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  • MIL-OSI: Euronext to acquire Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures business

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Euronext to acquire Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures business

    Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Milan, Oslo and Paris / New York – 28 January 2025 – Euronext (Euronext: ENX), the leading European capital market infrastructure, and Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ), a leading transatlantic market operator and global technology company, today announced the signing of a binding agreement under which Euronext will acquire Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures business, subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals.

    The agreement entails the transfer of existing open positions in Nasdaq’s Nordic power derivatives, currently held in Nasdaq Clearing, to Euronext Clearing, with approval of the members. Trading of power futures will be operated from Euronext Amsterdam and will be cleared through Euronext Clearing. Nasdaq Clearing AB, Nasdaq Oslo ASA, and their respective infrastructure are not included in the sale. Nasdaq will continue to operate its European Markets Services business and multi-asset clearinghouse.

    The anticipated combination of Euronext Nord Pool’s market initiative with Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures business is fully aligned with Euronext’s “Innovate for Growth 2027” strategic priority to expand in power and accelerates the delivery of Euronext’s power futures ambitions. The transaction complies with Euronext’s capital allocation policy and will be fully financed with existing cash.

    Camille Beudin, Euronext Head of Diversified Services, said: “Euronext, with its strong presence in the Nordics and efficient integrated trading and clearing setup, is in an excellent position to deliver a long-standing and liquid power futures market for the Nordic and Baltic region. The acquisition of Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures is a major accelerator for our power futures ambition and positions Euronext as a leading player for trading and hedging of power in Europe.”

    Roland Chai, President of European Markets at Nasdaq, said: “Nasdaq’s European multi-asset class market infrastructure is an integral part of our business as an operator of transatlantic markets. This transaction will further sharpen our focus on strategic growth areas as we lead the European capital markets with strong client commitment, state of the art infrastructure for multi-asset class trading and clearing, and expertise in sustainability solutions. We are pleased that Euronext can offer a compatible power product structure and are confident that it will provide our members with the scale and expertise needed to further their power businesses.”

    In August 2024, Euronext and Nord Pool announced their plan to launch a Nordic and Baltic power futures market that addresses the need expressed by the market to have a long-standing, sustainable market infrastructure committed to developing secure power futures trading in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Client testing for the Euronext Nord Pool power futures offering will open in March 2025. The infrastructure created as part of this project is expected to go live in June 2025 and will be able to support the existing Nasdaq Nordic power futures business.

    Euronext and Nasdaq intend to work closely together to ensure a smooth migration of Nasdaq’s Nordic power futures in the first half of 2026. Until the migration is completed, Nasdaq will continue to operate its Nordic power futures business as usual. On receipt of the required approvals, Nasdaq will inform the market about the timing for the transfer of existing open positions to Euronext and Nasdaq will exit its commodities business post migration. No financial details of the transaction are disclosed.

    CONTACTS – EURONEXT  

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – ir@euronext.com

    Investor Relations        Aurélie Cohen         

            Judith Stein        +33 6 15 23 91 97          

    MEDIA – mediateam@euronext.com 

    Europe        Aurélie Cohen         +33 1 70 48 24 45   

            Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13 

    Belgium        Marianne Aalders         +32 26 20 15 01                 

    France, Corporate        Flavio Bornancin-Tomasella        +33 1 70 48 24 45                 

    Ireland        Andrea Monzani         +39 02 72 42 62 13                 

    Italy         Ester Russom         +39 02 72 42 67 56                 

    The Netherlands        Marianne Aalders         +31 20 721 41 33                 

    Norway         Cathrine Lorvik Segerlund        +47 41 69 59 10                 

    Nord Pool        Irene Zeier        +47 905 79 250

    Nord Pool        Stuart Disbrey         +44 7887 409 044

    Portugal         Sandra Machado        +351 91 777 68 97                

    Corporate Services        Coralie Patri         +33 7 88 34 27 44                                         

    CONTACTS – NASDAQ

    ANALYSTS & INVESTORS – Ato.Garrett@nasdaq.com

    Investor Relations        Ato Garrett        +1 212 401 8737

    MEDIA – Hampus.Stenberg@nasdaq.com 

    European Market Services        Hampus Stenberg         +46 73 449 64 31   

    About Euronext

    Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, covering the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for issuers and investors. Euronext runs MTS, one of Europe’s leading electronic fixed income trading markets, and Nord Pool, the European power market. Euronext also provides clearing and settlement services through Euronext Clearing and its Euronext Securities CSDs in Denmark, Italy, Norway, and Portugal.

    As of December 2024, Euronext’s regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and Portugal host over 1,800 listed issuers with around €6 trillion in market capitalisation, a strong blue-chip franchise and the largest global centre for debt and fund listings. With a diverse domestic and international client base, Euronext handles 25% of European lit equity trading. Its products include equities, FX, ETFs, bonds, derivatives, commodities and indices.

    For the latest news, go to euronext.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

    About Nasdaq

    Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving corporate clients, investment managers, banks, brokers, and exchange operators as they navigate and interact with the global capital markets and the broader financial system. We aspire to deliver world-leading platforms that improve the liquidity, transparency, and integrity of the global economy. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software, exchange capabilities, and client-centric services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on X @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com.

    CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    This communication contains forward-looking information related to Nasdaq and the proposed sale of the Nasdaq Nordic power futures business by an affiliate of Nasdaq to an affiliate of Euronext, which transaction involves substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. When used in this communication, words such as “will”, “enable”, “intends”, “plans”, “expected” and similar expressions and any other statements that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this communication include, among other things, statements about the potential benefits of the proposed transaction, including statements relating to expectations of future operating results and financial performance, the anticipated timing of closing of the proposed transaction, preparations for the transfers of open interest and the actions of Nasdaq after the closing. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks related to the ability of Nasdaq to consummate the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; Nasdaq’s ability to secure regulatory approvals on the terms expected, in a timely manner or at all; the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction, including the possibility that the expected benefits from the proposed transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships; risks related to diverting management’s attention from Nasdaq’s ongoing business operations; the negative effects of the announcement or the consummation of the proposed transaction on the market price of Nasdaq’s common stock or on Nasdaq’s operating results; significant transaction costs; unknown liabilities; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions related to the proposed transaction; and the effect of the announcement or pendency of the transaction on Nasdaq’s business relationships, operating results, and business generally.

    Further information on these and other risks and uncertainties relating to Nasdaq can be found in its reports filed on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K and in other filings Nasdaq makes with the SEC from time to time and available at www.sec.gov. These documents are also available under the Investor Relations section of Nasdaq’s website at http://ir.nasdaq.com/investor-relations. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made only as of the date hereof. Nasdaq disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

    Disclaimer

    This press release is for information purposes only: it is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities and is provided “as is”, without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, Euronext does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Euronext will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation. The creation of rights and obligations in respect of financial products that are traded on the exchanges operated by Euronext’s subsidiaries shall depend solely on the applicable rules of the market operator. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Euronext. This press release speaks only as of this date. Euronext refers to Euronext N.V. and its affiliates. Information regarding trademarks and intellectual property rights of Euronext is available at www.euronext.com/terms-use.

    © 2025, Euronext N.V. – All rights reserved. 

    The Euronext Group processes your personal data in order to provide you with information about Euronext (the “Purpose”). With regard to the processing of this personal data, Euronext will comply with its obligations under Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and Council of 27 April 2016 (General Data Protection Regulation, “GDPR”), and any applicable national laws, rules and regulations implementing the GDPR, as provided in its privacy statement available at: www.euronext.com/privacy-policy. In accordance with the applicable legislation you have rights with regard to the processing of your personal data: for more information on your rights, please refer to: www.euronext.com/data_subjects_rights_request_information. To make a request regarding the processing of your data or to unsubscribe from this press release service, please use our data subject request form at connect2.euronext.com/form/data-subjects-rights-request or email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@euronext.com.

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    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: IOM and Partners Launch Project to Strengthen Environmental Health Awareness in Lebanon 

    Source: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

    Beirut, Lebanon – December 2024 – In cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), together with Seed Global Health, has launched the “Environmental Health Capacity and Awareness Strengthening in Primary Healthcare Facilities” project. This initiative aims to empower healthcare workers at selected primary healthcare centers across Lebanon by addressing the growing challenges of climate-related health impacts.   

    A recent study by the Lebanese Red Cross Climate Center highlighted the significant health risks posed by climate change in Lebanon. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events increase the risks of heat-related health issues, including heatstroke and dehydration, particularly in urban areas. Furthermore, climate change in Lebanon is expected to worsen water scarcity and quality, with more frequent droughts, variable rainfall, and disrupted agriculture. This will lead to higher risks of waterborne diseases, malnutrition, and food insecurity, further straining Lebanon’s already fragile healthcare system.  

    The project, which will run from January to April 2025, is aligned with the Ministry of Public Health’s National Strategy and brings together interdisciplinary expertise to strengthen the health sector’s resilience.  

    Dr. Firas Abiad, the Minister of Public Health in Lebanon stated: “Public, private and peripheral hospitals have proven their critical role during the Lebanese conflict, not only in providing care but also in addressing the broader health needs of the population. While the priority for international support to Lebanon remains the health sector, we must seize this opportunity to advance in all areas, including environmental health. Strengthening environmental health measures will ensure that facilities across Lebanon can provide safer, and more sustainable healthcare services. A resilient health system integrates environmental health into its foundations to safeguard the well-being of both residents of the region and the Lebanese population.” 

    Dr. Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health, said, “Health workers are our frontline defense against the impacts of climate change on health and it is crucial they are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to better understand and respond to these impacts. Seed Global Health is proud to partner with IOM and others to ensure people in Lebanon and elsewhere are better protected against the growing threat of climate change on health.”  

    The project will take a phased approach, starting with a comprehensive needs assessment to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of primary healthcare staff regarding environmental health and climate change. The results will inform tailored training programs, equipping healthcare workers with the tools to address climate-health challenges. Key activities include developing gender-sensitive, equity-focused survey tools, engaging stakeholders, and gathering actionable data to enhance preparedness and capacity.  

    The project will be supported by technical experts from global and academic institutions, including the University of Melbourne and its Climate CATCH Lab, and will involve active collaboration with local stakeholders such as the Ministry of Public Health, PHCC managers, and NGOs.  

    About the Project  

    This initiative reflects IOM’s commitment to addressing the intersection of climate change and health. The project’s key outcomes include a final needs assessment report, recommendations for future capacity-building efforts, and a roadmap for sustained environmental health interventions.  

    About Seed Global Health  

    Seed Global Health partners with governments, health professional schools, hospitals, and clinics to educate health workers, strengthen the quality of health services, and support policies that enable health professionals to deliver high-quality services to those in need. To date, Seed Global Health has trained more than 45,000 health workers who work in health facilities serving over 76 million people. 

    For more information, please contact:
    In Lebanon: Joelle Mhanna, jmhanna@iom.int

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: GRBA’s successful appeal for its House Bed & Bath mark: a warning for well-known brands

    Source: Allens Insights

    Proactive trade mark strategies are essential 12 min read

    In allowing the appeal by Global Retail Brands Australia Pty Ltd (GRBA), the Full Court of the Federal Court found that its use of the mark (the House B&B Mark) did not constitute misleading or deceptive conduct or passing off in relation to proceedings brought by Bed Bath ‘N’ Table Pty Ltd (BBNT) concerning its registered mark (the BBNT Mark).

    In this Insight, we examine GRBA’s successful appeal, including why the decision is a cautionary tale, particularly for well-known brands in relation to the importance of building up reputation in sub-brands or truncated versions of key marks, and provide valuable insights in relation to proactive trade mark strategy.

    Key takeaways

    • Whether or not conduct is likely to mislead or deceive is an objective question which the court must determine for itself. Conduct will be likely to mislead or deceive if there is a real or not remote chance or possibility that the relevant person or class of persons will be misled or deceived. It is not sufficient to merely demonstrate that the conduct may cause ordinary and reasonable consumers to wonder if there is an association.
    • A finding of subjective wilful blindness on the part of a respondent does not rise to the level of, and should not be confused with. an intention to mislead or deceive.
    • In borderline cases of misleading or deceptive conduct, evidence of an intention to deceive or cause confusion can be a relevant factor to take into account in the evaluation of whether there was objectively misleading or deceptive conduct.
    • Expert evidence may be of limited assistance in determining whether consumers are likely to be misled, and the question is ultimately a matter for the court’s impression.

    Overview

    BBNT brought trade mark infringement proceedings in relation to the BBNT Mark, as well as claims under the Australia Consumer Law (ACL) and for passing off. At first instance, Justice Rofe found that BBNT failed in its trade mark infringement claim, but somewhat surprisingly, succeeded in its ACL and passing off claims. This was despite findings by Justice Rofe that the marks were not deceptively similar and that BBNT did not have any independent reputation in BED BATH or in BED & BATH alone (only in the composite phrase BED BATH N TABLE).

    The Full Court allowed the appeal and found that the primary judge had erred in holding that the use by GRBA of its House B&B Mark constituted misleading or deceptive conduct and passing off. BBNT’s cross-appeal on infringement failed.

    The ACL appeal

    Background to the dispute

    BBNT has traded under and by reference to the name BED BATH ‘N’ TABLE since 1976. Since the 1990s, it has consistently used the branding. The appearance of BBNT stores is typically a Hampton’s style, with white walls, wooden floorboards, and no discount signage. It has a dominant position in the soft homewares sector. The evidence also established that no other retailer had used the words ‘bed’ or ‘bath’ in their store names or external signage since that time up to the present. Other retailers had used “bed” and “bath” inside their stores as category descriptors only (not as trade marks).

    GRBA has operated retail stores under the House brand since at least 1978 and is well-established in the hard homewares market. It has operated under the trade mark ‘House’ as well as under a series of sub-brands (‘House WAREHOUSE’, ‘House OUTLET’ etc). House stores typically feature discount marketing in crowded displays.

    In May 2021, GRBA began operating a new soft homewares business using the House B&B Mark. GRBA contended that the intention of adopting the House B&B Mark was to advertise that House had extended into bedroom and bathroom products. GRBA considered obtaining legal advice for the re-branding, but apparently ultimately adopted the new branding without legal consultation. There was also evidence that GRBA was aware of BBNT’s marketing of its brand, including an email in which an employee of GRBA stated ‘we will have Bed bath and table running scared’.

    The dispute

    BBNT brought a claim against GRBA in the Federal Court, alleging that GRBA, in using its House B&B Mark, had:

    1. infringed the BBNT Mark, contravening section 120 of the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) (TMA);
    2. contravened ss 18(1) and 29(1)(a), (g) and (h) of the ACL; and
    3. engaged in the tort of passing off.

    BBNT also had a trade mark opposition on foot but deferred this to run the Federal Court proceedings.

    At first instance, Justice Rofe was not satisfied that GRBA had infringed BBNT’s trade marks because her Honour found that the House B&B Mark was not substantially identical or deceptively similar to the BBNT Mark. There were a number of key differences between the marks including the presence of ‘N’ TABLE’ in the BBNT mark, the presence of the visually significant ‘House’ in the House B&B mark, and differences in presentation and orientation.

