662
)
10,351
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from stock option exercises
—
—
1,960
7
Repurchases of common stock
(4,416
)
(7,971
)
(6,443
)
(18,706
)
Payments of withholding tax on net issuance of restricted stock
(477
)
(115
)
(1,843
)
(1,137
)
Net cash used in financing activities
(4,893
)
(8,086
)
(6,326
)
(19,836
)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
(14,309
)
21,016
(31,696
)
26,368
CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of the period
50,737
48,534
68,124
43,182
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of the period
$
36,428
$
69,550
$
36,428
$
69,550
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION
Cash paid during the period:
Taxes paid, including excise tax
$
173
$
—
$
1,058
$
1
Operating leases paid
$
533
$
580
$
1,732
$
1,732
Non-cash investing activity:
Network equipment provided in exchange for wireless licenses
$
—
$
48
$
47
$
616
Narrowband spectrum licenses received in connection with the LCRA Agreement
$
1,430
$
—
$
1,430
$
—
Deferred gain on sale of intangible assets
$
—
$
22
$
—
$
4,911
Derecognition of contingent liability related to sale of intangible assets
$
—
$
409
$
—
$
19,249
Right of use assets new leases
$
—
$
333
$
290
$
439
Right of use assets modifications and renewals
$
124
$
1,830
$
1,221
$
1,885
The following tables provide a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets that sum to the total of the same such amounts on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows:
December 31, 2024
September 30, 2024
March 31, 2024
Cash and cash equivalents
$
28,797
$
43,129
$
60,578
Escrow deposits
7,631
7,608
7,546
Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
36,428
$
50,737
$
68,124
December 31, 2023
September 30, 2023
March 31, 2023
Cash and cash equivalents
$
62,033
$
48,534
$
43,182
Escrow deposits
7,517
—
—
Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
$
69,550
$
48,534
$
43,182
Anterix Inc. Earnings Release Tables Other Financial Information (Unaudited, in thousands except per share data)
Three months ended December 31,
Nine months ended December 31,
2024
2023
2024
2023
Number of shares repurchased and retired
132
230
195
563
Average price paid per share*
$
33.59
$
34.77
$
32.83
$
33.62
Total cost to repurchase
$
4,416
$
7,971
$
6,443
$
18,706
* Average price paid per share includes costs associated with the repurchases.
As of December 31, 2024, $229.6 million is remaining under the share repurchase program.
A woman has died following a motorcycle crash at Elizabeth Downs last night.
About 9.50pm on Wednesday 12 February, a Suzuki motorcycle collided with a parked car on Midway Road.
Sadly the rider, a 39-year-old woman from Elizabeth Downs, died at the scene.
Midway Road was closed for several hours while Major Crash Investigators examined the scene but has since been reopened.
The woman’s death is the 17th life lost on SA roads this year.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has any other information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or on 1800 333 000. You can remain anonymous.
Minecraft has more than 141 million active players.
It’s the globally popular video game that’s captured the attention of more than 141 million active players, but Minecraft can also play a significant role in shaping children’s development, social interactions, and cognitive learning, say researchers at the University of South Australia.
Published in the new book Children’s online learning and interaction, the study found that when children engage in collaborative Minecraft play, they foster teamwork, communication, and social skills as players exchange ideas and problem-solve in real-time.
As Minecraft Education Edition becomes more prevalent in school curricula worldwide, understanding how children interact within these digital spaces is critical for parents and educators.
Author and UniSA researcher Dr Vincenza (Enza) Tudini, says Minecraft can be a powerful tool for learning, creativity and social development.
“From what we see of children’s interactions on Minecraft, it’s far more than just a digital pastime; it’s a virtual playground where children can develop problem-solving skills, collaboration, and language abilities,” Dr Tudini says.
“We also know that Minecraft is a pro-social game with players demonstrating greetings and positive play evaluations as they interact with each other. As they play or watch videos, they’re growing their language skills, and increasing their digital literacy.
