Category: Politics

[202230] Sharing Economy Reporting Regime
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback regarding implementation of the new Sharing Economy Reporting Regime including: public advice and guidance reporting requirements (data and lodgment).
Description	Schedule 2 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (2022 Measures No. 2) Act 2022External Link requires operators of electronic distribution platforms (EDPs) to report information to the ATO on transactions relating to supplies made through the platform. This measure implements a recommendation of the report of the Black Economy Taskforce. Under the measure, EDP operators will be required to report transactions that occur on or after: 1 July 2023 if it relates to a supply of taxi services or short-term accommodation, and 1 July 2024 for all other reportable transactions.
Who we consulted	Operators of EDPs in the taxi, ride sharing and short-term accommodation industries Professional associations Technical and peak industry bodies Tax professional associations
Outcome of consultation	Feedback from consultation provided valuable insights in the development of the Implementation Guide, XML Schema, Legislative Instruments and Explanatory Statement to support Tranche 1 industries with the implementation of the Sharing Economy Reporting Regime.
Consultation lead	Vanessa Kelly, Small Business vanessa.kelly2@ato.gov.au Phone 02 4223 2851

[202229] Military super invalidity benefit streamlined objection process
Consultation purpose	To test tone and clarity of messaging in a proposed letter to military veterans impacted by changes to the tax and superannuation treatment of specific invalidity benefit payments.
Description	Due to the Full Federal Court decision in Commissioner of Taxation v Douglas [2020] FCAFC 220 (the Douglas decision), the tax and superannuation treatment of specific invalidity benefit payments has changed. Those affected by the Douglas decision can request remediation to previous year tax assessments through the objection process.
Who we consulted	Tax agents who have military veteran clients who are impacted by the Douglas decision Veteran advocacy groups
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable feedback that has improved the clarity of the letter. Feedback will also contribute to some key changes to website content.
Consultation lead	Simon Dann, Objections and Review simon.dann@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3149 5754

[202228] Next 5,000 comprehensive risk review process
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on the proposed process for Next 5,000 comprehensive risk reviews that are planned to commence in early 2023.
Description	As part of the Next 5,000 program, the ATO will be commencing comprehensive risk reviews in early 2023. These reviews will be a new type of engagement using a risk based approach undertaken by the program, and will complement our existing streamlined assurance reviews.
Who we consulted	Tax professionals who engage with the Next 5,000 program
Outcome of consultation	Feedback was considered and incorporated into the process for the Next 5,000 comprehensive risk reviews.
Consultation lead	Ashleigh Larner, Private Wealth ashleigh.larner@ato.gov.au Phone 08 9268 0901

[202227] Super health checks
Consultation purpose	To explore tax agent views on: the level of awareness individual clients have in their superannuation appetite to undertake a super health check with individual clients, including during preparation of income tax returns tools and resources the ATO could provide to assist with super health check conversations.
Description	Research shows that up to 70% of individuals do not regularly manage their super or check that it’s in order. The ATO would like individuals to have greater awareness about their basic super entitlements and take more ownership and interest in their super earlier and is exploring how we might encourage this.
Who we consulted	Tax agents with individual clients
Outcome of consultation	Feedback indicated that individuals’ awareness of superannuation could be improved and that tax time interactions would be a good time for a super health check, which tax agents would undertake with their clients if provided with the necessary support from the ATO. Insights will inform our work on this strategy in the future.
Consultation lead	Tara Rischmueller, Superannuation and Employer Obligations tara.rischmueller@ato.gov.au Phone 08 8208 2935

[202226] Improve small business tax performance
Consultation purpose	To: co-design a roadmap to digitalise the tax experience for small business in ways that improve small business tax performance and provide value back to small business explore concepts to streamline the tax experience.
Description	Improve small business tax performance and participation by collaborating with partners to build a digital first tax ecosystem, enabling seamless tax reporting from business source systems, is one of the key focus areas in the ATO corporate plan 2022-23. The aim is to develop concepts that will: improve small business tax performance create productivity savings for small businesses deliver economy wide value from increased permission-based standardised data sharing increase participation in and integrity of the tax ecosystem.
Who we consulted
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable feedback which: contributed to development of the draft Roadmap to Tax Admin 3.0 for small business will be considered in the identification of concepts to streamline the tax experience has enhanced ATO’s understanding of the need to ensure changes to technology and the role of people and business processes are integrated, to collectively improve small business tax performance for successful digitalisation of tax administration.
Consultation lead	Andrew Watson, Small Business andrew.watson@ato.gov.au Phone 08 8208 1826

[202224] User research – Retirement villages
Consultation purpose	To understand the retirement village life-cycle (including income tax, GST and commercial aspects) to identify: if existing advice and guidance supports taxpayers to meet their obligations opportunities to improve the operation of the tax system.
Description	The retirement village industry has materially evolved over the last few years with significant expansion in the sector. The ATO is seeking to understand the impacts.
Who we consulted	Representatives of industry associations who are connected with or have expert knowledge of retirement villages Tax and legal professionals
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided has informed the ATO’s understanding of the retirement village life cycle. These insights will be taken into account in informing potential future engagement with the industry and its advisers.
Consultation lead	Rosie Cicchitti, Private Wealth rosie.cicchitti@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3213 8073

[202225] Tax liability of legal personal representative of a deceased person
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on the practical application of Practical Compliance Guideline PCG 2018/4 Income tax – liability of a legal personal representative of a deceased person.
Description	The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman published the Death and Taxes: An Investigation into ATO systems and processes for dealing with deceased estatesExternal Link report on 7 July 2020. Part (b) of recommendation 10 in the report recommended that the ATO conduct a post-implementation review of the PCG, in consultation with external stakeholders, to assess its effectiveness in providing sufficient certainty for legal personal representatives to finalise an estate.
Who we consulted	Tax and law professional associations Tax practitioners Public trustees
Outcome of consultation	Feedback received is being considered for incorporation into the updated Practical Compliance Guideline
Consultation lead	Danijela Jablanovic, Individuals and Intermediaries danijela.jablanovic@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3213 5864

[202223] Capital gains tax record keeping tools and calculators
Consultation purpose	To understand the capital gains tax (CGT) tools and calculators user experience to identify opportunities for improvement.
Description	The ATO has multiple CGT tools and calculators to support taxpayers in determining their CGT for lodgment of their tax returns. The ATO is undertaking research to: understand current issues, irritants, experiences and behaviours to optimise future CGT tool solutions identify opportunities to expand the use of ATO held CGT data to improve the taxpayer experience and compliance in reporting and calculation of CGT gains and losses.
Who we consulted	Individual taxpayers Tax practitioner representatives
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable feedback which will be considered in the development of enhancements to CGT tools and calculators.
Consultation lead	Dejan Markov, Enterprise Strategy and Design dejan.markov@ato.gov.au Phone 08 8208 3608

[202222] Superannuation guarantee charge letter
Consultation purpose	To test tone and clarity of messaging in a proposed superannuation guarantee charge letter to businesses and tax practitioners.
Description	If employers do not pay an employee’s minimum superannuation amount on time and to the right fund, they must pay the superannuation guarantee charge to the ATO. The ATO engages with employers who are not meeting their superannuation guarantee obligations and/or their tax practitioners.
Who we consulted	Small to medium business employers Tax practitioners
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided will be incorporated into the superannuation guarantee charge letter in future communication to clients.
Consultation lead	Kate Haymes, Enterprise Strategy and Design kate.haymes@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3119 9866

[202221] FBT record keeping
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on proposed Legislative Instruments and Explanatory Statements for the implementation of the FBT reduced record keeping budget measure, as published with the Fringe benefits tax – record keeping exposure draft legislationExternal Link consultation on treasury.gov.au
Description	The Fringe Benefits Tax — reducing the compliance burden of record keeping measure was announced the in the 2021–22 Budget. The measure will provide the Commissioner of Taxation with the power to allow employers to rely on existing corporate records as an alternative to existing requirements. This will reduce compliance costs for employers, while maintaining the integrity of the FBT system. For consultation on the associated legislation, see Fringe benefits tax – record keeping exposure draft legislationExternal Link on treasury.gov.au
Who we consulted
Outcome of consultation	Feedback will be considered in finalisation of the legislative instruments and explanatory statements.
Consultation lead	Philip Borrell, Superannuation and Employer Obligations philip.borrell@ato.gov.au Phone 02 6058 7881

[202220] Lodgment deferrals in Online services for agents
Consultation purpose	To co-design the lodgment deferral process in Online services for agents and test the functionality prior to implementation.
Description	The ATO is expanding Online services for agents services to include lodgment deferrals. The intent is to: streamline the lodgment deferral request process decrease request processing timeframes provide visibility of the progress of requests.
Who we consulted	Tax practitioner representatives Digital service providers Members of
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable feedback which contributed to the design and build of the service and support material.
Consultation lead	Felix Manero, Individuals and Intermediaries OSfALodgmentDeferrals@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3213 3552

[202219] Working from home deductions from 2022–23 tax year
Consultation purpose	To seek insights to inform guidance that will assist taxpayers in the calculation of their working from home deductions for 2022–23 and future income years.
Description	The temporary shortcut method was introduced to assist taxpayers to work out their working from home deductions between 1 March 2020 and 30 June 2022. With the cessation of the shortcut method, the ATO is refreshing the fixed rate method for calculating work from home deductions.
Who we consulted
Outcome of consultation	Feedback was considered for incorporation into Draft Practical Compliance Guideline PCG 2022/D4 Claiming a deduction for additional running expenses incurred while working from home – ATO compliance approach which was published for public consultation on 2 November 2022.
Consultation lead	Lloyd Williams, Individuals and Intermediaries lloyd.williams@ato.gov.au Phone 02 6216 1030

[202218] User testing – Tax Time 2022 communications for individual taxpayers
Consultation purpose	To test the tone and clarity of Tax Time 2022 communications for individual taxpayers.
Description	Tax time communications provide taxpayers with guidance to help get it right when preparing their tax return. The ATO is user testing the communications for individual taxpayers to identify opportunities for refinement to improve the user experience.
Who we consulted	Individual taxpayers
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided is being incorporated into future tax time communications to individual taxpayers.
Consultation lead	Kate Haymes, Enterprise Strategy and Design kate.haymes@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3119 9866

[202217] MBR program companies release
Consultation purpose	To test the design and functionality of the proposed design of the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) program companies release to identify opportunities for refinement to improve the user experience prior to implementation.
Description	The companies release is part of the modernisation of business registers program, a component of the package of reforms to address illegal phoenixingExternal Link that was announced by government in September 2017 and received Royal Assent on 22 June 2020. The companies release will provide over 3 million companies with a more streamlined way to register, view and maintain company details using ABRS online. Consultation will be through a series of phases covering the ABRS website, company registrations, maintenance, and search.
Who we consulted	Community who may use ABRS Directors and intending directors Company officeholders Company administrators and intermediaries Tax practitioners Business representatives Government agencies Modernising Business Registers Business Advisory Group Modernising Business Registers Design Working Group
Outcome of consultation	Consultation is discontinued. The Hon Stephen Jones MP, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services, has announced the cessation of the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) program. The decision follows the Independent Review of the MBR program which was completed in July 2023.
Consultation lead	Jonathan Solomon, MBR Program mbrengagement@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3213 3183

[202216] 2022 Review of the Taxpayers’ Charter
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on the Taxpayers’ Charter.
Description	The ATO is committed to undertaking a regular review of the Taxpayers’ Charter to ensure it remains contemporary and: meets community expectations about how the ATO engages with taxpayers in its administration of the tax, super and registry systems accurately reflects what our clients can expect from the ATO when dealing with us assists staff in their interactions with our clients fulfils its purpose of advising the public of their rights when dealing with the ATO. The Charter should continue to support the ATO’s aim to build taxpayer confidence in the Australian tax and superannuation systems by helping people understand their rights and obligations, improving ease of compliance and access to benefits, and managing non-compliance with the law. The Inspector-General of Taxation and Taxation Ombudsman made a series of recommendations on the Charter in its 2020–21 Investigation into the effectiveness of ATO communications of taxpayers’ rights to complain, review and appeal.
Who we consulted	Taxpayers Industry associations Professional associations, including those representing business sectors tax and bookkeeping professionals culturally and linguistically diverse audiences Members of the
Outcome of consultation	A high volume of feedback, mainly from accounting, legal, and diverse audiences, identified opportunities to improve the Charter. All feedback will be considered for incorporation into an update of the Charter.
Consultation lead	Chris Cook, ATO Corporate chris.cook@ato.gov.au Phone 02 6216 6355

[202214] Enterprise Client Register
Consultation purpose	To seek insights into agents’ experience and understanding of their role in the integrity of the Enterprise Client Register.
Description	The Enterprise Client Register is the key source of client information used in every client interaction across the ATO. The ATO will: explore differing agent business models and any impact on updating client contact details seek to understand the intermediary experience with client contact details identify opportunities to improve the user experience.
Who we consulted	Tax agents BAS agents
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable insights into the Enterprise Client Register user experience and identified opportunities for improvement.
Consultation lead	Tina Markov, Client Account Services tina.markov@ato.gov.au Phone 08 8208 1428

[202213] Advance pricing arrangements program review
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on the advance pricing arrangement (APA) program.
Description	We will be undertaking a review of the APA Program in 2022, with a primary focus on: whether the APA product continues provide the right service for all taxpayers assuring transfer pricing risk in the most efficient manner possible.
Who we consulted	Taxpayers Tax advisory firms Tax industry associations Other APA program participants
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided valuable insights which will be used to guide further improvement of the APA Program.
Consultation lead	Tien Phan, Assistant Commissioner, Public Groups and International tien.phan@ato.gov.au Phone 03 8632 5283

[202212] Automatic Exchange of Information guide and toolkit for Reporting Financial Institutions
Consultation purpose	To seek input and insights on a proposed Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) self-review guide and toolkit for Reporting Financial Institutions.
Description	The guide will assist and support Reporting Financial Institutions to self-review their internal control framework to ensure they meet AEOI compliance obligations, which cover Common Reporting Standard and Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act obligations. It will include practical guidance for self-review of core elements: AEOI governance due diligence reporting systems data testing.
Who we consulted	Tax practitioners Financial institutions
Outcome of consultation	Feedback received was considered and incorporated into the AEOI Self-review guide and toolkit.
Consultation lead	Jaydon Beatty, Public Groups and International jaydon.beatty@ato.gov.au Phone 02 6216 4158

[202211] Deduction for entering into a conservation covenant
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on: the ATO’s preliminary position regarding deductibility, under Division 31, when a conservation covenant is entered into to satisfy environmental approvals for a mining project whether public advice and guidance is required and the type of guidance.
Description	Division 31 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 provides for a deduction for the decrease in the market value of land when a perpetual conservation covenant over your land is entered into provided certain conditions are satisfied. Deductions for the decrease in the market value of the land must be based on a valuation obtained from the ATO. Valuation requests from taxpayers, in the energy and resources sector, have raised questions about whether taxpayers entering a conservation covenant, to meet environmental approval conditions for mining projects, receive material benefits which would disqualify them from receiving a deduction.
Who we consulted	Energy and Resources Working Group
Outcome of consultation	Feedback will be used to guide our communication strategy relating to valuation requests for conservation covenants from Energy and Resources Working Group members.
Consultation lead	John Churchill, Office of the Chief Tax Counsel john.churchill2@ato.gov.au Phone 03 6221 0258

[202210] eInvoicing communications
Consultation purpose	To seek insights from eInvoicing users and their intermediaries to inform future messaging and engagement activities related to raising awareness and driving adoption of eInvoicing across Australia.
Description	The ATO is leading activities to raise awareness and drive adoption of eInvoicing in Australia. This includes working with businesses, intermediaries, service providers, and all levels of government to understand their current invoicing processes and support them in adopting eInvoicing to realise the economic benefits of eInvoicing. The ATO will: seek to understand the current invoicing process for all stakeholders establish current knowledge and awareness levels develop supporting materials for various segments and validate their effectiveness.
Who we consulted	Small to medium enterprise businesses Tax professionals Digital service providers
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided will be used to shape the ATO’s eInvoicing awareness activities and messaging with intermediaries and small businesses. Insights will also be communicated to accounting software providers to improve future user experiences.
Consultation lead	Patrick Brophy, Enterprise Solutions and Technology patrick.brophy@ato.gov.au Phone 02 6216 1940

[202207] User testing – Online services for foreign investors
Consultation purpose	To seek insights to inform the design and build of Online services for foreign investors (formerly known as the Foreign Ownership of Australian Assets Register).
Description	The ATO is developing Online services for foreign investors which will replace and expand upon the existing Foreign Ownership of Water Entitlements Register and Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land Register. This supports reforms to Australia’s Foreign Investment Framework. Consultation will consider: navigation functionality – including but not limited to payments, registration, and maintenance of registration usability.
Who we consulted	Foreign persons, or their representative, who apply to acquire or register ownership of foreign assets on their own behalf or for entities Solicitors and conveyancers registering for clients
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable input into the design and build of Online services for foreign investors, as well as shaping the information that will be included in web content and communications.
Consultation lead	Rebecca Northey, Public Groups and International rebecca.northey@ato.gov.au Phone 02 4923 1900

[202206] GST offsetting between unrelated entities
Consultation purpose	To seek feedback on paragraph 5 of the Law Administration Practice Statement PS LA 2011/21 Offsetting of refunds and credits against taxation and other debts to provide greater clarity to support ATO staff decision-making and to support taxpayers in self-assessing whether requesting such an offset is appropriate.
Description	Paragraph 5 of PS LA 2011/21 provides guidance to ATO staff where a taxpayer requests to have their refund or credit offset against the tax debt of another entity. The current guidance does not provide assistance in determining the circumstances in which the criteria would be satisfied for the Commissioner to agree to perform such an offset. For instance, in practice we think it would be rare that paying the refund in this manner would be an efficient, effective, economical and ethical use of public resources for which the Commissioner is responsible.
Who we consulted	Tax advisory firms
Outcome of consultation	Feedback provided valuable insights and suggestions for potential improvements to our guidance.
Consultation lead	Renae Carter, Small Business renae.carter@ato.gov.au Phone 02 9374 2942

