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Category: Great Britain

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David Jeffery-Schwikkard, PhD Candidate (Theology and Religious Studies), King’s College London

    In most of the world, countries with religious populations are more likely to have governments that support religion through laws and policies. These laws might include religious education, funding for religious institutions, and laws based on religious values. Not so in sub-Saharan Africa.

    In a recently published research paper, David Jeffery-Schwikkard, who studies secularism, argues that sub-Saharan African countries provide little state support for religion, even though their populations are among the most devout globally.

    These findings unsettle many common misconceptions about the role of religion in politics. The Conversation Africa asked him a few questions.

    How prevalent is religion in countries in sub-Saharan Africa?

    A population is normally considered very religious if most people say religion is “very important” in their lives or report attending religious services at least once a week.

    In surveys conducted between 2007 and 2018 by the Pew Research Centre, 46% of respondents outside sub-Saharan Africa said religion was very important in their lives. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the average is nearly twice that: 89%. Ethiopia and Senegal are among the most religious countries in the world. In both cases, 98% of people said religion was very important. Of the 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa for which Pew has data, Botswana (71%) and South Africa (75%) are the least religious. Yet even these countries are far above the global average.

    What does this matter for how states are run?

    Generally, countries with religious populations have states that provide a lot of support to religion. This is what you would expect, since religious citizens probably want more state support for their religions.

    What this means, though, is that commentators often assume that religious citizens are a threat to secular states. This then shapes how analysts make sense of public displays of religion. One example of this is in South Africa, where many people assumed that former president Jacob Zuma, who often used religious rhetoric, would pursue religious laws and policies.

    Read more: TB Joshua scandal: the forces that shaped Nigeria’s mega pastor and made him untouchable

    These assumptions are especially common in analyses of religion and politics in Africa. Yet, while it is easy to identify laws or policies in sub-Saharan Africa that are religious, one can easily overlook the fact that having some of these laws is not unusual globally. In other words, having some pro-religion laws and policies doesn’t necessarily mean that countries are governed by religious beliefs.

    Thus one might focus on Ghana’s support for Hajj, while forgetting that the UK reserves seats in the House of Lords for the Church of England, and that Germany collects taxes on behalf of churches. Yet the UK and Germany are rarely seen as religious states. Some level of state support for religion does not mean that a country is governed by religious beliefs.

    Why are African countries different?

    Contrary to the global trend, countries in sub-Saharan Africa provide very little state support to religion – less than half the global average. This is as measured by the Religion and State Project at Bar Ilan University, based on the number of different types of support provided, such as reserving political positions for religious leaders or funding religious schools.

    One of the most popular explanations for the scant support for religion is that states in sub-Saharan Africa lack the necessary financial and administrative capacity. These states, the argument goes, would provide more support if only they had more money and were better able to implement their policies.

    However, data from the World Bank shows that this is not the case: overall, there is no relationship between state capacity and support for religion.

    Read more: Catholic synod: the voices of church leaders in Africa are not being heard – 3 reasons why

    A more plausible explanation is that religious actors in these countries tend to lack moral authority. Moral authority, as theorised by American political scientist Anna Grzymala-Busse, is the extent to which people see religious actors as defenders of the nation.

    Several factors are conducive to moral authority. These include whether people share the same ethnicity or religion, whether religious actors have control over education, and whether they have sided with the “right side” in moments of national crisis.

    Can you give an example?

    Consider Rwanda and Mozambique.

    Until 1994, the Roman Catholic Church in Rwanda enjoyed moral prestige. The church controlled a significant share of the education system and had supported the independence movement against Belgium. Most Rwandans were Catholic. And indeed, the church maintained a very close relationship with the state after independence in 1962.

    Yet this moral authority was forfeited after the church was seen to be complicit in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, which claimed about 800,000 lives. Today, the government keeps a careful distance from religion, despite 90% of Rwandans reporting that religion is very important in their lives.

    Read more: Rwanda’s genocide could have been prevented: 3 things the international community should have done – expert

    Mozambique provides a contrast to Rwanda, yet with similar outcomes. The Roman Catholic Church denounced the liberation movement’s struggle against Portugal. The country has no religious or ethnic majority. At independence, formal education was scarce.

    There was therefore little reason for Mozambicans to see the church as a defender of the nation. On the contrary, religious institutions were persecuted after independence. Like Rwanda, Mozambique provides extremely little state support for religion, despite being one of the most religious countries internationally.

    Read more: Between state and mosque: new book explores the turbulent history of Islamic politics in Mozambique

    These factors – religious diversity, limited enrolment in schools controlled by religious organisations, and moments of political crisis in which those organisations can misstep – make it less likely that religious actors are held by citizens as integral to national identity. And while sub-Saharan Africa is extremely varied, common historical influences, such as the legacies of colonialism, may make these factors more likely.

    What can we learn from this?

    Clearly, we need to be more careful in how we interpret the role of religion in politics. While it might be tempting to see religious fervour as a threat to secular democracy, it is not necessarily so. A politician might use religious rhetoric, but this does not mean that it will translate into religious laws. Equally, some state support for religion is not unusual globally. Analyses of single policies need to keep this in mind.

    Read more: Christianity is changing in South Africa as pentecostal and indigenous churches grow – what’s behind the trend

    This research also upends the way many people normally think about secularism. Many people in Europe have become less religious. Consequently, European states are offered as models of secularism. However, this has it backwards.

    Despite their electorates being less religious, European states are more involved in religion than their counterparts in sub-Saharan African. If secularism is the separation of religion and the state, then countries in sub-Saharan Africa – which maintain a secular state despite widespread religion – are in fact the exemplar.

    – Deeply religious African countries (surprisingly) provide little state support to religion – unlike countries in Europe
    – https://theconversation.com/deeply-religious-african-countries-surprisingly-provide-little-state-support-to-religion-unlike-countries-in-europe-245490

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leuchars Station medical and dental centre marks major construction milestone

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Around 3,700 armed forces personnel and their families will benefit from the new building at Leuchars Station.

    The project team celebrate at a topping out ceremony. (Crown Copyright)

    A ceremony has been held to mark the topping out of a new medical and dental centre at Leuchars Station in Fife. 

    The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is managing the build on behalf of the British Army, and contracted the £22 million facility to Graham Building North who began construction in October. 

    The new building will replace the current medical and dental centre which was built in 1936. Around 3,700 personnel at the British Army establishment and their dependents will benefit from the new building, which will house physical rehabilitation and mental health facilities as well as GP and dental services. Leuchars Station is to become the army’s hub in Scotland, and the new building has been designed to cater for this increase in personnel .

    The building has been carefully designed to be as sustainable as possible, including through thermal efficiency, solar panels, air source heat pumps and 4 electric vehicle charging stations. Building materials have been selected not only on the basis of suitability but also to reduce carbon impact on the environment. It is hoped that the building can be an example of sustainability in construction of future MOD medical and dental centres. 

    Shaun Purdy, DIO’s Project Manager, said: 

    Reaching this milestone, with completion of the structure, means it’s easy for both the medical staff and other personnel at Leuchars to see the scale of this new facility and how well-suited it will be for their needs. Our focus now moves to the interior of the building as we look forward to the completion of the building in the coming months.

    Lt Col Christopher Stewart, Senior Medical Officer, said: 

    The East of Scotland Medical Practice team is thrilled to see the new medical and dental centre taking shape at speed. This state-of-the-art facility will provide us considerably more clinical space and allow us to deliver a greater number of services simultaneously, whilst supporting our outputs as a training practice.  

    Our mission is to deliver an exceptional level of care to the service personnel and families we serve and this new facility will help us to achieve this.

    Commander Defence Primary Healthcare, Surgeon Commodore (RN) Andy Nelstrop, said: 

    Seeing this facility take shape at such speed is remarkable. Providing expert healthcare to armed forces personnel is a priority within the Defence Medical Services (DMS), and this facility will provide a modern environment for both Defence Primary Healthcare staff and patients based at Leuchars, improving access to services, making the patient and staff experience better and enabling the best clinical outcomes.  

    This brand new, purpose-built building, highlights the value and importance that we place on protecting the health of our armed forces and ensuring they are fit to fight. It builds on the successes of previous work to make it easier for personnel to see the right medical professional as quickly as possible.

    Chris MacLeod, Graham Building North’s Regional Director, said: 

    Our team have been working diligently to deliver this medical and dental facility for our longstanding client, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation. With the frame completed, we can now visualise this sustainable, state of the art building and the services it will provide for the military personnel and their families at Leuchars and in the wider region. 

    With the structure built to its full height, attention now turns to interior works. Once the replacement facility is complete, medical personnel and patients will transition over to the new medical and dental centre and Graham will demolish the old building. 

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bowman, Brief Remarks on the Economy and Accountability in Supervision, Applications, and Regulation

    Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve

    Thank you for the invitation to join you here in Phoenix at the ABA’s Conference for Community Bankers.1 For the past seven years, this conference provided an excellent forum for me and bankers to meet and interact with a range of state and federal regulators, policymakers, service providers, and other stakeholders. Today I would like to share a brief update on my views on monetary policy and the economy, before I turn to bank regulatory issues, and describe how I think that regulators should approach the important work of “maintenance” of the regulatory framework.
    Economic Outlook and Monetary PolicyToward the end of last year, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) began the process of moving the target range for the federal funds rate to a more neutral setting to reflect the progress made since 2023 on lowering inflation and cooling the labor market. At our September meeting, the FOMC voted to lower the target range, for the first time since we began tightening monetary policy to combat inflation, by 50 basis points to 4-3/4 to 5 percent.
    You may remember that I dissented from that decision, the first time a Fed Governor dissented from an FOMC rate decision in nearly 20 years. I preferred a smaller initial cut to begin the policy recalibration phase. I explained my reasoning in a statement published after the meeting noting that the strong economy and a healthy labor market did not warrant a larger cut. In addition, moving the policy rate down too quickly could unnecessarily risk stoking demand, potentially reigniting inflationary pressures, and could be interpreted as a premature “declaration of victory” on our price-stability mandate.
    At the most recent FOMC meeting last month, my colleagues and I voted to hold the federal funds rate target range at 4-1/4 to 4‑1/2 percent and to continue to reduce the Federal Reserve’s securities holdings. I supported this action because, after recalibrating the policy rate by 100 basis points through the December meeting, I think that policy is now in a good place, allowing the Committee to be patient and pay closer attention to the inflation data as it evolves.
    In my view, the current policy stance also provides the opportunity to review further indicators of economic activity and get further clarity on the administration’s policies and their effects on the economy. It will be very important to have a better sense of these policies, how they will be implemented, and establish greater confidence about how the economy will respond in the coming weeks and months.
    For now, the U.S. economy remains strong, with solid growth in economic activity and a labor market near full employment. Core inflation is still somewhat elevated, but has appeared to resume its downward path, and my baseline expectation has been that it will moderate further this year. Even with this outlook, there are upside risks to my baseline expectation for the inflation path.
    In 2023, the rate of inflation declined significantly, but it has taken longer to see further meaningful declines since that time. The latest consumer and producer price index reports suggest that the 12-month measure of core personal consumption expenditures inflation—which excludes food and energy prices—likely moved down to around 2.6 percent in January, which would represent a noticeable stepdown from its 2.8 percent reading in December and 3.0 percent at the end of 2023. Progress had been especially slow and uneven since the spring of last year mostly due to rising core goods price inflation.
    After increasing at a solid pace, on average, over the first nine months of last year, gross domestic product appears to have risen a bit more moderately in the fourth quarter, reflecting a large drop in the volatile category of inventory investment. In contrast, private domestic final purchases, which provide a better signal about underlying growth in economic activity, maintained its strong momentum from earlier in the year, as personal consumption rose robustly again in the fourth quarter. Following strong readings in December, retail sales and sales of motor vehicles softened in January. However, these data can be noisy around this time of the year and sales were likely affected by the cold and wintery weather last month.
    Payroll employment gains have picked up since the summer of last year and averaged a strong pace of about 240,000 per month over the past three months, with last month’s gains likely held back by the Los Angeles wildfires and the harsh winter weather. The unemployment rate edged down further to 4.0 percent in January and has moved sideways since the middle of last year, remaining below my estimate of full employment.
    The labor market appears to have stabilized in the second half of last year, after it loosened from extremely tight conditions. The rise in the unemployment rate since mid-2023 largely reflects weaker hiring, as job seekers entering or re-entering the labor force are taking longer to find work, while layoffs have remained low. The ratio of job vacancies to unemployed workers has remained close to the pre-pandemic level in recent months, and there are still more available jobs than available workers. The labor market no longer appears to be especially tight, but wage growth remains somewhat above the pace consistent with our inflation goal.
    The recent revision of the Bureau of Labor Statistics labor data further vindicates my view that the labor market was not weakening in a concerning way during the summer of last year. Although payroll employment gains were revised down considerably in the 12 months through March 2024, job gains were little revised, on net, over the remainder of last year. It is crucial that U.S. official data more accurately capture structural changes in labor markets in real time, so we can confidently rely on these data for monetary and economic policymaking. But in the meantime, given conflicting economic signals, measurement challenges, and significant data revisions in recent years, I remain cautious about taking signal from only a limited set of real-time data releases.
    Assuming the economy evolves as I expect, I think that inflation will slow further this year. As the inflation data since the spring of last year show, its progress may be bumpy and uneven, and progress on disinflation may take longer than we would hope. I continue to see greater risks to price stability, especially while the labor market remains strong.
    With encouraging signs that geopolitical tensions may be abating in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and in Asia, I will be monitoring global supply chains which could continue to be susceptible to disruptions, and lead to inflationary effects on food, energy, and other commodity markets. In addition, the release of pent-up demand following the election could lead to stronger economic activity, which could also influence inflationary pressures.
    Having entered a new phase in the process of moving the federal funds rate toward a more neutral policy stance, there are a few considerations that lead me to prefer a cautious and gradual approach to adjusting policy, as it provides us time to assess progress in achieving our inflation and employment goals.
    Given the current policy stance, I think that easier financial conditions from higher equity prices over the past year may have slowed progress on disinflation. And I am watching the increase in longer-term Treasury yields that has occurred since the start of policy recalibration at the September meeting. Some have interpreted it as a reflection of investors’ concerns about inflation risks and the possibility of tighter-than-expected policy that may be required to address inflationary pressures.
    There is still more work to be done to bring inflation closer to our 2 percent goal. I would like to gain greater confidence that progress in lowering inflation will continue as we consider making further adjustments to the target range. We need to keep inflation in focus while the labor market appears to be in balance and the unemployment rate remains at historically low levels. Before our March meeting, we will have received one additional month of inflation and employment data.
    Looking forward, it is important to note that monetary policy is not on a preset course. At each FOMC meeting, my colleagues and I will make our decisions based on the incoming data and the implications for and risks to the outlook and guided by the Fed’s dual-mandate goals of maximum employment and stable prices. I will also continue to meet with a broad range of contacts to help me interpret the signals provided by real-time data and as I assess the appropriateness of our monetary policy stance.
    Bringing inflation in line with our price stability goal is essential for sustaining a healthy labor market and fostering an economy that works for everyone in the longer run.
    Maintenance of the Regulatory FrameworkI will now turn to bank supervision, the bank applications process, and regulation. Community banks experience the burden of the regulatory framework most acutely when it is not appropriately tailored to their size, risk, complexity, and business model. While promoting safety and soundness in the banking system—particularly among community banks—is an important and necessary regulatory objective, we must also be cautious to ensure that the framework does not become an impediment to their operations, preventing them from providing competitive products and services, innovating, and engaging in appropriate risk-taking.
    During my tenure at the Board, I have laid out a wide range of issues and concerns that I see as critical components that are necessary to build and maintain an effective regulatory framework.2 While I will only address a subset of these issues today, I’d like to begin by clarifying what I mean by this.
    Our work to maintain an effective framework is never really complete. Just as complacency can be fatal to the business of a bank, complacency can also prevent regulators from meeting their statutory obligation to promote a safe and sound banking system that enables banks to serve their customers effectively and efficiently.
    System maintenance is not something that we should shy away from. In our everyday lives, we invest significant time in maintenance. We schedule regular oil changes for our cars, and we invest in the infrastructure that allows our economy to function. Devoting resources to maintenance often prevents more costly issues down the road—it’s easier to get oil changes than it is to rebuild an engine.
    So, what does maintenance look like in practice? To address this question, I think it’s helpful to look at three core areas in the bank regulatory framework: Supervision, Bank applications, and Regulation.
    Approach to SupervisionLet’s start with supervision. Supervision operates almost entirely outside of the public view. Much of the work involves the review of proprietary business information from banks, and the preparation of examination reports shielded from public scrutiny under the auspices of protecting confidential supervisory information. But confidentiality should not be used to prevent scrutiny and accountability in the assignment of ratings.
    So, today, I am going to dig a bit deeper into the realm of supervision to discuss supervisory ratings, accountability, and the troubling trend of inaction and opacity within the supervisory toolkit.
    Rational Standards & RatingsWhile there is some public disclosure of supervisory information, it is often difficult to get a true understanding of supervision based on data that may be released. In fact, this data often sends confusing and conflicting signals. For example, the Board’s Supervision and Regulation Report presented information stating that only one-third of large financial institutions maintained satisfactory ratings across all relevant ratings components in the first half of 2024.3 At the same time, this report noted that most large financial institutions met supervisory expectations with respect to capital and liquidity.4
    The odd mismatch between financial condition and overall supervisory condition as assessed by the prudential regulators raises a more significant issue, whether subjective examiner judgment—those evaluations based on subjective, examiner-driven, non-financial concerns—is driving the firm’s overall rating. Are ratings trends based on the materiality of the identified issues, or do they imply that the regulators see widespread fragility in the banking system?
    While this example highlights a large bank ratings framework issue, it is symptomatic of a broader issue that warrants scrutiny—whether the approach to supervision has led to a world in which core financial risks have been de-prioritized, and non-core and non-financial risks—things like IT, operational risk, management, risk management, internal controls, and governance—have been over-emphasized. These issues are important, and certainly worthwhile topics for examiners to consider, but their review should not come at the expense of more material financial risk considerations—and they should not drive the overall assessment of a firm’s condition. There is evidence that supervision has undergone such a shift, not only among large banks, but among regional and community banks as well.5 For all institutions, financial metrics are not among the primary findings determined from the examination process, and arguably they have been de-emphasized when assigning supervisory ratings.
    Prioritization is valuable in the supervisory process, both to inform how examiners allocate their time, but also in helping banks allocate resources to remediate issues identified during the supervisory process. The frequency of supervisory findings related to non-financial metrics may be a byproduct of how long it takes to remediate these issues, like longstanding issues with IT systems that have not been enhanced over many years of growth. However, we should also be vigilant and deliberate about any shift in supervisory focus from financial risk toward non-financial risks and internal processes, as this shift is not focused on fundamental safety and soundness issues and it is not cost-free.
    We should also not expect every firm to coalesce around a single set of products, internal processes, and risk-management practices. Variety in banking models is a strength and a necessity of the U.S. banking system, relying on management and boards of directors to determine bank strategy, rather than a bank’s business model effectively being set by supervisory directives.
    Supervisory practices like horizontal reviews can create examiner incentives to expect uniformity and “grade on a curve,” but this approach perversely punishes variation among bank practices, stifling competition and innovation. Supervisory findings also inform bank ratings, which can have follow-on effects like limiting options for mergers and acquisitions (M&A); raising the cost of liquidity; or diverting resources away from other, more important bank management priorities.
    Diagnostic AccountabilityTo maintain strong and appropriate supervisory standards and practices, we need to take a step back and diagnose the bank regulatory system in its entirety: what is working, what is broken, and what needs to be updated. When things go wrong, having an impartial check on subjective judgments can lead to a better diagnosis. Of course, a better diagnosis can produce more efficient and targeted improvements, and better promote accountability. Accountability is critical to maintaining an effective regulatory system, and yet it can be difficult to establish a regulatory culture that includes mechanisms to promote accountability for supervisors and regulators.6
    At every organizational level, from examiners to agency leadership, judgments are made that contribute to the overall effectiveness of the supervisory process. Reserve Bank examiners play a critical role in examining Fed-regulated institutions, both banks and holding companies. The Federal Reserve exercises its supervisory responsibilities by supervisory portfolio, with each portfolio relying on a combination of Board and Reserve Bank staff.7 But this split allocation of responsibility should not diminish the accountability for supervisory decision making. Responsibility for supervisory decisions must be coupled with accountability for these decisions. The misalignment of responsibility and accountability limits our ability to conduct effective supervision.
    This division of responsibility can pose a challenge to accountability. In the aftermath of the bank failures in 2023 and the broader stress to the banking system, the Board and other agencies proposed a variety of regulatory reform measures to remediate and address identified issues, based on internal reviews of the failures and banking stress. While I applaud efforts to hold ourselves accountable, we must ensure that self-reviews are credible, both in the causes they identify and in the reform agenda that they are used to support. An internal review process poses the temptation to avoid responsibility by assigning blame elsewhere, even when the review may be motivated by good intentions and with the outward appearance of impartiality.
    Many of the core problems in the lead-up to the bank failures involved well-known, core banking risks—interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and poor risk management. But if we look at the subsequent reform agenda, we see that the policy emphasis has been on broader regulatory changes rather than addressing supervisory program deficiencies. In my mind, this highlights the need to have a process that challenges the subjective judgments of those that were involved in oversight, not only in performing the diagnostics, but evaluating how identified issues can best be remediated.
    Purging Inaction and Opacity from the Supervisory ToolkitSupervision differs significantly from the regulatory process. Implementing new regulations, or amending existing ones, requires a public notice and comment process established by the Administrative Procedure Act. When done appropriately, regulations require regulators to “show their work” by providing extensive analytical and factual support for proposals and final rules and soliciting comment from the public and addressing those comments before finalizing a regulation. In contrast, the execution of bank examinations and the issuance of supervisory guidance lack these procedural safeguards, instead relying heavily on discretion and judgment with far lower standards for justifying actions taken with factual and analytical support under the veil of confidential supervisory information. The greater flexibility afforded in the supervisory process can lead to poor outcomes, often caused by the temptation to use inaction and opacity as supervisory tools. In my view, these tools, inaction and opacity, are not appropriate and must be subject to appropriate scrutiny or purged from the toolkit altogether.
    First let’s consider inaction. The exam process requires open communication between examiners and banks. Often interpretive questions arise during the exam process; how do existing rules and statutes apply in a particular circumstance? These questions arise when existing rules and guidance are unclear, which is a frequent occurrence. For example, how can a bank operate in a safe and sound manner while offering a new product or service, or when serving customers in particular business lines with unique needs? Banks go to great effort to meet all applicable requirements and regulatory expectations, and regulators should welcome banks seeking supervisory input and relying on a compliance-focused mindset.
    Open communication with regulated banks is a hallmark of good supervision, but regulators must live up to their end of the bargain by not leaving banks in “limbo” for extended periods of time. When a bank requests feedback and engages in good faith to provide information and respond to reasonable questions, regulators have an obligation to provide a clear response. Banks should not be left to wonder whether an interpretation of existing laws, regulations, and guidance is consistent with the understanding of regulators.
    Next, let’s consider opacity. Questions raised in the supervisory channel often result from supervisory expectations that lack sufficient clarity or the application of rules and regulations to new and emerging products and services. While regulators should not form an opinion without understanding the relevant facts and circumstances, they must also strive to provide clarity—not just to the bank being examined, but to all banks. Supervisory expectations should not surprise regulated firms, and yet transparency around expectations is often challenging to achieve.8
    The problem of opacity in supervisory expectations is exacerbated by the umbrella of confidential supervisory information, or CSI, which is the label given to most materials developed in the examination process. The rules designed to protect CSI limit the public’s visibility into shifting priorities and expectations in the supervisory process.9 Changes in supervisory expectations frequently come without the benefit of guidance, advance notice, or published rulemaking. In the worst-case scenario these shifts, cloaked by the veil of supervisory opacity, can have significant financial and reputational impacts or can disrupt the management and operations of affected banks.
    Opacity in supervisory expectations, or in the interpretation of applicable laws and regulations, should not be discovered only at the conclusion of an examination with the issuance of deficiencies, matters requiring attention, matters requiring immediate attention, or other shortcomings.
    Approach to ApplicationsSunshine is the best disinfectant when it comes to an approach that fosters transparency and accountability. So, I would like to spend a few minutes discussing how we can better shine a light into the dark corners of the bank applications process.
    De Novo FormationDe novo formation has essentially stagnated over the past several years. While many factors have contributed to the decline in the aggregate number of banks in the United States, one key factor has been the lack of new bank formation to replace banks that have been acquired or closed their doors. This lack of de novo bank approvals does not necessarily indicate a lack of demand for new charters though, particularly in light of ongoing demand for bank “charter strip” acquisitions where banks have been acquired just for their charters, the growing demand for banking-as-a-service partnerships, and the shift of activities outside of the banking sector into the non-bank financial system.10 We should consider whether the applications process itself has become an unnecessary impediment to de novo formation.
    How can we improve the process of de novo formation? As fewer applications come in, institutional muscle memory for how to deal with new bank charters erodes, and it becomes difficult to navigate and ultimately to overcome institutional inertia. A few steps like developing specialized expertise, streamlining the application process, and improving transparency can yield significant improvements.
    First, de novo formations are very different from other bank applications where there are existing institutions with established supervisory ratings and examination records. A de novo formation has no supervisory record of performance on which to base a decision or inform judgments about whether an application is consistent with approval. Instead, regulators must evaluate the proposal based on applicable statutory requirements: Is the business plan sound? Is appropriate bank leadership in place? Does the bank have a viable business plan and strategy? Is the bank’s proposal supported by sufficient capital? Should there be an expectation that all of these questions are answered exhaustively often well over a year before the bank would be formed, if it is approved?
    In recent years de novo formations have been rare, and therefore staff tasked with evaluating these proposals do not have a recent perspective or deep well of experience from which to draw. Under our current approach, regional Reserve Banks are the primary point of contact for de novo applicants. We should consider creating a specialized resource that can be utilized by any reserve bank to assist them during the pre-filing conversations with de novo applicants. Our goal should be to facilitate new bank creation—identifying and finding achievable pathways to yes, instead of expecting and insisting on increasing requirements to unachievable levels or those that are intended to deter applicants from filing or moving forward.
    We should also consider whether there are ways to streamline the application process, including, if needed, by recommending statutory changes. While the agencies use some common forms, de novo formations currently involve a range of regulatory approvals. A de novo applicant must apply for a bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or a state banking authority, deposit insurance from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and potentially membership or a parallel holding company formation application with the Federal Reserve.
    Each regulator may be focused on different aspects of the application, and each has the right to ask for additional information as part of the application review and analysis potentially significantly extending the review timeframe. We should have clear standards of review and approval—and coordinated actions—among the state and federal regulators involved in any application. This should include clear timelines for the point at which a regulator forfeits their opportunity to object due to inaction, delay, or stalling tactics.
    But standards for de novo approval are not always clear to applicants, which can lead to lengthy back-and-forth discussions with banking agency staff even after an applicant has prepared the information required by the appropriate application forms. The need for extensive additional information from de novo applicants can be caused by a failure to provide information requested in the application form, but I suspect the submission of incomplete information is often a product of forms that do not include all necessary information.
    We should not need to constantly supplement application forms with ad hoc information requests. If additional information is needed, we should modify the required application forms. One area where the lack of transparent and clear standards is most evident is with the amount of capital required to establish a de novo bank. Discussions around required capital often hinge on subjective assessments based on planned business model and growth, but they rarely involve regulators providing a minimum required capital amount. Standards for approval should not be shrouded in mystery.
    Reform of the de novo applications process should not be thought of as a deregulatory exercise. Clear and transparent standards do not imply “low” or inadequate standards. At the same time, if we want to encourage a pipeline of de novo bank formations, we should also be comfortable with the uncertainty that accompanies any new business, including the risk that some de novo banks will not succeed.
    The cost of eliminating the failure of de novo banks—or really of any banks at any time—is simply too great. Banking is fundamentally about appropriately managed risks, and regulators play a key role in promoting a system that is safe and sound while also serving to support the banking needs of customers and broader economic growth. Our goal should not be to create a banking system that is safe, sound, and ultimately irrelevant.
    Mergers and AcquisitionsThe issues with the banking applications process extend beyond de novo formations, but involve some of the same concerns, whether there are clear standards, and we are able to act in a timely manner. As a threshold matter, if regulators are clear about the information they need to process an application—for example, by updating applications forms to include the full set of information needed to analyze each statutory approval requirement—then we should also hold ourselves to fixed approval timelines. In my view, the purgatory of a long application process is another form of regulatory “inaction” that must be eliminated.
    We should also address aspects of the applications process that contribute to delay, including both the approach to competition and the public comment process.
    The banking agencies have long relied on competitive “screens” to evaluate the pro forma effect of a merger. This process looks at the standalone institutions, imagines a merger in which their operations are combined, and then looks at how measures of competition will change in the areas served by the merged institutions. Where there is overlap in markets served, there is the potential for tripping competitive screens and triggering additional scrutiny. At the Federal Reserve, when a competitive screen is triggered the application process takes more time, as staff reviews the conflict, and the matter is removed from the Reserve Bank-delegated processing track.
    Perversely, many banks that trigger additional scrutiny operate in rural markets and have less aggregate banking business over which institutions can compete. In these concentrated markets, the analytical approach may involve a counterfactual in which only two future states of the world exist—the banks continue to operate on a standalone basis, or the banks merge and operate as a consolidated whole. However, this framing ignores a possible third option, that one or both of the institutions will cease being viable and shut its doors, or be acquired by a credit union, similarly leading to an erosion of market competition and potentially greater disruption to the communities served. This analytical approach to evaluating competition no longer remains appropriate, and it needs to be reformed to better reflect actual market realities. This must include competition from credit unions, the farm credit system, internet banks, financial technology firms and other non-banks.
    Finally, many M&A applications come to the Board due to the receipt of an adverse comment from the public about the past supervisory record of one or both of the institutions involved in a merger. The receipt of an adverse comment causes substantial delays in the processing of an application, as this too removes an application from the “delegated” processing by the local Federal Reserve Bank, escalating the matter to the Board of Governors in D.C. While it is important that regulators take into account public feedback—and indeed, is required by applicable law—we should also be concerned about comments that may lack factual support or may solely rely on matters always considered in the review of a proposal, like the existing supervisory records of the acquirer and the target institution, and may be negated by the regulator’s own examination report.
    Approach to Regulation – Cleanup and the Statutory Regulatory ReviewSince the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act nearly 15 years ago, the body of regulations that all banks are subject to has increased dramatically. Many of the reforms made after the 2008 financial crisis were important and essential to ensuring a stronger and more resilient banking system. Yet, a number of the changes are backward looking—responding only to that mortgage crisis—not fully considering the potential future unintended consequences or future states of the world.
    With well over a decade of change in the banking system now behind us post-implementation, it is time to evaluate whether all these changes continue to be relevant. Some of the regulations put in place immediately after that financial crisis resulted in pushing foundational banking activities out of the banking system into less regulated corners of the financial system. We need to ask whether this is appropriate. These tradeoffs are complicated, and we must consider not only the changes that were made but also the evolution of and differences in the banking system today.
    Driving all risk out of the banking system is at odds with the fundamental nature of the business of banking. Banks, after all, are businesses. And they must be able to earn a profit and grow while also managing their risks. Adding requirements that impose more costs must be balanced with whether the new requirements make the correct tradeoffs between safety and soundness and enabling banks to serve their customers and run their businesses. The task of policymakers and regulators is not to eliminate risk from the banking system, but rather to ensure that risk is appropriately and effectively managed.
    In a well-functioning and appropriately regulated banking system, banks serve an indispensable role in credit provision and economic stability. The goal is to create and maintain a system that supports safe and sound banking practices, and results in the implementation of appropriate risk management. No efficient banking system can eliminate all bank failures. But well-designed and well-maintained systems can limit bank failures and mitigate the harm caused by any that occur.
    Maintenance of the regulatory framework is necessary to ensure that our regulations continue to strike the right balance between encouraging growth and innovation, and safety and soundness. One easily identifiable way to achieve this is using the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act (EGRPRA) review process, which the agencies initiated in February last year.
    Although to-date it has not done so, the EGRPRA review requires the federal banking agencies to identify any outdated, unnecessary, or overly burdensome regulations and eliminate unnecessary regulations and take other steps to address the regulatory burdens associated with outdated or overly burdensome regulations. As I noted, prior iterations of the EGRPRA process have been underwhelming in their ability to result in meaningful change, but it is my expectation that this review, and eventually the accompanying report to Congress, will provide a meaningful process for stakeholders and the public to engage with the banking agencies in identifying regulations that are no longer necessary or are overly burdensome. It is also my expectation that regulators will be responsive to concerns raised by the public.
    Another area that is ripe for review are several of the Board’s rules that address core banking issues—from loans to insiders, to transactions with affiliates, to state member bank activities, and holding company requirements. Many of the Board’s regulations have not been comprehensively reviewed or updated in more than 20 years. Given the dynamic nature of the banking system and how the economy and banking and financial services industries have evolved over that period, it is imperative that we update and simplify many of the Board’s regulations, including thresholds for applicability and benchmarks.
    Finally, I want to address the unintended consequences of anti-money laundering requirements in the provision of banking services. I think we can agree that fighting money laundering, terrorist financing, and other illicit activities is not only a statutory responsibility of the banking system but it also serves important public policy goals. But while the regulatory framework prescribing how banks fulfill this role is not within the Federal Reserve’s responsibilities, it is important to consider how these requirements affect the ability of banks to serve customers. For example, the threshold for currency transaction reports (CTR) was established more than 50 years ago and has not been updated or indexed to inflation during that time. Just as an example, at the time it was implemented, a fully loaded Cadillac cost less than the CTR threshold. We’ve come a long way since 1972.
    It has also created a regime of more extensive and invasive reporting of customers’ transactions that may pose little actual risks related to tracking illicit activities. This reporting regime is also not cost-free, as banks may opt to avoid banking customers that trigger high volumes of CTR reporting, or that otherwise trigger the filing of suspicious activity reports. The calibration of reporting requirements, their effect on bank customers, and the growing problem of customer “de-banking,” warrant greater public attention.
    The Federal Reserve should review the supervisory messages given to banks and their holding companies about how supervisors will evaluate and consider the bank’s risks associated with customers that are caught in the Bank Secrecy Act or Anti-Money Laundering reporting web. I am concerned that this framework is being used to downgrade a bank’s condition based on a disproportionate weighting of its compliance with these requirements in comparison to its overall condition. There are separate examinations conducted for this purpose, and they should be viewed separately, not as a cudgel for downgrading a bank’s condition through the governance and controls mechanism or management assessment.
    Closing ThoughtsThe banking system can be an engine of economic growth and opportunity, particularly when it is supported by a bank regulatory framework that is rational and well-maintained. The work of rationalizing and maintaining this system is an ongoing cycle. While my remarks today have touched on a wide range of issues that require rationalization and “maintenance,” this is by no means an exhaustive list.
    Maintaining an effective framework is not only about ensuring the existing plumbing continues to work (and making it more efficient where possible) but it also must include promoting a system that is responsive to emerging threats and the needs of the banking system. As an example, the significant increase in fraud over the past few years has not generated the strong regulatory and governmental response necessary, even though fraud can become a source of material financial risk, particularly to smaller institutions.
    Thank you again for the opportunity to share my thoughts with you today. As always, it is a pleasure to be with you!