“Team and problem-solving skills are also prominent in Minecraft. Unlike traditional video games that tend to focus on competition and scoring points, Minecraft is an open-ended experience that encourages children to build, explore, and interact, with players often working together to achieve common goals.
“We also see many instances where knowledgeable players are actively guiding less experienced players through challenges. Such scaffolded-learning supports creative thinking, motivation and growth, and because it’s peer-delivered, it builds team-skills and confidence.”
Despite Minecraft offering rich learning opportunities, it also comes with challenges – especially in open online environments.
“All online spaces have safety risks. While Minecraft promotes positive social interactions, public servers can expose children to online risks such as bullying or interactions with unknown players,” Dr Tudini says.
“Ensuring children’s safety and maximising the game’s educational potential requires active involvement from both parents and educators. We need to teach children about safe gaming practices, encourage play with known friends, and monitor content to ensure a safe gaming experience.
“By adopting safe gaming practices and integrating Minecraft into learning environments, we can help children harness its benefits while navigating the digital world responsibly.”
Recommendations for Parents
Encourage collaborative play with known friends or siblings to enhance social skills and teamwork.
Opt for family-friendly or private servers to reduce risks associated with public multiplayer gameplay.
Monitor YouTube and online content to ensure channels are appropriate.
Teach online safety, set boundaries about sharing personal information, and encourage respectful online communication.
Ensure a healthy balance between screen time with other offline activities
Recommendations for Schools:
Minecraft Education Edition offers structured lessons like coding, mathematics, and environmental science. Teachers can use the game to engage students in creative learning.
Promote digital citizenship by teaching online etiquette, cyber safety, and responsible gaming.
Encourage constructive collaboration that require teamwork and problem-solving.
You would not expect to see NASA at a car show—but that’s exactly where Johnson Space Center employees were from Jan. 29 to Feb. 2, 2025, driving the future of space exploration forward. At the Houston AutoBoative Show, a fusion of the auto and boat show, NASA rolled out its Artemis exhibit at NRG Center for the first time, introducing motor enthusiasts to the technologies NASA and commercial partners will use to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.
The Artemis exhibit stood alongside some of the world’s most advanced cars and boats, offering visitors an up-close look at lunar terrain vehicle mockups from Astrolab, Intuitive Machines, and Lunar Outpost. Later this year, NASA will select the rover that will fly to the Moon as humanity prepares for the next giant leap. In addition to the rovers, the exhibit featured a mockup of JAXA’s (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) pressurized rover, designed as a mobile habitat for astronauts, and Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit, developed for Artemis III astronauts. These capabilities will allow astronauts to explore, conduct science research, and live and work on the lunar surface.
Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche visited the Artemis exhibit to highlight the importance of these technologies in advancing lunar exploration. Every lesson learned on the Moon will help scientists and engineers develop the strategies, technologies, and experience needed to send astronauts to Mars. “By bringing the excitement of lunar exploration to the AutoBoative Show, NASA aims to inspire the next generation of explorers to dream bigger, push farther, and help shape humanity’s future in space,” Wyche said. NASA’s Artemis campaign is setting the stage for long-term human exploration, working with commercial and international partners to establish a sustained presence on the Moon before progressing to Mars. To make this vision a reality, NASA is developing rockets, spacecraft, landing systems, spacesuits, rovers, habitats, and more.
Some of the key elements on display at the show included:
The Orion spacecraft – Designed to take astronauts farther into deep space. Orion will launch atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, carrying the crew to the Moon on Artemis missions and safely returning them to Earth.
Lunar terrain vehicles – Developed to transport astronauts across the rugged lunar surface or be remotely operated. NASA recently put these rover mockups to the test at Johnson, where astronauts and engineers, wearing spacesuits, ran through critical maneuvers, tasks, and emergency drills—including a simulated crew rescue.
Next-gen spacesuits and tools – Through Johnson’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, astronauts’ gear and equipment are designed to ensure safety and efficiency while working on the Moon’s surface.