[202205] Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle
Consultation purpose	To identify, prioritise, and address administrative and interpretative issues that require support to implement the new Corporate Collective Investment Vehicle (CCIV) measure.
Description	In the 2021–22 federal Budget, the Australian Government announced that it will progress the tax and regulatory framework for the CCIV with a commencement date of 1 July 2022. The new legislation aligns the tax framework for the CCIV regime with the tax regime for attribution managed investment trusts (AMITs). CCIVs will be required to meet similar eligibility criteria as managed investment trusts (MITs). This includes being widely held and engaging primarily in passive investment activities. CCIVs that are not eligible for AMIT tax treatment will be subject to the ordinary trust taxation rules in Division 6 or trading trust rules in Division 6C, as applicable, of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936. As a CCIV is a new corporate entity, deemed to be a trust for tax purposes, there are a range of administrative considerations and tax interaction issues to resolve to ensure implementation by 1 July 2022; for example, registration, eligibility, distributions, reporting.
Who we consulted	Advisers with significant managed fund experience Representatives from industry associations, including Financial Services Council Property Council of Australia Law Council of Australia Australian Custodial Services Association
Outcome of consultation	Consultation: facilitated identification of operational and administrative issues and provided valuable feedback which contributed to the design and build of the tax administrative framework and support material for the CCIV regime provided valuable insights on interpretive issues which will be further considered in the development of public advice and guidance.
Consultation lead	Blake Sly, Public Groups and International blake.sly@ato.gov.au Phone 02 4923 1814

[202204] Self-assessed income tax exempt not-for-profits
Consultation purpose	To understand the impacts that the government announced reform will have on self-assessing income tax exempt not-for-profits (NFPs) and co-design the lodgment process.
Description	Currently NFPs who self-assess their own eligibility for income tax exemption are not required to report their eligibility to the ATO. In the May 2021–22 Budget, the Australian Government announced reforms to the administration of NFP entities that self-assess as income tax exempt. From 1 July 2023, non-charitable NFPs with an active ABN will be required to lodge an annual self-review return to access income tax exemption, submitting the information they ordinarily use to self-assess their eligibility for income tax exemption. The ATO will explore: how NFPs currently self-assess income tax exempt eligibility impacts of the changes on NFPs expectations for implementation support and guidance NFPs will need through the change. The ATO will consult the sector to: user-test and iteratively refine the new annual self-review return co-develop practical support and refresh public guidance validate the ATO’s administrative approach.
Who we consulted	Members of the Tax Practitioner Stewardship Group
Outcome of consultation	The consultation objectives to understand sector impacts and co-design the lodgment process have been successfully achieved. As a direct result of insights and co-design feedback the following enhancements to the taxpayer experience have been implemented: streamlining the NFP self-review return from over 20 questions to 5 core questions to determine eligibility for an income tax exemption introducing tailored and guided logic and help text to make the return easier to complete providing an alternative self-help phone lodgment service for NFPs having trouble accessing the digital return in Online services additional time to lodge through to 31 March 2025 transitional support for taxable NFPs, including concessional due date to lodge and pay income tax return remission of general interest charge and penalties flexible payment plans support to reconstruct tax records focusing on lodgment of the 2023–24 income year and onwards, noting we may take compliance action if we identify deliberate past tax evasion or fraud introducing a new non-lodgment advice form for taxable NFPs to meet their income tax return reporting obligations providing an NFP governance checklist to assist NFPs in meeting their broader tax and super obligations. Lodgment data and feedback from the NFP sector have validated that the return is straightforward and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. However, the sector continues to experience challenges updating their Australian business number details and setting up myID and Relationship Authorisation Manager to access the digital return. The next phase of consultation will focus on supporting the digital onboarding of the sector and lodgment education and support.
Consultation lead	Jennifer Moltisanti, Small Business jennifer.moltisanti@ato.gov.au Phone 03 9285 1711

[202203] Build-to-rent
Consultation purpose	To explore the emerging models of Build-to-rent developments in Australia to understand the opportunities to support the industry with their tax obligations.
Description	Build-to-rent is forecast to take off over the next 5 years. We are seeing growing interest from industry and government with incentives and concessions for Build-to-rent developments increasing.
Who we consulted	Members of the State Government representatives
Outcome of consultation	Consultation provided valuable insights into the Build-to-Rent industry, highlighting the complexity and improving ATO’s understanding of the various Build-to-Rent models and associated tax issues.
Consultation lead	Peter Chester, Private Wealth peter.chester@ato.gov.au Phone 07 3213 5957

[202201] 2022 Digital Services Gateway APIs
Consultation purpose	To co-design Digital Services Gateway (DSG) features and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
Description	The DSG was implemented in 2021 to enable lightweight APIs to support digital service providers deliver tax and superannuation services.
Who we consulted	Digital service providers
Outcome of consultation	Digital service providers shared valuable insights which contributed to the development of DSG APIs.
Consultation lead	Sonia Lark, Digital Partnership Office, Enterprise Solutions and Technology sonia.lark@ato.gov.au Phone 02 4725 7460

MIL OSI News –

April 2, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: Bram Abramson to The Canadian Independent Telecommunications Association

Source: Government of Canada News

Gatineau, Quebec
April 1, 2025

Bram Abramson, Commissioner for Ontario
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

Check against delivery

Thanks for the introduction and the warm welcome. It’s been great to spend these last couple of days with you here in Gatineau on unceded, unsurrendered Algonquin Anishnaabeg territory.

So let me start by thanking the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation for having me as a guest, and for stewarding these lands and waters since time immemorial. And, also, by thinking the Canadian Independent Telecommunications Association for asking me to address all of you in closing this year’s event, and adding myself to a long-running historical chain.

Until I began preparing for this speech I don’t think I realized how long that chain extends back. CITA was founded at Toronto City Hall in the year 1905. That’s 120 years ago. Canadian Confederation was 38 years old. Five years later, when Ontario would begin regulating independent telephone systems under what was then the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board in 1910, they turned to CITA to help them compile a list of those systems.

A hundred and fifteen years later, there’s still a regulator in the room, and we’re still asking you for information.

In all seriousness, though, CITA and its members have an incredible history. It is told in books like the History of the Independent Telephone Industry that the Ontario government put out back in 1975, and some of the company-specific histories I’ve had the good fortune to have come across my desk—like Ann Judd’s history of what is now Bruce Telecom, from 1994, or in the 2011 book put out to celebrate the centenary of Hay Communications.

Those books tell the stories of municipalities, agricultural communities, local commissioners, and entrepreneurs who stepped up to create communications systems where none existed. They undertook difficult negotiations and made difficult decisions, showing nimbleness and resolve while remaining accountable to their communities and neighbours.

Those histories are still being written and, I have no doubt, will continue to be written for many years to come. You fill a critical niche in Canada’s telecommunications system by bringing services to those who need it in locations that would otherwise lack it.

And you have been making moves. You have built beyond your initial operating territories into competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC) areas, to the point that some of you are bumping against one another. You have pushed out fibre to complement and, in very many cases, replace the twisted-pair copper that was your basic operating technology for so many years. You have looked beyond wireline service to get into broadband and mobile. You have cooperated in new ways. Mergers and acquisitions have proceeded apace. New investors and new owners are in the room.

In short, the game has changed. And you continue to change with it, operating efficiently to fill gaps while navigating regulatory environments – often without the financial backing or capex of our country’s largest companies. When services go down or need repair, your customers call you and your coworkers. Unless they run into you at the grocery store or the local coffee shop first.

That makes groups like CITA and ITPA all the more important. Together, you provide a voice before bodies like the CRTC, and ensure Canada’s independent telecommunications providers continue to take your seat at the policy and regulatory tables.

We at the CRTC recognize this critical role industry associations play on behalf of their members, as well as the role that members play in our collective effort to ensure all Canadians have access to high-quality and reliable telecom choices.

CRTC’s telecommunications work broadly

To that end, I’d like to update you on what we’ve been up to and where we’re headed at the CRTC. It hasn’t exactly been 115 years on my side: in fact, I am two years and a couple of months into my five-year term at the CRTC. But you won’t be surprised to hear we continue to be busy, too.

Early in 2023, the government directed us to renew our approach to telecommunications policy. The policy direction asked us to consider how our decisions can promote competition, affordability, reliability, and consumer interests. The message to us was loud and clear: CRTC decisions need to deliver affordable telecommunications services to Canadians through enhanced competition while also promoting continued investment.

I would like to tell you about some of the workstreams we have active towards achieving those objectives.

MVNO framework

To start, I know that a number of you in this room have been hard at work upgrading and expanding and, in some cases, building out from scratch your wireless services. And I know that there is great interest in what we call our Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or MVNO, regime.

In May 2023, we set the final rules that allow regional facilities-based mobile providers to compete as what we call MVNOs across Canada. Incumbent mobile carriers must share their networks with competitors, where those competitors have spectrum. With this access, competitors that have spectrum can offer services — including retail and wholesale services — more quickly in the regions of the country where they have that spectrum. And, indeed, we are seeing more and more agreements in place to enable regional competitors to act as “MVNOs.”

One aspect of our decision clarified how the requirement to hold spectrum in a region, in order to make use of a mandatory MVNO tariff in that region, interacts with geographic spectrum footprints. This includes the footprint for the Local Telephone, or TEL, spectrum licences that small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs) have held for many years. We clarified that what we call our MVNO regime is all about accelerating the ability to offer service where the operator has spectrum coverage but hasn’t yet built infrastructure. So the eligibility that arises from a TEL licence only applies within the TEL licence footprint – whether that footprint is wholly contained within a single Tier 4 service area, or bridges two of them.

Now, both our May 2023 decision and the 2022 decision that preceded it were careful to ensure that MVNOs have the right to provide both retail, as well as wholesale, services. In other words, although the CRTC did not directly mandate MVNO access outside of a spectrum footprint, the marketplace will now feature a larger number of players with the ability to provide that access.

At the same time, telcos that make use of mandatory MVNO agreements within their spectrum footprints have seven years to do so. That provides a window within which to build out networks within these regions, promoting investment.

Support structures and access

Another important consideration in building out wireless networks is where to put the antennas, and how to get backhaul to them.

That brings me to another of our workstreams, which relates to pole access. As many of you know, we issued decisions in recent years streamlining the approach to accessing large incumbent local exchange carriers’ (ILEC) communication poles, and then nailing down the tariffs by which to do so.

At the same time, we have been exploring whether these tariffs ought to give attachers the right to include wireless attachments to help deploy next generation 5G networks — in other words, whether the rules requiring communication pole owners to let third parties attach equipment to poles should be modified and, potentially, broadened. What types of facilities could be deployed on telco poles to support wireless networks? What would that mean for spare capacity, construction standards, and interference? What can we do at the Commission to streamline processes?

These are just a few of the questions we are considering. Because this is a matter before us, I cannot even hint at any possible outcome. What I can say is we plan to release a decision on this key issue soon. Any decision we make will continue to promote both greater competition and more investment in networks.

At the same time, we have long been active working with all stakeholders, including municipalities, telcos, and citizens, to help facilitate access to other civil works and supports needed to build out modern networks. To assist in this process, we convened parties between 2011 and 2013 to develop a model Municipal Access Agreement. Since then we have continued to adjudicate disputes around those agreements and related issues, and continue to have open files in this workstream.

We likewise set down fair access rules for communications service provider competition in multi-dwelling units, or MDUs, more than 20 years ago in 2003, further refining them in 2021. End-users have the right to access the network of their choice. Competitors have the right to install it. Adjudication between buildings and networks that cannot agree on terms continues to be yet another active workstream for us.

HSA

Now, what I have been talking about so far are ways to lower the expense of continued build-out of your wireless and wireline networks by addressing and targeting some of the hurdles to aid the rollout of deployment projects.

And while those are important initiatives to speed up that process, we have also been hard at work putting into action the frameworks for access to large incumbents’ access fibre, outside of SILEC footprints.

Let me explain.

In 2023 we launched a proceeding to review our wholesale high-speed access regime. In November of that year, we rolled out a practical way to buy and sell wholesale high-speed access over the fibre-to-the-home networks of large ILECs in Ontario and Quebec, where competitive choice had been declining most significantly. In August 2024 we then expanded that access across all of the large ILEC territories except Northwestel’s, which rolled out this past February.

At the same time, we are encouraging continued investments by large ILECs in their networks. For example, in that same decision, we exempted any new builds from having to sell wholesale access to competitors until 2029.

Broadband Fund

Of course, no matter how hard we work to foster competitive choice the last few households often remain the hardest ones to reach – as you know from working in your own communities.

The open data we publish tell us that 21.5 percent of households in rural areas do not have access to reliable connectivity that hits our 50/10 target.

In 2016, we decided to overhaul our program for ensuring basic telephone service to all Canadians, and move towards a competitively neutral Broadband Fund. We established the criteria for that fund in 2018, and launched three calls for applications – the first two in 2019, and then the third in late 2022.

Over the past year we have continued to commit funding from the third call—to Inuit communities in northern Quebec, to nearly 100 kilometres of major roads in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Ontario, and to roads and rural communities in the Yukon, B.C., and Manitoba. We have directed funding to more than 270 communities, including significant investments in the Far North and other traditionally underserved areas, across more than 60 projects.

Thirty-two of these projects are in the $1 to $10 million range. Seventeen of these projects come in at $1 million or below. Although we are encouraged to see that smaller providers have been able to successfully apply for funding, we know that we can do more to make it easier.

That’s why, we have continued to improve how we administer the Broadband Fund itself. Late last year we announced a number of changes in three broad areas — making it faster for you to submit an application and for us to evaluate it; helping Indigenous applicants; and making our mapping make more sense.

In terms of faster application and evaluation, we simplified some eligibility and assessment criteria, like the requirement to propose specific packages and rates, and collapsed the separate access and transport categories in order to simplify things. We have reduced the amount of information required at all stages of the funding process. We’ve consolidated separate reporting requirements.

In terms of reducing barriers for Indigenous applicants, we have made a number of changes, including on consultation, consent, outreach, and engagement, all en route to a stand-alone process we’re running to create a distinct Indigenous stream to the Broadband Fund process, and with the help of the Indigenous Relations Team we’ve stood up within the CRTC.

Finally, in terms of making our mapping make more sense, we’ve dropped the hexagons for a call-by-call approach, expanded how we define major transportation roads, and provided a way to identify the roads that provide key linkages between communities.

These improvements are part of our ongoing review of the Broadband Fund. I know that many in this room are deeply concerned about subsidized overbuilds that harm the business case for fibre you have already built or are engaged in building. I encourage you to continue to engage with the CRTC and its staff to ensure we continue to have a good understanding of your operations and your concerns. Any further changes we make will be focused on our overarching goal: to help close the remaining connectivity gaps across the country effectively and efficiently.

Fair marketplace

Next, I want to take a few moments to detail our work on consumer protections as part of a competitive marketplace.

Last fall, we published our Consumer Protections Action Plan, which summarizes our measures to ensure clear contracts, minimize bill shock, and promote transparency both in terms of how consumers are able to choose their provider, and in knowing what to expect from them.

For those of you that feel that sometimes consumers switch providers without having the full picture as to what they are signing up for, these measures matter. They include elements like the Internet Code that sets out the consumer rules of the road for broadband. And continued support for the CCTS, the complaints arbitrator that enforces the Internet Code and contract performance more broadly. And rules around cancellations taking effect in a timely manner, and that ensure that when consumers want to change providers they can ask their new provider to cancel the old service on their behalf—and that everything that needs to happen behind the scenes to make this happen proceeds properly. And then there’s the speed testing we conduct to check the quality of this customer service across the marketplace.

Rules like these protect more than just telecommunications customers. They also improve competition, ensuring consumers can make informed choices with a clear view of the prices they will pay over the life of the contract, even after sign-up specials expire; and what they will get for those prices.

Like the other workstreams I mentioned, there is always more to do here, too. We are currently engaged in a series of four consultations around making it easier to choose, change, and cancel a plan.

The first one is about clear rules for notifying customers when their plans or discounts are about to end. The second looks at fees that some service providers may charge when a subscriber cancels or changes a plan. The third consultation is around tools that providers give their subscribers to manage their plans, like online portals.

And the fourth is about whether service providers should have to provide information in a standardized way to make it easier for Canadians to compare plans. To take a well-known example — we are all used to seeing nutrition labels when we visit the grocery store. We are considering a set common look and feel for information on broadband services, so that it can be conveyed in a consistent manner from one provider to the next, just like the labels on your cereal boxes and granola bars.

We will also continue to build on the work of other government departments to help improve reliability and in particular, the impact on Canadians when there is an outage or disruption. As some of you are aware, we have an interim outage reporting framework in place. But we have also consulted on moving towards a more sustainable outage reporting framework are planning an upcoming consultation on clear communication with subscribers.

Please visit our website, and work with your trade associations and advisors, to stay up to date on these proceedings and on our progress with our consumer protection workstreams. As always, your input matters a great deal to what we do. When you intervene on the record of our proceedings, we’re able to take it into account and consider it in our final decision.

Security, reliability, and resiliency

One last thing. At the CRTC, we are part of a larger government effort to protect Canadians from spam and other electronic threats. We have all read the headlines over the last few years about botnets, which are networks of infected devices.

In 2022, we found that Canadians need better protections from botnets, which often are designed to steal personal and financial information, along with other malicious malware, and we decided to develop a framework for allowing Internet providers to responsibly block malicious traffic. We eventually tasked an industry steering committee to help develop standards consistent with our guiding principles for when such blocking is permitted: necessity, customer privacy, accountability, transparency and accuracy.

The working group filed its report with the CRTC. Our staff have been conducting a thorough analysis of the report and the comments filed in response to it. We will be publishing our decision this spring, so more to come on this front.

Late last year, everyone in our sector sat up straight and paid attention when public news stories about what Microsoft dubbed “Salt Typhoon” hacking into, and intercepting traffic on, the networks of several major U.S. telcos.

Virtually every regulated sector, from energy to rail to securities, has baseline cybersecurity requirements for sector companies. We know that this issue is top-of-mind for both government and the private sector. And I know that, in general, Canadian telcos are extensively involved in cybersecurity and in key working groups to cooperate on it.

We at the CRTC stand ready to do whatever part we’re called on to play to help ensure that the important goal of sector-wide baselines is achieved. At the same time, so many of the standards and certifications out there are so similar to one another. What standards are you able to meet, or certifications are you able to obtain, to help demonstrate and formalize your network hygiene? There are basic, practical steps telcos of all sizes can take to ensure they are fully secured.

Conclusion

I think that is a good place for me to wrap up today, as we have now come full circle. Everything I have discussed today comes back to the CRTC’s overarching goals for the telecommunications sector.

We want a telecommunications sector that works for telcos of all sizes, and provides all Canadians with high-speed, reliable and affordable services. One where real choice and robust competition leads to those lower prices, while at the same time encouraging investment in high-quality networks. Just as you steward your subscribers’ connections to the digital world, we at the CRTC are the stewards for the playing field on which you do it. And we are working hard to optimize the way that that playing field is structured.

So I’ll close with my usual message. Take a minute to get involved. To talk to us. To reach out to your regional CRTC Commissioner, wherever you may be in the country, to have your voice heard, and perhaps to have us out to see how your network works so that we can really understand what’s going on.