    Her Honour did find, however, that, by using its House B&B Mark, GRBA had contravened the ACL, and engaged in the tort of passing off.

    GRBA appealed the finding with respect to the ACL and passing off claims, and BBNT challenged the finding of lack of trade mark infringement in a cross claim (which ultimately failed). This Insight focuses on the Full Court’s reasoning with respect to the ACL claim.

    Misleading or deceptive conduct?

    The primary judge had found that GRBA’s use of the House B&B Mark was likely to mislead or deceive the ordinary and reasonable consumer, even though the marks were not deceptively similar. The Full Court challenged a number of aspects of her Honour’s reasoning. We focus below on how the issues of reputation, the test for misleading or deceptive conduct, descriptiveness, and intention played into the decision:

    (a) Reputation

    Justice Rofe considered that the reputation of BBNT was ‘crucial’ to the different outcomes for the trade mark infringement claim and the misleading conduct claim. Her Honour noted that BBNT had acquired an extensive reputation in the BBNT Mark in the soft homewares market in Australia for over 40 years. Although Justice Rofe found that BBNT had a reputation in the BBNT Mark, her Honour did not find that it had an independent reputation in BED BATH or in BED & BATH alone. BBNT had provided some evidence of truncation of the BBNT Mark by consumers to ‘BED BATH’ or ‘BED & BATH’, however, Justice Rofe ultimately did not think the evidence provided of some truncation in informal settings (such as telephone calls and in-store conversations) justified a finding that ordinary consumers typically truncated the mark, or that BBNT had any reputation in ‘BED BATH’ or ‘BED & BATH’. Her Honour nevertheless went on to find that reasonable consumers coming across the House B&B Mark and store for the first time would question whether there was some association between this brand and BBNT (for instance, questioning whether they had merged or whether GRBA had taken over BBNT).

    The Full Court, however, considered that Justice Rofe’s finding that there was no independent reputation in ‘BED BATH’ or ‘BED & BATH’ demonstrated that it was the use of the composite phrase ‘BED BATH ‘N’ TABLE’ or ‘BED BATH AND TABLE’ only that would indicate the existence of a commercial association between the business operating under that name and another business using a different name which also included the words ‘BED & BATH.’ As a result, the Full Court found that Justice Rofe’s findings on reputation were inconsistent with her conclusion that the use by GRBA of the House B&B Mark was likely to lead ordinary and reasonable consumers to believe that the store was associated in some way with stores operated under the BBNT name.

    (b) Test for misleading or deceptive conduct

    Further, the Full Court found that Justice Rofe erred in applying the test for misleading or deceptive conduct. The court highlighted that even if use of the House B&B Mark by GRBA ‘may cause ordinary and reasonable consumers to wonder if there is any such association’ (which, as outlined above, the Full Court considered unlikely), that would not be sufficient to justify a finding that GRBA had engaged in conduct likely to mislead or deceive. Rather, conduct will be likely to mislead or deceive if there is a real or not remote chance or possibility that the relevant person or class of persons will be misled or deceived. This is an objective question which the court must determine for itself.

    (c) Descriptiveness

    The Full Court also emphasised that conduct that causes confusion is not necessarily co-extensive with misleading or deceptive conduct. It cited a passage from Hornsby Building Information Centre Pty Ltd v Sydney Building Information Centre Ltd which highlights that choosing descriptive words as a part of a trade name can enliven the possibility of blunders by members of the public, and that this small risk of confusion must be accepted:

    ‘So long as descriptive words are used by two traders as part of their respective trade names, it is possible that some members of the public will be confused whatever the differentiating words may be.” The risk of confusion must be accepted, to do otherwise is to give to one who appropriates to himself descriptive words an unfair monopoly in those words and might even deter others from pursuing the occupation which the words describe.’

    The Full Court accepted that the BBNT Mark is not purely descriptive (BBNT does not sell beds, baths or tables); rather it is partly descriptive.  Drawing a somewhat long bow, the Full Court considered that the BBNT Mark conveys that the products on sale in the stores trading under the BBNT mark are related in some way to beds baths and tables.

    The Full Court considered that there are two ways that consumers might be confused by use of the House B&B Mark:

    1. by confusing the two marks despite the differentiating element of HOUSE; or
    2. by drawing an inference from the presence of BED BATH or BED & BATH in the two marks that there was some association between the businesses using them.

    The Full Federal Court dismissed the first option, opining that the differences between the two marks were substantial and obvious to anyone but a careless observer. It dismissed the second option on the basis that their Honours considered that, even if consumers associated the words BED & BATH with BBNT, they were unlikely to be misled into thinking that the two businesses were associated, given the significant differences between the two names. In the Full Court’s opinion, consumers were likely to do no more than infer that both businesses were engaged in the supply of soft homewares for bedrooms and bathrooms.

    (d) Intention

    The case law indicates that an intention to deceive can be relevant to whether conduct is likely to mislead or deceive. At first instance, Justice Rofe found that GRBA’s failure to seek legal advice in relation to the re-branding, its knowledge of BBNT’s reputation and ‘fierce’ determination not to alter the House B&B Mark even after becoming aware of some evidence of confusion with BBNT’s brand, fell short of intention to deceive, but did amount to ‘wilful blindness’. Her Honour took this wilful blindness into account when she considered whether there was misleading or deceptive conduct. However, the Full Court noted that intention is only one factor among many in the assessment, and ultimately even if there is an intention to deceive, if the impugned mark does not sufficiently resemble the registered owner’s mark, there will be no likelihood of deception. The Full Court also highlighted that the case law (Verrocchi v Direct Chemist Outlet Pty Ltd [2016] FCAFC 104) indicates that an intention to deceive ought only to be taken into account in borderline cases of misleading or deceptive conduct, which their Honours considered this case was not. In any event, ‘wilful blindness’ was not equivalent to an ‘intention to deceive’. The Full Court found that the primary judge had misapplied the test, by relying on wilful blindness to the risk of confusion as ‘reliable and expert opinion on the question of whether GRBA’s conduct was likely to deceive, particularly in circumstances where her Honour declined to find that GRBA had any commercial dishonest intention to appropriate part of BBNT’s trade or reputation.’

    Ultimately, the Full Court found that the primary judge erred in concluding that, by using the House B&B mark, GRBA had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct, and the appeal was allowed.  

    Actions you can take now

    • This decision indicates the importance of proactive trade mark strategies, even for longstanding brands with significant reputation. Reputation cannot be taken into account in trade mark infringement proceedings under sections 120(1) or 120(2) TMA, and generally only under s60 at the opposition stage, although in the context of registration it may still be possible to consider reputation under section 44 in arguments concerning imperfect recollection. So, even if a company’s brand is very well known in Australia, this does not matter for an assessment of infringement (whether the impugned mark is substantially identical or deceptively similar to the well-known mark).
    • Careful and proactive branding strategies should be considered, for instance: ensuring that any sub-brands, brand extensions, or truncated versions of the brand are protected alongside the core marks. It is advisable to monitor actual use of your company’s marks in the market and keep up to date with any changes in how the marks are used by consumers. If there are truncated versions being used, or quasi descriptive aspects of the marks that you would nevertheless not like a competitor to be able to capitalise on (such as BED & BATH or BED N BATH), it will be important to seek to register these versions with appropriate modifications.
    • Similarly, even if these sub-brands or truncated versions cannot be registered immediately, companies can nevertheless implement strategies to build up reputation in them (with a view to future registration). In this case, a failure to build up reputation in BED BATH or BED & BATH made it difficult for BBNT to make out an ACL claim in relation to GRBA’s use of the House B&B Mark. GRBA was able to argue its use was not misleading or deceptive as BBNT did not have reputation in BED BATH or BED & BATH alone.
    • When making strategic decisions between trade mark opposition proceedings and actions for infringement and under the ACL, it is important to consider which provisions best serve your interests and enforcement objectives. In this case, BBNT deferred its opposition proceeding to the House B&B Mark in order to bring proceedings in the Federal Court. With the benefit of hindsight, might BBNT have fared better by focusing on the opposition, which allows prior reputation in a mark that is not deceptively similar to the opposed mark to be taken into account? While a successful opposition would not have prevented use of the challenged mark, it may have encouraged the parties to review their respective positions.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: DeepSeek: how a small Chinese AI company is shaking up US tech heavyweights

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tongliang Liu, Associate Professor of Machine Learning and Director of the Sydney AI Centre, University of Sydney

    Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company DeepSeek has sent shockwaves through the tech community, with the release of extremely efficient AI models that can compete with cutting-edge products from US companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic.

    Founded in 2023, DeepSeek has achieved its results with a fraction of the cash and computing power of its competitors.

    DeepSeek’s “reasoning” R1 model, released last week, provoked excitement among researchers, shock among investors, and responses from AI heavyweights. The company followed up on January 28 with a model that can work with images as well as text.

    So what has DeepSeek done, and how did it do it?

    What DeepSeek did

    In December, DeepSeek released its V3 model. This is a very powerful “standard” large language model that performs at a similar level to OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5.

    While these models are prone to errors and sometimes make up their own facts, they can carry out tasks such as answering questions, writing essays and generating computer code. On some tests of problem-solving and mathematical reasoning, they score better than the average human.

    V3 was trained at a reported cost of about US$5.58 million. This is dramatically cheaper than GPT-4, for example, which cost more than US$100 million to develop.

    DeepSeek also claims to have trained V3 using around 2,000 specialised computer chips, specifically H800 GPUs made by NVIDIA. This is again much fewer than other companies, which may have used up to 16,000 of the more powerful H100 chips.

    On January 20, DeepSeek released another model, called R1. This is a so-called “reasoning” model, which tries to work through complex problems step by step. These models seem to be better at many tasks that require context and have multiple interrelated parts, such as reading comprehension and strategic planning.

    The R1 model is a tweaked version of V3, modified with a technique called reinforcement learning. R1 appears to work at a similar level to OpenAI’s o1, released last year.

    DeepSeek also used the same technique to make “reasoning” versions of small open-source models that can run on home computers.

    This release has sparked a huge surge of interest in DeepSeek, driving up the popularity of its V3-powered chatbot app and triggering a massive price crash in tech stocks as investors re-evaluate the AI industry. At the time of writing, chipmaker NVIDIA has lost around US$600 billion in value.

    How DeepSeek did it

    DeepSeek’s breakthroughs have been in achieving greater efficiency: getting good results with fewer resources. In particular, DeepSeek’s developers have pioneered two techniques that may be adopted by AI researchers more broadly.

    The first has to do with a mathematical idea called “sparsity”. AI models have a lot of parameters that determine their responses to inputs (V3 has around 671 billion), but only a small fraction of these parameters is used for any given input.

    However, predicting which parameters will be needed isn’t easy. DeepSeek used a new technique to do this, and then trained only those parameters. As a result, its models needed far less training than a conventional approach.

    The other trick has to do with how V3 stores information in computer memory. DeepSeek has found a clever way to compress the relevant data, so it is easier to store and access quickly.

    What it means

    DeepSeek’s models and techniques have been released under the free MIT License, which means anyone can download and modify them.

    While this may be bad news for some AI companies – whose profits might be eroded by the existence of freely available, powerful models – it is great news for the broader AI research community.

    At present, a lot of AI research requires access to enormous amounts of computing resources. Researchers like myself who are based at universities (or anywhere except large tech companies) have had limited ability to carry out tests and experiments.

    More efficient models and techniques change the situation. Experimentation and development may now be significantly easier for us.

    For consumers, access to AI may also become cheaper. More AI models may be run on users’ own devices, such as laptops or phones, rather than running “in the cloud” for a subscription fee.

    For researchers who already have a lot of resources, more efficiency may have less of an effect. It is unclear whether DeepSeek’s approach will help to make models with better performance overall, or simply models that are more efficient.

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

    – ref. DeepSeek: how a small Chinese AI company is shaking up US tech heavyweights – https://theconversation.com/deepseek-how-a-small-chinese-ai-company-is-shaking-up-us-tech-heavyweights-248434

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Their Profits, Our Loss: International oil and gas companies’ 2024 profits

    Source: Greenpeace Statement –

    SYDNEY, Tuesday 28 January 2025 — Interested media are advised of the annual results announcements by some of the world’s largest oil and gas companies for 2024, which was confirmed to be the hottest on record. This includes Australian-based gas giant Woodside. 

    As LA continues to burn and extreme weather events impact regions across the world, Greenpeace spokespeople in Australia and globally are available to discuss the role of oil and gas majors in fuelling climate chaos. Spokespeople can also present Greenpeace’s demand that governments worldwide introduce equitably designed taxes and fines to reclaim money from the industry to pay for the spiralling costs of extreme weather events.

    Annual profit announcements will be made in the coming weeks:

    • Shell: 30 January
    • ExxonMobil: 31 January
    • Chevron: 31 January 
    • TotalEnergies: 5 February
    • Equinor: 5 February 
    • BP: 6 February 
    • Woodside: 25 February

    Solaye Snider, Climate and Energy campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said: “Off the back of the hottest year on record, Woodside will soon announce its annual profits from extracting and exporting fossil fuels. Right now, much of Australia is gripped by an extreme heatwave stretching from Perth to Brisbane, with sweltering temperatures, wild storms and flash flooding battering communities across the country.

    “In the midst of a cost of living crisis, it’s not right that fossil fuel executives are taking home million dollar pay cheques while fuelling climate destruction across the globe. Everyday Australians should not be footing the bill for climate-fuelled disasters, while fossil fuel corporations like Woodside and Santos continue to profit. Big polluters should pay for the damage their reckless pursuit of profit is causing to communities and the environment across the world.”

    Ian Duff, Co-Head of Greenpeace International’s Stop Drilling Start Paying campaign, said: “The annual profits of oil and gas companies are driving our losses. While their earnings go from extremely high to very high, their pollution remains at record levels. Ordinary people can no longer foot the bill for the greed of dirty energy companies or bear the costs for loss and damage which are fuelled by Big Oil’s emissions. Governments must stand with the people – not the oil and gas lobby – and finally enforce the Polluters Pay principle.” 

    The Greenpeace Stop Drilling Start Paying global campaign is working with millions of people to stop oil and gas companies from expanding, resist their intimidation, and ensure they pay for climate damages already felt by people across the world. greenpeace.org.au/act/make-polluters-pay

    -ENDS-

    For more information or interviews contact Kate O’Callaghan on 0406 231 892 or [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Hamish Macdonald, Sydney Mornings, ABC Radio

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    Hamish Macdonald:

    Are you finding the cost of living getting any better this year, or are things as tight as they ever have been? The federal Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is pointing some good news on inflation this morning. The latest quarterly figure show petrol, furniture, games, toys all down – the biggest price fall, though, seems to be electricity down almost 16 per cent, that’s due largely to those household energy rebates.