Guests had the chance to step into the role of an astronaut with interactive experiences like:
Driving a lunar rover simulator – Testing their skills at the wheel of a virtual Moon rover.
Practicing a simulated Orion docking – Experiencing the precision needed to connect to Gateway in lunar orbit.
Exploring Artemis II and III mission roadmaps – Learning about NASA’s upcoming missions and goals.
Attendees also discovered how American companies are delivering science and technology to the Moon through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
“Everyone can relate to exploration, so it was great to teach people the importance lunar rovers will have on astronauts’ abilities to explore more of the lunar surface while conducting science,” said Victoria Ugalde, communications strategist for the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program, who coordinated the lunar rovers’ appearance at the show. Check out the rovers contracted to develop lunar terrain vehicle capabilities below.
As we head towards the federal election, both sides of politics are making a point of criticising universities and questioning their role in the community.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has accused unis of focusing on “woke” issues that “just aren’t cutting it around kitchen tables”.
The Albanese government has also accused universities of being out of touch. A Labor-chaired Senate committee has just set up an inquiry into university governance, pointing to “an extraordinary range” of issues, including executive pay.
Both the Coalition and Labor want to clamp down on international student numbers, arguing they drive up city rents and threaten the integrity of Australian higher education.
The criticism goes beyond politics. Recent media coverage called the sector a “mess” and asked “is a university degree still worth it?”
No wonder newsletter Future Campus says the “hottest topic” in Australian higher education is whether universities have lost their social licence.
What is social licence?
A social licence means a community has given tacit permission for an organisation to operate. It goes beyond simple laws or regulations, and extends to the idea that a community implicitly trusts and has confidence in an organisation.
A social licence means businesses, in particular, should not ignore their responsibility to provide a social benefit to their communities. This needs to go beyond providing commodities or generating profits.
In December 2024, a state parliament review expressed concern the University of Tasmania was prioritising “commercial over community interests in its core functions”.
So there are many reasons to ask how well our universities benefit the national community, beyond their economic outputs.
But while our politicians readily line up to express concern, it is highly disingenuous to only blame universities for their standing in the community.
The situation politicians now lament is the result of a long-term, bipartisan political project, prosecuted by successive federal governments.
As a 2023 Australia Institute report found, federal government funding for universities (excluding HECS/HELP) has fallen from 0.9% of GDP in 1995 to 0.6% of GDP in 2021. Both Coalition and Labor governments have sought to reduce the sector’s costs to the budget.
The federal policy settings have shown them the way to go.
Teaching foreign students is more profitable than teaching domestic students, research collaborations with business and industry are more profitable than collaboration with communities. Increasingly, in the search for new income sources, commercial, rather than academic, considerations have driven institutional decisions.
In a competitive market, the interests of individual institutions rather than those of the nation inevitably prevail.
There has been a succession of redundancies and knowledge, learning and personnel have been lost. The losses have wound back generations of accrued cultural and educational capital for the nation.
It is no surprise public confidence in universities’ utility and legitimacy has diminished.
The most significant problem
This is not to say universities are blameless. University leaders and academics acknowledge there has been a loss of public confidence. There is also acknowledgement some of the damage is due to internal issues – such as governance failures.
But the most significant problem is the corrosive effect of several decades of commercialisation, underpinned by a political disregard for the sector’s contribution to the public good.
If political leaders are serious about arresting the erosion of our universities’ social licence, it would be helpful if they stopped behaving as if it has nothing to do with them.
Graeme Turner’s book, Broken: Universities, politics and the public good, will be published by Monash University Press in July as part of its In the National Interest series.
Graeme Turner 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.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Quentin Grafton, Australian Laureate Professor of Economics, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Water is now a contested resource around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the fight playing out over the Northern Territory’s Roper River – one of the last free-flowing rivers in Australia, nurtured by the enduring presence of First Nations custodians.
The territory government recently doubled water extraction allowances from the aquifer that feeds the Roper River, making billions of litres available to irrigators, for free. The change risks permanent damage not just to the river but to world-famous springs and sacred sites fundamentally important to Traditional Owners.
