NewzIntel.com

Category: Australia

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Protecting the Tūpuna Maunga: Annual Closures in Place

    Source: Auckland Council

    The Tūpuna Maunga Authority will be closing Auckland’s ancestral maunga (mountains) during Guy Fawkes from Saturday 2 November to Tuesday 5 November 2024 to protect them from fires. This will be the sixth consecutive year the Authority has closed the Maunga.

    The closures come after a history of devastating fires caused by fireworks on Maungarei / Mt Wellington, Maungawhau / Mt Eden and Te Pane o Mataoho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain.

    Despite the successful closures in recent years, we continue to identify concerning incidents involving the dangerous use of fireworks and have seen suspicious fires requiring emergency services.

    Authority Chair, Paul Majurey explains the need for these measures: “The Tūpuna Maunga are of immense cultural, historical, and spiritual importance, and we have a duty to protect them. The continued threat posed by fireworks is serious, and these closures significantly reduce the risk of fire-related damage during Guy Fawkes”.

    The Authority will have security teams patrolling the Maunga throughout the closure period and signage to remind the public of the restrictions.

    All Tūpuna Maunga, listed below, will be closed from Saturday 2 to Tuesday 5 November 2024, from 6 pm through to the usual gate opening times.

    • Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill

    • Maungarei / Mount Wellington

    • Maungawhau / Mount Eden

    • Maungauika / North Head

    • Ōwairaka / Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura / Mount Albert

    • Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson

    • Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain

    • Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond

    • Pukewīwī / Puketāpapa / Mount Roskill

    • Te Kōpuke / Tītīkōpuke / Mount St John

    • Takarunga / Mount Victoria

    • Te Pane o Mataaho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain

    • Te Tātua a Riukiuta / Big King

    • Matukutūruru / Wiri Mountain

    The Authority will also have security teams located on the Maunga Wednesday 6 November to Sunday 10 November.

    The Tūpuna Maunga Authority continues to urge the Government to ban public sales of fireworks.

    Paul Majurey says, “As long as fireworks remain available to the public, we have no option but to restrict access to the Maunga to prevent destructive fires and the extensive damage they cause. The Authority, alongside Auckland Council, the SPCA, and numerous other organizations across the country, will keep pressing the Government to tighten restrictions on the public sale of fireworks.

    It’s crucial that fireworks are only used in controlled environments, allowing people to enjoy them safely through organized public displays, while reducing the risk to people, property, and our sacred Maunga.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Awards for three inspirational CFA women

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network Awards honour inspirational women who make a significant difference in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific.

    CFA is proud of the three CFA members who recently received awards at an online ceremony.

    Sherene Mounier won outstanding award in the ‘Mentor’ category which recognises an individual who mentors and encourages women in the emergency management and disaster resilience sector. Sherene works at CFA as an Incident Management Systems Coordinator.

    “I was beyond delighted to have been honoured with an outstanding award at the 2024 awards,” Sherene said. “I’m truly passionate about mentoring and encouraging women through my leadership and training roles in incident management and my active participation in CFA and the emergency management sector mentoring  and development programs.

    “I’m incredibly proud to stand alongside such phenomenal nominees across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Every nominee plays a critical role in keeping our communities safe, and I’m inspired by the collective impact we’re all creating together.”

    Sherene was also invited to talk about her CFA role at the 2024 AWE Forum on 8 October.

    Sherri McKerley was commended in the ‘Promoting gender equity’ category. Sherri has significantly impacted emergency management, particularly in education, training, diversity, and supporting women.

    Mandy Maglaras was commended in the ‘Knowledge development and advancement’ category. Mandy is a Community Capability Service Delivery Coordinator for CFA’s South West Region.

    The AWE Network was established in 2018 to promote and support the contributions of women in emergencies and disasters, and is a platform for women to connect.

    Submitted by News and Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: What is special consideration for exams? How does it work?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jill Colton, Program Director: Secondary Programs and Senior Lecturer: English and Literacy Education, University of South Australia

    Arrowsmith2/Shutterstock

    Many Year 12 students are preparing for final exams throughout October and November.

    What happens if something unexpected happens that makes final preparations or performance on the day more difficult?

    This is where special consideration or special provisions can help.

    How might you be eligible?

    Students who experience something unexpected during the exam period may be eligible for special consideration. This can minimise the impact on a student’s overall marks.

    To be eligible, incidents must be beyond the student’s control. For example, a serious illness, an accident, a family crisis or an interruption during the exam. It does not include family holidays, a teacher being away or mixing up exam dates.

    A student suffering a flare up of pain and fatigue because of glandular fever is likely to be eligible as long as they have a medical diagnosis and recent documentation such as a letter from their GP. Other unexpected illnesses might include gastro, flu or COVID.

    Unexpected mishaps or misadventure such as your home being flooded or a sporting accident that puts you into hospital can prevent you from participating in your exam. In cases like these you will need to provide evidence.

    A death of a close relative can also mean a student is considered eligible for special arrangements. Other family crises may also be included depending on the circumstances and how they affect you. It’s best to consult with your school to find out if you might be eligible.

    Students with disabilities and chronic illnesses can also apply for special consideration. This is something that must be organised earlier in the year through your school and helps teachers make adjustments that enable students to participate equitably.

    There are also a range of entry processes for university and other post-school training and education pathways. Check with the institution you are interested in for more information.

    If you get the flu or COVID during your exams, make sure you get documentation from your GP.
    JJ-stockstudio/Shutterstock

    What do you need to do to apply?

    The process of applying for special consideration for exams differs slightly depending which state or territory you live in. However, the same principles apply:

    • you will need documentary evidence – such as letters from your doctor, police reports, statutory declarations or a death certificate

    • it must be clear how the unexpected situation impacts your performance, such as being too sick to study or too unwell to attend the exam.

    Your school will then manage the process on your behalf and where relevant, submit the application to the local exam board.

    Make sure you let your school know as soon as possible if you think something has happened that will have an impact on your exams.

    What happens next?

    Special consideration aims to ensure a student’s final result is an accurate reflection of their expected achievement. Depending on what has happened, and when it happened, a student may be able to have:

    • additional reading or writing time

    • do their exam in another room

    • extensions to due dates

    • rest breaks, or

    • time to attend to medical needs without loss of test or exam time.

    If a student can’t do their exam or their participation was significantly impaired, a moderated school result or predicted mark will be used. This is a result based on performance during the year.

    This might happen in situations where a whole class is affected. For example, a fire alarm went off half way through an exam.

    Unexpected things happen to all of us at some stage in our lives. If something goes wrong in your life around exam time, talk to your school and gather your documentation. And be informed about how you can be supported to be graded fairly.

    For more state-specific information, you can go to your state’s exam board:

    • South Australia and Northern Territory (SACE)

    • Queensland (QCAA)

    • New South Wales (HSC)

    • Tasmania (TASC)

    • Western Australia (WACE)

    • Victoria (VCE)

    • Australian Capital Territory (BSSS).

    Jill Colton 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. What is special consideration for exams? How does it work? – https://theconversation.com/what-is-special-consideration-for-exams-how-does-it-work-240441

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Armidale and Tweed Heads Zero Emission Buses dubbed ‘best bus ride ever’

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Armidale and Tweed Heads Zero Emission Buses dubbed ‘best bus ride ever’

    Published: 9 October 2024

    Released by: Minister for Regional Transport and Roads

    Five months in, Transport for NSW’s trials of Zero Emissions Buses (ZEBs) in regional NSW are being hailed as a success.

    The trials of zero emission school buses in Armidale and Tweed Heads have recorded positive results since their roll-out earlier this year.

    Dubbed by one student as ‘the best bus ride ever’, the ZEBs are excelling in all conditions and terrains, attracting positive feedback in a survey of passengers.
    During school term two and three, the four buses across Armidale and Tweed Heads have collectively clocked up:

    • more than 64,000 kilometres
    • more than 2600 hours in charging
    • over 25,000 passenger journeys.

    At the BusNSW 2024 Member Conference in Sydney today, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison announced the second deployment of Transport for NSW’s $25 million regional Zero Emission Bus trials.

    More buses will start rolling out from next week with three ZEB school buses going to each of Queanbeyan and Deniliquin and one to Narrabri. There will also be an additional bus starting in Armidale.

    The trials will collect data from Zero Emissions Buses and coaches in different environments, terrain, temperatures, and conditions.

    Transport for NSW will use that data, along with feedback from passengers, drivers, and operators, to make decisions about the best technology for our regions as we plan for a zero emissions future.

    For more information on the zero-emissions bus trial go to: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/zero-emission-buses

    Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said:
    “I welcome the enthusiastic support and positive feedback from the Armidale and Tweed communities regarding our Zero Emission Bus trials.

    “The early trial data shows ZEBs are really living up to their name with zero breakdowns and zero charging issues despite operating in challenging conditions.

    “From unsealed roads to steep hilly climbs and temperatures hitting below minus-5 around Armidale – these buses are cutting tailpipe emissions and showing ZEBs have the potential to thrive in regional areas.”

    Edwards Coaches Managing Director Brad Edwards said:
    “Feedback from the drivers and passengers has so far been positive. The trial has provided very promising results showing excellent durability and reliability of these vehicles.

    “Participating in this trial has already given us a lot of valuable insights into the capabilities of zero emissions technology.”

    Martin Hall, Kinetic’s Executive General Manager for South-East Queensland and Tweed said:
    “Our experience at Kinetic is that wherever ZEBs are introduced the feedback from passengers is overwhelmingly positive. School children are happy to be enjoying the quiet and smooth ride.

    “It has been wonderful to see students learn more about the technology and how sustainable transport will play a such an important role in their futures.”   

    Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin said:
    “We are early and regular uptakers of renewables, so this is a good fit for our region. We can tell that people are happy and the buses are working well.

    “Because it’s been a trial, we know it’s the start of more good things to come as we get to our renewable targets.”

    Emily Suvaal MLC, Labor spokesperson for Tweed said:

    “The NSW Government remains committed to a greener, more sustainable transport system and with promising results so far, I am confident the next deployment of regional ZEB trials will further highlight their potential wider application.”

    Peter Primrose MLC, Labor spokesperson for the Northern Tablelands said:
    “I am thrilled to see the positive outcomes from the Zero Emission Bus trials. The enthusiastic feedback from students and the community highlights the success of this initiative.

    “As we work towards transitioning our regional bus fleet to zero emissions, these trials are crucial in demonstrating the potential of sustainable transport solutions. I look forward to the next phase of trials and the invaluable insights they will provide as we pave the way for a cleaner future in public transport.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: October 2024: Commission News | President’s message

    Source: Australian Human Rights Commission

    Dear friends, 

    The Australian Human Rights Commission is a vital national institution which has been promoting justice and human rights for Australians for close to forty years. It is an honour to write to you as the Commission’s new President. 

    The Commission has a proud track record of bringing about positive nationwide change through its many inquiries, from the 1997 Bringing Them Home inquiry into the Stolen Generations to the more recent Respect@Work inquiry into sexual harassment. 