    So what I want to hear from you this morning is, are you noticing any of this? How’s the bank statement looking at the end of the month? 1300 222 702 is the number. Let me know what you’re thinking about this. And perhaps the big question is, might these numbers point to a cut in your mortgage rates anytime soon? Jim Chalmers is here, good morning.

    Jim Chalmers:

    Good morning Hamish, thanks for having me on your show.

    Macdonald:

    We haven’t been getting a lot of good news on the cost‑of‑living front for some time. Have you got any good news for us this morning?

    Chalmers:

    Well, tomorrow we’ll get a big update on the inflation numbers in our economy. And first of all, I want to acknowledge that even at the same time as we are making as a country very substantial, very now sustained progress on the fight against inflation, we know that people are still under pressure. I suspect when people call into the program after the interview, they will convey that to you as they convey that to us, and we take that very seriously – but in aggregate, in the in the national economic data, what we have seen over the last couple of years is a quite remarkable moderation in inflation. Remember, when we came to office, inflation was higher than 6 per cent and rising. It’s now got a 2 in front of it.

    So we’ll get that update tomorrow. It will remind us of that substantial progress that we’ve made on inflation. Any number with a 2 in front of it will show that inflation has more than half since this government came to office. Any number with a 2 in front of it in the headline number will show that it’s within the Reserve Bank’s target band. Any progress on underlying inflation would be welcome as well. But we know that it doesn’t always immediately translate into how people are feeling and faring in the economy. We know that people are still battling to make ends meet.

    Macdonald:

    How do you explain that? Because obviously that’s what I hear from Sydney listeners. It’s obviously what people come and talk to you about; the sense that maybe the statistics, maybe the trend lines, are pointing to things getting better, but that it doesn’t necessarily feel that way. How do you explain that?

    Chalmers:

    Because the fight against inflation isn’t over. You know, it’s not mission accomplished, even if we get very encouraging numbers tomorrow, as we have been getting encouraging inflation numbers for some months now, you know, we would recognise that it’s not, it’s not mission accomplished – because people are still dealing with stresses and strains in their household budget.

    But what’s happened over the last 2 and a half years since this government’s come to office, is inflation’s come down very substantially, but what we’ve been able to do, unlike a lot of other countries, is we’ve been able to do that at the same time as we’ve got wages up, we’ve kept unemployment very low, we’ve got the budget into better condition. Even though we recognise those pressures are still there, we shouldn’t diminish what Australians have achieved together over the course of the last couple of years. Not every country has been able to do what we’ve been able to do, to get inflation down and wages up and unemployment low, all at the same time.

    I think it’s possible to do, as we do, to recognise those pressures are still there. It’s still very important that we’re rolling out those tax cuts, the energy bill relief that you referred to, and all the cost‑of‑living help that Peter Dutton opposed. That’s still important that we roll it out because people are under pressure. But we should recognise at the same time that we’ve made substantial and sustained progress in the fight against inflation and those new numbers tomorrow will reflect that.

    Macdonald:

    Now, I know you don’t speculate on the Reserve Bank will or won’t do when it meets, but a lot of people are very focused on that February meeting. People here in Sydney are really feeling it with home loan repayments. Do you think this year will be a better year?

    Chalmers:

    Well, I do acknowledge – especially in Sydney, but not just in Sydney – that interest rates, which started going up before the election, have gone up a number of times. They are one of the causes of this cost‑of‑living pressure that people are enduring and trying to deal with. So I do recognise that. You’re right, that I don’t make commentary or predictions or try and give free advice to the independent Reserve Bank. I focus on my job, which is doing what we can to fight inflation and roll that cost‑of‑living relief in a responsible way, keep unemployment low, get wages growing, all of those things that we’ve been talking about this morning. I leave the predictions or the commentary about rates decisions to others, to the independent Reserve Bank, primarily, and also to all of the other commentators who are interested in this at the moment.

    Macdonald:

    Sure, but this is really a question about what might unfold around those things this year. I mean, you must think about all the time. As most Sydneysiders with mortgages would as well.

    Chalmers:

    I do, and in the broad, in the main, I think that there are real reasons for people to be confident about 2025 – acknowledging that the last few years have been especially difficult for people, I think there is good cause for confidence, not complacency, about our economy in 2025 for a couple of reasons.

    First of all, we are making progress on inflation. We have got those real wages growing. We have kept the jobs market in really quite extraordinary condition. So all of those things will flow through into some of the other indicators, we expect growth in our economy to pick up a little bit, not a lot, a little bit, and that will be a good thing – but primarily the reason why people can be more confident about 2025 than 2024 is we’re seeing some of the fruits of our collective efforts. If you look at that most recent data we got from the national accounts – which is the big report card on our economy – growth was weak in our economy, but the combination of real wages growing again, inflation coming down and the tax cuts rolling out, means that we are starting to make up some of the ground that’s been lost over the last few years when it comes to living standards. And so that does give me a bit more confidence, not getting carried away about 2025 – there’s still a lot of global economic uncertainty, for example. But we are more confident about 2025 than we have been about the last couple of years.

    Macdonald:

    I read a piece, you’ve written an op‑ed in News Limited publications in the last few days. And you say every taxpayer is better off as a result of the decision you took 12 months ago, that’s obviously referring to changes you made to the stage 3 tax cuts. You say not just some, and those benefits will be even bigger from July this year. It seems to me that this is going to be a central question at the election, because Peter Dutton is saying are you better off after a term of the Albanese government? It’s pretty obvious a lot of people don’t necessarily feel better off. So the question is, would we all be better off if you’re re‑elected. It sounds like you’re making an argument to say we would be. Why is that?

    Chalmers:

    Well, the point I’m referring to in that piece I wrote for the media is that as we get wages growing, the tax cuts get bigger as well. I see those 2 things really as of a piece. You know, we’re all about making sure people can earn more and keep more of what they earn, getting wages growing, giving every Australian taxpayer a tax cut, getting inflation down, keeping unemployment low. These are our objectives, and these are the things that we have been achieving as a government, recognising that a lot of the pressures are still there.

    Now, you asked me about the choice at the election. I think one of the most important things for people to understand as we get nearer and nearer to this election is that if Peter Dutton had his way, not every taxpayer would’ve got a tax cut. No households would’ve got energy bill relief. They like lower wages, he went after Medicare when he was the Health Minister. The biggest risk to household budgets, and I think to the economy more broadly in 2025, is Peter Dutton and a Coalition government. And we know that they are a risk to household budgets because we know their record on some of these things: Medicare, wages, cost‑of‑living relief and the like.

    Macdonald:

    Just on that, though – you’re taking a pretty big swing there, the opposition says that they would tame the budget more, this would get our economy moving better, and we’d all benefit from that. So some of these pressures would reside. How do you answer that?

    Chalmers:

    Well, they have 2 economic policies, Hamish. One is taxpayer funded long lunches for bosses, and the other one is to push up electricity prices with this nuclear insanity that they’re pushing. Those are the 2 economic policies that they have announced. They say there’s hundreds of billions too much spending in the Budget, but they won’t come clean on what the cuts would be if they came to office. We know that after many cared last time, so it’s within our rights to point out. But the key question here really is the cost of living in this election campaign. People would have been worse off by thousands of dollars over the last couple of years if Peter Dutton had have his way, and they’ll be worse off still if he wins the election. And that is part of the choice that people will weigh up as we get closer and closer to election day this year.

    Macdonald:

    I’m talking to the federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, I should make it clear we have been talking to Peter Dutton about joining the program to speak to you here in Sydney as well. We hope that will happen very soon.

    Jim Chalmers, a text from Jeff asking this: Hamish, ask Jim what’s caused the deep per capita recession we’re in? Why they run immigration at unheard of levels during a housing crisis?

    Chalmers:

    Well Jeff, a couple of things about your question – I appreciate you texting in. First of all, on migration, we saw a big recovery in the numbers after COVID, but we’re managing that level down to more normal levels, and we expect to see the fruits of that over the next year or 2. So that’s part of your question. When it comes to the per capita measure of growth in our economy, growth in our economy is remarkably weak, we have acknowledged that – but unlike a lot of other countries around the world, we’ve actually managed to keep the economy growing.

    The UK has had a recession, New Zealand is in recession right now, most of the OECD countries have had a negative quarter of growth. We’ve been able to avoid that, but growth is weak in the economy, and we see that reflected in the per capita measure. If you take a step back – Jeff and Hamish and all your listeners – acknowledging the pressures that people are under, acknowledging growth in our economy is week. We have a combination of things in our economy which a lot of other countries would like. We’ve kept the economy ticking over. We’ve got inflation down, we’ve got wages up, we’ve kept unemployment low, we’ve delivered 2 budget surpluses, we’ve got the Liberal debt down, and that means we’re paying less interest on it. All of these things are good things. We don’t pretend the job is finished – obviously it’s not because people are still under pressure and we know we’ve got more work to do, but the biggest risk to this progress would be a Dutton Coalition government who would make people worse off, not better off.

    Macdonald:

    For all of that, that list you rattle off about what you say are your achievements, many Australians are not that happy with you. You know, the polls – I don’t want to get into poll arguments – pointing to many Australians considering Peter Dutton as Prime Minister. Clearly, the shift is afoot in terms of polling. Why are you not getting credit for it, then?

    Do you acknowledge that perhaps Australians are feeling quite so positive and optimistic as you paint it?

    Chalmers:

    I think I’ve acknowledged that probably half a dozen times in the course of this conversation, Hamish – that people are under pressure, I think you see that reflected in opinion polls. Obviously I notice these opinion polls, I don’t obsess over them – the numbers I’m focused on are the numbers in the economy, but I think I’ve acknowledged numerous times today that people are still under pressure and we see that reflected in the polls.

    Macdonald:

    A question about something slightly related to this: Donald Trump’s established something called a DOGE – a Department of Government Efficiency – that will be led in part by Elon Musk. Peter reshuffled his shadow cabinet and we now have a SMOGE – I think is the abbreviation – a Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency. Now we can see how that worked out for Trump’s opponent. What are you going to do to counter this idea?

    Chalmers:

    What do you mean you can see how this worked out –

    Macdonald:

    – Trump’s opponent. Kamala Harris. She didn’t win. So the question is, how are we going to –

    Chalmers:

    Oh, okay, you’re saying that was decisive in the American election, okay. I think a couple of things about that. I saw that reshuffle that Peter Dutton made on the weekend. I don’t think it’s much of a vote of confidence in Shadow Finance Minister or Shadow Treasurer that he thought it necessary to make that appointment. And I’d also point out that this Labor government, as part of delivering those 2 surpluses and a $200 billion positive turnaround in the Budget and getting the debt down, one of the big reasons for that is this government has found $92 billion worth of savings across 3 Budgets and updates. And what that’s shown is we can find the necessary savings to get the budget in much better nick without making these sorts of announcements that Peter Dutton made.

    I compare that $92 billion in savings to the last Budget of the Coalition government before we came office, which had zero savings in it. What we’ve shown, is we can have all the fancy titles that they like, but we’ve got a Finance Minister in Katy Gallagher and a cabinet for whom responsible economic management is really the defining feature of how we go about managing the budget. We found those savings without finding it necessary to have these kinds of titles that Peter Dutton gave to one of his colleagues on the weekend.

    Macdonald:

    I want to ask you about the position the government’s ended up in on gambling advertising, it seems, a lot of listeners pretty upset about this. We heard from Mary‑Lynne yesterday on the question of gambling ads, and whether she’d vote for your government again.

    [Excerpt]

    Listener:

    Well, I can’t actually see myself going voting for either side at the moment. I think I’m going independent this time, well and truly – but one of my main criticisms is that Albanese came in, was going to do something about the gambling ads. As soon as he was in, he became wishy‑washy about the gambling ads, and there’s been absolutely nothing done about the gambling ads. All through the tennis, all through TV, day and night, we’re up to our eyeballs in gambling ads, and neither side is doing anything about this. And I think it’s just completely a reflection of the lack of action by the government.

    [End of excerpt]

    Macdonald:

    That was Mary‑Lynne speaking to us yesterday.

    Now, I’ve been reading in the papers that the Prime Minister had met with the bosses at the TV networks, the sporting codes, just a fortnight before essentially ditching the plans that you had in place. Did you get rumbled by these big executives on this?

    Chalmers:

    No, of course not. But I do want to acknowledge that there are a lot of people like Mary‑Lynne who want us to go further and faster when it comes to gambling advertising. But where I differ respectfully with Mary‑Lynne’s comments is when I point out that we have actually done a lot when it comes to gambling reform. You know, we introduced Betstop, we introduced the warnings, we banned credit cards from online gambling – and we’ll continue to work through the recommendations of the Murphy inquiry into online gambling, and we are doing a lot of consultation.

    We know that there are a range of views in the community, including Mary‑Lynne’s, but I don’t agree, respectfully, that nothing has happened. We have done probably more to crack down on the harms of online gambling, particularly for young people, than any government before. We acknowledge people want us to do more than that, but we haven’t done nothing.

    Macdonald:

    I want to play a bit of music that I think we familiar to you.

    [Tupac’s Changes plays]

    Now, I think you write the budget to this track. Is that correct?

    Chalmers:

    I listen to it a lot, Hamish. I wasn’t expecting Tupac on Sydney morning radio today, but it’s a real favourite of mine. It’s a very regular feature of my playlist.

    Macdonald:

    So what are you listening to while you write this year’s Budget?

    Chalmers:

    I find that my musical tastes are mellowing over time, and so I listen to a lot of very chilled electronic music now. I still listen to Tupac from time to time, usually on a running playlist rather than a working playlist.

    Macdonald:

    Alright. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, thank you for your time, we appreciate it.

    Chalmers:

    Appreciate your time Hamish, all the best.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Expression of interest opens for Bendigo Airport Business Park

    Source: State of Victoria Local Government 2

    The City of Greater Bendigo is pleased to open an expression of interest for the new Bendigo Airport Business Park and businesses and developers are encouraged to apply.

    Bendigo Airport is offering nine business park lots for lease ranging in size from 600m2 to 1,357m2.

    This is a prime location within the landside area of the airport to support businesses either from Greater Bendigo or outside of the region who are seeking new opportunities and future growth.

    Each lot features road frontage, service connections and convenient access to the airport for freight and passenger movements.

    Due to the prominent and highly visible location next to the airport, businesses will be required to provide aesthetically appropriate infrastructure on the lot site which will require a planning and building permit to be constructed.

    There are six additional lots of vacant land that will be released in the future. Expansion into these additional lots will be considered for the right business proposals.

    Manager Economy and Experience James Myatt said the new business park offered new and exciting business opportunities.

    “The Bendigo Airport Business Park is in a prime location within the landside area of the airport providing businesses with the chance to become part of a thriving commercial hub,” Mr Myatt said.

    “The airport precinct in East Bendigo is strategically well positioned with the potential for strong investment returns.

    “This business park is designed to complement the recent airport terminal development which has increased capacity and created additional business opportunities to support regional growth.

    “The City has opened an expression of interest with nine lots available for businesses to lease land and establish their business within the airport precinct.