Australia has a very poor track record on maintaining healthy river systems, and on respecting First Nations rights to access and use water.
The Roper River represents a chance to change course on decades of water policy failure. It also shows we must transform how Australia’s water is valued, who uses it, and who decides how vital rivers should be managed.
What’s happening on the Roper River?
The Roper River runs east for 400 kilometres from the Katherine region to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
First Nations people comprise 73% of the population in the Roper River area. Amid socioeconomic challenges, Country sustains them as it has done for 65,000 years. It is integral to maintaining cultural knowledge, as well as ceremonial practices, environmental care and traditional food systems. Traditional Owners’ rights are recognised through Aboriginal freehold land and native title across the area.
Irrigated crops including melons, mangoes and cotton are grown over a small part of the river catchment.
In a string of recent decisions – mainly the designation of regional “water allocation plans” – the territory government has vastly increased potential extraction from underground aquifers. This could allow agriculture and other industries to expand.
The decision came despite staunch opposition from Traditional Owners. As Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told SBS:
Both the previous and the current NT Government have ignored the voices of Traditional Owners, who have repeatedly said that the health and viability of the Roper River and the springs at Mataranka are at great risk.
Water is life. It is our most valuable resource and Traditional Owners have an obligation to take care of the land and areas of cultural significance.
The Baaka: a sad story of degradation
Sadly, this story is not new to Australia. We need only look to the Baaka (Lower Darling River) in New South Wales as a cautionary tale.
More than a century of water extraction has left the river and its wetlands degraded. This was demonstrated in 2023 when up to 30 million fish died due to low levels of dissolved oxygen, caused by, among other factors, too much water extracted upstream.
The ecological damage has harmed the health and wellbeing of river communities – especially Traditional Owners such as the Barkandji people, who have long relied on the river for sustenance.
The problem is getting worse. As research late last year showed, an investment of more than A$8 billion to date has failed to prevent a stark decline in the health of the Murray-Darling Basin river system.
Traditional knowledge indicates climate change – among other harms – is threatening the Martuwarra. Ecological and ground water systems are drying up, making traditional food and medicine harder to find.
This harms Indigenous custodians reliant on the Martuwarra for their lifeways and livelihoods.
But there is hope. The Indigenous-led Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council has united West Kimberley people, First Peoples and others, along with stakeholders. It seeks to foster joint decision-making on planning and management to take full account of the social, cultural, spiritual and environmental impacts of water allocation across the catchment.
This world-leading example shows what can be achieved when Traditional Owners and their partners unite to defend nature, water and Country as sources of life, not just resources to be exploited.
Community members, researchers, Elders, advocates and decision-makers gathered to share stories from Argentina, Australia, India, Kenya, Brazil and Mexico.
Each tale described people working together to push back against water injustice, whether it involved unequal access, theft, dispossession, pollution or post-truth claims about water.
Participants also watched the premiere screening of the short film EveryOne, EveryWhere, EveryWhen. It highlights what is at stake for Australia’s living rivers – Baaka, Roper and Martuwarra – and tells of the struggle to bring justice to these rivers and their people.
A trailer for the film EveryOne, EveryWhere, EveryWhen.
A fork in the river
Clearly, the time for water reform is now. So what does this mean in practice?
First, the precautionary principle must be deeply embedded in all government decisions. This means the potential for serious environmental damage must be properly considered, and actions taken to avoid it, even when science is not certain.
Second, permission from First Peoples should be obtained for any activity affecting their land or waters, following the principles of “free, prior and informed consent”.
And finally, both Indigenous knowledge and Western science must be brought together to plan, monitor and regulate all water extraction, to ensure our precious rivers are managed for both the present and the future.
Australians face a stark choice.
We can keep gifting valuable water resources to powerful commercial interests, while ignoring the warning signs our rivers are sending.
Or we can follow First Nations leaders and listen to what Country is telling us: to safeguard water for everyone, including non-human kin, to secure a liveable and thriving future for all.