    Perhaps less well known is the Commission’s critical daily work delivering access to justice. Through its accessible information and conciliation services, each year the Commission helps thousands of people across Australia to access information about their rights and seek remedies for unlawful discrimination and human rights breaches.

    Where conciliation takes place, on average around two thirds of complaints are resolved by agreement, avoiding the need for often costly and stressful court proceedings. Many conciliation outcomes are systemic, contributing to the broader social change objectives of anti-discrimination laws. 

    The Commission also delivers important human rights education, training around 7,000 people last year. The Commission contributes its expertise through submissions and other publications to help ensure that laws, policies and practices promote human rights. 

    Human rights are the blueprint for a decent, dignified life for all. When human rights are respected, our lives are better and our communities are stronger, healthier, safer and more prosperous. 

    Australia played an important role in establishing the United Nations and the international human rights framework. We helped to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the pinnacles of human achievement 

    As a prosperous, stable democracy, Australia can and should be leading the world on human rights. We must do better on a range of issues; including our treatment of First Nations people, people with disability, and refugees and people seeking asylum. We need to address rising antisemitism and Islamophobia. We need to ensure that everyone can access decent education, housing and healthcare. We need to address the growing human rights threats posed by climate change and new technologies.  

    There are many opportunities to better protect the rights of all. The Commission, under Professor Croucher’s leadership, made significant progress in advancing the case for a Human Rights Act and modernised, comprehensive and effective national anti-discrimination laws. The Commission’s landmark Free and Equal Report highlights the inadequacy of existing protections and provides a roadmap for reform.  

    Across the country, support for a national Human Rights Act is strong. A Human Rights Act will protect the rights of all Australians, promote better understanding of rights, and give people the power to take action if their rights are breached. It will help ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect. I look forward to working in my new role with the Australian Government to make a Human Rights Act a reality. 
     
    Hugh de Kretser

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Saving Scamander – a wetland protection project

    Source: Environment Canterbury Regional Council

    Last year, we introduced a long-term action plan and willow management strategy to focus our existing efforts stamping out the small population of invasive crack willow on the lake’s edge, before they take root and negatively impact the overall condition of the catchment. 

    While some non-invasive willow varieties are used for erosion and sediment control, other species like crack willow can become invasive and outcompete native species.

    Crack willow can spread quickly—even the smallest of stem fragments can travel downstream and take root.

    Once established, their dense canopy shades out low-lying natives provides habitat for pests like possums and rats, and alters water flow.

    Crack willow can displace native species and alter waterways

    Starting at the top of Scamander Stream, we’re targeting the problematic willows with proven techniques like the “drill and fill” method. This involves drilling downward sloping holes around the trunk of the tree and filling them with a weed control solution.

    To tackle regenerating and immature willows, we use the “frilling” technique by cutting notches around the base of the tree and applying herbicide gel/paste to the cut area.

    Working from the top of the waterway means a better chance of preventing any further encroachment of the willow via fragments traveling downstream.

    “Scamander Wetland is a great opportunity to take a proactive approach to conservation,” says Ewan Bakker, Biodiversity Advisor.

    “We have a wetland ecosystem here that’s largely intact with huge ecological, cultural and aesthetic values but with a burgeoning issue of invasive woody weeds. 

    “By getting control work in there early, we’re preventing invasive crack willow from dominating and outcompeting native species and thus significantly impacting the health of the wetland.”

    Preserving a wetland environment

    Wetlands are internationally recognised as some of Earth’s most biodiverse environments.

    In Aotearoa, our wetlands support the greatest concentration of wildlife out of any other habitat in the country.

    Connected to our region’s lakes, streams, rivers, and estuaries, wetlands perform many valuable functions and are crucial to the health of our environment. Acting like a natural aquatic filtration system, wetlands clean the water that flows into them. They screen out nasty contaminants, add oxygen to our freshwater, remove excess nutrients, trap sediment and soils and return nitrogen to the atmosphere.

    Wetlands are also considered taonga by mana whenua as they provide habitat for a variety of indigenous plants, fish, animals, and freshwater invertebrates.

    Scamander is a largely healthy and thriving wetland ecosystem that supports a diverse array of native bird and aquatic animals, including the nationally vulnerable Australian crested grebe/pūtekeke, critically threatened Australasian bittern/matuku-hūrerpo, the eel/tuna and various species small freshwater fish.

    However, like all wetland environments, invasive pest plants pose a serious risk to this habitat.

    “Weed control is a long-term game and it requires continued efforts to maintain the gains we’ve made in this catchment, but it’s been encouraging to see what can be achieved when we take a proactive approach to protecting biodiversity,” says Bakker.

    Wetland management is an important part of the Canterbury Land and Water Regional Plan.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Orr’s multi-billion dollar mea culpa

    Source: ACT Party

    This afternoon, the Reserve Bank made another cut to the Official Cash Rate, from 5.25% down to 4.75%. ACT Leader David Seymour responds:

    “Today’s rate cut is great news. Lower interest rates mean real relief for Kiwis with mortgages, also relieving pressure on rents, and freeing up spending cash to quench thirsty local businesses.

    “However, on the Reserve Bank’s part, a 50 basis-point cut is a multi-billion dollar mea culpa, and the latest twist of a nauseating three-year fiscal and monetary roller coaster.

    “Today’s cut bookends a series of excesses. The too-easy money of COVID times spiked house prices and inflation. Then, interest rates shot up, house prices crashed back down. Today, Kiwis are finally getting off a three-year fiscal and monetary rollercoaster, feeling nauseous for their troubles.

    “Kiwis have done the responsible thing. Interest rates were also driven up by Labour’s COVID spending blowout. Households responded by making spending sacrifices – and changing the Government.

    “Our efforts are paying off. Together, our prudent spending has seen inflation ease back and given the Reserve Bank room to cut interest rates. If we stay the course, we should expect further relief in the coming months.

    “However, interest rates are still painfully high compared with pre-COVID times. ACT is determined to speed the path back to lower rates, lower living costs, and real economic growth.

    “We must build on our progress in cutting the waste and red tape from Wellington. That is how we honour the efforts of households working to secure a prosperous future for themselves.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI China: National Day holiday consumption displays China’s economic vitality, potential

    Source: China State Council Information Office

    Tourists taste food at the Qianmen pedestrian street in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 7, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

    China’s just-concluded National Day holiday ignited a surge in consumer activity, fueled by a dynamic blend of travel demand and targeted incentives, highlighting the strong economic vitality of the world’s second largest economy.

    Over the seven-day holiday ending on Monday, more than 2 billion cross-regional trips were made nationwide, according to the Ministry of Transport, representing a 4.1-percent average daily increase compared to 2023.

    The surge in travel not only boosted tourism-related industries but also stimulated consumer spending across various sectors — highlighting the resilience of China’s domestic market during and beyond the holiday period.

    Local governments and businesses responded to the travel rush with innovative initiatives, such as consumer vouchers and home appliance trade-in programs, aimed at tapping into the holiday spirit and bolstering consumption.

    Tourism boom with inbound surge

    The holiday unleashed a travel frenzy. During the holiday period, a remarkable 765 million domestic trips were made, marking a 5.9 percent year-on-year increase, with total tourist spending surging 6.3 percent to 700.8 billion yuan (about 99.11 billion U.S. dollars).

    The travel boom was fueled by a growing demand for diverse tourism experiences, with domestic bookings of travel packages, including flights, hotels and dining, jumping by 40 percent, according to Fliggy, a popular travel platform.

    Data from Trip.com, another leading travel platform, showed that outbound travel orders had surpassed 2019 level, driven by trips to popular destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

    Notably, inbound tourism exceeded outbound travel, with inbound orders skyrocketing by 60 percent year on year during the holiday, as more foreign tourists flocked to China, drawn by its unique blend of natural beauty, historical landmarks and vibrant modern attractions.

    The China Tourism Academy predicts that foreign arrivals in the second half of 2024 will exceed 15 million, with the inbound tourism market expected to return to 2019 level, marking the start of a new growth cycle.

    Cultural tourism flourished during the holiday, seeing activities like museum visits, exhibitions and immersive experiences becoming major highlights. Beijing, for instance, hosted over 900 cultural events, an 11-percent increase compared with last year.

    Fueled by the blockbuster video game “Black Myth: Wukong,” north China’s Shanxi has recently seen a phenomenal travel boom, as this province is home to many of the stunning locations featured in the game.

    Analysts expect that as more travelers engage with diverse cultures, the vibrant growth of China’s economy and the richness of its cultural heritage will be fully showcased.

    Spending boost with policy support

    The holiday also sparked a wave of consumer activity, with government-backed incentives playing a key role in heating up the market.

    China unveiled an action plan in March this year to implement a program of large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-ins of consumer goods to expand domestic demand, and stepped up policy support in July with an extra funds injection of 300 billion yuan via ultra-long special treasury bonds.

    Encouraged by the trade-in policy and automaker discounts, the holiday period saw new car sales increase by 11.7 percent — with new energy vehicle sales surging 45.8 percent year on year.

    During the holiday, JD.com, a leading online retailer, reported an increase of 67 percent in home appliance sales compared with 2023, while home appliance retailer, Suning, saw trade-in orders rising by 132 percent year on year.

    According to the Ministry of Commerce, in the first three days of the holiday, 1.04 million consumers purchased 1.55 million home appliances under the trade-in program, contributing to sales of 7.36 billion yuan.

    Powered by the travel and tourism surge, the dining sector across China sizzled with energy. Data from Meituan, one of China’s leading e-commerce platforms for services, showed that from Oct.1 to 5, daily average dine-in consumption rose 33.4 percent compared to the same period last year.

    Audiences packed cinemas, with a total of 2.1 billion yuan in box office takings recorded during the holiday.

    Local governments rolled out policy measures to spur consumption. Shanghai, for instance, injected 5 billion yuan into vouchers for dining, entertainment and shopping, while cities including Chongqing hosted a variety of promotions to spark consumption.

    “The robust holiday consumption highlights China’s vast market, and its strong economic resilience and great potential,” said Xu Guangjian, a professor at the Renmin University of China.

    The accelerated integration of culture, sports and tourism, along with evolving business models, is creating new opportunities for sustained growth, further consolidating the role of consumption as a key driver of the economy, Xu noted.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: City’s Community Funding Policy receives a revamp

    Source: Government of Western Australia

    Revised Community Funding Policy supports community success.

    The City of Wanneroo Council has endorsed a revised Community Funding Policy that offers greater benefits for eligible recipients and streamlines the process of applying for our Kickstarter Fund, Participation Fund and Community Grants.

    Reviewed in consultation with relevant stakeholders, the new policy also recognises the increased costs of delivering community initiatives, with increased funding stream caps of 18 per cent for the remainder of 2024/25, and annual increases of 2.5 per cent in 2025/26 and 2026/27.

    Mayor Linda Aitken said the community funding empowered residents and groups to contribute positively to their communities.