    “I encourage businesses and developers to submit an expression of interest and tell us how the Airport Business Park will benefit your business and the airport.”

    To submit an expression of interest, please visit: 

    VendorPanel Public Tenders

    Submissions close on Tuesday March 11 2025.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Mandatory service standards for the superannuation industry

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    The Albanese Government is taking action to raise the bar for member service in superannuation by introducing mandatory and enforceable service standards for all large APRA‑regulated superannuation funds.

    These reforms are all about strengthening the superannuation system by improving member outcomes.

    The new standards will improve how funds engage with their members and put member interests at the heart of service delivery.

    Superannuation is a powerhouse of prosperity for Australians. With a $4.1 trillion system delivering strong returns, workers are retiring with an average balance of over $200,000.

    The Government is ensuring that the same high standards Australians expect in investment performance also apply to member service.

    While most funds offer services that meet or often surpass community expectations, there have been some areas where some funds have fallen short.

    The new standards will initially target critical areas where complaints data shows the greatest need for improvement, such as:

    • The timely and compassionate handling of death benefits;
    • Fair and efficient processing of insurance claims; and
    • Clear, respectful and accessible communications with members.

    Better service is especially important during sensitive and vulnerable moments in members’ lives.

    Super funds have a responsibility to support members or their beneficiaries during these times, not add to their stress.

    Treasury will work closely with consumer advocates, regulators and industry stakeholders to develop the standards. Draft standards will be released for public consultation.

    This reform aligns with the newly legislated objective of superannuation: “to preserve savings to deliver income for a dignified retirement, alongside government support, in an equitable and sustainable way.”

    It also complements the Government’s retirement phase of super reforms and the Delivering Better Financial Outcomes package, which are about ensuring Australians receive better advice and information, improved products and greater transparency.

    With this reform, the Albanese Government is making sure the superannuation system not only delivers financial security for retirement but does so with fairness and dignity for members along the way.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: MEDIA RELEASE: WGEA confirms 4 March for next release of employer gender pay gaps

    Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

    MEDIA RELEASE

    The Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has announced it will publish the next set of Australian private sector employer gender pay gaps on 4 March 2025.

    Australians will be able to search and compare the gender pay gaps of more than 9,200 private sector employers when their 2023-24 results are published on the Agency’s website in the interactive Data Explorer dashboard and in a WGEA Employer Gender Pay Gaps Report.

    Legislative changes in 2023 enable WGEA’s second release of employer gender pay gaps to include more detailed insights on the state of gender equality in Australian workplaces.

    On 4 March, WGEA will again publish employer gender pay gaps by median, for total remuneration and base salary, and the gender composition of the workforce, by pay quartile.

    The inclusion of CEO remuneration in employer gender pay gap calculations for the first time means WGEA will also publish each individual employer’s average gender pay gap, for total remuneration and base salary, and their average remuneration, by pay quartile.

    WGEA Chief Executive Officer Mary Wooldridge said publishing individual results each year is an important catalyst for employers to take action to end their gender pay gap.

    “In Australia, we have a strong sense of fairness and the right to a fair go, but a national gender pay gap of 21.8% means women earn, on average, just 78 cents for every $1 men earn,” Ms Wooldridge said.

    “The gender pay gap limits women’s ability to meet costs of essentials like groceries, fuel or rent or the ongoing costs of children’s education. This financial pressure has a flow-on effect.

    “With less money left over after paying for daily essentials, a woman’s ability to build long-term financial security for themselves and their family is reduced. They also have less money to put aside extra savings to invest for retirement, but we know that women, on average, live longer than men.

    “Employers are in a unique position to take action to create environments where all people are fairly represented and equally valued and rewarded in the workplace.

    “Employers aren’t alone in working to this goal. WGEA has a comprehensive suite of tools and resources on the Take Action page of our website to support employers to investigate and act on their gender pay gap as well as personalised advice at our gender equality masterclasses and 1:1 direct advisory sessions.”

    In 2025, WGEA will publish the 2023-24 employer gender pay gaps for corporate groups, subsidiaries of corporate groups and standalone employers, where each organisation has 100 or more employees. This is more comprehensive than how WGEA published employer gender pay gaps in 2024 when results were published by how corporate groups submitted their data to WGEA.

    More details about what WGEA will publish on 4 March is available on the ‘Gender pay gap publishing 2025 FAQ’ webpage on the WGEA website at www.wgea.gov.au/about/our-legislation/publishing-employer-gender-pay-gaps.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 23-2025: Scheduled Outage: Saturday 01 February to Sunday 02 February 2025 – DAFF messaging, SeaPest

    Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

    28 January 2025

    Who does this notice affect?

    All users of the Seasonal Pests (SeaPest) system.

    All clients submitting the below declarations:

    • Full Import Declaration (FID)
    • Long Form Self Assessed Clearance (LFSAC)
    • Short Form Self Assessed Clearance (SFSAC)
    • Cargo Report Self Assessed Clearance (CRSAC)
    • Cargo Report Personal Effects (PE)

    Information

    Due to scheduled infrastructure maintenance at the Department of…

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Call for information – Aggravated robbery and assault worker – Katherine

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force are calling for information after an aggravated robbery and an assault worker incident occurred over the long weekend.

    Around 10.55pm Sunday 26 January 2025, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report that five youths allegedly caused damage to the front doors of a service station on Bicentennial Road. The group then jumped the counter and stole a quantity of cigarettes and the cash register and fled the location on foot.

    The staff were able to secure themselves in a staff room during the incident.

    A short time later, police attended, and a crime scene was established.

    Investigations are ongoing.

    In a separate incident at 12.40am this morning, the JESCC received a report that a group of youths were throwing rocks at a service station on Bicentennial Road. A security worker intervened, and the group fled the location on foot.

    The youths returned a short time later and began throwing rocks at the service station and the security worker, striking the 72-year-old male in the head before fleeing the scene on foot.

    Police and St. John Ambulance attended and provided first aid to the victim.

    Strike Force Cerberus have carriage of the incidents and investigations are ongoing.

    Senior Sergeant Warren Scott said, “This behaviour is unacceptable, and no one deserves to be assaulted while at work.

    “We take this type of offending incredibly seriously and will work tirelessly to locate and prosecute the individuals responsible.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 22-2025: List of treatment providers: treatment provider suspended – Western Fumigation (Pennsylvania) (AEI: US4008SB)

    Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

    28 January 2025

    Who does this notice affect?

    Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, offshore treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal agents and master consolidators.

    What has changed?

    Following identification of critical non-compliance, we have suspended Western Fumigation (Pennsylvania) (AEI: US4008SB) from AusTreat.

    The treatment provider has…

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Aggravated robbery and Attempted aggravated burglary – Tennant Creek

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 17-year-old male in relation to an aggravated robbery and attempted aggravated burglary that occurred in Tennant Creek on Saturday.

    Around 7.40am, police received reports that a male had attempted to unlawfully enter a residence on Ambrose Street and assaulted the two occupants at the property.

    The offender allegedly attended the premises, armed himself with a frying pan and threatened a 66-year-old female, demanding money and car keys. He obtained keys from the 66-year-old and then attempted to gain entry to the residence, before attempting to access the victim’s car. He allegedly choked the 85-year-old male victim and attempted to strike him with the frying pan, narrowly missing.

    A nearby neighbour intervened and the offender fled on foot.

    Police responded and a crime scene was declared.

    The 17-year-old male was located and arrested yesterday by Tennant Creek police. He was identified as being the remaining outstanding offender in relation to a stolen motor vehicle incident earlier this month.

    He has been remanded in custody and charged with the following in relation to both incidents:

    • Blackmail and Extortion
    • Aggravated Robbery
    • Two counts of Aggravated Burglary
    • Ram Raid
    • Attempted Aggravated Burglary
    • Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle
    • Criminal Damage
    • Theft

    Superintendent Katie Hatzismalis said, “This type of offending against vulnerable victims is abhorrent.

    “I acknowledge and commend the excellent work of the officers involved in the investigation and subsequent arrest, and thank the members of the community for their assistance.”

    Police urge anyone who witnesses crime or antisocial behaviour to contact police on 131 444, or in an emergency dial 000. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Man arrested in Adelaide over Nazi symbo

    Source: South Australia Police

    A man was arrested in Adelaide today after alleged offences committed on Sunday.

    On Sunday 26 January the suspect allegedly displayed a Nazi symbol in the Adelaide CBD while not involved in any organised events or protests.

    About 12.30pm Tuesday 28 January the man was located on Nelson Street where he allegedly displayed another Nazi symbol.

    The 29-year-old man was arrested and charged with two counts of displaying a Nazi symbol. He has been refused bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court either this afternoon or tomorrow.

    No case file number yet.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Full Court dismisses appeal by Ultra Tune over contempt of court

    Source: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

    The Full Federal Court has today dismissed an appeal by Ultra Tune Australia Pty Ltd (Ultra Tune), upholding a decision of the Federal Court in March 2024 to impose $1.5 million in fines for four separate instances of contempt of court.

    The contempt of court decision related to breaches of orders made by the Court in 2019 after earlier ACCC proceedings in relation to breaches of the Australian Consumer Law and the Franchising Code of Conduct (Franchising Code) by Ultra Tune, including its failure to implement a compliance program.

    Ultra Tune appealed the decision on two grounds; first that the Court had no power to impose a punishment for contempt where no endorsement was included on the relevant orders as to the consequences of non-compliance with those orders and secondly as to how the fines were calculated.

    In dismissing the appeal, the Full Federal Court held on the first ground that there was no error in the primary judge’s construction of the relevant Federal Court rules relating to the endorsement.  On the second ground the Full Federal Court held that “Ultra Tune has not established any overt error on the part of the primary judge in determining the fines for the contempts nor that they are otherwise manifestly excessive, taken alone or as a total penalty”.

    “We are pleased with the Full Court upholding this decision, which we consider a clear message that compliance with the Franchising Code is of utmost importance,” ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver said.

    “This is a serious matter because Ultra Tune had failed to comply with the requirements which are in place to protect franchisees even after judgments in earlier ACCC court action against it.”

    “We will continue to monitor the compliance by Ultra Tune and other franchisors, and take appropriate action if required,” Ms Carver said.

    The Court also awarded the ACCC its costs of the appeal.

    Background

    Ultra Tune is a car servicing franchisor with operations in every mainland state and territory and over 260 centres across Australia.

    In 2017, the ACCC instituted proceedings against Ultra Tune in relation to alleged contraventions of the ACL and the Franchising Code. In January 2019, the Federal Court imposed total pecuniary penalties of $2.604 million against Ultra Tune (reduced to $2.014 million on appeal) for its contravening conduct.

    The penalties related to Ultra Tune’s:

    • late production and dissemination (by over six months in some instances) of marketing fund statements and disclosure documents mandated by the Franchising Code; and
    • treatment of a prospective franchisee, whom the court found Ultra Tune had misled.

    In March 2019, the Court ordered Ultra Tune to implement a compliance program and made injunctions restraining Ultra Tune from contravening certain provisions of the ACL and the Franchising Code. The Full Federal Court rejected an appeal by Ultra Tune against this decision in September 2019.

    In June 2022, the ACCC instituted proceedings alleging Ultra Tune was in contempt of court by failing to comply with the orders made in March 2019.  In March 2024, the Federal Court fined Ultra Tune $1.5 million for contempt of Court. The company appealed this decision in late March.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Rejoice in the Year of the Snake

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    An exciting and joyous atmosphere prevails in Hong Kong as the city rings in the Year of the Snake with people busy shopping for festive treats and decorations.

    At the Lunar New Year Fair in Victoria Park, a variety of festive essentials are available for those keen on adorning their homes.

    The Mong Kok Flower Market is drawing crowds of people eager to pick auspicious plants and flowers for good luck, wealth and prosperity.

    Various activities are being held across the city to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the community, including a lantern display at the Cultural Centre Piazza showcasing masterpieces by a local paper-crafting master. 

    The news.gov.hk team wishes our readers a joyful and prosperous Year of the Snake.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Doorstop – Jerrabombera

    Source: Australia Government Ministerial Statements

    SUBJECTS: Cheaper Child Care; Wage rise for early educators; Universal early education; Fully funding public schools; $7,200 worse off under Peter Dutton; National Bullying Action Plan; The Middle East; Antisemitism; University governance; Local government 

    KRISTY McBAIN, MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES: It’s a pleasure today to welcome Minister Jason Clare to Goodstart Jerrabomberra where 90 places a day are filled, and we have a wait list. Jerrabomberra is the heart of the Queanbeyan region, it’s fast growing, and this childcare centre is one of many that have benefitted from the Albanese Labor Government’s Cheaper Childcare plan.

    We know families right across our region have benefitted from this, and it’s so great to be able to introduce Minister Clare to the wonderful staff here, the wonderful centre manager and State manager and the wonderful kids that come here each and every day to enjoy this beautiful centre.

    JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks very much, Kristy. It’s absolutely fantastic to be with you here at Jerrabomberra at the Goodstart Centre here. You are an absolutely fantastic Member of Parliament, and we are so lucky to have as part of the Albanese Labor Government and this community is lucky to have you as their Labor Member.

    When we were elected two and a half years ago, childcare costs had sky rocketed, childcare costs under the Liberals went up by 49 per cent over just under a decade, and that was double the OECD average.

    We’ve cut the cost of childcare now for more than a million Australian families. In the first 15 months of our Cheaper Childcare laws this has meant that for an average family on about 120 grand a year combined income with one child in early education or care saved them about 2,700 bucks, and that’s real money that’s making a real difference for families right across the country.

    And when we were elected two and a half years ago childcare workers were leaving the sector in droves, that’s the truth of it, and we’re now starting to see that turn around. Data that’s been released today shows that vacancy rates in the childcare sector are down 22 per cent, and at Goodstart, where we are today, all of their centres across the country, we’re seeing job applications now jump by 35 per cent, and expressions of interest jump by 50 to 60 per cent. Vacancy rates at Goodstart Centres are down by a massive 28 per cent.

    So that’s fantastic news. It shows that when you pay people more, more people want to do the job, and there aren’t many jobs that are more important than the work that our early educators do, getting young people ready for school.

    If we win the next election, the next big thing that we need to do is build more centres where they don’t exist at the moment and help to make sure that more young people get the chance that the children we’ve met here today get, help young people who can’t get into early education and care now, either because there’s no centre in their town, or because they can’t get access to the subsidy through no fault of their own.

    And that’s why if we win the next election, we’ll set up a $1 billion fund to build more centres in the outer suburbs and in the regions where they don’t exist at the moment, and implement a three day guarantee, to guarantee that every child who needs it will get access to three days a week of government supported early education and care.

    Why? To make sure that more children are ready to start school, because the evidence is, that if children spend more time in early education and care in centres like this, they’re more likely to start school ready to learn.

    And just while talking about school, last week the Prime Minister announced that South Australia and Victoria have become the fifth and sixth States to sign up to our public school funding and reform agreement, the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement, that’s along with WA, Tassie, ACT, the Northern Territory and of course now South Australia and Victoria.