In response to issues raised in this article, the NT’s Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment, Joshua Burgoyne, said the Mataranka water allocation plan provides certainty to the environment and the community and supports regional economic development.
He said the plan was “precautionary, evidenced based, and developed with considered involvement from local community representatives” including Traditional Owners, and preserves more than 90% of dry season flows to the Roper River.
Quentin Grafton receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is the Convenor of the Water Justice Hub.
Anne Poelina is Chair, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council. She is Professor, Chair and Senior Research Fellow Indigenous Knowledges and affiliated with Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Broome. She is Project Lead for an Australian Research Council Funded Project.
Sarah Milne has received funding from the Australian Research Council.
Have you ever asked someone how their day was, or been chatting casually with a friend, only to have them tell you a horrific story that has left you feeling distressed or emotionally exhausted yourself?
This is called “trauma dumping”. It’s when someone shares something traumatic or distressing without checking in first if the person they’re talking to has the capacity or willingness to take on that information.
Trauma dumping is not new, and you’ve probably experienced it (or inadvertently done it yourself) at some stage in your life.
But now, with the rise of social media platforms such as TikTok, the risk of experiencing trauma dumping has increased exponentially.
People often turn to TikTok for support or validation. And because TikTok’s algorithm is based on attention, it’s not uncommon for highly emotional stories to gather traction and go viral.
My colleagues and I wanted to understand more about trauma dumping on TikTok. In a recent study, we found people often share their trauma on TikTok. And this is usually done without a trigger warning.
TikTok and mental health
It’s estimated around 75% of the population have experienced a traumatic event at some point in their lives. This could include exposure to abuse or neglect in childhood, violence, natural disasters, the death of a loved one, or any other event which is unexpected, distressing, and causes long-term impacts on physical or mental health.
TikTok can be an important source of support and validation, especially for young people who have faced trauma, and who may not have sufficient support offline.
But while TikTok can be a great place for community, support and validation, at the same time it can be a hotbed for trauma dumping.
Importantly, sharing trauma on social media runs the risk of exposing other users to vicarious traumatisation, which is when a person is traumatised by someone else’s trauma.
Vicarious trauma is most common in people who work in “frontline” jobs, such as paramedics or therapists, who deal with trauma regularly. However, anyone can be at risk. Factors including personal experiences, personality traits (such as empathy), support systems and coping strategies all play a role in whether someone might experience vicarious trauma.
Many people who use TikTok and other social media platforms will be exposed to ‘trauma dumping’. Prostock-studio/Shutterstock
In our study, we set out to explore the top videos on TikTok with one or more of five hashtags related to trauma: #traumatok, #trauma, #traumatized, #traumatic and #traumabond.
We looked the most viewed 50 videos from each hashtag. At the time we carried out our analysis in December 2022, these 250 videos had a total of 296.6 million likes, 2.3 million comments and 4.6 million shares.
#TraumaTok
We found the majority of videos (about 67%) were from people sharing their trauma. In many cases severe trauma was discussed, including child maltreatment, violence and death.
Our study also showed some videos (about 22%) were from people who claimed to be “experts” in trauma. They were using the platform to speak about the symptoms and treatment for trauma-related mental health conditions.
Worryingly, most “experts” (84%) did not disclose their credentials. And only a small proportion (2%) said they were licensed psychologists, counsellors or medical professionals (who are trained to provide evidence-based treatment or advice for mental health).
The remaining videos were either more general mental health content with a mix of hashtags such as “anxiety” and “depression”, or were meant to be humorous, using memes or jokes about trauma.
One of the most concerning things we found in our study was that only 3.7% of videos had some form of trigger warning. A trigger warning, often a verbal statement by the creator, text within the video or a caption, is meant to alert the audience that potentially distressing content is discussed in the video.
One of the limitations of our study was that we didn’t look at users’ experiences of viewing these videos. We also didn’t explore discourse on the app, such as comments and video replies.
We can’t say for sure what it’s like for people, especially young people or people with lived experience of trauma, to watch and interact with these videos. Exploring this should be a focus for future research.