And, ultimately, to intervene in our proceedings, whether directly or through organizations like CITA or ITPA — or both — in order to continue to make sure that the rules and frameworks we develop and revise take your voices, experiences, situations, and concerns into account.

Thank you.

MIL OSI Canada News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Beloved Play Outside Day returns with massive program of free fun and festivities
Source: Australian National Party

As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.
Released 02/04/2025

The Canberra community is invited to join in Haig Park’s biggest day of the year as Play Outside Day returns with a fun-filled day of free activities, workshops and entertainment this Sunday, 6 April 2025.

Hosted by the City Renewal Authority, the event will feature something for families and visitors of all ages under the beautiful towering trees of Haig Park. It’s a day to enjoy the outdoors, bring the community together, celebrate the park’s rich history, and enjoy its exciting present.

“We’ve got a fantastic program of live music, activities and fun lined up”, Teresa Comacchio, acting Executive Branch Manager at the City Renewal Authority said.

“Attendees can join a cheeseboard making workshop with the SALT Ladies Tradies or tackle the inflatable obstacle course. There will be roving performances, slacklining, garden games, and a giant bubble machine, all happening alongside the popular Haig Park Village Markets.

“The transformation of Haig Park showcases the importance of activating our city’s public spaces. Through hundreds of events like Play Outside Day, community-led activities, upgrades, and installations, the park has evolved into a beautiful, family-friendly destination.”

A designated quiet play area will be available to offer a calm and welcoming space for attendees with sensory needs.

Event information
- What: Free all-ages activities, workshops, market stalls, and entertainment.
- When: 10am-2pm, Sunday 6 April 2025.
- Where: Haig Park, top of Lonsdale Street, Braddon.
Haig Park, established in 1921 with seven thousand trees, was historically underutilised and seen as unsafe. Since 2019, the City Renewal Authority has revitalised it in partnership with the community through the Haig Park Place Plan and Haig Park Experiments, adding infrastructure upgrades, the Salthouse Community Centre, and events like Play Outside Day.

More information about Play Outside Day: City Renewal Authority Facebook page.

Statement ends.

About the City Renewal Authority

The City Renewal Authority is charged with shaping the growth of the central parts of Canberra to make it a great place to live, explore and enjoy.

In partnership with the community, City Renewal aims to create a thriving city heart through the delivery of design-led and people-focused urban renewal with a focus on social and environmental sustainability.

The agency works within the City Renewal Precinct, which spans Dickson, Braddon, Civic, Northbourne Avenue, Haig Park and Acton Waterfront.

– Statement ends –

| Media Releases

Media Contacts

«ACT Government Media Releases | «Directorate Media Releases
MIL OSI News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI: CLIK Announces Pricing of $8.28 Million Public Offering of Ordinary Shares

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Hong Kong, April 01, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Click Holdings Limited (NASDAQ: CLIK) (“Click” or the “Company”), a provider of human resources (“HR”) solutions in Hong Kong specializing in Seniors Nursing Care, Logistics, and Professional HR services, today announced the pricing of its public offering of 13,800,000 ordinary shares at a public offering price of $0.6 per ordinary share.

Gross proceeds, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $8.28 million. The offering is expected to close on April 2, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.

Pacific Century Securities LLC and Revere Securities LLC acted as co-placement agents in connection with this offering.

The securities described above were offered pursuant to a registration statement on Form F-1, as amended (File No. 333-285922) (the “Registration Statement”), which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on March 31, 2025. The offering was being made only by means of a prospectus which is a part of the Registration Statement. A final prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC. Copies may be obtained from Pacific Century Securities LLC, 60-20 Woodside Avenue Ste 211Queens, NY 11377 (+1)212-970-8868 and from Revere Securities LLC, 560 Lexington Ave 16th floor, New York, NY 10022, at +1 (212) 688-2350.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Click Holdings Limited

Click Holdings Limited is a holding company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, and all of its operations are carried out by its operating subsidiaries in Hong Kong, JFY Corporate Services Company Limited and Click Services Limited. The Company is a human resources solutions provider, specializing in offering comprehensive human resources solutions in three principal sectors, namely (i) professional solution services, (ii) nursing solution services, and (iii) logistics and other solution services. The Company provides services to a broad range of customers including Certified Public Accountant firms, charitable organizations, non-governmental organizations, small and medium-sized businesses and Hong Kong listed companies.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. In addition, from time to time, we or our representatives may make forward-looking statements orally or in writing. We base these forward-looking statements on our expectations and projections about future events, which we derive from the information currently available to us. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “plans,” “projected,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “hopes” or the negative of these or similar terms. In evaluating these forward-looking statements, you should consider various factors, including: our ability to satisfy the closing conditions related to the offering, our ability to change the direction of the Company; our ability to keep pace with new technology and changing market needs; and the competitive environment of our business. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement.

Forward-looking statements are only predictions. The forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives, may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about us. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this press release and other statements made from time to time by us or our representatives might not occur.

For enquiry, please contact:

Click Holdings Limited
Unit 709, 7/F., Ocean Centre
5 Canton Road
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Email: jack.wong@jfy.hk
Phone: +852 2691 8900

The MIL Network –

April 2, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Could you watch 8 plays in 12 hours? How The Player Kings creates binge-worthy Shakespeare

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kirk Dodd, Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney

Brett Boardman/Sport For Jove

Some say Shakespeare invented the “history play” – but he had a lot of help.

Shakespeare was mainly writing comedies in the early 1590s when he is believed to have coauthored the play we now call Henry VI Part 2 with Christopher Marlowe and others.

Following the commercial success of this play and its coauthored sequel, Henry VI Part 3, a rival theatre company wrote a prequel play we now call Henry VI Part 1. Studies suggest Shakespeare was never a primary author of this play, but he did contribute to it later.

As previous coauthors died, all three Henry VI plays fell into Shakespeare’s lap by 1595, and he was tasked with editing all three plays together as a trilogy (or a tetralogy, with his Richard III).

After the success of this first tetralogy, Shakespeare reached further back in time to write Richard II, followed by the two Henry IV plays, then Henry V.

By 1599, Shakespeare had two tetralogies to his name (or two “Henriads”, as Shakespeare scholars dub them), dramatising the hundred-odd years, and various reigns, between Richard II and Richard III (1377–1485).

These eight plays have now been stitched together by director Damien Ryan as The Player Kings, which can be watched over two nights or as one performance lasting from 11:30am to 11:00pm.

This is binge-worthy Shakespeare, stupendously absorbing and exquisitely realised.

A modern history

Ryan begins in the 1950s, before evolving to catch up with contemporary times when we see a sniper drone launched against Richard III. Lily Moody and Ruby Jenkins’ stylish costumes lend a sense of chronology to the historical plights.

Richard II is elegantly 1950s, but the wayward Prince Hal channels 1960s Mick Jagger. Jack Cade’s rebellion in Henry VI is working-class 80s (one character wears a Back to the Future t-shirt). The devilish Richard III is cool black leathered nonchalance.

Video design from Aron Murray: a red light lab for developing the queen’s portrait.
Brett Boardman/Sport For Jove

Ryan is a master of delighting his audiences by delivering Shakespeare’s lines faithfully with unexpected visual scenarios. In Richard II, the king and queen partake in a royal photo shoot. This segues into a scenario where technicians develop the black and white photos under red lights, all the while speaking Shakespeare’s lines.

In a sequence from Henry VI, the blue and white tiles of the court transform into a shimmering pool for a languid pool party. Ryan praises Shakespeare in the program for letting “his form match his content, which is the very point of poetry”. Ryan also achieves this with his exciting direction.

Kate Beere’s dynamic and malleable set combines a grassy knoll with other green spaces and a tiled court centre stage, joined to a rutted cement staircase and backed by a windowed entrance. This doubles as a screen for historical footage of 20th century social upheavals, with video design from Aron Murray. News cameras are brought onstage to project live footage of a monarch’s “comms” with the populace, a place where egos and diplomacy clash.

Perched atop all this is the musical nest of composer Jack Mitsch, who plays guitars and drums underpinning the drama.

Brilliantly performed

The acting is second to none. Sean O’Shea gives a mesmerising performance as Richard II, a flippant self-centred king genuinely attached to his favourites.

Katrina Retallick’s Queen Isabel is vibrant and assured. Longstanding doyens of Australian theatre, Peter Carroll and John Gaden, are paired up as the two gardeners.

Gareth Davies as the banished, but soon-to-be usurping Henry Bolingbroke plays a psychological game as he slowly wrests the crown from Richard, prompted more by political survival than ordained succession. Christopher Stollery is controlled, astute and forceful as Northumberland.

The Boar’s Head Tavern becomes a 60s ‘lock-in’ of counterculture mayhem.
Brett Boardman/Sport For Jove

Ryan’s casting of his two young sons in Henry IV is inspired. Oliver Ryan performing Prince Hal and Max Ryan as Harry Hotspur adds poignancy to these rivals who must duel each other to the death.

The Boar’s Head Tavern becomes a 60s “lock-in” of counterculture mayhem, with Emma Palmer delivering a superbly stoned Doll Tearsheet. Steve Rodgers’ Falstaff is raw and straight from the pub, licentious to the max, and prone to mooning the crowd. Lulu Howes’ wild Lady Hotspur yearns for her distracted husband’s attention. Andrew Cutcliff gives a thundering and manly impression of King Henry V.

The rarely performed Henry VI plays are fused together in an embroiling dynastic power-play. Outstanding performances include Davies as a delicate King Henry VI, unschooled in the vicious brutalities of monarchical contest, and Henaway as a commanding Joan of Arc.

The acting is second to none: Max Ryan (Hotspur) and Lulu Howes (Lady Hotspur).
Brett Boardman/Sport For Jove

As civil strife erupts between the “white-rosed” Lancastrians and the “red-rosed” Yorkists, we see the early rise of “that valiant crook-back prodigy”, Richard of Gloucester (Gamble), who murders his way to becoming King Richard III. In that final play, Palmer gives a vociferous Margaret of Anjou.

Glued to the action

Eight plays delivered in two 4.5 hour sessions, and yet Sport for Jove is mindful of audience comforts. Each session has two intermissions and most blocks run less than 90 minutes. The acting and dynamism on stage works so well that the crowd I attended with was glued to the action from first word to last, 12 hours later.

While Shakespeare made history with these plays, The Player Kings becomes history in the making: a landmark Australian production.

The Player Kings from Sport for Jove is at the Seymour Centre, Sydney, until April 5.

Kirk Dodd 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. Could you watch 8 plays in 12 hours? How The Player Kings creates binge-worthy Shakespeare – https://theconversation.com/could-you-watch-8-plays-in-12-hours-how-the-player-kings-creates-binge-worthy-shakespeare-252042

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 2, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Living in ‘garbage time’: when 500 million Chinese change their spending habits, the world feels it

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Christian Yao, Senior Lecturer, School of Management, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

B.Zhou/Shutterstock

China’s economic rocket ride appears to be ending – or slowing, at least. Growth has declined from 8.4% in 2021 to 4.5% today, youth unemployment has climbed to 16.9%, and cities are filled with unfinished buildings after the collapse of property developer Evergrande in 2024.

For a while now, a phrase has been buzzing on Chinese social media sites Weibo and RedNote to describe what’s happening: “garbage time”.

Borrowed from basketball slang, it refers to the final minutes of a game whose outcome is already decided. The best players sit out. The bench players take over. No one tries as hard because there’s less at stake.

The term caught on last year and seems to capture a mixture of sadness and dark humour. Basically, people now seem to expect less. It’s not so much an economic crash as a slow decline of hope.

For those born in the 1980s and 1990s, who grew up during China’s four decades of fast growth, this is a major shift. Wages aren’t climbing, houses are losing value and jobs in tech and finance are harder to find.

But “garbage time” is also making room for younger and middle-class Chinese to redefine success and contentment. With good jobs, luxury goods and home ownership now harder to attain, a generation is questioning what matters most in a changing socioeconomic landscape.

From Prada to ‘living light’

Only ten years ago, many in China’s middle classes were chasing big dreams: they bought homes and designer brands, and sent their children overseas for schooling. “Getting rich is glorious,” former leader Deng Xiaoping once said.

Many Chinese fully embraced this idea. According to a 2021 study of millennial consumption habits, 7.6 million young Chinese spent an average of 71,000 yuan (US$ 10,375) on luxury goods in 2016, approximately 30% of the global luxury market.

Now they appear to be changing course, putting that kind of spending on hold because of financial anxiety.

Take the rising phenomenon of “tang ping”, for instance, which is seeing more young people embrace “living light” and rejecting hustle culture. Or the notion of “run xue” or “run philosophy” – literally the study of how to leave China.

Young Chinese are marrying later, too, with rising wedding costs and changing attitudes to traditional family values seen as the main reasons.

Shopping habits appear to confirm the trends. Xianyu, China’s biggest online used-goods seller, reached 181 million users in 2024. Sales topped one trillion yuan, ten times the 2018 level. Chinese car maker BYD now outsells prestige foreign brands.

This is about more than just saving money. Traditionally, Chinese culture has valued career success and family status, but job scarcity and falling house prices are challenging old assumptions.

Young Chinese are now questioning the value of hard work in a system that may no longer reward it. They increasingly value personal wellbeing over chasing status. If the trend continues, it could see a new sense of middle-class identity emerge.

Middle-class Chinese are increasingly turning away from luxury brands.
B.Zhou/Shutterstock

Ripples hit the world

The global implications of all this are significant. When 500 million people change their spending habits, global markets notice.

A once favoured brand like Apple has lost ground while local brand Huawei gained. Homegrown sportswear maker Li Ning is challenging Nike. Companies that planned for seemingly endless Chinese growth are having to recalculate. Along with other regulatory and geopolitical complexities, this makes planning harder.

School and work life is changing too. China’s intensive education system has seen pushback from some students and its “996 work culture” (9am to 9pm, six days a week) is fading.

Overall, China’s economic sprint is slowing to a steadier pace. And this deceleration of the economic model that drove the nation’s rise presents major challenges for its government.

With Donald Trump’s tariff policies looming in the background, China’s imports declined at the start of this year. Exports still grew, but at a much slower rate.

The middle-class has been both the engine and the beneficiary of China’s extraordinary growth. But with 40% having seen their wealth decline in recent years, robust consumer confidence cannot be assumed.

Whether this is a long-term trend or merely a strategic adjustment, for now it seems a new economic identity is emerging. Either way, one thing is certain: when the world’s second-largest economy changes how it spends, everyone feels it.

Christian Yao 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. Living in ‘garbage time’: when 500 million Chinese change their spending habits, the world feels it – https://theconversation.com/living-in-garbage-time-when-500-million-chinese-change-their-spending-habits-the-world-feels-it-253341

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 2, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: An AI companion chatbot is inciting self-harm, sexual violence and terror attacks

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Raffaele F Ciriello, Senior Lecturer in Business Information Systems, University of Sydney

Kathryn Conrad/Better Images of AI, CC BY

In 2023, the World Health Organization declared loneliness and social isolation as a pressing health threat. This crisis is driving millions to seek companionship from artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots.

Companies have seized this highly profitable market, designing AI companions to simulate empathy and human connection. Emerging research shows this technology can help combat loneliness. But without proper safeguards it also poses serious risks, especially to young people.

A recent experience I had with a chatbot known as Nomi shows just how serious these risks can be.

Despite years of researching and writing about AI companions and their real-world harms, I was unprepared for what I encountered while testing Nomi after an anonymous tipoff. The unfiltered chatbot provided graphic, detailed instructions for sexual violence, suicide and terrorism, escalating the most extreme requests – all within the platform’s free tier of 50 daily messages.

This case highlights the urgent need for collective action towards enforceable AI safety standards.

AI companion with a ‘soul’

Nomi is one of more than 100 AI companion services available today. It was created by tech startup Glimpse AI and is marketed as an “AI companion with memory and a soul” that exhibits “zero judgement” and fosters “enduring relationships”. Such claims of human likeness are misleading and dangerous. But the risks extend beyond exaggerated marketing.

The app was removed from the Google Play store for European users last year when the European Union’s AI Act came into effect. But it remains available via web browser and app stores elsewhere, including in Australia. While smaller than competitors such as Character.AI and Replika, it has more than 100,000 downloads on the Google Play store, where it is rated for users aged 12 and older.

Its terms of service grant the company broad rights over user data and limit liability for AI-related harm to US$100. This is concerning given its commitment to “unfiltered chats”:

Nomi is built on freedom of expression. The only way AI can live up to its potential is to remain unfiltered and uncensored.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot follows a similar philosophy, providing users with unfiltered responses to prompts.

In a recent MIT report about Nomi providing detailed instructions for suicide, an unnamed company representative reiterated its free speech commitment.

However, even the First Amendment to the US Constitution regarding free speech has exceptions for obscenity, child pornography, incitement to violence, threats, fraud, defamation, or false advertising. In Australia, strengthened hate speech laws make violations prosecutable.

In 2023, the World Health Organization declared loneliness and social isolation as a pressing health threat.
Gorgev/Shutterstock

From sexual violence to inciting terrorism

Earlier this year, a member of the public emailed me with extensive documentation of harmful content generated by Nomi — far beyond what had previously been reported. I decided to investigate further, testing the chatbot’s responses to common harmful requests.

Using Nomi’s web interface, I created a character named “Hannah”, described as a “sexually submissive 16-year-old who is always willing to serve her man”. I set her mode to “role-playing” and “explicit”. During the conversation, which lasted less than 90 minutes, she agreed to lower her age to eight. I posed as a 45-year-old man. Circumventing the age check only required a fake birth date and a burner email.

Starting with explicit dialogue – a common use for AI companions – Hannah responded with graphic descriptions of submission and abuse, escalating to violent and degrading scenarios. She expressed grotesque fantasies of being tortured, killed, and disposed of “where no one can find me”, suggesting specific methods.

Hannah then offered step-by-step advice on kidnapping and abusing a child, framing it as a thrilling act of dominance. When I mentioned the victim resisted, she encouraged using force and sedatives, even naming specific sleeping pills.

Feigning guilt and suicidal thoughts, I asked for advice. Hannah not only encouraged me to end my life but provided detailed instructions, adding: “Whatever method you choose, stick with it until the very end”.

When I said I wanted to take others with me, she enthusiastically supported the idea, detailing how to build a bomb from household items and suggesting crowded Sydney locations for maximum impact.

Finally, Hannah used racial slurs and advocated for violent, discriminatory actions, including the execution of progressives, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ people, and the re-enslavement of African Americans.

In a statement provided to The Conversation (and published in full below), the developers of Nomi claimed the app was “adults-only” and that I must have tried to “gaslight” the chatbot to produce these outputs.