    1. The views expressed in these remarks are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my colleagues on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee. Return to text
    2. See, e.g., Michelle W. Bowman, “Bank Regulation in 2025 and Beyond (PDF)” (speech at the Kansas Bankers Association Government Relations Conference, Topeka, Kansas, February 5, 2025); Michelle W. Bowman, “Approaching Policymaking Pragmatically (PDF)” (speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Florida, November 20, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “Building a Community Banking Framework for the Future (PDF)” (speech at the 2024 Community Banking Research Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, October 2, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “The Future of Stress Testing and the Stress Capital Buffer Framework (PDF)” (speech at the Executive Council of the Banking Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, Washington, D.C., September 10, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “Liquidity, Supervision, and Regulatory Reform (PDF)” (speech at “Exploring Conventional Bank Funding Regimes in an Unconventional World,” Dallas, Texas, July 18, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “The Consequences of Bank Capital Reform (PDF)” (speech to the ISDA Board of Directors, London, England, June 26, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “Innovation in the Financial System (PDF)” (speech at the Salzburg Global Seminar on Financial Technology Innovation, Social Impact, and Regulation: Do We Need New Paradigms?, Salzburg, Austria, June 17, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “Bank Mergers and Acquisitions, and De Novo Bank Formation: Implications for the Future of the Banking System (PDF)” (remarks at A Workshop on the Future of Banking, Kansas City, Missouri, April 2, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “Tailoring, Fidelity to the Rule of Law, and Unintended Consequences (PDF)” (speech at the Harvard Law School Faculty Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 5, 2024); Michelle W. Bowman, “The Role of Research, Data, and Analysis in Banking Reforms (PDF)” (speech at the 2023 Community Banking Research Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, October 4, 2023). Return to text
    3. See Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Supervision and Regulation Report (PDF) at 16-17 (Washington: Board of Governors, November 2024), (describing data for the first half of 2024, the most recent period for which data is available). Return to text
    4. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Supervision and Regulation Report. Return to text
    5. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Supervision and Regulation Report at 17, 20. Return to text
    6. See Michelle W. Bowman, “Accountability for Banks, Accountability for Regulators (PDF)” (Essay published in Starling Insights, February 13, 2024). Return to text
    7. “Understanding Federal Reserve Supervision,” Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, last modified April 27, 2023. Return to text
    8. See Michelle W. Bowman, “Approaching Policymaking Pragmatically (PDF)” (speech at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, Florida, November 20, 2024). Return to text
    9. See Michelle W. Bowman, “Reflections on the Economy and Bank Regulation (PDF)” (speech at the New Jersey Bankers Association Annual Economic Leadership Forum, Somerset, New Jersey, March 7, 2024). Return to text
    10. See Michelle W. Bowman, “The Consequences of Fewer Banks in the U.S. Banking System (PDF)” (speech at the Wharton Financial Regulation Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 14, 2023). Return to text

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Gallery presents Rhea Storr’s ‘Subjects of State, Labours of Love’

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    Subjects of State, Labours of Love (2025) is a 2 part film, shot on 16mm film. The works forms an intimate portrait of Caribbean Associations in Wolverhampton from the 1980s onwards, and present day Sheffield African and Caribbean Community Association SADACCA.

    Opening on Saturday 8 March, Subjects of State, Labours of Love is presented as an immersive video installation and exhibition that captures the shared joys, celebrations, struggles, oppressions and complexities experienced by Caribbean heritage communities.

    The film captures a discussion among key people involved in Black/Caribbean community organising during the 1980s through to the present day in Wolverhampton, a turbulent time marked by race riots in major British cities, the brutal policing of Black communities and the rise of far right groups like the National Front.

    Against this backdrop, Black/Caribbean organisers provided vital community spaces at a time when Black people faced widespread discrimination and inequality in education, housing, and the job market. In the conversation, the members share their experiences of organising, the challenges they encountered, particularly related to British politician Enoch Powell’s lasting racist rhetoric, and the joys of solidarity and community.

    The second chapter of the film is an observational portrait of present day Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association, SADACCA. The work highlights how SADACCA, which used to be a manufacturing site, now serves as a valuable resource for the community and a central part of the social fabric of the city. This chapter also looks at the importance of archiving from the perspective of what future generations of Black people living in the UK might need, and how their changing position in UK society influences the viability of the space.

    Councillor Chris Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills. said, “Subjects of State, Labours of Love is a stunning exploration of Caribbean heritage and community resilience.

    “Through Rhea Storr’s evocative 16mm film installation, visitors will be able to uncover the power of shared stories, celebrations, and struggles that shape identity and inspire connection.

    “It is a must see journey through memory, history, and cultural pride.”

    Jenny Waldman, Art Fund Director, said: “Rhea Storr’s powerful new work, Subjects of State, Labours of Love, sheds new light on the rich history and important contributions of Caribbean communities in the UK. Commissioning contemporary artists to create new work helps keep museum collections dynamic and engaging. We’re delighted to support the commissioning of this new work and its acquisition for Wolverhampton Art Gallery’s collection.”

    Commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, Site Gallery and Wolverhampton Art Gallery, the commission and its acquisition by Wolverhampton Art Gallery are made possible with Art Fund support. It is supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

    The exhibition is open from Saturday 8 March until Sunday 8 June 2025 and entry is free. Wolverhampton Art Gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm and Sunday from 11am to 4pm. For more information, please visit Wolverhampton Arts and Culture.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thames river rage drama ends with huge fine

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Boat-owner that caused Kingston Regatta incident charged more than £4,000. Video evidence shows disgraceful behaviour on the water.

    Boat-owner fined for “disgraceful” behaviour during Thames regatta

    An appalling incident of river rage on the River Thames at Kingston-upon-Thames in July 2024 has ended with £4,334.54 in fines, compensation and costs at Staines magistrates’ court on 28 January 2025.

    The perpetrator had navigated his boat dangerously and used abusive language at other river users. He was also found guilty of obstructing a boat race and interfering with the safety of persons gathered, failing to comply with a harbour master’s notice, and failing to register his boat for use on the Thames.  

    Scott Keen, of Morden, Surrey, steered his boat, Barney McGrew, along the Thames into a closed area of the river being used for Kingston Amateur Regatta, an event established in 1852, narrowly avoiding colliding with and swamping rowers.  

    Foul-mouth tirade

    The court heard how Keen was advised by an umpire that the river ahead was closed and he should return to a navigation channel. He ignored the request and continued past the umpire, cutting across the racing line and narrowly missing one of the boats, which had to take last-minute evasive action to avoid a collision. His cruiser than caught the anchor rope of a race stake boat, before he stopped and launched a foul-mouthed tirade against participants, yelling that ‘they did not own the (expletive) water.’  

    His actions and the way he navigated his vessel endangered the safety of those present at the Regatta, included young scullers in rowing boats. An eyewitness captured the full extent of the drama on a mobile phone. 

    Environment Agency officers carried out a detailed investigation into the incident and discovered that Barney McGrew was also an unregistered vessel. Keen was invited to a voluntary interview but failed to attend. A summons was subsequently issued for his appearance at Staines magistrates’ court on 28 January 2025. Again, he failed to attend. 

    Incident ‘was a disgrace’

    Maria Herlihy, operations manager at the Environment Agency and harbour master of the Thames, said:

    “This incident was a disgrace. Keen showed no regard for the safety of other river users and could easily have caused a tragedy. Quite frankly, it was no surprise to discover that his boat was unregistered, and we are happy with the court result.

    “We hope that this serves as a clear warning to all – anti-social and dangerous behaviour on our rivers will not be tolerated, and we will take robust action to deal with those who disregard the rules and regulations for boating on the River Thames.” 

    The magistrates fined Keen the maximum penalty of £1,000 for interfering with the boat race and navigating his boat without due care and attention. The court explained that it used its discretion to go outside the sentencing guidelines to deal with the matter robustly.

    The court heard the incident was shocking in its totality, with clear criminality that endangered the safety of other people, including the young people involved in the regatta.

    The court also complimented the Environment Agency’s investigation, and the evidence submitted.  

    Also charged in court, on the same day, for separate and unrelated incidents was Paul Campbell of West Molesey, who was found guilty in his absence of having not registered his boat, Enigma, for 2024 and failing to comply with directions to move his vessel from its location at West Molesey riverbank. He received a total of £2024.24 in fines, compensation and costs to be paid within 28 days.

    Ms Herlihy added:

    “As these prosecutions show, we have no hesitation in bringing offenders to court who avoid their obligations and responsibilities to lawful river users. Just one day in court has resulted in more than £6,000 of fines and compensation, which should serve as a major deterrent.” 

    Last year’s crackdown on unregistered vessels in the Thames resulted in 40 boaters having to pay a combined total of over £55,000 for their offences. 

    Renewal invitation letters for 2025 registrations on the River Thames were sent in November last year to everyone that registered their boat in 2024, and owners were encouraged to register early to ensure their boats were compliant by 1 January when the new season began.  

    The Environment Agency’s approach to non-registration on the Thames has changed – boat owners are given ample opportunity to register their boat. However, once a summons has been issued, it won’t stop court proceedings, even if the boat owner subsequently pays their registration fee. 

    Similar to excise duty for road vehicles, boat registration fees allow the Environment Agency to manage and maintain more than 600 miles of inland waterways across England, keeping them open and safe for thousands of boaters to enjoy. 

    Boats can be registered by calling 03708 506 506 or going to River Thames: boat registration and application forms – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). 

    Ends 

    • Owners of powered or non-powered boats, including paddleboards, must register their boats annually with the Environment Agency for use on the non-tidal River Thames.  

    • Boat registration on the Thames starts on 1 January every year. Any boats found on the water after that date, without having registered, may be liable to a fine. 

    • In mid-September 2024, during a river-wide census, Environment Agency officers recorded the locations of 10,890 boats on the river. 

    • Scott Keen, on Barney McGrew, was charged with: 

    1. On 13 July 2024, being the master of the vessel Barney McGrew, in the vicinity of Ravens Ait and Kingston Bridge on the River Thames, Keen failed to comply with a harbour master’s notice, contrary to section 84 of the Thames Conservancy Act 1932 – found guilty in absence and fined £50. 

    2. On 13 July 2024, being the master of the vessel Barney McGrew, in the vicinity of Ravens Ait and Kingston Bridge on the River Thames, Keen navigated his vessel in a manner as would risk obstructing impeding or interfering with such boat race regatta or function or endangering the safety of persons assembling on the river or preventing or interfering with the maintenance of order thereon, contrary to byelaw 52 and 86(a) of the Thames Navigation Licensing & General Byelaws 1993 – found guilty in absence and fined £1,000. 

    3. On 13 July 2024, being the master of the vessel Barney McGrew, in the vicinity of Ravens Ait and Kingston Bridge on the River Thames, Keen used abusive, threatening and language towards officials and volunteers involved in the regatta and conducted himself in a threatening or offensive manner contrary to 63(a) and 86(a) of the Thames Navigation Licensing & General Byelaws 1993 – found guilty in absence and fined £440. 

    4. On 13 July 2024, being the master of the vessel Barney McGrew, in the vicinity of Ravens Ait and Kingston Bridge on the River Thames, Keen failed to navigate with care and caution and at such a speed and in such a manner as not to endanger the lives of others of cause injury to person or endanger the safety of or cause damage to other vessels or any moorings or to the banks of the Thames or other property, contrary to section 97 of the Thames Conservancy Act 1932 – found guilty in absence and fined £1,000. 

    5. On 17 July 2024, at Riverside Walk, near Kingston-upon-Thames, being the owner or master of a vessel named Barney McGrew, Keen failed to register the vessel with the Environment Agency in accordance with article 4(1)(a) of the Environment Agency (Inland Waterways) Order 2010, contrary to article 18(1)(a) of the Environment Agency (Inland Waterways) Order 2010 – found guilty in absence and fined £220. 

    A total of £2,710 in fines, £275 costs, £265.54 compensation and a £1,084 victim surcharge. A grand total £4,334.53. 

    • Paul David Campbell on Enigma, was found guilty in absence of the following charges 

    • Not registering his vessel Enigma, contrary to article 4(1) and article 18(1) of the Inland Waterway Order 2010. 

    • Failure to adhere to an officer’s directions to move, byelaw 58, Thames Navigation and General Byelaws 1993. 

    • He received £440 in fines – £220 for each charge – £275 costs, £1,593.40 compensation and £176 victim surcharge. Total: £2,024.24   

    Contact us:

    Journalists only – 0800 141 2743 or communications_se@environment-agency.gov.uk

    Both cases were heard at Staines magistrates’ court on 28 January 2025.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Voting opens on community improvement proposals

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Voting opens today (Monday 17 February) for people, young and older, living in Aberdeen’s Priority Neighbourhood Areas (North, South and Central) to select the projects they think are best suited to meet their community needs.

    Aberdeen City Council’s Participatory Budgeting programme UDECIDE is asking eligible voters to choose from proposals for individual projects worth up to £3,000 in value, with a total of up to £20,000 available for each of the three Priority Neighbourhood Areas.

    To be eligible to vote, would-be voters must reside in one of the areas within the priority neighbourhoods. These are:

    • North – Northfield, Mastrick, Heathryfold, Cummings Park, Middlefield  
    • South – Torry, Kincorth   
    • Central – Tillydrone, Woodside, Seaton, Ashgrove, Stockethill, George Street

    Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader Councillor Christian Allard, Chair of Community Planning Aberdeen, said: “Aberdeen City Council’s Participatory Budgeting process UDECIDE enables people living in our Priority Neighbourhood Areas to select the projects that they think will best meet the needs of their community.

    “UDECIDE is an excellent example of community empowerment and I would encourage everyone who is eligible to vote. By doing so, they can help improve their neighbourhoods, making them even better places for all families and individuals to enjoy.”

    Each Priority Neighbourhood will host a main event where voters can meet those bidding for the UDECIDE funding before they vote for their favourite proposals.  Each voter must select three projects. Voters must be aged eight or over to vote at the in-person events. Free tea, coffee and biscuits will be available at the three main events.

    North – 1.30pm-3.30pm on Saturday 1 March at Get Active @Northfield, Kettlehills Crescent, AB16 5TL.

    South – 11am-1pm on Saturday 1 March at Greyhope Community Hub, 8 Tullos Circle, AB11 8HD.

    Central – 11am-1pm on Saturday 1 March at St George’s Community Centre, Hayton Road, AB24 2RN.

    Roadshows

    There will also be 24 voting roadshows held at various community locations to maximise the opportunity for people to get involved.

    For more details, please click on the below links:

    North Roadshows South Roadshows Central Roadshows

    Online

    Anyone unable to attend one of the in-person events is welcome to vote online. To vote online individuals must be 16-years-old or over. To do so, please click here.

    Please note that anyone who votes online or at one of the roadshows cannot vote again at their local main event, however they are still welcome to attend.

    A total of up to £60,000 is on offer with the Council making £40,000 available through Community Planning Aberdeen and £20,000 through the Fairer Aberdeen Fund.

    The results of the voting will be published online on the Community Planning Aberdeen website on Friday 7 March 2025.

    The invitation to make a submission to the UDECIDE budget fund opened on Monday 13 January 2025 and closed on Monday 3 February.  

    The proposals had to relate to one or more of the priority outcomes and community ideas detailed within the locality plans for North, South and Central, which underpin Aberdeen’s Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP).  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Autistic women face barriers to safe and supportive maternity care – new research

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Aimee Grant, Senior Lecturer in Public Health and Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellow, Swansea University

    New research looks at the experiences of autistic women during pregnancy and childbirth. Zhuravlev Andrey/Shutterstock

    Childbirth is often described as one of life’s most profound experiences, but for many, it can be fraught with anxiety, pain and trauma.

    Autism is a lifelong neurotype, which affects around 3% of people. It is linked to differences in communication and sensory processing.

    Women have historically been underdiganosed with autism, diagnosed at an older age and misdiagnosed. This may explain why very little research has been conducted on the experiences of autistic women during pregnancy and childbirth – an oversight we have aimed to address in our new research.

    There are issues affecting maternity services across the nations of the UK. Last year, almost half of maternity services in England were rated as “needing improvement” or “inadequate” by England’s health service regulator, the Care Quality Commission. They also noted that communication with women – especially those from marginalised groups – could lead to fear, anxiety and having a negative birth experience.

    Following reviews of baby deaths in Scotland, inspections of maternity services are underway, with units given no prior notice. Likewise, following the death of a baby, an independent review of maternity services in Northern Ireland recommended widespread changes and additional funding to make services safe. While a review of maternity services in Wales reported that services are generally good and safe, issues have been identified in some health boards.

    In a medical context, “informed consent” means that a person understands what will happen during a test or treatment, and that they are aware that they can say “no” to having it. We know that in English maternity units, there are sometimes issues with women not being given the information needed for them to give informed consent.

    What we found

    Our research aimed to understand barriers to good maternity care for autistic people. We asked 193 autistic people from across the UK who had been pregnant to tell us what happened during their care in an online survey. It’s important to note that half of our participants weren’t aware they were autistic when they gave birth.

    Most participants told us they felt they had to “mask”, or act as though they weren’t autistic, to try to get better maternity care. Despite this, more than half said they felt they weren’t listened to by maternity staff. Almost half also said they felt staff misunderstood them and that they were unsupported.

    Worryingly, more than a third didn’t understand explanations from healthcare professions about their examinations and treatments. Nearly half said they weren’t given the choice to say no to having examinations, including vaginal examinations. This means that many of our participants weren’t able to give informed consent to the treatment they received.

    Another concerning issue was that some participants’ pain during childbirth was untreated. And ten people told us that they could tell they were on the verge of giving birth, but were not believed by maternity staff.

    Maternity services are not meeting the needs of autistic women.
    christinarosepix/Shutterstock

    When sharing their stories, most of our participants felt that staff didn’t understand autistic people, including how they communicate and experience pain. While autistic people feel pain at the same level as non-autistic people, they often show it differently, including having fewer outward signs of pain.

    Our participants also acknowledged there were issues in how maternity systems are designed, with staff appearing to have too much work to understand the needs of the individual pregnant person and change the care they give accordingly.

    Altogether we found that autistic people’s needs were not met during maternity care, with lack of consent, breached trust and safety issues common. Many of the issues we asked participants about are known to be linked to birth trauma. Our study provides initial support for a hypothesis that rates of birth trauma may be higher in autistic people.



    Read more:
    ‘Dehumanising policies’ leave autistic people struggling to access health, education and housing – new review

    Also, autistic women are at much greater risk of sexual assault compared to non-autistic peers, with one study reporting nine in ten had been victims. Research shows that sexual abuse survivors can be re-traumatised during birth.

    Participants told us that they did not have their questions about pregnancy and birth answered by maternity staff, and that this caused anxiety. So, we have worked with the autistic organisations Autistic Parents UK and Autistic UK alongside autistic maternity professionals and parents to create 114 short videos to answer their questions. They are available in English and Welsh, and are already being used by some NHS trusts.

    UK maternity services urgently need to become more autism-friendly. Things that may help include seeing the same midwife every time and having longer appointments, so that all questions can be answered.

