Auckland Council has appointed Dale Dillicar as a director of Auckland Transport.
This appointment brings the Auckland Transport board to its full complement of eight voting members appointed by Auckland Council. Mrs Dillicar will chair the board’s Finance and Assurance committee.
Councillor Christine Fletcher chaired the selection panel and welcomes Mrs Dillicar to the Auckland Transport board.
“I am delighted to welcome Dale to the board of Auckland Transport. She brings a fresh perspective and a wealth of financial experience that will add a valuable dimension to our board, complementing the talents of our existing members as we continue to deliver long term value for Auckland,” says Cr Fletcher.
The appointment was approved by the Performance and Appointments Committee on 22 October. The committee is responsible for all appointments to the boards of council-controlled organisations, in accordance with the council’s Appointment and Remuneration Policy for Board Members and the Local Government Act.
About Dale Dillicar
Dale is a senior finance executive with over 25 years’ experience across global industries, specialising in financial management, risk governance and operational oversight. She spent 12 years in the UK, where she led senior finance roles that enhanced her expertise in financial operations, treasury management and strategic risk management.
For the past decade, Dale has been with Fonterra, currently serving as General Manager Risk Assurance for Fonterra’s operating office. Previously she was General Manager for Commercial, Category and Innovation where she successfully drove financial performance and cultivated a high-performing team culture.
As a Chartered Accountant and qualified Treasurer, Dale offers deep expertise in governance, financial oversight and stakeholder engagement, with a focus on aligning practices with organisational goals to deliver long-term value.
A born and bred Aucklander, Dale is committed to Auckland Transport’s purpose of a safe, integrated and efficient transport network for the people of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Auckland Transport and Auckland Council are working together to merge the region’s traffic bylaws into one.
Andrew McGill, Group Manager for Transport Network Planning and Policy at Auckland Transport says there will be no changes to existing traffic rules as a result of this review. The proposal being consulted on is to consolidate the existing rules into one bylaw that covers all traffic issues, to be more efficient, effective and easier to work with.
“The aim is to have all of Auckland’s traffic-related rules in one place instead of spread across three different bylaws.”
“It won’t change how you can currently drive, park and move around Auckland, but it will help make the rules clearer and easier to follow.”
“As with all bylaw reviews, we want to hear from Aucklanders on this proposal and encourage you to give us your feedback.”
The proposal will see the rules in Auckland Transport’s Traffic Bylaw 2012, Auckland Council’s Traffic Bylaw 2015 and traffic rules from the Auckland Council Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw 2013 absorbed into a single new Vehicle Use and Parking Bylaw.
Will this change anything?
This will not change how you can drive, park and move around Auckland.
However, there will be some changes to more easily address issues, such as unpermitted vehicles on beaches and heavy vehicles such as trucks where they are parked unsafely.
This will also allow Auckland Transport to respond more quickly when issues are raised with parking, such as where this causes safety concerns or damages utilities under a berm.
Finally, reviewing the bylaws is an opportunity to remove rules that are no longer needed or that can no longer be enforced by us, such as setting new speed limits which is now controlled by central government’s Land Transport Rule: Setting of Speed Limits 2024.
What is a bylaw?
Louise Mason, General Manager for Policy at Auckland Council, explains bylaws are designed to respond to issues that affect local residents.
“Different cities and regions often face issues unique to their local areas. Bylaws are local rules designed to respond to local issues and to reflect the views of the region’s communities.”
“Councils and council-controlled organisations, such as Auckland Transport, create and implement bylaws, but they need input from the public, councillors and local boards to do so. The council’s elected governing body gives the final sign-off on changes to bylaws, which can then be enforced by the police, councils and council-controlled organisations.”
Have your say
You can find out more and have your say on the proposed changes on Auckland Transport’s Have Your Say page from Monday 4 November to Wednesday 4 December 2024. If you’d like to give feedback in person, you can find details of drop-in events here.
Labour welcomes the conclusion of a trade deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that was restarted under a Labour government after languishing for many years.
“Given the global situation, this deal paves the way for further trade and cooperation with the Gulf States,” Labour trade spokesperson Damien O’Connor said.
“When in government, we understood that trade and export access would be a crucial part our country’s recovery from Covid-19.
“This deal is a reflection and result of the decisions we made in government to explore where we could strengthen our ties and trade relationships to help our economic recovery,” Damien O’Connor said.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
In keeping with our standard Election Day protocol, FBI El Paso has stood up an Election Command Post in preparation for the November 5 election. The command post is staffed 24 hours a day to provide a centralized location for assessing election-related threats in our area of responsibility. The FBI has a duty to plan for a host of potential scenarios related to election fraud, voter suppression, foreign malign influence, malicious cyber activity against election infrastructure, and threats to election workers. We are committed to protecting the American public’s right to a fair and safe election.
For decades, the FBI has served as the primary agency responsible for investigating allegations of federal election crimes, including campaign finance violations, ballot/voter fraud, and civil rights violations. In close partnership with Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI established the Election Threats Task Force to identify and address reported threats targeting election workers.
The FBI takes our responsibility very seriously, and works closely with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and stop any potential threats to public safety. We gather and analyze intelligence to determine whether individuals might be motivated to take violent action for any reason, including due to concerns about the election.
It is vital the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the public work together to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously, including threats targeting those who do the critical work of administering free and fair elections throughout the U.S.
The Justice Department has long recognized that the states—not the federal government—are responsible for administering elections, determining the validity of votes, and tabulating the results, with challenges handled by the appropriate election administrators, officials, legislatures, and courts. The Department’s role is limited to investigating and prosecuting violations of federal election laws and deterring criminal conduct.
FBI El Paso encourages citizens to report allegations of election fraud and other election abuses to FBI El Paso directly at (915) 832-5000.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
In keeping with our standard Election Day protocol, FBI Las Vegas has stood up an Election Command Post in preparation for the election on November 5. The command post is staffed 24 hours a day to provide a centralized location for assessing election-related threats in our area of responsibility. The FBI has a duty to plan for a host of potential scenarios related to election fraud, voter suppression, foreign malign influence, malicious cyber activity against election infrastructure, and threats to election workers. We are committed to protecting the American public’s right to a fair and safe election.
For decades, the FBI has served as the primary agency responsible for investigating allegations of federal election crimes, including campaign finance violations, ballot/voter fraud, and civil rights violations. In close partnership with Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI established the Election Threats Task Force to identify and address reported threats targeting election workers.
The FBI takes our responsibility very seriously and works closely with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and stop any potential threats to public safety. We gather and analyze intelligence to determine whether individuals might be motivated to take violent action for any reason, including due to concerns about the election.
It is vital the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and the public work together to protect our communities as Americans exercise their right to vote. We encourage the public to remain vigilant and immediately report any suspicious activity to law enforcement. The FBI takes all threats of violence seriously, including threats targeting those who do the critical work of administering free and fair elections throughout the U.S.
The Justice Department has long recognized that the states—not the federal government—are responsible for administering elections, determining the validity of votes, and tabulating the results, with challenges handled by the appropriate election administrators, officials, legislatures, and courts. The Department’s role is limited to investigating and prosecuting violations of federal election laws and deterring criminal conduct.
FBI Las Vegas encourages citizens to report allegations of election fraud and other election abuses. You can reach the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
Te Pāti Māori Co-Leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is calling on the Mayor for New Plymouth, Neil Holdom, to do the right thing.
“I am shocked at his decision to disregard the petition presented by Palestine Solidarity Taranaki calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire”, said Ngarewa-Packer.
“The group made up of his constituents have shown up week after week at Puke Ariki Landing for over a year to stand against the genocide taking place in Gaza, and the killing now extending to Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
“They have worked with other Palestine Solidarity Network groups who have successfully garnered support from their local councils. They gathered 1800 signatures from local supporters and endorsements from two Iwi, church groups and Taranaki Muslim Association.
“These are your constituents, your people.
“This process unfairly removes the ability for input of hardworking and empathetic councillors who may have chosen to vote in support of this group.
“Unfortunately, this action mirrors what is happening with the current Government – removing due process, disallowing input by those most affected and most informed and harming those who already suffer the most. Fast-tracking and bypassing.
“I refuse to accept that this is not a council issue. This is an everyone issue… this is an absolute issue of human rights.
“In Gaza there have been at least 43 000 killed, over 100 000 injured, over 10 000 missing, almost the entire population displaced and faced with starvation. This is a human issue.
“We have seen successful support from other councils around Aotearoa such as Whanganui and Christchurch and the Mayor himself has in the past shown support for Ukraine, citing the need to support his constituents who may be affected.
“We must afford that same curtesy to Palestinians, their friends, whānau, and advocates within your own community.
“As Te Pāti Māori co-leader and MP for Te Tai Hauāuru I stand wholeheartedly in solidarity with the indigenous peoples of Palestine and stand against colonial forces.
“I urge New Plymouth Mayor to reconsider his position, show his humanity and afford New Plymouth District Council the opportunity to stand on the right side of history”, concludes Ngarewa-Packer.
–Nine out of 10 workers say change will increase risks to them and clients
–Two out of three workers not confident workplace can manage risks
–Nine out of 10 workers say change will add to already heavy workloads
Mental health workers fear serious harm to themselves, their clients and members of the public from the withdrawal of police support for mental health call outs, a PSA survey shows.
The phased withdrawal of police from responding to mental health callouts begins today. This includes police staying in EDs for a maximum of 60 minutes, falling to 15 minutes.
“Mental health workers are saying loud and clear the implementation of the change is profoundly unsafe and that the risks of serious harm to them, the people in their care and the public are very high,” said Ashok Shankar, Health Lead for Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“We are calling on Te Whatu Ora and the police to delay this change until we can be reassured it can be done safely. Our members are at the frontline of this change, they know the risks, so it’s extremely disappointing that their views to date have been ignored.
“It’s high time both the Health and Mental Health Ministers step in before real harm is caused.
“Te Whatu Ora is failing to properly plan for the transition to the new regime despite months of consultation. Our members are not getting the extra training they deserve to adjust to the change.
“One highly experienced mental health worker, who leads a team, said he only received a raft of documents explaining changes to operating procedures 10 days out from the 4 November start date.
‘These changes are going to add to the burden of what we endure now’, he said. He warned Te Whatu Ora that ‘patients, the public and staff will be injured, maimed and no doubt die in response to these changes and the poor planning and resourcing that goes with it’.
Ashok Shankar said: “Mental health crisis teams are already under extreme stress – workloads are as heavy as they have ever been, yet the Government is allowing even more pressure to pile on overstretched teams.
“Te Whatu Ora needs to expand mental health teams and provide additional training, if required, so they can safely pick up the burden of taking over from the police.
“But the hiring freeze and the Government’s failure to properly fund Te Whatu Ora is making a dire situation that much worse.
“The survey shows members expect time taken to see people in distress will increase. It will mean those with less urgent needs will wait even longer as more urgent cases are prioritised. Their health outcomes are being put at risk. That’s just not acceptable when we already have a mental health crisis in this country.
“Mental health should be a priority – all of us want the best outcome for the people and their families facing challenges, but this process of police handover feels botched from the get-go – patients and workers may pay a heavy price,” said Ashok Shankar.