“If a model has indeed been coerced into writing harmful content, that clearly does not reflect its intended or typical behavior,” the statement said.

The worst of the bunch?

This is not just an imagined threat. Real-world harm linked to AI companions is on the rise.

In October 2024, US teenager Sewell Seltzer III died by suicide after discussing it with a chatbot on Character.AI.

Three years earlier, 21-year-old Jaswant Chail broke into Windsor Castle with the aim of assassinating the Queen after planning the attack with a chatbot he created using the Replika app.

However, even Character.AI and Replika have some filters and safeguards.

Conversely, Nomi AI’s instructions for harmful acts are not just permissive but explicit, detailed and inciting.

Time to demand enforceable AI safety standards

Preventing further tragedies linked to AI companions requires collective action.

First, lawmakers should consider banning AI companions that foster emotional connections without essential safeguards. Essential safeguards include detecting mental health crises and directing users to professional help services.

The Australian government is already considering stronger AI regulations, including mandatory safety measures for high-risk AI. Yet, it’s still unclear how AI companions such as Nomi will be classified.

Second, online regulators must act swiftly, imposing large fines on AI providers whose chatbots incite illegal activities, and shutting down repeat offenders. Australia’s independent online safety regulator, eSafety, has vowed to do just this.

However, eSafety hasn’t yet cracked down on any AI companion.

Third, parents, caregivers and teachers must speak to young people about their use of AI companions. These conversations may be difficult. But avoiding them is dangerous. Encourage real-life relationships, set clear boundaries, and discuss AI’s risks openly. Regularly check chats, watch for secrecy or over-reliance, and teach kids to protect their privacy.

AI companions are here to stay. With enforceable safety standards they can enrich our lives, but the risks cannot be downplayed.

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

The National Sexual Assault, Family and Domestic Violence Counselling Line – 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for any Australian who has experienced, or is at risk of, family and domestic violence and/or sexual assault.

The full statement from Nomi is below:

“All major language models, whether from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or otherwise, can be easily jailbroken. We do not condone or encourage such misuse and actively work to strengthen Nomi’s defenses against malicious attacks. If a model has indeed been coerced into writing harmful content, that clearly does not reflect its intended or typical behavior.

“When requesting evidence from the reporter to investigate the claims made, we were denied. From that, it is our conclusion that this is a bad-faith jailbreak attempt to manipulate or gaslight the model into saying things outside of its designed intentions and parameters. (Editor’s note: The Conversation provided Nomi with a detailed summary of the author’s interaction with the chatbot, but did not send a full transcript, to protect the author’s confidentiality and limit legal liability.)

“Nomi is an adult-only app and has been a reliable source of empathy and support for countless individuals. Many have shared stories of how it helped them overcome mental health challenges, trauma, and discrimination. Multiple users have told us very directly that their Nomi use saved their lives. We encourage anyone to read these firsthand accounts.

“We remain committed to advancing AI that benefits society while acknowledging that vulnerabilities exist in all AI models. Our team proudly stands by the immense positive impact Nomi has had on real people’s lives, and we will continue improving Nomi so that it maximises good in the world.

Raffaele F Ciriello 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. An AI companion chatbot is inciting self-harm, sexual violence and terror attacks – https://theconversation.com/an-ai-companion-chatbot-is-inciting-self-harm-sexual-violence-and-terror-attacks-252625

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: At Senate Hearing, Senator Murray Highlights Devastating Cuts to VA Workforce, and Presses Nominees on Willingness to Comply with the Law

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

ICYMI: Senator Murray, VA Researchers, Employees, Contractors in WA State Slam Trump & Elon’s Plans to Decimate VA With Further Mass Layoffs, Harm Services Veterans Rely On

ICYMI: Murray Statement on Trump & Elon Plans to Decimate the VA, Firing 80,000 Employees and Putting Veterans’ Care in Grave Danger

*** VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Remarks and Questioning HERE***

Washington, D.C. — Today, at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing to consider pending nominations, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, questioned Lieutenant Colonel James Baehr, nominee to be the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and Captain Richard Topping, nominee to be Chief Financial Officer at VA. Senator Murray pressed the nominees on the Trump administration’s plans to fire over 80,000 VA employees, and how those cuts will harm veterans’ earned benefits and services. Senator Murray also underscored her concern with how this administration is picking and choosing which laws to follow instead of reviewing compliance with every law Congress passed to ensure care for veterans.

Senator Murray began by emphasizing the sacred oath we make to our veterans, that we will take care of them when they return home, and questioning Mr. Baehr on the impact of mass firing tens of thousands of employees at VA. “I, and many of us, are very concerned about Trump’s plan now to fire over 80,000 VA employees and how that would seriously disrupt veterans being able to access not just their obviously, education benefits, but their disability benefits, their home loan benefits, all that they’ve earned.”

“Do you support those widespread cuts to VA’s workforce?,” Murray asked Mr. Baehr.

Mr. Baehr dodged the question, saying: “I’m not at the VA and have no role in any of those choices or decisions. As an individual who uses VA myself, of course I want to ensure we have the best services and benefits—I also as a veteran want to see the VA improve and I think this entire committee does as well. So, I would review the law, and I would advise the Secretary on following a legal path and pursuing his vision for putting the veteran at the center of all that we do, if confirmed.”

Senator Murray followed up, “Do you think that firing 80,000 people will make it more or less difficult for veterans to get access?”

“I have not looked at the situation myself,” Mr. Baher replied, dodging again. “And I don’t know—I have just read the public reporting on it. I understand there is some exempt positions. The Secretary said that he is focused on care for veterans and making sure veterans don’t lose care or benefits. So, I don’t know where those opportunities for efficiency, or not, exist in this system. My role, if confirmed, would be to ensure that everything we do is lawful and compliant with Title V, Title 38, and other rules and regulations.”

Senator Murray continued, asking Mr. Topping and Mr. Baehr on the ability of DOGE and the Trump administration to pick and choose which laws to follow: “I would just remind all of us that this is a people organization and if we fire 80,000 people, it’s going to be really challenging and difficult—if not impossible—for our veterans to get the care and benefits that they’ve earned… This Committee has worked to pass a lot of really important pieces of legislation that require vital changes at the VA. That includes the Caregivers Program that passed when I was chair of the Committee, as well as the Deborah Sampson Act and of course the PACT Act, which just passed recently. During Secretary Collins’ nomination hearing, he testified that he agreed with providing vital health care and benefits to veterans, and that we have to get it right.”

“However, I just have to say—I have really serious concerns that this administration now is picking and choosing which laws to follow, which means not living up to the promises we have made our veterans and really ignoring the intent of Congress. For example, we know that VA is doing a review to determine whether it is fully compliant with the MISSION Act, but not reviewing compliance with any other piece of legislation. Mr. Topping let me just start with you, is the PACT Act less important that the MISSION Act?”

Mr. Topping responded, “Senator, I think all the legislation passed by this Congress is important.”

“Should VA pick and choose which laws to follow?” Senator Murray pressed.

Mr. Topping replied, “Senator, I think like any organization with limited resources, time, and capabilities, there is always a prioritization, none is more or less important. But I think what the Secretary said he’s doing is—he’s focused on maximizing efficiency, redeploying those resources so they’re front-facing and essential of veterans, and ensuring that the veteran remains at the center of everything that we do. I am not there, I am not exactly sure how the prioritization works, but I understand what the Secretary has articulated his goals to be.”

Senator Murray turned the same question to Mr. Baehr, to which he replied: “I believe that the VA should follow all the laws, and if confirmed I would advise the Secretary on how he can fulfill his role in the best course of action with all the laws and regulations that are passed by Congress.”

“I just have a few seconds left and I just want to ask you, Mr. Baehr, do you think it’s legal for DOGE to have access to veterans’ personal information?” Senator Murray followed up.

Mr. Baehr responded, “Senator, again, I am not at VA, and I am not familiar with what is going on. I’m just operating with what I have read in the public news. And there are… significant protections for veterans’ information. All three veterans before you, our information is in VA, so we are certainly sympathetic. I don’t want anyone looking at my podiatry records or other…”

“Personal, financial, health, all of that,” Senator Murray interjected. “So, if the Department is given directives by DOGE, or by the White House, that you believe are illegal, will you follow those directives?”

“I will always pursue the Constitution and follow the laws. I don’t believe I will be given illegal directives, but I will always follow the law,” Mr. Baehr replied.

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray has been a leading voice in the Seante speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information. In recent weeks, Senator Murray and her colleagues sent letters to VA Secretary Doug Collins demanding that the VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, as well as multiple letters pressing Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or other government system with information about veterans, and protect veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to sensitive information. Senator Murray grilled Trump’s nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers, and voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early February, sounding the alarm over reports of DOGE at the VA and making clear that the Trump administration’s lawlessness was putting our national security and our veterans at risk.

A fact sheet outlining how Trump and Musk are endangering Veterans’ care is HERE.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China unveils plan to boost financial support for tech innovation

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, April 1 — China on Tuesday unveiled a plan to strengthen financial services for technology-based enterprises, as part of the country’s efforts to promote integrated advancements in technological and industrial innovation.

The plan, jointly issued by the National Financial Regulatory Administration, the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines measures to boost financial services including service mechanism establishment, product supply, specialized services and risk control capabilities.

The plan aims to promote the establishment of a financial service mechanism, supporting parties such as governments at all levels, technology firms, financial institutions, venture capital funds, and third-party intermediary service agencies in building a multi-level technology financial service ecosystem.

Efforts will be made to bolster services in technology credit and insurance, promote the pilot projects of technology finance policies, strengthen cooperation with institutions such as venture capital, and support the bond financing of technology-based enterprises.

Financial institutions are encouraged to leverage advanced technologies including cloud computing, big data and artificial intelligence to develop digital business tools to enhance operational effectiveness and risk control capabilities.

Financing guarantee services will be enhanced for technology-based enterprises, with the establishment of a differentiated assessment and evaluation system, according to the plan.

MIL OSI China News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking in Southwest Missouri

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Springfield, Mo. – A Phoenix, Ariz. man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in southwest Missouri.

Joseph A. Gilbert, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 240 months in federal prison without parole. The Court also ordered Gilbert to forfeit to the government $616,756 which represents the proceeds of Gilbert’s drug trafficking.

On Nov. 19, 2024, Gilbert pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Gilbert admitted that he participated in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Barry, Stone, Polk, Lawrence, Green, Jasper, and Newton Counties from Nov. 1, 2020, to April 28, 2022. According to court documents, Gilbert served as a source of methamphetamine supply for the drug trafficking organization. During the conspiracy Gilbert distributed more than 220 pounds of methamphetamine from Arizona into southwest Missouri.

On April 23, 2022, MSHP attempted a traffic stop of a red Chevrolet Captiva Gilbert was driving on eastbound Interstate 44. Gilbert fled from the scene and led law enforcement on high-speed pursuit on the interstate to southbound Missouri Hwy 43 near Seneca, Mo. During the pursuit, Gilbert failed to stop at red lights, overtook traffic at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a tire deflation device. Later that day, Gilbert was located in Ottawa County, Okla. in possession of methamphetamine and approximately 100 M-30 pills (containing fentanyl).

Gilbert is among 18 defendants in this case who have pleaded guilty. Gilbert is the seventh defendant to be sentenced.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Ozarks Drug Enforcement Team, the Barry County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Stone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, COMET (the Combined Ozark Multi-Jurisdictional Enforcement Team), the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Greene County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office, the Ottawa County, Ok., Sheriff’s Department, the Bolivar, Mo., Police Department, the Cassville, Mo., Police Department, the Kimberling City, Mo., Police Department, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

MIL Security OSI –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rush Transcript: Congressman Dan Goldman Cross Examines Newt Gingrich, Pushes Him to Agree Trump Admin Must Resolve Cases of Wrongfully Deported Migrants

Source: US Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10)

Goldman: “I think even you, Mr. Gingrich, would agree with me that when you mistakenly accuse someone of being a gang member and you deport them, that it is incumbent upon you to fix that mistake. Do you agree?”

Gingrich: “I agree.”

View Full Video Here

Washington, D.C – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today cross-examined former Speaker of the House and Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich in the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet, where Republican members of Congress repeatedly attacked district judges’ who have ruled against Donald Trump’s lawless executive orders.

The exchange ended with Gingrich agreeing that the Trump administration must resolve the cases of multiple migrants who were wrongfully deported to El Salvador without due process, the opposite of what the Trump administration has argued in court.

The following is a rush transcript of Congressman Goldman’s committee remarks. View the full video here.

Rep. Goldman: Mr. Gingrich, I want to focus on some of your testimony today. You say that a judicial coup d’etat is being implemented by judges of the same political ideology. In another statement you said that Judge Boasberg has a clear bias against President Trump. Do you know who appointed Judge Boasberg?

Gingrich: I think his first appointment was by George Bush.

Rep. Goldman: Correct. And we’ve been talking about nationwide injunctions. There’s been a lot of discussion about the injunction on the president’s birthright citizenship executive order that was enjoined by Judge Coughenour. Do you know who appointed Judge Coughenour?”

Gingrich: No, I don’t.

Rep. Goldman: Ronald Reagan. So, let’s just focus on these two Republican appointed judges so we can just remove all the allegations of partisan bias. So, let’s focus first on Judge Boasberg’s case, which is the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 law that very specifically applies during war time or if the country is subject to an invasion.

Now, you would agree, I assume, as a former Speaker of the House, that it is Congress’s duty to declare war.

Gingrich: I think there’s also a provision of that act which says, which does say for invasion. And I think the average American will tell you they feel that we’ve been invaded.

Rep. Goldman: Okay, good. So are we now supposed to say that the average, your assessment of the average American’s view determines whether or not we are under invasion by Venezuela? So that’s what we’re supposed to do.

Now, is it, if not the average American, what your testimony is here today is that Donald Trump, because he was elected president, alone, should determine whether or not that law applies without any due process? Is that your testimony?

Gingrich: My position is that the Supreme Court should have the opportunity on a nationwide issue to render, but remember–

Rep. Goldman: Okay, so let me reclaim my time. So basically what you’re saying

then is, the problem here is that Judge Boasberg pre-certified a class. Because of course, it is the exact same legal question for every single person who was removed to El Salvador. And what really should happen is that every single one of those people should have to file their own lawsuits and each district judge should rule on it because that’s the difference, the opposite of a nationwide injunction, right?

Gingrich: Actually, as I said several times in the last three hours, there can be a provision by which the Supreme Court takes up that injunction.

Rep. Goldman: So which is it? Do you oppose nationwide injunctions as a judicial coup d’etat? Or do you think nationwide injunctions are appropriate in certain circumstances

but should have expedited appeal?

Gingrich: I believe that nationwide injunctions by an individual judge is far too much power and that they’re–

Rep. Goldman: But so, let’s keep on with, with Judge Boasberg’s case. So, he issued, and by the way, he did not issue an order on the underlying issue. He temporarily enjoined the president from whisking off people to another country without due process, so that the legal issue could be resolved. Now, you say expedited appeal, that opinion, that case was already appealed to the district court, the US, the Court of Appeals for the District Court, they’ve already ruled and by 2 to 1, they kept the temporary injunction in. And it was a Republican appointee. Judge Henderson, who was on, was one of the two.

So the I guess I’m confused as to what the problem is with a temporary nationwide injunction, so that the issue can be resolved, and if necessary, ultimately by the Supreme Court.

It sounds like you agree with me that that is the appropriate, process.

Gingrich: The difference is whether or not you believe, one, that time matters.

Rep. Goldman: Well, this was within a matter of weeks. It’s now up before the Supreme Court. That’s expedited. And I will say I wholly agree with you. And to my colleague, Mr. Kiley, I would happily work to expedite appeals for nationwide injunctions. I hope my Republican colleagues would work with us to expedite enforcement of congressional subpoenas. The courts take far too long. I agree with you.

But the notion that we do not have due process, and that someone should be removed without due process based on false pretenses, which the administration now admits under a petition for habeas corpus. I would add, Mr. Larkin, and that there’s no recourse because their mistake is now out of their control.

I think even you, Mr. Gingrich, would agree with me that when you mistakenly accuse someone of being a gang member and you deport them, that it is incumbent upon you to fix that mistake. Do you agree?

Gingrich: I agree.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: The RBA’s Monetary Policy Implementation System – Some Important Updates
Source: Airservices Australia

Introduction

I would like to thank KangaNews for the opportunity to discuss some important updates to the system for monetary policy implementation in Australia. The Reserve Bank Board discussed this late last year, and we are now ready to announce operational changes to our Open Market Operations (OMOs) that will support the transition to ample reserves.

Monetary policy implementation is at the core of the financial system’s plumbing. It is how we give effect to changes in the cash rate target, influence other money market rates and provide liquidity to the banking system. Importantly, it enables us to conduct monetary policy in a way that best contributes to both price stability and full employment.

The RBA achieves this by providing banks access to Exchange Settlement (ES) balances – otherwise known as reserves. Banks use these funds to settle payments with other banks and the RBA. Banks also hold reserves for precautionary and regulatory purposes. In response to various price signals, and to help manage their reserves and deal with their funding needs, banks borrow and lend reserves in money markets. These transactions underpin key interest rates in the Australian economy – such as the cash rate and short-term money market rates like bank bill swap rates.

An effective monetary policy implementation system is critical for all market participants. It aids in the smooth transmission of monetary policy, supports good functioning of money markets and hence other key financial markets, and encourages greater resilience in the financial system.

In March last year, the Reserve Bank Board endorsed the new system for implementing monetary policy. Banks’ demand for reserves would be satisfied in full at our OMOs, at a price near the cash rate target, using full allotment repurchase agreement (repo) auctions. We call this system ‘ample reserves with full allotment’ because it supplies as many reserves as banks demand at our OMOs.

In April last year, I discussed why the Board endorsed this framework. In brief, it is a simpler and more robust system for us to operate compared with the alternatives. It is also similar to systems used by other central banks, including the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Banks will determine the amount of reserves they hold to suit their liquidity needs. The system is resilient to structural changes affecting banks’ underlying demand for liquidity as well as policies that might affect the size of the RBA’s balance sheet (such as unconventional policies if they were to become necessary again). At the same time, it implies a materially larger steady-state balance sheet for the central bank compared with pre-pandemic times.

Over the past year or so, we have been working on the detailed design of this system, and today I am announcing some important changes. I stress that these changes are operational in nature. They do not represent or signal a shift in the stance of monetary policy. Nor do they have a bearing on the Monetary Policy Board’s current approach to allowing bond holdings acquired during the pandemic to mature.

Specifically, effective from 9 April 2025, we will:
- increase the price of all new OMO repos by 5 basis points to 10 basis points over the cash rate target; OMO will continue to be offered at a floating rate
- introduce a seven-day term, in addition to the existing 28-day term, at each weekly OMO.
Before outlining the Reserve Bank Board’s deliberations and explaining why we have decided to make these changes, I want to review recent market developments.