    “We want to support initiatives that enhance community participation and connection, improve wellbeing, and promote cultural diversity,” she said.

    “This policy refresh allows the City to keep supporting community-led initiatives that benefit local people.”

    “Last year, the City supported the Landsdale CA Flyers to attend the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation National Cheer and Dance Championships in Melbourne and they came back as national champions!

    “The City’s support is making it possible for individuals and clubs across the sport, arts and culture realms to participate in state, national and international events.

    “I look forward to supporting eligible community groups, clubs, and individuals to succeed in their chosen fields through our improved Policy.”

    For more information on the City’s community funding programs, visit wanneroo.wa.gov.au/communityfunding

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Albanese Government keeping the National Broadband Network in public hands

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese Government is introducing legislation today to keep the National Broadband Network (NBN) owned by the Australian people – ensuring fast, reliable and affordable internet now and into the future for all Australians.
     
    Our Government committed at the election to deliver accessible internet for all, and today we continue to take that forward.  
     
    High speed broadband is essential to modern life – it allows Australians to work remotely, run their businesses more productively, video-conference with clients and colleagues, supply and receive telehealth services – while enjoying leisure with their families through streaming.
     
    The Coalition rushed to declare the NBN ‘complete’ so they could put it on the block for sale – selling out Australian consumers and regional communities.
     
    The Albanese Government won’t let that happen. This legislation will ensure the NBN is owned by who it belongs to – the Australian people.
     
    This is in addition to what we have already done: 

    1. Invested $2.4 billion to expand full fibre NBN access to an additional 1.5 million premises – including 660,000 rural and regional communities;
    2. From September next year, boosting download speeds by up to 5 times current speeds. A household or small business with a 100 Mbps plan in 2024 will benefit from 500 Mbps connectivity in 2025;
    3. Rolling out more fibre in the fixed line network, upgrading the fixed-wireless network and planning for future needs.

     
    These upgrades are already making a real difference in the lives of Australians through faster more reliable internet access. 
     
    Keeping the NBN in public hands will lock in affordable and accessible high speed internet for all Australians for generations to come.
     
    Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: 
     
    “All Australians deserve high quality and affordable services no matter their postcode. That includes access to the NBN.
     
    “Keeping the NBN in public hands means high speed broadband remains affordable for Australian families and businesses around the country.
     
    “Upgrades to the NBN are also a key part of our plan for a Future Made in Australia, but achieving this vision won’t happen without a reliable, high-speed National Broadband Network.
     
    “The Coalition made a mess of the NBN – my Government is getting on with the job of fixing it and making sure it stays in public hands, where it belongs.”
     
    Quotes attributable to Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher: 
     
    “The NBN is critical national infrastructure, and we know that having a faster, higher quality NBN network has a huge impact on Australia’s economy – delivering a $400 billion uplift in GDP by 2030.
     
    “Economic analysis commissioned by NBN Co shows that for every one megabit per second increase in average broadband speed, Australia’s productivity-driven GDP increased on average by 0.04 per cent.
     
    “The Albanese Government is delivering a better NBN for Australians, investing $2.4 billion in the October 2022-23 Budget to expand fibre access to 1.5 million premises by 2025.”
     
    Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland:
     
    “It is only a Labor Government that will ensure the NBN remains in public hands.
     
    “Communities across Australia have told us that the job of upgrading the NBN is not complete, which is why we’re investing in more fibre and fixed wireless upgrades. 
     
    “Australians don’t trust the Coalition not to flog off the NBN just like they did with Telstra, resulting in higher prices and poorer services, especially in the regions.
     
    “This Bill will ensure the NBN continues to deliver for all Australians – improving digital inclusion and price certainty for industry and consumers.
     
    “The Government is delivering on our election commitments to provide fast, reliable and affordable broadband to all Australians, and only by keeping the NBN in the ownership of the Australian people will that vision continue to be delivered.”
     

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Question time response – National Broadband Network

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    Question – Federal Member for Chishlom, Dr Carina Garland

    How will keeping the National Broadband Network from public ownership deliver productivity, connectivity and cost-of-living benefits for Australians?
     

    Answer – Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP 

    I thank the Member for her question. Labor founded the National Broadband Network to provide fast and reliable and affordable wideband to all Australians and we are delivering on that vision for a world-class network. Only by keeping the NBN in public ownership, can that vision continue to be delivered.

    Mr Speaker, the NBN is critical infrastructure that reaches over 12 million premises across Australia. More than 8.6 million homes are currently connected to the NBN. On Government ownership of the NBN, it will help keep wholesale broadband prices more affordable for consumers than if the company was in private ownership. The Albanese Government is investing $2.4 billion over four years to give more households and businesses full-fibre access. 

    More than 70,000 km of new fibre has been rolled out. And, over 2300 fixed wireless towers have been upgraded. Mr Speaker, for the first time, this work is progressing on time and on budget. Fibre speeds can deliver speeds 18 times faster than the average connection and is less likely to drop out. 

    From next year, Mr Speaker, the NBN will be boosting download speeds by up to five times current speeds at no extra wholesale cost. Mr Speaker. The productivity and efficiency gains are significant. Research commissioned by NBN shows that Australians save more than 100 hours and $2580 per year in avoided travel time and costs in working from home and undertaking tasks online. 

    And, Mr Speaker, we know that the Coalition wants to sell the NBN just like they sold Telstra. Just like they sold Telstra. In fact, the former Minister declared in 2020, that the NBN was built and fully operational. Mission accomplished, he declared. Despite the fact that there were still millions of Australians on a fixed-line footprint, stranded on deteriorating Coalition copper. They took the first step in the NBN sale process. 

    This was the legacy of the ill-fated copper experiment that blew out the cost of the NBN from $29 billion to $41 billion and then $49 billion and then $57 billion and we know that the Liberals have fallen, selling off assets and leaving ordinary Australians with higher prices and poorer services and The Nationals two weeks to stand up to them.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: US and Multinational Partners Prepare for Largest Indo-Pacific Army Exercise

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii  –  

    The 25th Infantry Division and The Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) is set to execute its largest Combat Training Center (CTC) rotation to date, beginning Oct. 7, 2024. JPMRC 25-01 will span from Alaska to the Hawaiian Islands, and over to Palau and is the only CTC that can stress the system that hard.

    As the U.S. Army’s premier training center in the Indo-Pacific, JPMRC plays a pivotal role in ensuring military readiness by providing a realistic training environment that mimics the region’s challenging jungle to high-altitude volcanic desert and archipelagic environment.

    The 25-01 rotation will bring together U.S. military forces alongside regional Allies and partners to conduct multi-domain, live, virtual, and constructive training in preparation for future operations.

    As the primary training audience, the 2nd Light Brigade Combat Team (2LBCT) will work alongside units from the 11th Airborne Division, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, selected units from United States Army Special Operations Command, and multinational partners. Together, these forces will tackle the simulated operational environments, ensuring that they are well-prepared to operate cohesively in real-world situations.

    In preparation for the largest JPMRC rotation, operations staffs at echelon are critical. With the essential duties of planning, coordinating, and supervising all operational and training activities within a battalion, the operations staff ensures that units are prepared, synchronized, and effective in both peacetime and combat scenarios.

    “In the JPMRC timeline, we execute the operations order brief to the brigade commander,” explains U.S. Army Capt. Christopher Onorato, a S-3 (Operations) officer assigned to 2LBCT, 25th Inf. Div. “It allows all the subordinate units of 2nd brigade to synchronize and work together effectively to ultimately achieve our goal of successful operations for JPMRC.”

    This year’s rotation features participation from Malaysia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Maldives, Australia, and the United Kingdom. These forces will engage in collaborative exercises that simulate complex, multi-domain challenges.

    JPMRC 25-01 will validate 2LBCT’s Transformation in Contact construct in a real-time, high-pressure environment. Aligned with the campaign of learning, 2LBCT will incorporate lessons learned from the 101st Airborne recent rotation at Joint Readiness Training Center. They will further test new technologies and systems designed to improve our warfighting readiness and ability to respond to crisis or conflict.

    JPMRC provides a key opportunity for the force to train in austere environments, develop leaders, systems, and processes that will enhance overall military capability in the Indo-Pacific region.

    “Coming out to the field allows us to do a proof of concept,” explains U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nathan Morgan, a maintenance platoon leader assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, “With the proper planning and training we can execute major mission functions in any environment.”

    As the largest JPMRC rotation ever held in Hawaii, 25-01 demonstrates the U.S. Army’s relentless pursuit of excellence, and its commitment to ensuring that U.S. forces, alongside their Allies and Partners, remain prepared for whatever challenges the future may hold in the Indo-Pacific.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How we partnered with local communities to halve skin sores among Aboriginal children in remote WA

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Asha Bowen, Team Lead, Healthy Skin and ARF Prevention, Telethon Kids Institute

    Aboriginal children living in remote communities have the highest rate of skin sores, or impetigo, in the world. Almost one in two have skin sores at any one time.

    Skin sores are a highly contagious bacterial skin infection that may be itchy and painful, but often go unnoticed by children. Parents are more likely to be concerned about the pus and thick crust that develops.

    Scabies, another skin infection, also disproportionately affects children in remote Indigenous communities in Australia (as many as one in three).

    In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, Aboriginal children are 34 times more likely than non-Aboriginal children to be admitted to hospital with skin infections in their first year of life. Untreated, these skin infections can lead to other health issues including sepsis, rheumatic fever and kidney disease.

    With this in mind, we’ve been working for the past five years with nine communities in the Kimberley region on a comprehensive skin health program. Each of the communities has a remote health-care clinic staffed by a mix of nurses, Aboriginal health workers and doctors.

    Today, we’ve published two new studies outlining the progress we’ve made to reduce skin infections in children in these communities. Since we started the program, rates of skin sores have halved from around four in ten children to around two in ten.

    The SToP program

    We partnered with Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations and schools in the Kimberley region and co-designed a program called SToP. It stands for “See, Treat and Prevent”.

    Our initial focus was going to be on diagnosing and treating skin sores and scabies. However, community members highlighted the need to incorporate a strong focus on prevention and health promotion too.

    The SToP model included training health-care workers in the remote health clinics, community members and school staff to recognise skin infections. The health-care workers were also trained to provide the latest evidence-based treatment for patients with skin sores and scabies.

    The prevention activities included recording a hip-hop video with children, developing eight unique healthy skin books in local languages, and yarning with community members. They consistently highlighted the importance of investing in environmental health, including housing maintenance to support healthy living.

    Local children recorded a hip-hop video to promote healthy skin.

    As part of the SToP program, and to track its results, more than 770 children aged zero to 15 years received regular skin checks over four years from 2019 to 2022. We visited each of the nine communities up to three times each year and completed more than 3,000 skin checks.

    One limitation of our research is that the trial was completed during COVID. Regional travel bans forced it to pause for several months in 2020.

    The primary aim was to reduce the burden of skin sores by half in school-aged children. We also tracked impetigo and scabies burden in younger children up to age four, and overall clinic presentations for skin infections.