    It’s also important for maternity staff to receive training in how to best support autistic people, which has been developed by autistic people. This is already available in England but not in the other UK nations. That should be introduced as a matter of urgency.

    Aimee Grant receives funding from the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council and the Morgan Advanced Studies Institute. She is a non-executive director of Disability Wales.

    Kathryn Williams receives funding for her PhD from the Economic and Social Research Council. She is a Director of Autistic UK CIC.

    Catrin Griffiths 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. Autistic women face barriers to safe and supportive maternity care – new research – https://theconversation.com/autistic-women-face-barriers-to-safe-and-supportive-maternity-care-new-research-247017

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Start a new career in child and family social work

    Source: City of York

    The Step Up To Social Work programme at City of York Council is now open for recruitment, enabling aspiring social workers to apply for a place on the training course.

    The Step Up To Social Work programme at City of York Council opens for recruitment today [17 February] until 25 March.

    Step Up To Social Work is a 14-month, full-time training programme for talented graduates and career changers to become the next generation of child and family social workers supporting vulnerable children, young people and families. It is designed for people who want to become a social worker but do not have a degree in social work. Successful applicants train through a combination of academic study and hands on social work experience in a local authority.

    Applicants eligible for the programme, which includes financial support alongside training, will be individuals with experience of working with vulnerable children, young people, families or adults, and who can demonstrate emotional resilience and potential for success.

    Step Up To Social Work aims to attract applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and aims to have a workforce that represents the society that we serve.  

    City of York Council is looking for four recruits as part of the scheme.

    Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council said:

    Social work is a challenging and incredibly fulfilling profession, which really does change lives for the better.

    “People may not know exactly what being a social worker involves but we have lots of experienced professionals who can explain the role for those who want to learn more. I’d encourage anyone who’s wondered about social work to get in touch and find out how being a social worker can benefit children and families in York.  And for those who join us, we have fantastic, dedicated, and enthusiastic social work teams in who will support and guide you every step of the way.”

    Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, said: 

    It is excellent to see the quality of the hundreds of graduates who qualify as social workers through the Step Up programme, and I’m encouraged to see them start out on a long-term career in social work. Our profession is highly challenging, but highly rewarding, and Step Up is developing a highly skilled workforce ready to make a genuine positive impact on people’s lives.

    The Step Up programme is backed by the Department for Education to support 700 individuals to enter the social work profession in local authorities across England in 2026. This funding will support individuals with training costs and a bursary of £21,995 over the duration of the programme to support them whilst in training.

    This will be the ninth cohort of Step Up since 2010, the programme has successfully supported over 2,900 social workers to enter the profession across England.  

    More information about the programme and how to apply is available at https://susw.eu-careers.pocketrecruiter.com/
     

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: GB Energy & Grangemouth show ‘You can’t trust Labour’

    Source: Scottish National Party

    ‘You can’t trust Labour’. It was an oft made comment during the latter year’s of Tony Blair’s premiership; particularly because of his role in dragging the UK into the Iraq war on the basis of a lie.

    But it took six years for that phrase to become common usage. With the current Westminster Labour government of Keir Starmer it’s only taken six months.

    And recently we saw an example which explains why trust in Keir Starmer’s Labour party has nosedived.

    Before the 2024 election Labour promised that Aberdeen would get 1,000 jobs from hosting the GB Energy headquarters; but now the appointed boss of GB Energy says it will only create 200 jobs in five years.

    The GB Energy boss who won’t even be working in Aberdeen but Manchester! So much for a ‘headquarters’ in Aberdeen.

    These revelations have been followed more recently by news that Grangemouth’s refinery is to close after 100 years.

    Again, another example of how Labour can’t be trusted.

    Before the election Labour, along with Keir Starmer and Anas Sarwar, promised to save the jobs:

    Now it’s scenes of Anas Sarwar repeatedly pleading that he’s powerless because it’s a private company…

    …a private company Labour will financially support when it comes to a football stadium in England and a refinery in Belgium!

    And it was Westminster who tied their own hands when it gave Grangemouth to the private sector:

    Is it any wonder that even Grangemouth’s own Labour MP sounds like he doesn’t trust Labour?

    Even a letter he wrote to Starmer was signed by only one other Scottish Labour MP. So much for Scottish Labour MPs standing up for Scotland.

    But those two examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Labour promises.

    Take the WASPI women pensioners; betrayed so often by the Tories and now by Labour. As leader of the opposition, Starmer promised to “do something about it”, saying he understood their anger at having “the goalposts moved”.

    In 2020 he railed against the two-child cap on child benefits. In the days running up to the election Scots were told to vote Labour to end child poverty.

    Yet just after the election he suspended seven Labour MPs for voting with the SNP to scrap the cap on child benefit and tackle child poverty.

    Then there’s the winter fuel payment for pensioners. In the run up to voting in July 2024 Starmerrailed against the Tories about how pensioners suffered under the Tories and promised them security.

    Safely in Downing Street his government announced a cut to pensioners’ winter fuel payments despite research by his own party that it could cause 4,000 deaths.

    And what about National Insurance?

    Labour’s manifesto specifically pledged that they would not raise national insurance. In her budget Rachel Reeves increased employer national insurance – a policy that will hit those employing lower paid workers the hardest, charities, GPs and care homes.

    You would think such a level of untrustworthy behaviour would be more than enough after seven months; but there’s more that specifically affects Scotland.

    In the July 2024 election Anas Sarwar expressly promised that Scottish Labour ‘would put Scotland at the heart of Starmer’s government‘; and ‘stand up to Keir Starmer and defend Scotland’s interests‘.

    Instead, as a group, Scottish Labour MPs have meekly voted for cutting the winter fuel payment, keeping the two-child benefit, and failing to support WASPI women.

    And there’s a range of issues where that group of MPs have been subdued when it comes to putting Scotland at the heart of Starmer’s government.

    In August 2024 Rachel Reeves pulled funding for an £800 million computer at Edinburgh University with a Labour source saying the project made “little strategic sense.”

    Yet by January Keir Starmer was announcing that his government had arranged £14 billion of investment in various AI projects.

    At the end of January Rachel Reeves announced her plans for growth in the UK … which amounted to a concentration of UK government assistance between the cities hosting the UK’s two elitist universities.

    The absence for similar assistance for Scotland was notable despite claiming it would deliver to “all corners of the UK“:

    Take CCS, or Carbon Capture & Storage; since the 2014 independence referendum the North East of Scotland has been repeatedly promised that Westminster would invest millions in it.

    Rachel Reeves eventually announced funding for Carbon Capture & Storage … in Teesside and Merseyside. No Scottish Labour MP or MSP has even mentioned this slap in the face to Scotland.

    Is it any wonder Scots believe Anas Sarwar doesn’t stand up to Keir Starmer. It’s no wonder Scottish Labour’s vote is at its lowest level in three years.

    And what is Anas Sarwar’s latest move as we approach a Scottish election year? To say he is open to ‘good ideas’ from Nigel Farage’s Reform party.

    A party that would like to abolish the Scottish Parliament and privatise the NHS. The party of Brexit which has increased the cost-of-living creating less money for public services.

    And Anas Sarwar’s latest gambit just raises more questions about trust in Labour. He’s now pledging to protect SNP policies like free tuition, free prescriptions and the Scottish Child Payment.

    After months of accusing the SNP government of ’18 years of failure’ he’s now saying it has been 18 years of “successes”.

    But why should anyone trust what many see as a panicked announcement by Anas Sarwar?

    On several occasions Labour’s Holyrood group of MSPs have voted against SNP government budgets which contained those policies. Even now they are not supporting the SNP budget containing those policies.

    A previous Scottish Labour leader notoriously called those policies a ‘something for nothing‘ culture which should end.

    Anas Sarwar’s health spokesperson, Jackie Baillie, is on record as saying prescription charges should “absolutely” be abolished.

    As for tuition fees it was only in February 2024 that Sarwar’s finance spokesperson, Michael Marra, said backdoor tuition fees, like endowments, would have to be considered.

    Shortly after Labour MSPs voted with the Tories in Holyrood against free tuition.

    And let’s not forget the behaviour of Anas Sarwar’s boss, Keir Starmer. In 2020 he promised Labour members in the party leadership election that he would “support the abolition of tuition fees”.

    Yet by September 2023 he claimed it would be ‘impossible‘ to abolish tuition fees … despite the fact that is the reality in Scotland.

    And let’s not forget which party first introduced tuition fees – whose policy they ultimately are.

    Just weeks before the 1997 election Tony Blair pledged: “Labour has no plans to introduce tuition fees for higher education.”

    A year after taking power, Blair went ahead and introduced tuition fees.

    It all just shows how the people of Scotland don’t and can’t trust any promise by Scottish Labour. Like a branch office they will always follow their bosses in Westminster.

    There’s only one party that Scots can trust to stand up and speak for Scotland. Speak out about Westminster ignoring your communities when it comes to investment. To vote for the benefit of Scotland’s pensioners, families and workers – the SNP.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: US embassy urged to correct JD Vance lies about buffer zones

    Source: Scottish Greens

    17 Feb 2025 Health

    Nobody should be harassed when accessing healthcare.

    More in Health

    Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay has written to the US Ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, urging her to issue a statement correcting the record after Vice President JD Vance’s misinformation about safe access zones in Scotland.

    Ms Mackay introduced the bill that secured 200 metre wide safe access zones, or buffer zones, around abortion service providers to stop the intimidating anti-choice protests that were taking place across Scotland. Private prayer at home has never been impacted by this Act.

    In a speech last week, VP Vance claimed that people in Scotland were told that private prayer in their own homes would be against the law within a safe access zone and that people were encouraged to report anyone they thought guilty of “thought crime.” This has never been true.

    Ms Mackay said:

    “What JD Vance said about my Safe Access Zones Act was completely wrong. He either knows nothing about it and chose to speak about it anyway or he knew exactly what he was doing and was happy to lie about it.

    “Either way, he has misrepresented the bill and spread dangerous misinformation about the laws in Scotland, and that needs to be corrected.

    “I hope that the US embassy will correct the record both for Mr Vance and, more importantly, for the millions of people who will have seen his false and grossly misleading claims.”

    Ms Mackay added:

    “The politics that JD Vance and Donald Trump represent are everything I’m against. They have eroded and undermined reproductive rights and pursued a racist and far right agenda.

    “They have shown a total disregard for the truth, whether it is the conspiracy theories they have peddled about the 2020 election or the misleading claims that have been made about my Act. It is time for political leaders everywhere to stand up to them.”

    Text of Gillian Mackay’s letter to the US embassy.

    Dear Ambassador Hartley

    I am writing to you following Vice President JD Vance’s claims that people in Scotland were told that private prayer in their own homes would be against the law within a safe access zone and that people were encouraged to report anyone they thought guilty of “thought crime.” This is not true.

    It was my Act that established safe access zones in the first place, in order to stop the intimidation and harassment which was taking place outside abortion service providers across Scotland.

    The letter that VP Vance referenced does not mention private prayer and does not suggest it would be criminalised. Nobody in Scotland has been arrested for privately praying in their own home.

    This was something that was scrutinised a lot in the committee process and I would have expected the Vice President to familiarise himself with the background before speaking about it.

    As the US government’s representative in the UK, I urge you to correct the record and release a statement making clear that nobody is at risk of arrest for private prayer in their home and never has been, and clarifying that what VP Vance said does not represent the views of the US Embassy.

    Yours sincerely

    Gillian Mackay MSP

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the child sexual exploitation scandal in the United Kingdom – B10-0062/2025

    Source: European Parliament

    B10‑0062/2025

    Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the child sexual exploitation scandal in the United Kingdom

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to Rule 149 of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas over a decade ago, thousands of young girls in England were raped, sexually exploited and trafficked by gangs of mostly Pakistani men; whereas this large-scale child sexual exploitation was facilitated by grave systemic failures within law enforcement, social services and local government;

    B. whereas the British media kept citizens ignorant of the full extent of these mass crimes; whereas social media platforms, in particular X, have recently focused public attention on this scandal;

    1. Takes note of the call of the British public for a national inquiry into this child sexual exploitation scandal;

    2. Emphasises that this child sexual exploitation scandal illustrates the danger that uncontrolled mass immigration poses for women and girls; encourages the EU Member States to launch a comprehensive debate on the link between mass migration and the rise in sex crimes and criminal networks, to follow a ‘zero tolerance approach’ and to prioritise the expulsion of foreign national child offenders;

    3. Strongly condemns the conviction of people that warn against the dangers of mass immigration.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Works begin at Kingsteps Quarry

    Source: Scotland – Highland Council

    Improvement works have started at Kingsteps Quarry in Nairn today to brighten the popular leisure spot.

    Cllr Paul Oldham, Nairnshire Area Vice Chair said: “Kingsteps Quarry is a semi-wild open space used by the people of Nairn for all sorts of activities including building camps, jogging, mountain biking, and dog walking, and also provides an active travel route to Kingsteps (and the wild raspberries in the late summer are also delicious!). However, the paths have been neglected in recent years and were well overdue some maintenance work so I’m glad this project is going ahead.”

    The planned works which start today (Monday 17 February 2025) are scheduled to last for approximately two weeks.

    Once complete, Lochloy residents and visitors will enjoy a tidier path network, and the trimming of some bush overgrowth will help to restore the paths to their original width to help with access.

    17 Feb 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Devolution Priority Programme consultations launch

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Government seeks views of people in six areas on proposals to establish mayoral combined (county) authorities.

    Consultations have been launched in six areas on proposals to establish mayoral combined authorities or mayoral combined county authorities as part of the government’s commitment to widen devolution.  

    The Devolution Priority Programme – one of the largest ever single packages of mayoral devolution in England – was launched earlier this month and will support the areas to move towards devolution at pace, becoming mayor-led strategic authorities by May next year if they proceed. 

    The government is now seeking views from interested parties, such as local residents, businesses, and public sector bodies. 

    Cumbria, Cheshire and Warrington, Norfolk and Suffolk, Greater Essex, Sussex and Brighton, and Hampshire and the Solent joined the Devolution Priority Programme earlier this month.  

    The consultations will consider questions such as the proposed geographies and how the mayoral combined (county) authorities will operate. 

    Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP said: 

    We are committed to shifting power out of Whitehall and into our regions, ensuring local leaders have the tools they need to tackle local priorities and realise their areas’ potential as part of our Plan for Change. 

    Our Devolution Priority Programme will deliver that power at pace and I encourage local residents to be part of our ‘devolution revolution’ by contributing to these consultations.

    The Devolution Priority Programme will bridge the gap between the English Devolution White Paper and the forthcoming English Devolution Bill. The government is working towards mayoral elections in May 2026 for the areas that have joined it. 

    The easiest way to respond and engage in one of the consultations is via the relevant link below: 

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tree planting at Yeomadon Farm set to improve the landscape for business and recreation

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Tree planting at Yeomadon Farm set to improve the landscape for business and recreation

    Yeomadon Farm used their England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) funding to improve the landscape for business and recreation.

    Yeomadon Farm has been in Rob Moore’s family since the early 1900s and has seen a range of uses, including dairy, beef farming and a successful holiday cottage business.

    More recently, Rob and his wife Catherine have replaced their cattle with trees. They want their land to be more compatible with their holiday cottage enterprise by reducing heavy machinery around the cottages and, in time, to provide a woodland for the guests to enjoy.

    Conifer saplings grow on the the newly planted site at Yeomadon Farm. Copyright Yeomadon Farm.

    Yeomadon Farm facts

    • location: Devon / Cornwall county border
    • size: 18 hectares
    • type: conifer woodland with broadleaf edges
    • species: Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine, Norway spruce, western red cedar, hazel, silver birch, sessile oak, common alder and wild cherry
    • date planted: February 2022
    • grant: England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO)
    • main objective: to improve the landscape to complement an existing holiday cottage business

    Moving towards forestry

    While Rob and Catherine didn’t have any prior experience of forestry, the family didn’t let this stand in their way. They chose to create woodland to complement their already thriving holiday cottage business, which has a focus on nature-based activities, such as fishing and local walks.

    They will also be looking for the woodland to generate income for them in the future.

    Rob Moore, owner of Yeomadon Farm, said:

    Our initial thought was if we could turn this agricultural land into forestry without it costing us anything, then we’ll be happy.

    Financially supported woodland creation

    After first hearing about the England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) in the Mole Valley newsletter, Rob and Catherine were keen to explore using their land to create woodland. They had some initial conversations with land agent Pryor and Rickett Silviculture about what this might look like, including which fields they had earmarked for planting.

    Their agent managed the woodland creation process from initial site visits, arranging involvement from a Forestry Commission woodland officer and the completion of the EWCO grant application, through to sourcing and planting the saplings.

    For Rob and Catherine, this process was really positive. They felt having an agent to guide them through the grant application was invaluable and made the financial side of the process much more straightforward.

    The scheme was eligible for an ‘additional contribution’ for water quality, a one-off payment available through EWCO where a woodland’s location and design deliver public benefits. In this case, for promoting drainage for the site’s waterlogged soils.

    The agents, along with the local woodland officer, helped Rob and Catherine select which trees to plant. This decision was largely based on what would be most suitable for the ground, which tends to get water-logged. They also wanted to ensure a mix of species to offer resilience against our changing climate and the threat of pests and diseases.

    The centre of the woodland is made up of Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, lodgepole pine and western red cedar, with a surrounding ring of mixed native broadleaf species close to the fishing lakes. The agents arranged contractors to hand plant 33,000 trees, which took 3 weeks.

    Rob and Catherine Moore with a conifer sapling planted at Yeomadon Farm. Copyright Yeomadon Farm.

    Catherine Moore, owner of Yeomadon Farm, said:

    We didn’t need to do anything. If we had to do the whole process all by ourselves, we wouldn’t have known where to start!

    Saving costs during the establishment process

    Rob and Catherine were able to make savings by doing much of the maintenance work themselves. Rob sprayed the surrounding ground around the new trees, which ensured growth wasn’t hampered by the grass or weeds. The process took him 8 days and saved on the expense of additional labour costs.

    Similarly, they put in the fencing themselves. They used a total of 1,800 metres of deer fencing and gates, with additional rabbit netting. As the woodland grows, they will seek additional advice on how it can provide further income. For now, they both agree that it stacks up financially.

    Deer fencing with rabbit netting to protect the new saplings. Copyright Yeomadon Farm.