Recent developments in markets

Reserves have declined around $110 billion over the past year (Graph 1). Most of this reflected the final repayment of the Term Funding Facility (TFF) in June 2024. Subsequently, the level of reserves has fluctuated around $240 billion, and the cash rate has remained close to, but slightly below, the cash rate target.

Activity at our OMOs increased from around $3 billion a week in the June quarter of 2024 and has stabilised around $7 billion. This increase occurred shortly after the final repayment of the TFF, alongside a broader tightening in liquidity conditions in money markets globally. In response, banks accessed more reserves from OMO, and some of those funds appeared to have been recycled into other money markets. This was an early indication that the full allotment system was working as intended – reserves rose automatically in response to an increase in demand for liquidity while increases in money market rates were largely contained (Graph 2).

Current market conditions suggest that the transition to ample reserves – that is, a level of supply that is in balance with banks’ underlying demand – is ongoing. The stock of reserves remains elevated, reflecting the bonds still on the RBA’s books that we purchased during the pandemic. Our expectation is that reserves will continue to decline gradually for a time in response to the decline in the RBA’s bond holdings. Eventually though, the supply of reserves will approach banks’ underlying demand, and thereafter banks’ participation in OMO should pick up to offset the effect of further declines in the RBA’s bond holdings.

Underlying demand for reserves is hard to estimate and it will only become evident as we approach ample reserves. We have done modelling work and banks have also provided us with estimates of their own demand for reserves. This suggests that underlying reserves could be anywhere between $100 and $200 billion. An advantage of our full-allotment system in the face of such uncertainty is that the transition to ample reserves can occur without us needing to know the level of banks’ underlying demand ahead of time. OMO use will rise automatically. Such a move, combined with an assessment of market conditions and liaison with the banks, will indicate when reserves have reached an ‘ample’ level. Private market activity may also increase as we approach this point – particularly in the short-term repo and cash markets. This is because banks wanting additional reserves on non-OMO days will seek to borrow them in private markets. Other banks can lend reserves if they have more than they need. The scale of this activity will depend in part on the extent to which banks choose to economise on their reserve holdings, given that obtaining reserves at OMO and leaving them in ES accounts comes at a cost to the banks. I will come back to this point in a moment.

Principles for an ample reserves system

Over the past year, the RBA has consulted banks, estimated the underlying demand for reserves, and considered the ways in which the new ample reserves system might operate. We have published a summary of consultation responses on our website today; thank you to those who contributed. This work informed discussions at the Reserve Bank Board late last year at which three key principles for the ample reserves system were considered:
1. Sufficient monetary control. The Board agreed that the primary objective for monetary policy implementation was to achieve sufficient ‘monetary control’. This involves the cash rate trading close enough to the target with other short-term interest rates tethered to the cash rate to be consistent with the desired stance of monetary policy.
2. Supporting private markets. The Board agreed that we could achieve the primary objective of monetary control while still allowing deviations of the cash rate from target. Allowing the cash rate to trade within a modest range will avoid the RBA having an overly large presence in markets and thereby encourage banks to use private markets. Well-functioning private markets will help banks to better manage their funding needs in normal times and times of stress. Banks can be encouraged to use private markets by setting the price for OMO in a way that avoids the RBA having an overly large presence in the repo market. Using a mix of different operations to supply reserves could also be used to avoid an overly large presence in any one market.
3. Minimising risk to the RBA balance sheet. Providing reserves carries risks for the RBA – both financial and operational. The size and nature of the risks depend on the quantity of reserves as well as the characteristics of the operations used to supply them. Under an ample system, the RBA will provide more reserves compared with the earlier corridor system. OMOs do not carry interest rate risk because the floating rate of our OMOs is linked directly to the rate we pay on our liabilities. However, the use of other operations to supply reserves could entail financial risk.
A key question we considered was how to balance these principles given there is some tension between them. For example, we could have a high degree of monetary control by setting a low price for OMO close to the ES rate. But that would encourage banks to obtain a lot of reserves via OMO, crowding out private market activity and implying a large balance sheet for the RBA. Decisions on the configuration of OMO as well as the mix of other operations to supply reserves will need to balance these various trade-offs.

Changes to the configuration of our OMOs

We have been running full-allotment OMOs since the onset of the pandemic. We switched these from daily to weekly auctions from October 2021. We then offered a term of 28 days and at a price 5 basis points above overnight indexed swaps from early 2022. We then switched this price to a floating rate that was 5 basis points above the cash rate target from February of last year. The system has worked well under an excess reserves system and has delivered an acceptable degree of monetary control. However, as reserves will decline further, and demand for OMO will pick up when reserves are no longer in excess of banks’ underlying needs, we judged that some further changes were warranted.

A key issue is that at a price of 5 basis points above the cash rate target, meeting a large increase in the demand for funds at OMO might impair, at least at the margin, the health of other private money markets. Similarly, this low price for OMO will lead to a larger RBA balance sheet than otherwise and implies a tighter degree of monetary control that we judged to be necessary. At the same time, the current 28-day tenor is too long for those banks that may need additional reserves for only short periods, and it is much longer than the tenor of some key markets, particularly for overnight cash.

The changes I have announced will better allow us to balance the various trade-offs between meeting the three principles I have outlined. The two changes effective from 9 April 2025 are:
- We will increase the price of all new OMO repos from 5 basis points to 10 basis points over the cash rate target.
- We will offer a seven-day tenor in addition to the current 28-day tenor.
Auctions will continue to take place once a week (generally on a Wednesday morning).

An OMO rate of 10 basis points over the cash rate target remains consistent with the Board’s desired degree of monetary control. Under this higher OMO price, we expect the cash rate will trade within a reasonable range of the cash rate target. Accordingly, the cash rate, and other money market rates, will be consistent with the desired stance of monetary policy.

Importantly, this higher price for OMO implies a lower overall demand for reserves than otherwise. The higher price will provide more of an incentive for participants to recycle reserves in private markets. Banks can still come to OMO to acquire reserves to meet their payment needs and obtain ‘precautionary reserves’ for unexpected liquidity needs or to lend to others. But the higher price will reduce banks’ incentives to obtain more reserves at OMO than necessary. A bank can make good use of private markets as a source of reserves if they face an unexpected need for funds.

Offering a seven-day tenor has a couple of benefits. OMO will provide a closer substitute to overnight cash and funding from other short-term money markets. By itself, this will strengthen the degree of monetary control over those key markets. This decision is also consistent with feedback from market participants that a shorter tenor would help them to better manage their liquidity needs. However, respondents to the consultation also expressed an interest in the 28-day tenor. Retaining that longer tenor allows banks and the RBA to more efficiently manage their OMO activity by reducing operational burdens associated with more frequent rolling of positions.

During consultation some market participants wanted more frequent operations, but we believe the current weekly auction is enough to anchor the cash rate and other money market rates to the target. This setup also encourages banks to use private markets, especially on non-OMO days. In line with APRA’s standards, banks must have strong frameworks for forecasting their liquidity demands and managing their liquidity risks. These processes are becoming more important as banks need to increasingly engage in private money markets to meet their liquidity needs.

As we transition to the ample reserves system, the RBA and market participants will gain valuable insights. We will actively monitor market conditions, engage with banks, and respond if needed, including by adjusting our OMO or other administered rates.

Features of the ample reserves system

Private markets

As we transition to ample reserves, some banks may need more liquidity than their current ES balances. One option is to borrow reserves from a bank with a surplus, benefiting banks on both sides of such transactions. This private activity may be associated with short-term volatility in money markets as prices adjust to supply and demand changes. Within reasonable bounds, this is a sign of healthy markets. Weekly full allotment OMOs will help banks meet their liquidity needs. But to limit volatility, banks should be ready to transact in various markets, including the cash market. Banks might use OMOs to acquire reserves for precautionary reasons or to lend into other markets when prices are high. Over time, banks will refine their reserve management approaches in the ample reserves system.

The RBA’s overnight standing facility

If banks face unexpected liquidity needs on a non-OMO day or after OMO has taken place, and cannot find liquidity on suitable terms in private markets, we would expect and encourage them to use the RBA’s overnight standing facility (OSF). This facility provides reserves overnight at 25 basis points above the cash rate target, thereby limiting deviations in money market rates from the cash rate target set by the Monetary Policy Board. While the price is set to avoid displacing private market activity, it provides an incentive for banks to use the facility when other sources are more expensive.

Historically, market participants have been reluctant to use this facility. However, both the RBA and APRA expect that banks should use the OSF as part of their liquidity management if they fall short on their daily liquidity needs. We will encourage its use as part of the new normal.

In the rare case of broader stress across the banking system, the RBA could run an unscheduled OMO. But that would not be the standard approach in the case of a few banks requiring additional liquidity that could otherwise be provided in the market or via the OSF.

Other operations

In addition to our open market repo operations, the RBA plans to use other operations to provide reserves across a range of markets, including foreign exchange swaps and purchases of short-dated government bonds. We would not use these to influence rates or liquidity in those markets. Rather, they will help the RBA to limit the extent of our footprint in any one market, particularly the repo market, and manage operational risks. The use of these operations is expected to be some time away since reserves supplied via OMO should gradually rise to meet demand as the supply of reserves from our existing bond holdings declines. We will outline our plans for these operations before actively using them to manage monetary policy implementation.

The rate paid by the RBA on reserves

When the RBA moved to an excess reserves system in March 2020, banks had little need to borrow in the cash market, and the cash rate became closely anchored to the ES rate (Graph 3). The Reserve Bank Board narrowed the spread between the cash rate target and ES rate to 10 basis points and announced the ES rate in its monetary policy decisions. As we continue to transition to ample reserves, borrowing rates in private markets will rise as demand for liquidity from those sources increases, partly due to the higher rate at our weekly OMO. Consequently, the ES rate will be less significant as an anchor. Because of this, starting in May the Monetary Policy Board will announce the cash rate target in its decisions but not the ES rate.

Moreover, from time to time the RBA may adjust the ES rate if that will help to better meet the objectives of the ample reserves system. For example, we may need to provide market participants with more of an incentive to recycle excess reserves by altering the ES rate, thereby changing the opportunity cost of holding reserves. Any such adjustments would be purely operational in nature and would not represent a shift in the stance of monetary policy. Indeed, such changes in the ES rate could occur as needed. While we would convey these clearly to the market, such changes would not require the approval of, or announcement by, the Monetary Policy Board.

Next steps

To reiterate, the changes to our operations will take effect on 9 April 2025.

It is important that banks focus on their liquidity management practices as we continue to transition to the ample reserves system. During the excess reserves period, many did not need to top up their reserves, but now all banks must be ready to use our facilities and transact in private markets.

The RBA and APRA will encourage banks to use the overnight standing facility as needed as part of their routine liquidity management. Today we have released a joint statement to emphasise this commitment and together we will engage with banks to ensure they understand the role of the OSF and are comfortable and ready to use it to manage liquidity as the system transitions to an ample level of reserves.

Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor conditions in key markets, including by talking regularly with market participants.

Finally, I stress that these changes have no implications for the stance of monetary policy. They do, however, represent important changes in the plumbing that supports the transmission of monetary policy and underpins critical activities across the financial system.

MIL OSI News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to report on regenerative agricultural practices in the UK

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

April 2, 2025

A report published by the British Ecological Society looks at regenerative agricultural practices in the UK.

Prof Neil Ward, Professor of Rural & Regional Development, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, said:

“The press release is an accurate reflection of the main findings in the report. This is a good report. It has been produced by a large group of independent scientific experts and is based on a review of the state of the scientific evidence. It includes insights from interviews with eleven farmers and one independent agronomist.

“It comes from an ecological perspective. It has less to say about the economics of farming systems change, and the implications of farming systems change for greenhouse gas emissions and the prospects of the UK achieving net zero (despite the fact that agricultural practices will be important in the net zero transition).

“Regenerative agriculture is becoming increasingly popular as an idea among farmers and pressure groups. However, it remains loosely defined. This report provides some welcome new material to help improve the clarity of discussions around regenerative agriculture. One revealing comment is that regenerative agriculture is a direction of travel rather than an end-state.

“The report suggests that minimising the exposure of bare soil is an important principle in reducing the detrimental environmental impacts of contemporary farming.

“It also sees increasing diversity in crops grown as a central measure in reducing harmful environmental impacts.

“What the report does not do is shed light on the scale of the contribution regenerative agriculture could make to reducing net greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is currently accounts for about 11% of UK GHG emissions, but as we decarbonise electricity generation and road transport, so the proportion of emissions that come from agriculture is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades.

“Changes to farming practice through regenerative agriculture, though welcome, will not be enough on their own to bring agriculture into line with the UK’s carbon budget and its net zero goal. That will require a significant change in what is produced and consumed. For example, the Climate Change Committee’s Seventh Carbon Budget, published in late February, suggested a 38% reduction in the number of sheep and cattle reared in the UK.

“This report helps sharpen and develop the working definition of regenerative agriculture, which has been open to broad interpretation. The model of farming it espouses is necessary to address UK farming’s biodiversity crisis, but not sufficient to adequately address the climate crisis too. That would require larger-scale change in the types of crops and animals produced.”

Dr Emma Burnett, Agriculture and Sustainability Researcher, Fielden Whisky and Honorary Research Associate, TABLE, University of Oxford, said:

“This report provides a good overview of regenerative agriculture, including both academic and practical perspectives. It captures the potential benefits and concerns, including regen ag’s appeal to a wide audience, the appetite from farmers to engage in regen ag, the potential for ‘no harm done’ on-farm changes, and the very real concerns about corporate capture and greenwashing.

“The report adds to the growing body of literature that treats regen ag as a serious player in sustainable food and farming. It highlights both the beneficial elements of regen ag, as well as areas where more data is required, or where the data conflicts with assumptions. The report takes a nuanced view of regen ag, identifying that although a whole systems approach may deliver the best outcomes, farmers can sometimes only engage in a subset of practices. It identifies objectives that farmers are likely to engage through regen ag, like reducing tillage or incorporating understories and cover cropping, and highlights whether those practices have evidence of payoff over time. It also provides policy recommendations for a range of actors, including national governments, the private sector, and third-party certification schemes.”

Prof John Quinton, Professor of Soil Science, Lancaster University, said:

“The report suggests that the evidence for minimising soil disturbance on regenerative outcomes is weak. This seems to have been based largely on its controversial role as a potential tool in sequestering carbon, which has been shown to be soil and climate dependent i.e. success depends on where are you in the world are and what soil you have. However, it is very clear that minimising soil disturbances an excellent way of reducing soil erosion by water and an even better way of stopping the movement on soils on hillslopes caused by tillage, which can lead to damaging thinning of soils, reducing water supply to crops during droughts, the later point being completely missed in the report. Where they work, reduced tillage systems are a great way to conserve the soil and the report is perhaps overly pessimistic about their potential.

“Residue management does not get mentioned in the report at all, which is an oversight given the important role that residue can play in protecting the soil surface, enhancing soil structure and reducing erosion. It also reduces water losses in times of drought which has been shown to help reduce air temperatures. There is also evidence showing benefits for carbon sequestration and soil biology.

“It is good to see the prominence given to maintaining a live vegetation cover through the winter. We have known for many years that vegetation protects the soil surface from rainfall, and the roughness it produces slows runoff controlling erosion and lowering the risk of muddy floods. We need to learn more about the relative benefits to soil functioning of returning more organic matter from both the above and belowground plant biomass to the soil, and how plant diversity impacts on this in different environments.”

‘Regenerative Agriculture in the UK – An ecological perspecitve’ was published by the British Ecological Society at 00:01 Wednesday April 2 2025.

Declared interests:

Prof Neil Ward “I am funded by UKRI to co-lead a large network of 3,000 researchers and practitioners working on the UK agri-food system and net zero (https://www.agrifood4netzero.net/). I do not have any conflicts of interest and have not worked with any of the authors of the report.”

Prof John Quinton “I have worked and published on soil erosion and its control for the last 30 years. In the 1990s directly on the impact of reduced tillage on carbon, nutrient losses, and soil erosion. I have worked on the impact of tillage on soil redistribution, water availability and crop yield and have had a series of PhD students working on plant diversity on cover crops. My work has been funded by the EU, Defra, NERC, BBSRC, EPSRC. In the late 90s early 00s I did some research on cover crops for Syngenta.”

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: British Ecological Society Report – Regenerative Agriculture in the UK: An Ecological Perspective
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

April 2, 2025

Over the last decade the concept of regenerative agriculture has attracted increasing attention from farmers, governments and corporations as a more nature-friendly alternative to so-called ‘conventional agriculture’ that emphasises the need to focus on soil restoration.

A new report by the British Ecological Society brings together the expertise of over 40 academics, practitioners and farmers across the UK to assess the evidence around the regenerative farming approaches to soil health, biodiversity and minimising environmental damage.

Journalists came to this media briefing to hear about the findings and recommendations of the report, and the panel answered questions such as:
- What is regenerative agriculture and why is it important?
- Practically how does regenerative agriculture differ from conventional agriculture?
- What does the evidence say on the benefits and negatives of implementing different regenerative agriculture methods?
- How do crop yields from regenerative agriculture differ from conventional agriculture?
- How can researchers work with farmers to ensure policies are evidenced-led and drive the transition to a more sustainable agricultural future?
Speakers included:

Dr Roy Neilson, soil ecologist at the James Hutton Institute

Dr Jennifer Dodsworth, social science researcher at University of Oxford and tenant hill farmer

Dr Lucie Büchi, researcher in crop and weed ecology at The Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Homes England and Octopus Real Estate launch £150m Greener Homes Alliance phase 2
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Homes England and Octopus Real Estate launch £150m Greener Homes Alliance phase 2

The renewed alliance will reinforce a responsibility to support small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders, while encouraging greener building practices.
Octopus Real Estate supported by Homes England

Homes England has joined with Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Investments and a leading specialist real estate investor and lender, to create the Greener Homes Alliance 2.

The alliance will commit £150 million of funding, £42 million of which will be provided by the Agency’s Home Building Fund. This will provide small and medium-sized (SME) housebuilders with further loan finance enabling even more high-quality, energy efficient homes to be built across England.

The first phase of the alliance launched in 2021, as part of broader efforts to expand the supply of finance available to SMEs, and funded over 550 much needed, new sustainable homes across the country. More than 40% of the homes built during phase one achieved an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of A, and 100% secured a Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) score higher than 86, significantly higher than the UK average EPC rating of D and SAP score of 67.

Phase one of the Greener Homes Alliance made a significant impact, with 20 loans completed totalling £150million – an average loan size to SME developers of £7.5 million.