    Our results, published in the Lancet Child and Adolescent Health today, confirm skin sores decreased in school-aged children in the first year and improvements were sustained throughout the trial.

    Across all communities, skin sores reduced from four in ten children at the start of the study to two in ten children by the end. Most of this reduction occurred in 2019 when skin checks started.

    Scabies also declined, but was found in less than one in ten children throughout the study.

    The skin checks were the most important and likely most effective part of the study. Community members want these to continue for all age groups, to extend beyond just the children involved in the study.

    Presentations to the remote health clinics for skin infections in each community increased during the trial and stayed high. This suggests the community involvement and focus on healthy skin was reaching all age groups.

    Despite training and resource development, uptake of the recommended treatments at the clinic was low.

    We predicted at the start of the study that using treatment as prevention, supported by training on the latest evidence-based treatments available, would be the most effective strategy. This turned out to not occur at all. High turnover of clinic staff and longstanding treatment preferences may be the reason.

    A holistic approach

    While our research has been published today, the results were first presented to community members in 2023. More than 85 community members were able to share their interpretation of the SToP results with us. They strengthened the story we’ve been able to tell in our published papers.

    The second paper, in eClinical Medicine, provides a comprehensive, multi-methods evaluation of the trial. Through this process, community members and service providers helped our research team understand the trial results and the critical factors for success.

    Future studies should continue to partner with local Aboriginal communities and enable community voices to inform all aspects of the research.

    The SToP trial brought together Western medical approaches with community voices to better inform skin disease control where the burden of skin sores and scabies was high. The results have been positive.

    We hope there will be future opportunities to implement activities like this in more Indigenous communities across Australia. As a starting point, a variety of SToP resources are available to access. The healthy skin books have been shared with other communities to translate into local contexts and languages.

    The skin is the largest organ of the body and always visible. Improvements in skin health can prevent other, more serious health consequences, while also contributing to overall wellbeing.

    Asha Bowen receives funding from National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and Healthy.

    Hannah M.M. Thomas, Lorraine Anderson, and Rachel Burgess 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 we partnered with local communities to halve skin sores among Aboriginal children in remote WA – https://theconversation.com/how-we-partnered-with-local-communities-to-halve-skin-sores-among-aboriginal-children-in-remote-wa-240663

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Sydney Dance Company’s momenta – a breathtaking study in perpetual motion

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Yvette Grant, PhD (Dance) Candidate and Dance History Tutor, The University of Melbourne

    SDC/Pedro Greig

    Artistic director Rafael Bonachela’s latest work for the Sydney Dance Company, momenta, had its Melbourne premiere on October 8 at the Playhouse Theatre in the Arts Centre.

    Bonachela says that he wanted the full-length work to represent both momenta – the plural form of momentum from the Latin movimentum – and moments.

    And it does exactly that.

    The work is a maelstrom of macro and microcosmic momentums, capturing mundane and monumental moments.

    The 17 dancers move through unmarked yet distinct worlds of perpetual motion.

    Sometimes they are suggestive of atoms under a microscope that collide and react, constantly forming new molecules and compounds. They randomly meet each other in physical entanglements, only to move on in a moment to another cluster of moving bodies.

    Other times they evoke the relentless rolling of the sea with waves of unison movement. These repetitively sweep in one line after another through the bodies as they traverse across the stage.

    Still other times they stand in distinct separation in a grid pattern with minimal but identical movements that beat like a collection of pumping hearts.

    The movement never stops. It gains momentum.

    Bodies connected in momenta.
    SDC/Pedro Greig

    The dancers become human and through a series of duets we encounter the momentum of relationships.

    A solo from within the crowd shows us the secret internal flows of emotion that are a relentless apsect of the human experience.

    Using lighting, one intimate scene seems to capture the flickering motion of old grainy film. It briefly transports the audience back in time to a voyeuristic peep show.

    Damien Cooper’s lighting design acts as the narrator throughout, directing our attention to small sections of the action or opening the whole stage. The lights are rigged on a large horizontal circle over one side of the stage. It starts near the stage’s surface and moves incrementally, upward scene by scene, sometimes tilting at angles. It is suspended and moves silently until it is no longer visible, at which point it begins its decent.

    The colour palette of the lighting – whites, yellows, browns, greens and blues – changes the mood from hot to cool, soft to hard, today to yesterday.

    Choreographer Rafael Bonachela based on the work on concepts of momentum, force, time and space.

    Elizabeth Gadsby and Emma White’s costumes are mostly neutral tones with some black accent pieces. They provide almost nude surfaces on which the lighting plays. As the work progresses some of the costumes of the male dancers are removed as they appear bare-chested, even more naked, implying an increasing emotional exposure.

    The dancers show extraordinary vulnerability, athleticism and stamina.

    There is a consistency and persistence to the movement quality in momenta: sweeping, sliding, extending and contracting in cyclical patterns which contain traces of elements of the patterns that came before them.

    It is breathtaking.

    At times warm lighting washes over the dancers.
    SDC/Pedro Greig

    Nick Wales’ score has the same cyclical nature with repeated music motifs. The score is varied in an imitation of life and includes musical solos on viola and piano, contrasted with orchestral pieces and percussive and electronic elements.

    In momenta’s penultimate scene dancers spread out evenly across the stage and dance in unison. The scene is very light but with a black background when suddenly silver sparkles begin to fall from above. There is a powerful sense of both the universe and the universal.

    This cuts to a final intimate and human solo exquisitely danced by Piran Scott. In and out of the light, he slides and turns and rolls sometimes with propulsion, other times with suspense.

    He brings us back to ourselves. Perpetually in motion.

    The Sydney Dance Company’s momenta is on until October 12 at the Arts Centre, Melbourne.

    Yvette Grant 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. Sydney Dance Company’s momenta – a breathtaking study in perpetual motion – https://theconversation.com/sydney-dance-companys-momenta-a-breathtaking-study-in-perpetual-motion-240320

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Lunar New Year fair stall auctions to start this month

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         ​The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (October 9) that stalls at the 2025 Lunar New Year (LNY) fairs will be put up for open auction in batches starting from October 22 (Tuesday).
     
         The LNY fairs are to be held at 15 locations and will be open for seven days from January 23 to 29, 2025. A total of 910 wet goods stalls, 633 dry goods stalls and 27 fast food stalls will be provided.
     
         The upset prices range from $380 to $6,530 for wet goods stalls, $450 to $8,540 for dry goods stalls (regular size), $680 to $12,810 for dry goods stalls (large size) and $2,290 to $120,470 for fast food stalls.
     
         The six fairs on Hong Kong Island, in Islands District and in Kowloon will be located at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Tat Tung Road Garden in Tung Chung, Cheung Sha Wan Playground and Fa Hui Park in Sham Shui Po, Tsz Wan Shan Estate Central Playground in Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground in Kwun Tong. A total of 812 stalls will be put up for auction.
     
         The auction for stalls of the LNY fair in Victoria Park will be held for three days from October 22 to 24 (Tuesday to Thursday) at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, 19 Lai Wan Road, Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon. The first auction day (October 22) is scheduled for fast food stalls and wet goods stalls, while the second auction day (October 23) and the third auction day (October 24) are scheduled for dry goods stalls. The auction sessions are scheduled from 9am to 12.30pm (AM session) and 2pm until completion of the auction (PM session). Due to the limited number of seats, those who are interested in bidding for a specific type of stalls at the Victoria Park LNY fair are invited to participate in the respective auction at the Lai Chi Kok Government Offices on the designated date.
     
         The auction for stalls of Tat Tung Road Garden LNY Fair in Tung Chung will be held at the above-mentioned venue on October 25 (Friday). The auction session is scheduled from 9.30am until completion of the auction.
          
         The auctions for stalls of the LNY fairs in Cheung Sha Wan Playground and Fa Hui Park in Sham Shui Po, Tsz Wan Shan Estate Central Playground in Wong Tai Sin and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground in Kwun Tong will be held at the above-mentioned venue from October 28 to 31. The auction sessions are scheduled from 9am or 9.30am to 12.30pm (AM session) and 2pm until completion of the auction (PM session).
     
         Details of the auctions are as follows:
     
    Victoria Park (Causeway Bay)
    ——————————————–
    Number of stalls: 395
     
    Auction date: October 22 (Tuesday)
    AM session: Fast food (Stall Nos. A to D) and wet goods (Stall Nos. 217 to 276)
    PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 277 to 391)
    Opening prices:
    Fast food: $120,470
    Wet goods: $6,530
     
    Auction date: October 23 (Wednesday)
    AM session: Dry goods (Stall Nos. 1 to 20 and 51 to 76)
    PM session: Dry goods (Stall Nos. 21 to 40 and 77 to 109)
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods (regular size): $8,540
    Dry goods (large size): $12,810
     
    Auction date: October 24 (Thursday)
    AM session: Dry goods (Stall Nos. 41 to 50 and 110 to 168)
    PM session: Dry goods (Stall Nos. 169 to 216)
    Opening price:
    Dry goods (regular size): $8,540
    Dry goods (large size): $12,810
     
    Tat Tung Road Garden (Tung Chung)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: October 25 (Friday)
    Number of stalls: 27
    Stall types: Wet goods and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $380
    Dry goods (regular size): $450
    Dry goods (large size): $680
     
    Cheung Sha Wan Playground (Sham Shui Po)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: October 28 (Monday)
    Number of stalls: 89
    AM session: Wet goods
    PM session: Fast food and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $500
    Fast food: $2,290
    Dry goods (regular size): $550
    Dry goods (large size): $830
     
    Fa Hui Park (Sham Shui Po)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: October 29 (Tuesday)
    Number of stalls: 136
    AM session: Wet goods
    PM session: Fast food and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $3,540
    Fast food: $17,480
    Dry goods (regular size): $7,800
    Dry goods (large size): $11,700
     
    Tsz Wan Shan Estate Central Playground (Wong Tai Sin)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: October 30 (Wednesday)
    Number of stalls: 76
    AM session: Wet goods
    PM session: Fast food and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $1,500
    Fast food: $5,000
    Dry goods (regular size): $1,370
    Dry goods (large size): $2,060
     
    Kwun Tong Recreation Ground (Kwun Tong)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: October 31 (Thursday)
    Number of stalls: 89
    AM session: Wet goods
    PM session: Fast food and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $2,180
    Fast food: $3,030
    Dry goods (regular size): $2,130
    Dry goods (large size): $3,200
     
         In the New Territories, 521 wet goods stalls, 230 dry goods stalls and seven fast food stalls will be set up at nine fairs. They are located at Sha Tsui Road Playground in Tsuen Wan, Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square in Tai Po, Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground in Yuen Long, Tin Hau Temple Plaza in Tuen Mun, Man Yee Playground in Sai Kung, Po Hong Park in Tseung Kwan O, Shek Wu Hui Playground in North District, Kwai Chung Sports Ground in Kwai Tsing and Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin.
     