    On the weekend, teachers backed this agreement, on the weekend principals backed this agreement, and now today the Business Council of Australia backed this agreement. This is real funding, to fix the funding of our public schools, and it’s not a blank cheque, it’s tied to real reform; things like phonics checks in Year 1 and numeracy checks in Year 1 to identify children who might already be falling behind, and then using that funding to make sure that children who do fall behind catch up early, because we know that children who catch up early are more likely to go on and finish high school.

    So, it’s backed by teachers, backed by principals, backed by the business community. The only people that are against it are Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party, they’re against cutting the cost of childcare for Australian parents, they’re against pay rises for childcare workers, they’re against building more childcare centres where they don’t exist, and they’re against fixing the funding of our public schools and tying that funding to evidence based teaching and real reform to help more young children to catch up, keep up and finish high school.

    Happy to take some questions.

    JOURNALIST: When do you expect that Queensland and New South Wales will sign on to that school agreement?

    CLARE: I won’t give you a date, but negotiations are going well.

    JOURNALIST: Fresh polling is showing that it’s really tight. Are your cost-of-living measures cutting through with the voters?

    CLARE: We know that Australians are doing it tough, a lot of Australians are doing it tough, that’s why creating a million jobs is really important, that’s why cutting inflation by more than half is really important, that’s why boosting real wages is really important as well.

    We’re making progress, there’s more work to do, but the evidence that came out on the weekend shows that if Peter Dutton had been the Prime Minister of Australia for the last 12 months, Australian families would be over $7,000 worse off.

    Why? Well, because he was against the tax cuts that delivered a lot of support for Australian families, he’s against cheaper childcare, he’s against cutting the cost of medicine, he’s against lifting real wages, he’s against cutting the cost of people’s energy bills through that $300 rebate, and when you add all that up, it means that Aussie families would be thousands and thousands of dollars, $7,200, worse off under Peter Dutton.

    JOURNALIST: On the School Agreement, so New South Wales and Queensland you would assume are trying to get more than 25 per cent. Are you open to that?

    CLARE: Don’t assume that. But I’m not going to negotiate through the media. What’s important here is that we fix the funding of our public schools, and we tie that to the sort of reforms that are going to help make sure that more kids that fall behind can catch up and keep up and finish high school.

    Private schools, non government schools are funded at the level that David Gonski said they should be at, public schools aren’t, and this agreement is about fixing that, but also tying that to real targets and real reforms.

    The current agreement doesn’t do that. There aren’t any real targets, there aren’t any real reforms. I want to make sure that we fix the funding of our schools and tie it to the sort of reforms that we know work. I want this money to get results.

    At the moment in public schools, over the course of say, you know, the last eight years or so, we’ve seen the percentage of kids finishing high school drop from 83 per cent to 73 per cent. Just think about that for a second. That’s happening at a time where it’s more important to finish school than it was when we were little.

    We’ve got to turn that around if we’re going to make sure that more people get a chance to go to TAFE and university and get the jobs that are being created today. That’s why this funding is important, but that’s why the reforms that it’s linked to are just as important.

    JOURNALIST: The States that signed on to it earlier, are they now pushing for 25 per cent as well, and will you grant that?

    CLARE: I’ve already spoken to those States, and we will offer to them the same deal, which is we’ll lift our offer from 20 to 25 if they get rid of that 4 per cent which is usually aligned to things like capital depreciation costs. So, we’re having great conversations with states like WA and Tassie.

    JOURNALIST: Is there a willingness though to go above 25 per cent for the two states that have paid off, and then does that open up the chance for increased funding for other states?

    CLARE: No. That’s why when I answered your previous question, I said don’t assume that the States are asking for more than 25 per cent. What the states have been asking for, for the last 12 months is that we increase our offer from 20 to 25 per cent, and we said, “Yeah, we’ll do that, but we need you to chip in as well”.

    It’s always been my view that the Commonwealth’s got to chip in and the states have to chip in as well. That’s why we’re saying to the states, if we can lift our funding from 20 to 25 per cent, let’s get rid of that other 4 per cent, which is used for things like capital depreciation that don’t actually go to real funding for schools at the moment.

    JOURNALIST: Is the absolute cap 25?

    CLARE: Well, again, I’m not going to go into the details of the conversation, but we’re not talking beyond 25.

    JOURNALIST: How exactly are you going to address high rates of absenteeism due to bullying or mental health issues, do you actually have a stepped plan in place for the next school year?

    CLARE: Yep. This is a complicated thing. There is absolutely no place for bullying in our schools. That’s why the work that we’re doing in putting together a National Bullying Action Plan with the states is so critical, so important; that’s why getting rid of mobile phones in schools is so important; that’s why the ban on access to social media for young people under the age of 16 is so important as well.

    We know fundamentally that children are less likely to be at school if they’re suffering from bullying or they’re suffering from mental health challenges. And young people with mental health challenges, by the time they’re in Year 9 are about a year and a half to two years behind the rest of the class, and less likely to finish school.

    And so the sort of things that we want to tie this funding to are early intervention when children are young at primary school to make sure that they keep up and catch up, but also more investment in things like mental health workers and paediatric nursing support in our schools.

    That investment in health is not just about health, it has real education outcomes as well.

    JOURNALIST: Donald Trump overnight said that   sorry, a couple of days ago said that he proposed “cleaning”   unquote   “cleaning out Gaza and resettling Palestinians”. What is the Government’s response to that?

    CLARE: The Government’s position for a very, very long time, I think since December of 2023, has been to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, and we’re glad that that has finally happened. We want to see an end to the killing in the Middle East, we want to see trucks come in with food and with medicine and with aid. We want to see the hostages returned.

    JOURNALIST: And what about resettling Palestinians though? What is your response directly to that suggestion that they should be moved to Jordan or Egypt?

    CLARE: The position of the Australian Government, which I think is still the position of the Opposition as well is that we believe in a two-state solution, two countries living side by side, two peoples living side by side in two nations where people can live in safety and security without having to go through checkpoints or fear that their lives will be taken from them the next day.

    JOURNALIST: Just on that language though, you know, “cleaning out”, do you think that’s triggering language or insensitive language?

    CLARE: Repeating my previous answer, we want two peoples able to be live side by side in safety and security.

    JOURNALIST: Do you have a set price tag on the number of those professional healthcare workers you want in schools?

    CLARE: No, there’s no set number, but this investment in South Australia’s an extra billion dollars over the next 10 years, in Victoria it’s an extra two and a half billion dollars over the next 10 years.

    The agreements that we’re striking with the states are all going to be slightly different depending on the needs in those states, but it’s designed to invest in real practical reforms that we know are going to get the results that we need.

    Just to add to what we’re talking about here, we’re talking about fixing the funding of our public schools. Now one in 10 children at the moment, when they sit for their NAPLAN tests in third grade, are identified as being below the national average, so one in 10   sorry, below the national minimum standard, so one in 10. But amongst children from poor families, from really disadvantaged backgrounds, it’s one in three, and most of those children go to public schools.

    So our public schools are the places that do the real heavy lifting where the challenge is three times as big, and they’re the ones that were underfunded at the moment. We want to fix that funding and tie that funding to help those children to catch up and keep up and finish high school.

    JOURNALIST: On that pay rise for early educators, do you know how many centres have used that as an excuse to immediately increase their fees by 4.4 per cent?  

    CLARE: Here’s the thing, they can’t, because a condition of getting the funding for the pay rise is they can’t increase their fees by more than 4 per cent.

    JOURNALIST: Yeah. That’s why I’m asking how many have increased their fees to that 4.4?

    CLARE: I suspect that most centres will increase their fees somewhere between zero and up to that 4 per cent over the next 12 months. The key thing is they can’t go beyond that, and that’s a big part of this deal. Number one, we want to make sure that the money goes to the worker, not the centre, and number two, in order to get that funding, they cannot increase their fees by more than 4 per cent.

    JOURNALIST: Do you know how many though have hit that cap?

    CLARE: It’s too early to give you that number.

    JOURNALIST: This billion-dollar strategy for outer suburbs and regional areas, do you have any hotspots, any, you know, regional areas that you’re concerned about that don’t have enough facilities?

    CLARE: You can look at data that shows where there are what’s called sometimes “childcare deserts” right across the country. This fund is designed to help to make sure that we build centres where they’re needed most, and in particular, if you look at the Productivity Commission report released last year it talks to this, it’s the outer suburbs, and it’s in Regional Australia.

    Just talking to the team at Goodstart here is the only childcare centre in Jerra that provides full service from six week old children right through to four year olds.

    JOURNALIST: I did just want to ask you about – there was evidence at a Parliamentary Committee last week about an online meeting of ANU to delete the Nazi salute. The investigation to my understanding is that they found that that wasn’t the case. What else do you think was happening there?

    CLARE: I make the general point, whether it’s at ANU or whether it’s at QUT that there is absolutely no place for the poison of antisemitism in our universities or anywhere in this country or anywhere in the world.

    There is a commemoration that’s just happened of the 80th Anniversary of the Holocaust and Auschwitz. You know, in the lifetime of our grandparents we’ve all seen the true terror of what antisemitism can wreak and there is no place for it, and that’s why I’ve made it very clear to every university leader in the country that they must enforce their Codes of Conduct, and that includes saying that directly to the Vice Chancellor of QUT.

    JOURNALIST: Do you believe though that it was appropriate that an ANU student who went on radio said that terrorist designated organisation, Hamas [indistinct] unconditional support was able to overturn her expulsion on appeal. You’ve just spoken about the poison of antisemitism; we have a growing issue in Australia. Is that an appropriate thing to do?

    CLARE: No.

    JOURNALIST: Are we any closer to a governance review   what’s the latest with the university governance review?

    CLARE: Yeah, last week we announced the members of the panel that will be responsible for implementing that review.

    JOURNALIST: Are you confident with the members of that panel?

    CLARE: I am.

    JOURNALIST: And then I might just Ms McBain something if that’s okay.

    CLARE: Sure.

    JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] would like to see councils auctioning off properties. What do you think of this decision?

    McBAIN: Look, every Council has the opportunity to take action when someone doesn’t pay rates for a period of time. My understanding, and it was a unanimous decision of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council to take this route, is that these rates have been unpaid for more than five years. A lot of those properties that attempted to make contact by door knocking them, letter boxing them, serving them, there’s been no contact made with any of those individuals for a variety of reasons. It is an avenue open to them, but as I said, it’s a unanimous decision of Queanbeyan-Palerang Council to take this action, which I’m sure that hasn’t been done lightly either.

    JOURNALIST: Are you concerned about the financial stability of councils if they are having to resort to methods like this just to try and stay out of debt?

    McBAIN: Look, I think when you look at it, it’s about a million dollars in unpaid rates that they are going to attempt to recruit through auction. I don’t think this goes anywhere near dealing with some of the ongoing issues that councils have, but what we’ve done since we’ve been in government, you know, there’s been more collaboration with local councils than in any time before that.

    I’ve personally met with over 250 councils either in their communities or in Canberra or at a Local Government Association conference. We have doubled Roads to Recovery funding and that means regional councils across the country have now more money than ever before to deal with road issues.

    Across Eden Monaro that’s $26.3 million extra for our local councils resulting in over $65 million for roads alone. We’ve increased road black spot funding, we’ve created the new safer local road and infrastructure program, $200 million a year, you know, we’ve been really putting our shoulder to the wheel making a difference for local councils, and just last week I was able to announce $27.2 million for Marulan Sewer Treatment Plant, you know, which is something that Council had called from but hadn’t been supported in getting.

    So, the Albanese Government takes seriously the priorities of local councils and local communities and we’ve been delivering for all of them.

    JOURNALIST: Thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Sky News Afternoon Agenda

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

    CHENG LEI: The Prime Minister has made his pitch for re-election, spelling out his second term agenda at the National Press Club. It set the scene for the campaign, the PM telling voters they have a choice between two different nations at the next election. Joining me now is Regional Development Minister, Kristy McBain. Hey there Kristy. Happy Friday to you. So how are we developing our regions to build Australia, especially going towards the future. 

    KRISTY MCBAIN: Thanks Lei, it’s great to be with you this afternoon. I’m at the Lazy George Cafe in Marulan, and we’ve made a big announcement today on the Housing Support Program. $27.2 million to help have the houses that we need to retain and attract workers into communities just like this one. When we came to government two and a half years ago, there was a skill shortage across the country, and that’s because at the state and federal level, Coalition governments had ripped money out of TAFE and they’d taken completion incentives away from apprentices. I know this firsthand because my husband and I run a small business in the construction industry. The Prime Minister’s pitch today was all about trying to continue to build those skills back in our communities, with making fee-free TAFE a permanent feature of the federal government, and also those $10,000 apprenticeship incentives. We know people are battling with the cost of living, and here’s another way that the Albanese Labor Government can commit to seeing people through their apprenticeships. $2,000 at five different points during that apprenticeship process, to help people get through what can be a tough three or four years. It’s really important that we help people build the skills that we need right across regional Australia. 

    CHENG LEI: Kristy, if you run the small business in construction, then you know the difficulties the industry faces. That is not just the labour shortage but also the land supply, the tax issue and also infrastructure that needs to be built for housing. What’s being done on that? 

    KRISTY MCBAIN: I’ve engaged with 250 councils directly, and the things that they’ve told me are that they need enabling infrastructure to get more homes on the ground quicker. That’s why we committed to the Housing Support Program. $1.5 billion helping communities build that enabling infrastructure. $27.2 million right here in Marulan to upgrade the sewerage treatment plant, so that more homes can be built in this community here. In Kempsey, it was $45 million for both water and sewerage treatment plants, so that more homes can get on the ground there. $10 million in Griffith for roads and green space, so more homes can be constructed there. We’re getting on with the job, but we’re doing it in conjunction with state and local council, because it’s really important that we’re working together. For 12 odd years that the liberal state government was in, and nearly the ten years that the former coalition government was in, there wasn’t a Housing Minister, and there weren’t any plans to help communities with this vital infrastructure. We’ve listened and we’re delivering what those local communities are asking for. 

    CHENG LEI: Tell us more about the water treatment, because I know that for a long time, water quality was quite an issue in your constituency. 

    KRISTY MCBAIN: That’s right. This project here, $27.2 million is for sewerage treatment. It will allow more homes to connect to a proper sewerage treatment option, and will also allow further land subdivisions, so that more homes will be able to connect to an upgraded sewage treatment plant. Detailed design works are currently underway, and then the local council will be working with the regulatory authorities, the Office of Water, the EPA, to make sure that plant complies with all the regulations. It’s on top of the $17.2 million I’ve just delivered down the road in the Yass Valley, where water quality was absolutely a huge issue. It’s been an issue that’s been talked about for decades, and we’ve seen press releases from a whole bunch of Liberal and National politicians, but it took a Labor Government to come in and change the guidelines to the National Water Grid to ensure that town water projects, like the Yass project, could actually get national water funding. That’s exactly what the Albanese Labor Government has delivered. $17.2 million so that people will not have to deal with brown, smelly water, which we wouldn’t expect anywhere else.