Trigger warnings are important
None of this is to say that sharing stories, even traumatic ones, should never happen. In fact, we know support from others is essential for healing from trauma. This can be facilitated, among other avenues, through sharing stories on social media.
But to make this safer for everyone, TikTok should encourage trigger warnings, and creators should use them on videos where trauma is shared. This can give users the option to “opt out” and scroll on if they think they might not have the capacity to listen at that time.
For people consuming videos on TikTok and other platforms, it’s important to be wary of misinformation and think critically about the information they see, seeking further advice from other sources.
If you feel distressed by content you see on social media, seek support from a health-care professional.
If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Alix Woolard receives funding from Embrace at The Kids.
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirsten Banks, Lecturer, School of Science, Computing and Engineering Technologies, Swinburne University of Technology
Debris on the surface of Mars from the Perseverance mission, captured on April 19 2022. NASA/JPL-Caltech
In his inauguration speech in January, United States President Donald Trump declared the US would “plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars”.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In 2017, in Trump’s previous term of office, he promised to “establish a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars”. And his billionaire adviser Elon Musk is famously obsessed with colonising the red planet.
The first spacecraft to successfully explore another planet was NASA’s Mariner 2 mission. It passed within 35,000km of Venus on December 14 1962. Since then, there have been many successful missions to explore various planets, moons, asteroids and comets in the Solar System.
But in our quest to explore celestial bodies, we risk contaminating them. And if we were to inadvertently contaminate a world that has the potential to host life – either now or in the past – that could compromise all future scientific investigations. It could also affect any life that may currently exist there.
Because of this, space agencies such as NASA take the issue of interplanetary contamination very seriously. To decrease the risk, it uses a range of methods. And scientists are developing new ways to ensure biological material from Earth doesn’t make its way onto another planet.
Two types of contamination
Interplanetary contamination refers to a scenario in which a spacecraft carries biological material from one planetary object to another. Research indicates previous missions to Mars may have contaminated it with bacterial spores from Earth.
There are two types of interplanetary contamination.
The first is when biological material from Earth is transported to another planetary object, resulting in contamination. This is known as forward contamination.
The second type is when biological material from an extraterrestrial source is brought back to Earth and contaminates Earth’s environment. This is known as back contamination.
Even before the first successful launch of a human-made object to space, scientists were talking about the importance of mitigating interplanetary contamination.
For example, at the Seventh Congress of the International Astronautical Federation in Rome in September 1956, one year before the launch of Sputnik 1, concerns were raised about the possibility of contaminating the Moon and other planetary bodies in the Solar System.
Since then, space agencies across the world have implemented strategies to safeguard missions against interplanetary contamination.
High temperatures, clean rooms and death plunges
There are several strategies to minimise forward contamination – for example, using high temperatures or chemicals to sterilise the components of a spacecraft.
Scientists and engineers also assemble spacecraft in clean rooms before launching them into space.
However, these methods have limitations. In particular, spacecraft materials can be sensitive to high temperatures. Chemicals can also tarnish metals and break down essential coatings.
Strategies are also employed at the end of planetary missions to minimise the potential for forward contamination.
For example, at the end of its 13-year journey exploring the environment around Saturn and its moons, the Cassini space probe plunged into the depths of Saturn’s atmosphere.
This so-called “death plunge” alleviated the risks of contaminating moons that could potentially host life, such as Titan and Enceladus. The extreme heat experienced by Cassini essentially incinerated the probe. This likely sterilised any potential contaminants carried by the probe from Earth.
Biological barriers
Scientists must also reduce the risk of potential back contamination on sample return missions.
For example, in the recent OSIRIS-REx sample return mission, a sample collected from near-Earth asteroid Bennu was sealed in an airtight container on its return to Earth.
This ensured no extraterrestrial material could be released into Earth’s environment in an uncontrolled way. Once scientists retrieved the return capsule from the Utah desert, they carefully transported it to a specialised facility designed for handling potentially hazardous materials.