         The auctions for stalls of the LNY fairs in Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long and Kwai Tsing will be held at the Assembly Hall, 2/F, Lai Chi Kok Government Offices, on November 1, 5 and 11. The auction sessions are scheduled from 9am to 12.30pm (AM session) and 2pm until completion of the auction (PM session).
     
         The auctions for stalls of the LNY fairs in Tai Po, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O, North District and Sha Tin will be held at the above-mentioned venue on November 4, 7, 8 and 12. The auction session is scheduled from 9am or 9.30am until completion of the auction.
     
         The auction for stalls of Tin Hau Temple Plaza LNY fair in Tuen Mun will be held at Tseng Choi Street Community Hall, 27 Tseng Choi Street, Tuen Mun, on November 6. The auction session is scheduled from 9.30am until completion of the auction.
     
         Details of the auctions are as follows:
     
    Sha Tsui Road Playground (Tsuen Wan)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 1 (Friday)
    Number of stalls: 126
    AM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 1 to 64)
    PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 65 to 96) and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $1,770
    Dry goods (regular size): $8,480
    Dry goods (large size): $12,720
     
    Tin Hau Temple Fung Shui Square (Tai Po)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 4 (Monday)
    Number of stalls: 61
    Stall types: Dry goods, wet goods and fast food
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods: $1,450
    Wet goods: $2,270
    Fast food: $5,480
     
    Tung Tau Industrial Area Playground (Yuen Long)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 5 (Tuesday)
    Number of stalls: 158
    AM session: Dry goods and wet goods (Stall Nos. 57 to 72)
    PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 77 to 156) and fast food
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods (regular size): $1,350
    Dry goods (large size): $2,030
    Wet goods: $700
    Fast food: $5,480
     
    Tin Hau Temple Plaza (Tuen Mun)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 6 (Wednesday)
    Number of stalls: 57
    Stall types: Wet goods, dry goods and fast food
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $1,490
    Dry goods: $2,140
    Fast food: $2,740
     
    Man Yee Playground (Sai Kung)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 7 (Thursday)
    Number of stalls: 20
    Stall types: Dry goods and wet goods
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods: $450
    Wet goods: $380
     
    Po Hong Park (Tseung Kwan O)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 7 (Thursday)
    Number of stalls: 90
    Stall types: Dry goods, wet goods and fast food
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods (regular size): $1,540
    Dry goods (large size): $2,310
    Wet goods: $830
    Fast food: $4,570
     
    Shek Wu Hui Playground (North District)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 8 (Friday)
    Number of stalls: 73
    Stall types: Wet goods and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $710
    Dry goods (regular size): $1,540
    Dry goods (large size): $2,310
     
    Kwai Chung Sports Ground (Kwai Tsing)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 11 (Monday)
    Number of stalls: 98
    AM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 1 to 56)
    PM session: Wet goods (Stall Nos. 57 to 76) and dry goods
    Opening prices:
    Wet goods: $490
    Dry goods (regular size): $2,250
    Dry goods (large size): $3,380
     
    Yuen Wo Playground (Sha Tin)
    ——————————————–
    Auction date: November 12 (Tuesday)
    Number of stalls: 75
    Stall types: Dry goods and wet goods
    Opening prices:
    Dry goods (regular size): $4,570
    Dry goods (large size): $6,860
    Wet goods: $3,580
     
         Bidders for LNY fair stalls must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong.
     
         Anyone can bid for more than one stall. A bidder must pay the bid price and register in person with his or her own name as the licensee of the stall immediately after successfully bidding for a stall. The bidder is also required to sign at once a licence agreement with the FEHD, or he/she will forfeit the rights to operate the stall.
     
         All fair sites will be made available to the licensees three days in advance of the fairs (from January 20 to 22, 2025) for the setting up of stalls. In the event of any unforeseeable incident that will cause reduction of the whole licence period (including the duration for setting up stalls and the business period of the fair), the Government has the right to postpone the commencement date and shorten the duration of the period. The bidding price (licence fee) paid will be refunded to the successful bidder on a pro-rata basis without interest.
     
         Stall licensees must completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise), from the licensed area before 7am on January 29, 2025 (9am for the Victoria Park LNY Fair).
     
         The FEHD reminded licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the FEHD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show or sell any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, contrary to the interest of national security, immoral or incompatible with the object of the LNY fair, the FEHD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such activities, and the licensee must immediately comply with the direction.
     
         Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at or in the vicinity of the stall. They may surrender unsold flowers and plants left behind at the stall to the FEHD at no charge, cost or compensation whatsoever, before 7am on January 29, 2025 (9am for the Victoria Park LNY Fair).
     
         According to the licence agreement, except inside designated stalls, licensees must not keep, store or use any compressed helium cylinder in the licensed area. Whereas licensees of the designated stalls may keep, store or use helium cylinders in the licensed area, the quantity of helium should be such that a licence is not required pursuant to the Dangerous Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulation 2012 (Cap. 295E), i.e. equivalent to 150 litres of helium. Sales of floating LED glowing balloons and aquarium fish by stall licensees are prohibited at the LNY fairs.
     
         In addition, as stated in the licence agreement, the height of dry goods stalls must not exceed three metres from ground level. The height of wet goods stalls and fast food stalls must not exceed 4.5m from ground level. For wet goods stalls and fast food stalls with a height of more than 3m from ground level, the licensee must, at his own costs, provide the FEHD with the original certificate issued by an authorised person, a registered structural engineer, or a competent person under the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59I) to certify the structural safety of the structure in the licensed area before the fair is opened to the public. The licensee must also affix a copy of the aforesaid certificate on the structure of the stall.
     
         Successful bidders shall comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.
     
         Details of the 2025 LNY fairs, such as the public notice, the locations and layouts of the fair venues, commodities allowed for sale at the fair stalls, open auction arrangements and related rules, and a sample of the licence agreement, are available on the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the FEHD hotline 2868 0000.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: World-first fire aviation simulator launched

    Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

    CFA has created a world-first mixed reality fire aviation simulator which will improve the training and skills of hundreds of the state’s eyes in the sky.

    The aviation simulator has state-of-the-art mixed reality goggles with a 280-degree view of the surrounding landscape which provides real-world training and skill testing in a safe, controlled environment.

    The simulator was officially launched today (9 October) at the Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre (VEMTC) at Bangholme by Emergency Services Minister Jaclyn Symes alongside CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan, FFMVic Deputy Chief Fire Officer Fiona Dunstan and aviation specialists.

    The $640,000 project was jointly funded by CFA and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).

    A prototype trailer of the aviation simulator was originally designed and developed by CFA Aviation Commander John Katakouzinos AFSM, who started the project in his garage during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

    This trailer-based prototype is still being utilised by aviation members across the state.

    CFA Aviation Commander John Katakouzinos AFSM said due to the success of the prototype, the need for a permanent aviation simulator became evident.

    “The simulator allows aviation volunteers and staff to undertake mapping, air attack missions, direct aircraft and practise communication and radio skills in a simulated environment,” John said.

    “It replicates the interior of an aircraft and uses photorealistic mapping software and communication technology to immerse pilots and students in the flight experience.

    “It’s also designed to be programmed to train students in any scenario in any of the aircraft used for aerial firefighting in Australia, including re-enacting past operations for pre-season training.”

    Both the prototype and new permanent aviation simulators have achieved successful training outcomes with over 300 Air Attack Supervisors, Air Observers and Airborne Mission Commanders trained or reaccredited over the past few years.

    CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan commends John and everyone who worked hard to develop this world-first technology.

    “The new aviation simulator at Bangholme as well as the existing simulator trailer are vital assets for aviation training across Victoria,” said Jason.

    “Aviation is important for providing intelligence and support to our crews on the ground during a fire and we’re excited to be able to share this simulator with our partner agencies.”

    There has already been further interest from our airborne partners with a portable aviation trailer being built for NSW Parks and Wildlife.

    • From L-R: CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan, CFA Board Chair Jo Plummer, Minister Jaclyn Symes, CFA Aviation Commander John Katakouzinos , FFMVic Deputy Chief Fire Officer Fiona Dunstan
    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Slot reforms to improve outcomes for passengers at Australia’s global gateway

    Source: Sydney Airport

    Wednesday 9 October 2024

    Sydney Airport welcomes the legislation introduced by the Albanese Government today to reform the airport’s slot system, the first changes in 27 years.

    The reforms will deliver benefits to passengers in terms of reliability, competition and choice through an improved compliance regime, with potential penalties for misusing slots, and a recovery mechanism that will reduce cancellations and delays when disruptions occur.

    Sydney Airport is currently restricted to 80 movements per hour, with no provision for these to be ‘caught up’ following a period of disruption like bad weather. The new recovery mechanism will allow for a temporary, two-hour window where five extra movements per hour will be allowed following disruptions.

    This will allow some flights that otherwise would have been cancelled to be recovered, providing a better and more reliable experience for passengers. Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said: “This is an important and positive step that will deliver better results for passengers by reducing cancellations and delays.

    “These are the first improvements to the legislation that governs Sydney Airport’s operation in more than 27 years, and we commend the Government for seeing these through.

    “We look forward to the legislation’s passage through the Senate and, once enacted, will continue to work with the Government and its agencies on implementation.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Environmental education programs funded by NSW Government

    Source: New South Wales Environment and Heritage

    Educating young people on how to preserve Western Sydney woodland habitat, care for marine animals and help threatened species are among the 7 projects sharing an investment of almost $1 million.

    The educational projects, which are designed to develop skills, encourage and inspire involvement in environmental protection, have been awarded funding under the 2023–24 round of the NSW Environmental Trust’s Environmental Education Grants Program.

    The Environmental Education grants program supports projects that broaden the community’s knowledge, skills and participation in the protection of the environment.

    The funded projects include:

    • Coffs Coast Wildlife Sanctuary – awarded $59,775 for the Eco Rangers program to engage young people in conservation activities including marine animal care, habitat clean-up and animal rescue and release events.
    • Murrumbidgee Landcare Incorporated – awarded $60,000 for the Linking Generations for Threatened Species Conservation project which teaches students about local species and links them with experts and older community members, including Wiradjuri Elders.
    • Cumberland Council – awarded $60,000 for Creating change one seed at a time which will protect native endemic species for future generations by encouraging private landowners and residents to become stewards of threatened species and communities.
    • Tweed Shire Council – awarded $60,000 for Cultivating Tomorrow which will empower farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture practices.
    • Western Sydney Parklands Trust – awarded $249,960 for Guardians of the Park, which will educate young people by providing hands-on learning experiences in restoring, connecting and monitoring threatened habitats.
    • Mid Coast 2 Tops Landcare Connection – awarded $247,583 to deliver on-ground ecological fire management workshops to landholders via the Eco Burn Education project.
    • Hunter Region Landcare Network – awarded $243,220 for the Dry Rainforest Revival project which will engage the community in learning and restoring large areas of Hunter region Dry Rainforest.

    Quotes attributed to Laura Purcell, Contestable Grants Manager, NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

    ‘It is encouraging to see a wide variety of grantees and projects awarded funding under one of the Environmental Trust’s flagship annual contestable grant programs.