    CHENG LEI: Finally, how are you celebrating the Australia Day long weekend?

    KRISTY MCBAIN: I’m really looking forward to the Australia Day long weekend. I’ll be attending three different celebrations across my electorate. Goulburn in the morning, Captains flat in the afternoon, Queanbeyan in the evening. I’ll be heading home to my family in the evening, hopefully in time for a barbi, and hanging out with a few mates. I hope everyone has a great day, celebrates in the way they chose, and hopefully we have some nice weather so they can get out and about as well.

    CHENG LEI: Thanks so much Kristy, I was just in Queanbeyan last weekend. I enjoyed a really nice bush walk.

    KRISTY MCBAIN: We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

    CHENG LEI: Minister for Regional Development, thank you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Public Country-by-Country reporting

    Source: Australian Department of Revenue

    What is Public CBC reporting?

    Public CBC reporting is a reporting regime which requires certain large multinational enterprises to publish selected tax information. The information must be reported either on a CBC basis or on an aggregated basis. The regime applies for reporting periods commencing from 1 July 2024.

    The entities within the regime publish their Public CBC report by providing it to the ATO and then the ATO uploading it on data.gov.au. Public CBC reporting improves how information is shared with the public to help compare entity tax disclosures, to better assess whether an entity’s economic presence in a jurisdiction aligns with the amount of tax they pay in that jurisdiction.

    Public CBC reporting requires disclosures about:

    • the revenues, profits and income taxes of the global group
    • the activities of the global group
    • an entity’s international related party dealings.

    Who is required to report?

    An entity must report for a reporting period if all of the following apply to it:

    • is a Public CBC reporting parent for the preceding period
    • is an entity of the type specified
    • satisfies the requirements for that reporting period.

    An entity is of the type specified if it is any one of the following:

    • constitutional corporation
    • trust, provided each of the trustees is a constitutional corporation
    • partnership, provided each of the partners is a constitutional corporation.

    Entities meet the requirements for a reporting period if all of the following apply:

    • they were a Public CBC reporting parent for a period that includes the whole or a part of the preceding reporting period
    • they were a member of a Public CBC reporting group at any time during the reporting period
    • at any point during the reporting period, they, or a member of their Public CBC reporting group, were an Australian resident or a foreign resident operating an Australian permanent establishment
    • $10 million or more of their aggregated turnover for the reporting period was Australian-sourced
    • they were not an exempt entity or included in a class of exempt entities.

    Public CBC reporting registration

    All Public CBC reporting parents are encouraged to register with the ATO as this simplifies:

    • the giving of the Public CBC report to the ATO
    • requesting an extension of time to provide the Public CBC report
    • requesting an exemption from reporting obligations.

    The registration form and instructions are under development and will be made available in 2025.

    Public CBC reporting obligations

    The Public CBC reporting parent entity must give the Public CBC report electronically to the ATO within 12 months after the end of the relevant reporting period.

    An update to correct any material errors must be given to the ATO within 28 days of the Public CBC reporting parent identifying or otherwise becoming aware of that error.

    Penalties apply for non-compliance.

    The Public CBC reporting form and instructions are in development, they will be made available in 2025.

    What does jurisdictional reporting mean?

    For Australia and specified jurisdictions determined by the Minister, particular information must be published on a CBC basis.

    For all other jurisdictions the CBC reporting group operates in, the Public CBC reporting parent has a choice to publish that same information on either a CBC basis or an aggregated basis.

    Specified jurisdictions list

    The Minister’s determination of jurisdictions for the purpose of Public CBC reporting is provided by legislative instrument. The Taxation Administration (Country by Country Reporting Jurisdictions) Determination 2024Opens in a new window outlines the specified jurisdictions.

    Jurisdictions that have a comprehensive international tax agreement with Australia:

    • Singapore
    • Switzerland

    Other jurisdictions:

    • Andorra
    • Anguilla
    • Antigua and Barbuda
    • Aruba
    • Barbados
    • Bahamas
    • Bahrain
    • Belize
    • Bermuda
    • British Virgin Islands
    • Cayman Islands
    • Cook Islands
    • Curacao
    • Dominica
    • Gibraltar
    • Grenada
    • Guernsey
    • Hong Kong
    • Isle of Man
    • Jersey
    • Liberia
    • Mauritius
    • Monaco
    • Montserrat
    • Nauru
    • Niue
    • Panama
    • Republic of the Marshall Islands
    • Saint Kitts and Nevis
    • Saint Lucia
    • Saint Maarten (Dutch Part)
    • Saint Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Samoa
    • San Marino
    • Seychelles
    • Turks and Caicos Islands
    • US Virgin Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Public CBC information to be reported

    The Public CBC reporting parent is required to publish: 

    • its own legal name
    • the names of each entity in the CBC reporting group
    • a description of the CBC reporting group’s approach to tax
    • information about Australia and specified jurisdictions, on a CBC basis
    • information about its other jurisdictions, either on a CBC or aggregated basis.

    Information required to be reported

    If the Public CBC reporting parent chooses to report on a CBC basis for all jurisdictions that the group operates in, it does not need to publish any information on an aggregated basis. However, if the Public CBC reporting parent only publishes information on a CBC basis for Australia and the specified jurisdictions, it must publish information for all other jurisdictions on an aggregated basis.

    Australia and specified jurisdictions

    The information required to be reported for Australia and specified jurisdictions is:

    • the name of the jurisdiction
    • a description of main business activities
    • the number of employees (on a full-time equivalent basis) at the end of the reporting period
    • revenue from unrelated parties
    • revenue from related parties that are not tax residents of the jurisdiction
    • profit or loss before income tax
    • book value at the end of the reporting period of tangible assets, other than cash and cash equivalents
    • income tax paid (on a cash basis)
    • income tax accrued (current year)
    • the reasons for the difference between income tax accrued (current year) and the amount of income tax due if the income tax rate applicable to the jurisdiction were applied to profit and loss before income tax
    • the currency used in calculating and presenting the above information.

    Other jurisdictions (aggregated information)

    The information required to be reported on an aggregated basis, for all other jurisdictions the group operates in, is, the aggregation of the following for all of those jurisdictions:

    • a description of main business activities in those jurisdictions
    • the number of employees (on a full-time equivalent basis) at the end of the reporting period
    • revenue from unrelated parties
    • revenue from related parties that are not tax residents of the jurisdiction in which that revenue is being derived
    • profit or loss before income tax
    • book value at the end of the reporting period of tangible assets, other than cash and cash equivalents
    • income tax paid (on a cash basis)
    • income tax accrued (current year)
    • the currency used in calculating and presenting the above information.

    The information required to be reported, has been adopted from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 207: Tax 2019 reporting standard. The GRI 207 may be used as a source of guidance in interpretating the publishing requirements. Regard may also be had to the BEPS Action 13 Guidance and the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines where they provide greater detail on the interpretation of terms.

    Correction of errors

    If a Public CBC reporting parent becomes aware of a material error contained in any of the information that has been published, the CBC reporting parent must correct the error by giving corrected information to the Commissioner in the approved form. This is required no later than 28 days after the entity becomes aware of the material error.

    Penalties apply for non-compliance.

    Publishing the information

    The Public CBC reporting parent is required to publish the information on an Australian government website by giving the information in the approved form to the Commissioner.

    The Public CBC reporting form and instructions are under development and will be made available in 2025.

    The Commissioner’s role

    The Commissioner will facilitate publication of the reported information as soon as practicable, on the Australian government website data.gov.au.

    If a material error is corrected by the Public CBC reporting parent, the Commissioner will publish the corrected information on data.gov.au as soon as practicable. 

    The first publication is expected to be released in late 2026.

    Extension of time to provide the Public CBC report

    The Public CBC report is due within 12 months after the end of the relevant reporting period. For example, for the reporting period ending 30 June 2025, the Public CBC report is due by 30 June 2026.

    A Public CBC reporting parent may apply to the Commissioner for an extension of time to provide the Public CBC report. A Public CBC reporting parent does not have to register to request an extension of time, but consideration and processing of the request may be delayed if it is not registered.

    Guidance on extension of time requests will be made available in 2025.

    Exemptions

    The primary purpose of the Public CBC regime is to enhance tax transparency. However, a Public CBC reporting parent may seek an exemption from reporting obligations, from the Commissioner. The Commissioner may exempt an entity (a ‘full exemption’) or specify that an entity is exempt from publishing information of a particular kind (a ‘partial exemption’) for a single reporting period.

    A Public CBC reporting parent does not have to register to request an exemption, but consideration and processing of the request may be delayed if it is not registered.

    Guidance on exemptions will be made available in 2025. For more information, see Public country-by-country reporting transparency measure and exemption discretions.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australia’s drama dilemma: how taxpayers foot the bill for content that ends up locked behind paywalls

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anna Potter, Professor in Digital Media and Cutural Studies, Queensland University of Technology

    Shutterstock

    Headlines about Screen Australia’s latest annual Drama Report have highlighted one particular figure: a 29% drop in total industry expenditure compared to the year before.

    But a closer look suggests this isn’t the most concerning finding. The report also reveals a significant chunk (42%) of the A$803 million spent on producing Australian TV drama in 2023–24 was funded by taxpayers.

    What’s more – watching half of the Australian TV drama hours broadcast in 2024 required a streaming subscription. Watching all of them required seven different subscriptions.

    With Australians’ funding of this commercial, for-profit sector on the rise, we can’t help but ask: what do Australian viewers get in return?

    Screen production challenged globally

    Screen sectors globally are experiencing significant downturns because of changes in audience behaviour and advertiser spending. Various analyses suggest between 14% and 25% of all viewing is now comprised of videos from YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

    Advertising revenue that once helped fund local drama has followed viewers to social media apps, imperilling Australia’s commercial broadcasters.

    Traditionally, commissions from the three commercial broadcasters have supported Australia’s drama production sector. However, in 2021 the government significantly watered-down their quota obligations. As a result, networks Seven, Nine and Ten commissioned just nine hours of new, non-soap drama in 2024.

    The loss of commercial broadcasters from the production ecosystem has radically changed the sector’s dynamics. Streamers such as Netflix and Stan are now the largest investors in Australian drama, followed by the ABC.

    Government subsidies for the sector have also grown considerably, partly due to rising production costs. Over the ten years leading up to 2023–24, federal spending on local TV drama production more than tripled, increasing by an average of 16.9% each year.

    Yet, during that same period, the hours of TV drama produced fell by an average of 5.7% each year. In other words, we’re spending more on less. And as mentioned above, much of this declining TV drama slate – which is heavily subsidised by government money – is ending up behind streamer paywalls.

    The problem with current policy

    Too much of Australia’s current screen funding is going towards stories that can’t be watched without a paid subscription.

    Also, many of these stories have little to no connection to Australia. For instance NBC Universal’s Young Rock, which was produced in Australia, is about the childhood of American celebrity Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Similarly, Nautilus, which Disney originally commissioned and which was made in Australia, is loosely based on Jules Verne’s maritime adventure novel, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.



    Read more:
    At $300m, Jules Verne-inspired Nautilus is the most expensive Australian-made show. But Disney+ was right to dump it

    Since the 2000s, our screen industry has become far more global than national. Current policy largely funds television projects through tax rebates on production budget. And any scripted production made in Australia (and with a certain minimum budget) is eligible for this funding.

    These rebates, combined with a lack of local content quotas for broadcasters and streamers, mean our current policy risks generously funding titles made by global corporations for international viewers.

    The 2024 Drama Report highlights a need to carefully consider whether Australia’s policy for the sector is delivering for Australians.

    It’s time to update the conditions of support, which were designed back when commercial broadcasters reliably commissioned some 300 hours of Australian drama each year. This is no longer the case.

    Solutions for more Australians stories

    So what needs to change? For a start, policy must offer greater support for dramas that tell compelling Australian stories in all their diversity.

    Such dramas, which deliver significant cultural value to audiences, should receive higher levels of rebates than international stories filmed in Australia. The ABC and the SBS could lead the way in commissioning this content, as per their charter obligations.

    The 2021 changes to Australian content regulations left the ABC as the principal provider of free local drama and children’s programs – but the ABC has limited resources. Rather than supporting international productions, local audiences might be better served if the government increased the ABC’s funding to produce minimum amounts of drama and children’s programs.

    We also have to bring Australian drama out from behind streamer paywalls if they receive any kind of government support. They should be made available to local audiences for free within two years of their release.

    This could be done through free-to-air television services, like ABC iView or SBS On Demand, or on a free platform built specifically for local content.

    Policymakers will need to define production sector sustainability in a 21st century context. Australia has historically had many small production companies. However, the steep decline in local drama being produced suggests only a few companies will remain viable in the long term.

    The scale of disruption facing local broadcasters and production companies needs to be matched by policy that’s fit for purpose, and which returns value to Australian communities.

    Anna Potter receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Amanda Lotz receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    Marion McCutcheon receives funding from the Australian Research Council.

    – ref. Australia’s drama dilemma: how taxpayers foot the bill for content that ends up locked behind paywalls – https://theconversation.com/australias-drama-dilemma-how-taxpayers-foot-the-bill-for-content-that-ends-up-locked-behind-paywalls-246237

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Opposing Govt Policy – Hear our voice PM – the PSA’s campaign against asset sales begins today

    Source: PSA

    The PSA firmly rejects any return to selling state assets following today’s comments from the Prime Minister.
    Christopher Luxon said National may seek a mandate for asset sales at the next election. That comes days after ACT Leader David Seymour floated the prospect of privatisation of public health and other public services.
    “Not content with stripping the guts out of the public service, now we have a Prime Minister floating selling state assets – it’s a return to the failed policies of the past,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, Acting National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “If the Government thinks selling state assets will drive economic growth, then the public should be worried.
    “Have we not learnt from the past? Our history is littered with failed privatisations which required expensive bail outs and buy backs by taxpayers – remember the failures of Kiwi Rail, Air New Zealand and the Bank of New Zealand.
    “The PSA doubts the public’s mood for asset sales has shifted since the 2013 citizens initiated referendum where two thirds of voters rejected asset sales.
    “Asset sales are just a short-term sugar hit, and the public will be worse off. This is not simply a ‘recycling of assets’ as the PM puts it, but a loss of ownership and control. It’s wrong.
    “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past and keep the state’s silver in public hands. The PSA will be making its opposition to any return to the failed asset sales agenda of the past loud and clear.”
    The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Women struggle in the boardroom to promote social responsibility initiatives

    Source: University of South Australia

    28 January 2025

    It’s well documented that despite increasing awareness of gender equality, women remain underrepresented when taking a seat at leadership tables in the corporate world. But what about the challenges women face once they make it to the boardroom?

    University of South Australia researchers have found that women encounter significant struggles when navigating power dynamics in leadership teams – specifically when it comes to driving corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This is despite many previous studies suggesting that having more women on boards will lead to stronger social outcomes.

    CSR is when a business makes a conscious effort to make the world a better place. It could be a small enterprise making a simple charity donation or large corporation giving a portion of its profits to a worthy cause.