Facilities such as these are designed with biological barriers to prevent the escape of materials or organisms into Earth’s environment.
They also function as “cleanrooms” to prevent potential forward contamination of the samples from Earth-based organisms.
The sample return capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission pictured at the Utah Test and Training Range shortly after returning to Earth. NASA/Keegan Barber
New methods
Scientists are also developing new methods to reduce the risk of interplanetary contamination.
For example, a recent paper in Nature described a method known as the “active plasma steriliser”.
This system uses plasma at low temperatures to effectively decontaminate materials in as little as 45 minutes.
This novel technology works on short timescales. And unlike previous methods that use high temperatures, it can be used on materials and spacecraft components sensitive to temperature.
We can learn a lot about the potential impact of interplanetary contamination from present and future space missions by looking at our own backyard here in Australia.
European colonisation led to the introduction of numerous invasive species, such as European rabbits in the 1800s. In turn, this led to widespread environmental damage.
Similarly, the arrival of foreign diseases following colonisation caused devastating losses among Aboriginal communities.
This demonstrates why mitigating interplanetary contamination is so important – not only to advance our understanding of the origins of life, but to protect any extraterrestrial environments that could harbour life.
Kirsten Banks 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.
Financial regulators will update their guidance to make it easier for Australians with a HELP debt to responsibly take out a mortgage and buy a home, and also unlock the construction of more units, following a request from the Albanese Government.
We’re tackling this housing challenge from every possible angle.
These are commonsense changes that will help more Australians into a home.
I’ve agreed these changes in discussions with regulators and convened the banks to discuss them.
People with a HELP debt should be treated fairly when they want to buy a house and we’re working with the regulators to make sure they are.
By unlocking more finance from the banks we’ll see more housing projects get off the ground more quickly.
Currently, a barrier for young Australians to get into the housing market is the reluctance of banks to give them a mortgage.
The ABA has indicated that one reason for this uncertainty is the interpretation of lending regulations and guidance by APRA and ASIC.
APRA has confirmed it will start consultation soon on the treatment of HELP debts in serviceability requirements and debt reporting.
ASIC has confirmed it will move to quickly implement changes to its guidance on the treatment of HELP debts, following targeted consultation.
The government has also asked APRA to update and clarify its regulatory guidance to help unlock the construction of more units.
Some lenders have interpreted advice issued by APRA in 2017, that finance for construction of new unit blocks should depend on all properties being pre-sold. Lenders have indicated this is a barrier to financing.
The interpretation of this guidance as “100% pre-sales” by some lenders has limited housing supply, as smaller developers often don’t have the capital to finance the start of construction without support from the banks.
APRA has confirmed it will communicate to banks that while it expects banks to consider the extent of presales as part of prudent credit risk management, APRA does not expect 100% pre-sales.
ASIC has confirmed it will move to quickly implement changes to its guidance on responsible lending laws.
Helping more Australians into homes is one of the Albanese Government’s highest priorities.
This is all part of our comprehensive Homes for Australia plan which includes the biggest home building program of any government in history.
Peter Dutton’s cuts to housing would mean fewer homes when Australia desperately needs more.
Australia’s road tax system has a problem. Revenue from the fuel excise – the primary way we tax motoring – has been declining steadily as a proportion of government revenue over the past two decades.
Politicians, policy experts and business leaders have all long called for reform. Now, change could be on the horizon.
The Australian Financial Review reports that at a closed-door dinner with business leaders in Canberra last week, Treasurer Jim Chalmers hinted that addressing falling fuel excise revenue would be a tax reform priority if Labor is re-elected.
One option would be a road user charge on electric vehicles (EVs), which obviously don’t pay fuel excise. But singling them out would undermine the government’s own efforts in promoting EVs to help meet the nation’s emissions reduction targets.
There are also other inequities in the way the current fuel excise works. Our previous research has shown Australia is ready for a rational and transparent discussion about road-user charging on all vehicles, not just electric ones.