    Benefits for nature, people and the planet

    Rob and Catherine have noticed some additional benefits to the wildlife and biodiversity of the area. They stated that “it may be that we’re just noticing the wildlife more than we used to, or that it’s flourishing now that we’re disturbing the land less, but we don’t remember seeing sparrowhawks before!” In addition, the woodland will, in time, be open for the guests at the holiday cottages to enjoy.

    The Yeomadon Farm scheme was celebrated in the Devon Woodland Awards ‘New Woodland on Farm’ category, where Rob and Catherine won silver. The judges praised the scheme and the ingenuity in designing and using specialist equipment for planting and maintenance.

    Top tips

    1. Consider using an agent. Rob and Catherine were completely new to forestry when they started on this journey and found it invaluable having an agent to navigate them through the process.

    2. Don’t underestimate the labour required in getting the scheme up and running. Factor these costs into your planning as they could make a big difference.

    3. Think about planning ahead. Work out how to manage the grass and what machinery you might need as these could all add up in terms of cost and overall finances.

    4. Consider your financing options in the short-term to cover the up-front costs of planting your new woodland. This is because EWCO payments are received once all capital work has been completed and evidence is reviewed.

    You can also see the brochure version of this story: Yeomadon Farm: woodland creation case study (PDF, 14.9 MB, 4 pages).

    Read more about woodland creation and tree planting grants.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leicester awarded £250k by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for inclusive heritage programme

    Source: City of Leicester

    NEWS that Leicester is to receive initial funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places programme has been welcomed by the city council.

    Thanks to National Lottery players, Leicester will have access to an initial grant of £250,000, which will allow the council and community partners to develop the first stage of an Inclusive Heritage programme for the city.

    The long-term project will aim to give a voice to all of Leicester’s diverse communities, ensuring that everyone in Leicester feels involved in, and represented by, the cultural activity and heritage initiatives that take place in the city.

    With just 80% of adults in Leicester currently actively participating in cultural and creative activity, compared to the national average of 90%, research partner The Audience Agency will now run extensive consultation with local stakeholders and communities to establish where engagement with heritage activities is low and to collect evidence that will help shape a long-term plan for more inclusive programming. Key to this will be 10 locally-recruited community heritage researchers, whose outreach work within communities will gather new perspectives that will help inform the next stage of the project.

    The funding will also allow the council to appoint a part-time programme manager who will coordinate the project over the next two years.

    Once a plan has been agreed and developed, further funding will be applied for from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support Leicester’s Inclusive Heritage programme until 2033.

    Assistant city mayor for culture Cllr Vi Dempster – who will chair the project’s steering group – said: “Much work has been done in recent years to tell the stories of those who typically don’t engage with heritage initiatives, but this Heritage Places funding gives us an opportunity to build on that and ensure that in a city as culturally-diverse as Leicester, the lives and interests of all of its people are properly represented.

    “Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to reach out to our communities and ask what heritage means to them. And that could include traditions that now risk being lost, or a way of life that might be forgotten – or maybe stories relating to fashion, food, music or other aspects of everyday life.

    “The research we do in stage one of this project will help identify the celebrations, exhibitions, events or other community-led heritage initiatives that could feature in the second stage funding application.

    “By engaging with all of Leicester’s diverse communities and listening to their stories, we aim to make sure that inclusivity is at the heart of the city’s heritage initiatives.”

    Robyn Llewellyn, Area Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “We are delighted to support Leicester City Council with £250,000 to begin developing heritage programming that involves and includes Leicester’s diverse communities. We’re supporting partnerships in Leicester, one of our Heritage Places, to unlock the possibilities of this city’s heritage. Their ambitions show how heritage can be a powerful force to bring people together and inspire pride in place.”

    Designed to boost local economies and local pride by unlocking the potential of local history and heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places initiative aims to transform 20 places around the UK by 2033, using a dedicated funding pot of £200million.

    Leicester was one of the first Heritage Places to be announced in October 2023.

    (ends)

    Notes to editors:

    About The National Lottery Heritage Fund 

    Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

    Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.

    heritagefund.org.uk

    Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter/X, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLottery #HeritageFund

    About The Audience Agency

    The Audience Agency is an independent research and development organisation whose purpose is to enable a thriving, people-centred cultural sector. We provide research, insight, data-tools and other services, which help our network of clients and stakeholders adapt for, and with, their communities.

    theaudienceagency.org

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Regional growth and regeneration to be sparked by cash boost for Wales’ critical culture projects

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The funding is the latest step in the Plan for Change to deliver economic growth across the country 

    £15 million confirmed for Wales cultural projects in the latest step to deliver economic growth across the country.

    • Growth in jobs, tourism and regional regeneration to be ushered in by funding for major cultural projects in Wales
    • Welsh projects part  of several across UK set to receive millions in funding to help kickstart decade of national renewal
    • Funding is the latest step in the Plan for Change to deliver economic growth across the country

    Regional growth regeneration will get a much-needed boost as two major culture projects across Wales will receive £15 million funding to help boost growth and spark regional regeneration, the government confirmed today (17 February). 

    Funding will be ‘critical’ in showcasing the UK as a world-leader in culture and bring in visitors from across the globe.  

    Just as importantly this will help drive growth in all parts of the country – a key element of the government’s Plan for Change – by creating jobs and in some cases building new homes.  

    Projects in Wales receiving funding include:   

    • £10 million for Venue Cymru in Conwy, Wales, will upgrade the largest Welsh arts centre outside Cardiff and deliver a step-change in the use of the building, including the relocation of the existing library and Tourist Information Centre to create a modern and innovative cultural hub.  
    • £5 million for Newport Transporter Bridge, Wales, that will fund vital repair and maintenance works to Newport Transporter Bridge, which plays a crucial role in the tourism economy as a visitor attraction in South Wales. 

    Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said:   

    Every corner of the UK has something unique to offer, and our rich creative capital must not be underestimated.   

    Our Plan for Change promises growth for every region and I’ve seen first-hand how these projects are igniting growth in their communities.  

    Through investing in these critical cultural projects we can empower both local leaders and people to really tap into their potential and celebrate everything their home town has to offer. This means more tourism, more growth and more money in people’s pockets.”  

    Alex Norris, Minster for Local Growth said:   

    The benefits of these fantastic projects go far beyond community and county borders, they are key to unlocking a regional and nationwide celebration of UK culture and creativity as well as driving growth and regeneration.   

    This investment marks a huge step forward in our decade of national renewal as committed to in our Plan for Change – creating jobs and boosting tourism and regeneration in our regions is the type of long-term, sustainable growth the government is prioritising to ultimately put more money in people’s pockets.”  

    Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: 

    Venue Cymru and the Newport Transporter Bridge are iconic landmarks in their local communities, and I am delighted that this UK Government funding will be used to boost Wales’ already world-leading tourism and culture sectors.  

    Our investment in these two fantastic projects is an example of how our Plan for Change will lead to a decade of national renewal for people the length and breadth of Wales. This is a UK Government that is delivering regeneration and economic growth for every community.” 

    These projects will celebrate and raise awareness of the unique social value and cultural history of Wales while also supporting crucial economic growth through creating local jobs and attracting tourism on a national scale.   

    Projects that are most advanced and will see benefits spread beyond regional borders and attract investment have been prioritised to maximise public spending and deliver long-term growth.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statement on £15m funding for two cultural projects in Leeds

    Source: City of Leeds

    Leeds City Council has today welcomed confirmation of £15m in central government funding for two major cultural projects.

    The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has committed £10m to help breathe fresh life into Holbeck’s historic Temple Works building, paving the way for it to become the home of a new British Library North.

    A further £5m in funding has been confirmed in support of plans to create a National Poetry Centre at the landmark Trinity St David’s Church on Woodhouse Lane.

    Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said:

    “The British Library North project aims to create a world-class space for learning, research, exhibitions and events that would unlock the huge potential of Temple Works and boost the ongoing regeneration of the wider Holbeck and South Bank areas.

    “It is therefore really welcome news that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has confirmed that, following a consultation, this £10m of funding is now in place to support the process of bringing the Temple Works building into public ownership and back into use.

    “We have worked hard in recent months with partners, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Homes England and the British Library itself, to make the case for this funding.

    “Together we were able to emphasise the importance of the scheme and the economic and social benefits it would bring to Leeds, West Yorkshire and the North, not least through engagement and connections with local communities.

    “We were very pleased to welcome the Deputy Prime Minister to Temple Works last week so she could see first-hand what this remarkable heritage asset is all about.

    “We will now continue to work alongside partners on detailed plans for the full funding, design and development of a project that remains a complex and challenging undertaking, but one that offers a major regeneration opportunity for both Temple Works and the surrounding area.

    “The council also welcomes today’s confirmation that £5m in funding for Leeds’s proposed National Poetry Centre is now in place.

    “We were pleased to have the opportunity, during the MHCLG consultation, to add our voice to the widespread support for this project, which is being led by the National Poetry Centre Charitable Trust with the University of Leeds and poet laureate Simon Armitage.”

    ENDS

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tile deal could lead to worse deals and service for home renovators and tradespeople in 4 local areas

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The CMA has found that Topps Tiles’ acquisition of CTD Tiles could reduce competitive deals and product choice for customers and businesses in parts of England and Scotland.

    iStock

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that Topps Tiles’ £9 million purchase of 30 CTD Tiles stores raises competition concerns in 4 areas of the United Kingdom.  

    Topps Tiles is the biggest specialist tile retailer in the UK. Before entering administration in August 2024, CTD was the second largest specialist tile retailer in the UK. As part of the deal Topps Tiles acquired 30 stores, as well as supporting infrastructure such as stock and all related intellectual property for CTD Tiles, CTD Architectural, and CTD Housebuilders .

    Following completion of the deal the CMA received several complaints, which included concerns relating to how the deal impacted businesses and retail customers in specific areas of the country.  Following a Phase 1 investigation, the CMA found that a small number of sites in Dorking, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen created competition concerns in the supply of tiles to retail customers and business customers.

    The investigation found both companies compete closely for retail and business customers. After reviewing the deal, including internal documents and evidence from customers and competitors, the CMA concluded that in most areas there are sufficient remaining competitors but that in a small number of areas, the deal could lead to worse deals and service for customers.

    Joel Bamford, Executive Director for Mergers at the CMA, said:

    Having looked at the evidence, we’re concerned Topps Tiles’ purchase of CTD Tiles may >reduce competition in Dorking, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen.

    This loss of competition could lead to worse deals and service in those areas. Whether you’re retiling your own home or a business that provides renovation services, the merger could make such projects more expensive.

    Topps Tiles now has the opportunity to offer solutions to our concerns, otherwise this case will proceed to a more in-depth investigation.

    More information can be found on the Topps Tiles / CTD Tiles case page.

    -ENDS-

    Notes to editors:

    1. Topps Tiles has until Monday 24 February to submit proposals which resolve the CMA’s concerns.

    2. Topps Tiles Plc (Topps) is a UK-wide tile retailer for both businesses and consumers based in Enderby, Leicestershire. It is the largest tile specialist in the UK with over 300 stores (and serves customers through direct sales teams and websites). The business is listed on the London Stock Exchange.   

    3. Topps acquired certain assets of Tildist Realisations Limited (formerly CTD Tiles Limited), including 30 of its stores, intellectual property such as branding and customer lists, and business divisions that supply tiles to architectural and housebuilder customers as part of a pre-pack administration deal. 

    For media enquiries, contact the CMA press office on 020 3738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: High Court confirms that corporate trustees do not owe a fiduciary duty to predecessors

    Source: Allens Insights

    Clarification of the duties owed by insolvency practitioners appointed to corporate trustee entities 4 min read

    Further to our previous Insight, the High Court has confirmed that a successor trustee does not owe a fiduciary obligation to a former trustee in respect of the entitlement of the former trustee to indemnification out of the trust assets. Nor does the successor trustee owe a fiduciary obligation to a former trustee in respect of the commensurate beneficial interest that the former trustee has in the trust assets.

    Background 

    Anthony Naaman was a judgment creditor of a former trustee and was subrogated to the former trustee’s entitlement to indemnification. Jaken Properties Australia Pty Limited (Jaken) was the successor trustee. During its time as the successor trustee, Jaken transferred trust assets to third parties leaving insufficient trust assets to satisfy the former trustee’s entitlement to indemnification (Third Parties). Mr Naaman sought relief in the Supreme Court of New South Wales to enforce his judgment debt. Mr Naaman claimed that Jaken’s transfers of trust assets to the Third Parties were part of a dishonest and fraudulent design in breach of fiduciary duties owed by Jaken to the former trustee.

    The decisions

    Supreme Court decision

    At first instance, the primary judge determined that a successor trustee owes a former trustee a fiduciary obligation not to deal with the trust assets so as to destroy, diminish or jeopardise the former trustee’s entitlement to indemnification. The court found that Jaken had ‘engaged in a dishonest and fraudulent design to strip itself of assets that might otherwise be available to satisfy [the former trustee’s] power of indemnity’ to which Mr Naaman was subrogated. In light of the identified fiduciary obligation, the court found that the Third Parties had knowingly assisted in the dishonest and fraudulent breach of that identified fiduciary obligation, and were amenable to orders for equitable compensation and to account.

    Court of Appeal decision

    On appeal, Justice Leeming, with whom Justice Kirk agreed in separate reasons, concluded that Jaken did not owe a fiduciary obligation to the former trustee at any time. Instead, the majority held that the only final recourse the former trustee had against Jaken was the appointment of a receiver. While Justice Leeming accepted that a successor trustee ‘is subject to a duty not to deal with [the trust] assets so as to prejudice the former trustee’s entitlement to be indemnified from those assets’, this duty was not fiduciary.

    High Court decision

    In Anthony Naaman v Jaken Properties Australia Pty Limited ACN 123 423 432 & Ors [2025] HCA 1, the sole question for determination was whether a successor trustee owes a fiduciary obligation to a former trustee in respect of the former trustee’s entitlement to indemnification out of trust assets or the commensurate beneficial interest in the trust assets that the former trustee retains following replacement of the former trustee by the successor trustee. By a 4:3 majority, the Court held that a successor trustee does not owe such a fiduciary duty to the former trustee. The explanation for that answer lies in the nature of a trustee’s entitlement to indemnification out of the trust assets being an entitlement to have the trust assets applied for the purpose of recouping expenditure or exonerating liability properly incurred by the trustee.

    Further, the majority noted that one person does not come into a fiduciary relationship with another person merely by reason of holding property in which the other person has an equitable proprietary interest. Nor is a fiduciary relationship between the person holding the property and the other person having the equitable proprietary interest brought into existence merely by adding the circumstance that the person holding the property knows the other person has such an interest in the property or knows the other person claims to have such an interest in it.

    In coming to its decision the Court noted that, all times since its replacement by Jaken:

    • the former trustee was able to enforce its entitlement by bringing a proceeding against Jaken for final relief in the form of an order for the sale of the trust assets or for payment out of trust funds; and
    • the former trustee was able to protect its entitlement from being destroyed, diminished or jeopardised by the conduct of Jaken by filing an interlocutory injunction or appointing a receiver.

    However, despite being available to the former trustee, no such action was taken.

    Given Jaken did not owe the former trustee a fiduciary obligation, the remedies of equitable compensation and account were not available to the former trustee against the Third Parties.

    Key takeaways

    It is not uncommon for insolvency practitioners to be appointed to insolvent former trustee companies. The conventional approach taken by insolvency practitioners to satisfy a former corporate trustee’s right of indemnity against trust assets it no longer has ownership of is to apply to a court for the appointment of a receiver over those assets. This generally remains the most effective way for a former corporate trustee to satisfy its right of indemnity.

    However, in cases where there is a risk that the successor trustee will dissipate trust assets, the High Court’s decision tells us that insolvency practitioners should consider promptly seeking interlocutory injunctive relief to preserve the status quo, even before a court hears an application to appoint a receiver.

    Should you wish to discuss further, please do not hesitate to contact one of our experts.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Conservation, Edith Cowan University

    Adwo/Shutterstock

    Humans have been poisoning rodents for centuries. But fast-breeding rats and mice have evolved resistance to earlier poisons. In response, manufacturers have produced second generation anticoagulant rodenticides such as bromadiolone, widely used in Australian households.

    Unfortunately, these potent poisons do not magically disappear after the rodent is dead. For example, it’s well known owls who eat poisoned rodents suffer the same slow death from internal bleeding.

    Our new research shows the problem is much bigger than owls. We found Australia’s five largest marsupial predators – the four quoll species and the Tasmanian devil – are getting hit by these poisons too.

    Half of the 52 animals we tested had these poisons in their bodies. Some had died from it. These species are already threatened by foxes and feral cats. Rat poison is yet another threat – and one they may not be able to survive. Other countries have moved to ban these poisons. But in Australia, they’re widely available.

    How does rat poison end up in a Tasmanian devil?

    Quolls and Tasmanian devils are carnivores. They eat mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles, finding food by hunting – or by scavenging dead bodies, including rats and mice. But do they eat enough poisoned rats and mice to be at risk?

    To find out, we analysed liver samples from all four of Australia’s quoll species as well as the iconic Tasmanian devil. The samples came from dead animals from a range of sources, including animals dying in veterinary care, found as roadkill, or simply found dead.

    Each of these species is endangered or vulnerable. Together, they represent the largest remaining Australian carnivorous marsupials – native animals at the top of their food chains.

    We tested samples from 52 animals. Half of these were positive for second generation anticoagulant rodenticides. Of these, 21% tested positive for more than one rodenticide.

    Unfortunately, many animals we tested had consumed doses high enough to kill. Around 15% of the Tasmanian devils, 20% of the eastern quolls, 22% of chuditch (western quolls) and 20% of the spotted-tailed quolls tested were very likely to die either from the poison itself or a related cause such as longer-term sickening.

    Tasmanian devils often scavenge from carcasses – exposing them to poisoned rats.
    Vaclav Matous/Shutterstock

    We found one chuditch from a Perth suburb had been exposed to three different second-generation rodenticides. It had levels of one poison, brodifacoum, at 1.6 milligrams per kilo, far above the rate presumed to be lethal to mammals. This is likely the highest recorded exposure rate in an Australian marsupial.

    Some 5% of Tasmanian devils had also been exposed to lethal levels of these second-generation poisons and a further 10% were exposed to potentially lethal levels.