    Researchers in UniSA’s Centre for Markets, Values and Inclusion, Associate Professor Wei Qian, Dr Kathy Rao and Dr Xin Deng conducted a study recently that revealed the power dynamics at play when CSR decisions are being considered by boards and companies.

    Twenty senior women directors and managers from both small and large companies were interviewed from a variety of industries including banking, metal and mining, health care, finance, telecommunication, real estate and insurance.

    Assoc Prof Qian says the women expressed biases and difficulties in promoting CSR to their boardroom colleagues.

    “When speaking with these women, we heard several examples of women finding it hard to navigate power imbalances when it comes to driving social initiatives. One participant said she was told she ‘wears her heart on her sleeve’ when she was expressing concerns about a social initiative and wanting the company to go in a certain direction,” Assoc Prof Qian says.

    “We found that when women leaders were assigned ‘soft’ tasks that are assumed to be less important, such as CSR projects, they were often either marginalised or completely silenced, making them less likely to challenge board decisions or have an impact on changing performance. This created discomfort and sometimes even an intimidating environment for women to raise CSR concerns or ideas.

    “Men predominantly hold the powerful positions, such as executive directors or chairs, and they dominate the ‘hard’ business issues.”

    Some women also explained how they had to take a gentler approach to advocacy, choose their words carefully and sometimes adjust their CSR ideas to make them more receptive to their male colleagues – often by reframing it as a business opportunity or a chance for the business to gain competitive advantage.

    One research participant explained, “The best example was talking about the climate change program. You have to build a good story, sort of start at the economic (s) … and work your way up to (it), and then (say) ‘by the way, this would be a good and responsible thing to do’.”

    Assoc Prof Qian says stereotypes play into the question of whether women are more receptive to CSR agendas, but overall, she believes women are more often associated with strong performance in environmental and social goals and community engagement.

    “Stereotypically, women are perceived as more emotional, sensitive, caring and empathetic towards others. In contrast men are viewed as more independent, masterful and assertive,” she says.

    “Women directors are keener to build connections that offer social support and foster a sense of belonging, which in turn can lead them to engage more in CSR activities,” she says. “This confirms that gender equality on boards matters.”

    The research involved participants from Australia and China, neither of which have gender quotas. The researchers say although the two countries are distinctive in terms of political, social and economic structures, female leaders experienced similar struggles in the boardroom when promoting CSR.

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

    Contact for interview: Associate Professor Wei Qian, UniSA E: Wei.Qian@unisa.edu.au
    Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +403 659 154 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Arrest – Robbery – Alice Springs

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested a 14-year-old male in relation to a robbery that occurred in Alice Springs on Sunday.

    Around 11.50am, police received reports that a robbery had occurred at a service station in Braitling.

    Four male youths had allegedly entered the store and stolen food and drinks, with one of the youths allegedly armed with an edged weapon. The youth allegedly threatened staff with the weapon before all offenders fled the scene on foot.

    Strike Force Viper members attended and commenced investigations. CCTV footage was reviewed, and the 14-year-old male was identified and arrested around 12.55pm. The edged weapon was confirmed to be a plastic toy and was seized by police.

    Investigations are ongoing to identify the remaining offenders.

    Police urge anyone with information to contact police on 131 444, quoting reference P25026196. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/. 

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Allens expands real estate team with appointment of Carrie Rogers as partner

    Source: Allens Insights

    Carrie Rogers has joined Allens as a Partner in the Projects & Development practice, based in the Real Estate & Development team in Sydney. She brings more than 15 years of experience in complex property development, structuring, and leasing, including indirect property transactions, acquisitions, disposals and leasebacks.

    Carrie’s appointment continues the strong growth of our Real Estate & Development team, enhancing our capabilities in advising on large-scale property developments, complex structuring, and multi-party agreements, areas that are increasingly critical to clients amid the energy transition and the rising deployment of private capital in infrastructure.

    ‘Carrie’s collaborative approach and ability to deliver tailored, practical solutions make her an outstanding addition to our team. We are delighted to welcome her to Allens and look forward to the valuable contributions she will bring to our clients and practice,’ said Michael Graves, Partner and Real Estate & Development team lead.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: III MEF Advances into 2025: Building on a Year of Milestones and Strengthening Regional Security

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP COURTNEY, Okinawa, Japan  –  

    As the calendar turns to 2025, the Marines, Sailors, and joint force enablers of III Marine Expeditionary Force are poised to build on the successes of 2024, a year marked by significant milestones and advancements in regional security. Through a robust series of exercises, training events, and community engagements, III MEF deepened relationships with regional partners and allies, reinforcing shared values of mutual respect, trust, and cooperation.

    “Our successes this year are a testament to the hard work and dedication of our Marines, Sailors, and regional partners,” said Lt. Gen. Roger B. Turner, the III MEF commanding general. “As we look to 2025, I’m confident that we’ll continue to build on this momentum. We remain steadfast in our resolve to defend our interests, promote stability, and ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

    Throughout the year, the 3d and 12th Marine Littoral Regiments continued to increase their capabilities and lethality. 3d MLR, located on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, received its first tranche of Navy/Marine Corps Ship Interdiction Systems (NMESIS) launchers and Marine Air Defense Integrated Systems (MADIS). The addition of the NMESIS to 3d MLR’s arsenal supports the unit’s ability to attack enemy maritime targets and conduct expeditionary strike missions, while the MADIS provides 3d MLR enhanced air and missile defense capability. Concurrently, Combat Logistics Battalion 12 was redesignated as the 12th Littoral Logistics Battalion, falling under the 12th MLR. The newly redesignated 12th LLB provides ground supply, medical support, general engineering, explosive ordnance disposal, and multi-modal transportation to support distributed forces in contested maritime spaces. 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion also activated in 2024 adding to 12th MLR’s ability to support sea control and sea denial operations within actively contested maritime spaces.

    In the Philippines, 3d MLR participated in the 39th iteration of Exercise Balikatan 24, marking the unit’s 3rd consecutive year of participation in the largest annual bilateral training exercise between the U.S. military and Armed Forces of the Philippines since 3d MLR’s redesignation from 3d Marines in 2022. Following the conclusion of Balikatan, 3d MLR remained in the Philippines to conduct the first iteration of Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum and Marine Aviation Support Activity 24. The 75-day deployment marked 3d MLR’s longest deployment to the Philippines since redesignation.

    During the amphibious-focused exercise Iron Fist, the 31st MEU, PHIBRON-11, the JGSDF ARDB’s 2nd Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment and the JMSDF Commander Landing Ship Division 1 conducted combined planning to improve preparedness through real-world amphibious training. The three-week exercise focused on advanced marksmanship, amphibious reconnaissance, fire and maneuver assaults, bi-lateral logistics and medical support, and fire support operations; such as mortars, artillery and close-air support. Ultimately, Iron Fist honed the rapid, global expeditionary response capabilities expected of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and exemplified the spirit of trust and cooperation between the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force.

    Throughout the Indo-Pacific region, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) served as a crisis response force, participating in operations in Japan, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and across the region’s waters. F-35B Lightning II fighter jets provided simulated close air support during multinational exercises like SSang Yong, while MV-22B Ospreys inserted bilateral forces during Exercise Iron Fist 24. Meanwhile, ground forces from the MEU’s Maritime Raid Force and Battalion Landing Team conducted bilateral training in various environments, including jungles, beaches, waterways, and mountains in Japan and the Republic of Korea. The Combat Logistics Battalion 31, the only permanently assigned logistics battalion to an MEU worldwide, played a crucial role in supporting and sustaining the entire force. The unit’s logistics capabilities were on full display during Exercise Iron Fist 24, where military leaders from the region, as well as European partners and allies, observed beach operations following an amphibious assault training.

    Prepared to respond to crises of a larger scale, the 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) achieved significant milestones through its campaign of learning and experimentation with Expeditionary Strike Group SEVEN as Task Force 76/3. The brigade synchronized efforts with the integrated naval headquarters staff to ensure access to key maritime terrain and reinforce Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet’s rapid response capabilities. 3d MEB serves as III MEF’s Alert Contingency Marine Air-Ground Task Force, a scalable humanitarian assistance-disaster relief headquarters ready to respond within hours to emerging crises.

    As a capstone exercise in Japan, Resolute Dragon 24, which spanned from Iwakuni to Yonaguni, served as the operational debut of the 12th MLR and showcased the deployment of one of III MEF’s TPS-80 radar systems to Yonaguni. Flown to Yonaguni by a Japan Air Self-Defense Force C-2 aircraft, the TPS-80 radar system provided advanced sensing and targeting capability to enhance situational awareness for the joint force, further enabling the monitoring and acquisition of targets throughout the region. At Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, home to Marine Air Group 12 and the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force’s Fleet Air Wing 31, U.S. and Japanese V-22 Osprey aircraft conducted bilateral flight operations, demonstrating both the capabilities of the platform and the ability of the JGSDF and USMC to fly coordinated missions in support of ground forces.

    In the Republic of Korea, more than 3,000 U.S. Marines from across III MEF, and 1st Marine Division, I MEF, completed exercises Freedom Shield 24 and Warrior Shield 24, demonstrating the U.S and ROK Marine Corps’ ability to integrate and operate in support of the alliance. During Freedom Shield 24, the Combined Marine Component Command rehearsed their combined, force wide command-and-control capabilities in response to a simulated crisis. While in the Republic of Korea, U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 9th Engineer Support Battalion completed the construction of Choctaw Road at Rodriguez Live-Fire Complex, facilitating the safe and efficient transport of tactical military vehicles and ensuring direct access to live-fire ranges. This project was the result of coordinated efforts across multiple units, including ROK Marines and U.S. Soldiers from the 11th Engineer Battalion.

    Continuing to build on the U.S.-ROK partnership, Exercise Ssang Yong saw III MEF, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and 31st MEU forces operating alongside ROK Navy and Marine Corps units, demonstrating amphibious landing capabilities and highlighting the strength of the U.S.-ROK Alliance. The exercise involved division-level Marine Corps landing forces, ROK Navy large transport ships, and over 40 aircraft, including U.S. F-35B Lightning II fighter jets and ROK amphibious mobile helicopters.

    Back in Japan, III MEF also participated in Exercise Keen Sword 25, a biennial exercise that fosters realistic training and allows leaders to validate and test command relationships and operational control of forces. The exercise included both field training and command post elements, with forces from 3d MEB establishing a bilateral coordination center alongside Western Army partners in Kumamoto. This critical bilateral node showcased the ability to for U.S. and Japanese forces to coordinate operations within a shared battlespace, and unified against a common threat.

    In addition to these exercises, III MEF contributed to the largest ever iteration of Exercise Yama Sakura 87, a trilateral exercise involving the U.S. Army, Australian Defence Force, and Japan Ground Self Defense Force. The exercise spanned three nations, six locations, and over 7,000 service members, demonstrating the value of the Marine Corps’ permanent presence in Japan and the seamless integration of U.S. and Japanese forces.

    Beyond these major exercises, III MEF engaged in various community-based initiatives, including training students at the Thailand Mine Action Center to develop an explosive ordnance disposal capacity. This partnership aligns with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Humanitarian Mine Action Program, which assists partnered nations affected by landmines and explosive remnants of war. 5th Air/Naval Gunfire Liaison Company integrated with the JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, making history in the establishing of the JGSDF’s first Joint Terminal Attack Controller Instructor and Evaluator. Throughout the year, 5th ANGLICO Marines trained several Joint Tactical Air Controllers, increasing the ARDB’s capabilities and effectiveness.

    Twice during the year, III MEF flew KC-130Js from Okinawa to the Philippines to contribute to disaster relief operations following natural disasters in Mindanao and Luzon. III MEF forces transported tens of thousands of food packs alongside other critical aid items in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development. In Japan, Marines and sailors conducted humanitarian aid/disaster response training in Ishigaki City, building relationships in the Sakishima Islands and demonstrating capabilities to respond rapidly to natural disasters.

    III MEF also tested new capabilities in 2024, with the introduction of the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV) and Stern Landing Vessel. Marines across the MEF conducted trial operations with the ALPV in open water, simulating covert logistical resupply, and demonstrated the ability to resupply a dispersed lethal fighting force in contested maritime terrain. III MEF also participated in various resilient joint kill web experimentation events in support of the joint force, through the use of the Joint Fires Network and Maven Smart System capabilities.

    As III MEF looks to 2025, the force will continue to build on the successes of previous years, with a focus on increasing interoperability with partners and allies across the Indo-Pacific. On the horizon are continued training opportunities in Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and the Kingdom of Thailand. During Exercise Pacific Sentry, 3d Marine Division will undergo certification as a Joint Task Force, providing Indo-Pacific Command with another certified JTF for employment in support of regional security. 12th MLR will add their third and final subordinate element, 12th Littoral Combat Team, to enhance precision, lethality, and littoral maneuverability. 3d MLR will undergo a Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation (MCCRE) prior to the unit’s deployment to the Philippines in support of Exercises Balikatan 25 and Kamandag 9. A series of full-scale rapid mobilization events will ensure that forces from III MEF are ready to swiftly deploy from locations in Okinawa to distributed locations across the region in support of sea denial operations and reinforcing regional partners and allies. With its commitment to regional stability and security, III MEF remains a vital component of the U.S. military’s presence in the Indo-Pacific, poised to address the challenges of a rapidly changing security environment.

    Please direct questions to IIIMEFMedia@usmc.mil.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Here’s what ‘deep listening’ can tell us about the natural world and our place in it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Monty Nixon, PhD Student in Education, University of Canberra

    Jakub Maculewicz, Shutterstock

    Have you ever taken the time to stop and listen to nature? Deeply, quietly and patiently?

    If not, don’t worry, there’s still time to learn. Deep listening is a skill that can be developed.

    There’s much more to it than simply recognising the call or song of a particular species. To listen deeply to nature is to become aware of behaviours, relationships and patterns of interaction between multiple species, and to learn from what we hear.

    This is what Indigenous people have been doing for many thousands of years, in Australia and overseas.

    Under the supervision and guidance of Indigenous knowledge holders of Karulkiyalu Country, my PhD research, explores ways to embed this Indigenous approach to deep listening in Australia’s education system.

    The project builds on previous work showing positive results for student and teacher wellbeing, as well as an increased understanding of and desire to care for the natural world.

    The Rufous whistler is an Australian virtuoso.
    Andrew Skeoch

    What is deep listening?

    If you’d like to try deep listening, take some time to visit a natural place and find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed. Turn off your electronic devices.

    Close your eyes, and extend your sense of hearing into the landscape around you. Try focusing your listening in each direction, then above and even below. How far you can hear?

    At first you will hear the voices of individual creatures, perhaps one then another. After a while, you may begin to notice interactions and patterns of communication between them. Be curious. Does one respond to another? How, and why?

    Hearing all the interconnected activity going on around you in that moment can help you comprehend the living system as a whole.