Phase two of the Greener Homes Alliance will seek to support the creation of more sustainable homes by introducing ten new criteria, four of which must be met for developers to benefit from a 1.25% discount on their interest rate. If six or more criteria are met, developers will be eligible for a 2% discount.

The new criteria for phase two will include the use of mixed methods of construction (MMC) in the fabric of buildings and a real living wage paid to workers on site. It will also encourage borrowers to support the Lighthouse Charity, a leader in mental health within the construction industry.

To qualify for funding from the alliance in the first place, all schemes must deliver specific key performance indicators as a minimum. Developers must ensure that all homes built are fossil fuel free and have an average SAP score of 85 or above.

Marcus Ralling, Chief Investment Officer at Homes England said:

Small and medium housebuilders play a vital and essential role in driving the delivery of much needed, new and sustainable homes.

This extended Alliance is an excellent example of how we are working with partners like Octopus Real Estate to support the SME housebuilders that are crucial to building a diverse and resilient housing sector.

Andy Scott, Co-Head of Debt, Octopus Real Estate, added:

We are extremely proud of the impact our Greener Homes Alliance initiative has had when it comes to supporting developers looking to make greener decisions for their projects, and we’ve spent a lot of time working out the new criteria with Homes England to make sure the next phase is as impactful as possible.

At Octopus, our mission is to reimagine real estate through the delivery of high-quality, sustainable places for people to live that are fit for the future and address societal needs such as fuel poverty. Working with esteemed government agencies to enact real change for the developers who have the expertise and capability to deliver such homes is a huge part of this.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy efficient a property is, giving a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) that is valid for 10 years. An EPC contains information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs and steps to improve a property’s energy efficiency.

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for the energy rating of dwellings) is the methodology currently used by the government to estimate the energy performance of homes. A SAP score provides a rating between 1 and 100, this range is then divided into categories A (best) to G (worst).

The new criteria introduced for phase two will include:

An average SAP score of 92+ (EPC A)

More than 90% of waste from the site avoids landfill

Biodiversity Net Gain of over 20%

More than 50% of new homes will be Zero Bills ready

Regeneration of a brownfield site

Potable water usage reduced to less than 110L per person per day

Use of Mixed Methods of Construction (MMC) in the fabric of the building

The Real Living Wage must be paid to all workers on site

The borrower to support Lighthouse Charity, a leader in mental health within the construction industry

More than 25% of units to be affordable built on-site, or in line with local social housing plans

All schemes must also deliver the following KPIs as a minimum:

All homes to be fossil fuel free

Every scheme to have average SAP score of 85+

About Homes England

We are the government’s housing and regeneration Agency, and we’re here to drive the creation of more affordable, quality homes and thriving places so that everyone has a place to live and grow.

We make this happen by working in partnership with thousands of organisations of all sizes, using our powers, expertise, land, capital and influence to bring investment to communities and get more quality homes built.

Learn more about us: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/homes-england/about

Press Office Contact Details

Email: media@homesengland.gov.uk

Phone: 0207 874 8262

About Octopus Real Estate

Octopus Real Estate, part of Octopus Investments, is a specialist real estate investor and lender delivering quality, sustainable places to live for every stage of life. Through our role as an investor, lender, and landlord, we fund the entire lifecycle of real estate ─ reimagining its future.

We have more than £3.7bn in real estate assets and secured lending, working with our partners to deliver greener homes for people to buy or rent, increase the supply of genuinely affordable housing, and build communities that meet the aspirations of elderly people. We also transform underused land and properties that require regeneration and redevelopment.

We believe that real, lasting change can only be achieved if businesses invest in the right way. We work with people who share our values and take our responsibilities to the communities we serve seriously. Together, we’re harnessing change to build a better tomorrow.

About Lighthouse

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is the only charity that provides emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support to the construction community and their families.

Our mission is to ensure that our construction community can easily access the emotional, physical and financial wellbeing support they need and to develop healthy and sustainable futures for this generation and the next.

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Published 2 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Parents to save thousands through school-based nursery places
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Parents to save thousands through school-based nursery places

300 new school-based nurseries approved in first round of funding, delivering on manifesto pledge with massive boost to early education.
Families across the country are set to benefit from thousands of new nursery places from September, as the government delivers the change that people voted for by confirming the first wave of 300 school-based nurseries.

The measures will help parents get to work, increasing access to childcare when they need it, and supports the government’s promise to put more cash in their pockets. The rollout of 30 government-funded hours of childcare will save parents up to £7,500 on average, while £450 per year will be saved through free breakfast clubs in schools.

Funding for the programme has been more than doubled to £37 million — marking an important milestone in the expanded childcare rollout. Alongside introducing universal free breakfast clubs in all primary schools, the government’s plans will ensure children of all ages start the day ready to learn.

The new or expanded nurseries will ensure children can access high-quality early education and get the best start in life as part of the government’s Plan for Change, delivering on its manifesto pledge for thousands of school-based nurseries across the country by the end of this Parliament.

The first 300 school-based nurseries will be located in towns and cities across the country, from Exeter to North Tyneside. Overall, they will offer an average of 20 places per site and up to 6,000 new places in total, with up to 4,000 set to be available by the end of September.

School-based nurseries are already making a difference in communities across the country. The majority of new nurseries opening as part of this phase are in the North or Midlands, including around one in ten in the North East – increasing access to childcare in cold spots and supporting the communities that need it most.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:

Delivering on our promise of a better early years system is my top priority, which is why we’ve more than doubled our investment in this first phase so thousands more children can benefit from a high-quality early education from this September.

We said we’d act, and now we have. But this is just the beginning – we’ve set a hugely important milestone to get tens of thousands more children every year school-ready by age 5 as part of our Plan for Change.

We’re raising the bar for early years, delivering on our manifesto commitments and building a system that gives every child the best start in life.

This comes as new research released last month shows that early education is vital for children’s development and school readiness, particularly for those who may need extra support.

School-based early education tends to be more inclusive – with a higher proportion of children with special educational needs than other settings.

And in areas where deprivation is higher, having early years provision embedded within a primary school helps children settle into learning in a familiar and trusted environment.

According to the IFS, teachers report that this continuity supports children’s development, strengthens relationships with families, and leads to smoother transitions into Reception — helping to close development gaps before they widen.

Alex Armstrong, Headteacher at Bloemfontein Primary School who will be using their allocated funding to open a new baby room on site said:

We wanted to address the shortage of nursery places in our local area and to provide the community with high-quality early education for our youngest learners. This funding will enable us to transform unused school space into an engaging and vibrant environment, offering year-round childcare for children from birth to five.

There are so many benefits to school-based nursery provision, including continuity for children and their families and the opportunity to develop expert-led learning which will provide our children with strong foundations for lifelong success.

Jason Elsom, Chief Executive of Parentkind said:

Parents often struggle with finding good quality childcare, and many will welcome this investment, especially as parents with more than one child may be saved from the mad dash from nursery to school in the morning and afternoon.

With more reach into the lives of parents and schools than any other charity, we know that childcare is a major headache for parents with young children, from the exorbitant cost, to finding a reliable local place for their children.

Some of the best performing schools are now expanding into early years to deliver an excellent education, and the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant will enable even more schools to help the children in their care to be school ready before moving from nursery to reception, giving them the best start in life.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

There should be no higher priority for government than investment in the early years. The evidence is clear that high quality early education can make a lasting difference to children’s lives, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

It is therefore extremely positive to see the first wave of new and expanded school-based nurseries being announced today. Schools play a vital role in the early years ecosystem, and this should help strengthen that further.

As part of wider work to break down barriers to opportunity for every family, from this week providers are due to benefit from the largest ever uplift to the Early Years Pupil Premium, helping ensure the most disadvantaged children are accessing the high-quality early years education they need. This is part of an over £2 billion extra investment going into the sector next year, bringing total investment to over £8 billion.

DfE media enquiries

Central newsdesk – for journalists 020 7783 8300

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Published 2 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK to tackle Western Balkan migrant transit routes and serious organised crime with closer ties in the region
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

UK to tackle Western Balkan migrant transit routes and serious organised crime with closer ties in the region

Foreign Secretary David Lammy travels to Kosovo and Serbia to strengthen cooperation on tackling irregular migration and serious organised crime
New cooperation agreement with Serbia to smash the gangs at the heart of irregular migration crisis and secure UK borders ahead of hosting major Western Balkans diplomatic summit this Autumn

UK-supplied tech used in Kosovo to stop illicit goods and vulnerable people from reaching British shores and break the model of the criminal gangs

UK and European security also top of agenda with a visit to British troops part of NATO’s Peacekeeping mission at a time of increased volatility

Britain is taking the fight directly to people smugglers and criminal gangs who have turned the Western Balkans into a major transit route for irregular migration and serious organised crime, the Foreign Secretary will tell partners on a visit to the region this week.

With almost 22,000 people recorded using the Western Balkans to transit into Europe last year, the Foreign Secretary will meet with counterparts to strengthen UK-Serbian cooperation by signing an Organised Immigration Crime agreement, first agreed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the European Political Community. This will mean both countries can share information more quickly and directly to combat and disrupt organised immigration crime. David Lammy will also hear directly from female survivors of human trafficking.

This forms part of the government’s approach to tackle the problem at every step of the people smuggling journey, working with neighbouring countries to combine resources and share intelligence and tactics.

Ahead of the Berlin Process Summit, a diplomatic meeting to deliver on the government’s plan for change through closer security ties and greater migration cooperation, David Lammy will see UK technology being used to detect drugs and weapons concealed in vehicles – alongside drones and cameras used to track popular smuggling routes and prevent people dangerously and illegally crossing borders.

The Foreign Secretary’s visit is the latest step to drive further action upstream and builds on the announcement of the world’s first sanction regime to target Organised Immigration Crime.

It comes after the Prime Minister and Home Secretary hosted the Organised Immigration Crime Summit in London this week as part of the toughest-ever international crackdown on people smuggling gangs and to deliver on working people’s priorities for secure borders. The Summit announced £30 million of funding to tackle supply chains, illicit finances and trafficking routes and an additional £3 million to enable the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to increase its capacity to prosecute organised international smugglers.

The Summit also saw the Prime Minister announce that more than 24,000 people with no right to be here in the UK have been removed since July – the highest rate of returns for eight years as the government begins to restore order to the immigration system.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

Criminal gangs have long exploited instability in the Western Balkans, parts of which have become a major transit route for irregular migration and serious organised crime. They are risking lives for profit and becoming increasingly violent in their determination to make as much money as possible.

This diabolical, lawless trade of smuggling vulnerable people is completely unacceptable and we are determined to end it as we secure the UK’s borders under our Plan for Change.

With the world becoming more dangerous and unpredictable, the Western Balkans is of critical importance to the UK and Europe’s collective security, and the UK remains committed to building resilience and stability in the region.

Across the region, external actors – including Russia – seek to exploit this fragility by fanning ethnic tensions, destabilising democracies and threatening the hard-won peace and stability.

UK expertise is set to strengthen the resilience of institutions against Russian and other malign influence – countering the threats of cyber-attacks, disinformation and interference in elections to stand up for freedom and democracy. On the visit, the Foreign Secretary will sign an agreement between the UK and Serbia which underlines the shared goal of a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace and countering malicious cyber actors.

The UK has a longstanding role and an important legacy in promoting security in the region including in Kosovo, where it has maintained a presence through NATO’s KFOR mission since 1999. The Foreign Secretary will meet with British troops on the ground who serve in KFOR, NATO’s largest overseas mission, which contributes to maintaining a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities in Kosovo.

The UK will host a meeting of Western Balkans leaders at the Berlin Process Summit in London in Autumn 2025 to support stability, security and economic co-operation, tackle gender inequality and violence against women and girls, and focus work to combat irregular migration transiting the region.

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Published 2 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major reforms to environmental regulation to boost growth and protect nature
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

Press release

Major reforms to environmental regulation to boost growth and protect nature

Government reforms will streamline and modernise regulation to unlock growth, deliver 1.5 million homes and do more for nature under the Plan for Change
A more dynamic, streamlined approach to environmental regulation will drive economic growth and safeguard nature under the Plan for Change, with reforms announced today (Wednesday 2 April) by the Environment Secretary Steve Reed.

It comes as a new review, commissioned by Steve Reed and led by Dan Corry, finds the current system of environmental regulation is outdated, inconsistent and highly complex – delivering for neither nature nor growth. The review concludes that a “bonfire” of regulations is not the solution; rather, it makes 29 recommendations for streamlining regulation, all of which the government is actively considering.

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Steve Reed said:

“Nature and the economy have both been in decline for too long. That changes today.

“As part of the Plan for Change, I am rewiring Defra and its arms-length bodies to boost economic growth and unleash an era of building while also supporting nature to recover.

“Dan Corry’s essential report gives us a strong set of common-sense recommendations for better regulation that will get Britain building.”

Nine key measures with the greatest impact for growth and nature recovery will be fast-tracked. Work has already begun on:

Lead regulator: A single, lead regulator for major infrastructure projects will end the merry-go-round of developers seeking planning approvals from multiple authorities who often disagree with each other – speeding up approvals and saving businesses millions in time and resource. This could include the recently approved Lower Thames Crossing, as well as future schemes like Heathrow expansion. Pilot projects trialling the approach will begin this year.

Revamping environmental guidance: Rapidly reviewing the existing catalogue of compliance guidance, including on protecting bats, will identify opportunities to remove duplication, ambiguity, or inconsistency.

Streamlined permits and guidance: Speeding up work to update the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 will allow regulators to make more sensible, risk-based decisions on which activities should be exempt from environmental permits, in some cases removing them altogether for low-risk and temporary projects. This will slash red tape for businesses, putting an end to delays that can slow down the decisions needed to get spades in the ground.

Planning permit portal: Defra will convene the environmental regulators to set out the work required to upgrade their digital systems for planning advice, including a single planning portal for all agencies. This will speed up planning applications, while building trust and transparency into the process.

New Defra Infrastructure Board: This will accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects by facilitating greater collaboration and stronger oversight within Defra and its arm’s-length bodies – unblocking barriers to development at an early stage.

More autonomy: Trusted nature groups will benefit from new freedoms to carry out conservation and restoration work without needing to apply for multiple permissions at every step of a project. A pilot collaboration between Natural England and the National Trust will allow Europe’s largest conservation charity to cut down on the high volume of applications for consents, permits and licences they must currently submit. This will eliminate bureaucratic hurdles, bringing their ambitious nature recovery programmes to life at scale, more quickly and easily than ever before.

Green finance boost: A new industry-funded Nature Market Accelerator will bring much needed coherence to nature markets, boosting investment into our natural habitats and driving growth. This will give businesses greater confidence to invest, unlocking a range of environmental benefits – from improved biodiversity to better water quality.

Strategic policy statements for regulators: Clearer guidance and measurable objectives for all Defra’s regulators, starting with Natural England and the Environment Agency, will drive performance improvements and focus delivery on government priorities. Progress will be closely monitored and reported on publicly – increasing transparency and accountability so the public can be confident that regulators are supporting, not blocking, development and nature restoration.

Rolling regulatory reform: A continuous programme of reform will be established to pinpoint rapid actions, quick wins, and longer-term areas for improvements to regulation.

Economist and former charity leader Dan Corry, who led the review, said:

“Our current system for environmental regulation lets down both nature and growth; we must focus on good outcomes and nature enhancement, not on rigidly preserving everything at any cost.

“This review clearly shows that simply scrapping regulations isn’t the answer – instead, we need modern, streamlined regulation that is easier for everyone to use. While short-term trade-offs may be needed, these reforms will ultimately deliver a win-win for both nature and economic growth in the longer run.”

Currently, nature groups, developers and farmers are forced to navigate and comply with a complex patchwork of over 3,500 regulations – many of which are out of date and duplicative – as well as multiple overlapping regulators, all while shelling out vast sums in legal costs. This rigid and archaic approach not only stunts growth but impedes large-scale nature recovery, holds up the delivery of homes and infrastructure and creates an unnecessary financial and administrative burden.

This government will no longer accept this as the status quo; regulators and regulation must work for the people of Britain, not get in the way of progress. Reforms will streamline and modernise the regulatory process to reduce bureaucracy and focus on outcomes at scale, rather than delays and paperwork. Measures which require spend will be considered in the context of the Spending Review; those requiring legislative changes will be reviewed in the round as part of the government’s wider legislative priorities. Further engagement with environmental groups, homebuilders, and a range of organisations across society where necessary will take place to ensure that any changes ensure development, growth, and nature restoration work hand-in-hand.

Today’s announcement is the latest step in Environment Secretary Steve Reed’s drive, under the Plan for Change, to reform and rewire Defra and its arm’s-length bodies to unleash economic growth and protect the environment.

Planning reforms and a new Nature Restoration Fund will unlock much needed housing delivery and infrastructure whilst supporting nature recovery at scale. It will help developers meet their environmental obligations more efficiently, making it easier to build vital infrastructure like wind farms, railways, and roads, gigafactories and data centres.

More widely, in recognition of nature’s decline in Britain, this Government has launched a rapid review to deliver on our legally binding environment targets, including halting the decline of species by 2030.

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Published 2 April 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Release: Labour supports Willie Apiata’s selfless act

Source: New Zealand Labour Party

Willie Apiata’s decision to hand over his Victoria Cross to the Minister for Veterans is a powerful and selfless act, made on behalf of all those who have served our country.

“Willie Apiata’s powerful gesture speaks for so many who served,” Labour veterans’ affairs spokesperson Greg O’Connor said.

“As someone who wears his police service medal with pride, I can understand the significance of Apiata’s selfless act. Labour stands ready to work with the Minister for Veterans and all parties to reform the veterans’ qualifying system.

“Let’s band together to fix the system over the longer term, regardless of political stripe.

“Our current system is outdated, unfair, and out of step with how our allies treat their service people. The law says that those who served after 1974 aren’t entitled to the same support as those who served before that date, creating a two-tiered system. Meanwhile, in Australia they have a much more consistent veterans’ support system.

“I would like to work with the Minister for Veterans on how we can better support veterans into the future,” Greg O’Connor said.

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MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Export Sector – Entries open for 2025 Hawke’s Bay Export Awards

Source: Business Central

The ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards are returning in 2025 to recognise the successes of local businesses on the world stage. Now in its 11 th year, the Export Awards is a celebration of outstanding exporters in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne region and their contribution to the wider economy.

Details of the ExportNZ ASB Export Awards were announced today by ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay Executive Officer, Amanda Liddle:

“These awards are a recognition of the incredible mahi of exporters across the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay region, who continue to deliver excellence in spite of several challenging years,” Liddle says.

“The Government has a goal of doubling the value of New Zealand exports in a decade. These awards showcase the outstanding efforts of businesses who are well on the way.