    ‘The Environmental Trust looks forward to working with the grantees to support them in pursuing their unique environmental education opportunities.’

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Man charged with dangerous driving following Bridgewater incident

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Man charged with dangerous driving following Bridgewater incident

    Wednesday, 9 October 2024 – 2:33 pm.

    Police today arrested and charged a 32-year-old man with dangerous driving, evade police (aggravated circumstances), driving while disqualified, breach of bail and some other traffic matters following an investigation by Bridgewater CIB into an incident which occurred on 25 September 2024.Police allege about 2pm, the man drove more than 4.5km into oncoming traffic at high speed along the Brooker Highway at Granton after evading police in Bridgewater.Police investigations to date which included obtaining multiple eyewitness accounts, surveillance CCTV and dash camera recordings which detail and depict the man weaving in and out of oncoming traffic that resulted in multiple members of the travelling public taking evasive action to prevent a head on collision.The man is expected to appear in an after hours session in the Hobart Magistrates Court session later this evening.Anyone with information about this incident should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Fatima Payman’s new Australia’s Voice party to appeal to the ‘unheard’

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

    Senator Fatima Payman, launching her new political party Australia’s Voice, is pitching strongly at the large number of voters who are disillusioned with the big parties.

    “Australians are fed up with the major parties having a duopoly, a stranglehold over our democracy. If we need to drag the two major parties kicking and screaming to do what needs to be done, we will.”

    Payman, who stresses she is not forming a Muslim party, quoted both Gough Whitlam and Robert Menzies in introducing the new group.

    She said the party was “for the disenfranchised, the unheard, and those yearning for real change”. But she was short on any detail, saying policies and candidates would come later.

    Payman quit the Labor party to join the crossbench after disciplinary action that followed her crossing the floor over Gaza. A senator from Western Australia, she doesn’t face the voters until the election after next.

    It has previously been flagged the party intends to field Senate candidates as well as run in some lower house seats. Its strategist is so-called preference whisperer Glenn Druery, who works for Payman. Druery had success in promoting micro-party candidates running for upper houses in the past, but tightened federal electoral rules mean it will be an uphill battle to get a senator elected for the new party.
    Payman told a news conference on Wednesday: “This is more a movement than a party. It’s a movement for a fairer, more inclusive, Australia. Together we will hold our leaders accountable and ensure that your voice – Australia’s Voice – is never silenced.”

    Payman invoked “the great Gough Whitlam” when he said, “There are some people who are so frightened to put a foot wrong that they won’t put a foot forward”.

    “This comment made in 1985 applies so much to the current Labor Party who has lost its way,” Payman said.

    Looking also to the other side of politics she said: “Australia’s Voice believes in a system where people come first, where your concerns are not just heard but acted upon. We reject the status quo that serves the powerful and ignores the rest, the forgotten people as Robert Menzies put it.”

    She said after spending countless hours listening to Australians, the message she’d heard had been “a growing frustration”.

    “A feeling of being left behind, of shouting into a void, only for their concerns to fall on deaf ears.

    “So many of you have told me, with emotion in your hearts. ‘We need something different We need a voice’.

    “It is this cry for change that has brought us here today. Because we can no longer sit by while our voices are drowned out by the same old politics. It’s time to stand up, to rise together, and to take control of our future.”

    Underlining the party would be inclusive, Payman said, “This is a party for all Australians. We’re going to ensure that everyone is represented, whether it’s the mums and dads who are trying to make ends meet, or the young students out there, or whether it’s the grandparents who want to have dignity and respect as they age.”

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

    – ref. Fatima Payman’s new Australia’s Voice party to appeal to the ‘unheard’ – https://theconversation.com/fatima-paymans-new-australias-voice-party-to-appeal-to-the-unheard-240897

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: How do you stop elephant herds from trashing crops and trees? Target sensitive nostrils with a ‘scent fence’

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Patrick Finnerty, Postdoctoral research fellow in conservation, University of Sydney

    Elephant numbers are surging in southern Africa, with fewer natural predators, reduced hunting pressure and feeding by farmers and tourist operators.

    While this is good for elephants, it’s making life harder for humans who live near them. These huge herbivores can raid crops and destroy large trees in national parks with impunity, causing problems for farmers and land managers alike.

    Traditional solutions aren’t ideal. Culling is controversial, and building fences strong enough to deter elephants is very expensive.

    But there’s another option: a fence made of scent. We have explored how specific plant scents can stop wallabies from eating native seedlings. The technique works on Australian herbivores. Would it work for southern Africa’s much larger elephants?

    Our new research put this idea to the test. We mimicked the scent of a shrub known as common guarri (Euclea undulata), which elephants avoid eating, and built a Y-shaped maze for elephants. We placed the scent on one side of the Y and left the other side scent-free.

    The results were clear – our elephants voted with their trunks and avoided the stinky side. This suggests scent could play a useful role in fending off hungry pachyderms.

    How can elephants be a problem?

    The world has three species of elephant. The small Asian elephant is endangered while the even smaller African forest elephant, which lives in rainforests in West Africa and the Congo Basin, is critically endangered.

    But the largest species, the African savannah elephant, is bouncing back in southern Africa from decades of poaching and habitat loss.

    This is great on a conservation front. But it brings fresh problems. As elephant herds expand, they increasingly come into conflict with people – especially farmers. Losing a year’s crop to hungry elephants is devastating. When farmers try to stop them, the elephants can attack and even kill.

    In large numbers, elephants can damage the natural environment like other herbivores – but even more so. In South Africa’s Kruger National Park and other wild places, their enormous appetites have reshaped whole plant communities. The plants elephants like disappear, while those they don’t spread. Elephants also destroy large trees and prevent the growth of new ones.

    Oranges unable to be sold by Zimbabwean farmers are dumped, which attracts elephants and fuels population growth.

    As elephant numbers grow, desperate farmers and land managers have scrambled for solutions. Killing problem elephants has been a common fix. But the practice now faces strong public opposition. Fencing is costly and usually impractical for lower-income farming areas. Other deterrents, such as using flashing lights and annoying sounds to scare off the pachyderms have had mixed success.

    Curiously, elephants are scared stiff of bees. This knowledge has been used effectively by Kenyan farmers, who install beehives around their fields. Studies have shown the technique deters up to 80% of elephants. This method has limits, though, as there are only so many bees an area can sustain and maintaining hives takes work.

    The scent defence

    To deter an elephant, it helps to think like an elephant. We’ve long known carnivores rely heavily on scent to find prey. But scent is very important to herbivores too, as our team has explored. Herbivores rely on smell to tell them which plants to eat and which to avoid.

    In Australia, we have used this knowledge to artificially replicate the scent of boronia pinnata, a flowering shrub which swamp wallabies avoid. These wallabies are the local native equivalent of deer in their eating habits – they eat many different plants, including tree seedlings land managers would rather they did not.
    When we put vials of boronia scent next to vulnerable native seedlings in Sydney’s Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, we found these seedlings were 20 times less likely to be found and eaten by pesky wallabies.

    Researchers have found similar scent “misinformation” tactics substantially reduced how many eggs from threatened birds were eaten by invasive predators such as ferrets, cats and hedgehogs in New Zealand, while others have found it can reduce losses of wheat grain to house mice in Australia.

    But would this approach work on elephants? We were hopeful. We know elephants can smell water from afar. Better still, elephants have the strongest sense of smell of any land animal.

    We went to South Africa to test it out.

    Our entire research team, including humans and elephants.
    Patrick Finnerty, CC BY-NC-ND

    A proof of concept

    We set up our experiment at the Adventures with Elephants tourism and research centre north of Johannesburg, which is home to six semi-tame elephants.

    Here, we built a large maze shaped like a Y to let us test our idea in a controlled and safe environment. This is essential when working with temperamental animals weighing up to six tonnes.

    From almost ten meters away, elephants had to choose which path through the Y to follow using only their sense of smell. Plants and odour vials were hidden down each arm of the maze, ensuring the animals were not using vision to choose. Both exits to the maze contained lots of leaves and stems of the jacket plum (pappea capensis), a tree elephants love to eat. On one side of the Y, we placed a single glass vial containing just 1 millilitre of a mixture mimicking the smell of common guarri.

    It took just 1 ml of this scent to nudge elephants to go elsewhere.
    Patrick Finnerty

    The results were exciting. Time and time again, the elephants avoided the side where the artificial odour was present.

    An elephant stands at the top of the Y maze, scents the unpleasant plant on the right arm, and chooses to walk down the left arm.

    Scaling up

    Our results suggest using scent could provide a practical way we could avoid human-elephant conflicts and help people protect crops and national parks at a larger scale.

    Combining artificial odours with existing control measures such as fencing or beehives could offer more accessible and cost-effective methods to live alongside elephants.

    What’s next? We aim to scale up this research in the hope of creating a practical, versatile and cheap tool which people in elephant territory can use to protect crops, trees, and houses from these giant herbivores.

    We acknowledge our research co-authors, Clare McArthur and Peter Banks (University of Sydney) Adrian Shrader (University of Pretoria) and Melissa Schmitt (University of North Dakota), and Paul Finnerty for help designing and constructing the maze. We also thank Sean Hensman and the staff at Adventures With Elephants, South Africa, for allowing us to conduct our study on their premises.

    Patrick Finnerty 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. How do you stop elephant herds from trashing crops and trees? Target sensitive nostrils with a ‘scent fence’ – https://theconversation.com/how-do-you-stop-elephant-herds-from-trashing-crops-and-trees-target-sensitive-nostrils-with-a-scent-fence-239593

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: LNY fair stalls to be auctioned

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will auction stalls at next year’s Lunar New Year fairs from October 22.

    The fairs will be held at 15 locations from January 23 to 29.

    A total of 910 wet goods stalls, 633 dry goods stalls and 27 fast food stalls will be hosted at the venues.

    Opening prices range from $380 to $6,530 for wet goods stalls, $450 to $8,540 for dry goods stalls of regular size, $680 to $12,810 for large-size dry goods stalls, and $2,290 to $120,470 for fast food stalls.

    Of the 15 fairs, six, hosting a total of 812 stalls, will be on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, or Islands District. The remaining nine fairs will be held in the New Territories and will provide 521 wet goods stalls, 230 dry goods stalls and seven fast food stalls.

    The fair in Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island will house 395 stalls.

    Click here for details.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Australian government has introduced new cyber security laws. Here’s what you need to know

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Tuffley, Senior Lecturer in Applied Ethics & CyberSecurity, Griffith University

    gerardaskes/Shutterstock

    The Albanese government today introduced long-awaited legislation to parliament which is set to revolutionise Australia’s cyber security preparedness.

    The legislation, if passed, will be Australia’s first standalone cyber security act. It’s aimed at protecting businesses and consumers from the rising tide of cyber crime.

    So what are the key provisions, and will it be enough?

    What’s in the new laws?