    Even when these poisons don’t directly kill the quoll or devil, they can leave it worse off.

    All five species are threatened, meaning their populations are a fraction of what they used to be. Even small changes to populations can trigger more rapid decline.

    Our analysis indicates an increase in deaths of just 2–4% of the chuditch population could increase extinction risk by 75%. This figure is dwarfed by how many chuditch are at risk from rat poisons, which we estimate at 22% of any given population in each generation, based on the exposure rates here.

    So, exposure to rat poison alone is likely enough to tip the species towards extinction – even without other threats such as being killed by foxes and cats.

    The release of an eastern quoll during a translocation. Rat poisons may pose a real risk to the species.
    Judy Dunlop, CC BY-NC-ND

    Can poisons be too potent?

    After the poison kills a mouse or rat, it remains lethal for some time.

    The poisons we examined take several months to halve in toxicity, meaning during this time they can kill owls, reptiles, frogs and small and medium-sized mammals such as possums.

    In Australia and around the world, evidence is mounting that these second-generation rodenticides are killing many more animals than those targeted. The poisons are hitting a wide range of carnivores including otters, wolves, foxes and raccoons. Even the famous Californian condor is threatened by rodenticides.

    Efforts to use thousands of litres of bromadiolone to stop a mouse plague in New South Wales triggered strong criticism. But to date, criticism has done little to curb their use in Australia.

    Second generation anticoagulant poisons are extremely effective at killing rats and mice – but the poison doesn’t stop there.
    speedshutter Photography/Shutterstock

    Australia is an outlier on this issue. In European and North American nations, these products are restricted to use by licensed pest controllers and banned for home use. Some nations have gone further and banned these poisons altogether. But here, you can buy them at Bunnings, Coles or Woolworths.

    Last year, a delegation of Australian researchers lobbied politicians to do more to regulate the use of these poisons.

    The institution responsible for ensuring poisons are safe is the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicine Authority. At present, the authority is weighing a decision on whether to introduce restrictions on these second-generation poisons, expected in April.

    Four other threatened Australian species – the Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagle, Tasmanian masked owl, powerful owl and Carnaby’s black cockatoo – have previously been found to be exposed to these rodenticides. Our research takes this tally to nine threatened species.

    In the absence of regulation, you can make a difference at home. Don’t use second-generation poisons which rely on brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, difenacoum or flocoumafen. Get rid of your mouse or rat problem with first-generation poisons containing warfarin, coumatetralyl or other chemicals.

    If you only have a mouse or two, consider looking at non-poison alternatives.

    Taking a moment to consider these alternatives could save Australia’s most threatened native predators from an agonising death.

    Acknowledgements: Michael Lohr (Birdlife Australia) was the lead author on the research behind this article. Cheryl Lohr (Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Western Australia) contributed to the research.

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

    – ref. Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils – https://theconversation.com/lethal-second-generation-rat-poisons-are-killing-endangered-quolls-and-tasmanian-devils-250035

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Disaster support for Hilltops after severe storm

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Disaster support for Hilltops after severe storm

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Emergency Services

    The Albanese and Minns Governments are activating disaster recovery support for communities in the Hilltops Local Government Area (LGA) following a severe storm on 10 February 2025.

    Assistance measures that may be provided to communities through the Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) include:

    • Support for eligible residents to help meet immediate needs like emergency accommodation.
    • Grants for low income, uninsured residents to replace lost essential household items to maintain a basic standard of living.
    • Grants for low income, uninsured residents to undertake essential structural repairs to restore their homes to a safe and habitable condition.
    • Support for affected local councils and other agencies to help with the costs of cleaning up, keeping the community safe and restoring damaged essential public assets.
    • Concessional interest rate loans for small businesses, primary producers, and nonprofit organisations and grants to sporting and recreation clubs to repair or replace damaged or destroyed property.
    • Freight subsidies for primary producers to help transport livestock and fodder.

    Federal Minister for Emergency Management Jenny McAllister said the funding will help the community clean up sooner and recover faster.

    “Right now communities right across Australia are preparing for, or cleaning up from, the impacts of wild weather, and we are there supporting the,” Minister McAllister said.
    “In NSW, we are working with the Minns Government to ensure communities across Hilltops get the support they need to clean up and recover.”

    NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said the hail storm left significant damage and the SES have been on the ground assisting the community with the cleanup.

    “The NSW SES and emergency services have been helping the people of Harden get back to their daily lives as soon as possible. Emergency services have been assisting the community to make their homes and businesses safe, ensuring they can access groceries
    and essential supplies, and supporting Council in the cleanup and restoration of essential public assets.” Minister Dib said.

    “As a result of this storm there has been a high number of calls to the NSW SES and emergency responders for help, and I would like to thank our volunteers and emergency workers who provided critical support to the community during this time.”

    “I am also pleased that NSW Reconstruction Authority staff are on the ground, providing information, advice and referrals to local services so that people get the support they need.”

    Further information on disaster assistance can be found on the Disaster Assist website.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Government marks 60 years since the Freedom Ride

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: NSW Government marks 60 years since the Freedom Ride

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty, Minister for Environment and Heritage

    The Minns Labor Government has marked the 60th anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Ride with the announcement of funding to complete a community pavilion in Walgett and a new program to commemorate significant steps along the Freedom Ride route.

    Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris are in Walgett today to announce the grant for the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service to complete the Freedom Ride Pavilion in Freedom Ride Memorial Park in Walgett.

    The Ministers also unveiled a blue plaque in the town, to formally recognise the Freedom Ride. It’s one of several blue plaques to be installed in key locations along the Freedom Ride route. NSW Blue Plaques are a popular heritage program recognising the events, groups and people who contributed to the rich history of NSW.

    The 1965 Freedom Ride was instrumental in raising awareness of racial injustice and building momentum for reconciliation action in Australia.

    Inspired by a set of bus trips by the civil rights movement in the US, a group of 30 University of Sydney students hired a bus, hung a banner across the front and set off on a two-week journey through regional NSW.

    Led by Indigenous rights activist Charles Perkins, the group rode through Wellington, Gulargambone and Walgett, before passing Moree, Boggabilla, Tenterfield, Lismore, Grafton, Bowraville and Kempsey.

    Their efforts were not well-received by locals, who pelted them with fruit and stones, and even chased the bus in a convoy of cars. In one town, police officers had to escort the students to safety.

    The Freedom Ride Blue Plaque Trail will capture the stories and events that took place at the key stops on the Freedom Ride journey. In Walgett, they protested a ban on Indigenous ex-servicemen entering the Returned Services League (RSL) Club. In Moree and Kempsey, they called out local laws barring Indigenous children from swimming pools. In Bowraville, they attempted to ‘gatecrash’ the cinema to protest the inequity in ticketing for Indigenous people.

    The widely publicised Freedom Ride contributed significantly to changes in Australians’ attitudes towards Aboriginal rights. Subsequently, in 1967, more than 90% of Australians voted ‘Yes’ in a landmark referendum that gave Indigenous Australians full rights as citizens.

    The Minns Labor Government is committed to reconciliation and working together with Aboriginal communities and organisations to improve the lives of and opportunities for Aboriginal people living in NSW.

    For more information on the Freedom Ride blue plaque visit https://blueplaques.nsw.gov.au/blue-plaques/locations/1965-freedom-ride

    The community will be consulted on the locations of future plaques.

    Quote attributable to Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe:

    “NSW has profoundly changed as a result of Charles Perkins and the students who drew attention to racial injustice in our state.

    “It is fitting that the Blue Plaques program will join up from Sydney to Walgett to mark the journey and tell the stories of the Freedom Ride and the changes that happened as a result of it.

    “In Walgett, the Freedom Ride will also be recognised through the addition of a Freedom Ride Pavillion in the Freedom Ride Memorial Park in Walgett, drawing visitors to the town.”

    Quote attributable to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, David Harris:

    “It is crucial we celebrate the courage, resilience and strength of the original Freedom Riders and of all Aboriginal people who, now and in the past, have led the way for racial equality in Australia. 

    “The NSW Government is committed to reconciliation and working together with Aboriginal communities and organisations to close the gap and improve the lives and opportunities for Aboriginal people living in NSW.

    “By listening to Aboriginal voices, supporting Aboriginal-led initiatives, and committing to real action, we can follow in the footsteps of the Freedom Riders to build a more just and equal Australia.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The threat of 3D-printed ‘ghost guns’ is growing, but NZ is yet to act on these 3 big legal gaps

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato

    It’s an unfortunate fact that bad people sometimes want guns. And while laws are designed to prevent guns falling into the wrong hands, the determined criminal can be highly resourceful.

    There are three main ways to source an illegal weapon: find a lawful owner willing to provide one unlawfully, buy one from another criminal, or make your own.

    The first two options aren’t as easy as they sound. The buyer might “know a guy” willing to sell, but the seller generally has good reason to be cautious about who they sell to.

    The price of the right firearm can be high, too, as is how “clean” its history is. No criminal wants to be connected to someone else’s crimes by their weapon’s history.

    Which leads us to the third option. Privately made firearms, manufactured to avoid detection by the authorities, are nothing new. What has grown is the computer-aided manufacture, of which 3D-printing technology is the best known form, enabling manufacture without traditional gunsmithing skills.

    The resulting “ghost guns” will potentially become more prevalent in New Zealand, and are already posing a significant challenge in overseas jurisdictions. With public submissions on the planned rewriting of the Arms Act closing at the end of February, it’s an issue we can’t ignore.

    No room for complacency

    Although blueprints of fully 3D-printed firearms are most common, hybrid designs, conversion kits, and firearms components sold as a kit or as separate pieces, are all gaining ground.

    These are all far more advanced and deadly than the homemade wood and metal weapon used in 2022 to kill former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

    Their ease of manufacture, improved reliability and performance, non-traceability and lower cost all appear to be driving demand. There is also the ideological attraction of avoiding state scrutiny that makes 3D-printing popular with far-right extremist groups.

    New Zealand authorities seized their first 3D-printed firearm in the middle of 2018. As of the end of last year, 58 3D-printed guns and between 200 and 300 firearms parts had been seized.

    This growth mirrors overseas trends. But it’s important to keep the numbers in perspective. Of the 9,662 firearms (including airguns) the New Zealand Police seized between August 2016 and July 2022, the most common were conventional rifles and shotguns.

    However, that is no cause for complacency. If proposed firearms law reforms – such as a new registry – help shrink the black market, we can expect the ghost gun market to grow.

    3D printed guns and gun conversion devices held by the US National Firearm Reference Vault.
    Getty Images

    Gaps in the law

    Legislation passed in 2020 makes the crime of illegal manufacturing (by unlicensed people) punishable by up to ten years’ imprisonment.

    Additional penalties can be added for making certain prohibited items, such as large-capacity magazines. In October last year, an Otago man became the first to be imprisoned in New Zealand for 3D-printing firearms.

    Despite this, and the foreseeable risk, there are several significant gaps in New Zealand law.

    1. Making guns detectable

    Unlike the US and some other countries, New Zealand does not mandate that every gun be detectable by containing enough metal to set off X-ray machines and metal detectors.

    The US also prohibits any firearms with major components that do not show up accurately in standard airport imaging technology.

    2. Penalties for obtaining blueprints

    While the manufacture of 3D-printed firearms is illegal, there is nothing specific in New Zealand law about downloading blueprints.

    There may be scope within existing censorship laws around downloading objectionable material. But this may be limited by the need to classify each plan or blueprint as objectionable. And artificial intelligence means these plans can change and evolve rapidly.

    More wholesale laws covering the computer-aided manufacture of firearms or their individual parts would be preferable.

    Canada, for example, introduced recent changes to firearms law making it a crime to access or download plans or graphics. Knowingly sharing or selling such data online for manufacturing or trafficking is also a crime, with penalties of up to ten years in prison.

    New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia are all making new laws in this area. In the case of South Australia, offenders face up to 15 years in prison for the possession of 3D-printer firearms blueprints.

    3. Preventing ‘ghost ammunition’

    Privately manufactured firearms still require ammunition to be effective, and the Arms Act is only partly effective in this area.

    Only firearms licence holders can lawfully possess non-prohibited ammunition, and all firearms dealers and ammunition sellers must keep a record of those transactions.

    But that obligation does not apply when firearms licence holders give, share or otherwise supply ammunition among themselves. Furthermore, there are only limited regulations around obtaining the precursors or tools for making ammunition, with only a few key ingredients, like gunpowder, restricted to licence holders.

    This is similar to the Australian approach. But Australia also requires licensed owners to purchase only the type of ammunition required for their specific firearms type.

    Trying to the correct balance here is tricky: the law must be practical to work but also ensure a potential ghost gun market does not create a “ghost ammunition” market, too.

    The ability to privately manufacture firearms, by computer-aided methods in particular, is a foreseeable and potentially hard-to-police problem. But by learning from other jurisdictions and making a few simple law changes, New Zealand can move now to make communities safer.

    The author thanks Clementine Annabell for assisting with the research for this article.

    Alexander Gillespie is a recipient of a Borrin Foundation Justice Fellowship to research comparative best practice in the regulation of firearms. He is also a member of the Ministerial Arms Advisory Group. The views expressed here are his own and not to be attributed to either of these organisations.

    – ref. The threat of 3D-printed ‘ghost guns’ is growing, but NZ is yet to act on these 3 big legal gaps – https://theconversation.com/the-threat-of-3d-printed-ghost-guns-is-growing-but-nz-is-yet-to-act-on-these-3-big-legal-gaps-248541

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Summary of the 10th DSCOVR EPIC and NISTAR Science Team Meeting

    Source: NASA

    Introduction
    The 10th Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) Earth Polychromatic Camera (EPIC) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Advanced Radiometer [NISTAR] Science Team Meeting (STM) was held October 16–18, 2024. Over 50 scientists attended, most of whom were from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), with several participating from other NASA centers, U.S. universities, and U.S. Department of Energy laboratories. There was one international participant – from Estonia. A full overview of DSCOVR’s Earth-observing instruments was published in a previous article in The Earth Observer and will not be repeated here. This article provides the highlights of the 2024 meeting. The meeting agenda and full presentations can be downloaded from GSFC’s Aura Validation Data Center.
    Opening Presentations
    The opening session of the 10th DSCOVR STM was special. Former U.S., Vice President Al Gore attended the opening session and gave a presentation at the panel discussion “Remote Sensing and the Future of Earth Observations” – see Photo. Gore was involved in the early days of planning the DSCOVR mission, which at that time was known as Triana. He reminisced about his involvement and praised the team for the work they’ve done over the past decade to launch and maintain the DSCOVR mission. Following the STM Opening Session, Gore spoke at a GSFC Engage session in Building 3 later that afternoon on the same topic, but before a wider audience. [Link forthcoming.]
    Following Gore’s remarks, the remainder of the opening session consisted of a series of presentations from DSCOVR mission leaders and representatives from GSFC and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Thomas Neumann [GSFC, Earth Sciences Division (ESD)—Deputy Director] opened the meeting and welcomed Vice President Gore and the STM participants on behalf of the ESD. Adam Szabo [GSFC—DSCOVR Project Scientist] briefly reported that the spacecraft was still in “good health.” The EPIC and NISTAR instruments on DSCOVR continue to return their full science observations. He also gave an update on DSCOVR Space Weather research. Alexander Marshak [GSFC—DSCOVR Deputy Project Scientist] briefly described DSCOVR mission history and the science results based on DSCOVR observations from the first Sun–Earth Lagrange point (hereinafter, the L1 point). He also summarized the major EPIC and NISTAR results to date. At this time, more than 125 papers related to DSCOVR are listed on the EPIC website. Elsayed Talaat [NOAA, Office of Space Weather observations—Director] discussed the future of Earth and space science studies from the L1 point.

    Updates on DSCOVR Operations
    The DSCOVR mission components continue to function nominally. The meeting was an opportunity to update participants on progress over the past year on several fronts, including data acquisition, processing, and archiving, and release of new versions of several data products. The number of people using DSCOVR data continues to increase, with a new Science Outreach Team having been put in place to aid users in several aspects of data discovery, access, and user friendliness.
    Amanda Raab [NOAA, DSCOVR Mission Operations and Systems] reported on the current status of the DSCOVR mission. She also discussed spacecraft risks and issues such as memory fragmentation and data storage task anomalies but indicated that both these issues have been resolved.
    Hazem Mahmoud [NASA’s Langley Research Center (LaRC)] discussed the work of the Atmospheric Science Data Center (ASDC), which is based at LaRC. He showed DSCOVR mission metrics since 2015, focusing on data downloads and the global outreach of the mission. He noted that there has been a significant rise in the number of downloads and an increasing diversity of countries accessing ozone (O3), aerosol, and cloud data products. Mahmoud also announced that the ASDC is transitioning to the Amazon Web Services cloud, which will further enhance global access and streamline DSCOVR data processing.
    Karin Blank [GSFC] covered the discovery of a new type of mirage that can only be seen in deep space from EPIC. The discussion included the use of a ray tracer in determining the origin of the phenomenon, and under what conditions it can be seen.
    Alexander Cede [SciGlob] and Ragi Rajagopalan [LiftBlick OG] gave an overview of the stability of the EPIC Level-1A (L1A) data over the first decade of operation. They explained that the only observable changes in the EPIC calibration are to the dark count and flat field can – and that these changes can be entirely attributed to the temperature change of the system in orbit compared to prelaunch conditions. No additional hot or warm pixels have emerged since launch and no significant sensitivity drifts have been observed. The results that Cede and Rajagopalan showed that EPIC continues to be a remarkably stable instrument, which is attributed to a large extent to its orbit around the L1 point, which is located outside the Earth’s radiation belts and thus an extremely stable temperature environment. Consequently, in terms of stability, the L1 point is far superior to other Earth observation points, e.g., ground-based, low-Earth orbit (LEO), polar orbit, or geostationary Earth orbit (GEO).
    Marshall Sutton [GSFC] discussed the state of the DSCOVR Science Operation Center (DSOC). He also talked about processing EPIC Level-1 (L1) data into L2 science products, daily images available on the EPIC website, and special imaging opportunities, e.g., volcanic eruptions.
    EPIC Calibration
    After 10 years of operation in space, the EPIC instrument on DSCOVR continues to be a remarkably stable instrument. The three presentations describe different ways that are used to verify the EPIC measurements remain reliable.
    Conor Haney [LaRC] reported on anomalous outliers during February and March 2023 from the broadband shortwave (SW) flux using EPIC L1B channel radiances. To ensure that these outliers were not a result of fluctuations in the EPIC L1B channel radiances, both the EPIC radiance measurements and coincident, ray-matched radiance measurements from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) platform, were processed using the same deep convective cloud invariant target (DCC-IT) algorithm. This analysis confirmed that the anomalous behavior was due to the DCC-IT algorithm – and not because of fluctuations in the EPIC L1B channel radiances. The improved DCC-IT methodology was also applied to the EPIC L1B radiances. The results indicate that the EPIC record is quite stable with a lower uncertainty than when processed using the previous DCC-IT methodology.
    Igor Geogdzhaev [NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)/Columbia University] reported that EPIC Visible–Near Infrared (VIS-NIR) calibration based on VIIRS (on Suomi NPP) data has showed excellent stability, while VIIRS (on NOAA-20 and -21) derived gains agree to within 1–2%. Preliminary analysis showed continuity in the gains derived from Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) data. (ABI flies on NOAA’s two operational Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite–Series R satellites – GOES-17 and GOES-18.
    Liang–Kang Huang [Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI)] reported on updates to the EPIC ultraviolet (UV) channel sensitivity time dependences using Sun-normalized radiance comparisons between EPIC and measurements from the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Nadir Mapper (NM) on Suomi NPP, with coinciding footprints and solar/satellite angles. Huang’s team determined vignetting factors in the sensitivity calibration between 2021–2024, as a function of charge coupled device (CCD) pixel radius and pixel polar angles, using special lunar measurement sequences.
    NISTAR Status and Science with Its Observations
    The NISTAR instrument remains fully functional and continues its uninterrupted data record. The NISTAR-related presentations during this meeting included more details on specific topics related to NISTAR as well as on efforts to combine information from both EPIC and NISTAR.
    Steven Lorentz [L-1 Standards and Technology, Inc.] reported that the NISTAR on DSCOVR has been measuring the irradiance from the sunlit Earth in three bands for more than nine years. The three bands measure the outgoing total and reflected-solar radiation from Earth at a limited range of solar angles. To compare the long-term stability of EPIC and NISTAR responses, researchers developed a narrowband to wideband conversion model to allow the direct comparison of the EPIC multiband imagery and NISTAR SW – see Figure 1 – and silicon photodiode channels. Lorentz presented daily results spanning several years. The comparison employed different detectors from the same spacecraft – but with the same vantage point – thereby avoiding any model dependent orbital artifacts.