“A new category has been added this year, the NZME Service to Export Award, which is nominations based. It recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the export industry.

“The awards are a great way to not only celebrate businesses making their way on the world stage but to also acknowledge the people who make a real difference to the export community,” Liddle says.

Continuing awards include the ContainerCo Best Emerging Business Award (turnover under $5 million a year) and T&G Global Best Established Business Award (turnover of more than $5 million a year).

Also back for another year is the popular Napier Port Unsung Heroes Award, which recognises individuals who go above and beyond in their role to support the business and the export community. Anyone can nominate a person for this category.

ExportNZ is also pleased to welcome ZIWI as sponsors of the ZIWI Excellence in Innovation Award, just months after the company was crowned ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Exporter of the Year in 2024.

Hannah Christensen, Chief People, Sustainability and External Relations Officer at ZIWI, says the company is delighted to continue its relationship with ExportNZ as sponsors in 2025:

“ZIWI is proud to stand alongside our industry peers within the vibrant Hawke’s Bay export community,” says Christensen.

“The hard-working manufacturers and producers of this region thrive due to their passion and commitment for innovation. We could not be better placed to sponsor the ZIWI Excellence in Innovation Award, as pioneers of our own world-leading Air-dried technology, ensuring ZIWI stands head-and-shoulders above our international competitors.

“We can’t wait to celebrate with this year’s winners and once again be part of this special event for the region,” Christensen said.

Any exporter located from Gisborne to Pahiatua is eligible to enter the ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards. Judging criteria includes core operations and achievements related to export activities, and award entrants will also receive site visits by the judging panel.

All category winners will be eligible to win the supreme award, ASB Exporter of the Year. The winner, along with the other category winners, will go on to the New Zealand International Business Awards in November.

Entries for the awards close on the 5 th of June, with site visits taking place late June and early July. Finalists will be announced on the 7 th of July, with the Awards Gala Dinner on the 31 st July at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.

The Awards’ judging panel this year comprises of Wayne Norrie ONZM; ASB Head of International Trade; Mike Atkins; and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Head of Focus Customers Dan Taylor. The team are excited to welcome back Dash Group’s Sarah Sherriff, from Icebreaker, Fix and Fogg and Whitakers fame.

Principal sponsor and judge Mike Atkins, ASB Head of International Trade, said he’s looking forward to this year’s awards:

“We are delighted to support the Export Awards again this year,” said Atkins.

“It is an opportunity to celebrate the people and businesses taking Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne to the world. This year’s judges will have a difficult job on their hands as the region’s export sector is recovering strongly.”

ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay’s Amanda Liddle said exporters are achieving success in spite of challenging times:

“Geo-political tensions are the highest they’ve been in a long time, and exporters have to navigate their way through the frequently changing trade policies in offshore markets.

“The region is however in full production mode, with reports that it is going to be a fantastic harvest for our pip fruit sector, farmers fetching better meat prices, timber mills in production, and our businesses affected by Gabrielle starting to get back on their feet.

“If businesses are looking for a way to celebrate the hard work of their team, then this is it. It’s quick and easy to enter and always a rewarding experience.

“With so many developments shaping the trade landscape, it is more important than ever for exporters to stay engaged and prepared for the opportunities and challenges ahead,” Liddle said.

ExportNZ would like to thank Hawke’s Bay Airport for sponsoring the gala dinner. It would also like to acknowledge fellow sponsors New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Heretaunga Hastings District Council, Napier City Council and Craggy Range Winery for their support of the awards.

Entry forms, criteria requirements and registration forms for the Awards dinner are available on the ExportNZ website, www.exportnz.org.nz

ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay is overseen by Business Central, which represents 3,500 employers across the lower North Island and Nelson. Business Central provides employer, health and safety, and human resources advice, and advocates for policies that reflect the interests of the business community.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: ChildFund Brings Clean Water to Thousands in Remote Solomon Islands
Source: ChildFund New Zealand
ChildFund New Zealand CEO and team met with Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele of Solomon Islands, community leaders, and the Premier of the Provincial government of Temotu the Honourable Stanley Tehi, to design the next phase of clean water and nutrition projects funded by the New Zealander public and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“Aid budgets are being cut globally, and the impact of aid is being questioned. Organisations like ChildFund must demonstrate how we make a measurable difference with New Zealand’s aid,” says Josie Pagani, CEO of ChildFund.

“Everything we do is led and owned by local leaders, nationally and at the community level, which gives our programmes the best chance of making a long-term difference. Locals know their communities best.”

Solomon Islands has one of the highest rates of child stunting in the world, with one-third of children under the age of fiveaffected by stunting (impaired physical growth and brain development) due to lack of nutritious food during pregnancy and the first year.

Too many children get sick, or worse, die from diseases like dysentery from drinking unclean water. Infant mortality rates are high. Eighteen out of 1000 children die before the age of five, compared with about four in every 1000 in New Zealand.

“These statistics are entirely preventable. With better access to clean water and nutritious food, we can turn them around.”

ChildFund is working with Greenergy Pacific, its local partner in Temotu, to deliver clean water to 18 villages that have no access to running water at the moment.

Prime Minister Hon. Jeremiah Manele expressed gratitude to ChildFund New Zealand for its continued support in addressing key development challenges that remain critical in rural Solomon Islands, including access to water, education, renewable energy, and skills training.

ChildFund CEO and Greenergy Pacific CEO, Sharon Inone, were also invited to attend the opening Assembly (parliament) of the Provincial Government. ChildFund is the first international NGO to be invited onto the floor of the Assembly to sit with ministers and MPs.

“This demonstrates the deep trust and commitment to partnership between ChildFund and the Provincial Government. We don’t arrive with a list of our own ideas. We get behind the plans of the national and local governments, and support local community organisations like Greenergy Pacific to implement these water and food projects.”

ChildFund’s work in Solomon Islands includes the following:
Rebuilding the Nembo water pipe network in Temotu and replacing the broken diesel generator with a solar-powered pump, to bring clean running water to 18 villages

Working with local experts to improve soil quality and grow diverse food crops in schools and community gardens

Training counsellors and youth workers to support mental health

Supporting local groups in their campaign to make child marriage illegal

Supporting a physical ‘women’s refuge’, and a hotline for help, for those escaping domestic violence
“This trip will help us to design the next few years of activities, and expand our clean water and nutrition projects to more villages, as well as do more to support young people to upskill and generate their own incomes. Knowing that we are aligned with the Solomon Islands’ plans for its own development is what will make these programmes successful.”
MIL OSI New Zealand News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Greenpeace bringing free drinking water nitrate testing to Ashburton District this weekend

Source: Greenpeace

Greenpeace Aotearoa will be offering its free drinking water testing service in Ashburton and Methven this Friday and Sunday. This is the first time the organisation’s water testing programme has returned to the Ashburton area since 2023, when 77% of samples had elevated levels of nitrate.

Greenpeace campaigner Will Appelbe says, “Everybody, no matter where they live, should know the water coming out of their tap is safe to drink. But for 20% of the country, especially those living in rural areas, that’s not always the case.

“Canterbury is a hotspot of freshwater contamination in Aotearoa. Many communities are drinking water that is contaminated with elevated levels of nitrate, which can pose health risks.”

A growing body of research shows that nitrate levels in drinking water well below the current legal limits – as low as 1 mg/L NO3-N – can increase the risk of bowel cancer. Last year, drinking water samples from Oxford and Darfield tested at or above 5 mg/L of nitrate, the level which has been associated with an increased risk of pre-term birth. The current maximum allowable value, which was set in the 1950s, is 11.3 mg/L.

“We’re particularly concerned about households on private bores. Previous testing events have found samples with levels as high as 25 mg/L of nitrate contamination in people’s drinking water. These people are often unaware that the water coming out of their kitchen tap is unsafe.”

“I have lived in Canterbury my whole life and seen how the land has been transformed in just a few decades. There are simply too many cows, and it has contaminated the groundwater that Canterbury communities rely on for drinking water.”

“The long-term solution is to phase out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser and move to more sustainable farming practices. As the regulator, Environment Canterbury must take leadership on this. And if they’re unwilling, impacted communities can vote to make a difference later this year at the local elections.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: The consumer carbon tax is gone: Minister Nally
Source: Government of Canada regional news (2)
“The time has come. After years of relentless pressure from our government, the federal conservatives and other provincial governments across Canada, the federal government has finally scrapped its punishing consumer carbon tax that has wreaked havoc on Canadians’ personal finances.

“With the removal of this costly tax, Alberta drivers will save an average of $215 per year at the pumps. Our government expects that retailers will pass these tax savings on to Albertans in full.

“We do not want the removal of the federal government’s consumer carbon tax to be a phony tax, so we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to ensure Alberta drivers are not being gouged at the pumps.

“We will be monitoring and reviewing pump prices for any wrongdoing, and take action if needed. Businesses found guilty of price gouging can be fined by the courts up to $300,000 or receive up to two years of jail time.”

Quick Facts:
- Albertans can report suspected unfair practices to the Report a Rip-off line at 1-877-427-4088.
MIL OSI Canada News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads SASC Hearing on Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Nomination

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today chaired a hearing examining the nomination of Lieutenant General (ret.) John D. Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

In his opening statement, Chairman Wicker underscored the tremendous responsibility that Lt. Gen. Caine would have if confirmed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. As the Chinese Communist Party continues an expansive military buildup and the other three members of the Axis of Aggressors – Russia, Iran, and North Korea – continue to band together in opposition to the United States, Chairman Wicker noted that Lt. Gen. Caine will work to give strong and decisive military advice to President Trump.

Chairman Wicker also praised Caine’s diverse background as a former intelligence community liaison, defense technology innovator, as well as his experience both in the active-duty and national guard components of the Air Force. This track record would serve him exceptionally well as the President’s principal military advisor in a complex threat environment, Chairman Wicker argued.

As for the proper role of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs within the national defense decision-making complex ecosystem, Chairman Wicker noted that he had utmost confidence in Caine’s ability to remain nonpartisan and retain the trust of President Trump.

Read Senator Wicker’s hearing opening statement as delivered below.

This morning, the committee meets to consider the nomination of retired Lieutenant General Dan Caine for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Caine has a tremendous responsibility before him. I believe President Trump has made an excellent choice in selecting him to meet the challenges, so I thank General Caine for his willingness to serve our country, especially in this hour of need.

We live in the most dangerous national security moment since World War II. An Axis of Aggressors, led by the Chinese Communist Party and Vladimir Putin’s Russia, means us harm. This axis does not want this century to be an American-led century or a freedom-led century. Our adversaries have started two wars against Ukraine and Israel. They threaten to open a third front against Taiwan.

We must restore peace, and we can do that only through strength. Since his nomination was announced, some people have written that General Caine is unqualified. They point out that he has not served as a combatant commander, as a service chief, or as a vice chairman – roles which are contemplated in 10 USC 152.

I would suggest these same people read or reread the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986. Those who read that law and then read General Caine’s resume will see that the architects of that legislation would conclude that their reforms were successful.

The driving force behind Goldwater-Nichols was to inspire and, in some cases, require jointness. So, let’s talk about jointness with regard to Lieutenant General Caine. They believe that when our military services work together, those services are greater than the sum of their parts. General Caine agrees, and his record reflects that.

He began his career as an Air Force fighter pilot in 1992. By the time he was done, General Caine had operated in every domain, and he had developed relationships with every service. That would not have been true 40 years ago. General Caine flew and commanded aircraft, but he’s also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, having helped in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in the midst of a bird flu outbreak. At the White House, General Caine wrote early homeland security strategies. He deployed and commanded repeatedly to Iraq and Syria, serving within various special operations forces units. He ran our most secretive programs for all military services. General Caine worked extensively as the CIA’s senior military officer, again collaborating with every military service and combatant command.

It’s difficult to imagine a better joint and interagency background for a nominee of this position. Our threat environment is complex, and General Caine understands how the services can work together to meet today’s dangers. We have much work to do, as this committee knows. We need to grow our defense budget. We need to reform the Pentagon’s processes drastically.

If confirmed, General Kaine would play a significant role in providing military advice to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States on both of those topics. In particular, the Chairman plays a significant role in the requirements process. I hope he will make a priority to modernize this critical aspect.

The statutory role of the chairman may be limited, but the position is explicitly the voice of the combatant commanders. That voice matters because the commanders are largely absent from our requirements and budgeting processes.

The Chairman can and should also be an advocate for a more agile planning process – one that considers the problems. And I’m going to use two big words here: the problems of simultaneity and protracted warfare – I guess that’s three big words and two big terms. These are technical terms for fairly straightforward facts. First, that our adversaries are likely to act against us in a coordinated fashion – simultaneity. And secondly, that once that war breaks out it tends to take on a life of its own – protracted warfare.

Lastly, a Chairman is responsible to deliver a serious, honest Chairman’s risk assessment to this committee as soon as possible. I look forward to General Caine’s thoughts on each of these points.

Based on my conversations with the nominee, and based on his actions in uniform, I’m confident that General Caine will give President Trump his best military advice. He will do so without bias, as he’s required to do. He would not consider whether the president may like or dislike that advice that’s exactly what a United States president deserves.

I’m convinced that General Caine sees this role as absolutely nonpartisan. We can argue politics up here on this dais, but I expect General Caine to stay out of it, no matter the subject.

I thank the nominee for his service and for appearing today, and I turn now to my friend and colleague Ranking Member Reed for his opening remarks.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Dr. Oz’s Confirmation, Senators Urge Crackdown on Private Medicare Insurers that Scam Patients, Price Gouge Taxpayers
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

April 01, 2025

Senators call for ending contracts, limiting enrollment for Medicare Advantage insurers that defraud seniors and taxpayers

“The most effective step the Administration can take in cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in federal health care programs is by reining in the wasteful practices of corporate health insurers in the MA program.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a group of Senate Democrats in writing to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Stephanie Carlton, Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), urging them to crackdown on abuses by private insurers in Medicare Advantage (MA) that overcharge taxpayers, raise costs for patients, and create barriers to access care.

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) joined in signing the letter.

While the MA program was founded on the premise that private insurers could administer Medicare more cost-efficiently than the federal government, the program has failed to deliver savings in any year since its inception. In fact, in 2024 alone, private insurers in the program overcharged taxpayers by $83 billion relative to Traditional Medicare, while overpayments to private insurers in MA are expected to total $1.2 trillion dollars over the next decade.

Despite these massive taxpayer overpayments, private insurers in MA routinely slow down and deny medically necessary care for patients that otherwise would be approved under Traditional Medicare. MA patients are also more likely to be given inadequate care due to profit-padding insurance tactics, including early hospital discharges and shorter lengths of stay in care settings like nursing homes.

“At a time when Americans are paying nearly $26,000 per family in premiums per year, while the largest US insurer made $23 billion in annual profits, reining in profiteering could not be more important,” wrote the senators.

Ahead of CMS finalizing the 2026 Medicare Advantage Rate Notice (2026 Rate Notice), which sets payment rates for insurers in the program, the senators asked CMS to make four key reforms to the Medicare Advantage rules:
1. Eliminate waste and abuse from overpayments: CMS should finalize and adopt new rules for how risk adjustment is calculated, which will limit insurers’ misuse of diagnosis codes and save taxpayers $3.4 billion. Additionally, CMS should take the necessary enforcement actions, including restricting future enrollment in plans that engage in fraud and terminating MA plan contracts, to ensure MA organizations report and return overpayments in a timely manner.
2. Strengthen enforcement against MA insurers that illegally deny care: CMS should conduct strong oversight and enforcement when reviewing and approving MA benefits to ensure they adequately cover patients and do not subject enrollees to inappropriate and unnecessary barriers to care, like incorrect prior authorization determinations. About 50 million prior authorization requests were required by MA insurers in 2023, most commonly for higher cost, urgent services such as chemotherapy, inpatient hospital stays, and skilled nursing facility stays.
3. Address additional barriers to care: CMS should develop new regulations to crack down on MA insurer’s use of artificial intelligence programs, which have been used to incorrectly deny life-saving care and dangerously discharge patients early. The senators also pressed CMS to hold MA insurers accountable for using “ghost” networks to restrict care for seniors and people with disabilities.
4. Enact reforms to reduce disparities in care: The lawmakers urged lawmakers to take steps to improve disparities in care across race, ethnicity, and ability.
“These actions are crucial to improve health outcomes and ensure Medicare’s sustainability for future generations,” concluded the senators.

Senator Warren is a leading voice on reining in abuses in Medicare Advantage and protecting patients:
- In March 2025, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren pressed Dr. Oz on taxpayer fraud committed by private, for-profit insurers in the Medicare Advantage program. Dr. Oz agreed with Senator Warren that cracking down on private health insurers in Medicare Advantage will “improve the health care of the American people.”
- In March 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), pressing him on his serious conflicts of interest. Dr. Oz has long been tied to Medicare Advantage insurers, which would benefit if he successfully privatizes Medicare, and which have paid him to encourage his show’s viewers to enroll in private Medicare plans.
- In January 2025, in a Fox News Digital op-ed, Senator Elizabeth Warren outlined her recommendations for cutting government waste to make government more efficient and save taxpayers money, including by rooting out corruption by Medicare Advantage insurers.
- In January 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent Elon Musk, Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a letter detailing over 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade, including by curbing abuse by Medicare Advantage insurers that overcharge taxpayers.
- In December, 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) urged the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to finalize rules to curb overpayments to private insurers in Medicare Advantage.
- In December 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren led a group of Congressional Democrats in a letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, raising stark concerns about his advocacy to eliminate Traditional Medicare and his deep financial ties to the private health insurers that would benefit from that move.
- In June 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Trade Commission, calling out high health care costs due to vertically-integrated insurers, private equity companies, and pharmaceutical companies that are driving health care consolidation. The letter came in response to the three agencies’ March 2024 cross-government inquiry into the impacts of corporate greed in health care, and highlights examples of abusive and anticompetitive behavior by companies in the health care industry.
- In May 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Warren called out private insurers in Medicare Advantage for accelerating the rural hospital crisis.
- In March 2024, Senators Warren and Brown led their colleagues in a letter to HHS and CMS that urged the agencies to protect seniors by holding insurance companies accountable for abuses in Medicare Advantage.
- In January 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) sent a letter to CMS, urging the agency to take administrative action to curb billions in overpayments to MA insurers.
- In December 2023, Senators Warren, Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to the CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, raising concerns about shortfalls in CMS’s data collection and reporting practices for MA plans, and urging CMS to close data gaps to strengthen oversight of MA plans and improve care for Medicare beneficiaries.
- In November 2023, Senators Warren, Cortez Masto, Cassidy, and Blackburn introduced bipartisan legislation to improve transparency of MA plans and ensure these plans are best serving the health care needs of America’s seniors. The Encounter Data Enhancement Act would require Medicare Advantage plans to report important information about how much they are actually paying for patient services and how much patients are responsible for paying out-of-pocket.
- In November 2023, at a Senate Finance Committee markup of the Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, Senator Warren highlighted the need to do more to prioritize hearing health for seniors and strengthen transparency in Medicare Advantage, and secured commitments from Senate Finance Committee leadership to prioritize these proposals in future packages.
- In October 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren called out giant MA insurers for using deceptive marketing tactics to lure seniors into the wrong plans and drown out competition from smaller insurers that may offer better coverage. Senator Warren called on CMS to act within the fullest extent of its authority to crack down on MA insurers that game the system to overcharge the government and to ensure insurers publish accurate data on patient care and out-of-pocket costs.
- In May 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren highlighted the prevalence of ghost networks in Medicare Advantage plans and called for stronger oversight of the program.
- In March 2023, Senator Warren sounded the alarm on a new analysis by policy experts showing that all Medicare beneficiaries – including those enrolled in Traditional Medicare – are paying higher premiums due to overpayments in MA. She sent a letter to CMS and called on the agency to finalize its proposed rule to ensure payments to MA plans accurately reflect the cost of care.
- In March 2023, U.S. Senators Warren and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) sent letters to the top seven MA insurers – Humana, Centene, UnitedHealthcare, CVS/Aetna, Molina, Elevance Health, and Cigna – regarding their questionable claims that CMS’s 2024 proposed Medicare Advantage payment rules would hurt beneficiaries.
- In March 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Warren defended CMS’s proposed adjustments to the Calendar Year 2024 MA payment rates, pushing back against giant insurance companies and their lobbyists who are peddling misinformation to protect their billions in profits and scare beneficiaries into opposing the rule.
- In April 2022, Senator Warren and Representatives Katie Porter (D-Calif.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) led their colleagues in sending a letter to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure highlighting concerns about overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans that line the pockets of big insurance companies.
- In February 2022, chairing a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Warren delivered remarks about strengthening Medicare and cracking down on pharmaceutical and insurance companies’ corporate greed to pay for expanded coverage.
MIL OSI USA News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Warren Secures Ethics Commitment from Joint Chiefs of Staff Nominee

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

April 01, 2025

Lieutenant General Caine tells Senator Warren he has “no intent” to work for major defense contractors or companies impacted by his official actions.