    Acoustic ecologist Andrew Skeoch recording the sounds of nature in the Australian bush.
    Andrew Skeoch

    What can we learn from nature by listening?

    People often simplify complex relationships down to perceptions of either cooperation or competition.

    But listening to nature affirms that cooperative partnerships play a far greater role than meets the eye. Relationships between species that accommodate each other’s needs are ubiquitous throughout the biosphere.

    For instance, multiple species of birds forage efficiently and safely in mixed flocks, by communicating and alerting each other to information about food and threats. This practice of foraging collectively is so worthwhile it’s encountered the world over.

    Listening to the animated twittering of these flocks – which continually communicates and affirms each bird’s location – reminds us how beneficial cooperation can be. More importantly, cooperation is most advantageous when it embraces diversity.

    Addressing the existential threats facing humanity will require cooperation and collaboration on a massive scale. Many of these threats are interlinked. They tend to resist independent solutions and need to be tackled together.

    So there is an urgent need to embrace and celebrate our differences. Listening to mixed-species flocks reminds us that diversity can be a source of great strength.

    Lessons about competition

    Listening can also tell us about competitive interactions, particularly between members of the same species.

    In the morning twilight of the breeding season, songbirds join the dawn chorus – singing with repertoire and behaviours not heard at other times of day or year. It’s also clear they are listening to each other.

    At dawn, songbirds use formal vocal interactions to negotiate their most essential relationships. These include defining home ranges, establishing and maintaining pair bonds, acknowledging neighbours and affirming community identities.

    In this way, the dawn chorus is a sonic expression of a widespread principle in nature: that while the potential for competition exists, life-threatening aggression is risky, inefficient and costly.

    Many animals have developed specialised behaviours to sort out their relationships and status while minimising the risks of serious harm. For instance “boxing” kangaroos engage in scrapping or sparring rather than injurious fighting.

    While these physical behaviours are found widely throughout the animal world, songbirds have evolved their own trick: they use song to negotiate their interactions. Listening to them singing at dawn reminds us that competitive behaviours and aggression are not advantageous. Negotiation, mutual acknowledgement and respect are more successful ways of living.

    Boxing kangaroos negotiate their status without causing injury.
    victoriam, Shutterstock

    Educational possibilities from listening

    Learning through deep listening was integral to the education system in Australia for thousands of years. It allowed First Nations peoples to understand the ecological community around them and how to live with these groups of species.

    In this education system, Country and Earth-Kin, (such as plants and animals) were both central knowledge holders and teachers. Humans (primarily grandparents) provided support for childrens’ learning from these knowledge holders. In this way children came to know, understand and care for land.

    People and Country flourished through this way of learning. Australia became home to the longest continuing cultures in human history.

    Research is demonstrating how this old teaching and learning method can work in modern schooling. More than 120 educators across the ACT are involved in the Country as Teacher project. Cultivating a practice of deep listening to Earth-Kin and Country helped teachers and students develop an improved sense of wellbeing, as well as knowledge and understanding of the places they live.

    The research argues that teachers first need to cultivate their own practice of listening. Then they can embed this process in their approach to education. By slowing down, developing nuanced awareness, following curiosity, listening empathically to other beings and opening to being affected emotionally, teachers can cultivate their own deeper sense of care, appreciation and understanding. From their personal listening journey, educators can then facilitate these experiences for their students.

    Deep listening to Earth-Kin or Country as Teacher offers an old and new pathway to return to a valuable and important way of being for our schools and society.

    This path offers us the chance to come to appreciate and care for the ecological communities of the Earth. Through listening we can learn the ways in which species across the Earth adapt, survive and thrive, providing guidance for our own cultures as we confront increasing social and environmental uncertainty.

    This article was written in collaboration with acoustic ecologist Andrew Skeoch.

    Monty Nixon receives funding from The ACT Affiliated Schools Network.

    – ref. Here’s what ‘deep listening’ can tell us about the natural world and our place in it – https://theconversation.com/heres-what-deep-listening-can-tell-us-about-the-natural-world-and-our-place-in-it-235868

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How the AFL and NRL have crept into cricket’s traditional summer timeslot

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Vaughan Cruickshank, Senior Lecturer in Health and Physical Education, University of Tasmania

    Most of Australia has four seasons each year.

    However, when it comes to sport, the Australian calendar has long been dominated by two seasons: cricket and football.

    Traditionally, cricket has been played from October to March when the weather is suitable, and Australian rules football and rugby league from April to September.

    But in recent years, a lack of international cricket in Australia after January – coupled with earlier start dates for the AFL and NRL seasons – has resulted in football receiving more local media coverage and attention from fans during the summer.

    For many Australian cricket fans, the season will be finished once the Big Bash League and women’s Ashes conclude in early February.

    In February and March, the Australian men’s and women’s cricket teams will play matches overseas and the Australian states will play each other in one-day and four-day games.

    However, the reduced media attention and free-to-air TV coverage of cricket in Australia means many sports fans turn their attention to other sports, usually football or rugby league.

    But has this always been the case?



    Read more:
    How is the Big Bash League faring after 14 years of ups and downs – and what’s next?

    Football seasons are getting longer

    Cricket has been played in Australia for more than 200 years. While Australian rules football was initially developed to keep cricketers fit through the winter, football competitions such as the AFL and NRL have now arguably become more dominant across the sporting calendar.

    The 2024 AFL season was the longest in the sport’s history. The 2025 season will be exactly the same length, stretching nearly seven months, from March 6 to September 27.

    The 2025 NRL season will be even longer. It starts in Las Vegas on March 2 and doesn’t finish until the Grand Final on October 5.

    The 2025 AFLW and NRLW seasons will also be the longest ever, finishing as late as November 30.

    Football seasons are starting earlier

    While an AFL Grand Final in late September and an NRL Grand Final leading into NSW’s Labour Day in early October are well established, the start of the season has been slowly creeping forward over the decades.

    Twenty years ago, the AFL season started in late March, 50 years ago it was early April, and 80 years ago it was late April. The first AFL (VFL) season in 1897 started on May 8.

    The start of the NRL season has also moved forward over time. The first NRL (NSWRL) season in 1908 started on April 20.

    While these historical season start dates did not overlap with the cricket season, that is no longer the case.

    This year, the AFL and NRL will have completed three premiership rounds before the Sheffield Shield final ends the Australian domestic cricket season in late March.

    And then there are the AFL and NRL pre-season competitions, with games starting as early as February 7.

    Why are football seasons getting longer?

    Some of the factors that have contributed to extensions of football seasons include:

    • the introduction of more teams that all need to play each other
    • revenue opportunities for broadcasters, venues and clubs, and
    • additional mid-season byes and rest periods.

    AFL and NRL players have cited fatigue because of the long seasons. Consequently, some players’ associations and coaches have advocated for shorter seasons.

    However, playing fewer games would likely mean less money for the AFL and NRL, and for players and clubs.

    Adding more teams to the AFL and NRL and extending the AFLW and NRLW seasons may allow for more flexibility with future season lengths, as football codes can be played any time of year.

    Unless your stadium has an expensive roof, cricket cannot because of the threat of rain.

    What does this mean for cricket?

    While Australians can still play both cricket and football at junior and community levels, this is no longer possible at representative levels because of the overlap between seasons.

    The encroachment of football into traditional cricket months means increased competition for players, often forcing talented young athletes to make a decision about which sport to pursue.

    Greater perceived opportunities to play at the elite level may convince some players to prioritise football.

    For example, the six Australian state cricket teams generally contract 20 to 25 players each season. In comparison, the 17 NRL teams each have 30 contracted players and the 18 AFL clubs can have 44 players in their squads.

    Current AFL players such as Stephen Coniglio, Caleb Serong and Brent Daniels all represented their state in underage cricket before choosing football. Manly lock Nathan Brown and retired star Braith Anasta are NRL examples.

    Luckily for cricket, current players such as Alex Carey (GWS under-18 captain 2010), Mitch Marsh (under-18 WA AFL team 2008) and Will Sutherland (under-18 Victorian Metro AFL team 2017) are examples of young players choosing cricket after successful underage football careers.

    Venue availability and scheduling conflicts

    The extended football seasons pose logistical challenges for venues. Iconic stadiums such as the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) traditionally host both cricket and football matches and now face increased scheduling pressure with the seasons overlapping.

    For instance, in 2024, the MCG only had a 22-day turnaround between hosting the AFL Grand Final and the Victoria vs NSW Sheffield Shield match.

    Hosting concerts at these venues increases revenue but also adds to scheduling difficulties.

    It all adds up to a difficult juggling act for venues, which will be made even trickier if the football codes creep even further into the traditional cricket season.

    Cricket, too, has a battle on its hands to stay relevant to fans, broadcasters, commercial partners and even participants as the AFL and NRL seasons continue to expand.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How the AFL and NRL have crept into cricket’s traditional summer timeslot – https://theconversation.com/how-the-afl-and-nrl-have-crept-into-crickets-traditional-summer-timeslot-247330

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: David Seymour says Kiwis are too squeamish about privatisation – history shows why they lost the appetite

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Shaw, Professor of Politics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

    Getty Images

    State asset sales have been a political dividing line in New Zealand for decades now, and it seems voters are again being asked to decide which side they’re on.

    In his state-of-the-nation speech last week, ACT Party leader David Seymour advised New Zealanders to “get past their squeamishness about privatisation” and ask themselves:

    If we want to be a first world country, then are we making the best use of the government’s half-a-trillion-dollars–plus worth of assets? If something isn’t getting a return, the government should sell it so we can afford to buy something that does.

    No doubt this appealed to ACT’s core constituency. But the available evidence suggests many New Zealanders view the privatisation of state assets with scepticism, not squeamishness.

    The most rigorous available data are from the New Zealand Election Study: just under 50% of those surveyed in 2020 either “somewhat” or “strongly” agreed with the proposition that “privatisation has gone too far”.

    Just over 9% either somewhat or strongly disagreed with that statement. In other words, those who oppose state asset sales comfortably outnumber those who support them.

    It seems reasonable to suggest this reflects the sizeable proportion of New Zealanders who remember the asset sales experience of the 1980s and 1990s under both Labour and National governments.

    Writing in 2000, during the heights of this bipartisan privatisation boom, economic analyst Brian Gaynor argued:

    By selling 100 per cent shareholdings in state assets, the New Zealand Government has allowed a small group of investors, mainly offshore, to make enormous profits. With just a little foresight these profits could have been kept for the benefit of domestic investors and taxpayers.

    At the same time, voters have watched levels of wealth inequality rise, and the transfer of public wealth into private hands. And while asset sales can improve efficiency, they can also reduce access to services for those on limited incomes or experiencing higher unemployment.

    Market failure

    Research has shown a clear majority of New Zealanders would prefer the government provides social services, especially in health and education.

    Just over 80% of New Zealanders trust the public service based on their own experiences. And levels of trust in the public service outstrip those in the private sector. All this suggests there is little appetite for a return to the days of peak privatisation.

    More broadly, some New Zealanders will also question Seymour’s assertion that state assets should provide a return on investment.

    Aside from it not being possible to turn a profit on many of the assets a government needs to serve the needs of its citizens, there are costs associated with putting a market value on certain social goods and services.

    As Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel has argued:

    [W]hen money comes increasingly to govern access to the essentials of the good life – decent health care, access to the best education, political voice and influence in campaigns – when money comes to govern all of those things, inequality matters a great deal.

    Furthermore, there is ample evidence of the ethical and operational shortcomings of applying the profit motive to public institutions such as prisons, hospitals and schools.

    Nor are markets themselves value-free, self-correcting mechanisms. In the material economy, they have a propensity to fail. When they do, the people who suffer most tend to be those least well positioned to defend themselves.

    That is why the state performs certain functions: to make sure those unable to pay for privately provided goods and services are not denied them.

    The nature and extent of what the state should provide is quite properly a matter for debate. But those decisions affect everyone and should be decided in the public domain, not left to the managers and owners of private companies.

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon: open to a conversation about priviatisation.
    Getty Images

    Public versus private debt

    Seymour also suggested a return to asset sales was justified by the country’s current levels of public debt. He referred to “the other tribe” who are

    building a majority for mediocrity – who would love nothing more than to go into lockdown again, make some more sourdough, and worry about the billions in debt another day.

    But as the right-leaning Maxim Institute points out,

    the real risk in New Zealand is our very high levels of private debt, which includes household debt like mortgages, student loans, credit card, hire purchases, to buying a car in instalments […] Compared to our relatively low levels of public debt our current household debt stands at 95% of GDP.

    According to the Treasury, current public debt levels are “prudent”, although “an ageing population, climate change and historical trends mean governments have important choices to make”.

    The risk of renewed asset sales and privatisation is that public debt might be reduced but at the expense of private debt increasing.

    Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has responded by saying he was open to a conversation about selling state assets. While it was “not something on our agenda right now”, he said, he hinted National may campaign on it ahead of next year’s election.

    His other coalition partner, NZ First, has a long-held antipathy to selling local assets to offshore owners. And Luxon may also remember the result of the non-binding citizens-initiated referendum in 2013, when 67.3% opposed the potential sale of the state’s energy companies.

    A niche party such as ACT can safely take policy positions that have little appeal beyond its core supporters. But that’s not a luxury available to its major coalition partner, which started the year behind in the polls.

    On the other hand, National does not want to be outflanked any further by ACT. Asset sales, it seems, are destined to remain a perennial political fault line.

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

    – ref. David Seymour says Kiwis are too squeamish about privatisation – history shows why they lost the appetite – https://theconversation.com/david-seymour-says-kiwis-are-too-squeamish-about-privatisation-history-shows-why-they-lost-the-appetite-248308

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 21-2025: Scheduled Outage: Friday 31 January 2025 – AAMP

    Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

    28 January 2025

    Who does this notice affect?

    Approved arrangements operators who will be required to view and/or update details of their Approved Arrangement via the Approved Arrangement Management Product (AAMP).

    Information

    Due to scheduled system maintenance, AAMP will be unavailable between 20:00 to 23:30 Friday 31 January 2025 (AEDT).

    Action

    Clients are advised to await the completion of this maintenance period before attempting to access this…

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Clayton man faces unlicensed car trading charges

    Source: Government of Victoria 2

    A man who allegedly traded in more than 80 cars over a 2-year period has been charged with unlicensed motor car trading. 

    We’re alleging that Zequn Wang, 31, bought or sold 84 cars between January 2022 and September 2023. 

    In Victoria, anyone who buys, sells or exchanges more than 4 vehicles in a 12-month period is required to hold a motor car trader licence. 

    Buying from a licensed motor car trader gives you more protections, including:

    • a cooling-off period – time to change your mind

    • clear title to the car – a guarantee it’s not listed as stolen, a write-off or still having money owed on it

    Even after the relevant statutory warranty expires, consumers still have rights under the Australian Consumer Law. 

    Anyone found guilty of buying, selling or trading vehicles without a licence can face penalties of over $19,000 per transaction. The court can also make a defendant pay up to 15% of the price of each vehicle.

    The matter is listed for a hearing at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 3 February.

    MIL OSI News –