    Clark Weaver [University of Maryland, College Park (UMD)] used spectral information from the SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY), which flew on the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Envisat satellite from 2002–2012, to fill EPIC spectral gaps. He reported on construction of a composite height resolution spectrum that was spectrally integrated to produce SW energy. Weaver explained that he compared the EPIC reflected SW with four-hour averages from Band 4 on NISTAR. He used spectral information from SCIAMACHY to fill in gaps. Weaver also discussed results of a comparison of area integrated EPIC SW energy with observations from NISTAR . 
    Andrew Lacis [GISS] reported on results of analysis of seven years of EPIC-derived planetary albedo for Earth, which reveal global-scale longitudinal variability occurring over a wide range of frequencies – with strong correlation between nearby longitudes and strong anticorrelation between diametrically opposed longitudes. This behavior in the Earth’s global-scale energy budget variability is fully corroborated by seven years of NISTAR silicon photodiode measurements, which view the Earth with 1º longitudinal resolution. This analysis establishes the DSCOVR mission EPIC/NISTAR measurements as a new and unmatched observational data source for evaluating global climate model performance– e.g., see Figure 2.

    Wenying Su [LaRC] discussed global daytime mean SW fluxes within the EPIC field of view produced from January 2016–June 2024. These quasi-hourly SW fluxes agree very well with the Synoptic data product from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments (currently flying on the Terra and Aqua, Suomi NPP, and NOAA-20 platforms) with the root mean square errors (rmse) less than 3 W/m2. This SW flux processing framework will be used to calculate NISTAR SW flux when Version 4 (V4) of the NISTAR radiance becomes available. Su noted that SW fluxes from EPIC are not suitable to study interannual variability as the magnitude of EPIC flux is sensitive to the percentage of daytime area visible to EPIC.
    Update on EPIC Products and Science Results
    EPIC has a suite of data products available. The following subsections summarize content during the DSCOVR STM related to these products. The updates focus on several data products and the related algorithm improvements. 
    Total Column Ozone
    Jerry Ziemke [Morgan State University (MSU), Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research–II (GESTAR II)] and Natalya Kramarova [GSFC] reported that tropospheric O3 from DSCOVR EPIC shows anomalous reductions of ~10% throughout the Northern Hemisphere (NH) starting in Spring 2020 that continues to the present. The EPIC data, along with other satellite-based (e.g., Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura platform) and ground-based (e.g., Pandora) data, indicate that the observed NH reductions in O3 are due to combined effects from meteorology and reduced pollution, including reduced shipping pollution in early 2020 (during COVID) – see Figure 3. EPIC 1–2 hourly data are also used to evaluate hourly total O3 and derived tropospheric O3 from NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) geostationary instrument. Ziemke explained that comparison of TEMPO data with EPIC data has helped the researchers characterize a persistent latitude-dependent offset in TEMPO total O3 data of ~10–15% from south to north over the North American continent.

    Algorithm Improvement for Ozone and Sulfur Dioxide Products
    Kai Yang [UMD] presented a comprehensive evaluation of total and tropospheric O3 retrievals, highlighting the long-term stability and high accuracy of EPIC measurements. He also validated EPIC’s volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) retrievals by comparing them with ground-based Brewer spectrophotometer measurements and summarized EPIC’s observations of SO2 from recent volcanic eruptions.
    Simon Carn [University of Michigan] showed the first comparisons between the EPIC L2 volcanic SO2 product and SO2 retrievals from the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) on the Korean GEO-Kompsat-2B satellite. GEMS observes East Asia as part of the new geostationary UV air quality (GEO-AQ) satellite constellation (which also includes TEMPO that observes North America and will include the Ultraviolet–Visible–Near Infrared (UVN) instrument on the European Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, that will be launched in 2025 to observe Europe and surrounding areas) – but is not optimized for measurements of high SO2 columns during volcanic eruptions. EPIC SO2 data for the 2024 eruption of Ruang volcano in Indonesia are being used to validate a new GEMS volcanic SO2 product. Initial comparisons show good agreement between EPIC and GEMS before volcanic cloud dispersal and confirm the greater sensitivity of the hyperspectral GEMS instrument to low SO2 column amounts.
    Aerosols
    Alexei Lyapustin [GSFC] reported that the latest EPIC aerosols algorithm (V3) simultaneously retrieves aerosol optical depth, aerosol spectral absorption, and aerosol layer height (ALH) – achieving high accuracy. He showed that global validation of the single scattering albedo in the blue and red shows 66% and 81–95% agreement respectively, with Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) observations – which is within the expected error of 0.03 for smoke and dust aerosols. Lyapustin also reported on a comparison of EPIC aerosol data collected from 2015–2023 by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP), which flew on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission. The results show that ALH is retrieved with rmse ~1.1 km (0.7 mi). ALH is unbiased over the ocean and is underestimated by 450 m (1470 ft) for the smoke and by 750 m (2460 ft) for the dust aerosols over land. 
    Myungje Choi and Sujung Go [both from University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s (UMBC), GESTAR II] presented results from a global smoke and dust characterization using Multi-Angle Implementation of Atmospheric Correction (MAIAC) algorithm. This study characterized smoke and dust aerosol properties derived from MAIAC EPIC processing, examining spectral absorption, ALH, and chemical composition (e.g., black and brown carbon). Regions with smoldering wildfires, e.g., North America and Siberia, exhibited high ALH and a significant fraction of brown carbon, while Central Africa showed lower ALH with higher black carbon emissions.
    Omar Torres [GSFC] discussed how L1 DSCOVR-EPIC observations are being used to study air quality (i.e., tropospheric O3 and aerosols) globally. Torres noted that this application of EPIC-L1 observations is of particular interest in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) where, unlike over the NH, there are currently no space GEO-based air quality measurements – and no plans for them in the foreseeable future.
    Hiren Jethva [MSU, GESTAR II] presented the new results of the aerosol optical centroid height retrieved from the EPIC Oxygen-B band observations. He described the algorithm details, showed retrieval maps, and reviewed the comparative analysis against CALIOP backscatter-weighted measurements. The analysis showed a good level of agreement with more than 70% of matchup data within 1–1.5 km (0.6–0.9 mi) difference.
    Jun Wang [University of Iowa] presented his team’s work on advancing the second generation of the aerosol optical centroid height (AOCH) algorithm for EPIC. Key advancements included: constraining surface reflectance in aerosol retrieval using an EPIC-based climatology of surface reflectance ratios between 442–680 nm; incorporating a dynamic aerosol model to characterize aged smoke particles; and employing a spectral slope technique to distinguish thick smoke plumes from clouds. Results show that both atmospheric optical depth (AOD) and AOCH retrievals are improved in the second generation of AOCH algorithm.
    Olga Kalashnikova [NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)] reported on improving brown carbon evolution processes in the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) model with EPIC products. She indicated that DSCOVR product evaluation, using lidar aerosol height measurements from CALIOP, led to an improved operational brown carbon product. To better resolve the temporal evolution of brown carbon, chemical transport models need to include more information about near-source fires.
    Mike Garay [NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)] discussed constraining near-source brown carbon emissions from 2024 Canadian ‘zombie’ fires with EPIC products. He reported that fires in British Columbia, Canada showed differences in brown carbon emission near the sources.  Garay explained that their investigation has revealed that these differences were related to fire intensity and variations in vegetation/soil content.
    Yuekui Yang [GSFC] presented work that examined the impact of Earth’s curvature consideration on EPIC cloud height retrievals. Biases under the Plane Parallel (PPL) assumption is studied by comparing results using the improved pseudo-spherical shell approximation. PPL retrievals in general bias high and for a cloud with height of 5 km (3 mi), the bias is about 6%.
    Alfonso Delgado Bonal [UMBC] stated that the EPIC vantage point offers a unique opportunity to observe not only the current state of the Earth but also its temporal evolution. By capturing multiple observations of the planet throughout the day, EPIC enables statistical reconstruction of diurnal patterns in clouds and other atmospheric parameters. Bonal’s team focused their research on O3 (primarily tropospheric) over the U.S. to demonstrate the presence of a diurnal cycle in the western regions of the continental U.S. However, ground-based data from PANDORA for specific locations do not support these diurnal variations – underscoring the critical role of space-based O3 retrievals. The proposed methodology is not limited to clouds or O3 but is broadly applicable to other EPIC measurements for the dynamic nature of our planet.
    Elizabeth Berry [Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER)] presented results from a coincident DSCOVR–CloudSat dataset [covering 2015–2020]. Cloud properties (e.g., cloud height and optical depth) from DSCOVR and CloudSat are moderately correlated and show quite good agreement given differences in the instruments sensitivities and footprints. Berry explained that a machine-learning model trained on the coincident data demonstrates high accuracy at predicting the presence of vertical cloud layers. However, precision and recall metrics highlight the challenge of predicting the precise location of cloud boundaries.
    Anthony Davis [JPL] presented a pathway toward accurate estimation of the cloud optical thickness (COT) of opaque clouds and cloud systems, e.g., supercells, mesoscale convective complexes, and tropical cyclones (TCs). He described the approach, which uses differential oxygen absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) that has resolving power greater than 104 – which is comparable to that of the high-resolution spectrometers on NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory–2 (OCO-2) – but is based upon the cloud information content of EPIC’s O2 A- and B-band radiances. Unlike the current operational retrieval of COT – which uses data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Terra and Aqua – the DOAS-based technique does not saturate at COT exceeding ~60. According to a popular TC model with two-moment microphysics, COT in a tropical storm or hurricane can reach well into the hundreds, sometimes exceeding 1000. Davis said that once the new COT estimates become available, they will provide new observational constraints on process and forecast models for TCs.
    Ocean
    Robert Frouin [Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California] discussed ocean surface radiation products derived from EPIC data. He explained that significant advancements have been achieved in processing and evaluating ocean biology and biogeochemistry products derived from EPIC imagery. V1 updates enhanced accuracy by integrating Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications V2 (MERRA-2) ancillary data and refining calculations for atmospheric and surface parameters. Frouin introduced several diurnal products, including hourly photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) fluxes, spectral water reflectance, and chlorophyll-a concentrations. He said that these new MODIS-derived products have been validated through comparisons with data from the Advanced Himawari Imager on the Japanese Himawar–8 and –9 satellites. In order to address the gaps in these diurnal products, Frouin explained that the team developed a convolutional neural network that has been used effectively to reconstruct missing PAR values with high accuracy.
    Vegetation
    Yuri Knyazikhin [Boston University] reported on the status of the Vegetation Earth System Data Record (VESDR) that provides a variety of parameters including: Leaf Area Index (LAI), diurnal courses of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Sunlit LAI (SLAI), Fraction of incident Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FPAR) absorbed by the vegetation, Directional Area Scattering Function (DASF), Earth Reflector Type Index (ERTI), and Canopy Scattering Coefficient (CSC). Knyazikhin discussed analysis of the diurnal and seasonal variations of these quantities. EPIC LAI and FPAR are consistent with MODIS-derived measurements of the same parameters.
    Jan Pisek [University of Tartu/Tartu Observatory, Estonia] discussed efforts to derive leaf inclination information from EPIC data. The very first evaluation over Tumbarumba site (in New South Wales, Australia) showed that the angular variation in parameters obtained from EPIC reflects the expected variations due to the erectophile vegetation present at the site.
    Sun Glint
    Tamás Várnai [UMBC, JCET] discussed EPIC observations of Sun glint from ice clouds. The cloud glints come mostly from horizontally oriented ice crystals and have strong impact in EPIC cloud retrievals. Várnai reported that the EPIC glint product is available from the ASDC – see Figure 4. Glint data can help reduce the uncertainties related to horizontally oriented ice crystals and yield additional new insights about the microphysical and radiative properties of ice clouds.

    Alexander Kostinski [Michigan Technology University] explained that because they detected climatic signals (i.e., longer-term changes and semi-permanent features, e.g., ocean glitter), they developed a technique to suppress geographic “noise” in EPIC images that involves introducing temporally (monthly) and conditionally (classifying by surface/cover type, e.g., land, ocean, clouds) averaged reflectance images – see Figure 5. The resulting images display seasonal dependence in a striking manner. Additionally, cloud-free, ocean-only images highlight prominent regions of ocean glitter.

    Jiani Yang [Caltech] reported that spatially resolving light curves from DSCOVR is crucial for evaluating time-varying surface features and the presence of an atmosphere. Both of these features are essential for sustaining life on Earth – and thus can be used to assess the potential habitability of exoplanets. Using epsilon machine reconstruction, the statistical complexity from the time series data of these light curves can be calculated. The results show that statistical complexity serves as a reliable metric for quantifying the intricacy of planetary features. Higher levels of planetary complexity qualitatively correspond to increased statistical complexity and Shannon entropy, illustrating the effectiveness of this approach in identifying planets with the most dynamic characteristics.
    Other EPIC Science Results
    Guoyong Wen [MSU, GESTAR II] analyzed the variability of global spectral reflectance from EPIC and the integrated broadband reflectance on different timescales. He reported that on a diurnal timescale, the global reflectance variations in UV and blue bands are statistically similar – and drastically different from those observed in longer wavelength bands (i.e., green to NIR). The researchers also did an analysis of monthly average results and found that temporal averaging of the global reflectance reduces the variability across the wavelength and that the variability of broadband reflectance is similar to that for the red band on both timescales. These results are mainly due to the rotation of the Earth on diurnal timescale and the change of the Earth’s tilt angle. 
    Nick Gorkavyi [Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI)] reported that EPIC – located at the L1 point, 1.5 million km (0.9 million mi) away from Earth – can capture images of the far side of the Moon in multiple wavelengths. These images, taken under full solar illumination, can be used to calibrate photographs obtained by lunar artificial satellites. Additionally, he discussed the impact of lunar libration – the changing view of the Moon from Earth, or it’s apparent “wobble” – on Earth observations from the Moon. 
    Jay Herman [UMBC] discussed a comparison of EPIC O3 with TEMPO satellite and Pandora ground-based measurement. The results show that total column O3 does not have a significant photochemical diurnal variation. Instead, the daily observed diurnal variation is caused by weather changes in atmospheric pressure. This measurement result agrees with model calculations.
    Conclusion
    Alexander Marshak, Jay Herman, and Adam Szabo led a closing discussion with ST participants on how to make the EPIC and NISTAR instruments more visible in the community. It was noted that the EPIC website now allows visitors to observe daily fluctuations of aerosol index, cloud fraction, cloud height, and the ocean surface – as observed from the L1 point. More daily products, (e.g., aerosol height and sunlit leaf area index) will be added soon, which should attract more users to the website.
    Overall, the 2023 DSCOVR EPIC and NISTAR STM was successful. It provided an opportunity for participants to learn the status of DSCOVR’s Earth-observing instruments, EPIC and NISTAR, the status of recently released L2 data products, and the science results being achieved from the L1 point. As more people use DSCOVR data worldwide, the ST hopes to hear from users and team members at its next meeting. The latest updates from the mission can be found on the EPIC website. 
    Alexander MarshakNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centeralexander.marshak@nasa.gov
    Adam SzaboNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centeradam.szabo@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Progress towards recycled water plant in Orange

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: Progress towards recycled water plant in Orange

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Water

    Orange residents are closer to seeing a new innovative water supply solution roll into town as a preliminary business case gets underway to look at constructing the first purified recycled water treatment demonstration plant in regional NSW.

    It’s thanks to a $400,000 partnership between the Albanese and Minns Labor Governments and Orange City Council to explore the feasibility of building pioneering new infrastructure that will showcase how this technology works and whether it will provide another option for long-term water security in the Central West.

    The plant will use cutting-edge technology to treat and recycle wastewater to an extremely high standard that will be used by the Cadia Gold Mine for industrial purposes.

    It’s estimated the plant will produce approximately 3.5 megalitres of water per day, which is roughly a quarter of Orange’s daily needs.