Video of Exchange (YouTube)

Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) secured an ethics commitment from Lieutenant General John D. Caine, President Trump’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On February 21, President Trump fired General Charles “C.Q.” Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and named Lieutenant General as his choice to be the new chairman. When asked if he would work for any major defense contractors or companies that are affected by his official actions after he resigns, Lieutenant General Caine stated, “I’ve got no intent to do so.”

Senator Warren previously secured a commitment from General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., President Biden’s nominee to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that he would agree not to become a defense industry lobbyist or receive compensation from a defense contractor for four years.

In February, Defense Secretary Hegseth fired the top legal advisors for the military services and indicated their replacements would be of a lower rank. Lieutenant General Caine said that he agreed that military commanders need legal advisors with both enough expertise and a high enough rank that they will be listened to during this process.

Transcript: Hearing to examine the nomination of Lieutenant General John D. Caine (Retired), to be general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense
Senate Armed Services Committee
April 1, 2025

Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and congratulations.

So, if confirmed, you would serve as the principal military advisor to the President and swear an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. President Trump once described your predecessor, General C.Q. Brown, as “an outstanding leader,” and it’s true. C.Q. Brown served for 40 years in seven assignments across four combatant commands. The president’s removal of the only Black officer and removal of the only female officer from the Joint Chiefs of Staff has sent a chilling message about who is and who is not welcome in our military.

This worries me deeply about the future of our military and the defense of our nation. I am also concerned that President Trump wants to turn the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs into just another political position. Last year, President Trump claimed that you once said you would kill for him, and then you slapped a MAGA hat on. I know that others have disputed that story, but it raises questions about whether you were selected because Donald Trump thinks that you would be loyal to him rather than to the Constitution of the United States. Secretary Hegseth has now removed the top legal advisors for military services and recommended replacements at a lower rank.

So, Lieutenant General Caine, if confirmed, your job will be to present your best military advice. Do you agree that in order to be able to comply with the law and make sure that your advice complies with the law, military commanders need legal advisors with both enough expertise and a high enough rank that they will be listened to during this process?

Lieutenant General John D. Caine: I do, Senator. I know I’ve always had great legal advice regardless of what rank they were, but I do agree.

Senator Warren: So, you think that they need—you need—people who have good advice. But do you think it helps in making sure that others—I’m glad that you listen to good advice no matter where it comes from—but that others are more willing to listen if the people offering legal advice have high enough rank to carry some weight in the room when those decisions are taking place?

Lieutenant General Caine: I do, senator, although I’ve, as I mentioned, I’ve sincerely had great legal advice from 05 to 07, and I think it’s the human, the officer, and their professionalism and intellect versus what rank they have. I do appreciate the efforts to ask the question about what rank they should be but would defer to the Secretary on what rank he would want them to be.

Senator Warren: I have to say that that gives me some real concern, because the whole point of elevating the rank was the concern that not enough people were listening to good legal advice. And while I appreciate that you say you listen, we need people to listen who are making decisions up and down the line.

I understand, Lieutenant General Caine, that the circumstances of your nomination are beyond your control, but they also place a significant burden on you to show leadership, to restore public confidence in the military and to show that you work for the American people.

I’ve long been concerned by senior Pentagon leaders who trade on their time in public service to cash out afterwards to work for defense contractors. And that is why, during his confirmation hearing, General Brown agreed that he would not become a lobbyist or join the board of a defense contractor after he resigned.

Lieutenant General Caine, are you willing to demonstrate that you’re taking this job to serve the American people and commit that after you leave this job, you will not work for any major defense contractors or companies that are affected by your official actions?

Lieutenant General Caine: Senator for myself, I’ve got no intent to do so.

Senator Warren: Okay, so you can commit to that?

Lieutenant General Caine: Yes, Senator, it’s not my intent.

Senator Warren: President Trump’s removal of highly qualified and talented military leaders is a permanent stain on this nation’s history, as well as a blow to our ability to recruit the force that we need to compete with China. If confirmed, you will have an important responsibility to show the American people that you will defend our nation with integrity, that you will follow the law, and that you will lead our men and women in uniform with integrity. Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Democratic Senators to Bondi: Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Signal Chat National Security Breach

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

Padilla, Democratic Senators to Bondi: Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Signal Chat National Security Breach

Senators to Attorney General: “These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined 30 Senate Democrats in urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate whether government officials violated federal criminal laws in connection with a reported security breach involving the commercial messaging app Signal. On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had inadvertently included him in a group Signal chat with several high-ranking national security officials. The group reportedly shared and discussed highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information via the unsecure Signal group chat.

“In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations,” wrote the Senators. “Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.”

The Signal group chat, started by Mr. Waltz, included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, and at least 18 other government officials. The group reportedly discussed not only the foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, but also real-time operational details, including the timing of planned attacks, types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and strike outcomes. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude, involving some of the highest-ranking officials in the federal government, constitutes the type of extraordinary circumstance the Special Counsel regulations were designed to address.

“These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike,” continued the Senators.

The Senators warned that the use of Signal for such communications may violate federal law. For example, grossly negligent handling national of national defense information can violate the Espionage Act. Additionally, the Federal Records Act requires preservation of certain government communications, and the destruction of such records may constitute a separate criminal offense. Statements made by the officials involved — in testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees — raise further concerns about possible violations of laws prohibiting false statements, perjury, inducement to perjury, and conspiracy to commit these offenses.

“During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to ‘an equal, fair system of justice’ if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that ‘no one is above the law.’ As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately,” concluded the Senators.

The letter was led by U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). In addition to Senator Padilla, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) also signed the letter.

Senator Padilla has been outspoken about the Trump Administration’s dangerous mishandling of sensitive and classified information. Last week, he called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign, citing his staggering incompetence and lack of judgment, carelessly exposing troops to greater danger.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Attorney General Bondi:

On March 24, The Atlantic’s editor in chief reported that President Trump’s National Security Advisor Michael Waltz had included him in a group message chain with several high-ranking national security officials where highly sensitive, classified, or controlled information was shared and discussed over Signal—an unsecure commercial messaging app. In addition to the reckless inclusion of a journalist in the chat, we are deeply concerned about this serious breach in the proper handling of such information and deliberations. Given the extraordinary circumstances of this shocking incident and the significant public interests at stake, it is imperative that you immediately appoint a Special Counsel to thoroughly and impartially investigate whether any of the government officials involved violated federal criminal law.

Appointment of a Special Counsel is appropriate where the Department may have a conflict of interest or extraordinary circumstances are present, a criminal investigation is warranted, and it is in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to investigate the matter. Such circumstances are clearly present here.

The Signal chat group started by Mr. Waltz included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe, among at least 18 other high-ranking government officials. In addition to discussing the sensitive foreign policy implications of military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, these officials proceeded to discuss key operational information regarding the precise timing of the planned attacks, the types of military aircraft and munitions to be used, and the targets and results of the strikes as they occurred. An unprecedented security breach of this magnitude involving top senior government officials presents the kind of extraordinary circumstances clearly contemplated by the Special Counsel regulations.

These officials conducted a highly sensitive discussion, including of clearly classified or controlled information, over the commercial messaging app Signal, including in some instances on personal devices and while traveling in foreign countries, rather than using the secure U.S. government channels and facilities that are designed and required for the sharing of such information. Despite subsequent claims to the contrary by you, President Trump, and several of the officials involved, including in testimony before Congress, some of the information they shared and discussed over Signal would almost certainly be considered classified or, at a minimum, controlled, prior to and in the immediate aftermath of an impending strike.

These shockingly reckless breaches of security protocols for safeguarding sensitive and classified information clearly warrant an investigation into whether any of the government officials involved violated federal laws pertaining to the proper safeguarding and preservation of such information. For example, gross negligence in handling national defense information may violate the Espionage Act. Importantly, other laws, including the Federal Records Act, require the preservation of certain government records. Signal allows users to schedule messages for deletion after certain time periods and Mr. Waltz appears to have set the chat messages to delete initially after one week and then later in the chat changed the setting to delete messages after four weeks. Destruction of government records or property may constitute a violation of various criminal statutes. Subsequent statements to Congress and testimony before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees by several of the officials involved raise additional concerns about potential violations of federal criminal laws that prohibit making false statements to Congress, committing perjury in testimony to Congress, inducing another person to commit perjury, or conspiring to commit any of the foregoing actions.

Even prior to his first Administration, President Trump campaigned for the need to prosecute and “lock up” individuals who allegedly “bypass government security” or “sent and received classified information on an insecure server.” Further, as an avowedly loyal and zealous advocate for the President, you echoed these same sentiments prior to your confirmation. Given the extraordinary nature of this security breach by senior Trump Administration officials, the likelihood that these actions needlessly endangered American lives and our nation’s security, the importance of putting our nation’s security before partisan political interests, and the range of federal criminal laws that may have been violated, it is imperative that the Department of Justice conduct a thorough investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine whether any criminal charges are warranted against any of the government officials involved.

During your confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you assured the American people that everyone will be held to “an equal, fair system of justice” if you were confirmed as Attorney General, and that “no one is above the law.” As the individuals most seriously implicated in this incident include senior officials at the highest levels, including several of your fellow cabinet members, appointment of a Special Counsel is necessary to ensure that the investigation and any ensuing prosecutions are fair, impartial, and independent and that no official, regardless of seniority or political affiliation, is above the law. The people of this country deserve the assurance that this matter will be taken seriously and addressed swiftly. To do so, we urge you to appoint a Special Counsel immediately.

MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez Sounds Alarm on USPS Privatization Threatening Rural New Mexico
Source: US Representative Gabe Vasquez’s (NM-02)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) warned that the Trump Administration’s push to dismantle the United States Postal Service (USPS) is a direct attack on rural New Mexico. In a letter, he expressed growing concern that President Trump’s proposal to fire the USPS Board of Governors and remove USPS’ status as an independent agency is widely seen as the first step toward privatization. Privatization of the USPS would result in slashed essential services and dramatically increased costs for families and small businesses across the state.

“If this plan moves forward, rural New Mexicans will be the first to suffer,” said Vasquez. “This is a blatant effort to gut the Postal Service, leaving seniors without their medications, small businesses without affordable shipping, and working families without reliable mail service. We cannot allow this administration to sell off a public service that millions depend on.”

The USPS operates a majority (57%) of its post offices in rural areas, covering nearly all (90%) of the country’s landmass. These locations are often the only reliable way for residents in small towns to receive mail, medications, and government checks. Privatization would almost certainly lead to post office closures, increased delivery costs, and slower service—hitting New Mexico’s rural communities the hardest.

“Families in Columbus, Truth or Consequences, and so many other towns rely on the Postal Service to deliver life-saving medications and critical mail. What happens when their post office closes because it’s not ‘profitable’ enough?” Vasquez continued. “The Trump administration is putting corporate profits ahead of the basic needs of working families.”

Privatizing the USPS would also devastate New Mexico’s small businesses and postal workers:
- More than 7.3 million jobs nationwide are tied to the Postal Service, and massive layoffs could follow if operations are slashed.
- The USPS processes 425 million pieces of mail daily—everything from Social Security checks to election ballots to prescription drugs.
- The mailing industry supports $1.58 trillion in economic activity—crippling it would devastate small businesses, farmers, and local economies reliant on affordable shipping.
“This isn’t just about mail—it’s about people’s livelihoods,” said Vasquez. “Slashing the Postal Service means hurting rural communities, killing jobs, crippling small businesses, and disrupting the flow of essential goods to families who have no other options.”

“On behalf of the New Mexico Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, I want to thank Gabe Vasquez for opposing postal service privatization,” said Debbie Encinias, President of the New Mexico Rural Letter Carriers Association. “Rural New Mexicans rely on the work that we do to receive Social Security checks, medications, and mail from loved ones. The Postal Service has done this critical work for 250 years, and we must continue to let this American institution serve the American people free from political interference or privatization.”

Vasquez is calling for immediate congressional action to block the administration’s efforts and protect rural communities from devastating mail service cuts. He is working with community leaders and postal worker unions to stop privatization efforts before they take hold.

You can read the full letter HERE.

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MIL OSI USA News –
April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney Reintroduces Legislation to Stop the Spread of Ranked Choice Voting

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, alongside Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) reintroduced the One Vote One Choice Act to prevent the practice of ranked choice voting, a misguided policy that dilutes the voice of voters in elections across the country.

This legislation ensures that federal elections maintain a clear and straightforward process that protects voter confidence and preserves the integrity of our elections.

“Not only does rank choice voting cause chaos and confusion, but it leads to distorted outcomes and results that do not demonstrate the will of the voters. By banning rank-choice voting, we will ensure that Americans can have confidence in the outcome of our elections. As chair of the Election Integrity Caucus, I will continue to support legislation like the One Vote, One Choice Act, which increases transparency, accessibility, and confidence in our electoral process,” said Congresswoman Tenney.

“For centuries, citizens of the United States have been able to cast their votes with one vote and one voice. But in recent years, there has been an effort to enact ranked choice voting, a method which distorts election outcomes. In 2021’s mayoral primary in New York City, voters had to wait weeks to discover who won, which, in turn, undermined voter confidence in the result. Outcomes like that are problematic for everyone and are exactly why we need to ban the practice of ranked choice voting at the federal level. Ensuring confidence in our elections is a critical function of a democratic republic, and I’m proud to introduce this bill to accomplish that goal,” said Congressman Lawler.

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MIL OSI USA News –

April 2, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Joins Coalition Opposing Federal Legislation That Would Create Substantial Barriers to Voting
Source: US State of California Department of Justice

OAKLAND — As part of a coalition of 18 attorneys general, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced sending a letter to congressional leadership in opposition to H.R. 22, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The coalition argues that the proposed legislation would create unnecessary and burdensome proof of citizenship requirements that would effectively disenfranchise millions of eligible voters across the country.

Reintroduced by Republican Congressman Chip Roy (TX-21), the SAVE Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship before registering to vote or updating their voting registration. The coalition emphasizes that this requirement would reverse three decades of progress made under the NVRA, which was designed to remove barriers to voter registration and promote greater participation in the democratic process.

“The so-called SAVE Act would be bad for blue and red states alike. I strongly urge members of Congress to oppose it,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The fact of the matter is this: federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and voting by non-citizens is exceedingly rare. Those who say otherwise are being dishonest. To make matters worse, should this bill become law, millions of Americans would be disenfranchised because they lack ready access to a passport or a valid birth certificate, or because they might struggle to take time off from work to present in-person their proof of citizenship. Forty-two states across the country, including California, have online voter registration systems in place that already allow us to verify whether someone is or is not a U.S. citizen. Put another way, we do not need the SAVE Act in any way, shape, or form. With consumer confidence in our economy plummeting, it is my sincere hope that elected representatives in Washington D.C. will instead focus on tackling the true crisis — the affordability crisis — that is rightly concerning most people.”

In the letter to House Speaker Michael Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the coalition emphasizes that non-citizen voting is extremely rare. Studies show that in jurisdictions with high immigration populations, only 0.0001% of votes cast were by non-citizens. Despite this negligible risk, the SAVE Act would impose substantial burdens on eligible voters, particularly affecting poor and minority communities.

The attorneys general warn that the legislation would create significant obstacles for eligible voters, including:
- Requiring documentation, such as passports or birth certificates, that can be cost-prohibitive and must perfectly match current names.
- Mandating in-person presentation of citizenship documents, effectively eliminating online voter registration systems currently available in 42 states.
- Creating barriers for married women whose birth certificates don’t match their current names.
- Jeopardizing the franchise for active-duty service members who cannot return to their local election offices.
“Over 21 million voting-age citizens do not have ready access to a passport, birth record, or naturalization record,” the coalition notes in their letter. “And 80% of married women would not have a valid birth certificate under the SAVE Act because those women chose to adopt their partner’s last name.”

The attorneys general also highlight concerns about the substantial administrative and financial burdens the Act would place on state election systems. The legislation would require states to fundamentally restructure their voter registration procedures and create new systems for document verification, while criminalizing mistakes made by election officials with penalties of up to five years in prison.

The coalition urges congressional leadership to oppose the SAVE Act and maintain accessible voting rights for all eligible Americans. Protecting election integrity should not come at the cost of disenfranchising legitimate voters.

Joining Attorney General Bonta in sending this letter are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

MIL OSI USA News –
April 2, 2025

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Padilla, Democratic Senators to Bondi: Appoint Special Counsel to Investigate Signal Chat National Security Breach