    The new laws have a strong focus on victims of “ransomware” – malicious software cyber criminals use to block access to crucial files or data until a ransom has been paid.

    People who pay a ransom do not always regain lost data. The payments also sustain the hacker’s business model.

    Under the new law, victims of ransomware attacks who make payments must report the payment to authorities. This will help the government track cyber criminal activities and understand how much money is being lost to ransomware.

    The laws also involve new obligations for the National Cyber Security Coordinator and Australian Signals Directorate. These obligations restrict how these two bodies can use information provided to them by businesses and industry about cyber security incidents. The government hopes this will encourage organisations to more openly share information knowing it will be safeguarded.

    Separately, organisations in critical infrastructure – such as energy, transport, communications, health and finance – will be required to strengthen programs used to secure individuals’ private data.

    The new legislation will also upgrade the investigative powers of the Cyber Incident Review Board. The board will conduct “no-fault” investigations after significant cyber attacks. The board will then share insights to promote improvements in cyber security practices more generally. These insights will be anonymised to ensure the identities of victims of cyber attacks aren’t publicly revealed.

    The legislation will also introduce new minimum cyber security standards for all smart devices, such as watches, televisions, speakers and doorbells.

    These standards will establish a baseline level of security for consumers. They will include secure default settings, unique device passwords, regular security updates and encryption of sensitive data.

    This is a welcome step that will ensure everyday devices meet minimum security criteria before they can be sold in Australia.

    A long-overdue step

    Cyber security incidents have surged by 23% in the past financial year, to more than 94,000 reported cases. This is equivalent to one attack every six minutes.

    This dramatic increase underscores the growing sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks targeting Australian businesses and individuals. It also highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive national response.

    High-profile cyber attacks have further emphasised the need to strengthen Australia’s cyber security framework. The 2022 Optus data breach is perhaps the most prominent example. The breach compromised the personal information of more than 11 million Australians, alarming both the government and the public, not to mention Optus.

    Cyber Security Minister Tony Burke says the Cyber Security Act is a “long-overdue step” that reflects the government’s concern about these threats.

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also acknowledged recent high-profile attacks as a “wake-up call” for businesses, emphasising the need for a unified approach to cyber security.

    The Australian government wants to establish Australia as a world leader in cyber security by 2030. This goal reflects the government’s acknowledgement that cyber security is fundamental to national security, economic prosperity and social well being.

    Broader implications

    The proposed laws will enhance national security. But they could also present challenges.

    For example, even though the laws place limitations on how the National Cyber Security Coordinator and Australian Signals Directorate can use information, some businesses might still be unwilling to share confidential data because they are worried about damage to their reputation.

    Businesses, especially smaller ones, will also face a substantial compliance burden as they adapt to new reporting requirements. They will also potentially need to invest more heavily in cyber security measures. This could lead to increased costs, which might ultimately be passed on to consumers.

    The proposed legislation will require careful implementation to balance the needs of national security, business operations and individual privacy rights.

    David Tuffley 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. The Australian government has introduced new cyber security laws. Here’s what you need to know – https://theconversation.com/the-australian-government-has-introduced-new-cyber-security-laws-heres-what-you-need-to-know-240889

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Universities – Swinburne Chancellor to call for bold leadership to tackle climate crisis at 2024 Swinburne Oration

    Source: Swinburne University of Technology

    Swinburne University of Technology Chancellor Professor John Pollaers OAM will use an address tonight to urge Australia’s business, government and academic sectors to step up and lead the charge in addressing the global climate emergency.

    Speaking at the 2024 Swinburne Chancellor’s Oration, Professor Pollaers will underscore that the time for incremental adjustments has passed and that Australia needs transformative leadership that prioritises long-term, strategic alignment of economic, societal and environmental goals.

    “This moment demands more than just managing the status quo. Leaders must rise to the challenge, setting aside short-term gains for a vision that secures not only Australia’s future but also our planet’s,” Professor Pollaers said.

    “Our research and education sector is a national asset, a strategic lever that, when fully harnessed, can propel Australia into a leadership position on the global stage. Becoming a renewable energy superpower is important, but our true potential lies in becoming a brainpower superpower.”

    “The opportunity for clean economic growth is within our reach, but only if we are bold enough to seize it.”

    “It will take every home, every business and every industry working together towards a more sustainable future. The scale of the response required is unprecedented.”

    The Chancellor will use his address at Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus to call on leaders across a range of sectors to act.

    “There’s a false narrative out there that somehow Australia is a powerless victim of this transformation, or too minor a player to make a difference, and there are even some who still question whether we need to act at all. We have to reject this. We have to make the choice to lead.”

    Moderated by esteemed journalist Beverley O’Connor, the Oration will feature a panel of international experts:

    Nicky Sparshott: Global Chief of Transformation, Unilever

    Julian Critchlow: Advisory Partner, Bain and Company and former UK Government Director General, Energy Transformation and Clean Growth

    Dan Cass: Co-Founder and Executive Director, Rewiring Australia

    Paul Gliding: Sustainability advocate and former Greenpeace International Executive Director.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – Child rights organisation ChildFund, launch global online safety app

    Source: ChildFund

    Child rights organisation ChildFund have joined forces with The Girls and Boys Brigade to launch ChildFund’s global online safety app – Swipe Safe. ChildFund acknowledge the rapidly changing digital landscape and build an app that puts the power back in the hands of children and their parents.

    (Sydney, Australia).  In the countries in which ChildFund Australia works, the digital transformation of children’s lives has presented acute risks such as scams, cyberbullying, online grooming, and sexual, sexist, racist, or violent content. ChildFund has responded with the creation of the Swipe Safe program and app. The app serves to immediately strengthen children’s knowledge, skills and behaviours keeping them safe online.

    Swipe Safe has been beta tested in five separate phases, directly involving face-to-face training and app testing with tens of thousands of children in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji and the Solomon Islands. The organisation has now teamed up with the Boys and Girls Brigade to launch the app in Australia.

    They have also been testing the app with families at the Girls and Boys Brigade who have provided local insights into the app. Stephanie Fett the Family Support Coordinator at the Boys and Girls Brigade spoke about how technology is transforming the lives of families the centre supports.

    “We’re seeing young people using phones from about eight years on and they haven’t developed that rational thinking until they reach 24 or even 25 [years of age]. So they are really unaware of the risks online, the natural reaction of parents is to take the phone away. This however struggles to build trust and openness with the parent making it exceedingly more difficult for them to protect their children online.”

    Stephanie elaborated that the app helped build greater trust between parents, carers and children, which is key to helping keep children safer online.

    “Parents need to work to build an open online relationship with children so they are comfortable with talking about their experiences online. The Swipe Safe app is a great tool to help facilitate this communication” [Click here for more on Swipe Safe].”

    ChildFund Chief Development Officer Corinne Habel was thrilled to launch the app in Australia and bring the insights that they have learned in overseas to home soil.

    “The Swipe Safe app is a unique online safety app that has been developed by global child protection specialists. Reports indicate that the volume of child sexual abuse material has increased by 87% in the last 5 years.

    SwipeSafe helps parents, caregivers, children and young people navigate an increasingly risky online space.  The online world is an exciting place for children to learn, play and connect, and we need to give them the tools to stay safe and understand and feel comfortable reporting harmful situations.

     

    ChildFund Australia

    ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in many of the world’s most disadvantaged communities.

    We partner to create community and systems change which enables vulnerable children and young people, in all their diversity, to assert and realise their rights.

    ChildFund Australia is a member of the ChildFund Alliance – one of the world’s oldest and most experienced child-focused development agencies. With a global network of 11 organisations, the ChildFund Alliance assists nearly 32million children and families in 70 countries.

    As a member of the Australian Council for International Development, and a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct and the ACFID Fundraising Charter, ChildFund Australia must meet high standards of corporate governance, public accountability and financial management.

    In addition, ChildFund Australia is fully accredited by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade which manages the Australian Government’s overseas aid program. Accreditation is a stringent process in which all operational activities – financial, managerial, fundraising and program – are analysed. This not only requires that ChildFund demonstrate that funds are distributed to community projects, but that they are spent effectively in those communities for the benefit of children.

    About Corinne Habel

    Corinne is a highly experienced director and executive with diverse expertise across a variety of not-for-profit sectors including humanitarian, hospitals, education, environmental, the arts and faith-based. Originally from the US, Corinne brings over 20 years’ experience in implementing effective global strategies.  Her diplomatic approach is key in her ability to negotiate and influence effectively at all levels of corporate, foundation, government and the community.

    The Girls and Boys Brigade

    Since 1882, The Girls and Boys Brigade have provided a welcoming, safe place for children and youth, aged 5-18, who need a helping hand. Based in Surry Hills, our programs are open to children, youth and their families living within the City of Sydney local government area. The families who access our services experience a wide range of financial, social, educational and housing challenges.

    About Stephanie Fett

    Stephanie has 38 years of frontline experience in the community sector as well as a Masters in International Social Work and Community Development.

    Stephanie’s experience has taken her to NSW regional areas, remote Aboriginal communities, Victoria Queensland, as well as urban Sydney – city and west. She has worked in disability, addiction, mental health homelessness, youth, children and family, Out of Home Care, Juvenile Justice, unemployment, assessment and projects to increase access to services and decolonise systems.

    She believes the key to her work is relationship building which builds trust, working alongside people in a trauma informed way.

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Paid Family and Domestic Violence leave helping workers cope in crisis

    Source: Australian Ministers for Social Services

    Joint with:

    Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
    Minister for Women
    Senator for the Australian Capital Territory
     

    The Hon Amanda Rishworth MP
    Minister for Social Services
    Member for Kingston
     

    Senator the Hon Murray Watt
    Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
    Senator for Queensland  

    An independent statutory review of the Albanese Government’s paid family and domestic violence leave has found the program is succeeding in supporting the financial security of those escaping or experiencing violence.

    The Government has today tabled the review of the Fair Work Amendment (Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave) Act 2022 in the Parliament. This was the first of several pieces of legislation passed by the Albanese Government to increase the wages and conditions of working Australians.

    Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave entitles all employees experiencing family and domestic violence to 10 days of paid leave each year. This includes full-time, part-time and casual employees.

    The review found that of the workers who had taken paid family and domestic violence leave, 91 per cent surveyed said it helped them maintain their income, and 89 per cent said it helped them to retain their employment.

    The reform particularly supports women, who are overrepresented as victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.

    The 2021-22 Personal Safety Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 1 in 4 women in Australia have experienced violence by an intimate partner, compared to 1 in 14 men.

    The review, conducted by Flinders University, found the legislation was “life changing” for those who accessed it and that there was broad stakeholder support from both employers and unions.

    A total of 12 findings and five recommendations resulted from the review. The most notable, was there should be a focus on increasing awareness and understanding of the leave entitlement through communities and workplaces.

    Flinders University found that further work is needed to ensure all employers and employees are aware of the entitlement to family and domestic violence leave.

    It also found that ongoing stigma around family and domestic violence was a barrier to workers accessing the leave.