How we tax roads today
Currently, Australian motorists pay several government taxes and other fees on their vehicles.
One is the fuel excise. This tax, collected by the Commonwealth, is paid per litre of fuel purchased and is indexed every six months to account for inflation.
Then there are registration fees, typically paid every six or 12 months and collected by state and territory governments.
Vehicle owners also have to pay compulsory third-party insurance, which in some states is bundled with registration fees.
When buying or transferring ownership of a vehicle, other fees can apply. These include stamp duty as well as the luxury car tax on vehicles priced above a certain threshold.
The system isn’t working
As a proportion of Australian taxation revenue, revenue from the fuel excise has dwindled from 7.4% in 2000 to 3.9% in 2025.
It might be tempting to blame electric cars for this decline. But this share began declining steadily long before EVs were introduced in Australia, and is projected to fall further.
Falling fuel excise revenue can be attributed to a range of other factors. Improvements in engine fuel consumption have had a substantial impact on the number of litres used to travel the same distances.
In Australia, the average fuel consumption of passenger cars in 2005 was 11.3 litres per 100 kilometres. In 2024, this figure was around 6.9 litres.
Fuel consumption rates are expected to improve further and match those in other nations with the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which came into effect at the start of this year.
Public transport usage has also been trending upwards in many of Australia’s major cities since the turn of the millennium, reducing reliance on private cars.
The fuel excise, for example, does not properly account for traffic congestion or emissions. A driver who travels in regional Victoria or in an outer suburb of Sydney for local shopping or school drop-offs will pay the same excise as a driver who contributes to congestion by travelling into the city centre.
Similarly, car registration fees are not related to the number of kilometres travelled, congestion created, or emissions produced by driving.
One of the most widely known alternatives alternatives to a fuel excise tax is a pay-per-distance road user charge. Such charges work by charging vehicles a fee per kilometre travelled.
This would not be a new tax on top of existing taxes – it would replace current fuel excise and car registration fees.
Adjustments to this model can include exempting some groups from the charges (such as low-income families, taxis and emergency service vehicles), adjusting charges for different categories of vehicles, and applying congestion charges under certain conditions.
Failed attempts
Targeting electric vehicles with a road user charge has been an acute priority for many states, as they are currently completely exempt from paying the fuel excise.
In 2021, the Victorian government introduced a controversial distance-based charge for EVs. But this scheme was challenged in the High Court and ruled unconstitutional.
Victoria’s measure was found to be a form of excise, and only the Commonwealth can impose such a tax.
Following the ruling, the treasurer asked state and territory treasurers to look into the design of a national scheme in December 2023. But this process reportedly stalled.
Support for reform
Today, there are about 300,000 EVs on Australian roads (including around 248,000 battery electric cars and 53,500 plug-in hybrids).
That’s only a tiny fraction of the 21 million cars registered across the nation. Over coming decades, as EVs take a greater share of total vehicles on the road, the hit to already flagging fuel excise revenue will become acute.
In the meantime, our own previous research and public surveys show Australia is ready for a rational and transparent discussion about road-user charging on all vehicles, not only electric vehicles.
We found most respondents would support such charges if they were transparent, equitable and replace or reduce other road taxes.
There have already been several Australian studies around the shape and form of road user charges that can inform the discussions and public consultations.
We also found willingness to pay a road-user charge varies with the level of expected savings. Most respondents were willing to pay a road-user charge if it saved them on registration fees and fuel taxes.
If well planned and implemented, a national approach to road-user charges can raise enough revenue to replace the fuel excise tax. It will also ease congestion, promote sustainable transport and help achieve Australia’s targets for cutting transport emissions.
Hussein Dia receives funding from the Australian Research Council, the iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre, Transport for New South Wales, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, and Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
Hadi Ghaderi receives funding from the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre, Transport for New South Wales, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, IVECO Trucks Australia limited, Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre, Victoria Department of Education and Training, Australia Post, Bondi Laboratories, Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre, Sphere for Good, Australian Meat Processor Corporation, City of Casey, 460degrees and Passel.