ENDS
Summary of findings from PSA survey (attached summary graphs)
The survey was taken between 8 and 22 October 2024 and sent to 6,151 members who work in mental health. It attracted 438 responses. The margin of error is 5% at a 95% confidence interval.
– 66% of workers say they are not confident in the ability of their workplace to manage risk. Only 12% are confident.
– 38% disagree or strongly disagree that their workplace has a process in place to assess risk in mental health response
– 88% say it will increase safety risk for clients
– 91% say it will increase safety risk for workers
– 86% say it risks increasing workloads
– 72% say it risks increasing the time taken to see people
Sample of quotes from survey of mental health workers
I can understand the pressures that the police service are under and the reasons they want to withdraw, however there is no alternative in place so this just leaves a dangerous void in the process and I would not be surprised if there is an increase in incidents and possibly even lives being at risk.
I do not understand how an 111 operator with just one days training in mental health could over rule the registered mental health professional decision who could be facing an client and made a risk assessment.
Police are the only ones who can detain under the Act, and therefore, a withdrawal of their support when requested means more people will go without treatment, more people will fall off the act, the more people with become unwell, and the more mental health patients will end up in Police custody
As a staff member I am left wondering of we will be safe and whether we will have to argue with police comms to get officers to respond to a danger to life. Having the building smashed up is scary enough but risk to staff, clients and the public is even worse.
I think it is appropriate. My only concern is if Police take it upon themselves to determine if a person is mentally disordered or not. It could open the gate for police to deliver people to ED who are socially problematic but do not meet a criminal offense threshold. Would not want to see ED inappropriately burdened with these people. Perhaps police liaison nurses, based with Police would be a better use of a resource.
The withdrawal of police at mental health jobs ultimately shows a failure in resource division at the national government level.
I feel sorry for the police, but our system is in crisis. I am actually returning to work at present after being knocked out by a patient and having several months off with a nasty concussion. I don’t want this to happen again to myself or any other staff. I am lucky that I did not suffer a more serious injury.
We are feeling very anxious about the safety of both ourselves and the patients and families involved with the withdrawal process. While we understand that we have the right to refuse and walk away, doing so may leave families at risk with individuals who are very unwell.
It makes me reconsider my career choices. Do I really want to be in a front-line role where I have to justify my requests for assistance by Police in writing to non-health professionals with limited training in assessing mental health risk?
The most important change that could be made is for us to have more staff, skilled staff rather than inexperienced ones that we have to spend time teaching when there already is too much to do in terms of clinical assessments.
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahiis Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.
4 November 2024: The Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua today announced key findings from its 2024 Reverse Stress Test, alongside an assessment of how geopolitical tensions could impact financial stability in New Zealand.
The findings are being pre-released from our upcoming Financial Stability Report and highlight the importance of proactive risk evaluation and management to safeguarding New Zealand’s financial stability.
The Reverse Stress test asked participating banks to model severe but plausible scenarios that could cause their capital levels to fall below the regulatory minimums. The scenarios banks used featured severe recessions, with significant increases in unemployment and falls in property prices. Several banks identified escalation of geopolitical tension as the primary driver of economic downturns. Scenarios were often accompanied by secondary shocks, such as cyber-related events or insurance retreat.
Banks also identified actions they could take in response to the scenarios to rebuild their capital positions. Responses included reducing dividends, cutting costs, tightening lending standards, repricing and extending loan terms for existing customers.
“The Reverse Stress test prompted banks to explore severe scenarios that threatened their businesses and identify how they might respond. The exercise has improved our understanding of the potential vulnerabilities of the financial system. It has also been a valuable exercise for testing and enhancing industry’s risk management capabilities,” Director of Financial Stability Assessment & Strategy Kerry Watt says.
An important part of Te Pūtea Matua’s financial stability work is promoting public understanding of risks. This stress testing exercise highlighted geopolitical risks as material for New Zealand. These risks arise from international tensions and can impact the financial system through various channels.
Geopolitical risk can disrupt international trade, weaken domestic demand and lead to financial market volatility. This in turn can lead to higher loan defaults, raise funding costs, and increase cyber risks for financial institutions. The nature of the impact will depend on the transmission channel, severity and location of the geopolitical shock.
“Concern about geopolitical tension has been increasing recently. As a small open economy, dependent on international trade and investment, geopolitical risks are clearly relevant to our financial system. Their potential impacts cannot be underestimated,” Mr Watt says.
“We must be aware of these risks and be prepared to manage them to ensure the stability of the financial system.”
The Government’s creative sector strategy is designed to increase Kiwis’ engagement with culture and creativity and to boost its economic contribution, Arts Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“Amplify has been released for public consultation and I encourage people to read the strategy and to share their feedback.
“There’s an opportunity to increase the impact of our arts and culture here and on the world stage, and significantly increase the sectors’ contribution to GDP and export revenue by 2030.
“Our creative and cultural sectors also face many common challenges, so Amplifyuses the levers the Government has to help.”
Amplify proposes four key targets:
New Zealand ranks among the top 25 nations in the world for culture and heritage ‘soft power’.
The median income for creative professionals more closely matches the median wage/salary income.
The GDP contribution from the arts and creative sector increases to at least $20 billion.
More New Zealanders are actively engaging with New Zealand arts, culture, and heritage.
There are three strategic pillars which outline actions the Government will take over the next six years to reach these targets:
Maximising impact through the $450m annual Crown investment.
Nurturing talent and supporting a pipeline to provide sustainable career opportunities.
Reducing barriers to growth – modernising and streamlining government regulation to enable our cultural sectors to thrive.
“This is just a draft and I am open to ideas,” Mr Goldsmith says.
As part of the Albanese and Rockliff governments’ commitment to improving the state’s regional healthcare, the new Tasmanian home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is a step closer, with planning and design works underway.
The $21.3 million redevelopment will support the RFDS to expand its operations, and was made possible by $15 million from the Albanese Government, $6 million from the Rockliff Government, and additional support from the RFDS.
The new base at Launceston Airport will boost capacity for rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as ground vehicle transfers, and will include space needed to cater for surge workers through either infectious disease outbreaks, or for fire-fighting personnel to tackle bushfires.
This will enable the RFDS to increase outreach support such as mobile mental health services, mobile dental services, and mobile general practitioner services – and support them to deliver urgent care to people across regional Tasmania.
Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain joined Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell last week to inspect the site of the new base, and to receive an update on the project.
Up to 62 full time jobs will be supported during the construction phase, with up to 41 ongoing jobs in the healthcare sector set to be created once operational in 2027.
When completed, the facility will also house staff and equipment for other emergency service providers, including Ambulance Tasmania, Tasmanian Police and the Fixed Wing Aeromedical Providers.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government, Kristy McBain:
“It was fantastic to visit RFDS Tasmania to see planning work on this important redevelopment progressing – a region-shaping project made possible thanks to $15 million from the Albanese Government.
“Your postcode shouldn’t impact the quality of your healthcare, which is why we’re partnering with the RFDS to improve and expand their services across regional Australia – with this project to ensure Tasmanians can continue to access support when they need it.”
Quotes attributable to Tasmanian Minister for Health, Jacquie Petrusma:
“The Tasmanian Liberal Government’s $6 million investment for the new base will enable the RFDS to continue its vital work.
“Not only will this project improve access to healthcare across regional Tasmania, it will support local jobs during construction, and once the upgraded site is operational.”
Quotes attributable to Federal Member for Lyons, Brian Mitchell:
“While the RFDS’s current home in Tasmania has served the community for 20 years, our government is getting on with updating the site ensure it continues to provide the service Tasmanian needs and deserves.
“By securing the future of the Royal Flying Doctor Service at Launceston Airport, we’re ensuring that the RFDS can continue to deliver lifesaving care throughout our state, from clinic charter services to road transfers.”
Quotes attributable to RFDS Tasmania Board Chair, Malcolm White and CEO Nicole Henty:
“The Royal Flying Doctor Service Tasmania is delighted to be building a new world class facility. We are grateful to both the Federal and State Governments for coming together to support this initiative and help us construct this base at Launceston Airport”
“This is an exciting development for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania and we look forward to developing an aeromedical base that all Tasmanians can be proud of.”
Documents obtained by Child Poverty Action Group under the Official Information Act reveal the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction, Louise Upston, is considering changing our country’s long-term child poverty reduction targets.
Unlocking children and whanau from poverty is the right and compassionate thing to do. It is also a non-partisan issue. In 2018, in a moment of political harmony, National, Labour, NZ First and the Green parties supported the introduction of the Child Poverty Reduction Act.[1]In doing so they signed up to the ten year goal of halving child poverty by 2028. On theelection trailChristopher Luxon recommitted National to the promise of halving child poverty by 2028.
CPAG Chairperson Sally Ward states, ‘We have made a commitment as a country to end child poverty. We need the government to keep their promise and deliver the policies that will allow all children to reach their potential. We’ve made progress before, and we can do it again.’
For example, between 2018 and 2022 New Zealand saw statistically significant reductions on 8 out of the 9 poverty measures. As officials noted, the reductions ‘exceeded the average reductions required to meet the ten-year targets’ partly because the previous government ‘delivered significant investments … aimed at lifting the incomes of low-income households as well as wider initiatives aimed at addressing the deeper causes of poverty’.[4]
However, in April this year, the Minister was advised that the coalition-government’s policies were ‘likely to fall well short of the reductions required to meet the current ten-year targets’. Furthermore, the Minister was warned that other policy changes like those to the school lunch programme and public transport subsidies ‘could potentially have a negative impact on progress towards reducing material hardship’.[5]
As previously reported, the Minister was presented with options that would put us back on track, but has so far, failed to pull those levers.
CPAG Executive Officer Sarita Divis states, ‘We are seeking a commitment from the National-led coalition that we will retain our ten-year target of halving child poverty, and the government will do all in its power to ensure we meet those targets.’
‘Nicola Willis said she would resign if she failed to deliver the tax cuts she promised during the election. Well, the Prime Minister promised he would retain our 2028 goal on the election trail. Why are children and families experiencing the constraints of poverty being treated differently?’ Divis asks.
Ward also encourages the New Zealand public to call on all politicians in parliament to hold each other to account on this issue of national significance.
This November CPAG is launching a campaign called#PACT2028that calls upon New Zealanders to show their support for children and whanau experiencing poverty and reminds our politicians of the pact they have made.
‘If we are to meet the 2028 target then we need politicians from across the political spectrum to once again come together and deliver on the promises they made.’ Divis states.
BACKGROUND:
In 2015 the then-National Government signed up to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals which included a commitment to halve poverty rates by 2030.
In 2018 all parties in parliament, except ACT, supported the introduction of the Child Poverty Reduction Act, which included a ten-year goal to halve child poverty.
Under the Act the Child Poverty Reduction Minister must set intermediate targets every three years that support the overall goal to halve poverty. Upston’s earlier decision to soften those targets means it will be harder to meet our long-term goal.
OIA documents reveal that when the Minister lowered the third-intermediate targets, official assumed she was going to seek cross-party agreement to new ten-year targets.[6]
The advice she received in March 2024 was to set the level of the ten-year targets in principle and then set the third intermediate targets.[7]This did not happen, instead she set the third intermediate targets alone and these did not align with the ten-year targets.[8]
In March 2024, officials advised the Minister that ‘the current trajectory is off-track to meet the ten-year targets without significant and timely, further investment [which would be possible through income support increases through the tax and benefit system].’ Instead, the Minister’s chosen path was (in the officials’ words) likely to have a ‘modest, and more uncertain, impact on measured poverty rates’.[9]
In June 2024, the Minister was provided with the following speaking points:
– ‘There is currently a mismatch between the proposed third intermediate targets and the ten-year targets due to be achieved a year later’.[10]
– ‘I considered changing the ten-year targets alongside setting the third intermediate targets, but decided now was not the right time.’
– ‘The proposed third intermediate targets are significantly higher than the ten-year targets due to be achieved in 2027/28, which is just a year after the third intermediate target period ends (2026/27). But I have set the intermediate targets in line with what I consider to be achievable in the current context. I am continuing to consider whether the ten-year targets need to be changed and when the right time to do this would be.’[11]
[1]ACT did not support the introduction of the Child Poverty Reduction Act.
Released by: Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government, Minister for Small Business
The Minns Labor Government’s Service NSW Business Bureau has helped small businesses get the support they need, responding to more than 265,000 requests for assistance in its first year.
In addition, business owners across the State have received a total of around 45,000 hours of free, tailored business advice on business-critical topics such as planning, marketing and cash flow.
The Business Bureau’s web pages have seen more than 2.2 million website visits since it launched in October 2023, with NSW businesses benefiting from access to personalised guidance, tailored advice and free digital tools.
The Business Bureau’s team of dedicated Business Concierges has made it easier for businesses to access government support, understand government requirements, apply for licences and permits, receive disaster and emergency assistance, as well as referrals to mental health support for them and their employees.
The Business Bureau’s rapid response team has provided on the ground support for businesses facing acute crisis. They assisted more than 140 business in the aftermath of the tragic Bondi incident, they were on the ground to assist businesses impacted by the M6 sinkholes and provided assistance to businesses in Northern NSW who had supply chains disrupted due to the fire ants infestation.
The Business Bureau’s digital tools, the Service NSW Business Bureau App and Service NSW Business Profile, make it even easier to access government support, manage transactions, and save and track industry licences in just a few taps. Since the launch of the Business Bureau, more than 165,000 businesses have used these digital solutions.
This includes a new seamless way for businesses to renew a business vehicle registration by logging into their Service NSW Business Profile or the Business Bureau Mobile App and simply selecting ‘Renew your vehicle registration’. Already, more than 21,500 customers have accessed the registration renewal feature from the Business Profile.
“I am passionate about small business, having lived it my whole career, and these customer numbers tell an amazing story of the significant support delivered by the Service NSW Business Bureau in its first year.
“The Business Bureau is supporting small business owners no matter where they are on their business journey with free, tailored advice and digital tools which are helping to make being in business easier.
“Driven by the priorities of the recently launched NSW Charter for Small Business, we are focused on working with small businesses across the State to tackle unproductive red tape, break down barriers and build a stronger future.
“We know small businesses having been doing it tough, but now the Business Bureau is there for small businesses every step of the way.”
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:
“Small business owners across the State wear many hats which is why we remain committed to making support and services more accessible and more flexible than ever.
“We have seen more than 165,000 businesses access the Service NSW Business Bureau app and their Service NSW Business Profile which shows the Business Bureau’s digital tools are making it easier for small business owners to access the advice, information and support they need on the go and at a time which suits them.”
Founder of Learnopolis Jennifer Kozanic said:
“As a new business, we needed advice about what sort of public liability, professional indemnity and level of cover we needed. We also needed support with considering who we should target with supplying our product and service.
“The Business Bureau has provided great advice on writing grant applications, business development and pricing. Winning a NSW Government contract was huge for us as a two-person start-up.
“Sam, my business concierge, genuinely wants to support us and to have someone cheering you on from the sidelines, who understands business, is something I would recommend for every owner.”
Founder of Parkview Realty Ben Burfitt said:
“The Business Bureau has been hugely supportive in making sure my application for both my class 1 real estate agent licence and business corporation licence were progressed.
“To have someone who is able to liaise with other areas of the NSW Government was extremely beneficial in getting licence approval in a timely manner.
“My business is new and so brand awareness is important to us. I look forward to working with the Business Bureau on how to develop this and market the company in a way that represents our story and what we offer.”
Business NSW CEO Daniel Hunter said:
“The NSW Government has done much to improve the digital interface with business. Our state has led the nation for the past decade.
With rapid improvements in technology and a constantly evolving operational environment, this is an area we can never take for granted. The work must be continuous or we risk falling behind.”
Released by: Minister for Planning and Public Spaces
The NSW Government has approved a modification to a large-scale wind farm in the state’s Central West which will deliver enough energy to the grid to power 730,000 homes.
The Liverpool Range Wind Farm was approved in 2018 with a modification sought in 2022 to utilise more efficient technology to increase its energy generation with fewer turbines.
The $2 billion renewable energy project, northeast of Mudgee, will create 550 construction jobs and 47 operational jobs for the Central West economy.
The local community will also benefit with $35 million to be delivered to local councils through Voluntary Planning Agreements.
Following consultation with the community the applicant reduced the number of turbines from 267 to 185 to reduce the visual impacts.
The modification will see an increase in the project’s maximum energy generation capacity by 370 megawatts to 1.3 gigawatts, with capacity to power an additional 200,000 homes across the state.
Achieving this additional power was made possible through the use of more efficient turbines and increasing the maximum wind turbine height from 165 to 215 metres.
The project will help prevent 2.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere across NSW during its first full year of operation.
This State Significant Development is located within the Central-West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), which the NSW Government considers a strategic area with strong renewable energy resource potential.
Projects like this are critical to Labor’s Energy Plan to deliver cleaner, more affordable energy to the grid while creating thousands of jobs and boosting regional economies.
In its assessment, the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) worked closely with the community, councils and government agencies to address visual, biodiversity, traffic and transport impacts.
The department has set a suite of conditions to make sure any potential impacts are effectively minimised, managed and offset.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully said:
“NSW is leading a once-in-a-generation upgrade of the electricity network by building the infrastructure we need to power our state into the future.
“The Liverpool Range Wind Farm will generate jobs during its construction and operational phases, while also providing long-lasting benefits to the local area through community contributions over the life of project.
“This is a good example of the applicant working with the local community and the final result being material changes to the proposal that address visual impacts.”
With millions of people already displaced by climate change disasters in Africa, the richer countries most responsible for global warming must agree at the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan to fully pay for the catastrophic loss of homes and damage to livelihoods taking place across the continent, Amnesty International said. They must also fully fund African governments’ adaptation measures to prevent further forced displacement, stop human rights violations and help them achieve a fast and fair phaseout of fossil fuel production and use.
These same countries must then follow up on their agreement by urgently financing the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage, the main international fund addressing climate change’s unavoidable harms. So far, such countries have pledged less than USD 700 million of the 400 billion dollars that lower-income countries estimate they need for loss and damage by 2030. Meanwhile, adaptation may cost USD 30 to 50 billion per year in sub-Saharan Africa alone. International financial institutions must ensure equitable distribution of the money to African countries based on need.
African people have contributed the least to climate change, yet from Somalia to Senegal, Chad to Madagascar, we are suffering a terrible toll of this global emergency.
Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Regional Director for West and Central Africa
“African people have contributed the least to climate change, yet from Somalia to Senegal, Chad to Madagascar, we are suffering a terrible toll of this global emergency which has driven millions of people from their homes. It’s time for the countries who caused all this devastation to pay up so African people can adapt to the climate change catastrophe,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
PM to outline major investments to smash criminal smuggling gangs at INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow
New capabilities for Border Security Command from £150 million funding pot to drive down Organised Immigration Crime both at home and overseas
New additional funding will cover state-of-the-art tech and information centres, boosts to enforcement and intelligence resourcing and expanding CPS capacity
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
Marking the first time the INTERPOL General Assembly has been hosted in the UK in over 50 years, Keir Starmer will today (4 November) open the Assembly in Glasgow by setting out his personal mission to smash the people smuggling gangs by resetting the UK’s whole approach to this challenge and intensifying international collaboration to meet the global scale of the threat.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises senior ministerial and policing leads from the organisation’s 196 member states.
In his speech, the Prime Minister will set out his plans to draw on his experience of bringing together agencies to tackle international terrorist and drug smuggling gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions to dismantle the people smuggling gangs who drive illegal migration, profit from human misery and represent a serious threat to global security.
He will also set out how the £150 million will provide additional specialist investigators and state of the art surveillance equipment to ensure those behind this criminal activity are stopped and brought to justice.
This major funding boost for the government’s new Border Security Command will initially be directed towards a range of enforcement and intelligence activity, including:
Investing heavily in NCA technology and capabilities, delivering advanced data exploitation and improvements to technologies to boost collaboration with European partners to investigate and break people smuggling networks.
300 staff for the new Border Security Command, who will strengthen global partnerships, deliver new legislation and lead the system through investment and strategy.
100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers for the NCA, dedicated to tackling criminals who facilitate people smuggling.
Creating a new specialist OIC Intelligence Source Unit which will cohere intelligence flows from key police forces.
Boosting the Crown Prosecution Service’s ability to deliver charging decisions more quickly on international organised crime cases.
The Border Security Command, led by Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, will be provided with enhanced powers – through a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – to tackle organised immigration crime whilst providing for strong and effective border security.
New measures will make it easier to detect, disrupt and deter those seeking to engage in and benefit from organised immigration crime. The Command will also coordinate the work of intelligence agencies and law enforcement, who lead joint investigations with European counterparts to ensure we can bring those responsible to justice.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to say:
“The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge. I was elected to deliver security for the British people. And strong borders are a part of that. But security doesn’t stop at our borders.
“There’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the Channel.
“This is a vile trade that must be stamped out – wherever it thrives. So we’re taking our approach to counter-terrorism – which we know works, and applying it to the gangs, with our new Border Security Command.
“We’re ending the fragmentation between policing, Border Force and our intelligence agencies.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Criminal smuggler gangs profit from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk and they have been getting away with it for far too long.
“Our new Border Security Command, with the investment set out today, will mean a huge step change in the way we target these criminal gangs. People smugglers and traffickers operate in networks across borders, that’s why we have launched a major boost to our cooperation with international partners including other European countries, the G7 and Europol, and why we are so pleased to be hosting the INTERPOL conference on tackling international crime in Glasgow today.”
The Prime Minister will also announce that the UK Government has increased its in-year support for INTERPOL’s global operations through a £6 million investment which harnesses the organisation’s unique capabilities to tackle serious organised crime affecting the UK.
Addressing the General Assembly, the Prime Minister will say that closer cooperation with international partners is key as he details how the gangs’ operations span from the money markets in Kabul through to the Kurdish region of Iraq and right across Europe and into the UK.
He will stress the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening security agreements to facilitate greater sharing of intelligence and more joint operational work, in particular through Europol.
The Home Office will also invest £24m in the new financial year to tackle international serious organised crime affecting the UK including drugs and firearms, fraud, trafficking and exploitation. Funds will in part be used to bolster work done by special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.
There were more than 5,000 drug related deaths in 2023, with most of the illegal drugs causing these coming from overseas or facilitated by transnational gangs. ISOC funding will also be used to tackle drug smuggling upstream and at the UK border, building on recent successes, such as the effective collaboration with the US and Ecuador, which has resulted in the seizure of 19 tonnes of cocaine.
National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar said:
“Serious and organised crime causes more harm, to more people, more often than any other national security threat. And almost all of serious and organised crime now has an international nexus. Distance, borders and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with INTERPOL have never been as important as they are today.
“Tackling organised crime, and especially immigration crime, remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of this type of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.
“We have built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners across Europe and beyond, including having more NCA officers based overseas, sharing intelligence and working side by side on joint investigations. This approach is bringing operational results with arrests and prosecutions, but we are also we are seeking to disrupt the people smugglers’ business model, through targeting their social media offering, their supply routes for equipment, and their financial flows.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks, wherever they operate.”
The announcement comes just a month after Britain joined up to a new G7 anti migrant smuggling action plan which included pledges to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by smugglers.
The plan includes new, intelligence-led joint investigative actions to target criminal smuggling routes, working with social media platforms and internet providers to remove harmful content promoting illegal migration services or advertising fake job opportunities, and strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
Chinese premier stresses strengthening vocational education, nurturing skilled workers
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits the WorldSkills Museum in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 3, 2024. Li made the trip to Shanghai to research the city’s work on vocational education and cultivation of skilled workers on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]
SHANGHAI, Nov. 4 — Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Sunday urged efforts to strengthen vocational education and nurture skilled workers in order to meet the needs of the country’s economic and social development.
During a trip to Shanghai to research the city’s work on vocational education and cultivation of skilled workers, Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that fostering more high-caliber skilled workers will provide solid support for high-quality development and high-quality life.
When visiting the Shanghai Nanhu Vocational & Technical College, Li said that it is necessary to deepen the integration of industry and education as well as the cooperation between colleges and enterprises, optimize the setting of college disciplines and majors based on the needs of the society and industries’ actual development and strengthen hands-on skill practice, adding that more skilled teachers are needed to innovate the models and methods of teaching.
Noting that there are ever-growing demands for elderly care, childcare and medical care, Li urged efforts to strengthen the training of skilled workers in the related fields.
When visiting the WorldSkills Museum, Li said governments at all levels should continue to refine support policies for the cultivation of skilled workers by strengthening institutional innovation and investment.
Efforts should also be made to improve the systems of development planning and services for skilled workers with a view to broadening their development channels and enhancing their incomes, Li addeed.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, visits the Shanghai Nanhu Vocational & Technical College in Shanghai, east China, Nov. 3, 2024. Li made the trip to Shanghai to research the city’s work on vocational education and cultivation of skilled workers on Sunday. [Photo/Xinhua]
SARAH ABO, HOST: Welcome back. Well, more now on the Qantas scandal that’s dominated political headlines in the past week, despite the Government’s attempts to handball it. The competitor airline Virgin now claiming more than 90 per cent of flights for politicians are with Qantas, despite the requirement to choose the cheapest fare. Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth from Canberra and Jacqui Felgate from right here in Melbourne. Good to see you, Jacqui. Amanda, I’ll start with you. So, last time you were on the show, you were less than convincing when it came to your flight upgrades. Have you, as Bridget McKenzie did, find any additional flights that weren’t declared?
AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Look, I have absolutely declared everything is on my register. And as I said last week, I have not had the opportunity to fly many places on holiday because I’ve got two young children. So, look, everything I have declared appropriately on my register.
SARAH ABO: Jason Clare yesterday said that he has made a personal call to Qantas to ask for an upgrade. Have you done the same?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: I haven’t made a personal call to Qantas for an upgrade, but, you know, I’ll let other MPs speak for themselves. But I actually think, Sarah, people are probably getting pretty sick of hearing about the itineraries of politicians – which airline they catch, when they catch it. I think people really want to talk about things that matter to them. Cost of living issues matter to them. That’s what they want to hear politicians talk about and not this sort of obsession about who flies what and where.
SARAH ABO: No, of course. Of course you guys would say that. I guess this does come back to cost of living issues because we know that Qantas dominates the airspace here in Australia. And the problem is for punters is they don’t have much of an option. Virgin has now come out and said that you’re not helping in terms of the politicians federally because you fly Qantas above Virgin rather than choosing the cheapest airfare. Isn’t that the way it should work?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I can tell you, Sarah, I fly on the airline that gets me home to my kids or that allows me an extra hour with my kids and to still do my work. So, last night I flew Virgin to Canberra and I will fly back on Qantas at the end of the week because both of those flights give me an extra hour with my children. So, I actually do think, once again, people are really getting obsessed with which, when and where politicians fly. It’s just not the case that there is not a focus on cost of living. There needs to be a focus on cost of living rather than when and where politicians fly.
SARAH ABO: I guess the focus, Jacqui, has moved because this is what they should be doing and they’re not doing it. But it’s about public transparency, isn’t it?
JACQUI FELGATE, 3AW RADIO HOST: I think it is. And I also think the publicity for this book, have you ever seen anything like it? Joe Aston must be sitting back and going, thank you very much. But one of the issues today I find really interesting is the Virgin issue.
SARAH ABO: Yeah.
JACQUI FELGATE: Do we need to put a rule in where perhaps 50 per cent of all flights we split between our two big carriers? Because it’s an incredible amount of money.
SARAH ABO: Yeah, 90 per cent as well going to Qantas.
JACQUI FELGATE: And then we’ve got the issue with the slots if we go back to Qatar, not being allowed to have extra slots into Australia. What was the relationship then between the politicians making those decisions and Qantas?
SARAH ABO: Yeah, exactly. It’s all about how cosy they are, aren’t they. All right, well, Amanda, let’s move on, seeing as you’re so keen to. And the Government, it seems, is limbering up for an election, or perhaps just inspired by what you’re seeing in the US at the moment with that rally in Adelaide where new changes to student HECS debts were announced. So, Amanda, if re-elected, you’ve promised sweeping changes which would see student loans not repaid until a salary reaches $67,000. It’ll cost $16 billion. Is it unfair to lump this cost onto taxpayers?
AMANDA RISHWORTH: Firstly, I would say that what was announced in Adelaide was really significant. Not only were there higher thresholds, but a 20 per cent wiping of people with student debt. We know a lot of people have been lumped with really significant student debts and it is impacting their lives. It may be affecting how they get a mortgage or whether they can get a mortgage or not. So, actually wiping this debt and increasing the threshold provides real cost of living relief, but also supports people into the future. This is really important for so many people that are starting out after their uni degree that have this significant debt, and this is a real practical measure that we can take to support them.
SARAH ABO: Jacqui, obviously not everyone chooses to study. Economists say this is something that actually favours the wealthy. And the architect of this scheme himself says that this does nothing to improve student living for Australians.
JACQUI FELGATE: No, I agree. And you know where I think the money should really be going, it’s actually more money to TAFE. And I know this system does include some extra funding for TAFE debt as well. But when we look at the university system, do we almost need to look at it on a wider scale now and say, should we be pushing everyone into uni when it doesn’t necessarily suit us? And I know here in Victoria, one of the number one issues is our lack of tradies and our lack of buildings. We have a housing crisis around the country, we cannot get enough builders. And I’d like to see a larger section of that money being pushed into traditional trades to get people into a career that is probably much more suited. There is this real reliance, I think in Australia that you must go to university if you’re a young person.
SARAH ABO: Exactly.
JACQUI FELGATE: And then you’re saddled with a debt that you may never be able to pay off.
SARAH ABO: And that’s the issue, I think, Amanda. I mean, a lot of us, a lot of people do want an education, but not everyone does. And so the problem is those who aren’t getting educated through tertiary means are paying for those who aren’t.
AMANDA RISHWORTH: That’s why part of the announcement yesterday was about making fee-free TAFE permanent. When I look at the impact that fee-free TAFE that we’ve introduced has had in my local TAFE campus at Noarlunga, we see construction coming back onto that TAFE campus, we see motor mechanics coming back onto that TAFE campus. That’s all been as a result of our Government’s fee-free TAFE. And yesterday at the rally, not only did the Prime Minister announce a future where we would support people with student debt, but he announced that he would make fee-free TAFE a permanent feature of our vocational education system. So, Jacqui is absolutely right. We do need to be training in both areas if we’re going to actually achieve the type of job growth into the future.
JACQUI FELGATE: I just think you need more places. If you ask anyone, there are not enough TAFE places, particularly in traditional trades. Like we talk about it on 3AW all the time. If you’ve got a kid that needs to go into that, the waiting list is really long in Victoria.
SARAH ABO: It sure is. All right, a lot to address there. Thank you both so much for joining us today.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
PM to outline major investments to smash criminal smuggling gangs at INTERPOL General Assembly in Glasgow
New capabilities for Border Security Command from £150 million funding pot to drive down Organised Immigration Crime both at home and overseas
New additional funding will cover state-of-the-art tech and information centres, boosts to enforcement and intelligence resourcing and expanding CPS capacity
The Prime Minister is set to announce an additional £75 million to boost border security, bringing the investment in the Border Security Command over the next two years to £150 million.
Marking the first time the INTERPOL General Assembly has been hosted in the UK in over 50 years, Keir Starmer will today (4 November) open the Assembly in Glasgow by setting out his personal mission to smash the people smuggling gangs by resetting the UK’s whole approach to this challenge and intensifying international collaboration to meet the global scale of the threat.
The General Assembly is INTERPOL’s supreme governing body and comprises senior ministerial and policing leads from the organisation’s 196 member states.
In his speech, the Prime Minister will set out his plans to draw on his experience of bringing together agencies to tackle international terrorist and drug smuggling gangs during his time as Director of Public Prosecutions to dismantle the people smuggling gangs who drive illegal migration, profit from human misery and represent a serious threat to global security.
He will also set out how the £150 million will provide additional specialist investigators and state of the art surveillance equipment to ensure those behind this criminal activity are stopped and brought to justice.
This major funding boost for the government’s new Border Security Command will initially be directed towards a range of enforcement and intelligence activity, including:
Investing heavily in NCA technology and capabilities, delivering advanced data exploitation and improvements to technologies to boost collaboration with European partners to investigate and break people smuggling networks.
300 staff for the new Border Security Command, who will strengthen global partnerships, deliver new legislation and lead the system through investment and strategy.
100 specialist investigators and intelligence officers for the NCA, dedicated to tackling criminals who facilitate people smuggling.
Creating a new specialist OIC Intelligence Source Unit which will cohere intelligence flows from key police forces.
Boosting the Crown Prosecution Service’s ability to deliver charging decisions more quickly on international organised crime cases.
The Border Security Command, led by Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, will be provided with enhanced powers – through a new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – to tackle organised immigration crime whilst providing for strong and effective border security.
New measures will make it easier to detect, disrupt and deter those seeking to engage in and benefit from organised immigration crime. The Command will also coordinate the work of intelligence agencies and law enforcement, who lead joint investigations with European counterparts to ensure we can bring those responsible to justice.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to say:
“The world needs to wake up to the severity of this challenge. I was elected to deliver security for the British people. And strong borders are a part of that. But security doesn’t stop at our borders.
“There’s nothing progressive about turning a blind eye as men, women and children die in the Channel.
“This is a vile trade that must be stamped out – wherever it thrives. So we’re taking our approach to counter-terrorism – which we know works, and applying it to the gangs, with our new Border Security Command.
“We’re ending the fragmentation between policing, Border Force and our intelligence agencies.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
“Criminal smuggler gangs profit from undermining our border security and putting lives at risk and they have been getting away with it for far too long.
“Our new Border Security Command, with the investment set out today, will mean a huge step change in the way we target these criminal gangs. People smugglers and traffickers operate in networks across borders, that’s why we have launched a major boost to our cooperation with international partners including other European countries, the G7 and Europol, and why we are so pleased to be hosting the INTERPOL conference on tackling international crime in Glasgow today.”
The Prime Minister will also announce that the UK Government has increased its in-year support for INTERPOL’s global operations through a £6 million investment which harnesses the organisation’s unique capabilities to tackle serious organised crime affecting the UK.
Addressing the General Assembly, the Prime Minister will say that closer cooperation with international partners is key as he details how the gangs’ operations span from the money markets in Kabul through to the Kurdish region of Iraq and right across Europe and into the UK.
He will stress the government’s ongoing commitment to strengthening security agreements to facilitate greater sharing of intelligence and more joint operational work, in particular through Europol.
The Home Office will also invest £24m in the new financial year to tackle international serious organised crime affecting the UK including drugs and firearms, fraud, trafficking and exploitation. Funds will in part be used to bolster work done by special prosecutors and operational partners in the Western Balkans.
There were more than 5,000 drug related deaths in 2023, with most of the illegal drugs causing these coming from overseas or facilitated by transnational gangs. ISOC funding will also be used to tackle drug smuggling upstream and at the UK border, building on recent successes, such as the effective collaboration with the US and Ecuador, which has resulted in the seizure of 19 tonnes of cocaine.
National Crime Agency Director General Graeme Biggar said:
“Serious and organised crime causes more harm, to more people, more often than any other national security threat. And almost all of serious and organised crime now has an international nexus. Distance, borders and languages are meaningless to criminals. This is why collaborations with INTERPOL have never been as important as they are today.
“Tackling organised crime, and especially immigration crime, remains a top priority for the NCA. We are currently leading around 70 investigations into the gangs or individuals involved in the highest echelons of this type of criminality, and we are devoting more resources to it than ever before.
“We have built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners across Europe and beyond, including having more NCA officers based overseas, sharing intelligence and working side by side on joint investigations. This approach is bringing operational results with arrests and prosecutions, but we are also we are seeking to disrupt the people smugglers’ business model, through targeting their social media offering, their supply routes for equipment, and their financial flows.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle these networks, wherever they operate.”
The announcement comes just a month after Britain joined up to a new G7 anti migrant smuggling action plan which included pledges to bolster border security, combat transnational organised crime, and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation by smugglers.
The plan includes new, intelligence-led joint investigative actions to target criminal smuggling routes, working with social media platforms and internet providers to remove harmful content promoting illegal migration services or advertising fake job opportunities, and strengthening capabilities to monitor and anticipate irregular migration flows at both global and regional levels.
The Albanese Government is boosting aviation competition, trade and tourism opportunities for Australians, securing new or updated air services arrangements with seven international markets following months of negotiations.
These arrangements will allow Australian airlines to expand their international networks and international airlines to increase operations into Australia, a boost for Australian travellers and diaspora communities.
This includes unrestricted capacity with Canada and Malaysia – the first arrangements of this type since a deal struck with India in 2018.
Along with Canada and Malaysia, arrangements have landed with Hong Kong, Chile, Mongolia, Latvia, and Rwanda.
Australia now has more than 110 bilateral air services arrangements in place with other countries or economies, with today’s announcement following recent enhanced arrangements secured in the past 12 months with Türkiye, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Each arrangement is negotiated to serve Australia’s national interest, with the Australian Government signing with some of our larger tourism markets, including:
Immediate increase in available capacity for airlines to 50,000 weekly passenger seats with Malaysia, and unrestricted capacity for passenger services from 2026
Immediate increase in available capacity for airlines to 50 weekly passenger services with Canada, and unrestricted capacity for passenger services from 2026
Immediate increase in available capacity for airlines to 84 passenger services per week, and unlimited cargo services with Hong Kong
A doubling of available capacity for airlines to and from Chile by 2025
Inaugural arrangements were signed between the Australian Government and the governments of Latvia, Mongolia and Rwanda, each allowing 14 passenger services per week to and from Australia along with unrestricted dedicated cargo services.
These arrangements deliver on our commitment in the Aviation White Paper to expand capacity under our bilateral air services arrangements ahead of demand,ensuring airlines have adequate time to plan for additional future services and add new routes to their schedules. It also aligns with our commitments to prioritise negotiations within our region.
These arrangements have already resulted in significant additional capacity being added into the Australian market, supporting growth in visitor numbers. For example, ABS data for the 12 months to August shows arrivals from Vietnam were 49 per cent higher than pre-pandemic, making it Australia’s fastest growing inbound visitor market.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:
“We’re expanding our international aviation network to increase competition and deliver a better experience for Australian travellers.
“Whether travelling to these countries or using them as stepping stones to the rest of the world, each of these arrangements represents a stronger connection with our global market – for travel, trade and tourism.
“We committed to this in our Aviation White Paper and today we are delivering on that commitment – landing additional capacity in the international sector.”
Quotes attributable to Senator Don Farrell, Minister for Trade and Tourism:
“Increased flights means we can welcome more visitors to Australia, boosting our tourism industry and supporting jobs and local economies, particularly in regional Australia.
“It also means we can get more cargo in the bellies of outbound flights, giving our exporters more opportunities for growth and to expand into new markets.”
An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 8, 2024 shows new energy vehicles charging at a charging station in Changsha County, central China’s Hunan Province. [Photo/Xinhua]
The number of charging piles for electric vehicles (EV) in China reached 11.43 million as of the end of September this year, marking an increase of 49.6 percent from a year ago, latest government data showed.
Among them, around 3.33 million were public charging facilities while 8.1 million were private, according National Energy Administration data.
Based on a total stock of 28.09 million registered new energy vehicles in the country at present, there is one charging pile for every 2.46 vehicles, the data showed.
In the first nine months of 2024, the country reported a net increase of 2.84 million charging piles, while the charging amount for vehicles totaled 66.67 billion kWh, up 12.4 percent year on year, the data showed.
The government agency said that the growing network of charging facilities is providing services across more highways in the country. At the same time, charging facilities in counties and towns were growing, having reached 417,000 units as of the end of September.
Moldova’s incumbent President Maia Sandu led the country’s presidential election runoff with 54.19 percent of the votes, as most ballots have been counted by Monday morning, according to local media reports.
Former Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo, the president’s main contender for the next four-year presidential term, trailed with 45.81 percent, as reported by the country’s Central Electoral Commission after counting 97.8 percent of the votes.
“I voted with Moldova, I have confidence that our citizens will choose well for our country. Today, more than ever, we must stand together, keep our peace, keep our vote, keep our independence,” said Sandu. As the former leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity, she got the most votes in the first round of the election.
Stoianoglo, who is supported by Moldova’s Socialist Party, expressed his commitment to “a free, stable, prosperous Moldova” and emphasized his support for the country’s path to European integration.
After the presidential election on Oct. 20, Moldova moved to a runoff election between the top two candidates, as none of the 11 candidates in the presidential race received an absolute majority of the votes — defined as 50 percent plus one vote — in the first round.
People attend a rally in Tehran, Iran, Nov. 3, 2024. Iranians took to the streets on Sunday, staging a march to the premises of the former U.S. embassy, chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. [Photo/Xinhua]
Hossein Salami, chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), on Sunday said the U.S. policies are to blame for the terrorism and divisions in the Muslim world.
Salami made the remarks at a rally to mark the 45th anniversary of the former U.S. embassy takeover in Tehran and the “National Day of the Fight against Global Arrogance,” also known as the “National Student Day.”
Speaking at the gathering, the IRGC chief commander stressed that the “phenomenon of Takfiri (extremist) terrorism and bloody divisions in the Muslim world” were all outcomes of the U.S. policies.
Salami described the United States as a “paradoxical identity,” according to the official news agency IRNA.
He added while the United States spoke of global peace, security and order, it was the source of all “crimes, massacres and occupations” in the world.
Iranians took to the streets on Sunday, staging a march to the premises of the former U.S. embassy, chanting slogans against the U.S. and Israel. The demonstrators waved flags of Iran, Hezbollah and Palestine, as well as pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and slain leaders and commanders of Iran and the regional resistance groups.
At the end of the rally, the demonstrators issued a statement vowing allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader and condemning Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon, “which are being perpetrated with the direct participation and support of the United States.”
They also called on the international community to work towards the achievement of ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon.
A few months after the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in February 1979, Iranian university students took over the U.S. embassy building, saying that the embassy was, based on the documents found in it, planning to overthrow the Islamic Republic and serving as an espionage base for the U.S. government. Iran commemorates the takeover every year by holding nationwide rallies.
Expansion announced ahead of Ayr Travelling Cabinet.
Ahead of his first Travelling Cabinet since becoming First Minister, John Swinney will today (Monday) announce plans to expand the electric vehicle (EV) charging network across Ayrshire and the Glasgow City Region. A £6.3 million investment from the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund will lead to the introduction of approximately 3,550 new public EV charge points across the region.
The First Minister has also welcomed confirmation from charge point data provider ZapMap that Scotland has already reached its target of installing more than 6,000 public EV charge points, two years ahead of the 2026 target.
Cabinet Secretaries will visit businesses and projects across South Ayrshire to highlight their four priorities: eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, protecting the planet and improving public services. The First Minister and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop will visit an electric vehicle charging hub where they will meet representatives from EV infrastructure company IONITY.
The Cabinet will then go on to meet at Ayr Town Hall, followed by a public discussion.
The First Minister said:
“Today’s announcement is clear evidence of our commitment to making sustainable travel accessible for everyone in Scotland.
“We need to maintain this rapid progress, working in greater partnership with the private sector to accelerate the pace and scale of delivery right across the country.
“By fast-tracking EV infrastructure, we’re paving the way for a net-zero Scotland while advancing our goal to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
“This is a key example of how the Scottish Government is focused on delivering on our key priorities and I am looking forward to hearing from people in Ayr about how we can continue to deliver for them.
“Connecting with communities across the country enables us to make informed decisions as we strive to create a wealthier, fairer and greener Scotland.”
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:
“In 2023, we published our Vision for public EV charging infrastructure, highlighting the key role the private sector will play in delivering Scotland’s future EV charging requirements for public charging.
“Through our £30 million EV Infrastructure Fund we are continuing to support public EV charging; providing Local Authorities with funding to enable them to work in partnership with the private sector to continue to expand public EV charging across Scotland.
“This approach is paying dividends – ensuring faster delivery and greater reliability of public charge points across the country. I’m pleased to welcome the matched investment from businesses such as IONITY which is helping to scale up the provision of public EV charging across Scotland.”
Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Region Cabinet Chair and Leader of Glasgow City Council said:
“Electric vehicles are to key to reducing carbon emissions and the expanded charging network this funding will deliver can persuade more citizens across the City Region to switch to electric.
“And in creating the biggest network of charge points across Scotland’s most populous communities we can make a real impact on our national climate targets.”
IONITY Country (UK & Ireland) Manager Andreas Atkins said:
“For Scotland to have reached its ambitious target of delivering 6,000 public chargers well ahead of its 2026 target is a huge achievement, especially in such a difficult economic environment at present in the UK.
“A continued collaborative approach between the public sector and private industry is required to tackle and deliver the roadmap for net zero transport, and IONITY will continue to play a key role in this.
“We have already injected £20 million investment in Scotland by the end of 2025, with a further £20 million committed into Scotland by 2028 – delivering 100% green electricity through our chargers from Scotland’s main cities to the West Coast and the Highlands.
“Not only will we enable electric transit right across Scotland, but our charging hub site partners, such as food and beverage retailers, retail parks and hospitality venues will directly benefit. The IONITY hubs are introducing those businesses – and wider local economies – to new revenue streams and additional footfall, bringing entire communities with us into the era of electric vehicles.”
Zapmap COO and Co-founder Melanie Shufflebotham said:
“Reaching the milestone of 6,000 public chargers across Scotland is a significant achievement, with the Scottish government showing great commitment to the EV sector with the forward-looking investment in the ChargePlace Scotland network over the last decade. This has then been supplemented with other private networks and investment across the country.
“Since the target of 6,000 public EV charge points by 2026 was announced by the Scottish Government in June 2023, charge point infrastructure has grown at an impressive rate – up over 49% from 4,023 in June 2023.
“This number covers many different charging use cases across diverse locations, from low powered on-street chargers to destination chargers at scenic spots to 150kW+ charging hubs.
“It’s exciting to see charging hubs being established across the country, from Inverness and Aberdeen in the north to around the urban centres of Glasgow and Edinburgh. This infrastructure not only supports Scottish EV drivers in their daily travels but also enables visitors to explore the stunning Scottish landscape with confidence on longer journeys.”
Background
Since 2011 the Scottish Government has invested over £65 million in public EV charging. Charge point data provider ZapMap has confirmed Scotland had 6,007 public charge points as of 31 October, delivered through a combination of public and increasing private sector investment.
As a direct result, per head of population, Scotland has more public EV charge points than any other part of the UK, except London. We also benefit from more rapid public EV charge points than any other UK region,
The Scottish public EV charging Vision was published in June 2023 and sets out our ambition to see a comprehensive, convenient and efficient network. The Scottish Government has announced a commitment to enabling approximately 24,000 additional public charge points by 2030, and we expect the majority of these to be delivered by the private sector.
Public charge points are only one part of the overall charging mix. The Scottish Government has also provided £5.7 million to support the installation of 18,861 domestic charge points and £10.8 million to support 1,432 higher powered workplace charge points – all complementing the public network.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Okay. Well, it’s good to be back in Milwaukee. We had a wonderful evening last night. People are enthusiastic, and the road to the White House definitely runs through Milwaukee, and I’m honored to have the support of people here.
I’m going to continue to remind people: Go to IWillVote.com to know where you vote and — and how you can vote, in terms of in-person and all of those other details that are very important to exercising the power of your vote in this very critical and important election.
I also want to speak to the comments that have been recently made by the speaker of the House. It is just further evidence of everything that I’ve actually been talking about for months now, about Trump’s intention to implement Project 2025.
We have talked repeatedly — and the American people know what’s in it. We’ve talked repeatedly about their intention to get rid of the Affordable Care Act; now to get rid of the CHIPS Act.
And let’s talk about manufacturing, which is a critical issue for many of the states that will make the difference in this election. Donald Trump, when he was president, lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs. We have created over 700[,000] new manufacturing jobs.
It is my plan and intention to continue to invest in American manufacturing, the work being done by American workers, upholding and lifting up good union jobs, which are good-paying jobs, and doing the work of investing in American industries, including our industries of the future.
That is the way we are going to win the competition with China for the 21st century, and that is the kind of leadership that America deserves in their president.
Q Madam President, one on — Madam President —
AIDE: Mary. Mary.
Q Oh, sorry.
Q What’s your message to Milwaukee voters who are saying, you know, Trump might be better for the economy, and we’re hearing that from — including Black men voters who are skeptical that things are just too expensive for them?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, let me make it very clear that I intend to earn the vote of everyone, and I don’t take anyone’s vote for granted, and my highest priority as president will be to bring down the cost because, to that point, look, I know the cost of groceries is too high still, everyone knows it. And so, my plan includes what we’re going to do in terms of taking on corporate price gouging and having the first-ever national ban on corporate price gouging on groceries.
My plan includes addressing the issue of affordable housing, including for first-time homebuyers, giving them a $25,000 down payment assistance so they can just get their foot in the door.
My plan includes addressing the needs of parents — in particular, young parents — which is why I will expand the Child Tax Credit to $6,000 for the first year of their child’s life, which helps pay for everything from child care to a crib and a car seat.
My plan includes what we’re going to do to invest in our small businesses, including increasing tax breaks for small businesses.
And overall, my plan, which is about building an opportunity economy, has been reviewed by leading economists in our country, from Goldman Sachs to 32 Nobel laureates, all whom have said that my economic plan actually will strengthen America’s economy. They’ve reviewed Donald Trump’s plan and have determined he will weaken America’s economy, he will ignite inflation, and he will bring on a recession by the middle of next year.
AIDE: Akayla.
Q Hi, Madam Vice President. On the comments from the speaker, he walked back initially saying that they would repeal the CHIPS Act, but he still wants to impose changes to the bill. Are you concerned about Republicans seeking any changes to the CHIPS Act?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Well, let’s be clear why he walked it back: Because it’s not popular, and their agenda is not popular.
And that’s why people are showing up by the thousands — tens of thousands to talk about an agenda that actually is focused on lifting them up. That’s why I have the support of, yes, Democrats and independents and Republicans, because they want a president of the United States who stops playing politics with their lives.
They want a president of the United States who invest in affordable health care regardless of who they vote for.
They want a president of the United States who invests in American manufacturing and American workers.
And that’s the work I will do, and that is the work I’m committed to do, and I’m very proud to have the support of many leaders from every party who understand that that’s the kind of leadership that we need moving forward.
AIDE: Asma.
Q Thank you. Madam Vice President, I wanted to ask you about your day-one agenda. I know you said the other day — you talked about having an executive order that would eliminate college degrees for certain federal jobs.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q Can you tell us about some other day-one priorities?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Absolutely. Well, it — obviously —
Q (Inaudible.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: — there’s more than one.
Q Yes.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And one of them is going to be to submit, basically, a package of proposals that are about bringing down costs.
So, for example, housing. What we need to do in terms of creating a tax benefit for folks who want homeownership, what we’re going to do to create a $25,000 down payment assistance plan, what we’re going to do for small businesses. All of that will require a lot of work.
And day one is also me getting on the phone with members of the Republican Party, with leaders, with the private sector. A lot of my plan includes working with the private sector.
My plan includes cutting through red tape on the issue of housing. Again, that includes working with local and state leaders to cut through the red tape, as well as creating incentives for the private-sector builders and developers to actually build new housing so we can increase supply and bring down the cost.
AIDE: Charles.
Q Madam President, thank you —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Vice President.
Q — for making this —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Three days.
Q Vice President.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: But I appreciate that.
Q That will go viral, I’m sure.
Tomorrow, faith leaders in Milwaukee and across the state will be praying about this election —
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q — and encouraging people to get out and vote.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q I think, last week, I heard you say, “God’s power works through us.”
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes.
Q What does your faith tell you about who God wants to win this election and lead our divided country?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: My faith and my belief in God tells me that we all must think about our lives through our ability to do good works, and through those works, to lift people up, to help the needy, to help the poor, to help the elderly. And my plan for my presidency is informed with that spirit and that approach. And I do believe that people understand that that really is the sign of a real leader, which is not defining one’s strength based on who you beat down, but defining the strength of a leader based on who you lift up.
An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 4, 2023 shows a view of the Hengqin International Financial Center in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)
An international photography exhibition opened on Saturday in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province, showcasing outstanding works from home and abroad.
The 19th China International Photographic Art Exhibition features 276 selected works from over 20,000 photographers representing 123 countries and regions, according to the organizers.
Alongside the main exhibit, special displays commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic relations and offer insights into life in Iran. Another side event highlights the achievements of development made by Guangdong and Zhuhai in the new era.
The event, a collaboration between the China Photographers Association, the federation of literary and art circles of Guangdong and the Zhuhai municipal government, will run until Feb. 16, 2025.
PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA (4 November 2024) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $10 million in grant financing to address gender-based violence (GBV) in Cambodia to help meet the country’s target of zero GBV by 2030.
The Strengthening Country Systems for Prevention and Response to GBV project is ADB’s first stand-alone Asian Development Fund (ADF) grant specifically focused on gender equality in Southeast Asia, and establishes a clear link between governance systems, public financial management, and the quality and accessibility of services addressing GBV.
The project will strengthen legal and institutional frameworks by updating Cambodia’s legislation on domestic violence; improve service delivery at the local level by strengthening the quality and accessibility of response services and refurbishing shelters for survivors, especially in rural areas; and leverage digital solutions in adolescent school-based and community-based programs to promote prevention. It will enhance digital solutions for 24/7 access to information, education, and communication resources on GBV in an effort to link prevention and response in a continuum for maximum impact.
“This important project will enhance systemic responses, expand access to shelters, and ensure survivors receive the care they need,” said ADB Country Director for Cambodia Jyotsana Varma. “It will also promote community-based programs on prevention, empowering local communities to play a key role in raising awareness and stopping violence before it occurs. ADB remains committed to supporting Cambodia in building a safer, more inclusive society for all.”
The incidence of GBV remains persistently high even as Cambodia has made significant strides in combating it with the government and civil society organizations piloting promising prevention approaches. Since 2014, the prevalence of intimate partner violence has decreased by 8 percentage points to 21% women (aged 15–49) experiencing it at least once in their lifetime, according to the World Health Organization. While better than the global and Southeast Asian average of 30%, Cambodia still faces hurdles due to uneven response hindered by multiple public agencies, and limited survivor-centered care.
Building on lessons from previous GBV projects in Asia, this initiative promotes a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach that integrates gender equality and GBV considerations across key ministries for Women’s Affairs, Interior, and Economy and Finance to ensure a coordinated response.
This $10 million project is funded by a grant from the Asian Development Fund, which supports ADB’s vulnerable developing member countries.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 69 members—49 from the region.
As the US election unfolds, American territories such as the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, and Guam, along with the broader Pacific region, will be watching the developments.
As the question hangs in the balance of whether the White House remains blue with Kamala Harris or turns red under Donald Trump, academics, New Zealand’s US ambassador, and Guam’s Congressman have weighed in on what the election means for the Pacific.
Massey University’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies senior lecturer Dr Anna Powles said it would no doubt have an impact on small island nations facing climate change and intensified geopolitics, including the rapid expansion of military presence on its territory Guam, following the launch of an interballistic missile by China.
Pacific leaders lament the very real security threat of climate-induced natural disasters has been overshadowed by the tug-of-war between China and the US in what academics say is “control and influence” for the contested region.
Dr Powles said it came as “no surprise” that countries such as New Zealand and Australia had increasingly aligned with the US, as the Biden administration had been leveraging strategic partnerships with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan since 2018.
Despite China being New Zealand’s largest trading partner, New Zealand is in the US camp and must pay attention, she said.
“We are not seeing enough in the public domain or discussion by government with the New Zealand public about what this means for New Zealand going forward.”
Pacific leaders welcome US engagement but are concerned about geopolitical rivalry.
Earlier this month, Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa attended the South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting in Auckland.
He said it was important that “peace and stability in the region” was “prioritised”.
Referencing the arms race between China and the US, he said, “The geopolitics occurring in our region is not welcomed by any of us in the Pacific Islands Forum.”
While a Pacific Zone of Peace has been a talking point by Fiji and the PIF leadership to reinforce the region’s “nuclear-free stance”, the US is working with Australia on obtaining nuclear-submarines through the AUKUS security pact.
Dr Powles said the potential for increased tensions “could happen under either president in areas such as Taiwan, East China Sea — irrespective of who is in Washington”.
South Pacific defence ministers told RNZ Pacific the best way to respond to threats of conflict and the potential threat of a nuclear attack in the region is to focus on defence and building stronger ties with its allies.
New Zealand’s Defence Minister said NZ was “very good friends with the United States”, with that friendship looking more friendly under the Biden Administration. But will this strengthening of ties and partnerships continue if Trump becomes President?
US President Joe Biden (center) stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Image: Jim Watson/RNZ
US President Joe Biden, center, stands for a group photo with Pacific Islands Forum leaders following the Pacific Islands Forum Summit, at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on September 25, 2023. Photo: Jim Watson
US wants a slice of Pacific Regardless of who is elected, US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said history showed the past three presidents “have pushed to re-engage with the Pacific”.
While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests.
The US has made a concerted effort to step up its engagement with the Pacific in light of Chinese interest, including by reopening its embassies in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Tonga.
On 12 July 2022, the Biden administration showed just how keen it was to have a seat at the table by US Vice-President Kamala Harris dialing in to the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Fiji at the invitation of the then chair former prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama. The US was the only PIF “dialogue partner” allowed to speak at this Forum.
However, most of the promises made to the Pacific have been “forward-looking” and leaders have told RNZ Pacific they want to see less talk and more real action.
Defence diplomacy has been booming since the 2022 Solomon Islands-China security deal. It tripled the amount of money requested from Congress for economic development and ocean resilience — up to US$60 million a year for 10 years — as well as a return of Peace Corps volunteers to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.
Health security was another critical area highlighted in 2024 the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Declaration.
The Democratic Party’s commitment to the World Health Organisation (WHO) bodes well, in contrast to the previous Trump administration’s withdrawal from the WHO during the covid-19 pandemic.
It continued a long-running programme called ‘The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs’ which gives enterprising women from more than 100 countries with the knowledge, networks and access they need to launch and scale successful businesses.
While both Trump and Harris may differ on critical issues for the Pacific such as the climate crisis and multilateralism, both see China as the primary external threat to US interests. Image: 123RF/RNZ
Guam’s take Known as the tip of the spear for the United States, Guam is the first strike community under constant threat of a nuclear missile attack.
It was seen as a signal of China’s missile capabilities which had the US and South Pacific Defence Ministers on edge and deeply “concerned”.
China’s Defence Ministry said in a statement the launch was part of routine training by the People’s Liberation Army’s Rocket Force, which oversees conventional and nuclear missile operations and was not aimed at any country or target.
The US has invested billions to build a 360-degree missile defence system on Guam with plans for missile tests twice a year over the next decade, as it looks to bolster its weaponry in competition with China.
Despite the arms race and increased military presence and weaponry on Guam, China is known to have fewer missiles than the US.
The US considers Guam a key strategic military base to help it stop any potential attacks. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon
However, Guamanians are among the four million disenfranchised Americans living in US territories whose vote does not count due to an anomaly in US law.
“While territorial delegates can introduce bills and advocate for their territory in the US Congress, they have no voice on the floor. While Guam is exempted from paying the US federal income tax, many argue that such a waiver does not make up for what the tiny island brings to the table,” according to a BenarNews report.
US Congressman for Guam James Moylan has spent his time making friends and “educating and informing” other states about Guam’s existence in hopes to get increased funding and support for legislative bills.
Moylan said he would prefer a Trump presidency but noted he has “proved he can also work with Democrats”.
Under Trump, Moylan said Guam would have “stronger security”, raising his concerns over the need to stop Chinese fishing boats from coming onto the island.
Moylan also defended the military expansion: “We are not the aggressor. If we put our guard down, we need to be able to show we can maintain our land.”
Moylan defended the US military expansion, which his predecessor, former US Congressman Robert Underwood, was concerned about, saying the rate of expansion had not been seen since World War II.
“We are the closest there is to the Indo-Pacific threat,” Moylan said.
“We need to make sure our pathways, waterways and economy is growing, and we have a strong defence against our aggressors.”
“All likeminded democracies are concerned about the current leadership of China. We are working together…to work on security issues and prosperity issues,” US Ambassador to New Zealand Tom Udall said.
When asked about the military capabilities of the US and Guam, Moylan said: “We are not going to war; we are prepared to protect the homeland.”
Moylan said that discussions for compensation involving nuclear radiation survivors in Guam would happen regardless of who was elected.
The 23-year battle has been spearheaded by atomic veteran Robert Celestial, who is advocating for recognition for Chamorro and Guamanians under the RECA Act.
Celestial said that the Biden administration had thrown their support behind them, but progress was being stalled in Congress, which is predominantly controlled by the Republican party.
But Moylan insisted that the fight for compensation was not over. He said that discussions would continue after the election irrespective of who was in power.
“It’s been tabled. It’s happening. I had a discussion with Speaker Mike Johnson. We are working to pass this through,” he said.
US Marine Force Base Camp Blaz. Image: RNZ Pacific/Eleisha Foon
If Trump wins Dr Powles said a return to Trump’s leadership could derail ongoing efforts to build security architecture in the Pacific.
There are also views Trump would pull back from the Pacific and focus on internal matters, directly impacting his nation.
For Trump, there is no mention of the climate crisis in his platform or Agenda47.
This is in line with the former president’s past actions, such as withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement in 2019, citing “unfair economic burdens” placed on American workers and businesses.
Trump has maintained his position that the climate crisis is “one of the great scams of all time”.
The America First agenda is clear, with “countering China” at the top of the list. Further, “strengthening alliances,” Trump’s version of multilateralism, reads as what allies can do for the US rather than the other way around.
“There are concerns for Donald Trump’s admiration for more dictatorial leaders in North Korea, Russia, China and what that could mean in a time of crisis,” Dr Powles said.
A Trump administration could mean uncertainty for the Pacific, she added.
While Trump was president in 2017, he warned North Korea “not to mess” with the United States.
“North Korea [is] best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
North Korea responded deriding his warning as a “load of nonsense”.
Although there is growing concern among academics and some Pacific leaders that Trump would bring “fire and fury” to the Indo-Pacific if re-elected, the former president seemed to turn cold at the thought of conflict.
In 2023, Trump remarked that “Guam isn’t America” in response to warning that the US territory could be vulnerable to a North Korean nuclear strike — a move which seemed to distance the US from conflict.
If Harris wins Dr Powles said that if Harris wins, it was important to move past “announcements” and follow-through on all pledges.
A potential win for Harris could be the fulfilment of the many “promises” made to the Pacific for climate financing, uplifting economies of the Pacific and bolstering defence security, she said.
Pacific leaders want Harris to deliver on the Pacific Partnership Strategy, the outcomes of the two Pacific Islands-US summits in 2022 and 2023, and the many diplomatic visits undertaken during President Biden’s presidency.
The Biden administration recognised Cook Islands and Niue as sovereign and independent states and established diplomatic relationships with them.
Harris has pledged to boost funding to the Green Climate Fund by US$3 billion. She also promised to “tackle the climate crisis with bold action, build a clean energy economy, advance environmental justice, and increase resilience to climate disasters”.
Dr Powles said that delivery needed to be the focus.
“What we need to be focused on is delivery [and that] Pacific Island partners are engaged from the very beginning — from the outset to any programme right through to the final phase of it.”
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) opens next week in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The summit takes place between 11 and 22 November, and decisions made there will impact all of us. To date, the international community has failed to rein in the deadly activities of the fossil fuel industry, which continues to pollute, burn, and ransack the planet in the face of mounting human suffering.
COP29 is a critical opportunity for world leaders to break with these past failures. Here’s what you need to know about the most important climate event on the global calendar:
1. Who’s going?
Between 40,000 and 50,000 delegates are expected to attend COP29. This will include government representatives from all UN member states, as well as the State of Palestine, the Holy See, Niue, the Cook Islands, and the European Union. All of these are parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and most have also joined the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. COP29 will also host diplomats, UN officials, journalists, climate scientists, trade union leaders, and policy experts. NGOs, activists, and Indigenous leaders are also planning to participate – although the involvement of independent media workers and human rights defenders from Azerbaijan itself has been curbed by an ongoing government crackdown.
2. What is the aim of COP29?
The overall aim of COP29 is for states to agree, develop and share plans for addressing climate change. This means preventing further global warming, and also helping those who have been most affected so far to adapt or to rebuild their lives.
In 2015, the Paris Agreement made it a legal requirement for all states to set targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, in order to limit the global temperature increase to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Since then, however, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) has stressed that the most catastrophic effects of climate change can only be avoided if we limit global warming to 1.5°C by the end of this century.
At COP29, countries’ progress on addressing climate change will be measured against this 1.5°C goal. It is important to note that even 1.5°C of warming will entail mass displacement, harm to livelihoods, and loss of life, with lower-income countries the worst affected. At present, the world is on track for an increase of 2.6 to 3.1°C this century.
3. What’s on the agenda this year?
COP29 has been called “the finance COP”, due to its focus on scaling up climate finance. Climate finance refers to the funding that is needed to help lower-income countries transition to zero-carbon economies, and to help the most affected communities adapt to the effects of climate change. A major objective of COP29 is to increase this funding and to produce a new goal for future climate finance.
4. Where will that money come from?
Under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, the funding must come from the high-income countries that are historically most responsible for climate change. In addition, under international human rights law, all states in a position to do so must also contribute.
In addition to setting a financial target, COP29 negotiators must also agree clear timeframes for the provision of funds to lower-income countries. Money should be given in the form of grants, not loans, to avoid worsening existing debt crises.
5. What should the funds be used for?
This target should also contain sub-goals to make clear where the money should go. For example, Amnesty International is also calling for the target to include loss and damage finance. This is essentially compensation, paid by high-income countries to lower income ones, to help them recover from the existing impacts of climate change, and from others that they will unavoidably face in the future.
One of the Azerbaijan presidency’s more positive moves has been to make adaptation, long sidelined in climate negotiations, a priority of the talks. While preventing further climate change through a full, fast fair and funded phase -out of fossil fuels is critical, the reality is that climate change is already here. Helping people adjust to existing and future impacts of global warming is a crucial part of climate justice.
6. How much money is needed?
Trillions of dollars are needed to help lower-income states carry out the climate action needed, including transitioning away from fossil fuels in a way that protects peoples’ rights. Amnesty International and others in the climate justice movement are calling for a target of at least 1 trillion USD annually.
Azerbaijan has an alarming human rights record, with longstanding restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.
7. What are Amnesty’s human rights concerns regarding Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan has an alarming human rights record, with longstanding restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. Peaceful protests, including those held by environmental groups, are routinely met with violent suppression, and according to the local NGOs more than 300 people are currently imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The work of independent media outlets in Azerbaijan is severely hampered by draconian laws, and the constant threat of retaliation for any real or perceived criticism of the authorities. Most independent media outlets have been crushed out of existence, as have vast swathes of Azerbaijan’s civil society. Torture and other ill-treatment in detention are widespread in Azerbaijan, and impunity is entrenched.
8. Have there been any improvements since Azerbaijan was given the COP29 Presidency?
No. In fact, the grave human rights situation in Azerbaijan has worsened since the country was announced as the host of COP29 in December 2023. The authorities claim they are “ensuring everyone’s voices are heard” at the summit – but they have prosecuted more than a dozen activists and journalists this year, and silenced key voices on the climate crisis.
In April, for example, Azerbaijani authorities arrested human rights and climate justice activist Anar Mammadli on bogus “smuggling” charges, and placed him in pre-trial detention, where he remains. Anar Mammadli was among the first activists in Azerbaijan to speak about the connection between human rights and climate justice, and he has been involved in international advocacy at the EU and UN level. In prison he has been denied adequate medical treatment for several worsening health conditions, and he is facing a lengthy sentence.
9. How does the human rights situation in Azerbaijan affect COP29?
It is essential that civil society can participate in climate negotiations. Activists, union leaders, and human rights defenders help to advocate for ambitious targets and play a vital role in ensuring that the plans developed at COP29 align with governments’ human rights obligations and that they are actually implemented. But the involvement of Azerbaijan’s own civil society is likely to be extremely limited. Threats and harassment have forced many local activists to leave the country, while others are arbitrarily detained on politically motivated charges. The few remaining independent voices risk prosecution and retaliation if they dare to voice any criticism during COP29.
The void left by local civil society groups has been filled in part by organizations known as GONGOs (government-organized non-governmental organizations). These state-supported groups do not provide the independent perspectives needed, but their presence allows Azerbaijani authorities to project a false picture of respect for freedom of expression and association.
Amnesty International is monitoring the crackdown in Azerbaijan, and will continue to document violations, both during and after the summit.
10 .What about Azerbaijan’s record on climate change?
Fossil fuel makes up about half of Azerbaijan’s economy and the vast majority of its export revenues. The state-owned oil and gas company, SOCAR, is a major source of income for President Ilham Aliyev’s government. Nonetheless, Azerbaijan must also do its fair share to achieve a fast and fair fossil fuel phase out; this means no new fossil fuel projects anywhere. But earlier this year, President Aliyev announced plans for expanding gas production which are grossly incompatible with Azerbaijan’s commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Like previous climate summits, COP29 will host many participants whose agendas are seriously at odds with climate justice. Thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists, along with the heads of oil giants like Shell and BP, are expected to be in attendance. These participants have used previous summits to advance their own interests, opposing essential efforts to phase out fossil fuels and pushing for false solutions like carbon offsetting. Amnesty International is calling for a robust conflict of interest policy to prevent fossil fuel lobbyists undermining the aims of global climate treaties.
11. How has climate change impacted people in 2024?
Climate change is causing a dramatic increase in the frequency of extreme temperatures, and 2024 is expected to be the hottest year ever recorded. Around the world, people have been displaced by floods, hurricanes, droughts and other unnatural disasters, all made worse by global warming. Worldwide, Indigenous Peoples and land-dependent communities continue to bear the heaviest burden of biodiversity loss.
Lives have been lost; livelihoods, languages, and entire cultures are in peril; and disease, hunger and displacement is causing extreme suffering. The cost of these losses amounts to trillions of dollars in damages, which dwarf the cost of current investments in renewable energy, and threaten governments’ capacity to fund policies to protect human rights.
12. What is Amnesty calling for at COP29?
Human rights must be at the heart of all climate action decision-making;
States in a position to do so must massively scale up climate finance and funding for loss and damage;
All states must commit to fully phasing out fossil fuels, in a way that is fast and fair;
COP29 participants must not chase risky technologies, like carbon capture and storage and removals, or push gas as a “transition fuel”, as a means of distracting from the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels;
The UNFCCC Secretariat, the government of Azerbaijan, and other governments must protect civic space, and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
As part of the Downtown Whitehorse Safety Response Action Plan, the Government of Yukon will reopen the public community space at the Jim Smith Building, starting November 4, 2024.
As was the case with last year’s pilot project, the Yukon government’s addition of a warming centre in downtown Whitehorse aims to improve accessibility to safe spaces and social services for all, especially vulnerable populations.
Read more about Government of Yukon announces reopening of Jim Smith Building warming centre for winter 2024-25
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Safe Travel
Reviewed: 4 November 2024, 14:48 NZDT
Still current at: 4 November 2024
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If you are planning international travel at this time, please read our COVID-19 related travel advice here, alongside our destination specific travel advice below.
Do not travel to Burkina Faso due to the volatile security situation and the high threat of kidnapping, terrorism and armed banditry (level 4 of 4).
Burkina Faso
Terrorism There is a high threat of terrorism in Burkina Faso, particularly in border areas with Mali and Niger. States of emergencies remain in place in several border regions. In 2018, terrorist groups released a statement declaring their intention to target westerners and western companies in the Sahel. There have been multiple attacks in the capital and elsewhere in the country since 2016, including:
On 11 June 2022, over 100 people were killed in an attack in Seytenga, Seno Province.
On 4 and 5 June 2021, over 160 people were killed in attack on Solhan village, in the northeast.
On 26 April 2021, 3 foreign nationals were killed in an ambush on the PK 60 road between Fada-N’Gourma and Pama.
On 1 December 2019, at least 14 people were killed in a shooting attack inside a church in Hantoukoura.
On 5 November 2019, 37 people were killed and a further 60 injured in an attack on a convoy carrying workers to a Canadian gold mine near Boungou.
On March 2, 2018, extremists attacked the French Embassy and Burkina Faso’s military headquarters in downtown Ouagadougou. Eight security force personnel, including soldiers and police officers were killed and over 80 others were injured.
On 13 August 2017, gunmen attacked the Aziz Istanbul restaurant in Ouagadougou, killing at least 18 people.
On 15 January 2016, armed gunmen attacked the Splendid Hotel and Café Cappuccino in Ouagadougou resulted in 30 deaths, a large number of whom were foreign nationals.
Terrorist attacks could occur at anytime, anywhere in Burkina Faso and may be directed at locations with foreign interests or known to be frequented by foreigners, such as embassies, hotels, bars, restaurants, markets, airports, shopping areas, tourist sites, public transport facilities, mining operations and places of worship.
New Zealanders throughout Burkina Faso are advised to maintain a high degree of security awareness at all times, particularly in public areas. Avoid all large gatherings, including music festivals, concerts, sporting events and any public demonstrations or protests. Keep yourself informed of potential risks to safety and security by monitoring the media and other local sources of information and follow the instructions of local authorities at all times.
Kidnapping There is a heightened threat of kidnapping in Burkina Faso. Terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) have stated their intention to kidnap foreigners and may cross the borders from Mali and Niger to carry out kidnappings.
A number of foreigners have previously been kidnapped in Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region. In April 2022, a Polish national was kidnapped in north-eastern Burkina Faso and in September 2022, a US national was kidnapped in Yalgo, also in north-eastern Burkina Faso. The threat is likely to continue.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are strongly advised to seek professional security advice or protection before travelling to areas of particular risk.
Political Situation/Civil Unrest The security situation has deteriorated significantly in recent years. The political situation continues to evolve following the military coup on 30 September 2022.
Demonstrations occur regularly and have taken place in major cities. They have the potential to result in violence or clashes, gunfire has been reported in Ougadougou. Expect an increased security presence country-wide and comply with any instructions issued by the local authorities, including any curfews or restrictions of movement. Continued disruptions to internet and other telecommunication services are possible.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are advised to avoid all protests, demonstrations and large gatherings.
Banditry Banditry is a security concern in Burkina Faso. There continue to be reports of attacks by armed criminals on vehicles, including buses, travelling on a variety of main and secondary roads across the country. Criminals have used road blocks to stop and rob travellers and have been known to open fire on vehicles that refuse to stop. While bandits mainly steal valuables, they may physically harm victims during the course of a robbery.
The highest number of incidents occur in the eastern region but there have been a number of attacks in other regions and the threat exists throughout Burkina Faso. Remote and border regions are especially vulnerable.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are advised to travel in convoy if possible, stay on clearly marked roads and avoid travel by night outside major centres. You should seek local advice before setting out and follow a police patrol where possible.
Crime Street crime is prevalent in Burkina Faso and foreigners may be specifically targeted due to their perceived wealth. Bag-snatchings, muggings and theft from hotel rooms are common, particularly in Ouagadougou. The central market and the area around the United Nations circle are often targeted by thieves. Theft is often perpetrated by one or two people on motorbikes.
Criminals in urban areas may carry knives in order to cut straps on bags and can become violent if the victim is non-compliant. Sexual assault occurs periodically in smaller towns and within Ouagadougou.
New Zealanders are advised to exercise particular vigilance in crowded or public areas, avoid showing signs of affluence and keep personal belongings secure at all times.
When driving you should keep doors locked, windows up and keep any valuables out of sight. Avoid travelling alone at night, as risks increase after dark.
Scams Commercial and internet fraud is a common problem in Burkino Faso. New Zealanders in Burkina Faso should be wary of any offers that seem too good to be true, as they may be a scam. For further information see our advice on Internet Fraud and International Scams and Internet dating scams.
General Travel Advice As there is no New Zealand diplomatic presence in Burkina Faso, the ability of the government to provide consular assistance to New Zealand citizens is extremely limited.
We offer advice to New Zealanders about contingency planning that travellers to Burkina Faso should consider.
New Zealanders are advised to respect religious and social traditions in Burkina Faso to avoid offending local sensitivities.
Modern medical services in Burkina Faso are very limited, New Zealanders travelling or living in Burkina Faso should have a comprehensive travel insurance policy in place that includes provision for medical evacuation by air.
New Zealanders in Burkina Faso are strongly encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.