    The Albanese Government will now carefully consider the review’s final report and recommendations, as part of our ongoing work to deliver secure jobs, better pay and safer workplaces for all Australians.

    The full report can be viewed here.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Women, Katy Gallagher:

    “Australian women experience unfathomably high rates of domestic, family and sexual violence, and this is something the Albanese Government is determined to change.”

    “We legislated 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave because no one should have to choose between their job and their safety.

    “We want to ensure that women are not trapped in a violent relationship because they can’t afford to leave.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Social Services, Amanda Rishworth:

    “No one should ever be put in a situation where they must choose their financial security or their safety.”

    “We know the experiences of those who are escaping or experiencing family and domestic violence can be absolutely crippling. Legislating paid leave for those in the midst of violence, undoubtedly has saved lives.

    “Along with states and territories, our Government is committed to ending violence against women and children within a generation. It’s something I as Minister have worked on every day since coming to Government.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Murray Watt:

    “The review has shown that the legislation is acting as intended – ensuring workers do not have to choose between their safety and their pay cheque.”

    “Financial independence is critical in helping women to leave or respond to violence, and this entitlement saves lives, plain and simple.

    “This leave entitlement is one of a number of measures taken by the Albanese Government to ensure Australians have secure jobs, better pay and safer workplaces.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) Bill 2024

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    Deputy Speaker – this Bill is long overdue. 

    This Bill amends the Ombudsman Act 1976 to establish a National Student Ombudsman.

    This is a first.

    A dedicated, national body to handle student complaints within our higher education system.

    The National Student Ombudsman will have the powers:

    • To investigate complaints about a broad range of issues;
    • To bring parties together to resolve those issues, including offering restorative engagement processes and alternative dispute resolution where appropriate;
    • To make findings and recommendations on what actions universities should take; and
    • To monitor the implementation of those recommendations.

    It will also have strong investigative powers, similar to those of a Royal Commission, they include:

    • To require a person or university to provide information, documents or other records relevant to an investigation;
    • To enter premise of a university as part of an investigation; and
    • To require a person to attend and answer questions before the Ombudsman.

    The Ombudsman is another recommendation of the Universities Accord which the Government is turning into a reality.

    As I said when I introduced this Bill, the Ombudsman will be independent, impartial and will provide a vastly improved complaints mechanism.

    And it will go further than addressing gender-based violence in universities.

    It will be able to consider and address a broad range of complaints made by students about the actions of their university.

    For example, complaints about a university’s handling of a student safety and welfare matter, where a student is subjected to homophobia, antisemitism, Islamophobia or other forms of racism or discrimination on campus.

    Can I thank all Members who’ve contributed to this debate including: 

    • Minister for Social Services 
    • Member for Goldstein 
    • Member for Bradfield
    • Member for Kooyong 
    • Member for Wentworth
    • Member for Chisholm
    • Member for Riverina 

    And can I thank the Opposition for their support for this Bill.

    The Opposition has foreshadowed a second reading amendment. The Government is not in a position to support that and I add to the record an explanation why. 

    The rules for the National Student Ombudsman are currently being drafted by the Attorney-General’s Department and will be completed prior to the commencement of the National Student Ombudsman. 

    These rules will be able to prescribe certain matters related to the National Student Ombudsman’s exercise of its powers and functions. 

    Among other things, the Bill specifically allows for the rules to prescribe the Commonwealth, state and territory bodies that can transfer complaints to the National Student Ombudsman and matters that are or are not excluded actions.

    Deputy Speaker I’d also like to thank in conclusion, the organisations and advocates who have worked with me and my Department to help make this change a reality.

    They include:

    • Sharna Bremner from End Rape on Campus;
    • Camille Schloeffel from the Stop Campaign;
    • Renee Carr from Fair Agenda; and  
    • Dr Allison Henry

    We are only here because of their tireless work. 

    Australia is the best country in the world but the truth is it can be a lot better and a lot fairer. 

    And that’s what these reforms are about. 

    It’s what this Bill is about. 

    And I commend it to the House.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 113th R.O.C (Taiwan) National Day Dinner hosted by the Double Tenth Celebration Committee

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu, Mrs. Vicki Wu and TECO staff attended the 113th R.O.C (Taiwan)National Day Dinner Event hosted by the Double Tenth Celebration Committee, with over 400 guests including friends from NSW State Parliament, city councils and Taiwanese communities.
    DG Wu extended his gratitude for the support and effort of the Committee and Taiwanese communities. The theme of this year’s celebration, “Peace, Friendship and Innovation”—perfectly aligns with Taiwan’s roadmap for development and the vision for the future.
    Taiwan is eager for peace and stability, because we know the military conflict is against the benefits of the universe. We thank Australian government and friends in keeping steadfast support for Taiwan and opposing any unilateral change of the status quo of Taiwan Strait. As an innovation powerhouse and vibrant democracy, Taiwan plays a vital role in global supply chains. Taiwan will continue to work with Australia to protect our democratic system and shared values. DG Wu also thanked Communities’ support and attendance of our National Day Reception on Thursday. The impressive turnout reflected Australian friends’ unwavering support and appreciation.
    The guest speakers recoginized the great contribution and active engagement of Taiwanese communities, which enriches the multicultural harmony of Australian society. They all look forward to more collaborations between Australia and Taiwan to benefit both sides.
    Besides the Taiwanese business and artwork display, exhibition of Taiwan indigenous literature and amazing performances. DG Wu also witnessed the charity donation of AUD 6,000 to the Smith Family, which highlights Taiwan’s role as a force for good in the world.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Taiwan Tamkang University President Dr. Huan-Chao Keh and his team visited TECO

    Source: Republic Of China Taiwan 2

    Taiwan’s Tamkang University President Dr. Huan-Chao Keh led the dream AI team to Australia and paid a visit to Director General David Cheng-Wei Wu.
    President Keh shared his observations regarding the capacity of Taiwan’s Hi-tech and AI, international student exchange and mandarin learning programs, and future development of Taiwan’s advanced education.
    Worth mentioning is Tamkamg’s College of Artificial Innovative Intelligence is recognised by AI industry since it is the only university member invited to join the “Taiwan AI Alliance” and serves as a co-organizer.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI: Australia’s TPG Telecom Taps Mavenir to Boost Voice Security For Mobile Users and Block AI-Driven Scam Calls

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    RICHARDSON, Texas, Oct. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mavenir, the Network Software Provider building the future of networks with cloud-native solutions that run on any cloud, today announces that its advanced machine learning (ML) technology is being used by TPG Telecom to protect mobile users from the increasing scourge of AI-driven scam and spam voice calls – resulting in a 280 per cent increase in the number of fraudulent calls being blocked before they reach TPG Telecom customers’ mobile phones.

    The Australian telco is already benefiting from Mavenir’s intelligent SpamShield technology protection for SMS messaging for several years. Mavenir is now supplying its robust, real-time CallShield solution –to protect TPG Telecom’s customers across its Vodafone, TPG, iiNet and felix brands from the nuisance and threat of automated and deepfake voice calls initiated by fraudsters.

    In the first six months of this year, Mavenir’s CallShield technology has blocked almost 19 million fraudulent mobile calls from reaching TPG Telecom’s customers. This equates to blocking 103,000 illicit calls from reaching customers per day, and more than triple the 4.9 million calls blocked in the first half of 2023. This represents some of the highest scam and spam call prevention figures in the industry.

    TPG Telecom also uses Mavenir’s SpamShield platform to stop fraudulent SMS from reaching its mobile users. In the first six months of 2024, Mavenir’s technology blocked more than 59.6 million fraudulent text messages from reaching TPG Telecom’s customers.

    Communication Service Providers (CSPs) globally are facing a constantly evolving flow of unsolicited spam and fraud traffic – across both data and voice services – which is increasingly driven by sophisticated AI techniques, making it very difficult to detect and control. In addition to creating a poor experience for users and significant revenue losses for operators, a 2022 report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission highlighted that phone scams cost Australians a concerning A$141 million in losses. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the regulator of the country’s telecommunications system, is spearheading industry action to crack down on spam and scam calls and ensure that consumers are adequately protected – enforcing regulatory compliance from operators and supporting the roll-out of effective security solutions from technology vendors. Mavenir’s CallShield solution uses real-time machine learning technology to carry out automated security analysis and proactive defense across voice services – helping operators to stay one step ahead of the scammers. The CallShield solution provides CSPs with 360-degree control to effectively address specific situations within their networks with unrivalled speed and flexibility. While traditional detection and prevention techniques are based on deterministic rules that can be easily detected and bypassed, CallShield’s ML detection algorithms with built-in intelligence adapt to current network conditions and subscriber behavior to continually detect and block attempted activity from spammers and fraudster.

    TPG Telecom Chief Technology Officer Giovanni Chiarelli said: “Our business is built on the trust of our customers. We are committed to embracing new technologies that provide the best possible protection against the nuisance and threat of malicious harm posed by these spammers and scammers. We are pleased Mavenir’s CallShield technology is providing real-time, automated security analysis and effective security for customers across our voice services.”

    Jan Schaar, Asia Pacific Regional Vice President for Mavenir, added: “The speed and sophistication of the techniques being employed by scammers and fraudsters means that a reactive security approach based on purely “reporting” spam is no longer enough. To offer mobile users the assurance and peace of mind they need today, we need to work harder and smarter, and remain one step ahead at all times – continuously learning from and anticipating the scammers’ next move. Our SpamShield platform, with its powerful ML-driven engine, is already delivering state-of-the-art, proactive security and protection across TPG’s messaging services. We are happy to now be extending the solution span by providing our robust CallShield technology – ensuring that TPG’s mobile customers can now enjoy the same superior protection from nuisance and malicious threats that arrive in the form of unwanted voice calls.”

    Notes to editor:

    TPG official Press Release – TPG Telecom stops spams and scams from reaching customers with new call blocker

    CallShield – Mavenir

    SpamShield / Messaging Fraud – Mavenir

    About TPG Telecom

    TPG Telecom is an Australian telecommunications company which is home to some of Australia’s most-loved telecommunications brands including Vodafone, TPG, iiNet, AAPT, Internode, Lebara and felix. As the second largest telecommunications company listed on the ASX, TPG Telecom has a strong challenger spirit and a commitment to delivering the best services and products to its customers. http://www.tpgtelecom.com.au.

    TPG Telecom PR Contact:
    media@tpgtelecom.com.au

    About Mavenir:

    Mavenir is building the future of networks today with cloud-native, AI-enabled solutions which are green by design, empowering operators to realize the benefits of 5G and achieve intelligent, automated, programmable networks. As the pioneer of Open RAN and a proven industry disruptor, Mavenir’s award-winning solutions are delivering automation and monetization across mobile networks globally, accelerating software network transformation for 300+ Communications Service Providers in over 120 countries, which serve more than 50% of the world’s subscribers. For more information, please visit http://www.mavenir.com

    Mavenir PR Contacts:
    Emmanuela Spiteri
    PR@mavenir.com

    The MIL Network –