Headline: Preliminary Injunction Entered in Justice Department Suit to Stop Alabama’s Systematic Removal of Voters from Registration Rolls
A federal court in the Northern District of Alabama has entered an order requiring the State of Alabama and the Alabama Secretary of State to cease a recently-implemented program to remove voters from Alabama’s voting rolls between now and the Nov. 5 general election. The court further ordered the State to issue guidance to all counties in Alabama to immediately restore deactivated voters unless those voters requested removal or are subject to removal for other reasons.
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, will co-host the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for Justice and Public Safety meeting, alongside R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories.
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, and the Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, will co-host the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for Justice and Public Safety meeting, alongside R.J. Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories.
Media will have an opportunity to capture b-roll footage (cameras only, no audio).
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024
Time: 8:45 a.m. (MDT)
Location: Katimavik Meeting Room The Explorer Hotel 4825 49 Avenue Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Note for media:
Media representatives must arrive 30 minutes in advance of the event to sign-in and present photo ID and credentials. Photo ID must be visible at all times.
Contacts
Gabriel Brunet Press Secretary Office of the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs 819-665-6527 gabriel.brunet@iga-aig.gc.ca
Chantalle Aubertin Deputy Director, Communications Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada 613-992-6568 Chantalle.Aubertin@justice.gc.ca
Read this story in English here. Nacido y criado en Perú, Daniel Velásquez se estableció en los Estados Unidos cuando tenía 10 años. Aunque esa decisión fue una gran transición para su familia, también le creó muchas oportunidades. Ahora Velásquez es ingeniero de operaciones del proyecto Pathfinders de Movilidad Aérea de la NASA en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la NASA en Edwards, California. Velásquez desarrolla ensayos de vuelo para aeronaves eléctricas de despegue y aterrizaje vertical (eVTOL, por sus siglas en inglés), poniendo a prueba específicamente su rendimiento durante varias fases del vuelo, como el rodaje, el despegue, el crucero, la aproximación y el aterrizaje. Se interesó en el centro Armstrong de la NASA debido a su legado en el avance de la investigación de vuelo y a su contribución al programa del Transbordador Espacial. “Formar parte de un centro con una historia tan rica en el apoyo a las misiones espaciales y la aeronáutica avanzada fue una motivación importante para mí,” dice Velásquez. “Uno de los mayores hitos de mi carrera ha sido la oportunidad de conocer (virtualmente) y colaborar con un astronauta en un posible proyecto de la NASA.”
Velásquez está increíblemente orgulloso de su origen latino por su rica cultura, su fuerte sentido de comunidad y la conexión a sus padres. “Mis padres son mi mayor inspiración. Sacrificaron mucho para asegurarse de que mis hermanos y yo pudiéramos tener éxito, dejando atrás la comodidad de su hogar y su familia en Perú para darnos mejores oportunidades,” dice Velásquez. “Su esfuerzo y dedicación me motivan cada día. Todo lo que hago es para honrar sus sacrificios y demostrarles que sus esfuerzos no fueron un vano. Todo mi éxito se lo debo a ellos.” Velásquez comenzó su carrera en la NASA en 2021 como un pasante en el Programa de Pasantías Pathways mientras estudiaba ingeniería aeroespacial en la Universidad Rutgers en New Brunswick, New Jersey. A través de ese programa, el aprendió sobre un software de modelado eVTOL que se llama Diseño y Análisis de Aeronaves de Alas Giratorias de la NASA y creó una guía de ayuda que otros ingenieros de la NASA pudieran consultar cuando trabajaban con el software. Al mismo tiempo, también es un sargento primero de la Reserva del Ejército de EE. UU. y es responsable de supervisar el entrenamiento y el desarrollo de los soldados subalternos durante las reuniones mensuales. Planifica, crea y presenta clases para que los soldados se mantengan al día y refinen sus habilidades, a la vez que supervisa los ejercicios prácticos, las revisiones posteriores de acción y recopila lecciones aprendidas durante los entrenamientos.
“Este trabajo es diferente de lo que hago día a día en la NASA, pero me ha ayudado a convertirme en una persona más franca,” dice. “Ser capaz de conversar con una variedad de personas y poder hacerlo bien es una habilidad que adquirí y refiné mientras servía a mi país.” Velásquez explica que nunca imaginó trabajar para la NASA, ya que era algo que sólo había visto en las películas y en la televisión, pero está muy orgulloso de trabajar para la agencia después de todo el trabajo duro y los sacrificios que lo llevaron hasta aquí. “Estoy increíblemente orgulloso de trabajar cada día con algunas de las personas más motivadas y dedicadas en la industria.”
A mystery animal has been identified as a species never documented in New Zealand waters.
Thousands of specimens were collected during NIWA’sthree-week Ocean Census voyageto the unexplored Bounty Trough earlier this year, done as part of a 10-year planetary census to discover life in our ocean.
Amongst the brilliant selection of fish and invertebrates collected from 3,500m deep, an unusual specimen stumped the experts. NIWA marine biologist and voyage leader Sadie Mills says she and her colleagues resulted to calling it ‘The Thing’.
“It looked kind of like a sea star, but we thought it could also be a sea anemone or octocoral. We had several world-leading experts onboard and none of us could place it, and initial DNA sequencing resulted in no close relationship with any known organism. So, it became known as ‘The Thing’,” said Sadie.
However, after further DNA sequencing, Sadie’s team got a positive result – a 98.9% match to Oligotrema lyra – an abyssal ascidian, or sea squirt. Identification was then morphologically confirmed by taxonomic expert, Dr Mike Page.
“It’s amazing that genetics could help us solve the mystery. We actually had two specimens, but it turned out they were both only parts of the whole creature, which is what threw us because we weren’t seeing the full picture. Our resident ascidian expert Mike thinks part of the body was buried in the sediment, and what we collected were the siphons that they use to feed and filter water, which protruded above the sand,” said Sadie.
While this species is already known to science, it is the first time it has been documented in New Zealand waters and expands our knowledge on the huge diversity of species that fall under our protection.
Ascidians are common in New Zealand’s coastal waters and in the deeper waters on our continental shelf. They are amongst the more colourful marine invertebrates that inhabit our coasts, harbours, and oceans.
When disturbed, sea squirts contract their siphons, expelling streams of water-hence their name.
The Ocean Census is a global alliance to accelerate the discovery and protection of life in the ocean founded byThe Nippon Foundationand UK ocean exploration foundationNekton, and endorsed as a Programme of theUN Ocean Decade.
Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington
A new co-working space has opened that will see innovative local businesses based at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.
The shared work space is called Taiawa Wellington Tech Hub and is in Rutherford House on the University’s Pipitea campus. A range of high-growth, innovative companies have moved in to the 51-desk space—tenants include climate tech businesses Cogo and CarbonInvoice, botanical prescription drug developer Evithé Bio, and scientific literature review assistant Litmaps.
Taiawa was launched in early June, with tenant businesses officially welcomed to the new space at an event attended by Wellington mayor Tory Whanau along with leaders from the University and the business and entrepreneurial community.
Professor Stephen Cummings, co-director of the University’s innovation space The Atom—Te Kahu o Te Ao, says Taiawa is an exciting development. “It will allow us to better work with Wellington’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and create opportunities for sharing ideas between innovative businesses and our staff and students,” he explains.
“It comes from a recognition that Rutherford House is the ideal place in the perfect location to host a co-working space like this. Opening up our buildings to the City in this way can create great synergies and value, not just for our students and researchers, but for Wellington’s business community.”
The initiative is a collaboration with WellingtonNZ, the regional economic development agency. Rebekah Campbell, who leads the Technology Sector Group at WellingtonNZ, says the need for a space for co-working, tech sector education and community events became evident when devising a strategy to grow the region’s economy.
“Wellington has a lot of individually successful tech companies, but even though it’s a compact city, we can do a lot better at promoting collaboration and skill-sharing. Wellington needs its tech sector to thrive, and our mission is to create 30,000 new high-value jobs in the next decade,” she says.
“We looked at other cities that have successfully accelerated the growth of their tech sectors, and a key component of every strategy is the creation of a central place where companies can work together, learn from each other and create a shared culture of ambition and collaboration. The kinds of hubs that were most successful were centred around universities.”
Atom co-director Dr Jesse Pirini says the concept of hosting a co-working space at Te Herenga Waka is “the culmination of years of engagement with the entrepreneurial community through The Atom, and hosting events such as Slush’D and TedX”. “So when the opportunity arose to work with WellingtonNZ, we leapt at it. It’s great to be able to collaborate with them on this unique partnership.”
One of the tenants in Taiawa Wellington Tech Hub is Cogo, which partners with large companies to help businesses and consumers measure and improve their carbon impact. CEO Ben Gleisner, who is a Te Herenga Waka alumnus, describes the new space as a “win-win-win” for all parties.
“It will provide unparalleled opportunities for the companies, the wider tech industry, and for business school students that they can’t get at other institutions in Aotearoa—there is the potential to collaborate on research, internships or dedicated projects. Ultimately, as we are supported to grow, there will hopefully be real jobs for students too.”
University Vice Chancellor Nic Smith says it’s vital that universities are front and centre in supporting the wider science, technology and innovation sector. “The development of this hub is a vote of confidence in Wellington’s business community, especially in the face of bad news stories around public sector lay offs. We believe in the technology and innovation industry, and we’re delighted to have the chance to foster its growth.”
About the name
The name Taiawa is a combination of two words, tai (ocean) and awa (river), which reflects the collaborative elements of entities from different sources combining together to operate a shared space, support innovative ideas and create a safe space for creativity. Taiawa is the name of a type of pipi found at low tide just below the surface of a sandy harbour flat—the act of collecting pipi as a community, intergenerational activity signifies the collaboration that will take place in the tech hub, and the interaction between companies, staff and students. The name was endorsed by Kura Moeahu, Rangatira of Te Āti Awa and Taranaki.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released its latestWorld Energy Outlookreport today, and Greenpeace Aotearoa executive director Russel Norman says it’s damning for Christopher Luxon and his ludicrous plans to restart oil and gas exploration and increase coal mining. (ref. https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2024 )
“The IEA report affirms that global demand for oil, gas, and coal is on track to peak by the end of this decade and warns that failure to accelerate the end of fossil fuels now will put the world on course for a catastrophic global average temperature rise of 2.4oC by the end of the century.
“As floods, fires and storms ravage the world, and climate scientists run out of adjectives to describe how urgent the situation is, we have Christopher Luxon’s Government forging ahead with reckless plans to search for new oil and gas, dig up more coal and shelve every initiative to reduce emissions that they can.
“We have an incredible opportunity right now in Aotearoa to move away from fossil fuels to a clean energy future powered by wind and solar that would mean more affordable energy and cleaner, safer towns and cities for New Zealanders, but the Luxon Government is threatening to take us back to to the dark ages.”
The IEA report states that avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis will require at least doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvements to provide larger emissions reductions by 2030, doubling current investment levels in renewable power, grids and battery storage, as well as implementing a fast and fair fossil fuel phaseout.
“A recent report by the Ministry of Business and Innovation confirms that there is no need for new fossil fuels to ‘keep the lights on’ in New Zealand. Wind and solar are the cheapest sources of new electricity generation, and New Zealand has an abundance of both.
“It’s time for the Government to step up and make the choice to lead Aotearoa into a clean energy future.”
Alabama is Required to Stop Removals Between Now and Election Day and Must Return Unlawfully Deactivated Voters to Active Voter List
A federal court in the Northern District of Alabama has entered an order requiring the State of Alabama and the Alabama Secretary of State to cease a recently-implemented program to remove voters from Alabama’s voting rolls between now and the Nov. 5 general election. The court further ordered the State to issue guidance to all counties in Alabama to immediately restore deactivated voters unless those voters requested removal or are subject to removal for other reasons.
“This action sends a clear message that the Justice Department will work to ensure that the rights of eligible voters are protected,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The National Voter Registration Act’s 90 day Quiet Period Provision is an important safeguard to prevent erroneous eleventh-hour efforts that stand to disenfranchise eligible voters. The Justice Department remains steadfast in our resolve to protect voters from unlawful removal from the registration rolls and to ensure that states comply with the mandate of federal law.”
The department filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama and the Alabama Secretary of State on Sept. 27 alleging that the Alabama Secretary of State’s voter list maintenance program announced on Aug. 13 violated Section 8(c)(2) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by conducting a program intending to systematically remove voters within 90 days of a federal election. The court’s order requires the State of Alabama to facilitate a remedial mailing to each registrant inactivated as part of the voter removal process who has not submitted a request to be removed from the voter rolls and alert these voters that their voter status has since been reactivated.
The injunction also requires the state to work with country registrars to ensure that affected voters are notified that their inclusion in the state’s wayward removal program does not establish their ineligibility to vote or subject them to criminal prosecution for registering to vote or for voting. The injunction further requires the State to facilitate a remedial mailing to each registrant inactivated as part of the voter removal process who did submit a voter removal request advising them that if they are a U.S. citizen and otherwise meet voter qualifications, they have the right to vote. Finally, the court ordered the State to inform the Alabama Attorney General in writing that voters were inaccurately referred to the Attorney General for criminal investigation.
Individuals who are eligible voters and believe that they may have been wrongly removed from the voter rolls as a result of Alabama’s – or any other state’s – systematic removal process should contact the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section through the internet reporting portal at http://www.civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. More information about voting and elections, including guidance documents on the NVRA and other statutes, is available at http://www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the NVRA and other federal voting laws at http://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted at http://www.civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.
When Canada legalized recreational cannabis use on Oct. 17, 2018, there were concerns about the potential impacts. Would it trigger greater cannabis use, boost economic growth or otherwise affect the country’s health, safety and finances?
Patients already using cannabis legally for medical purposes were especially concerned. They worried that recreational legalization might prompt physicians to stop authorizing cannabis treatments. Or that cannabis producers would abandon the small medical market to pursue the larger recreational one.
As someone who studies the business aspects of cannabis legalization, I wondered about these issues, too. It wasn’t clear how patients, producers or health-care providers would react to recreational legalization. Legal medical use itself had only become accessible a few years earlier.
Accessing medical cannabis
Canada began allowing medical use of cannabis in 1999. But it remained difficult to get until regulations changed during 2014-15.
The new rules allowed any physician to authorize patients to use cannabis. Those patients could then register to buy products online from licensed cannabis producers. Online orders could not exceed a 30-day supply.
(Instead of buying cannabis products, some patients grew their own plants instead. My research hasn’t examined that.)
Under this new procedure, the number of patients registering to buy cannabis soared. They grew from 7,914 in June 2014 to 330,344 in June 2018, nearly one per cent of Canada’s population.
However, registration levels differed greatly between provinces. In June 2018, registrations represented almost three per cent of Alberta’s population, versus only 0.1 per cent of Québec’s.
Interestingly, less than half of registrants bought medical cannabis in any given month. Perhaps they simply didn’t need the full dose. Or maybe they found it too expensive, inconvenient or ineffective.
June 2018 was also when the federal government passed its new cannabis legislation. The law took effect in October 2018, when recreational sales of dried cannabis and cannabis oils began. After initial product shortages were overcome, recreational cannabis sales grew rapidly as more stores opened, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumer choice expanded in December 2019 when edibles and vapes became available.
This is where my new study came in. I analyzed government data on patients’ use of Canada’s medical cannabis system between 2017 and 2022. This included how many patients registered, how often they placed orders, and how much cannabis they bought.
Evolving system usage
I found that as soon as parliament passed the new cannabis law, medical registrations began slowing down, despite recreational legalization still being four months away.
But the response differed noticeably between provinces. For example, registrations kept growing steadily in Québec but plummeted rapidly in Alberta. Other provinces were in between.
My data doesn’t say why those changes occurred. Perhaps Alberta, with its copious cannabis clinics, had many patients only mildly interested in using cannabis medically. Conversely, maybe Québec was still catching up with other provinces on medical use.
When recreational sales started in October 2018, patient registrations seemed unaffected. Their average purchase sizes didn’t change either. But they bought medical cannabis slightly less often.
This might have been due to retail convenience. At that time, medical producers and recreational stores were selling similar products: dried cannabis and cannabis oils. So, perhaps some patients started topping up their supplies occasionally at recreational stores but saw no reason to leave the online medical system completely.
When edibles and other processed products began selling in December 2019, registrations dropped further. But the patients who remained bought medical cannabis slightly more often and in increasingly larger quantities.
Product selections might explain this patient split. Perhaps producers with good edible products retained their customers and received larger orders from them. Conversely, maybe medical producers offering few edibles lost their patients to the recreational shops and their vast product assortments.
In summary, Canada’s medical cannabis system experienced big changes after recreational legalization. But it didn’t disappear.
Will other countries see similar outcomes if they allow recreational cannabis?
A changing world
In Europe, for example, The Netherlands is experimenting with recreational sales. Meanwhile, Germany has legalized recreational use but not retail sales. Will those countries experience medical cannabis changes like Canada did?
Other countries, like Australia and New Zealand, are somewhere in between. They’re seeing rapid growth in legal medical use and illegal recreational use, but haven’t legalized recreationally. That’s roughly where Canada was 10 years ago.
Will Canada’s medical and recreational cannabis experiences make these other countries more interested in legalization, or less? Either way, I hope they can learn from our experiences as they chart their own cannabis paths.
Michael J. Armstrong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
ATLANTA (October 16, 2024)— Today,Sen. Donzella James (D–Atlanta), Chairwoman of the Senate Standing Committee on Urban Affairs, praised Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney’s ruling to stop the State Election Board’s hand-count requirement. The ruling declared the Election Board’s Hand Count Rule to be “too much, too late,” while the Court continues to consider the matter.
On October 1, Sen. James and fellow Democratic colleagues held a Senate Committee on Urban Affairs meeting to discuss election infrastructure. The committee specifically focused on the Election Board’s hand-count requirement and heard concerns from various Georgia voters and subject experts alike.
“This court ruling is an important first step toward eliminating an unfunded mandate that would gravely inconvenience Georgia voters, overburden our state’s poll workers, and add an unnecessary expense while we continue to prioritize balancing our state’s budget,” said Sen. Donzella James. “Our committee worked hard to highlight the problems with this last-minute requirement, and I am confident our discussion and the public comment that we held earlier this month were instrumental in starting the conversation that ultimately led to the court’s decision to put the hand-count on hold.”
More information on the full court case is available here.
# # # #
Sen. Donzella James serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Urban Affairs. She represents the 35th Senate District, which includes portions of Douglas and Fulton counties. She may be reached by phone at 404.463.1379 or by email atdonzella.james@senate.ga.gov
HOUSTON, Oct. 16, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) (“Targa” or the “Company”) announced today that its Sustainability Report for 2023 is now available on the Company’s website at https://www.targaresources.com/sustainability. The report advances Targa’s sustainability disclosures and provides a review of Targa’s performance for calendar year 2023 against various environmental, social, and governance topics that we believe are important to our industry and our business.
Highlights of Targa’s Sustainability Report for the 2023 calendar year include the following:
Decreased Gathering & Boosting (G&B) sector methane intensity by 19%;
Exceeded the original methane intensity goals established through the ONE Future participation;
Conducted aerial methane surveys at all gathering and processing assets;
Increased handheld camera methane monitoring to quarterly at all compressor stations and bi-monthly to all gas plants;
Exported approximately 5.6 billion gallons of liquefied petroleum gas (“LPG”) globally that can displace higher GHG-emitting fuels;
Realized continued safety performance with a 25% decrease in Employee Total Recordable Incident Rate since 2021;
Received nine (9) midstream safety recognition awards for exceptional safety records;
95% of our new hires resided in the communities in which we operate;
91% of Board of Directors are independent; 100% independent Audit, Compensation, Nominating and Governance, Risk Management, and Sustainability Committees;(1)
36% of Board of Directors are women;(1) and
Board-level Sustainability Committee continues to oversee management’s implementation of strategy to integrate sustainability into various business activities to create long-term stakeholder benefits.
Please refer to the full sustainability report for additional context regarding these highlights as well as other sustainability matters. The report references the Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”) Standards, International Financial Reporting Standards’ (“IFRS”), Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s (“SASB”) Oil & Gas Midstream Standard, and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (“TCFD”). In addition, Targa engaged an external third party to perform an attest review engagement for certain greenhouse gas emissions and employee safety data metrics disclosed in Targa’s 2023 Sustainability Report for the year ended December 31, 2023.
(1) As of May 17, 2024.
About Targa Resources Corp.
Targa Resources Corp. is a leading provider of midstream services and is one of the largest independent midstream infrastructure companies in North America. The Company owns, operates, acquires and develops a diversified portfolio of complementary domestic midstream infrastructure assets and its operations are critical to the efficient, safe and reliable delivery of energy across the United States and increasingly to the world. The Company’s assets connect natural gas and NGLs to domestic and international markets with growing demand for cleaner fuels and feedstocks. The Company is primarily engaged in the business of: gathering, compressing, treating, processing, transporting, and purchasing and selling natural gas; transporting, storing, fractionating, treating, and purchasing and selling NGLs and NGL products, including services to LPG exporters; and gathering, storing, terminaling, and purchasing and selling crude oil.
Targa is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in the S&P 500.
Certain statements in this release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our projected financial performance and capital spending. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, factors and risks, many of which are outside the Company’s control, which could cause results to differ materially from those expected by management of the Company. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, weather, political, economic and market conditions, including a decline in the price and market demand for natural gas, natural gas liquids and crude oil, the impact of pandemics or any other public health crises, commodity price volatility due to ongoing or new global conflicts, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (“OPEC”) and non-OPEC oil producing countries, the impact of disruptions in the bank and capital markets, including those resulting from lack of access to liquidity for banking and financial services firms, the timing and success of business development efforts and other uncertainties. These and other applicable uncertainties, factors and risks are described more fully in the Company’s Sustainability Report for 2023 and its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and any subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Written by Bonnie Ewart-Fisher, a Strategic Communications Intern from the United States of America serving with the Department of Peace Operations. She has a background in public affairs and advocacy on gender-related issues. She is working to advance the women, peace, and security agenda in UN Peacekeeping.
Women account for less than 10% of the military and police personnel deployed in missions. This is a huge increase from the 1% deployed in 1993, thanks to efforts from UN Peacekeeping and Member States who provide uniformed personnel to peace operations across the world. However, further improving gender parity in peacekeeping operations is a matter of both human rights and effectiveness.
Women have the right to full, equal and meaningful participation in all areas of peacekeeping’s work, including those that have historically been male-dominated. The presence of women in all aspects of peacekeeping is also essential to establishing sustained peace: it makes UN peacekeeping missions more approachable to the communities they serve, equips them to better support survivors of gender-based violence, and improves decision-making by broadening the mission’s skillsets and perspectives.
The Network for Uniformed Women Peacekeepers is one initiative launched by the UN Department of Peace Operations to increase the number of women peacekeepers on the ground, as well as the conditions of their deployment. Piloted in the mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), it is already showing results.
The Network has brought together more than 400 uniformed women peacekeepers since its launch in 2023. It has empowered them to share their experiences, elevate the challenges they face to UNMISS leadership, and propose solutions that create a more respectful and supportive environment for women to thrive in. The Network will be expanded to the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) and the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in the coming months.
“It’s important to ensure gender perspectives are built into planning, policy and decision-making processes. […] Leadership [must] be gender-responsive to be effective,” said Lieutenant General Mohan Subramanian, Force Commander of UNMISS, during a recent meeting with the Network’s members. “I encourage all uniformed women to speak up and use this Network,” he added.
Leaders in the mission have played an important role in championing gender equity across UN Peacekeeping — including by implementing targeted actions identified by the members of the Network. For example, as a result of feedback provided by Network participants, patrolling kits now include private, mobile toilet facilities that allow women to participate more easily in long-range patrols that are key to the mission’s protection of civilians work. Other issues being raised are how to create respectful working environments, break gender barriers and address women’s health in the field.
Sergeant Epiphania Makaza, a police officer serving with UNMISS, noted that as the network helps more women to engage with challenges and take on leadership roles, it will improve conditions for all women peacekeepers: “women who become leaders can facilitate policies, guidelines, rules and regulations to support other female counterparts.”
The Network is just one way that UN Peacekeeping and its partners are working hard to adjust facilities, services, and practices to address the unique barriers faced by women peacekeepers. Continued support from Member States, mission leadership, and all UN peacekeepers will help empower more women to play critical roles in advancing peace worldwide.
This story is part of the “Action for Peacekeeping” (A4P) story series, which reports on efforts by the UN, its Member States, and other partners to strengthen peacekeeping operations, and the impact they have for people living in conflict areas.
Women, Peace and Security is a key area of the A4P agenda and its implementation strategy A4P+, which seeks to enhance accountability to our peacekeepers. Supporting women’s full, equal, and meaningful participation in peace and political processes is central to enhancing operational effectiveness in peacekeeping and sustaining peace.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Participants Discussed the Barriers to Building Housing Quickly and More Affordably in Vermont
VERGENNES, VT – Today, Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) brought together housing developers, construction industry experts, and local and State leaders in Vergennes to discuss barriers to building housing quickly and more affordably in Vermont. They also discussed ways the State and federal governments can ease the housing shortage crisis, and what has been done to speed housing development for working families.
“With half of Vermonters spending more than a third of their income on housing, it’s clear why housing costs are an issue that is top of mind for folks in Vergennes and across the State. This is a great place to start a family, grow a business, and be part of an extraordinary community—but too many people, from young families to seniors, have been priced out of making that dream a reality,” said Sen. Welch. “This rural housing crisis cuts our state deep—it hurts our local economy, makes it harder to attract and retain workers, and it’s threatening the success of our hospitals. Vermont is modeling the changes necessary to solve this crisis, and we need to keep working together to break through the barriers to build faster and more affordably.”
Attendees discussed the programs and positive steps Vermont has taken to make it easier to build housing, and how to improve current programs or institute new programs to build more manufactured and modular housing. They also discussed ways to cut through red tape in the permitting process and lower the price of building and development.
Senator Welch was joined by Nate Formalarie, Deputy Commissioner, Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development; State Representative Matt Birong — Addison 3; Elise Shanbacker, Executive Director of Addison Housing Works; Maura Collins, Executive Director of Vermont Housing Finance Committee; Li Ling Young of Efficiency Vermont; Zeke Davisson from Summit Properties; and Aaron Stewart from Stewart Construction. The event was hosted at the Armory Lane Senior Housing, affordable apartments and community spaces for seniors owned and operated by Addison Housing Works.
A recent report from Vermont’s Department of Housing and Community Development found the State is “likely to need an additional 24,000 to 36,000 additional homes by 2029.” The same report found that between 2019 and 2023, single family homes increased in price by 38% and mobile homes with land increased in price by 37%.
See photos from the event below:
Recently, Senator Welch joined Senators Heinrich and Wyden in introducing the New Homes Tax Credit Act, which would provide tax credits to incentivize new investments and additional resources for home construction and renovations for working families. He also recently helped introduce the bicameral Homes Act, legislation that would help build and preserve as many as 1.3 million homes in small towns, big cities, and rural communities. This summer, he introduced a bill to help more working families in rural communities purchase a home through the USDA’s home loan program.
Headline: Governor Cooper Issues Executive Order Increasing Unemployment Payments for North Carolinians in the Wake of Hurricane Helene
Governor Cooper Issues Executive Order Increasing Unemployment Payments for North Carolinians in the Wake of Hurricane Helene bconroy
Today, Governor Roy Cooper issued an emergency Executive Order authorizing the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, to increase the amount of weekly unemployment payments available to North Carolinians in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
“As I’ve traveled for days around western North Carolina I’ve heard concern from many small business owners about their employees who are unemployed because their businesses are temporarily closed,” said Governor Cooper. “This Executive Order will increase unemployment benefits and help ease the financial burden for impacted North Carolinians as they work to recover from the storm.”
As a result of this Order, weekly unemployment benefits will increase from a maximum of $350 a week to a maximum of $600 a week. Prior to the executive order, many low-income and part-time workers would have received less than the $350 weekly maximum. To ensure that these workers receive necessary benefits in the wake of Helene, the order will also increase benefits by $250 a week (up to the $600 cap) for all eligible workers. This order is tied to the State of Emergency for Hurricane Helene, and will remain in effect until the end of the Emergency or until it is rescinded.
State unemployment benefits will still be capped at 12 weeks, but workers who lived or worked in the impacted North Carolina counties and are out of work due to the disaster will qualify for up to 26 weeks of federal benefits, to be paid through March 29, 2025 under the federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance program. To provide relief to employers impacted by Helene, and due to the extraordinary size of the trust fund balance, employers would not see any increase in unemployment taxes due to the increased benefit.
While federal law requires the elevated state payment to apply statewide, the increased benefits would largely go to workers from counties impacted by Helene, with unemployment data through October 13th showing that workers from those counties make up 79% of new claims — 19,735 — since the disaster. This percentage is likely to increase as more counties are added to the disaster declaration.
Only eight states have a lower weekly maximum unemployment benefit than North Carolina. The $350 cap was set in 2013 and has not been changed since, even as rising wages in the state continue to grow North Carolina’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund from which benefits are paid. Meanwhile, the balance in North Carolina’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund now stands at over $4.8 billion, the second-largest such fund in the United States.
The Division of Employment Security, which administers both the traditional state unemployment benefits and federal disaster unemployment assistance benefits, estimates that, for every 10,000 North Carolinians who receive elevated state benefits, the additional cost to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund would be $2.5 million per week. If 50,000 North Carolinians from impacted counties received the full additional state benefit for all 12 weeks, the additional cost to the Trust Fund is estimated to be $150 million. Those same 50,000 workers would then be eligible for an additional 14 weeks of federal benefits, totaling an additional $175 million paid by the federal government.
Many currently unemployed workers will likely return to work before receiving the full benefit they are entitled to claim, so the actual fiscal impact of the increased benefits is expected to be lower.
The Division of Employment Security estimates that it may take between two and three weeks for impacted individuals to see the impact in their weekly benefit checks. The benefits for eligible claimants will be retroactive to September 29, 2024 and adjustment payments will be issued for benefit weeks going back to that date.
The North Carolina Council of State unanimously concurred with this executive order, consistent with the North Carolina Emergency Management Act.
Oscar winner Torill Kove’s new Mikrofilm/National Film Board of Canada animated short Maybe Elephants makes its much-anticipated US debut this month at three southern California film fests: the Newport Beach Film Festival (Oct. 17–24), Animation Is Film (Oct. 18–20) and AFI FEST in Los Angeles (Oct. 23–27).
October 15, 2024 – Montreal – National Film Board of Canada
Maybe Elephants marks the fourth collaboration of the NFB and Norway’s Mikrofilm AS with Montreal-based animator Torill Kove—a stellar run ofanimation excellence over two decades, encompassing threeAcademy Award-nominated shorts, including her 2007 Oscar winner, The Danish Poet.
A playful and loving autobiographical homage to family, adolescence and the therapeutic power of memories, however unreliable, Maybe Elephantsreunites thecast of Kove’s previous Oscar nominee, Me and My Moulton.
“I see this film as a sequel to my 2015 short Me and My Moulton, which was a semi-biographical snapshot of my family in the 1960s, when my sisters and I were under 10 years old and my parents were young and hip. In Maybe Elephants, I’m revisiting the same family. I think everybody has at least one important story. It can be catastrophic, like a war, or romantic. Maybe Elephants is my story, and it goes like this: we were a happy family and then our parents left us,” says Torill Kove.
Maybe Elephants arrives in theUS after a world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France and its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which was followed by an Official Selection in the Narrative Short Film Competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
The Spark Animation festival in Vancouver, British Columbia (Oct. 31–Nov. 3), is presenting its Lifetime Achievement Award to Torill Kove in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of animation, and honouring Maybe Elephants with its Canadian Film Prize.
Maybe Elephants by Torill Kove(Mikrofilm/NFB, 16 min 43 s) Producers: Lise Fearnley (Mikrofilm), Maral Mohammadian (NFB), Tonje Skar Reiersen (Mikrofilm) Press kit: mediaspace.nfb.ca/epk/maybe-elephants
In the ’70s, three rebellious teenage daughters, a restless mother, a father struggling with potatoes, and maybe some elephants, find themselves in bustling Nairobi—and the family will never be the same.
Narrated by Torill Kove, the film wraps rich nostalgia around memories of eventful family trips, timeless teen antics and those inevitable moments of adolescent epiphany—bursting with wit, a joyful colour palette and an energetic soundscape.
Maybe Elephants was made with the collaboration of several Kenyan Canadians who played the roles of Kenyan characters and with whom Kove consulted on Swahili language and Kenyan culture.
Torill Kove is a Norwegian-born filmmaker and animator living in Canada. Three of her films (including My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts and Me and My Moulton) have been nominated for Academy Awards, with The Danish Poet, narrated by Liv Ullmann, winning the coveted golden statue in 2007. Kove’s films are known for her expressive designs and playful and poignant autobiographical themes.
A salute is widely recognized as a display of respect, but did you know it also means ‘hello’ in American Sign Language? It is one of the signs that Jesse Bazley, International Space Station/Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program integration team lead, subtly incorporates into his daily interactions with colleagues at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Bazley is hard of hearing, which has at times presented challenges in his daily work – particularly during his stint as an Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems flight controller for the space station. “Working on console [in the Mission Control Center], you must listen to dozens of voice loops at a time, sometimes in different languages,” he said, adding that the standard-issue headset for flight controllers was not compatible with his hearing aids. Bazley adapted by obtaining a headset that fit over his hearing aids, learning how to adjust the audio system’s volume, and limiting over-the-air discussions when possible. Bazley has been part of the NASA team for 17 years, filling a variety of roles that support the International Space Station. One of his proudest achievements occurred early in his tenure. Bazley was an intern at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in 2006 when the space station’s Water Recovery System was being tested. The system converts the station’s wastewater into drinkable water for the crew. When he arrived at Johnson one year later, his first assignment was to assist with the system’s procedure and display development for its incorporation into the space station’s core operations. “Now, 16 years later, it is commonplace for the space station to ‘turn yesterday’s coffee into tomorrow’s coffee’,” he said.
His favorite project so far has been integrating the station’s Thermal Amine Scrubber – which removes carbon dioxide from the air – into station operations. “I worked it from the beginning of NASA’s involvement, helping the provider with software testing and the integration of a brand-new Mission Control Center communications architecture,” he said. Today, Bazley works to integrate subject matter experts from Johnson’s Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) into the processes of the International Space Station and Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Programs. “I help pull together FOD positions on topics and coordinate reviews of provider materials to ensure that the operations perspective is maintained as development moves forward,” he explained. While Bazley no longer supports a console, he must continue adapting to difficult hearing environments. He uses the captioning tools available through videoconferencing software during frequent team meetings, for example. “It’s important to understand that people have visible and invisible disabilities,” he said. “Sometimes their request for a remote option is not because they want to avoid an in-person meeting. It may be that they work best using the features available in that virtual environment.” Bazley also chairs the No Boundaries Employee Resource Group, which promotes the development, inclusion, and innovation of Johnson’s workforce with a focus on employees with disabilities and employees who are caregivers of family members with disabilities. From these diverse roles and experiences, Bazley has learned to listen to his gut instincts. “In flight operations, you must work with short timelines when things happen in-orbit, so you have to trust your training,” he said. “Understanding when you have enough information to proceed is critical to getting things done.” Bazley looks forward to the further commercialization of low Earth orbit so NASA can focus resources on journeying to the Moon and Mars. “Aviation started out as government-funded and now is commonplace for the public. I look forward to seeing how that evolution progresses in low Earth orbit.” His advice to the Artemis Generation is to consider the long-term impact of their actions and decisions. “What looks great on paper may not be a great solution when you have to send 10 commands just to do one task, or when the crew has to put their hand deep into the spacecraft to actuate a manual override,” he said. “The decisions you make today will be felt by operations in the future.”
NASA announced Wednesday a new strategy review team will assess potential architecture adjustments for the agency’s Mars Sample Return Program, which aims to bring back scientifically selected samples from Mars, and is a key step in NASA’s quest to better understand our solar system and help answer whether we are alone in the universe.
Earlier this year, the agency commissioned design studies from the NASA community and eight selected industry teams on how to return Martian samples to Earth in the 2030s while lowering the cost, risk, and mission complexity. The new strategy review team will assess 11 studies conducted by industry, a team across NASA centers, the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The team will recommend to NASA a primary architecture for the campaign, including associated cost and schedule estimates.
“Mars Sample Return will require a diversity of opinions and ideas to do something we’ve never done before: launch a rocket off another planet and safely return samples to Earth from more than 33 million miles away,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “It is critical that Mars Sample Return is done in a cost-effective and efficient way, and we look forward to learning the recommendations from the strategy review team to achieve our goals for the benefit of humanity.”
Returning samples from Mars has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for more than three decades, and the Mars Sample Return Program is jointly planned with ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate, and potential hazards for future human explorers. Retrieval of the samples also will help NASA’s search for signs of ancient life.
The team’s report is anticipated by the end of 2024 and will examine options for a complete mission design, which may be a composite of multiple studied design elements. The team will not recommend specific acquisition strategies or partners. The strategy review team has been chartered under a task to the Cornell Technical Services contract. The team may request input from a NASA analysis team that consists of government employees and expert consultants. The analysis team also will provide programmatic input such as a cost and schedule assessment of the architecture recommended by the strategy review team.
The Mars Sample Return Strategy Review Team is led by Jim Bridenstine, former NASA administrator, and includes the following members:
Greg Robinson, former program director, James Webb Space Telescope Lisa Pratt, former planetary protection officer, NASA Steve Battel, president, Battel Engineering; Professor of Practice, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Phil Christensen, regents professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe Eric Evans, director emeritus and fellow, MIT Lincoln Lab Jack Mustard, professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science, Brown University Maria Zuber, E. A. Griswold professor of Geophysics and presidential advisor for science and technology policy, MIT
The NASA Analysis Team is led by David Mitchell, chief program management officer at NASA Headquarters, and includes the following members:
John Aitchison, program business manager (acting), Mars Sample Return Brian Corb, program control/schedule analyst, NASA Headquarters Steve Creech, assistant deputy associate administrator for Technical, Moon to Mars Program Office, NASA Headquarters Mark Jacobs, senior systems engineer, NASA Headquarters Rob Manning, chief engineer emeritus, NASA JPL Mike Menzel, senior engineer, NASA Goddard Fernando Pellerano, senior advisor for Systems Engineering, NASA Goddard Ruth Siboni, chief of staff, Moon to Mars Program Office, NASA Headquarters Bryan Smith, director of Facilities, Test and Manufacturing, NASA Glenn Ellen Stofan, under secretary for Science and Research, Smithsonian
By the end of 2024, nearly 200 nations will have met at three conferences to address three problems: biodiversity loss, climate change and plastic pollution.
Colombia will host talks next week to assess global progress in protecting 30% of all land and water by 2030. Hot on its heels is COP29 in Azerbaijan. Here, countries will revisit the pledge they made last year in Dubai to “transition away” from the fossil fuels driving climate breakdown. And in December, South Korea could see the first global agreement to tackle plastic waste.
Don’t let these separate events fool you, though.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion are not isolated problems” say biologist Liette Vasseur (Brock University), political scientist Anders Hayden (Dalhousie University) and ecologist Mike Jones (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences).
“How hot is it going to get? This is one of the most important and difficult remaining questions about our changing climate,” say two scientists who study climate change, Seth Wynes and H. Damon Matthews at the University of Waterloo and Concordia University respectively.
The answer depends on how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases like CO₂ and how much humanity ultimately emits, the pair say. When Wynes and Matthews asked 211 authors of past reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, their average best guess was 2.7°C by 2100.
“We’ve already seen devastating consequences like more flooding, hotter heatwaves and larger wildfires, and we’re only at 1.3°C above pre-industrial levels — less than halfway to 2.7°C,” they say.
There is a third variable that is harder to predict but no less important: the capacity of forests, wetlands and the ocean to continue to offset warming by absorbing the carbon and heat our furnaces and factories have released.
This blue and green carbon pump stalled in 2023, the hottest year on record, amid heatwaves, droughts and fires. The possibility of nature’s carbon storage suddenly collapsing is not priced into the computer models that simulate and project the future climate.
However, the ecosystems that buffer human-made warming are clearly struggling. A new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed that the average size of monitored populations of vertebrate wildlife (animals with spinal columns – mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) has shrunk by 73% since 1970.
Wildlife could become so scarce that ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest degenerate, according to the report.
“More than 90% of tropical trees and shrubs depend on animals to disperse their seeds, for example,” says biodiversity scientist Alexander Lees (Manchester Metropolitan University).
The result could be less biodiverse and, importantly for the climate, less carbon-rich habitats.
Plastic in a polar bear’s gut
Threats to wildlife are numerous. One that is growing fast and still poorly understood is plastic.
Bottles, bags, toothbrushes: a rising tide of plastic detritus is choking and snaring wild animals. These larger items eventually degrade into microplastics, tiny fragments which now suffuse the air, soil and water.
“In short, microplastics are widespread, accumulating in the remotest parts of our planet. There is evidence of their toxic effects at every level of biological organisation, from tiny insects at the bottom of the food chain to apex predators,” says Karen Raubenheimer, a senior lecturer in plastic pollution at the University of Wollongong.
Plastic is generally made from fossil fuels, the main agent of climate change. Activists and experts have seized on a similar demand to address both problems: turn off the taps.
In fact, the diagnosis of Costas Velis, an expert in ocean litter at the University of Leeds, sounds similar to what climate scientists say about unrestricted fossil fuel burning:
“Every year without production caps makes the necessary cut to plastic production in future steeper – and our need to use other measures to address the problem greater.”
A production cap hasn’t made it into the negotiating text for a plastic treaty (yet). And while governments pledged to transition away from coal, oil and gas last year, a new report on the world’s energy use shows fossil fuel use declining more slowly than in earlier forecasts – and much more slowly than would be necessary to halt warming at internationally agreed limits. The effort to protect a third of earth’s surface has barely begun.
Each summit is concerned with ameliorating the effects of modern societies on nature. Some experts argue for a more radical interpretation.
“Even if 30% of Earth was protected, how effectively would it halt biodiversity loss?” ask political ecologists Bram Büscher (Wageningen University) and Rosaleen Duffy (University of Sheffield).
“The proliferation of protected areas has happened at the same time as the extinction crisis has intensified. Perhaps, without these efforts, things could have been even worse for nature,” they say.
“But an equally valid argument would be that area-based conservation has blinded many to the causes of Earth’s diminishing biodiversity: an expanding economic system that squeezes ecosystems by turning ever more habitat into urban sprawl or farmland, polluting the air and water with ever more toxins and heating the atmosphere with ever more greenhouse gas.”
Australia’s three million unpaid carers are the unsung heroes of our nation, and the Albanese Labor Government is making sure they are recognised, valued and empowered in their vital work.
During National Carers Week, Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth is today opening public consultation on the draft National Carer Strategy, which delivers on an election commitment to set the direction and course for our effort to drive positive change for carers.
While the former Gillard Labor Government began this important work in 2011, there has been no Commonwealth carers’ strategy since 2015, with the Coalition Government abandoning their duty to support carers.
Through the Strategy, carers have told us what they need to continue their caring roles while participating fully in society themselves.
“With ingenuity and resilience, carers keep Australia going. For us to keep going, we must be recognised and supported as individuals with our own needs, who attend to the needs of others,” Australian carers say in the Strategy’s Statement from Australia’s Carers.
They highlight the shortfalls in the caring system that especially let down young carers who feel like they have to conceal their care work out of embarrassment, lifelong carers who worry about who will look after their loved ones as they themselves age, and carers sandwiched between generations, often forgoing relationships, income, and wellbeing.
The new Strategy will support better decision-making on policies that affect carers and explains where we will prioritise our efforts – making sure carers feel like they are recognised, that they have a voice, and that they can continue to pursue their own ambitions and passions while they care for their loved ones.
The draft Strategy has been guided by the National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee and informed by public consultations in all states and territories in metropolitan, regional, and remote locations, as well as online, and through a public submission process.
Ensuring the draft National Carer Strategy can be reviewed by unpaid carers, former carers, the wider support sector and anyone with an interest in the sector is critically important.
“Carers play an integral role in the nation’s health and social care systems; often making significant personal sacrifices – foregoing careers, social lives, and educational opportunities to care for loved ones,” Minister Rishworth said.
“The National Carer Strategy is designed for anyone in an unpaid caring role and it’s our aim to drive meaningful change for this important group of selfless Australians.
“We want to hear from people right across Australia about their thoughts on best supporting unpaid carers. Carers play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life and independence of those they care for, and make critical but often unrecognised contributions to the nation’s economy, health and social care systems.”
The Government has committed $3.8 million to develop the National Carer Strategy.
This is in addition to boosted support for carers since the Albanese Labor Government was elected including:
Providing over $911 million over four years to 2026-27 for carer support services, including the Carer Gateway service;
Launching the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative with funding of $2 million to ensure carers are better supported to participate in the workforce;
Providing over $18 million to change the participation limit for Carer Payment, removing travel, education or volunteering time from the calculation of the participation limit, along with changes to Temporary Cessation of Care days, so carers who want to work, study or volunteer can more easily and flexibly do so; and
Providing $10 million to double support for young carers to continue their education through the Young Carer Bursary program.
Public consultation on the draft Strategy is now open on DSS Engage until 3 November 2024.
More information is available on the DSS Engage website.
National Carers Week is held this year from 13 – 19 October and is funded by the Department of Social Services. For more information on how to get involved, visit National Carers Week.
The size and extent of core sagebrush areas, as well as growth opportunity areas and other rangeland areas within the sagebrush biome of the United States in 2001 (left) and 2020 (right). From Doherty and others (2022).
The sagebrush biome is one of the most intact and least modified ecosystems in the world covering more than 165 million acres, on par with the Amazon or the Serengeti. It’s also the largest contiguous open space in the Lower 48. But we are losing 1.3 million acres — an area slightly larger than Rhode Island — on average each year.
In 2022, a group of scientists and managers with expertise in sagebrush biome conservation came together to publish the Sagebrush Conservation Design, an effort to provide a common basis for understanding this iconic landscape through time. The SCD used new remote sensing technologies like the Rangeland Condition Monitoring Assessment and Projection dataset and the Rangelands Analysis Platform, to map the entire sagebrush biome and categorize it into Core Sagebrush Areas, Growth Opportunity Areas, and Other Rangeland Areas. It also evaluated the different threats facing the biome and showed that more than 90% of degradation across the biome stems from three main threats: invasive annual grasses, conifer encroachment, and land-use modification. These losses impact livelihoods and reduce important ecosystem services like water availability, wildlife habitat, forage for livestock, carbon storage and more.
To continue moving sagebrush conservation forward and to best leverage the SCD’s insights and map products, a diverse group of researchers, land management professionals, federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations came together for this Special Issue of Rangeland Ecology and Management to identify research opportunities and answer other questions that complicate sagebrush conservation.
The USGS has been a leader in sagebrush ecosystem research, working with management agencies to bring together the breadth of science information and data across the biome to meet management needs. Below are the USGS contributions to Special Issue.
Understanding how climate change will contribute to ongoing declines in sagebrush ecological integrity is critical for informing natural resource management, yet complicated by interactions with wildfire and biological invasions. Here, researchers assessed potential future changes in sagebrush ecological integrity under a range of scenarios using an individual plant-based simulation model, integrated with remotely sensed estimates of current sagebrush ecological integrity. The simulation model allowed researchers to estimate how climate change, wildfire, and invasive annuals interact to alter the potential abundance of key plant functional types that influence sagebrush ecological integrity: sagebrush, perennial grasses, and annual grasses. Results of this study provide a long-term perspective on the vulnerability of sagebrush ecosystems to climate change and may inform geographic prioritization of conservation and restoration investments.
More information
Sagebrush ecosystems support a suite of unique species such as the emblematic greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) but are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic stressors such as annual grass invasion, conifer encroachment, altered wildfire regimes, and land use change. In this study, researchers examined the ability of an ecosystem-based framework for sagebrush conservation, the sagebrush conservation design (SCD) strategy, and the associated model of Sagebrush Ecological Integrity (SEI), to identify and rank priority habitats for sage-grouse, a sagebrush indicator species. Researchers compared sage-grouse population trends from 1996–2022 across the three categories that characterize integrity of sagebrush ecosystems (core, growth opportunity, and other rangelands) and then generated a parallel categorical model of sage-grouse population trends, based on the same landcover variables that comprise the SEI. Researchers then compared the sage-grouse condition categories to trends derived from population count data.
In all, they found that the SCD and SEI were effective tools for identifying and ranking priority habitats for sage-grouse. Their analysis demonstrates that proactive ecosystem-based approaches to the conservation of the sagebrush biome can help optimize the return on limited conservation resources and benefits for sagebrush obligate species, and help reduce some of the real and perceived conflicts inherent in single-species management
High-quality Core Sagebrush Areas, as delineated by the Sagebrush Conservation Design, continue to decline despite conservation and restoration investments. The increasing recognition of the scale of threats and the pace of ecosystem degradation has led to a shift towards threats-based ecosystem management. To this end, researchers quantified the acres of conservation implementation relative to the rate of loss from specific threats to the sagebrush biome and assessed how much additional action may be needed to stop Core Sagebrush Area loss.
They found that current rates of conservation are markedly lower than rates of Core Sagebrush Area loss (~10% of average annual loss). Furthermore, most conservation actions, ~90% for some treatment types, occurred outside of Core Sagebrush Areas, likely reducing the efficacy of these conservation actions at retaining and restoring intact sagebrush rangelands. Additionally, they found that conservation efforts will need to increase ten times its current annual rate to halt declines. However, through better spatial targeting of conservation actions, the increase in conservation needed to stop Core Sagebrush Area loss could be substantially reduced. This analysis demonstrates the divergent futures that may await the sagebrush biome pending key decisions regarding conservation targeting, stakeholder cooperation, and the strategic addition of resources.
Sagebrush Conservation Gateway
All twenty studies from this Special Issue, plus related content, can be accessed through the Sagebrush Conservation Gateway.
New Zealand Tongan actor JP Foliaki has won TVNZ’s Celebrity Treasure Island and done it for his home in South Auckland, and for children and young people in the Pacific.
“As a charity, (ChildFund) provide fresh water to the Pacific. It’s one thing to be for your community here in New Zealand, but it’s another thing to look out for your people back home.”
“All of us at ChildFund, from our teams in Auckland, to the teams in Tarawa and the islands of Kiribati and Honiara and Temotu Province in Solomon Islands thank JP with all our hearts for his win tonight,” says CEO of ChildFund, Josie Pagani.
The $100k win will now go to ChildFund’s work in the Pacific, bringing clean water to children and their families who otherwise would not have easy access to drinking water.
“It is unacceptable in 2024 that 1 in 10 deaths for children under 5 years in parts of the Pacific is linked to diarrhea, vomiting and dirty water. This is a problem that is fixable. So let’s fix it,” says CEO of ChildFund Josie Pagani.
The Pacific has some of the highest rates of preventable deaths for children in the world, due largely to dirty water.
ChildFund is bringing clean water to children in Kiribati and Solomon Islands, and will expand its programmes across the region over the next year.
“The Pacific is our home and for many New Zealanders these children are our extended family. We can’t fix all the problems in the world but we can make a difference in the place we call home too.”
“This is how we can help to power the Pacific’s future by making sure children and young people have a decent chance at learning skills and getting an education – rather than getting sick or worse, says Josie Pagani.
Dirty water is linked to diarrhea and vomiting, and causes some of the highest numbers of preventable child deaths in the Pacific:
– 1 in 10 deaths for children under 5 years in Kiribati
– 1 in 14 deaths for children under 5 years in Solomon Islands
– Only 16% of school children In Solomon Islands, have clean, safe water
– Only 27% of households in Kiribati have access to clean, safe water
JP’s win will help to complete the following projects:
– Rebuild a water pipe and pump system that will provide water to 3,000 people in 18 communities as well as the local school the Temotu Province of Solomon Islands
– Provide families in some of the 33 islands and atolls of Kiribati with 10 litre Solvatten units that use solar energy to purify water in just a few hours. Each unit can provide 6,000 litres of safe drinking water every year.
– Install 75 litre solar powered distillation tanks at pre-schools, schools and community centres – giving children access to clean safe drinking water every day.
–Build rainwater harvesting infrastructure (roofs and gutters) to capture precious, albeit infrequent rain.
“We would also like to thank the teams and crew at Celebrity Treasure Island for making this possible, and all the New Zealanders who continue to support our work.”
For every dollar donated, the New Zealand government provides an additional $4
SANTA FE – A public health order that imposed temporary firearm restrictions, enhanced drug monitoring, and other public safety measures in response to gun violence and substance misuse expired on Saturday and will not be renewed, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Wednesday.
“The public health order, though temporary, allowed us to implement urgent and necessary measures that have had a measurable, positive effect on public safety in our state,” Lujan Grisham said. “I have decided to allow the public health order to expire, but our fight to protect New Mexico communities from the dangers posed by guns and illegal drugs will continue.”
Lujan Grisham first issued the public health order in September 2023 after the tragic shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Albuquerque. Emphasizing the urgent need to address gun violence in the state, the governor’s temporary restrictions banned firearms in public parks and playgrounds in Bernalillo County, strengthened oversight of firearm sales and implemented wastewater testing for fentanyl in public schools.
The Public Health Order also led to the establishment of memorandums of understanding between the state of New Mexico and the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department and the 2nd Judicial District to share public safety data and ensure transparency and accountability.
In the year since the governor’s public health order went into effect, significant strides were made in reducing gun violence in New Mexico. Key accomplishments include:
More than 1,700 firearms collected through gun buy-back events.
A doubling of arrests in Albuquerque including 36% related to violent and/or gun-related crimes.
Increased public awareness about the serious issue of juveniles being detained for gun possession.
Fewer gunfire incidents in Albuquerque, as reported by the city’s gunshot detection system.
In the last year, 52,743 free gun locks have been distributed by the New Mexico Department of Health.
The New Mexico Department of Health has distributed 31,806 doses of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses, with 3,653 overdose reversals reported in the last year.
An interactive dashboard developed by the New Mexico Environment Department that shows drug testing of wastewater from public schools across the state, helping school officials and communities understand drug trends in their areas.
Increased inmate population at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center.
A coalescing of state and local agencies, including New Mexico State Police, Albuquerque Police, Bernalillo County Sheriff, and others, to develop a coordinated response to tackle gun violence.
“Our work is not done,” said Lujan Grisham. “We need the legislature to pass stronger public safety laws, increase penalties for violent offenders, and ensure that those suffering from substance misuse have access to treatment. This is no time to slow down—we must accelerate our efforts to protect our families. The legislature must also prioritize budget requests from our law enforcement agencies, who need more resources to continue their fight against crime.”
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered all flags in the state of New Mexico to be flown at half-staff in honor of former state senator John Arthur Smith, who passed away on October 7. Flags will be lowered from sunrise on October 18 until sundown on October 21.
Smith served the people of New Mexico for over three decades, representing District 35—which includes Dona Ana, Hidalgo, Luna, and Sierra Counties—from 1989 until his retirement in 2020. As the longtime chairman of the New Mexico Senate Finance Committee, he earned the respect of colleagues across the political spectrum, guiding the state’s fiscal policy with prudence and ensuring that funds were used wisely to benefit New Mexicans.
Smith championed wise state investments in healthcare and education, particularly in his hometown of Deming, where he advocated for improved hospitals and schools. He also played a pivotal role in the creation of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department trust fund, laying the foundation for universal, high-quality childcare in New Mexico and serving as a national leader in early childhood education reform.
“Senator John Arthur Smith’s dedication to our state, his financial expertise, and his commitment to improving the lives of New Mexicans will leave a lasting legacy,” said Lujan Grisham. “It is fitting to honor his life of public service through this period of mourning.”
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Joaquin Castro (20th District of Texas)
October 16, 2024
SAN ANTONIO — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) released the following statement after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a plan to grant San Antonio International Airport (SAT) one of the ten new direct flights slots from Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA). Castro, a longtime advocate for direct flights from SAT to DCA, worked to secure the additional direct flights as part of the FAA Authorization Act of 2024.
“For years, I’ve been working with my colleagues in the San Antonio delegation to get our city a direct flight to the nation’s capital. Today’s announcement is a long-sought win for travelers, businesses, and the military families that call our city home. When finalized, these direct flights will make it easier for San Antonio’s business sector, including our growing cybersecurity industry, to work directly with the federal government to support job growth and economic development at home. I appreciate the Biden-Harris administration’s decision to bring these flights to San Antonio and I look forward to welcoming new travelers to my hometown.”
Currently, 96 American cities with smaller populations than San Antonio offer direct flights to DCA, including Tulsa, Akron, Cedar Rapids (IA), and Pensacola (FL).
Congressman Castro has worked consistently to secure federal funding and resources to expand San Antonio International Airport and make the airport an attractive partner for more direct flights. After working to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with approximately $1.2 billion for Texas airports, he was quickly able to secure $20 million of those funds for the construction of a Ground Load Facility at SAT to improve airport operations and capacity. As part of the FY2023 federal appropriations bill, he additionally secured $1.5 million to allow the airport to purchase three electric passenger buses and assorted infrastructure to transport passengers from the car rental facility and lower the airport’s carbon footprint.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Sanford D Bishop Jr (GA-02)
THOMASVILLE, Ga. –Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) announced that several counties in Georgia’s Second Congressional District were added to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Major Disaster Declaration for Hurricane Helene. The counties include:
Thomas County– Individuals and households are now eligible to apply for financial and direct services (FEMA Individual Assistance)
Dooly County, Grady County, Mitchell County, and Thomas County – local governments are now eligible for FEMA Public Assistance for repairs or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities (roads, bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and equipment, public utilities, parks, recreational, other facilities)
Before and since Hurricane Helene hit Georgia and the southeast United States, Congressman Bishop has been in contact with the White House, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and FEMA. He and his staff have also been in regular contact with the Georgia Governor’s office, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA), and nongovernmental partners as they prepared for and responded to fallout from the hurricane.
“I have worked with federal, state, and local officials to make sure our efforts are coordinated to expedite assistance to our families, farmers, business owners, cities, and counties,” said Congressman Bishop. “Working with Congressman Austin Scott, Senators Ossoff and Warnock, the entire Georgia Delegation, and our Georgia state government partners we helped guide President Biden, Vice President Harris, and other federal emergency agencies through our Georgia communities that were hit hard by this storm.”
“Seeing the impact, first-hand, is crucial in understanding the challenges we face and appreciating the resilient spirit of Georgians as we rebuild,” added Congressman Bishop. “I will continue working to assure that Congress provides the needed resources to Georgia communities impacted by this hurricane.”
In response to Hurricane Helene, Congressman Bishop, along with his congressional colleagues urged President Biden to issue an expedited major disaster declaration for Georgia counties significantly impacted by the storm. That request was honored within 24 hours. He also sent a letter to U.S. House and U.S. Senate leadership asking for appropriations to be made available as soon as possible to fully fund unmet agricultural disaster relief needs.
Over 8,500 federal personnel have been on the ground, working side-by-side with state and local officials, to help survivors get what they need to begin their recovery. As of today, FEMA has approved over $860 million, which includes $507 million in assistance for individuals and communities affected and over $351.5 million for debris removal and activities to save lives, protect public health and safety and prevent damage to public and private property.
Georgia residents that need emergency or immediate assistance should contact GEMA viahttps://gema.georgia.gov/hurricane-heleneor apply for financial assistance atdisasterassistance.gov. These websites provide updated information on resources and shelters.
Georgia residents that need farm or ranch assistance can reach out to the USDA either by calling 877-508-8364 or visitinghttps://www.farmers.gov. For personalized assistance for your individual operation, use theDisaster Assistance Discovery Tool (https://www.farmers.gov/protection-recovery/disaster-tool) to determine eligibility.
16 October 2024, Geneva, Switzerland – The 2024 Cremer-Passy Prize, the MP of the year award, has been awarded to Dr. Haroun Kabadi, former President of the National Assembly of Chad (2011 to 2021) in recognition of his exceptional work in promoting peace and security.
Currently, Dr. Kabadi heads Chad’s National Transitional Council, which is playing the role of legislative body as the country returns to constitutional order following the death of the President in 2021.
Born in 1949, Dr. Kabadi holds a doctorate in agronomy and a master’s degree in rice genetics.
His extensive political career includes serving as a Minister, Special Advisor to the President, Secretary-General of the Presidency and Prime Minister.
During his tenure as President of the National Assembly, Dr. Kabadi worked tirelessly to strengthen peace, security and socio-political stability in Chad, the Sahel region, Central Africa and internationally.
He contributed to the adoption of several legal instruments promoting peace and security within regional and sub-regional parliamentary organizations.
As President of the G5 Sahel Interparliamentary Committee, he mobilized efforts against terrorism and advocated for dialogue and socio-economic development.
In July 2022, Dr. Kabadi organized an international meeting on the role of parliaments in security and peace. He also met with members of the European Parliament to discuss the situation in the Sahel and seek their support for peace and security in the region.
Background
The Prize is named after the IPU’s two founders, parliamentarians Frédéric Passy and Sir William Randal Cremer, who created the IPU in 1889.
The Cremer-Passy Prize is open to any sitting parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of the IPU’s objectives, as well as those “who contribute to a more united, peaceful, sustainable and equitable world”.
Previous winners include Ms. Cynthia López Castro of Mexico and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2022), and Mr. Samuelu Penitala Teo of Tuvalu (2023).
The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded more than 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 181 national Member Parliaments and 15 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments develop into stronger, younger, greener, more gender-balanced and more innovative institutions. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world.
With the recent establishment of a new Social Investment Agency – described as a “driving project” for the government by Finance Minister Nicola Willis – it seems New Zealand has come full circle on this approach to social welfare.
First championed by then finance minister Bill English in 2015, social investment was rebranded “social wellbeing” by Labour-led governments between 2017 and 2023. But Willis signalled before last year’s election that its time had come again.
In a speech in 2022, she argued taxpayer money wasn’t being spent responsibly by the Labour administration, and that a targeted social investment approach was needed. During the 2023 election campaign, the National Party promised social investment would return.
Essentially, the policy involves using data to calculate which groups of people cost the government the most over a lifetime. Interventions aimed at reducing that cost are then targeted at those people. The idea is that early investment saves later social costs.
Right now, however, we don’t know the finer details of how Willis intends to implement the policy. But we do know how it worked in the past – and what lessons might be drawn from its earlier, short-lived implementation.
An actuarial approach to welfare
In New Zealand, the idea of social investment can be traced back to the fifth National government which held office for three terms between 2008 and 2017.
In September 2015, English outlined his approach in a Treasury lecture, explaining how the government had commissioned Australian actuary firm Taylor Fry to calculate the lifetime welfare cost to the state of people on benefits.
Typically, actuaries use statistics to calculate risk for insurance companies, information that is then used to set premiums. English said the Taylor Fry calculations would identify which beneficiary “is going to cost us the most money”.
The answer was single parents receiving a benefit. Consequently, they were deemed most in need of direct government intervention, including giving an approved mentor control of their money.
According to English’s version of social investment, data enabled the government to calculate the “forward liability” of its citizens, and target interventions accordingly.
This is not the only way to define social investment, however, and other countries often adopt a more universal approach. For example, European models tend to focus on social equality and inclusivity rather than targeting specific groups.
English’s model focused on applying benefit sanctions and conditions. The aim was to “reduce the lifetime public cost of the welfare-recipient population, thereby offering fiscal returns-on-investment, absorbed into public coffers”.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis: social investment is a ‘driving project’ for the National-led government. Getty Images
No accounting for structural disadvantage
Official thinking about social investment predates the establishment of the unit and agency. In 2015, the second of two reports produced by an expert panel review of the Child, Youth and Family agency (now Oranga Tamariki) recommended a new child-centred social investment agency be created.
The report’s analysis and advice focused on intervening early to reduce the risk of vulnerable children growing up to be beneficiaries, teen parents, substance users or prisoners (among other negative outcomes).
It was suggested these potential future behaviours almost always stemmed from the actions (or inactions) of parents. Māori were identified as being especially costly due to their over-representation in child protection statistics. They were described as a “forward liability associated with poor outcomes”.
The proposed response was early intervention and social investment. That would include the removal of very young children from whānau/families where they were perceived to be at high risk. The reasoning was that the predicted damage might then never eventuate, thereby saving taxpayer dollars.
As my doctoral research found, no consideration in the report was given to the effects of systemic conditions such as poverty and the legacies of colonisation.
Costs to the state
The social investment model, with its emphasis on financial liability to the state, became a major influence on Oranga Tamariki’s practice.
It led to an increase in the early removal of tamariki Māori, especially babies, from their birth families – as demonstrated in the 2019 Hawkes Bay “uplift” case, where social workers attempted to remove a Māori baby soon after birth.
In 2017, the new Labour government promised a review of the Social Investment Agency, renaming it the Social Wellbeing Agency in 2020. The social development minister at the time, Carmel Sepuloni, said the agency would have a more holistic approach. Data would be only one of a number of considerations when delivering social services.
But with the agency now reverting to its original name, the idea of using data to guide early intervention seems to be central again. It’s unclear, however, whether the actuarial approach of Bill English’s earlier model will return.
Nicola Willis does seem to be aware of the criticism of the English-era model’s apparent focus on fiscal risk and returns. She has stressed that measuring other outcomes is also important.
As yet, though, there is no indication the policy’s highly targeted approach to welfare will account for structural factors such as colonisation and poverty.
Given the government’s drive to remove any special policy considerations based on te Tiriti of Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi, the risk remains that some Māori will again come to be viewed as a “cost” to the state.
Eileen Joy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Good morning and it’s so great to be with you all this morning.
I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, and pay my respects to elders past and present.
And importantly, I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge every carer in the room today – and the important role each of you play in caring for your family members and loved ones.
I would like to thank both Women’s Agenda and Carers Australia for inviting me to speak with you this morning, as we gather to recognise National Carers Week.
National Carers Week is a time where we celebrate and recognise all carers in Australia – many of you here today – who put their heart and soul into caring for someone close to them.
But it is more than this – it is also an important opportunity to raise awareness among the wider community around the important role of unpaid carers in our society, what caring looks like and who carers are – so that anyone who is providing care knows there is support out there.
I’m proud our Albanese Government has continued to fund and support this week in helping to foster a deeper understanding of our nation’s carers.
But as every carer in this room will know, the value and importance of the work unpaid carers do is something to be celebrated beyond just a single week.
Three million Australians provide unpaid care and support to a family member or friend across the country according to the latest data.
Time and time again, we see the incredible dedication and resilience of unpaid carers, including many women who provide unwavering support to their families and loved ones.
The importance of your role in supporting a family member or friend to achieve their daily tasks, as well assisting them through daily challenges cannot be overstated.
Carers provide a sense of connection and stability for the loved ones in our lives.
Carers remind us every day that the spirit of support and compassion knows no bounds.
Some people might not even recognise that they are carers – they are simply getting on with helping someone they love or care for who needs support.
Our Government deeply respects and appreciates the immense work of Australia’s unpaid carers who provide support. We recognise that these efforts often come at a personal expense.
Better supporting carers is something – as the Minister responsible for this area – I’ve been focused on since coming to Government.
We know there is a diverse range of carers. From young carers, caring for a parent, grandparent or sibling, to carers who look after a partner, an elderly parent or a child. There are carers who work, study or volunteer along with their caring roles and there are carers who focus solely on caring.
There are carers who have just become carers and carers who have been caring for decades.
We recognise that every carers’ experience is different, some may be caring for someone day in and day out, and others may be providing occasional care. And we know that the type of support carers need will differ depending on the stage of their caring journey and who they are caring for.
Whatever your caring situation, or the situation of someone you know or love, we want every carer to feel recognised, valued and supported to fully participate in society and in their caring roles.
One area in particular we are doing that is through our Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative, which was something developed as a result of the Jobs and Skills Summit we convened shortly after coming to Government.
At the Summit a clear theme emerged that carers often struggle to balance their caring role with employment.
The Initiative recognises that employers have a crucial role to play in creating carer-inclusive workplaces, through the adoption of flexible work arrangements and creative inclusive workplace cultures.
Carers often work fewer hours than they may want to, with under-employment, unfortunately, much more common among unpaid carers than the general population.
I have heard from carers time and time again about the frustration of unpredictable rostering, and how that prevents carers from taking on employment.
Something as simple as a predictable roster is an easy change for employers to make which could have significant benefits for carers.
These supports of course do not only benefit the staff. The research is clear. Carers bring important skills and experience to the workplace that any employer should find valuable: organisation, resilience, leadership to name a few.
Carer-inclusive practices are leading to employers having an increase in productivity and reduction in turnover rates.
That’s exactly why our Government partnered with Carers Australia to develop the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative – which we launched last year. And also to promote the Initiative through this partnership with them and Women’s Agenda.
The Initiative helps employers develop and adopt practices that support employees with caring responsibilities, making their workplaces more inclusive for carers.
Employers who participate can be recognised as committed to carer inclusivity and receive a Government-endorsed carer inclusive workplace logo to display at their place of business and in their marketing materials.
And today, a year on from when we launched the Initiative, I am pleased to share an update.
In just 12-months there are:
Over 580 subscribers to the Carers Inclusive Workplace Initiative newsletter; and
A total of 256 businesses registered, with 164 completing self-assessments and 117 businesses receiving a high inclusivity score.
This is a fantastic achievement. Please let others know about this initiative as we look to increase registrations.
The recent webinar by Women’s Agenda on understanding and supporting carers in Australia did a fantastic job at amplifying how we can build better supports policies and practices that can be modelled and implemented daily in the workplace.
It is efforts such as these that are supporting us to shift towards a culture of understanding and meaningful support for carers.
Carer Payments are another way our Government provides a safety net to carers and we provide around $11 billion per year to Carer Payment and Carer Allowance.
Another step we have taken to help support carers to more easily work is changing the participation rules for Carers Payment.
The legislation that I introduced and has now passed the Parliament means that Carer Payment recipients will be able to work 100 hours over a four week period rather than the current 20 hour per week limit from 20 March next year.
The changes I put forward in our last Budget mean Carer Payment recipients will be able to work 100 hours over a four-week period rather than the current 25 hour per week limit.
We know that around 31,000 Carer Payment recipients currently work and may benefit from the ability to work more flexibly as their caring duties fluctuate.
The changes to remove travel, education and volunteering from the participation limit will make a huge difference for many carers who either have to travel long distances to get to work or may travel to different jobs they may be employed in.
All who want to upskill to look at other opportunities through education, or to connect to their community through volunteering.
I met one carer who, while providing unpaid care to someone close to them, also utilised her skills to work as a paid carer.
She told me that excluding the time she travels between jobs would make a huge difference for how much she could actually work before her carer payment was affected.
She also said that a result of these changes, she was planning to take up further study in the new year.
There are also changes to the flexibility surrounding Temporary Cessation of Care days starting 20 March.
As many carers can attest to, these Temporary Cessation of Care days provide great respite and a chance for carers to prioritise their own wellbeing or engage in other activities including paid work. With our changes, carers will be able to use single days rather than the current requirement to take these in week long blocks. This means that carer can take on last minute shift work for a day, without having to use up 7 of their 63 respite days.
Combined, these changes allow greater flexibility for carers to balance their caring duties and employment responsibilities.
As well as providing greater flexibility, the changes will also include a six-month suspension period for recipients who work over the new flexible limit, meaning if their circumstances change they won’t need to reapply to access Carer Payment during that six month period.
Aside from the Carer Inclusive Workplace Initiative and investment and flexibility with the Carer Payment, our Government has listened to what carers have been asking for and delivered a range of other supports.
We provided more than $343 million to extend Carer Gateway for two years, to ensure carers have access to supports, knowing they don’t always seek help when caring for a loved one.
That means more carers will be able to access tailored support packages to support them in their caring role day-to-day.
This includes in-person or phone counselling, to ensure their mental wellbeing is supported. Or potentially emergency respite, to ensure that when they become ill, the person they care for can continue to receive care.
We have also doubled the support for young carers to continue their education with a funding boost of almost $10 million for the Young Carer Bursary Program.
In 2024 more than 2000 young carers received a bursary, reducing the need for them to undertake part-time work while studying and managing caring responsibilities.
These initiatives aim to make life for carers easier where we can, while recognising that the experiences of carers are all different.
But we’re also working with the carer community to chart a vision for a society where all carers are recognised, valued, and empowered.
The Albanese Government is committed to delivering a National Carer Strategy.
The previous Strategy – introduced by the Gillard Government in 2011 – lapsed in 2015 and has not been replaced since.
We’ve been working to develop a new National Carers Strategy since coming to Government and today I am pleased to announce that, during National Carers Week, we have released the draft National Carer Strategy for public consultation.
The new National Carer Strategy is being developed in consultation with carers across Australia to ensure it reflects their diversity and the diversity of challenges they face.
Over the last six-months to put together the draft, we have held over 70 consultation activities across Australia held in-person, online and over the phone.
Public consultations and engagements have been held across all states and territories in metropolitan, regional, and remote locations, as well as online, and through a public submission process.
During consultation to inform the draft strategy we heard clearly that:
There are low levels of community awareness about carers, and what caring is which contributes to a lack of self-identification of people in caring roles, and a lack of identification in the community.
A Lack of self-recognition as a carer leads to people either not accessing support or accessing support late, and at a time of crisis.
Carer supports and services can be difficult to access and navigate and may not be effective or fit for purpose.
The caring role impacts carers’ health, safety, financial security and wellbeing.
The draft Strategy outlines a vision of “an Australian community in which all carers are recognised, valued and empowered with the support they need to participate fully in society and fulfil their caring role”.
There are five principles in the draft Strategy which will guide how carer-related policies will be delivered, and a roadmap for supporting carers long into the future.
It will be a framework for coordination of carer policy across Commonwealth portfolios including health and aged care, disability, veterans’ affairs and mental health.
So much has changed since 2015 when the last Strategy lapsed.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme is being rolled out. Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-31 was released. Reforms to aged care have been rolled out following the Aged Care Royal Commission and the Disability Royal Commission has concluded.
The people carers care for often interact with these systems and unpaid carers play a role in navigating them. Carers have told us that they often feel invisible when trying to navigate these systems and the Carer Strategy seeks to elevate their role.
A new National Carer Strategy is important to reflect the new world carers operate in.
But it’s also important to ensure the voices of carers are elevated. That we have their experiences and input into policy development that impacts them.
Thank you to those of you here today who have provided invaluable contributions to the Strategy.
The public consultations carried out over this year have informed the draft strategy, developed with the National Carer Strategy Advisory Committee.
Now we want everyone to play a role in refining the Strategy. We want to hear from carers, the people they care for, and organisations in the sector about the draft strategy.
Consultation will be open from today through to 3 November. So if you haven’t provided feedback already or if you have and you want to provide some more – please do so.
I look forward to sharing the Strategy with you all when it is finalised, and seeing the positive changes it will inspire.
As we celebrate National Carers Week, the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to supporting unpaid carers is stronger than ever.
Together, with the involvement of employers, advocates, and all levels of government, we can create a society where every carer feels valued, supported, and empowered to continue their important work.
Thank you for your dedication, your passion, and your commitment to making a difference.
Let us continue to work together to ensure that no carer is left behind.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Chip Roy (R-TX)
WASHINGTON, D.C. –On Wednesday, Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) lednine of his House GOP colleagues in joining with the Mountain States Legal Foundation to file an amicus brief on the harms of proxy voting to the U.S. Fifth Circuit of Appeals in Texas v. DOJ.
The brief supports the State of Texas’ position – which the U.S. District Court’srulingaffirmed – that the passage of the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill for FY 2023 violated the Constitution’s physical quorum requirement.
“Our government is one of checks and balances. For our constitutional structure to work, however, it must be followed. While it may be easy to adopt legislative shortcuts or turn a blind eye to the Constitution in times of crisis, our Framers ensured that no such measures could be taken,”the brief adds.
Wednesday’s brief follows Senator Mitch McConnell’s (KY) recent defenseof the House’s proxy voting practice in an amicus brief for the case arguing that courts should not interfere with Congress’ voting practices — despite his previous warnings to Democrats against the practice.
“This about-face is alarming,”the brief contends. “If Senator McConnell—one of the Nation’s most powerful political leaders—is willing to suddenly turn a blind eye to the House’s constitutional transgressions, it underscores the urgent need for this Court’s robust statement about the confines of Congress’s legislative power.”
Signers of the amicus brief also include Representatives H. Morgan Griffith (VA-9), Andy Ogles (TN-5), Harriet Hageman (WY-AL), Andy Biggs (AZ-5), Clay Higgins (LA-3), Warren Davidson (OH-8), Gary Palmer (AL-6), Matt Rosendale (MT-2), and John Rose (TN-6).
CASE BACKGROUND:In December 2022, 226 Members of the House of Representatives voted by proxy on final passage of the omnibus spending bill – marking the first time in American history that a chamber of Congress passed a bill without a physical majority present.
MORE FROM WEDNESDAY’S FILING:
“[C]onstituents rely on their Representatives hearing their concerns, and being able to consider these concerns when voting, even up to the moment when a vote occurs”
“Consistent with the principles surrounding representative government, the Constitution does not permit the House of Representatives to adopt an exception to the rule that one must vote in person.”
“In short, to do business, Congress must have a quorum physically present in the House.”
“Now, the District Court has appropriately answered that question below—legislation that is not enacted through an unconstitutional process is not valid merely because the government says that it’s really important. This Court should this affirm, holding that Plaintiff is correct that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 is unconstitutional because Congress lacked a quorum when the House voted to accept the Senate’s amendments on December 23, 2022.”
The full text of the amicus brief may be viewed here.
Headline: Governor Cooper Visits Yancey and Mitchell Counties to Survey Storm Damage as Federal, State, Local and Non-profit Partners Continue Unprecedented Response to Helene
Governor Cooper Visits Yancey and Mitchell Counties to Survey Storm Damage as Federal, State, Local and Non-profit Partners Continue Unprecedented Response to Helene mseets
Today, Governor Roy Cooper traveled to Pensacola and Bakersville where he was joined by FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, NCDPS Secretary Eddie Buffaloe and Commander of the State Highway Patrol Colonel Freddie Johnson to assess storm damage, witness relief operations and speak with those affected by Helene. In Pensacola, the Governor visited a supply distribution center operating at the Pensacola Volunteer Fire Department. In Bakersville, the Governor joined Mayor Charles Vines for a walking tour to see areas that sustained damage during the storm.
“Today I was on the ground in Pensacola, Yancey County and Bakersville, Mitchell County, talking with folks affected by Helene and seeing how hard people are working to rebuild from this storm,” said Governor Cooper. “The people of Western North Carolina are strong, and we will keep working with them to surge resources and to recover and rebuild their communities.”
The Major Disaster Declaration requested by Governor Cooper and granted by President Biden now includes the following North Carolina counties and designations which were added Tuesday night:
Cabarrus, Cherokee, Forsyth, Graham, Iredell, Lee, Nash, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Union, and Yadkin counties for Individual Assistance,
Cabarrus, Cherokee, Forsyth, Graham, Iredell, Lee, Nash, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Union and Yadkin counties for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program.
Swain County for permanent work (already designated for Individual Assistance and assistance for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program.
The Major Disaster Declaration already includes 27 North Carolina counties (Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey) and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
Also today, Governor Cooper issued an emergency Executive Order authorizing the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Division of Employment Security, to increase the amount of weekly unemployment payments available to North Carolinians in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. As a result of this Order, weekly unemployment benefits will increase from a maximum of $350 a week to a maximum of $600 a week. Prior to the executive order, many low-income and part-time workers would have received less than the $350 weekly maximum. To ensure that these workers receive necessary benefits in the wake of Helene, the order will also increase benefits by $250 a week (up to the $600 cap) for all eligible workers. This order is tied to the State of Emergency for Hurricane Helene, and will remain in effect until the end of the Emergency or until it is rescinded.
Law enforcement is working to ensure the safety of responders amid reports of threats and misinformation. FEMA officials remain in communities and are conducting operations to help people impacted by these storms recover as quickly as possible following reports of threats on the ground. Governor Cooper has directed the Department of Public Safety to work with local law enforcement to identify specific threats and rumors and coordinate with FEMA and other partners to ensure the safety and security of all involved as this recovery effort continues.
North Carolina National Guard and Military Response
Nearly 3,400 Soldiers and Airmen are working in Western North Carolina. Joint Task Force- North Carolina, the task force led by the North Carolina National Guard is made up of Soldiers and Airmen from 12 different states, two different XVIII Airborne Corps units from Ft. Liberty, a unit from Ft. Campbell’s 101st Airborne Division, and numerous civilian entities are working side-by-side to get the much-needed help to people in Western North Carolina.
National Guard and military personnel are operating 12 aviation assets and approximately 1,200 specialized vehicles in Western North Carolina to facilitate these missions. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is helping to assess water and wastewater plants and dams. Residents can track the status of the public water supply in their area through this website.
FEMA Assistance
More than $102 million in FEMA Individual Assistance funds have been paid so far to Western North Carolina disaster survivors and approximately 181,000 people have registered for Individual Assistance. More than 2,000 households are now housed in hotels through FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance.
Approximately 1,400 FEMA staff are in the state to help with the Western North Carolina relief effort. In addition to search and rescue and providing commodities, they are meeting with disaster survivors in shelters and neighborhoods to provide rapid access to relief resources. They can be identified by their FEMA logo apparel and federal government identification.
North Carolinians can apply for Individual Assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362 from 7am to 11pm daily or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov, or by downloading the FEMA app. FEMA may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs.
Help from Other States
More than 1,500 responders from 38 state and local agencies have performed 142 missions supporting the response and recovery efforts through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). This includes public health nurses, emergency management teams supporting local governments, veterinarians, teams with search dogs and more.
Beware of Misinformation
North Carolina Emergency Management and local officials are cautioning the public about false Helene reports and misinformation being shared on social media. NCEM has launched a fact versus rumor response webpage to provide factual information in the wake of this storm. FEMA also has a rumor response webpage.
Efforts continue to provide food, water and basic necessities to residents in affected communities, using both ground resources and air drops from the NC National Guard. Food, water and commodity points of distribution are open throughout Western North Carolina. For information on these sites in your community, visit your local emergency management and local government social media and websites or visit ncdps.gov/Helene.
Storm Damage Cleanup
If your home has damages and you need assistance with clean up, please call Crisis Cleanup for access to volunteer organizations that can assist you at 844-965-1386.
Power Outages
Across Western North Carolina, approximately 11,000 customers remain without power, down from a peak of more than 1 million. Overall power outage numbers will fluctuate up and down as power crews temporarily take circuits or substations offline to make repairs and restore additional customers.
Road Closures
Some roads are closed because they are too damaged and dangerous to travel. Other roads still need to be reserved for essential traffic like utility vehicles, construction equipment and supply trucks. However, some parts of the area are open and ready to welcome visitors which is critical for the revival of Western North Carolina’s economy. If you are considering a visit to the area, consult DriveNC.gov for open roads and reach out to the community and businesses you want to visit to see if they are welcoming visitors back yet.
NCDOT currently has approximately 2,000 employees and 900 pieces of equipment working on approximately 7,000 damaged road sites.
Fatalities
Ninety-five storm-related deaths have been confirmed in North Carolina by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. This number is expected to rise over the coming days. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will continue to confirm numbers twice daily. If you have an emergency or believe that someone is in danger, please call 911.
Volunteers and Donations
If you would like to donate to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, visit nc.gov/donate. Donations will help to support local nonprofits working on the ground.
For information on volunteer opportunities, please visit nc.gov/volunteernc
Additional Assistance
There is no right or wrong way to feel in response to the trauma of a hurricane. If you have been impacted by the storm and need someone to talk to, call or text the Disaster Distress Helpline at 1-800-985-5990. Help is also available to anyone, anytime in English or Spanish through a call, text or chat to 988. Learn more at 988Lifeline.org.
If you are seeking a representative from the North Carolina Joint Information Center, please email ncempio@ncdps.gov or call 919-825-2599.
For general information, access to resources, or answers to frequently asked questions, please visit ncdps.gov/helene.
If you are seeking information on resources for recovery help for a resident impacted from the storm, please email IArecovery@ncdps.gov.
SPEECH BY MDM RAHAYU MAHZAM, MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION, ON RESPONSE TO ADJOURNMENT MOTION ON “ENHANCING THE WELL-BEING OF WOMEN: A GENDERED INFORMED RESPONSE TO MENOPAUSE” ON 16 OCTOBER 2024
1. Sir, Assoc Prof Razwana spoke about enhancing the well-being of women going through perimenopause or menopause, and gave suggestions that the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Education (MOE) could consider to better support women through this critical phase in their lives. I thank her for her speech and suggestions. I agree with many of the points raised by Assoc Prof Razwana. She shared about the health impact of menopause on women and how we can address this impact with training of healthcare providers, research into contributing factors and management, public education and social support. I will now address her points in my speech.
Health Impact of Menopause on Women
2. Every woman’s experience during menopause is different. Some may experience significant impact to their health and well-being, beyond the more common symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats, and insomnia. For example, cardiovascular health may be affected. This is because as the protective effects of oestrogen on the heart diminish, this can potentially lead to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Changes in metabolism during menopause can also result in weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, which may increase the risk of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Assoc Prof Razwana also highlighted that women undergoing menopause can experience changes in mood, which can impact their mental well-being.
3. It is important to note that while these health impacts are of concern, they can be managed. Regular check-ups, a healthy lifestyle, including exercise, eating well, and finding ways to relax can help. Simple things like using moisturisers for dryness and choosing appropriate clothing to manage hot flushes can also make a difference. For significant symptoms impacting quality of life, women should see their doctor to explore suitable interventions to manage the impact on both physical and mental health.
The role of training and research for the healthcare system
4. We agree that educating our medical students and medical practitioners on menopause is important, and we have been doing so. In our three local medical schools, knowledge of symptoms, diagnosis and management of menstrual disorders, including menopause, is one of the core learning outcomes for the medical students. Postgraduate family medicine programmes such as the Family Medicine residency programme and the Graduate Diploma in Family Medicine include training on common women’s health conditions, including menopause, in the curriculum. Professional bodies such as the College of Family Physicians Singapore also run skills courses on a variety of topics relevant to primary care practice.
5. These efforts enable our primary care doctors to be a source of support to women in managing the health issues that may arise during this life transition. Under Healthier SG, the relationship between the primary care doctor and enrolee is central. Women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms can inform their primary care doctor, who would be well-placed to assess the symptoms, the patient’s needs and make recommendations on further management. The member also mentioned KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the KK Menopause Centre. This multi-specialty practice comprising gynaecology, family medicine, dermatology and mental health specialists, has been trained to support a range of needs of women with menopausal-related health issues. Mental health services are also available in various care settings to identify women who may be experiencing psychological symptoms and provide interventions when required.
6. Research into menopause would provide more insight into how it affects women’s overall health and well-being, and enable better ways to manage menopause symptoms and its impact. The National University Hospital currently conducts the Integrated Women’s Health Programme (IWHP) which is a cohort study looking at health issues experienced by Singaporean women. Issues studied include the associations between menopause and age-related health issues such as osteoporosis and sleep disturbances. The research team plans to conduct follow-up studies, and we look forward to further insights that the IWHP and other researchers can provide on women’s health in general, as well as menopause specifically.
Empowering women through better support and awareness
7. Women should not feel ashamed, misunderstood or embarrassed to speak openly about menopause. As a society, we should work to remove the stigma surrounding menopause, and we are already taking steps to educate the public. Reliable information on menopause can be found on HealthHub and the websites of our public healthcare institutions (PHIs). KKH has also launched the Women In all Stages Empowered (WISE) Health Guide, which highlights important health advice for women, including advice on menopause. Education about menopause is important to help women understand what to expect and how to manage the changes to their body. We will continue to empower women to approach menopause with confidence and make informed decisions about their health and well-being.
8. To truly enhance women’s well-being during menopause, we must address not only the physical symptoms but also the psychological and social impacts. This includes combating stigma, promoting open dialogue, and ensuring that women have access to accurate information and supportive resources. Civil society and community organisations are well-placed to participate in this effort. They can play a critical role in providing support for women, and creating platforms for the public in general, to discuss and better understand issues surrounding menopause. MOH is supportive of such efforts.
9. In addition, many women who are going through menopause are concurrently taking on caregiving responsibilities. We support caregivers to balance caregiving while pursuing their aspirations and caring for their own health. We are enhancing options to make childcare and eldercare more accessible, affordable and available, for example, by scaling up childcare and eldercare capacity, and providing multiple layers of financial support. These, in tandem with other moves to support women at work, will support women to better balance their responsibilities and their own health and well-being.
Educating the young and supporting women in the workforce
10. Assoc Prof Razwana also spoke about suggestions for MOE and MOM, touching on educating people about menopause in schools, and workplace policies that better support women with menopause.
11. In MOE’s Sexuality Education and Science curriculum, students learn about menstrual health in women. Primary 5 students learn about the physiological changes that occur during puberty, such as menstruation. Students are also educated on human reproduction and issues related to menstrual health in Lower Secondary Science and Upper Secondary Biology. In Upper Secondary Biology, students will also learn about changes to the menstrual cycle as a female ages, leading to menopause.
12. On workplace policies, women who experience severe menopausal symptoms can already seek subsidised medical treatment at PHIs, and take sick leave to rest and recover, just like any other medical need. There have been calls for menopause leave or reproductive leave in other countries. Most recently in the UK, the Government rejected a call by the Women and Equalities Committee to conduct a trial of menopause leave last year. Like the UK, our preferred approach is to support women to remain in the workforce and be well-supported at work. Introducing specific menopause leave may inadvertently negatively impact the employability of women in this age group rather than helping them, which we should be careful to avoid.
13. In addition, flexible work arrangements (FWAs) can help employees with other medical conditions to balance the care needs for their condition with work responsibilities, including women experiencing perimenopause or menopause. The upcoming Tripartite Guidelines on FWA Requests, which will take effect on 1 December this year, aim to cultivate a norm where employees feel it is acceptable to request for and use FWAs. We encourage employers to use these Guidelines to engage their employees in conversations and find mutually beneficial arrangements.
14. The government will continue to work with Tripartite Partners to foster supportive workplaces so that all employees can participate fully at work while managing their own personal needs such as family responsibilities and medical conditions.
Conclusion
15. In conclusion, supporting women through menopause is not just a medical issue, it is also about awareness and empowerment. The Government is committed to building a society where all Singaporeans have full and equal opportunities to flourish and achieve their aspirations. Civil society and community organisations have an important part to play as well. Together, by providing education and support, we hope to take a whole of society approach to enable women to navigate this transition with confidence, maintaining their well-being and full participation in all aspects of life.