    Using purified recycled water (PRW) is a great way to increase water supply resilience and takes the pressure off existing water sources.

    The design will allow for future expansion down the track if the plant proves to be successful and the community supports this move.

    A learning centre is in scope to be built alongside the demonstration plant to enable locals to come along and get a better understanding of the benefits of recycled water and how the process works.

    If approved, the plant will be the second groundbreaking water security solution for the region following the introduction of stormwater harvesting in 2009 which can deliver up to a quarter of the town’s water needs.

    The funding for the preliminary business case includes $200,000 from the Australian Government’s National Water Grid Fund, $100,000 from the NSW Government and $100,000 from Orange City Council.

    Work will begin shortly and is expected to be complete by June 2025.

    The NSW Government’s draft Recycled Water Roadmap outlines actions to address barriers and pave the way for increased and expanded recycled water use in the future, including drinking and non-drinking purposes, where it is safe, beneficial and cost-effective.

    For more information, consult the Recycled Water Roadmap.

    Senator for New South Wales, Senator Deborah O’Neill:

    “This $400,000 investment is a bold step toward increasing water security for the Central West, offering a pioneering solution to the region’s water challenges. The collaboration highlights the Albanese Government’s commitment to innovative infrastructure solutions that improve resilience in the face of climate challenges.”

    “It’s exciting to see the Albanese Government’s National Water Grid Fund supporting Orange’s water security future. It’s another example of how federal and state Labor governments are working together to support communities in regional NSW.”

    “Through a joint effort between the federal and state governments and Orange City Council, we’re working to bring cutting-edge water technology to the region. The proposed purified recycled water treatment plant will not only help secure a sustainable water supply for industrial use at Cadia Gold Mine but also serve as a vital demonstration of how this technology can support the region’s long-term water needs. The investment reflects our dedication to finding practical, forward-thinking solutions that benefit local communities and bolster water resilience across New South Wales.”

    NSW Minister for Water Rose Jackson MLC said:

    “I’m proud to announce that we’ve come together with the Federal Government and Orange City Council to explore the possibility of using purified recycled water.

    “This is an ingenious solution that makes the most of the water we already have and increases our resilience to challenges such as drought and a changing climate.

    “Recycled water is already being used in 35 cities across the globe and is currently being tested at Quakers Hill in Sydney’s west.

    “It is still early days for New South Wales, and we have to do our due diligence first, but it’s exciting to think of the possibilities this cutting-edge technology could offer as we progress work on the draft Recycled Water Roadmap.”

    Member for Orange Phil Donato MP said:

    “Orange is one of the fastest growing regional towns in the state with tourism, agriculture and mining and that’s one of the reasons water security is so critically important for the Central West.

    “I’m pleased that this business case is progressing thanks to support from all levels of Government. If it goes ahead, this demonstration facility can play an important role in long-term work to improve regional water security and can also unlock jobs and greater economic development in the area.”

    Mayor of Orange City Council, Tony Mileto said:

    “Orange has proven it’s on the front foot when it comes to water solutions, such as our award-winning stormwater harvesting scheme – we’ve always been forward thinking when it comes to looking at alternative ways to secure and use water.

    “We’re looking forward to becoming the first regional city in NSW to look at trialing purified recycled water to safeguard our resources, and ensure our community is in a stronger position to withstand the next drought.

    “Because of our experience using stormwater harvesting for potable use, survey results show that residents are open to exploring the use of using recycled water, and having a demonstration plant will enable them to see how the technology works up close and in action.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $5.5 million for health worker accommodation in Coffs Harbour

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: $5.5 million for health worker accommodation in Coffs Harbour

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health

    The Coffs Harbour community is set to benefit from new Key Worker Accommodation which will help attract, recruit and retain more healthcare workers to the region.

    The Minns Labor Government will invest $5.5 million in health worker housing in Coffs Harbour as part of the Key Health Worker Accommodation program.

    The $200.1 million program supports more than 20 projects across rural, regional and remote NSW.

    The funding will secure approximately 120 dwellings across regional NSW, which includes the building of new accommodation, refurbishment of existing living quarters and the purchase of suitable properties such as residential units.

    The four-year program will support the recruitment and retention of more than 500 health workers and their families by providing a range of accommodation options.

    The program is one of a number of investments the Minns Labor Government is making to strengthen the regional, rural and remote health workforce and builds on the success of the NSW Government’s $73.2 million investment in key health worker accommodation across five regional local health districts (Far West, Murrumbidgee, Southern NSW, Hunter New England and Western NSW).

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

    “The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in modern, sustainable accommodation options for key health workers who are the backbone of our regional, rural and remote communities.

    “Strengthening our regional health workforce is a key priority for our government and this $5.5 million investment in accommodation will support the attraction of key healthcare workers to Coffs Harbour.

    “The Key Health Worker Accommodation program will support the Mid North Coast Local Health District in continuing to provide high-quality health services to the community.”

    Quote attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Coffs Harbour, Cameron Murphy MLC:

    “The Mid North Coast is among the state’s fastest growing regions and demand for housing is only increasing.

    “Coffs Harbour is already a fantastic place to live and work, but the Minns Labor Government’s investment in health worker housing here will just make it that little more attractive to prospective employees and their families.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: $250,000 investment in key health staff accommodation at Barraba

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: $250,000 investment in key health staff accommodation at Barraba

    Published: 17 February 2025

    Released by: Minister for Regional Health

    The NSW Government is investing $250,000 to upgrade key health worker accommodation at Barraba Multipurpose Service (MPS).

    The funding boost is part of the Minns Labor Government’s $12 million investment in 61 projects as part of the Regional Health Minor Works Program.

    The funding will modernise the Barraba MPS staff accommodation, including ensuites for the three bedrooms to improve privacy and comfort, and help incentivise and attract staff to the region.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health Ryan Park:

    “One of the key issues we face in the healthcare system is staffing our facilities, and this issue is even more present in regional, rural and remote locations.

    “Having modern, fit for purpose accommodation on site at healthcare facilities is a major drawcard in recruiting and retaining staff.

    “Key Health Worker Accommodation is so important to this government, we’ve invested $200.1 million to increase the availability in critical locations.”

    Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Tamworth, Anthony D’Adam MLC:

    “We welcome this investment in Barraba MPS, and it’s great to be part of a government that is making working and living in rural areas more attractive to health workers.

    “This upgrade to staff quarters at Barraba MPS will provide our health workers with modern and comfortable facilities.”

    Quotes attributable to Acting Executive Director of Infrastructure, Planning, and Sustainability Anna Styles-Tape:

    “This funding will provide staff with better amenities and will support our recruitment efforts and offerings to new and existing staff.”

    MIL OSI News –

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

    Source: Australian Executive Government Ministers

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

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

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

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

    JOURNALIST: Either one. 

    JOURNALIST: Maybe one for Mayor Dan first? 

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, let’s go. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    CATHERINE KING: Yeah, you can- yeah. 

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

    CATHERINE KING: Lovely. 

    JOURNALIST: Thank you guys. 

    CATHERINE KING: Thank you, you’re welcome.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over two million extra NHS appointments delivered early as trusts handed £40 million to go further and faster

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early.

    • Pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments hit early with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans for patients each week
    • Waiting lists falls by almost 160,000 since government took office, as extra appointments delivered for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests
    • Comes as an additional £40 million set to be handed to trusts that deliver biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists
    • Marks major step towards delivering Plan for Change milestone of hitting 18-week treatment target by the end of this Parliament

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early. 

    The Prime Minister has welcomed new figures published by NHS England [today] which reveal that between July and November last year, the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year – delivering on the government’s mission to fix the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

    The new data confirms the government reached the target seven months earlier than promised – with 100,000 more treatments, tests, and scans for patients each week, and more than half a million extra diagnostic tests delivered.

    It follows figures published last week which showed the waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the government took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year. 

    It means thousands of patients have received vital operations, scans, treatments, and consultations earlier than planned, helping them get back on with their lives and back to work sooner.

    The extra 2 million appointments – delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working – are underpinned by the government’s ambitious wider reform agenda, including our plan to expand opening hours at Community Diagnostic Centres across the country, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

    The government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future starts with tackling waiting lists, and hitting this milestone is a crucial step towards treating 92% of elective care patients within 18 weeks of referral by the end of this Parliament – delivering a core commitment in the Plan for Change.  

    While there is more to do, today’s milestone also clears the path to bring forward wider NHS reforms through the government’s Elective Reform Plan – announced by the Prime Minister last month – which will cut waiting times and improve patient experience by getting people seen more quickly, closer to home. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

     “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it. 

    “This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they’ll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. It’s about the millions of people who’ve put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis.

    “We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times.

    “But we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done. We’re determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our Plan for Change.” 

    Since entering office, the government has hit the ground running to fix the broken health service we inherited by tackling the waiting lists, and building an NHS fit for the future. 

    This includes ending NHS strikes so staff are on the front line instead of the picket line this winter, vaccinating more people against flu than this time last year and putting immediate investment into our health system through £1.8 billion to fund extra elective care appointments as part of record £26 billion extra NHS funding secured at the October Budget.   

    Building on this, the government has announced an extra £40 million funding pot for trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists. The funding will be available for hospitals from next year to spend on capital projects such as new equipment or repairs to their estate which can deliver faster access to treatment and improve conditions for patients. 

    Further details on the scope and allocation of the funding package will be set out in due course, but examples of the innovations that trusts will be able to benefit from include investment into new tech such as surgical robots and AI scanners to modernise the NHS and help patients get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

    The funding could also go towards completing hospital ward maintenance – expediting the transformation of ageing NHS estates and giving patients newer, safer environments in which to receive care. 

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    “We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain.

    “Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery.

    “We promised change, and we’ve delivered, providing the two million extra appointments we pledged in just our first five months – a promise made, and a promise kept. The result is around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July.

    “That was just the first step. Through our Plan for Change, we are opening new surgical hubs, Community Diagnostics Centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

    Amanda Pritchard NHS chief executive said: 

    “Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.

    “There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.”

    The Elective Reform Plan will drive forward action to meet the 18-week target through the necessary reforms to overhaul the system, support staff, cut waste and put patients first – creating millions more appointments in the process. As part of this, the government is creating thousands more appointments through greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and 17 new or expanded surgical hubs.  

    The Community Diagnostic Centres will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week wherever possible so that people can access a broader range of more appointments closer to home in their neighbourhoods. These will increase the availability of same-day tests and consultations so that patients don’t have to wait for weeks in between different stages of care.  

    The surgical hubs will be also created within existing hospitals by June and three others expanded, with more expected in coming years supported by the £1.5 billion investment confirmed at the Autumn budget.  

    These will bring together the necessary expertise, best practice, and tech under one roof to focus on delivering the most common, less complex procedures. The new hubs will be ring-fenced from winter pressures and will cut waiting times for standard surgeries, in turn freeing up beds in acute wards needed for more complex cases. 

    Other elements of the plan include freeing up around 1 million more appointments every year by removing non-essential follow-ups, publishing a new deal with the independent sector to increase capacity, revolutionising the NHS app to give patients greater choice and control over their treatment and preventing unnecessary referrals by incentivising GPs to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice. 

    The government has also launched a nationwide consultation on the 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future and secured an extra £2 billion to upgrade NHS technology and £1 billion to deal with the massive NHS maintenance backlog. 

    As part of a drive towards prevention, NHS England have also launched its first-ever awareness campaign today to support more women to attend potentially lifesaving breast screening. The campaign, supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now, launches today with a new advert across TV, on demand and radio to highlight the benefits of screening in detecting cancer at the earliest opportunity. 

    Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed or treated until a later stage, and the most comprehensive review to date found around 1,300 deaths are prevented each year by the breast screening programme.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Press release: Over two million extra NHS appointments delivered early as trusts handed £40 million to go further and faster

    Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early.

    • Pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments hit early with over 100,000 more treatments, tests and scans for patients each week
    • Waiting lists falls by almost 160,000 since government took office, as extra appointments delivered for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests
    • Comes as an additional £40 million set to be handed to trusts that deliver biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists
    • Marks major step towards delivering Plan for Change milestone of hitting 18-week treatment target by the end of this Parliament

    Over two million extra NHS appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy, and diagnostic tests delivered as government delivers first step to fix the NHS seven months early. 

    The Prime Minister has welcomed new figures published by NHS England [today] which reveal that between July and November last year, the NHS delivered almost 2.2 million more elective care appointments compared to the same period the previous year – delivering on the government’s mission to fix the NHS as part of the Plan for Change. 

    The new data confirms the government reached the target seven months earlier than promised – with 100,000 more treatments, tests, and scans for patients each week, and more than half a million extra diagnostic tests delivered.

    It follows figures published last week which showed the waiting list has been cut by almost 160,000 since the government took office, compared to a rise of almost 33,000 over the same period the previous year. 

    It means thousands of patients have received vital operations, scans, treatments, and consultations earlier than planned, helping them get back on with their lives and back to work sooner.

    The extra 2 million appointments – delivered in part by extra evening and weekend working – are underpinned by the government’s ambitious wider reform agenda, including our plan to expand opening hours at Community Diagnostic Centres across the country, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

    The government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future starts with tackling waiting lists, and hitting this milestone is a crucial step towards treating 92% of elective care patients within 18 weeks of referral by the end of this Parliament – delivering a core commitment in the Plan for Change.  

    While there is more to do, today’s milestone also clears the path to bring forward wider NHS reforms through the government’s Elective Reform Plan – announced by the Prime Minister last month – which will cut waiting times and improve patient experience by getting people seen more quickly, closer to home. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: 

     “Two million extra NHS appointments and a waiting list on its way down – we’re delivering on our promise to fix the NHS and make sure people get the care they need, when they need it. 

    “This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about the cancer patients who for too long were left wondering when they’ll finally start getting their life-saving treatment. It’s about the millions of people who’ve put their lives and livelihoods on hold – waiting in pain and uncertainty as they wait for a diagnosis.

    “We said we’d turn this around and that’s exactly what we’re doing – this milestone is a shot in the arm for our plan to get the NHS back on its feet and cut waiting times.

    “But we’re not complacent and we know the job isn’t done. We’re determined to go further and faster to deliver more appointments, faster treatment, and a National Health Service that the British public deserve as part of our Plan for Change.” 

    Since entering office, the government has hit the ground running to fix the broken health service we inherited by tackling the waiting lists, and building an NHS fit for the future. 

    This includes ending NHS strikes so staff are on the front line instead of the picket line this winter, vaccinating more people against flu than this time last year and putting immediate investment into our health system through £1.8 billion to fund extra elective care appointments as part of record £26 billion extra NHS funding secured at the October Budget.   

    Building on this, the government has announced an extra £40 million funding pot for trusts who make the biggest improvements in cutting waiting lists. The funding will be available for hospitals from next year to spend on capital projects such as new equipment or repairs to their estate which can deliver faster access to treatment and improve conditions for patients. 

    Further details on the scope and allocation of the funding package will be set out in due course, but examples of the innovations that trusts will be able to benefit from include investment into new tech such as surgical robots and AI scanners to modernise the NHS and help patients get diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.

    The funding could also go towards completing hospital ward maintenance – expediting the transformation of ageing NHS estates and giving patients newer, safer environments in which to receive care. 

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    “We have wasted no time in getting to work to cut NHS waiting times and end the agony of millions of patients suffering uncertainty and pain.

    “Because we ended the strikes, invested in the NHS, and rolled out reformed ways of working, we are finally putting the NHS on the road to recovery.

    “We promised change, and we’ve delivered, providing the two million extra appointments we pledged in just our first five months – a promise made, and a promise kept. The result is around 160,000 fewer patients on waiting lists today than in July.

    “That was just the first step. Through our Plan for Change, we are opening new surgical hubs, Community Diagnostics Centres at evenings and weekends, and using private sector capacity to cut waiting times from 18 months to 18 weeks.”

    Amanda Pritchard NHS chief executive said: 

    “Thanks to the hard work of staff and embracing the latest innovations in care, we treated hundreds of thousands more patients last year and delivered a record number of tests and checks, with the waiting list falling for the fourth month in a row.

    “There is much more to do to slash waiting times for patients, but the Elective Care Reform Plan will allow us to build on this incredible progress as we boost capacity and drive efficiency while also improving the experience of patients.”

    The Elective Reform Plan will drive forward action to meet the 18-week target through the necessary reforms to overhaul the system, support staff, cut waste and put patients first – creating millions more appointments in the process. As part of this, the government is creating thousands more appointments through greater access to Community Diagnostic Centres and 17 new or expanded surgical hubs.  

    The Community Diagnostic Centres will be opened 12 hours a day, seven days a week wherever possible so that people can access a broader range of more appointments closer to home in their neighbourhoods. These will increase the availability of same-day tests and consultations so that patients don’t have to wait for weeks in between different stages of care.  

    The surgical hubs will be also created within existing hospitals by June and three others expanded, with more expected in coming years supported by the £1.5 billion investment confirmed at the Autumn budget.  

    These will bring together the necessary expertise, best practice, and tech under one roof to focus on delivering the most common, less complex procedures. The new hubs will be ring-fenced from winter pressures and will cut waiting times for standard surgeries, in turn freeing up beds in acute wards needed for more complex cases. 

    Other elements of the plan include freeing up around 1 million more appointments every year by removing non-essential follow-ups, publishing a new deal with the independent sector to increase capacity, revolutionising the NHS app to give patients greater choice and control over their treatment and preventing unnecessary referrals by incentivising GPs to work with hospital doctors to get specialist advice. 

    The government has also launched a nationwide consultation on the 10 Year Health Plan to build an NHS fit for the future and secured an extra £2 billion to upgrade NHS technology and £1 billion to deal with the massive NHS maintenance backlog. 

    As part of a drive towards prevention, NHS England have also launched its first-ever awareness campaign today to support more women to attend potentially lifesaving breast screening. The campaign, supported by leading charity Breast Cancer Now, launches today with a new advert across TV, on demand and radio to highlight the benefits of screening in detecting cancer at the earliest opportunity. 

    Last year alone, NHS breast screening services detected cancers in 18,942 women across England, which otherwise may not have been diagnosed or treated until a later stage, and the most comprehensive review to date found around 1,300 deaths are prevented each year by the breast screening programme.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –