NewzIntel.com

Category: Politics

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Action to boost jobs and investment for clean energy in Scotland

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

    UK government accelerates “skills passport” and with Scottish Government strikes deal for Great British Energy to work with Scottish public bodies.

    • Energy Secretary visits Aberdeen as UK and Scottish Governments partner to make billions available in funding across the UK including for Scotland’s clean energy industry

    • UK and Scottish Governments strike new deal for Great British Energy to work with Scottish public bodies to support clean energy supply chains

    • UK Government also confirms the speeding up of delivery of a ‘skills passport’ to support oil and gas workers to move into offshore wind

    The UK Government will take decisive action to help make available billions of pounds in funding across the UK including for Scotland’s clean energy industry, the Energy Secretary has pledged ahead of a visit to Aberdeen.  

    The Energy Secretary will visit Aberdeen with Great British Energy Chair Juergen Maier for the first time since the city was announced as the headquarters for the UK’s new publicly-owned energy company. 

    Following the visit, the UK Government is set to sign a new agreement with the Scottish Government today (Thursday 17 October) to boost Great British Energy’s ambitions to support clean energy supply chains and infrastructure.  

    By developing partnerships with Scottish public bodies in the clean energy sector – including Crown Estate Scotland, the Enterprise Agencies and the Scottish National Investment Bank – Great British Energy can deliver quickly and effectively, avoid duplication, and deliver maximum impact and value for money from Scottish projects. 

    Scotland has a strong pipeline of opportunities and is at the forefront of floating offshore wind development, and Great British Energy is in prime position to help accelerate this work by harnessing expertise in project development, investment and work with local communities. 

    Great British Energy has £8.3 billion of funding over this Parliament, and work is underway with the energy industry in Scotland to use this for public investment to create new private sector jobs and drive projects in Scotland.  

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:  

    Scottish energy workers will power the United Kingdom’s clean energy future- including in carbon capture and storage, in hydrogen, in wind, and with oil and gas for decades to come as part of a fair transition in the North Sea.  

    Unlike in the past we’re also working closely with the Scottish Government with a new agreement to ensure our publicly owned company Great British Energy is primed to accelerate clean energy investment in Scotland.

    This follows the announcement in the summer of a partnership between Great British Energy and The Crown Estate, covering England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which could support the leveraging of up to £30-60 billion of private investment. 

    Ahead of the visit, the UK Government has also confirmed that oil and gas workers will be supported to move more easily into careers in the renewable sector, including offshore wind, as the UK government accelerates delivery of a ‘skills passport’.  

    The passport is an industry led initiative overseen by RenewableUK and Offshore Energies UK and supported by the UK and Scottish Governments which will align standards, recognise transferable skills and qualifications and map out career pathways for suitable roles. A digital tool for workers is set to be piloted by January 2025.   

    The UK Government’s Office for Clean Energy Jobs is working closely with Skills England to support other British workers on the energy transition, which by 2030 could create hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the UK.  

    Many of the skills required for the transition already exist, with research from Offshore Energies UK showing that 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs.  

    Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy Gillian Martin said:  

    I welcome this collaborative agreement committing Great British Energy to work with our public bodies to maximise investment into Scotland.  Scotland already has a strong pipeline of clean energy and supply chain opportunities, is at the forefront of floating offshore wind development, and has a depth of knowledge and experience on community & local energy. We look forward to working with Great British Energy to ensure it delivers real benefits for the people of Scotland and a just energy transition.  

    To make sure that no offshore energy workers are left behind, the Scottish Government provided initial funding of £3.7 million between 2022 – 2024 for the development of the industry-led Skills Passport.

    Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:  

    The UK government will support our world class, world leading offshore workforce with the recognition they deserve and support the transition to renewable jobs in the future.  

    This is an area the UK Government and Scottish Government can and should work in partnership to deliver for Scotland and harness the potential we have to truly lead the world in renewables jobs. That’s why we have set out to reset the relationship between Scotland’s two governments to deliver better outcomes for Scots.  

    It should be easier to switch between oil and gas and renewables work offshore. The present situation, where training in one industry isn’t recognised in the other, cuts off opportunities for oil and gas workers. The fact some workers are paying out of their own pockets is scandalous. 

    We need to cut that red tape and deliver a skills passport that allows offshore workers to move flexibly back and forth between both industries in the years and decades to come.

    Great British Energy Chair Juergen Maier said: 

    The clean energy transition is a huge opportunity for Scotland, which is already at the cutting edge of technology like floating offshore wind, and Great British Energy is well positioned to help accelerate the development of key supply chains and infrastructure. 

    By working closely with the Scottish Government, alongside The Crown Estate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we can help to drive forward investment and create jobs across the country.

    RenewableUK’s Executive Director of Offshore Wind Jane Cooper said:  

    The upsurge in offshore wind jobs over the course of this decade and beyond creates excellent opportunities for highly-skilled oil and gas workers to bring their valuable experience to the clean energy sector. We’re working closely with our colleagues at Offshore Energies UK, and the UK and Scottish Governments, to make that transition as smooth as possible across all parts of the energy industry. The Energy Skills Passport is a great example of what we can achieve together and we’ll continue to look for other potential areas of work that can further support the transition of workers between sectors.

    David Whitehouse, Chief Executive Officer, Offshore Energies UK comments: 

    This package of announcements contains significant measures for firms, their workers and their supply chains across the UK. The skills passport is an important part of the toolkit industry is assembling in recognition of the integrated nature of the energy landscape. Those working in our domestic oil and gas sector have powered the country for the last fifty years and will play a critical role in our energy future. The sector is committed to working in partnership with government to leverage our industrial strengths to deliver a managed transition that creates opportunities for people and communities around the country.

    In Wales, the UK Government is already discussing how Great British Energy could work in partnership with their publicly-owned renewable energy developer, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, and other public bodies to deliver on shared priorities with the Welsh Government.  

    The UK Government is also working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive on opportunities for Northern Ireland, to help accelerate the clean energy transition across the United Kingdom. 

    Yesterday (Wednesday 16 October) the Energy Secretary also confirmed that Liz Ditchburn has been appointed as Chair of the North Sea Transition Authority, which regulates and influences the oil, gas, carbon storage and offshore hydrogen industries. Liz is a highly experienced public sector leader and will help to deliver the UK Government’s plans for a phased, responsible and prosperous energy transition in the North Sea. 

    Notes to editors

    The skills passport will show how these offshore workers’ skills and qualifications can be recognised by employers across various sectors, facilitating their smooth transition into the renewable energy sector. It will identify where oil and gas health and safety standards will be recognised in the offshore wind sector and map out different career pathways into the wind industry.   

    See figures on clean energy jobs.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Joint press conference, Bendigo

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    LISA CHESTERS:

    It’s also an important milestone in Bendigo here, particularly in this particular precinct to officially open the Medicare Urgent Care Clinic and I’m so proud to have the Treasurer of Australia, a good friend of mine, Jim Chalmers here to do that official opening. I acknowledge also too all of our amazing health professionals that are here, our doctors, our nurses, our administrators, people who do bookings, we’ve got [indistinct] here. Thank you very much for joining us the CEO of Bendigo Health, the Primary Healthcare Network they’ve also joined us here today. And I know that we are having a press conference in the middle of what is a very busy day here at Bendigo Primary Care. Thank you for hosting us.

    This has been a long time coming for us here in Bendigo. As I was telling the Treasurer, it was the former Treasurer, Wayne Swan, who actually funded the initial funding for this building to be built. It was built under the former Labor government’s GP Super Clinic funding model and the idea back then, and I’m telling the former federal Member for Bendigo’s story Steve Gibbons, and [indistinct] who also served on the board for a while with the Primary Healthcare Network. The vision was for always for this to be a Medicare‑funded Urgent Care Clinic. The ability to do that after‑hours care, the ability to bulk bill where it wasn’t about your credit card, it was about your Medicare card, making sure that everybody in our postcode could have access to that primary care that they needed after‑hours.

    So, it took us a long time to get here. There was a period when we were in Opposition where we had funding cuts to Medicare, it made it very hard for doctors to bulk bill and very hard for clinics to stay open. But the investment that we’ve seen in Medicare has really turned that around and has brought us to where we are today. So, it’s a proud moment for us in Bendigo. It’s a proud moment for our health precinct, but it’s a really proud moment for us in federal Labor. We’re committed to Medicare and we’re reinvesting and strengthening Medicare each and every day, which is why I’m really proud to introduce the Treasurer of Australia here to officially open the Medicare Urgent Care part of this clinic. So welcome back to Bendigo, Jim.

    JIM CHALMERS:

    Thanks, Lisa. It’s very kind of you, Lisa, to invite me here and to introduce me to all of these healthcare super stars at the Urgent Care Clinic here in Bendigo for a very, very proud day for your wonderful local community, and for all of the people who are providing just first‑class healthcare for people of this community and the surrounding areas as well. It’s a real honour to be here as Treasurer. It’s a real honour to have funded so many of these Urgent Care Clinics around Australia. In our 3 Budgets we found $720 million to fund Urgent Care Clinics – 76 of them so far – including this one that we open today.

    One of the things that is really terrific about Urgent Care Clinics is the way that they help healthcare providers in communities like this one work as a team, take pressure off the local hospital, work with each other to provide the best standard of care that we can for the families and pensioners and people of communities like this one here in Bendigo.

    This one’s got a terrific vibe to it, a really amazing vibe to it, because you can tell the teamwork that makes it all work here in Bendigo. As I understand it, more than 800 presentations already. It’s only been open for a month or so, taking the pressure off Bendigo Hospital and providing a bit of peace of mind too for local families and local pensioners and others, knowing that they’ve got another option that they can come to when they’re looking for Healthcare and where they can stay out of the emergency department if that’s possible.

    Most importantly a massive thank you to all of you. It’s a really proud day, a really exciting day. Before we unveil the plaque, I just have to make some broader points as well. We’ve also got a national announcement that’s happening today and so I just wanted to touch on that.

    One of our motivations when it comes to the billions of dollars we’re investing in strengthening Medicare, and the $720 million we’re investing as part of that in Urgent Care Clinics is helping people with the cost of living. Out‑of‑pocket health costs are one of the big pressures on household budgets, and so what we’re trying to do as an Albanese Labor government is to try and take some of the sting out of these cost‑of‑living pressures that we know people are feeling right around Australia in communities like this one.

    So out‑of‑pocket health costs, but also the tax cuts for every taxpayer, energy bill relief for every household, cheaper medicines, cheaper early childhood education, which is a real passion of Lisa’s, more rent assistance, getting wages moving again, fee‑free TAFE, strengthening Medicare, all of these things are about easing cost‑of‑living pressures. Easing cost‑of‑living pressures are the number one priority of the Albanese Labor government. That’s why we’re investing so substantially in easing out‑of‑pocket health costs, and that’s one of the reasons why Urgent Care Clinics are so important.

    But today we’re taking another step as well. Today we are announcing the next steps in banning unfair trade practices. A lot of businesses in our community do the right thing and they’ve got nothing to worry about, but we’re also seeing the troubling escalation in dodgy trading practices, whether it’s the way that people find it hard to get out of subscriptions, the way prices increase while people are making a transaction, the farming of people’s information, dodgy marketing practices like pretending that there’s a limited time that people can buy something online.

    There are a whole bunch of practices that we are worried about, which put additional pressure on people when it comes to the cost of living. So, we want to ban unfair trading practices. We’ve put in train the steps to do that today. Yesterday we talked about our intention, our willingness to ban surcharges on the use of debit cards. People shouldn’t have to pay huge fees to use their own money. Yesterday’s announcement was about debit cards, today we’re talking about banning unfair trading practices. This is all part of our efforts to deal with or address these cost‑of‑living pressures that people are under.

    From time‑to‑time people will say to us: how big a difference can you make in Medicare out‑of‑pocket health costs? How big a difference can you make with all of this competition policy, empowering the ACCC, banning surcharges on debit cards, cracking down on dodgy trading practices? The truth is we are coming at this cost‑of‑living challenge from every conceivable angle. Not with one or 2 policies, but the highest priority of this Albanese government dealing with cost‑of‑living pressures that we know people are facing in housing, in out‑of‑pocket health costs and in other areas as well. The highest priority for our government, and that’s why these Urgent Care Clinics are so important as well, as part of our efforts.

    Okay, tricky questions to Lisa, easy questions to me. I’m in your hands.

    JOURNALIST:

    I was just wondering if I start on just why – or if there is any particular urgent need that you’ve seen for this place [indistinct] prior to this opening? Was there an urgent need?

    CHESTERS:

    Yeah, definitely. This is one of the clinics that was funded for a short period by the state Labor government, and then our Health Minister – Mark Butler – let me know that negotiations were on that the federal government would take it over as part of its Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. We know that there had been pressure on EDs. Any parent that’s had to go up there with an urgent issue knows the wait times. Locally we knew it anecdotally, we also knew it through the data coming through that there was a lot of pressure on EDs. We also knew because the previous government cut so much money out of Medicare – and froze the Medicare rebate and froze the Medicare incentive – that doctors weren’t doing after‑hours services any more. So, the need was there, the data was there and that’s why I’m really proud that our government has prioritised this clinic, coming on board with the federal fund and becoming a federally funded Medicare Urgent Care Clinic.

    CHALMERS:

    I really want to pay tribute to Lisa Chesters here. Strengthening Medicare is one of Lisa’s reasons for being and one of our government’s reasons for being, and we know from Lisa’s advocacy for this local community just how important it is to build an Urgent Care Clinic here to take some of the pressure off the hospital. There’s an urgent need in a lot of communities around Australia for more bulk billing options and more Medicare‑supported doctors, and that’s why we’re building 76 of these and providing $720 million to keep them running. It’s obvious in communities like these the need, and we’re delighted to see the way that all the different parts of the health system are working together to make it a success already. It’s only been open for a month, but already hundreds of people who would otherwise be in the ED at the hospital are coming here to get first‑class treatment and that’s a great thing.

    JOURNALIST:

    Just on another local health issue, and then we can go to other matters. We got word earlier this month that Bendigo Health has flagged job cuts at some of the hospitals, 5,000‑odd staff. The Australian Nursing Midwifery Federation says there’s a major restructure but they understand 9 full‑time clinical nursing jobs will be lost. What do you say to those staff who believe there isn’t any investment into expanding the health workforce by the federal government?

    CHESTERS:

    It’s one of those ones we’ll have to take on notice. It really is a state government matter but what I will say is that I know that the state and federal government are constantly in discussions about how can we better fund our health and hospitals sector. It is something that I know that they’re working through methodically. They’ve engaged the unions in doing this in a fair and transparent process. It’s not new, but it really is one that the state government is working closely with the Bendigo Health on.

    JOURNALIST:

    What’s the difference between a federal Urgent Care Clinic and the state‑run Priority Care Clinic?

    CHESTERS:

    The federal government pays the bills for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic. That’s essentially the big difference. Which is our role, it’s primary healthcare and it fits within the broader GP, Medicare scope of practice.

    JOURNALIST:

    And how – what does it work when a patient comes in? How do they present? What’s the process?

    CHESTERS:

    You can call, the majority of patients are encouraged to make a phone call to book themselves in. They first are triaged by the nurse or the team that answers the call. If it’s considered to be emergency, they’re encouraged to call an ambulance, 000, or go straight to EDs. But if it’s more an urgency care matter they make an appointment for them. They don’t have to be sitting here; they’re sent a reminder message and then just encouraged to be here about 20 minutes prior to the appointment and I’m hoping I got that right. Not that I’ve had to use the service yet. It’s because we use online, because we’re all used to using the phones and the booking system, it’s well organised. On the busier days it’s 10 til 10. Critical being that after‑hours after‑school opportunity, over the weekends. And it’s a service that’s proving to be very popular because it is where you can get a bulk‑billed GP appointment within 24 hours of needing one.

    JOURNALIST:

    Just on the announcement today, regarding putting an end to hidden in‑ticket purchases, like you promised to consider debit card surcharges, this is a promise that will mean there’ll be consultation down the road. When it’s possible your government may not be in power next year, why not just act now rather than push [indistinct] down the track?

    CHALMERS:

    Consultation is a good thing. We want to make sure that as we crack down on excessive fees and we crack down on dodgy trade practices that we’re doing that in a way that looks after the interests of consumers and small businesses, and makes sure that there aren’t unintended consequences. We’ve shown a real enthusiasm, a real willingness, a real commitment to crack down on the sorts of fees and practices which risk ripping people off. We have empowered and funded the ACCC to do their really important work and we’ve flagged the next steps that we’re taking when it comes to this. But I don’t think we should see consultation as a bad thing, consultation’s a good thing. We’re a government that works through issues in a considered and a methodical but ultimately in an impactful way. We know that people are at risk here when it comes to anti‑competitive behaviour and dodgy behaviour, and fees that they increasingly can’t afford, and so we’re acting on their interests and we’re making sure that we get it right.

    JOURNALIST:

    Look, I just want to confirm which industries the government are wanting to focus on in this crackdown. Are you looking at live music? There’s been some discussion about gym subscriptions.

    CHALMERS:

    We’re talking about a wide range of practices but including subscription traps – where it’s really hard to get out of a subscription, that happens across a number of different sectors. Drip pricing where there are hidden fees throughout the stages of a purchase. There are manipulative online practices, including where there’s a sense of urgency like a countdown timer to make people make rash decisions about what they want to buy. We’re worried about dynamic pricing which is where, during the actual course of the transaction the price keeps escalating. We’re worried about businesses which ask customers for too much information, in some cases much more than is necessary to buy the good or the service. We’re also worried about those instances where it’s hard to contact a business if you haven’t got the product that you were looking for or you had some other question after sale. These are the sorts of issues that we’re looking at. That obviously has relevance to a whole range of sectors – particularly those available for online purchasing. We’re not taking a very specific sector‑specific approach here. We’re looking at all of these potentially dodgy practices and making sure we can rub them out where we can.

    JOURNALIST:

    Given lock‑in subscriptions are a fundamental part of some business models, like gyms, how will you stop them, those businesses from being shuttered down completely?

    CHALMERS:

    We obviously want to see a healthy, profitable business sector but those profitable businesses can’t be making profits on the back of dodgy practices. Again, as a huge supporter of the business community in this country – and particularly the small business community, we want to make sure that there aren’t unintended consequences for the vast majority of businesses who do the right thing. But when some are tempted to do the wrong thing, we need to crack down on that. We need to make sure, when it comes to subscriptions, it can’t be incredibly easy to sign up to a subscription and incredibly difficult to get out of it. We get a lot of feedback about that. We want to work with the ACCC to crack down on that too.

    JOURNALIST:

    Look, do you think the timing of the PM’s decision to buy a new home is poor given an election is coming up? Many Australians are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent. I mean, look, I understand that the PM – people can buy property wherever they want, but I mean here, and particularly in Bendigo, we have a huge homelessness problem. The list of people waiting for social housing are at a 1,000 in this local area. I mean, what do you say especially to those who are sleeping rough and may see coverage of the PM buying such an expensive house on the Central Coast and, you know, wondering what this government’s on about?

    CHALMERS:

    I understand. The government’s highest priority is easing the cost of living and a big part of that is our housing agenda. Too many people are sleeping rough. Too few people can find an affordable place to rent or buy. It is becoming too hard for young people in particular to get a toehold in the housing market, and these are the motivations behind the $32 billion that we have invested through 3 Budgets in building more homes, to make it easier for more Australians to find a place to rent or find a place to buy. This is our highest priority, cost of living, and housing is an important part of that.

    When it comes to the decisions that the Prime Minister has made about his own personal arrangements, I do understand that there’s a lot of interest in it. We do understand, I think collectively, that Prime Ministers decisions like this are scrutinised. I would say a couple of things about that. First of all, I work incredibly closely with the Prime Minister. I work as closely, if not more closely than anybody else. I have seen first‑hand for myself his 100 per cent focus on easing the cost of living and building more homes for Australians and making the right economic decisions for the right economic reasons. I cannot fault for one second his commitment to easing the cost‑of‑living pressures that people confront and building more homes as the important part of that.

    He has made a decision with Jodie that they want to have a place which is closer to Jodie’s family. I think a lot of Australians would understand that aspect of it. Certainly, I understand that aspect of it. But his focus is on easing cost‑of‑living pressures for the whole country, I’ve seen that laser‑like focus for myself up close.

    JOURNALIST:

    In terms of the Urgent Clinics here Bendigo and other areas, is it going to help the healthcare system or is it just going to shuffle everything around and not take the pressure off?

    CHALMERS:

    It’s already taking pressure off the emergency department at Bendigo Hospital. One of the heartening things just meeting some of the professionals who have joined us today, some of them on their day off – we appreciate that – one of the things that really strikes you about this Urgent Care Clinic, and I’ve seen it in others, is the way that the whole health system, the whole local health ecosystem, works together to deliver great outcomes for people, often at the most stressful times.

    Lisa and I know, as parents, it’s so stressful when your kid is sick or your mum, and you want to make sure that there are options and the heartening thing, the inspiring thing frankly, about the work in clinics like this one and emergency departments is the way that the place is working together. I just heard really quite a remarkable thing about where, if one place is quieter than the other, there are calls between different parts of the health system to make sure that we’re getting people through. That’s exactly as we want it. That means that every single cent of these hundreds of millions of dollars we’re investing in Urgent Care Clinics is money well spent.

    JOURNALIST:

    Those that don’t have access to these Urgent Care Clinics, as such, what do you say to them if they’re struggling to get into their GPs, their EDs are full, you know, what do they do?

    CHALMERS:

    We’re building as many as we can afford to build. There are 76 of these now, that’s what $720 million is buying. Every community would like one and we are doing our best to put one in as many communities as we can – here in Bendigo, in my hometown, right around Australia. We know that there’ll always be a need for more investment in health. We’re enthusiastic about that, billions and billions of dollars of investment in strengthening Medicare to help ease out‑of‑pocket costs to give people peace of mind when they’re sick or when their loved ones are sick, and people should expect that to continue for as long as there’s a federal Labor government working closely with state governments like this one.

    JOURNALIST:

    Australian birth rates declined once again. Is this becoming a problem for our economy?

    CHALMERS:

    That has been a long‑term trend and there are reasons for that, including good reasons for it. As I’ve said before, it can be expensive to have kids, and people make their own decisions for their own reasons. My job, working closely with Lisa and other colleagues, is to make sure that people can have the choice of whether to have more kids or not. Our investment in early childhood education, our investment in healthcare, paying superannuation on paid parental leave, all of these decisions that we’ve taken as a government working closely with Katy Gallagher, the Women’s Minister and others, is about making it easier for people to have more kids if they want to. But we know that affordability is a big part of that challenge and that’s why our cost‑of‑living help is so important as well.

    JOURNALIST:

    Is the government talking to Westpac about the repeated outages that we’ve been seeing this week, affecting mobile and online banking? I believe there’s been 3 already this week for customers of Westpac and St George, BankSA.

    CHALMERS:

    We have been speaking with Westpac about these really concerning developments. They have had a number of outages in recent days, and when something like that happens it enlivens the cybersecurity part of our government. In the last couple of years we’ve gotten much better at working with private sector entities like Westpac and others who are the subject of various – whether it’s denial of service or other kinds of interruptions. But we do work closely, whether it’s with the banks or the other businesses and organisations, to make sure that when something happens like this, as unwelcome as it is, that we’re responding when we can and that also we’re keeping each other informed as things develop.

    JOURNALIST:

    Does more need to be done to secure crucial services for bank customers? I mean this is not unusual.

    CHALMERS:

    Unfortunately, this is a sign of the times. We are seeing more of these sorts of interruptions in an economy which is becoming increasingly digital and where the technological changes so fast we are at risk of some of these sorts of interruptions. We’ve got a colleague now, Andrew Charlton, who’s been appointed to oversee cybersecurity in particular, working closely with Tony Burke. Our whole government sees it as an important part of our responsibilities to make sure that we catch up and keep up with developments in this space because we don’t want to see people inconvenienced by these kinds of interruptions.

    JOURNALIST:

    I have just one more question, sorry. Just on the economy and from a business perspective, here in Bendigo, there’s been significant issues in the CBD for some time: for‑lease signs on shop fronts, particularly in the Hargreaves Mall. We hear from businesses and ABC Central Vic, that your government is not doing enough for small businesses. What do you say to people in regional communities like Bendigo who despair in the fact that they may not be able to sustain businesses or even keep shop fronts open until the end of the year?

    CHESTERS:

    The problem with the Bendigo Mall is a perpetual problem that we’ve had for decades, and anybody who says otherwise hasn’t lived in Bendigo for a long time. It’s long been identified that the challenges sometimes relate to the landlords and who they’re trying to attract into the businesses in the mall. We’ve also had some other issues in the mall. There’s quite a bit of construction going on. But this is one of those ones which local chambers of commerce, Be.Bendigo has worked with the City of Greater Bendigo to bring them all together to talk about ‘what’s the vibe? What do we want? Who do we want to prioritise to be our businesses?’ It really starts with the landlords, it starts with Be.Bendigo and it starts with local government. In terms of the federal government support that we have with small business, we’re doing what we can, whether it be the instant asset write‑off, whether it be helping people with their payroll, whether it be investing where we can, supporting people with skills, helping with apprentices, making sure that we’ve got the skilled workers that we need coming through our TAFE. This is the federal government making sure that we stay in our lane and our responsibility. This issue comes up every federal election, every state election, every local government election. But the answer is the same. It comes back to what are the landlords, what’s the vision, how are they working with our local chambers of commerce about who we want to attract in businesses in the CBD.

    JOURNALIST:

    I mean, Bendigo itself are driving hard the tourism dollar here. We’ve seen major events here. We are seeing a comedy festival here. People are travelling to this town in particular and wanting to come to Bendigo to see the lovely, you know, Bloom Festival and a couple of days ago it was beautiful. But seeing – walking a couple of shops – blocks down the street, it’s not such a great story. I mean, I think that there obviously needs to be a whole – is there not a whole – isn’t there more – shouldn’t there be more approach to ensure that the city is at least pleasurable for people to visit?

    CHESTERS:

    It is and people love coming to Rosalind Park. What the state government has done in reducing train fares to get people into town’s been fantastic. Any day on the weekend I love getting stopped and people asking me for directions because it means they’re not local. It means we’ve got people coming in. Last weekend was a big example of that. This weekend coming. The town is abuzz on the weekend and that’s what you want to have happen. I’m sure the landlords will get together with Be.Bendigo and City of Greater Bendigo to work it out. We are seeing a revival and a change of shops coming into the mall. This is one of those issues where if you get too many people involved in the discussion, it takes longer.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Richard Glover, Sydney Drive, ABC Radio

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    RICHARD GLOVER:

    Is there a particular marketing tactic that really grinds your gears? Maybe it’s the subscription that’s impossible to quit from or the gym that won’t tell you their prices until you show up in person. Well, the federal government says they’re taking action to outlaw so‑called unfair trading practices. But what falls under that umbrella? Because, obviously, a lot of things are already outlawed by the regulations. Stephen Jones is Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services and joins us here on Drive. Minister, good afternoon.

    STEPHEN JONES:

    Good afternoon, Richard. Good to be back with you.

    GLOVER:

    Tell us about some of the things that you think are currently allowed under the law, but really, really shouldn’t be.

    JONES:

    Look, a bunch of these are in grey areas. They shouldn’t be happening, they should be unlawful, but they’re in grey areas. So, let me go through a couple of them. Dynamic pricing had a bit of conversation about this after a few pop concerts lately. It extends to practices in sporting events, the tennis, the cricket, where you go online, you see – when you get online that the price might be $100 a ticket, but over the course of the 15–20 minutes that you’re online and everyone else is trying to buy one at the same time, the price goes up and up and up and up.

    GLOVER:

    So, the computer algorithm is responding to demand by pushing up the price to a point where supply meets demands, I suppose?

    JONES:

    That’s exactly how it’s working. Dynamic pricing, sharp practice, consumers incredibly disgruntled about it. And we agree, the next one –

    GLOVER:

    – I mean, sorry, before we go on – I mean, it does happen with other things. Uber, for instance, has a form of that, don’t they? I mean, their argument is that if dynamic pricing can lead to better service because it attracts more, the higher price during, say, a storm attracts more drivers to the road. So, they argue it’s a good thing.

    JONES:

    Look, we’ll work through some of these issues. The target for this is some of the online services, I’ve got to say. And the big one in frame is ticket pricing, which – now, the other one I want to talk about is drip pricing. This is where you go online, the advertised price, the sticker price for something is at one level, and then as you go through the forms, they keep on adding additional charges or additional components to it, all of which are essential to the service or the product or can’t be separated from it, and you end up paying a lot more than the sticker price.

    GLOVER:

    Okay, so they add the GST later, or they add the postage later, or they add the insurance later.

    JONES:

    Booking fees or all of these other fees that are added on. They’re common, like your booking fee or your service fee or all – they’re all added on the top of it. It’s very misleading to consumers.

    GLOVER:

    I mean, I’ve heard the ACCC talk about that in the past. Isn’t that already illegal?

    JONES:

    Some of these things are in a grey area and we want to remove the grey and make it black and white. So, that’s one of them. And in many instances, depends on how it’s being done. But it’s driving consumers nuts. It’s deceptive. It’s sharp practice. We want to make it black and white to ensure that it can no longer rip consumers off through these sort of practices. The third one, which you mentioned in your intro, is what we call subscription traps. Big front door, easy to sign up, bloody small back door. You can’t get out. You can’t get out of them. So, you sign up to your streaming service. They’ve got your credit card details. Almost impossible to get out of it.

    GLOVER:

    I don’t subscribe to American papers, but some people say with one of the prominent American papers that you subscribe – it’s very easy to subscribe, of course, but to unsubscribe, you have to ring – you have to phone a number during business hours in the United States.

    JONES:

    A couple of examples like that, and that’s clearly unfair. It’s clearly designed to ensure that consumers can’t get out again. So, another example, there’s gyms examples that have been brought to us, subscribing to a gym service, all of that. There’s a bunch of different examples –

    GLOVER:

    – What are the gyms? What do the gyms tend to do that is deceptive – other than promise me a better body, Stephen?

    JONES:

    Well, that’s deceptive right there isn’t it. But no, all jokes aside, making it very difficult to unsubscribe, for example, having to go to a certain place during certain hours, having to go through a whole bunch of processes that should be as simple to subscribe as it is to unsubscribe to those services.

    GLOVER:

    Let’s go to the timetable for all this because we only got a couple of minutes left. When does this all happen and when can people be confident that they will be able to, for instance, unsubscribe with ease?

    JONES:

    Consultation paper out on some of the details over the next few months. So, out for consultation over the next few months and then legislation to be drafted and passed through Parliament in the early part of next year.

    GLOVER:

    Okay. Before the election?

    JONES:

    I’d be over the moon if we’re able to get this done before the election, Richard. We don’t control the Upper House but I’ll be over the moon if we’re able to get some of this stuff.

    GLOVER:

    It’s hard to imagine you’re going to get much opposition. I can’t imagine the Greens or David Pocock or Jacqui Lambie thinking any of these are unreasonable ideas.

    JONES:

    I’d hope that everyone looks at this and says this is just common sense. It’s in the interest of Australian consumers and they’ll back the Albanese government on it.

    GLOVER:

    Ok, we’ll see what happens. Stephen, thank you so much.

    JONES:

    Good on you.

    GLOVER:

    Stephen Jones, who’s the Assistant Treasurer as the government proposes making some things that are in the shadows actually black and white in terms of ease of subscription, things like drip pricing and the so called dynamic pricing, which I know some people fell not here so much, but in the UK recently fell foul of with the Oasis tickets which seemed to, once the demand was realised suddenly were incredibly inflated.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Grassley Recognized for Work to Combat Sex-Trafficking Crisis: ‘The Only Person in a Position of Power Who Cares’

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    Inside America’s Fastest-Growing Criminal Enterprise: Sex Trafficking

    ‘Washington’s lack of interest in the sex-trafficking crisis is stunning. Sometimes it seems as though the only person in a position of power who cares about the issue is 91-year-old Senator Grassley.’

    By Madeleine Rowley

    October 14, 2024

    There is no question that the border crisis is the primary reason for the increase in the sex trafficking of migrants…

    In July, Republican senator Chuck Grassley hosted a roundtable on the trafficking crisis at the border. Tara Rodas, 55, a federal employee who in 2021 worked at an emergency intake shelter in California, testified that while she was there, a 13-year-old girl from El Salvador was released to a sponsor in Ohio who was affiliated with the MS-13 gang.

    …

    Washington’s lack of interest in the sex-trafficking crisis is stunning. Sometimes it seems as though the only person in a position of power who cares about the issue is 91-year-old Senator Grassley…

    “I’ve been trying to protect unaccompanied children that are put in dangerous environments,” he told me in an interview. “These are the most vulnerable people, and somebody’s got to look out for them, and that’s me.”

    The next year, he wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, saying that up to 3,400 unaccompanied children’s sponsors had criminal histories. Two years later, he urged the ORR to take responsibility for unaccompanied children who had ties to the gang. “Your agencies repeatedly pass the buck to each other. As a result, children are allowed to disappear. When these children disappear without any supervision, they are vulnerable to join dangerous gangs like MS-13,” he said.
    Grassley reached across the aisle in 2019 and 2021, working with Democratic senators Dianne Feinstein and Ron Wyden, respectively, regarding allegations of sexual abuse and employee misconduct at ORR-funded shelters. Grassley and Wyden’s investigation found that between 2016 and 2020, ORR received nearly 7,500 reports of sexual misconduct involving an unaccompanied child staying at a shelter…
    With the election of Joe Biden—and the border crisis that ensued—other Republicans have jumped on the trafficking bandwagon, but Grassley has continued to lead the charge, using his staff to conduct significant investigations. In January, for instance, he sent a detailed letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray, detailing evidence his staff had uncovered of unaccompanied children who were suspected of being in the hands of traffickers.

    Democrats have been shamefully silent on the trafficking issue. At the roundtable Grassley held in July, not a single Democrat attended. Neither did Mayorkas. “Democrats didn’t come because they’re just too embarrassed to talk about the shortcomings of this administration on immigration,” Grassley told me. “Especially when you have HHS sending kids to MS-13 gang-related sponsors in Ohio. It’s hard to explain that.”

    As for the Office of Refugee Resettlement… It has yet to do anything to reduce the sex trafficking that is taking place under its nose. On the contrary, it has lately been pushing through rules that will minimize the vetting of sponsors…This, of course, will allow the NGOs to push migrant children through the system even faster. But it will also make it easier for gangs and criminals to “sponsor” migrant girls after they’ve crossed the border. Grassley is trying to stop that from happening…
    Read the full piece HERE.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Emphasizes Value ESOPs Bring Local Economies at IA-CEO Conference

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    POLK COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, today delivered a keynote address at the 2024 Iowa CEO Employee Ownership Conference in Ankeny.

    Grassley discussed the future of our nation’s business landscape as the baby boomer generation enters retirement, as well as his longstanding support for Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs): “[…T]his tax-advantaged tool has helped boost productivity, create wealth among the workforce, expand prosperity and grow civic roots in communities across the country,” he said. 

    Download photos HERE. Grassley’s prepared remarks follow. 

    Iowa Center for Employee Ownership (IA-CEO)

    Employee Ownership Conference

    FFA Enrichment Center/DMACC Campus, Ankeny

    Wednesday, October 16, 2024

    Good morning. It’s good to be here with all of you.

    Thank you, Randy, for your work with the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), a school near and dear to my heart. And thank you for the invitation to speak about another subject near and dear to my heart: building prosperity for Iowans across our state.

    Now, typically, I wouldn’t be able to join you in person on a weekday in the middle of October. But since we’re in the thick of a presidential election year, Congress is out of session until after November 5th.

    As you know, we’re also in the thick of harvest season. This week, my son and grandson are on our family farm in New Hartford running the combine and hauling grain from the fields. 

    I’m the second generation of our fourth-generation family farm, so I understand what weighs on the minds of Iowans looking to pass on the reins of a farm or small business. Although, a farmer never really retires.

    Like most family farms in Iowa, a lion’s share of our small- and medium-sized businesses are owned by baby boomers. These operations are expected to change ownership in the next five to 10 years. Finding the future stewards of these farms and businesses is top of mind for communities across Iowa. 

    It will have tremendous impact on the tax base, population, school enrollment, jobs, economic vitality and social capital of the local and regional community.

    This year, I completed my 44th year holding question-and-answer sessions with Iowans in all 99 counties in our state. Two issues that regularly come up at my meetings with small businesses and manufacturers are workforce shortages and employee retention. 

    The workforce and succession planning are top of mind for so many small businesses in Iowa, including those of you here in this room. As the baby boom generation prepares to pass the torch, a sizeable segment of our state’s economy will hinge on the strategic transition of farms and businesses. 

    Changing ownership of a business the same family has owned and operated for decades is complicated. Potential buyers and sellers need to navigate a maze of issues, including complex family dynamics, taxes, financing and more. 

    A decade or so ago, the impending demographic shift was often referred to as the Silver Tsunami. Since 2011, roughly 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day. I would suggest the so-called tsunami has delivered rolling waves of changes, instead of catastrophic disruptions to health care, housing, transportation and community services. I attribute that to forward-thinkers, like those of you attending today’s conference. 

    We’ve seen across many sectors of the economy that not all of the demographic disruptions hit the fan at once. 

    That’s partially because people are staying in the workforce longer, by choice or financial necessity. 

    Like I said earlier, a farmer never really retires. The same often goes for a family-run business, perhaps due to the fact owners don’t always have a viable succession plan or buyer. Having a succession plan can give families, landowners and small businesses much-needed peace of mind. After putting years of sweat and investments into their farm or business, many Iowans are what we call cash-poor and asset-rich.  

    As we look ahead to this era of transition in business ownership, it’s important for leaders in government, business and academia to collaborate. Together, we can anticipate the challenges and embrace the economic opportunities this demographic shift will present. 

    From that standpoint, I applaud the efforts of your organization, in partnership with my alma mater, UNI.  

    I want to commend you for taking a proactive approach. You’re grabbing the bull by the horns to identify the obstacles and possibilities that lie ahead. By engaging stakeholders and raising public awareness, your efforts can help expand local economic vitality and prosperity for generations to come. 

    You understand that a majority of the businesses owned by baby boomers will close for good if a viable buyer isn’t found. Usually, a viable buyer is restricted by the sale price, or there simply isn’t a buyer available at all. 

    Let’s not underestimate the benefits your efforts will bring workers and the community. Day in and day out, workers help build and grow a company. When workers are able to capture financial equity in their employing business, it fosters an ownership culture that strengthens morale and reinforces roots in the community. 

    These dynamics sow the seeds for broader advantages for nearby schools, civic clubs, volunteer fire departments, places of worship, and more.

    If you think about it, your mission kills two birds with one stone. On the one hand, you provide an off-ramp for business owners to pull wealth from their business, monetizing the retirement nest egg they’ve feathered for decades. 

    On the other hand, you’re expanding ownership opportunity and offering a piece of the financial pie to the workforce, empowering employees to share in the fruits of their own labor. 

    As a former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, fostering economic growth is central to my philosophy on tax policy. That includes my support for federal tax advantages for Employee Stock Ownership Plans. 

    Everything these days goes by an acronym, but “ESOPs” have been around for decades.  

    A century ago, big corporations like Proctor & Gamble, J.C. Penney and Sears Roebuck provided stock ownership through a tax vehicle Congress added to the federal tax code in 1921. 

    The iteration we have today sprang up in the 1950s, for the purpose of transitioning ownership of a company to its employees. 

    ESOPs were formally recognized in law in 1974 thanks to the efforts of Senator Russell Long – one of my predecessors at the helm of the Senate Finance Committee.  

    An ESOP allows companies to use IRS tax-qualified plans as a tool for business succession, and as a workplace empowerment tool to foster an ownership culture. They provide the seller better options to manage tax liabilities from the sale of the business rather than what many consider tax confiscation at the point of sale. 

    Senator Long once declared ESOPs would be the perfect elixir to the economy. In fact, he used the term “Geritol,” if anyone here remembers that once-popular vitamin supplement. 

    The good news is ESOPs have outlasted Geritol. For decades, this tax-advantaged tool has helped boost productivity, create wealth among the workforce, expand prosperity and grow civic roots in communities across the country. 

    When Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1984 that included tax-free, roll-over treatment, Washington cleared the path for privately held businesses to transfer ownership, unlocking a burst of economic activity and new ownership to the next generation of employees. 

    To this day, ESOPs are a preferred tool for business succession in America.  

    From my platform on the Senate Finance Committee, once again, I will have a front row seat at the tax policymaking table in the new Congress. With 2025 will come a major tipping point for the U.S. economy, as lawmakers and a newly elected president confront a tax cliff. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that I helped shepherd into law in 2017 is set to expire at the end of next year.  

    This package enacted across-the-board tax cuts for every American taxpayer. As a result, businesses and families kept more of their hard-earned money in their pockets. 

    That means Iowans got to save, spend and invest more of their own money. If the 2017 Trump tax cuts expire, we will say good-bye to trillions of dollars in tax breaks. 

    The 2017 tax law also unlocked opportunities for small business across our state – the engines of the nation’s economy. Whether a business was structured as a “C” corporation or subchapter “S,” the law lowered tax rates on their income. This tax cut applies to ESOPs with partial employee-ownership. 

    The law lowered the maximum corporate tax rate from 35 percent to a single marginal rate of 21 percent, empowering businesses to expand, hire more people or raise wages. 

    Just as importantly, for pass-through businesses the law lowered tax rates across the board and created a new 20 percent business income deduction. 

    Together, those reforms shrunk the top federal income tax rate from 39.6 percent to 29.6 percent. Farmers and small businesses operate on tight margins. These tax breaks make a tremendous difference on the bottom line.  

    I’m always on the lookout for ways to continue to build on the success of ESOPs. A provision I’ve long cosponsored to make ESOPs a more attractive option for S corporations was incorporated into the SECURE 2.0 Act, which Congress passed at the end of 2022. 

    I’ve written tax policy in the U.S. Senate for more than four decades and counting. I’ll let you in on a secret: When you tax something – anything – you get less of it. 

    Tax laws influence purchase decisions on items ranging from cars and clothes to farm machinery and investments. Just consider back-to-school tax-free shopping weekends. Or how states with no state income tax attract people from high-tax states. 

    On the flip side, high taxes on cigarettes, gambling and alcohol aim to limit those behaviors. Tax incentives operate the same way, informing research and development, college savings and homeownership. 

    I’m sure many of you want to know what’s going to happen on those expiring tax cuts in 2025. That crystal ball will get some clarity after November 5th. 

    In closing, I want you to know I agree ESOPs are a key instrument for communities to foster economic prosperity across our state. 

    Ownership is a core principle in America’s promise of prosperity — and freedom itself — that our nation’s Founders enshrined in our Constitution. 

    In my 99 county meetings, I’ve seen good things happening and economic vitality thriving in communities with ESOP-structured businesses. 

    ESOPs can provide that pathway to prosperity.  

    Business owners preparing to retire can get tax-advantaged cash in their pockets, after many years of building their business. 

    Employees can build equity in the company and find greater satisfaction on the job. 

    With your advocacy, communities can realize more opportunities to keep valued businesses thriving and tap into the ownership culture that attracts a dynamic workforce. 

    Thank you again for inviting me to speak to you today. I look forward to continuing this conversation and welcome your feedback. I’m happy now to open up the floor to questions. 

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Convenes Louisiana Energy Security Summit, Highlights Louisiana Investments and Future Economic Potential

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    BATON ROUGE – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) hosted the “Louisiana Energy Security Summit: Unleashing American Abundance in a Changing Global Landscape” at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge, bringing together leaders from the federal, state, and local government levels, industry, the research community, and elsewhere. 

    In his keynote address, Cassidy highlighted the geopolitical challenges confronting U.S. manufacturers operating internationally. Adversaries exploit lax environmental and labor standards to gain an unfair trade advantage over American companies. 
    “We are working to preserve the jobs we have in Louisiana and create more in the future,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We can do this by requiring that trade with countries like China be fair, and not allow them to pollute the atmosphere while we’re working to clean it.”
    “The Foreign Pollution Fee Act is a trade policy that rewards U.S. businesses and workers while penalizing foreign polluters. It creates a level playing field for American companies on the global stage. It’s a win for American workers, the U.S. economy, our national security, and the environment,” added Dr. Cassidy.
    The summit featured ten panels which explored protecting U.S. interests from unfair trade practices, Louisiana’s low emissions manufacturing advantage, and the role of natural gas in strengthening U.S. geopolitical influence. Panelists included presidents and CEOs from Entergy, First Solar, Buzzi UnicemUSA, Orsted, and Aluminum Technologies, former Trump administration officials, and leaders from Louisiana trade associations and major energy and Fortune 500 companies. 

    “We have the talent, we have the resources, we have the God-given location here in Louisiana with the Mississippi River, the Gulf, so much pipeline running underneath us, some of the greatest ports in the country, we’ve got all those tools. We just need to make sure we marry those with good policy,” said Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Will Green. “If we do, we will be unstoppable here in Louisiana.”
    “This is an energy economy here in Louisiana. We send it out, and we bring it in. It’s a manufacturing powerhouse. This state embodies what we can achieve again, if we open our alliances and we shut down our adversaries,” said Former Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality James Connaughton.
    “There is a market disadvantage for U.S. producers and manufacturers,” said Former Energy Deputy Secretary Mark Menezes. “This is basic fairness. As a consumer you have choices to make on products. You can choose a U.S.-made product or something that is imported. The choice is easy. And as a consequence of making that choice you address the fundamental fairness of this, you recognize the importance of the U.S. role, and you incentivize U.S. manufacturers to come back from China.”
    “Everyone in this room knows China has not relaxed. They have increased production and are flooding the market,” said Huntsman Corporation Vice President of Global Communications and Government Affairs Kevin Gundersen. “We have gotten away from [our] competitive advantage, and we have leaned into our disadvantage as a country. I think there needs to be a course correction.”  
    “We already import more than 26 million tons [of cement] per year. All of the countries where we import cement—they don’t have all the environmental regulations we do. They don’t have all the laws. They don’t have all the regulation, so we already have a disadvantage,” said Buzzi UnicemUSA President and CEO Massimo Toso. “So we do appreciate the effort by Senator Bill Cassidy and his colleague to put in place a carbon border adjustment mechanism.”
    “Non-market actors overseas, subsidies, and unfair trade practices make it cheaper to produce goods than companies like ourselves,” said CF Industries Vice President for Public Affairs Linda Dempsey. “We’ve got the best workers and the best standards, but the second piece really is flipping the switch on the trade rules.”
    “The cheap solar panels that are brought in from China don’t have the same standards of which we hold ourselves accountable to creating an unfair blade,” said First Solar CEO Mark Widmar. “Between American ingenuity, passion, creativity, and know-how, we can outcompete, but we need fairness.”
    Background
    Cassidy and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced their Foreign Pollution Fee Act to level the playing field with Chinese manufacturing and expand American production.
    Earlier this month, he released the 3rd episode of Bill on the Hill, where he highlights his Foreign Pollution Fee Act and discusses China’s growing economy and military coming at the expense of the American worker. After hearing fellow Americans share their concerns, Cassidy presented his plan to address the nexus between economic development, national security, and the environment. His Foreign Pollution Fee Act would even the playing field while holding China accountable.
    He penned editorials in Foreign Affairs, The Washington Times, and jointly in the USA Today Network discussing the geopolitical threat that China poses to U.S. global standing. Cassidy also joined Greta Van Susteren on Newsmax to discuss his foreign pollution fee, noting the competitive advantage China receives from intentionally ignoring environmental standards. 
    Last Spring, the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution urging Congress to pursue an industrial manufacturing and trade policy to counter competition from China. Learn more here. 
    Last Congress, Cassidy released a landmark energy policy outline in response to the Biden administration’s assault on domestic energy. The outline details how we can successfully reset U.S. energy policy, including Cassidy’s plan for an Energy Operation Warp Speed to cut permitting red tape and unleash domestic energy and manufacturing. In support of this complete vision and in addition to the Foreign Pollution Fee Act, Cassidy led Republican colleagues in opposition to a domestic carbon tax and introduced the first comprehensive judicial reform for permitting bill. He also pushed back on disastrous proposals from the Biden administration to limit development in the Outer Continental Shelf with the introduction of the WHALE Act and the Offshore Energy Security Act of 2023.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Gartner Says Enterprise Risk Management Leaders are Challenged With a Lack of Pricing Transparency in GRC Tools

    Source: Gartner – IT Research

    Headline: Gartner Says Enterprise Risk Management Leaders are Challenged With a Lack of Pricing Transparency in GRC Tools

    Due to widely varying government, risk, and compliance (GRC) tool pricing, enterprise risk management (ERM) leaders must understand four different pricing-tier categories of GRC solutions and apply a scoping framework to further estimate likely costs ahead of vendor selection, according to Gartner Inc.

    “There are no shortcuts to avoiding demos and time-intensive sales processes,” said Joel Backaler, Director Analyst in the Gartner Audit & Risk Practice. “However, understanding four pricing categories that vendors generally fall into, and applying a scoping framework accordingly, can save time and narrow the focus of an RFP to vendors that are likely to fit within budget constraints.”

    Gartner experts advise ERM leaders should address several key questions to understand what tier of GRC solution will meet their needs (see Figure 1).

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Readout of Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer’s Trip to  Haiti

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti on October 16 to meet with senior Haitian officials, and leadership of the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission and the Haitian National Police (HNP) to drive progress on security and governance efforts. Mr. Finer was joined by a senior U.S. delegation from the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the National Security Council.  During separate meetings with members of the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) and Prime Minister Garry Conille, Mr. Finer expressed condolences for the tragic loss of innocent life in the recent gang-led massacre in Pont-Sondé and reiterated the U.S. commitment to support Haitian-led efforts to restore security and pave the way toward free and fair elections.  Mr. Finer also commended the TPC for the transition of the presidency to President Leslie Voltaire on October 7, while noting that all Haitian officials must continue to put country over party and deliver on their promise to work for all Haitians.
    In his meeting with MSS and HNP leadership, Mr. Finer underscored our continued commitment to rally international support and provide the tools necessary to restore security and rule of law in Haiti.  To ensure that the MSS has the resources that it requires, the United States is by far the largest contributor to support the MSS mission to date.  Following the Haitian government’s request to the UN Security Council to authorize a UN peacekeeping mission to take over from the MSS at an appropriate time, Mr. Finer reassured Haitian officials of U.S. support for such a transition.
    The United States remains the largest contributor of humanitarian aid to the Haitian people through our UN and NGO partners, while also supporting the renewal of the HOPE/HELP trade preferences program as soon as possible to spur greater economic prosperity in Haiti.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Helps Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Cybersecurity at U.S. Ports

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped introduce bipartisan legislation to strengthen cybersecurity at U.S. ports. Port security is critical to the success of our nation’s economy, supply chains, industrial base, and national security. However, cybersecurity vulnerabilities continue to threaten their security. For instance, many U.S. ports, including strategic ports used by the military, utilize Chinese-made cranes that could expose the port to malicious cyber activity and disrupt port operations. The Protecting Investments in Our Ports Act would strengthen the security of U.S. ports by requiring all applicants for competitive grant funding from the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) to have necessary digital infrastructure or software in place to address cybersecurity threats.

    “This commonsense, bipartisan bill would help strengthen our nation’s defenses against cyberattacks by making sure ports have the necessary digital infrastructure and safeguards in place to protect both U.S. national security and supply chains as goods move throughout our waterways,” said Senator Peters.

    “Senator Peters’ steadfast approach to legislating in a technology driven age will continue to provide critical protections for U.S. Ports and the infrastructure investments being made by the American taxpayer. The Senator clearly understands that as Port investment evolves with technology, that proactive cybersecurity planning must accompany federal spending,” said Captain Paul C. LaMarre III, President of the American Great Lakes Ports Association.

    The PIDP, which falls under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Maritime Administration, helps ports on our Great Lakes, coasts, and rivers improve the movement of goods and services. The Protecting Investments in Our Ports Act would ensure applicants of the program have certified that they have an approved National Maritime Transportation Security Plan to reduce cybersecurity risks. Peters introduced the legislation with U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX).

    In 2021, Peters helped Congress pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided robust funding for transportation and port infrastructure projects across the country. The historic law invested more than $17 billion in U.S. port infrastructure to make needed repairs and upgrades, reduce congestion to strengthen our supply chains and expedite commerce, and lower harmful emissions near ports to reduce environmental impacts on local communities.

    As Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters has led also numerous efforts to ensure our nation is better prepared to defend against cyberattacks. His historic, bipartisan provision to require critical infrastructure owners and operators to report to CISA if they experience a substantial cyberattack or if they make a ransomware payment was signed into law. Peters’ bipartisan bill to enhance cybersecurity assistance to K-12 educational institutions across the country was also signed into law. Peters’ bipartisan bills to bolster cybersecurity for state and local governments, strengthen the federal cybersecurity workforce, and help secure federal information technology supply chains have been signed into law. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Klobuchar On Track to Visit All Minnesota’s 87 Counties By Tomorrow

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn)
    MINNESOTA –  Today Senator Amy Klobuchar met with Minnesotans in five counties as part of her commitment to visit every county in 2024. Klobuchar stopped in Baudette in Lake of the Woods County to discuss federal funding she helped secure for search and rescue equipment. In Koochiching County, Klobuchar met with the widow and colleagues of fallen Voyageurs National Park Ranger Kevin Melvin Grossheim. In Itasca County, Klobuchar toured a child care hub in Grand Rapids, and in Hubbard County, Klobuchar met with local Park Rapids officials to tour housing that was supported with federal funding. Finally, in Cass County, Klobuchar met with the mayor and local business leaders to discuss economic development and tourism.
    Tomorrow, Klobuchar will have events at American Peat Technology in Aitkin, the Cloquet Carlton County Airport in Carlton, and Lakes and Pines Community Action Council in Kanabec at which point she will have visited every one of Minnesota’s 87 counties this year.
    “One of the best parts of my job is going out across the state every year and meeting with Minnesotans,” said Klobuchar. “I get to see incredible innovation, hear inspiring stories from families, thank our first responders, and talk to local leaders about what resources they need. These stops are how I get ideas for new legislation and how I know what to prioritize in Washington to make a real difference in people’s lives.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Strong condemns court ruling to allow non-citizens to vote in Alabama

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Dale Strong (Alabama)

    WASHINGTON – Congressman Dale W. Strong released the following statement regarding the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama’s decision to grant injunctive relief and prevent Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen from removing illegal aliens from the state’s voter rolls: 

    “Any non-citizen found voting in a federal election should be prioritized for deportation. I am appalled that the Department of Justice is litigating against states who are working to prevent non-citizens from voting. What we saw today is a continuation of the Biden-Harris Administration’s four-year campaign against the enforcement of our laws. 

    In Congress, Democrats blocked the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote. 

    As Border Czar, Kamala Harris oversaw the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, and now her Administration is blocking states from maintaining accurate voter rolls.  

    The American people are tired of the double talk. The SAVE Act is lying in the Senate awaiting a vote. If the Democrats really believe in securing this election, Chuck Schumer must bring it to a vote immediately and end this madness.”  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Federated Farmers Calls for Fish & Game to be stripped of their advocacy function

    Source: Federated Farmers

    Federated Farmers Southland are calling for the Government to strip Fish & Game of their advocacy function and refocus the organisation on the management of hunting and fishing.
    “Fish & Game are a statutory body but in some parts of the country they’re acting like an environmental activist group,” Federated Farmers Southland president Jason Herrick says.
    “As an organisation they’ve gotten so far away from their core purpose of managing, maintaining, and enhancing sports fish, game birds and their habitats.
    “Farmers are sick of their obstructive behaviour, unnecessary litigation, and anti-farming rhetoric – and so are everyday hunters and fishers who just want to enjoy their sport.
    “Unfortunately, Fish & Game’s advocacy positions, particularly in Southland, are increasingly at odds with the views of most reasonable hunting and fishing licence holders.”
    Federated Farmers say many farmers are keen hunters and fishers themselves, and are more than happy to pay an annual licence fee to support the important work Fish & Game do.
    This includes assessing and monitoring species populations, maintaining and improving habitats, and promoting hunting and fishing activities.
    “All of that good work is completely undermined by the advocacy positions Fish & Game takes, which is why we are asking for that function to be completely removed,” Herrick says.
    “As a farmer, and a fisher, it’s incredibly frustrating to see money raised through a compulsory licence fee used to fund political activism and litigation that I fundamentally disagree with.
    “The issue is that if you want to hunt or fish, you need to buy a licence. You’ve got no choice but to fund their activism and court action – that’s why I no longer fish despite loving the sport.”
    Recent examples include Fish & Game Southland opposing resource consents for things like the opening of the Waituna Lagoon and the extraction of gravel from clogged waterways.
    Fish & Game have also taken unnecessary court action that will require more than 3000 Southland farmers to get expensive resource consents for no environmental gain.
    This has led Federated Farmers Southland to call for a boycott of Fish & Game in the province and for farmers to withhold fishing access across their land.
    “For generations farmers have allowed hunters onto our properties, or for fishers to walk across private land to access fishing spots, as a gesture of goodwill,” Herrick says.
    “Unfortunately, that goodwill has been completely eroded by the political activism of Southland Fish & Game. That’s why droves of farmers are now denying fishing access.
    “While I appreciate this will be frustrating for many of Southland’s fishermen, who are generally very decent salt-of-the-earth people, Fish & Game have left us no other option.
    “We now need Southland’s fishing community to stand with farmers and let Fish & Game know that enough is enough. The obstructive litigation and anti-farming advocacy needs to stop.” 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Events – Zero Waste Summit focused on waste and climate solutions

    Source: Zero Waste Network

    The national Zero Waste Summit in Wellington on 18-20 November will zero in on practical solutions to waste, plastic pollution and wider ecological crises.

    A public event on Monday night, Zero Waste Solutions to Planetary Crises, will be facilitated by veteran broadcaster, Kim Hill.

    It will feature two panels with experts and politicians speaking to a range of promising zero waste solutions. These include Bottle Deposits, Product Stewardship, the Right to Repair, using organic waste to restore degraded soils, and a Global Plastics Treaty. False solutions such as incineration, that we must avoid will also be discussed.

    MPs from across the political spectrum will get a chance to respond to the information raised by the panel of experts and to outline their policy positions. This public event has been organised in collaboration with the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance thanks to the support of Re.Group.

    “We all know we need to reduce waste. But it’s the upstream impacts of overconsumption that are the most critical right now: climate change, ecosystem damage, biodiversity loss, pollution and human health impacts.” says Sue Coutts from the Zero Waste Network.

    “To fix these problems we need to go up the supply chains and to put in place practical policies that solve our waste problems for once and for all. This will be the focus of discussions at the summit and we will be looking to our political leaders to implement some real solutions.”  

    The Summit is hosted by the Zero Waste Network Aotearoa. This three day event includes keynotes, panel discussions, and site tours exploring all aspects of zero waste from source reduction and redesign, to repair, recovery, repurposing and recycling. Special thanks to Rothbury Insurance and Wellington City Council for their sponsorship of the Summit.

    “People working on zero waste projects across the country will come together at the Summit to talk about the challenges, the practical solutions we are already delivering, and what we can all do to significantly expand our impacts.”

    “We’ll also be walking the talk, with all catering being provided according to zero waste practices, by local businesses and organisations thanks to the support of Reuse Aotearoa who are sponsoring the zero waste catering during summit day sessions.

    Panel discussions will consider social and economic dimensions, including social justice, sustainable financing for zero waste business models, the growth of zero waste towns, cities and regions, and practical tools and strategies for ensuring the wellbeing of those who work at the frontlines of resource recovery.

    Full information and tickets are available at https://www.summit.zerowaste.co.nz/

    More about us and our sponsors

    The Zero Waste Network is a membership organisation with 120+ members across the country who work towards Zero Waste with their local communities, providing practical resource recovery and behaviour change services. One of these members is Para Kore which is a network in its own right.  Our members employ 1,239 people who work in resource recovery and environmental education. Collectively we recover 29,000 tonnes of material each year and feed $88 million dollars back into local economies through our enterprises.  

    Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance is a collaborative forum of researchers, educators, artists, activists and community leaders working to prevent plastic pollution in Aotearoa, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, and beyond.

    Reuse Aotearoa is an organisation dedicated to building the momentum to grow and strengthen reusable packaging systems in New Zealand, through evidence-based research, advice and workshops. 

    Wellington City Council are working to implement their zero waste strategy 

    Re.Group are a recycling and resource recovery company specialised in designing, managing and operating resource recovery facilities and systems for a waste less society.

    Rothbury Insurance helps protect the assets of over 53,000 Kiwis and businesses, from Cape Reinga to Bluff.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Soaring benefit sanctions push more into poverty

    Source: Green Party

    Sanctions on beneficiaries have sky-rocketed since the Coalition Government came to power, pushing more families into poverty.

    “This heartless Government has more than doubled benefit sanctions, stripping people of their dignity and ability to put food on the table,” says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Social Development and Employment, Ricardo Menéndez March.

    “People deserve to live in dignity, they deserve to be supported in times of need. We can afford to look after one another, all that is missing is the political will. 

    “Families living in poverty deserve more than smoke and mirrors from Louise Upston who is refusing to address child poverty while introducing more ways to push beneficiaries into hardship.  

    “Benefit sanctions for missing an appointment have almost tripled. This is quite clearly not about supporting people into work but depriving people in need of the means to survive. 

    “The Government has turned its back on our communities in need, adding fuel to the fire when it comes to growing inequality and widening poverty. 

    “The Prime Minister may be ‘wealthy’ and ‘sorted’ but a lot of people out there are struggling. It is time he woke up to this reality and started doing something about it.  

    “A Green Government will overturn this cruel system of sanctions that only makes life harder for beneficiaries and their whanau. 

    “We would instead guarantee liveable incomes for all, and provide tailored support to connect people to employment that provides secure hours, decent wages and helps them meet their aspirations,” says Ricardo Menéndez March.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Interview with Nick Bryant, RN Drive, ABC Radio

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    NICK BRYANT:

    So, with the cost of living biting and a national election looming, the federal government is threatening to ban debit card surcharges from the start of 2026, a plan which has been slammed on the other side of politics. Stephen Jones is the Assistant Treasurer. Stephen, welcome back to Radio National Drive.

    STEPHEN JONES:

    Good to be with you, Nick.

    BRYANT:

    The RBA reckons Australians are losing about a billion dollars a year to surcharges. Take me through what the government is proposing and what it would look like in practice?

    JONES:

    Well, this is understandably in response to consumers saying, ‘why am I having to pay money to access my own money to pay for a cup of coffee or a grocery – a basket?’ That’s a pretty reasonable concern by Australians. The plan, we want to ensure that we remove those surcharges, but we want to do it in a way that doesn’t lump the cost of that on small businesses, a simple ban on its own would mean that small businesses are picking up the tab. So, we’ve got to go upstream to look at that whole network of charges that is leading or ending in a small business and their customers. So, it’s the banks, it’s the card service providers, Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS, but it’s also the payment systems operators. So, we’ve got to look at all of that, untangle it, work out what a reasonable cost for providing those services is, and ensuring that Australians aren’t being slugged by these unreasonable surcharges just to access their own money.

    BRYANT:

    This would only apply to debit cards, but a lot of people use their credit cards to pay for things. Why not have those surcharges go as well?

    JONES:

    Good point. Around about 90 per cent of the exchanges that we’re talking about are done on a debit card, particularly for younger Australians who are more likely not to have a credit card. They might have a buy now, pay later account and a debit card, but more and more people are using debit cards for their day‑to‑day retail transactions. So, the case is cut and dried in this area. Credit products are a little bit different and are treated differently, always have been. So, the biggest part of the big problem is the debit cards, where people are being slugged a surcharge to use their own money, many times in instances where they can’t get the cash out or they can’t use it.

    BRYANT:

    Now, the Head of the Commonwealth Bank basically said during parliamentary proceedings or in this parliamentary committee, that this issue was being infused with populist politics, that the bank’s payment operations are actually making a loss. So, is this performative politics? Is this a bit of bank‑bashing?

    JONES:

    Absolutely not. And as I said in response to your earlier question, it’s not just the banks, it’s the card providers, the system providers such as Visa, Mastercard, EFTPOS, they’ve got charges in the system. It’s the payment network systems who run the rails around which our payments run throughout the country. Most of them not known to everyday consumers, but they’ve got charges in the system as well. So, it’s about untangling all of that. We’ve got the Reserve Bank looking at what it actually costs to run those rails, to run those charge systems, and what is being passed on to the consumer and where the excessive charging is. Job of work between now and Christmas. We’ll get the results of that, we’ll move on that early in the year – new year – and giving the whole system clear signal from the 1 January 2026. If they haven’t moved on it, we will.

    BRYANT:

    Now, the Opposition has been critical of your proposals. Here’s what the Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, had to say today.

    [Excerpt]

    PETER DUTTON:

    This is actually a plan for a plan. I mean, this Prime Minister always promises but never delivers. And we’re very happy to look at anything the government’s going to propose. It’s not an announcement, it’s just that they’re looking at it and it could come in, in 2026. Australian families need help now from this government. And instead of making good decisions, the government’s made bad decisions.

    [End of excerpt]

    BRYANT:

    I mean, he’s got a point, hasn’t he? This is a plan for a plan. It’s what Donald Trump had in that debate, a concept for a plan.

    JONES:

    Peter Dutton’s got no plan for the economy and no economic policies. He had 9 years to do something about this. It wasn’t a priority for him then. It wasn’t a priority for any of the 3 years when he had my job. It wasn’t a priority for any of the 9 years when he sat around the cabinet table. And now he’s criticising the government for wanting to do something which needs to be done. We’ve got a clear process for dealing with it. It’s not populist; it’s about ensuring we do the right thing, which is about ensuring we take all the evidence. We ensure that we don’t have any unintended consequences, such as having small business pick up the costs for a ban on surcharging. So, we’ll do it in the right way. We’d expect Peter Dutton to support it because it’s in the interests of consumers. But we remember that he’s voted against every single measure that we’ve put in place to provide cost‑of‑living relief for Australians. Whether it’s energy bill relief, whether it’s provisions which enable workers to get better pay rises, whether it’s medicines relief. In every opportunity Peter Dutton has had to vote in favour of cost‑of‑living relief for Australians, he’s done the opposite.

    BRYANT:

    If you just join me here on Radio National Drive, I’m speaking with the Assistant Treasurer, Stephen Jones, about the government’s promise to crack down on debit card surcharges. There is a process underway. You’re waiting for the Reserve Bank to finish its review into retail payments regulation. They’ve been waiting for you to pass legislation to provide them with more powers, which is now stuck in parliament. You’re saying this change won’t happen until 2026. People are hurting now. Why can’t this be expedited?

    JONES:

    Well, it can be expedited if the Opposition votes for the bill, which is before the Senate right now. That’s available for them to do that. They’ve said they’ll oppose it. They can vote in favour of the bill, the payment systems reform bill, which is in the Senate now, and that would give the government the additional powers. At the moment, those powers sit solely with the Reserve Bank of Australia. We’ve given a pretty good indication about what we’ll do as a government. Of course, the bloke who wants to be the alternative Prime Minister for Australia could announce his policy, but he hasn’t.

    BRYANT:

    And let’s talk about the man who is the Prime Minister at the moment. There has been a lot of talk today about the PM’s new luxury ocean view home he’s bought on the Central Coast in NSW. Isn’t this a bit tone‑deaf at the time of a cost‑of‑living crisis ahead of what will surely be a cost‑of‑living election and in the middle of the housing crisis? The optics of this just aren’t very good.

    JONES:

    Look, the PM and his fiancée Jodie are planning to get married next year. They wanted to buy a place in the area where Jodie grew up and 3 generations of her family live, and I think they’re entitled to do so. The housing that we’re focused on is our housing program, our plan to build new homes to ensure that we have a roof over the head of every Australian. We’ve got legislation before the parliament which is being blocked by the Coalition and the Greens. They should get out of the way and enable that to occur so we can help everyday Australians, through our Help to Buy Scheme, get access to the housing market. This is the housing issue that everyday Australians are focused on and it’s the focus of our government.

    BRYANT:

    Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones, thank you for joining me on Radio National Drive.

    JONES:

    Good to be with you.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Jokowi was once seen as Indonesia’s ‘new hope’. Instead, he leaves a legacy of democratic backsliding

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Edward Aspinall, Professor in Southeast Asian Politics, Australian National University

    As Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) prepares to leave office, Indonesia is still routinely lauded as one of Asia’s most important democracies. Jokowi was first elected, in 2014, on the promise of breaking with the old Jakarta elite and making government more responsive to ordinary people.

    He was backed by many ardent supporters of Indonesia’s Reformasi movement. This movement had brought down the authoritarian leader, Suharto, in 1998 and pushed a transition to democracy in the years that followed.

    But Jokowi has overseen a serious period of democratic backsliding.

    Democratic decline

    Under his watch, the Indonesian government has hobbled democratic control institutions. This includes Indonesia’s once-lauded Corruption Eradication Commission, abbreviated as KPK.

    Security agencies such the army and the police have begun to resume a political role.

    The government has banned major Islamic organisations.

    Civil society groups speak of a dramatically narrowed civic space. They complain, for example, about the government’s increasing reliance on the Electronic Information and Transactions Law to prosecute critics of the government for defamation and its growing willingness to use violent means to respond to protests.

    Jokowi’s opponents in the political elite are routinely investigated for corruption and other alleged wrongdoing.

    In last February’s presidential election, there were widespread reports the police and other agencies were pressuring community leaders to mobilise the vote for Jokowi’s preferred candidate, Prabowo Subianto.

    How and why does Jokowi leave this legacy?

    How did a man who was once seen as a “new hope” for Indonesian democracy end up here?

    The answer is part of a global story that has become broadly familiar in recent years.

    These days, it is generally not unelected coup leaders who destroy democracy. Experiences like those of Thailand and Myanmar in recent years are, happily, no longer typical.

    Instead, elected populist leaders hollow democracy out from within. They do so by hobbling institutions, such as anti-corruption commissions, which are meant to check executive power.

    Jokowi has, in my view, followed this pattern.

    Unlike many populists, Jokowi never peppered his early speeches with angry denunciations of his opponents as traitors. He never tried to whip up vitriol against vulnerable minorities.

    Instead, he positioned himself as a leader who was uniquely able to understand and to embody the aspirations of ordinary people.

    His trademark campaign method was known as blusukan. He would drop by unexpectedly at a marketplace, for example, to chat with ordinary people about prices and other everyday matters.

    Jokowi has positioned himself as a man of the people.
    BahbahAconk/Shutterstock

    A former mayor, he was interested in the nitty gritty of governance, such as how to improve transport services or upgrade parks. He was less interested in “abstract” notions like human rights.

    The implications of this philosophy only became apparent after Jokowi was elected president.

    He retained his belief in his own unique ability to understand the aspirations of ordinary citizens, which had been long neglected by elite politicians.

    He maintained a single-minded focus on what ordinary Indonesians wanted – improved living standards and better social welfare. And he used polls to regularly monitor public opinion.

    For Jokowi, maintaining popular support and satisfying public demands was the essence of democracy. He was not interested in institutions that place limits on governmental power, which are arguably just as important to a functioning democratic system.

    For example, his government enacted legal amendments that significantly weakened the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

    Late last year, the Constitutional Court – headed by his brother-in-law – changed the the rules on candidate age limits to allow Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, to stand for the vice presidency. Many Indonesians viewed this as a transparent – and successful – attempt to manipulate a key control institution for the purpose of maintaining Jokowi’s dynastic grip on power.

    Even so, as Jokowi leaves office, he does so a very popular politician.

    Prabowo as president

    Jokowi hands power to a man with an even more chequered democratic history.

    Prabowo Subianto is a former general with a record of alleged human rights abuses dating back to the late Suharto period. (Although, like other senior military officers accused of responsibility for the Suharto regime’s well-documented record of human rights abuses, he was never convicted of any crimes). Prabowo was close to the heart of that regime: indeed, he used to be Suharto’s son-in-law.

    Prabowo has promised he would provide the strong hand the country needed.
    Algi Febri Sugita/Shutterstock

    Prabowo has since reinvented himself as a fun-loving grandfather figure and Jokowi’s greatest fan, capitalising on the president’s own popularity.

    In fact, Prabowo used to be among Jokowi’s greatest rivals before becoming his defence minister in 2019.

    In previous elections, Prabowo presented himself as a firebrand populist who angrily denounced his opponents for allegedly selling Indonesia out to foreigners. He promised he would provide the strong hand the country needed to become truly great.

    We don’t know yet what kind of president Prabowo will be. His early political socialisation, as a leading elite figure close to the heart of the Suharto regime, suggests his instincts are likely to be deeply authoritarian.

    He inherits from Jokowi a country in which democratic institutions have already been seriously undermined, and a series of lessons in how to weaken them further.

    Edward Aspinall has received funding from the ARC and DFAT.

    – ref. Jokowi was once seen as Indonesia’s ‘new hope’. Instead, he leaves a legacy of democratic backsliding – https://theconversation.com/jokowi-was-once-seen-as-indonesias-new-hope-instead-he-leaves-a-legacy-of-democratic-backsliding-237319

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: DOORSTOP INTERVIEW BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH, AT THE MEDISHIELD LIFE 2024 REVIEW, 11 OCTOBER 2024

    Source: Asia Pacific Region 2 – Singapore

    Appreciation to Council
             I want to first thank the MediShield Life Council for working so hard. I think they did a very thorough analysis and came up with very comprehensive recommendations. I want to thank Mrs Fang Ai Lian and the team for their contributions. Also not forgetting the Secretariat, who has been working very hard for over one year to support the Council. 
    2.     Let me just go through some salient points of this package of measures, which I think is quite a significant one.
    Package of Measures in a Glance
    3.     Number one is to recognise the rising healthcare costs. In particular we are most concerned about unexpected health episodes that require you to stay in hospital for a long time, maybe even in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Some unfortunate things happen, and you chalk up a big bill that is unexpected. And that bill is rising and therefore we are increasing the claim limits for such bills. 
    4.     It is quite a significant increase. For two-day normal ward charges, the claim limits have gone up from $1,000 to about $1,600 – a 50 percent increase. The increase for ICU is significant. It does not happen very often but should it be needed, daily claims have gone up from $2,200 to over $5,000 or more than double. So it is a very good safety net and peace of mind. 
    5.     The second salient point is outpatient treatment. That is also rising, and I think it is hurting the pockets of patients, so we are also raising the claim limits for outpatients. In particular, one area we are quite concerned about is kidney dialysis. The costs have been going up. If nothing is done, it is only a matter of time before kidney dialysis patients have to pay cash out of their own pockets for dialysis. So we are increasing the claim limits from $1,100 per month to about $1,700 per month.
    6.     Third area is out-of-hospital bills. One major trend in healthcare is that more and more treatments are done outside the hospital, in the community and home settings. We are increasing coverage for such treatments, such as wound dressing, and treatment for depression. This is being done for the first time and some of the services that are done in home settings are now also covered.
    7.     Number four is technological advances. New and novel drugs, such as cell, tissue, gene therapy products (CTGTP), can be very expensive, but they are breakthroughs. They are one-time expensive treatments that promise to cure severe diseases like cancer. If we do nothing, chances are, in time only the rich can access these treatments. So we need to bring some of them into both our subsidy as well as MediShield Life framework. 
    8.     We have done so for subsidies, provided they are proven to be clinically effective and cost-effective. So just very few drugs but it is a starting point. Today we agree with the recommendations of the Council to also bring these same drugs into the MediShield Life framework. That way, at least for these drugs, all Singaporeans can access them.
    9.     Number five is that we are increasing the deductibles. I think it is necessary to do that because that way, we focus the resources and help on the bigger bills which is what we are most concerned about. Your smaller bills will rise a little bit, deductibles will go up, but you can pay for it with MediSave. 
    10.     And finally, the Council recommended that with all these changes, strengthening of the claim system and the safety net, premiums will have to go up by quite a significant number. But we should have a comprehensive package of measures to support these increases so that the great majority of Singaporeans can continue to pay for these increases using their MediSave and they do not have to come up with cash from their own pocket. 
    11.     We agree with that, and we are doing so. If we take the cumulative increase in premiums across the population, it is $1.8 billion. We have come up with a package that costs $4.1 billion over the next review cycle, which is about three years. So the package far exceeds the increase in premiums. Therefore, in other words, we are taking this opportunity to also build up the MediSave balances for Singaporeans. 
    Support Package 
    12.     What is this package? Let me elaborate. There are two parts to this. 
    13.     Out of this $4.1 billion, $700 million or $0.7 billion, is to increase MediShield Life premium subsidies. Another $3.4 billion is for MediSave top-ups. So added together, it is $4.1 billion.
    14.     First on the $700 million of MediShield Life premium subsidies. This will be focused especially on those who are older. The increase is about 5 to 10 percentage points. In the past, the maximum subsidy was 50%, meaning 50% of premiums is subsidised, paid for by the government. That will now increase to 60%, so it will help many people and cost us $700 million.
    15.     The MediSave top-ups are much more complicated. What we have done, actually is quite a long exercise. Essentially, we identified every single MediSave Life top-up initiative and tried to strengthen every one of them. Why did we do it that way? I think by so doing, we try to cover as many age groups as possible, practically all age groups. So what are they? 
    16.     Let me start with the oldest which is Pioneer Generation (PG). As you know, PG can get MediSave top-ups every year throughout their life. For the older PG who are 90 years this year, born in 1934 or earlier, they will have top-ups that will basically offset all the premium increases. Their top-ups are enough for them to pay their MediShield premiums throughout their lives. For the younger PG, their top-ups will be sufficient to cover two-thirds of the premium increases. 
    17.     At last year’s National Day Rally, then-Prime Minister Lee announced the Majulah Package. Basically for all those born in 1973 or earlier – that means it covers PG, Merdeka Generation (MG), as well as the new term, Young Seniors who are in their 50s and 60s – will receive MediSave top-ups. For this whole group, the MediSave top-ups will be enhanced by $500. In the past, the MediSave top-up was $1,500 maximum. Now, the maximum goes up to $2,000.
    18.     Third, within a subset of this group, there is a group which is born between 1950 and 1973. These are the MG, as well as the young seniors. They, unlike the PG, do not have any more MediSave top-ups. So, some of them, because of their work history, do not have sufficient MediSave balances. So, for this group we will do something extra for them – an extra $500 per person.
    19.     Number four, at Budget 2024 this year, Finance Minister and current Prime Minister announced that a younger group born between 1974 and 2003 will get MediSave top-ups. We will enhance their MediSave top-ups by another $200. For this group, their premiums are not as high because they are relatively younger, so their top-ups are less.
    20.     Finally, newborns get a newborn grant of $4,000. The newborn grant will be enhanced to $5,000, so this is sufficient to pay for their MediShield Life premiums up to the age of 21. 
    21.     So, this is the package that we are putting out – $4.1 billion over the next few years. 
    Encouraging Healthier Lifestyles
    22.     The Council has always recommended that we should encourage Singaporeans to lead healthier lifestyles. This year, they went a bit further. Since we have Healthier SG, they asked why not link the two together.
    23.     It makes a lot of sense, because adopting a healthier lifestyle is something we can choose to do. We can do more exercises, eat healthy, sleep better, quit smoking, sign up for Healthier SG and go for regular screenings. All these are within our control, and if we do them, we get a discount on our MediShield Life premiums.
    24.     We decided to try this out. After all, many Singaporeans have already joined the Health Promotion Board’s Healthy 365 programme to collect Healthpoints.
    25.     From the third quarter of 2025, we will start to allow Singaporeans 40 and above to use their Healthpoints and convert them to discounts or deductions in MediShield Life premiums. 
    26.     We will work in a fairly favourable conversion rate. All in all, this means that if you are someone who is quite active, who exercises for about 30 minutes every day, you should have enough Healthpoints to receive a discount of about $80 per year off your annual MediShield Life premium. For a young person, this discount is slightly less than or almost half of their premium. So this is the whole package. 
    Multiple Layers of Safety Net
    27.     It has been many months in the making. Late last month, I announced the change in our effective date of the change in our subsidy system.
    28.     Essentially we are changing the per capita household income (PCHI) thresholds, such that more Singaporeans are eligible for higher subsidies. 1.1 million Singaporeans will benefit. 
    29.      Today, we are strengthening our MediShield Life system as well as the MediSave system. This is our classic S+2M framework. We are strengthening both and it is very important that these two safety nets work hand in hand.
    30.     There are many countries that focus a lot on subsidies. When you focus a lot on subsidies, it is funded by taxation. When funded by taxation, things tend to be cheap or free and this causes excess demand, so waiting time becomes very long in the hospitals and the clinics. While it is very affordable, it is not very accessible. 
    31.     Then there are other countries who focus a lot on insurance. Insurance has much less of a problem of excess demand, because when you fall sick, you have to file a claim, and there is a certain discipline in the application process around it. It is accessible, but, if you do not have insurance, it is not affordable. So all countries, in the end, realise you have to have both subsidy and insurance. 
    32.     That is what we have done. S+2M has worked well for us and we will continue to improve our system. 

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Minister Rishworth interview on the Newschat on the Today Show

    Source: Ministers for Social Services

    Program:

    Today Show

    Interviewer:

    Sarah Abo

    E&OE TRANSCRIPT

    Topics: Cost of living; Prime Minister’s property; Housing; Rent to Build Scheme; Help to Buy Bill; Debit card surcharges, ABBA concert.

    SARAH ABO, HOST: Welcome back. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is defending his decision to purchase a $4.3 million beach house in Copacabana on the NSW Central Coast. Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth and Nine News and 3AW presenter Heidi Murphy in Melbourne. All right, ladies [Copacabana by Barry Manilow plays]. Sing it. Come on, Amanda. It’s nice for some, isn’t it?

    SARAH ABO: Are you gonna be invited over or what, Amanda?

    HEIDI MURPHY, JOURNALIST: Can’t wait for that first party. Yeah Amanda, can we all come?

    AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: It’s bringing back a lot of memories from, you know, some bad wedding that I went to.

    SARAH ABO: We’ve all heard it at a bad wedding, haven’t we? All right, but seriously, Amanda, is this purchase completely okay or is it completely tone deaf?

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, first, I’d say it’s entirely a matter for the Prime Minister and his fiancé. He wouldn’t be the first politician, or indeed person, in Australia to buy and sell property. But, you know, when we look at the issue of concern around getting access to housing, it is a big issue and that’s why our Government has made a real focus on it. That’s why we have legislation in the Senate at the moment talking about a shared equity scheme so more people can buy property and that’s being blocked by the Liberals and Nationals and the Greens. So, we have a very big housing agenda, more social, more affordable housing.

    HEIDI MURPHY: Amanda, Amanda, you’ve undermined it. But you’ve undermined it entirely.

    SARAH ABO: It’s a total stalemate. And especially now. I mean, some people in your own ranks are calling this Albo’s Hawaii moment.

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I would say again, plenty of, whether they’re politicians or ordinary people, buy and sell property in Australia. I’m not sure that the Australian people want us talking about politicians and their private properties. They want us to be getting on and doing the job.

    SARAH ABO: Exactly, but you are, this is the point. We are talking about it Amanda because of this decision that he has made.

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, we want to get on and do the job…

    HEIDI MURPHY: [Interrupts] But we can’t pretend the PM is just any other, any other Australian. He is about to wage a campaign in an election on housing affordability and cost of living. He is not just any ordinary Australian. A $4.3 million house purchase stinks.

    SARAH ABO: And that’s the thing, isn’t it, Heidi? I mean, you know, you talk about that cost of living crisis. The Government can’t get that housing bill that Amanda’s talking about through the parliament for whatever reason, it’s not getting through. There are 1.2 million homes that are apparently going to be built by 2029, but we need some 80,000 extra tradies here to actually build them. And yet, amidst all of that, the Prime Minister is splashing out. The leader of this nation.

    HEIDI MURPHY: I mean, good luck to him. I hope he enjoys the home, but he cannot stand in front of an open microphone in front of a voter and say, I understand the cost of living crisis. I understand how housing affordability is affecting you. You’ve undermined any message to the outer suburbs and to people trying to get into the housing market, I reckon.

    SARAH ABO: Do you see that point, Amanda?

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, no, I don’t accept that point. I think you have to judge us by the actions that we’ve taken in public policy, and that is doing the largest rent assistance increase in the last 30 years, $32 billion to build more social and affordable homes. Our Rent to Build Scheme, which is about building long term rental accommodation, our Shared Equity Scheme, I mean, we, through our actions, through our policy, whether it’s what we did with tax cuts, whether it’s what we did when it came to energy bill relief, our actions are demonstrating we understand cost of living, at the same time delivering budget surpluses that are putting downward pressure on inflation, so we’ve got to look out our policy.

    HEIDI MURPHY: But the PM’s actions, his personal actions, are saying something else, aren’t they?

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Like I said, he’s not the first person in Australia to buy and sell property.

    SARAH ABO: I know, but Amanda, I think, look, I think we can all agree that the rules are different for a sitting Prime Minister, especially when it comes to a housing crisis that works experiencing this country. Let’s move on. Small businesses are pushing back on the Government’s plan to ban debit card surcharges. Concerned they’ll be the ones to absorb the extra costs. Amanda, businesses say it’ll end up costing them and their customers more. Is this a bit short sighted by the Government?

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: What we’re saying, firstly, is our immediate action is to get the ACCC to have a crackdown on surcharges. But I think many ordinary Australians would be really frustrated at the fact that when they use their own money, including a debit card, they get charged a surcharge and there’s no way out of it. And that is really unfair for many people, there’s circumstances where you have to pay with your debit card and you can’t pay any other way and you get hit with those surcharges. So, this is about looking at this in terms of competition, about what are the profits being made here by the banks, by the card owners, and making sure that it’s a fair for consumers?

    SARAH ABO: All right, let’s hope it doesn’t get passed on to consumers. Just finally, Melbourne Lord Mayor hopeful Aaron Wood has pledged $10 million to help bring ABBA’s spectacular 3D virtual concert to Docklands. Heid, do you reckon it’ll work and Amanda, will the Federal Government show them the money, money, money they need?

    HEIDI MURPHY: We so want this show in Melbourne. We’ve been trying for it for a while. I think we’re competing with Sydney, maybe a few other cities. I can’t quite remember where it’s gotten to, but any money we can put towards it. It’s by all accounts a phenomenal show.

    SARAH ABO: Amanda, will the Federal Government help out here? Make it happen?

    HEIDI MURPHY: Come on, come on.

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: I can’t make any commitments on this, but what I would say is I think this would be a real coup for the country to have a show like this.

    HEIDI MURPHY: Especially for Melbourne.

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: Well, I’d like it in Adelaide personally, but not sure we quite get over the line for that.

    HEIDI MURPHY: We’ll share the love.

    AMANDA RISHWORTH: A lot of people love ABBA.

    SARAH ABO: Absolutely they do. Thank you both so much for joining me today, appreciate it.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Ruiz Celebrate Groundbreaking of Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Expansion

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Ruiz Celebrate Groundbreaking of Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat Project Expansion

    WATCH: Padilla highlights Inflation Reduction Act funding for Salton Sea habitat conservationSALTON SEA, CA — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife, and Congressman Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Calif.-25) joined federal and state leaders to announce the expansion of a restoration project at the south end of the Salton Sea through the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP). The event celebrated the groundbreaking of the expansion of the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded California $70 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for the project last December.
    The investment is a portion of the $250 million that Padilla, Ruiz, the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, and Representative Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52) secured for the SSMP from funds included in the Inflation Reduction Act for drought resiliency. The federal funding commitments were made in the 2022 Commitment to Support Salton Sea Management Related to Water Conservation in the Lower Colorado River Basin Agreement.
    The expansion of the SCH Project represents a multiagency collaboration to address the ecological challenges facing the Salton Sea. The commitments made by the federal and state governments, as well as from regional agencies, will add 750 acres to the project’s footprint. This unprecedented support helps set the current project footprint at nearly 5,000 acres with the potential to expand to around 8,000 acres.
    “As the Salton Sea lakebed recedes, toxic dust is contaminating air quality and threatening the stability of the local ecosystem,” said Senator Padilla. “The $250 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding we secured for the Salton Sea Management Program is essential not only to protect public health in surrounding communities, but to restore the habitat of the abundant aquatic and avian wildlife in the region. Today’s exciting groundbreaking of the Species Conservation Habitat Project expansion will expand critical wetland habitat and improve air quality around the hazardous exposed lakebed.”
    “For years, my constituents have shared their concerns about the harmful impacts of the Salton Sea. As a physician in Congress, I have been committed to addressing this ongoing public health and environmental crisis,” said Congressman Ruiz, M.D. “Thanks to our partnership with the Biden-Harris administration and the $4 billion secured through the Inflation Reduction Act to stabilize the Colorado River Basin, we are bringing vital resources to our communities that will protect the health, environment, and economy of our region.”
    “Our largest project at the Salton Sea to suppress dust and restore habitat is getting bigger,” said Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for the California Natural Resources Agency. “The Biden-Harris Administration and our Congressional delegation delivered major funding to get this done, and it’s another step forward at the Sea. I’m proud of our partnerships and progress, while we all know much more work lies ahead.”
    “It was less than two years ago that we signed a memorandum of understanding for the Salton Sea, and here we are today breaking ground on phase two of the Species Conservation Habitat Project, on the heels of signing the largest water conservation agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton. “We’re grateful to our partners in the State of California, the Imperial Irrigation District Board, and farmers and growers in the Imperial and Coachella Valley for leading the way for the Sea and the Colorado River Basin.” 
    “California’s commitment to protecting the Colorado River by conserving 1.6 million acre-feet under the Lower Basin Plan would not have been possible without the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and Commissioner Touton,” said JB Hamby, Chairman for the Colorado River Board of California. “Their historic $250 million investment in California’s Species Conservation Habitat — the largest ever for Salton Sea restoration — marks a turning point. Together, these efforts protect both the Colorado River and the Salton Sea.”
    Located at the south end of the Salton Sea, near the community of Westmorland, the project aims to restore ecological value at the Salton Sea and help protect regional air quality by
    Creating a network of ponds and wetlands;
    Providing a habitat for fish and birds that visit the Salton Sea; and
    Suppressing dust within the project area.
    In August, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Imperial Irrigation District agreed to conserve nearly 230 billion gallons of water by 2026, facilitate land access for project implementation, and provide an additional $175 million in federal funding to accelerate California’s Salton Sea restoration efforts.
    Comprised of the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Department of Water Resources, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the SSMP is implementing a 10-year plan to improve the conditions around the Salton Sea by constructing 29,800 acres of habitat and dust suppression projects while establishing a long-term pathway for the Salton Sea’s success.
    Senator Padilla worked to include $4 billion for drought resiliency and inland waterways, including for projects to address historic drought impacting the Colorado River Basin and Salton Sea, in the Inflation Reduction Act. The $250 million in federal funding Padilla secured for the SSMP allows the Department of the Interior to contribute to vital restoration projects at the Salton Sea, including to expedite existing projects that the State of California and California water users are contributing to, like the SCH Project. Last Congress, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Padilla and Senator Feinstein’s Salton Sea Projects Improvements Act to give the Interior Department additional authorities to invest in Salton Sea ecological improvement projects and address the public health and environmental crises at the Salton Sea. Padilla also applauded the Department of the Interior last year for awarding approximately $367 million to California partners to protect the Colorado River Basin, including to restore the Salton Sea.
    Additional photos from the event are available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Grassley Demands VP Harris Own Up for Failures as Border Czar

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote Vice President Kamala Harris asking questions about the policy decisions she has made in her role overseeing border issues for the Biden administration, as well as the dangerous consequences and crimes that have ensued as a result.

    “Every community is a border community because the Biden-Harris administration has refused to enforce our immigration laws,” Grassley today said of his letter. “The federal government’s number one job is to keep its citizens safe. By reversing the effective border security policies of the Trump administration, the Biden-Harris administration has done the very opposite of protecting American citizens.”

    Grassley on a radio call this morning cited the following actions, among others, the Biden-Harris administration has taken that have weakened U.S. national security and made innocent Americans targets of otherwise preventable crimes: 

    • Ordering the Defense Department to stop building the southern border wall;
    • Blocking $2 billion previously allocated for barrier construction; and
    • Ending the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program.

    Click HERE for audio of Grassley discussing his letter to Vice President Harris. The full letter is available HERE and below. 

    Vice President Kamala D. Harris

    The White House

    Office of the Vice President

    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

    Washington, D.C. 20500

    Dear Vice President Harris:

    In one of your first official public appearances, you joined President Biden in the Oval Office when he opined on the Trump administration’s immigration and border policies. President Biden dismissed the previous administration’s policies as “counterproductive to our security,” “harmful,” and a “moral and national shame.” 

    Since your first day in office, you and President Biden have worked to dismantle the Trump-era border policies and halted further construction of the border wall. The presidential proclamation terminating construction read, in part: “It shall be the policy of my Administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall.” This initiated a so-called “careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to construct a southern border wall.” By April 2021, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced the cancellation of border barrier projects. In June of the same year, the Biden-Harris administration returned $2 billion to the DOD previously allocated for the purpose of border wall construction. Your administration also initiated a review of the Remain in Mexico policy, which Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas subsequently ended in June 2021.

    Meanwhile, every fiscal year throughout your engagements, crossings from Mexico and the

    Northern Triangle markedly exceeded any year of the Trump administration. Despite the stark increase from those nations and many others, deportations and returns overall have decreased as a share of crossings. 

    Now, you are engaging in a numbers racket, telling Americans modest decreases in encounters from soaring, record highs is somehow proof that what your administration has been doing all along is working. It is not. 

    President Biden’s executive order—more than three years after your administration’s reckless reversal of key policies—is an implicit admission that he and you bear ultimate responsibility for this crisis and this disastrous approach. As a result of these slow-walked changes, our national security has been undermined and the safety of our communities has been threatened all across the country. 

    Due to the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to achieve adequate border security, illegal immigrants, including those entering from Mexico and the Northern Triangle, have been able to perpetrate heinous acts against innocent American citizens. For example:

    • On May 14, 2024, an 18-year-old Honduran national, who purportedly entered the United States illegally in April 2022, pled guilty to sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl in Waterloo, Iowa.
    • On April 2, 2024, a Honduran national, who was previously convicted of sexual assaulting a woman in Connecticut and deported, was charged for failing to register as a sex offender. He was reportedly able to re-enter the United States undetected by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and subsequently was arrested twice before being charged.
    • On February 25, 2024, a 19-year-old Honduran national was arrested for the alleged rape and aggravated assault of a 14-year-old girl at knifepoint in Louisiana. He entered the United States illegally in October 2023.
    • On May 4, 2024, a Guatemalan national was arrested for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in a van in Palm Beach County, Florida. He reportedly entered the United States illegally in January 2024, was given an immigration hearing date in 2027, and was released by DHS.
    • On June 26, 2024, a Guatemalan national was charged with alleged sexually battery of a 14-year-old girl in Okaloosa County, Florida. He was deported on February 9, 2024, before this incident, but was able to re-enter the United States untraced days later.
    • On May 8, 2024, an El Salvadoran migrant was arrested for allegedly murdering a woman and the malicious assault of two homeless individuals with a baseball bat in West Virginia. He had an extensive criminal history and was in prison in El Salvador for over twenty years for “DUI [driving under the influence], sexual assault/murder, aggravated robbery, and narcotics related crimes.” Law enforcement believes he illegally entered the United States shortly after his release from prison.

    This is just a snapshot from this year alone of the sorts of preventable tragedies, which have become all too common across the United States.

    The Biden-Harris administration’s policies—pulling resources, reversing Remain in Mexico, and stopping wall construction—are largely to blame for our open and unsafe border over the last three-and-a-half years. Because of your actions and inactions, every state is now a border state and every community is a border community.

    Given your role as the leader of engagement with this region, which the media has colloquially dubbed as “Border Czar” or “Root Causes Czar,” I ask that you provide answers to the following immigration and border policy questions by October 24, 2024.

    1. Have you engaged with your international counterparts regarding violence perpetrated against innocent Americans by citizens of their countries? Have you raised this concern with any counterpart(s)? If so, what concerns were raised and when? What was their response?
    2. In light of the Biden-Harris administration’s ending of Remain in Mexico in 2021, what data can you provide suggesting migration from Mexico has been “stemmed” as you were tasked with accomplishing prior to 2024?
    3. In February 2024, the Biden-Harris administration endorsed a proposal that, among other provisions, included a requirement that a few hundred million dollars in unspent funds be used specifically for border wall construction. As noted above, the Biden-Harris administration previously returned $2 billion allocated for the purpose of building a border wall. Did the Biden-Harris administration ever consider reversing course regarding this funding? If not, why not? If so, why has no discernable action been taken to that end?
    4. The Biden-Harris administration has auctioned off some $300 million worth of unused border wall materials for mere pennies on the dollar. Why did the Biden-Harris administration endorse a proposal asking Congress to require them to use hundreds of millions of unspent dollars for border wall construction after deciding to sit on hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unused supplies instead of building the wall?

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Major crackdown on NHS waste

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    A new strategy is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service.

    • Move to scrap single-use MedTech as Health and Social Care Secretary launches waste blitz
    • Tens of millions of disposable items are binned after just one use
    • MedTech companies incentivised to produce sustainable products – pumping millions back to NHS frontline and cash into economy

    The government is launching a major crackdown on waste in the NHS to save millions of pounds a year, helping to divert more resources to frontline care.

    A new strategy – the Design for Life Roadmap – is being published to radically cut the number of single-use medical devices in the health service and reduce our reliance on foreign imports.

    Disposable medical devices substantially contribute to the 156,000 tonnes of clinical waste that the NHS produces every year in England alone. The roadmap paves the way to slashing this waste and maximising reuse, remanufacture and recycling in the NHS. 

    Doing so will create thousands more UK jobs and help transform the country into a life sciences superpower. As it stands, millions of devices like walking aids and surgical instruments are thrown away after just one use.

    Harmonic shears – surgical devices which seal patients’ wounds using ultrasound waves – each cost more than £500 and around 90% of them are binned after a single use. Innovative companies are already purchasing these used devices and safely remanufacturing them at a lower price.

    The government will encourage more of this kind of innovation to safely remanufacture a wider range of products and drive costs down, including by changing procurement rules to incentivise reusable products and rolling out examples where hospitals are already leading the way on cutting wasteful spending and practices.

    Approximately £10 billion each year is spent on medical technology like this in the NHS, but too much of it is imported via vulnerable routes that risk disrupting patient care.  

    A Circular Economy Taskforce has already been created to foster more highly skilled green jobs and smarter use of our resources. An economy wide shift to a circular economy could add £75 billion to the economy and create 500,000 jobs by 2030.

    Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

    The NHS is broken. It is the mission of this government to get it back on its feet, and we can’t afford a single penny going to waste.

    Because the NHS deals in the billions, too often it doesn’t think about the millions. That has to change. This government inherited a £22 billion blackhole in the public finances, so we will have a laser-like focus on getting better value for taxpayers’ money.

    Every year, millions of expensive medical devices are chucked in the bin after being used just once. We are going to work closely with our medical technology industry, to eliminate waste and support homegrown medtech and equipment.

    The below case studies illustrate the potential savings:

    • Mid Yorkshire Trust uses 330,000 single use tourniquets in a year, but a single reusable tourniquet can be used 10,000 times. In a one-year trial, reusable alternatives saved £20,000 in procurement costs and 0.75 metric tonnes of plastic waste.
    • In Northampton Hospitals NHS Trust, a single Ophthalmology department saved 1,000 pairs of disposable scissors and £12,000 in a year by switching to reusable pairs. Single-use scissors are often used in surgical settings. NHS procurement data shows that several million pairs of single-use scissors were purchased by the NHS in a single year (2022-23). That is the equivalent of hundreds of pairs of scissors thrown away every hour.
    • Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust saved £76,610 in costs purchasing 604 remanufactured Electrophysiology (EP) Catheters, and generated a further £22,923 for selling used devices for collection. If the same approach were to be scaled up across the UK, the NHS could save millions of pounds per year on EP catheters alone, just a few product lines among hundreds of thousands.
    • Harmonic shears are complex devices for performing surgical procedures and cost more than £500 each, yet around 90% are binned after a single use. Leeds University Teaching Hospitals Trust has demonstrated that companies can safely remanufacture them, giving up to 50% cost savings.

    The Design for Life programme will reduce this kind of waste and achieve an NHS-wide move to sustainable alternatives– also supporting the government’s net zero goals.

    A new roadmap sets out 30 actions to achieve this shift – including how the government will work with companies to encourage the production of more sustainable products, along with training for NHS staff on how to use them.

    Taking this approach will mean more money can be spent in the UK, driving growth, creating more engineering, life sciences and research jobs – all while securing savings for the NHS budget.

    Many of these products include precious metals such as platinum and titanium which are in high demand but go to landfill when they could be recovered and sold. A reduction in the amount of disposed single-use devices will also reduce the country’s carbon footprint and plastic pollution.

    The government will encourage industry figures to innovate by making sure benefits of reusable MedTech are part of how the NHS chooses the products it buys.

    Baroness Merron visited University College London Hospital on Tuesday, 15 October. The hospital is a member of the Circular Economy Healthcare Alliance, which advocates for sustainable practices within the NHS.

    Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron said:

    Design for Life doesn’t just deliver on the Health Mission, to build an NHS fit for the future, it also delivers on our Growth Mission to make the UK a life science superpower and our commitment to get the NHS to net zero by 2045.

    She toured a mock operating theatre and was shown various sustainable products its NHS staff use – from simple products like gowns and scissors to sophisticated, expensive products like harmonic shears.

    Professor Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director of NHS England, said:

    While the NHS is treating record numbers of patients, we know there is much more to do to ensure taxpayers get value for money.

    The NHS made a record £7.25bn worth of efficiency savings last year and is targeting a further £9bn of savings for 2024/25. But we are rightly still looking for ways to get our money’s worth for every penny we spend.

    NOTES TO EDITORS:

    • The Design for Life programme was developed with more than 80 stakeholders from the UK MedTech industry, the health and care system, and research organisations.
    • It forms part of the government’s ambition to transform the UK into a life sciences superpower and ensure sustainability.

    Updates to this page

    Published 16 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Joint doorstop interview, Brisbane

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    JIM CHALMERS:

    Welcome to the most important electorate in Australia, the People’s Republic of Rankin. Welcome to the PM, Clare, Meaghan, this is our home patch. Cameron Dick and I and Shannon Fentiman, we’re really proud to represent this part of South East Queensland. We’ve got really 2 fantastic announcements to be making today.

    The first one which Clare will elaborate on is that we are announcing more money for this part of the world for more housing. More housing for Meadowbrook, more housing for South East Queensland, more housing for middle Australia, and most importantly, more housing for essential workers and social housing tenants near where the jobs and essential services are being provided. The wonderful thing about this part of South East Queensland – we’ve got a university there, a hospital and a TAFE there, a retail centre there, 2 motorways, a train station – and this is all about making sure that we build more homes for Australians where the jobs and essential services are. And so it’s a really important day to be making this announcement. This kind of funding is at risk with the worst combination of David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton and we make that clear as well today.

    More homes for our local community. Our highest priorities are housing and the cost of living and the Albanese Labor government, the Miles Labor government, we work together really closely to do whatever we can to build more homes and to ease the cost of living for more people. And a really important part of what we’re announcing today are our efforts to crack down on excessive charges when it comes to using credit cards and debit cards and tapping your phone. Too many Australians are paying too much when they tap their phone or use their credit cards. Too many Australians are paying too much when it comes to excessive fees on debit cards, in particular. We are cracking down on excessive fees for debit cards and we are funding the ACCC to do their important work in this regard as well. We are prepared to ban surcharges on debit cards subject to the important work that the RBA is doing, and also making sure that there aren’t unintended consequences for small businesses and for consumers. This is all about a better deal for consumers and small businesses. People are paying surcharges which are too high just to use their own money, and we want to see what we can do to crack down on that. We are prepared to ban the surcharges on debit cards subject to making sure that consumers and small businesses are the beneficiaries of any change. This is a really complex system. There are a number of fees at play in this system. It’s why the RBA’s work is so important, and it’s why it’s so important that this Albanese Labor government is taking action to crack down on excessive fees. While this work is being undertaken, we will provide $2.1 million to the ACCC for their education and monitoring and to make sure that businesses are doing the right thing when it comes to the charging of these fees and surcharges. We are making it really clear today. This Albanese Labor government is about easing the cost of living and building more homes. Whether it’s excessive surcharges using debit cards, whether it’s building more homes in communities, just like the Miles government, we are focused on the main game for middle Australia and that’s why we’re here today. I’ll throw you over to the Deputy Premier and Treasurer of Queensland, Cameron Dick.

    CAMERON DICK:

    Well, thanks, Jim. It is terrific to have the Prime Minister, Jim, Clare and Meaghan in Logan here today to announce more homes for Queenslanders. And this is what happens when you have a State Labor government and a Federal Labor government working together to deliver for the people of Queensland. This isn’t something you get from the Greens and it is certainly something you would never get from the LNP. It’s also great to have 2 Queensland based institutions, the Australian Retirement Fund and the Brisbane Housing Company, collaborating together to deliver on this project. We’ve already got homes through that collaboration coming out of the ground in Redcliffe, Chermside and Southport and now we will see more homes right here in Logan for hardworking Queenslanders. And so we very much welcome this announcement today and we thank the Prime Minister and his federal team for supporting Queensland.

    I just wanted to say something briefly before I hand over to the Prime Minister on David Crisafulli and the LNP’s election commitments, their costings and of course, their plan for cuts. Yesterday, David Crisafulli said he wouldn’t borrow for the operational costs of government. That would mean David would have to cut $3 billion as soon as he took office in October. It means David Crisafulli would have to cut $10 million a day, each and every day until the 30th of June next year to deliver on his promise. That means there are 17,000 Queenslanders whose jobs are now on the line under David Crisafulli and the LNP. And that is before he even finds one cent to pay for the $18 billion in election commitments that are unfunded and that he has already announced in this campaign. David Crisafulli won’t even tell Queenslanders the total of the election commitments he’s made in this campaign so far. That’s because he would have to tell Queenslanders what he would have to cut to deliver on those promises.

    I’ll hand over to the Prime Minister and thank him again for coming to Queensland and making this important announcement for the people of our state.

    ANTHONY ALBANESE:

    Well, thanks very much, Treasurer. And it’s great to be here with 2 treasurers and 2 housing ministers and I think 3 local members here in Logan. It’s fantastic to be, particularly to be in my friend, the Treasurer’s electorate of Rankin, and to show what happens when good Labor governments work together. This is about 1,100 new homes for Queenslanders – 1,100 new homes that will be built, including right here on this site, but throughout South East Queensland as well. It comes on top of, just a couple of weeks ago, the announcement we made in Cairns with about 500 new affordable and social homes being built there. This is about increasing housing supply, which is what our commitment is to do.

    It’s also about easing the cost of living and the measures that the Treasurer spoke about before in outlawing debit card surcharges, having a real crack at making sure that people, when they use their own money, there shouldn’t be surcharges on them using their money. And that’s why we are providing additional funds – $2.1 million for the ACCC – but also the Reserve Bank doing their inquiry to make sure that the details of this are got right, that small businesses looked after on the way through. This is my government’s priority, looking after the cost of living whilst also delivering on housing supply in partnership with state and territory governments. And it stands in stark contrast to our opponents. Be it David Crisafulli, who doesn’t seem to have too many policies I’ve got to say, at the Queensland election, and certainly no costed ones, and the Federal Opposition that today Michael Sukkar was out there once again just being opposed to our investment in new housing. They said they’ll get rid of the Housing Australia Future Fund. They’ve said they’re against the targets that we’ve set in partnership with state and territory governments, with those financial incentives for better planning for state and territory governments to make sure that we increase the supply. This project here as well is about our support for infrastructure in order so that homes can be built. It’s one of the missing pieces in the puzzle of housing supply that we are addressing. Making sure that energy, sewerage, water can all be connected so that new homes can be built. Something that we are providing that was never provided under the former government that didn’t for a while even bother to have a Housing Minister. I’ll turn to Clare and then we’re happy to take questions.

    CLARE O’NEIL:

    Thank you, PM and Treasurer, can I thank you for welcoming us to your beautiful electorate. We all know a bit about Jim Chalmers and one way to get the guy talking is to ask him about his community here in Rankin and you won’t hear the end of it. He is a huge advocate for this local area, he’s very proud of where he comes from, and it’s fantastic to be here. This is a really big and important announcement for South East Queensland where the Albanese government and the Miles Labor government here are announcing 1,100 new homes for Queenslanders. Five hundred will be constructed on this site here in Meadowbrook and 600 others will be scattered around some of the nearby suburbs. This is a reflection of what gets done when state and federal governments identify something that matters hugely to our constituents and that’s housing, and then works together to make a difference to that problem. We are, without question, one of the boldest and most ambitious Commonwealth governments on housing that we have seen for a generation in this country. We came from a standing start. The Prime Minister here mentioned that for most of the time the Coalition were in power, they didn’t even have a Housing Minister. Didn’t even have a Housing Minister. That’s how tapped out they were on this critical problem. Well, we have changed all that. Our country, led as it is by a Prime Minister whose access to housing in his childhood totally transformed the rest of his life. So, what are we doing? We’re building more homes. An ambitious target to build 1.2 million homes around the country over the coming 5 years. We’re helping renters through the work we’re doing with National Cabinet and lifts to the Commonwealth Rent Assistance payment. And we’re making sure that more Australians can own their own homes. We’ve helped 120,000 citizens get into home ownership in the time we’ve been in government. And we would be able to do more if other parties in the Parliament would come together and work with us. Now, we’ve got boldness and we’ve got ambition. But what do I see when I look at other parties in the Parliament? Well, I see the Greens who say some of the right things about housing. But when it comes time to make real progress for real people, instead of helping childcare workers and aged care workers get into housing, they instead try to play politics and stand in their path. And then I see the Liberals who have not a shred of credibility when it comes to housing. We heard this morning the Shadow Housing Minister, Michael Sukkar, make extraordinary admissions in a radio interview where, firstly, he said that the government is being too ambitious about housing. He says that if the Liberals are elected federally, they will scrap having a housing target altogether. Well, it’s that kind of low ambition that got us to where we are right now. And that is in a housing crisis where this is affecting the lives of millions of people in our country and the Liberals want us to lower our ambitions. The second thing he told us is that they want to make more cuts to states and territories in the funding that we’re giving them to make housing possible. Well, this is where we are right here. 1,100 new homes that’s made through that partnership that we’ve worked through with National Cabinet and we know with the Liberals we’ll get what we always get. That is cuts, cuts, cuts that hurt real people.

    ALBANESE:

    Happy to take questions.

    JOURNALIST:

    PM, on the banking surcharge, it’s been welcomed by some, but others are saying that a few cents here and there might not save people that much in a cost living crisis. I guess, how do you expect it to assist people if they’re only saving small amounts on these surcharges?

    ALBANESE:

    We think it’ll make a difference. And when people go and they see a price up on the board at the business where they’re making a purchase – that should be the purchase price. There shouldn’t be hidden charges and surcharges there when people are using their own money. Bear this in mind – a debit card is taking money directly from people’s accounts. It is their money and there shouldn’t be surcharges on it.

    JOURNALIST:

    Prime Minister, this is a housing announcement, do you think it’s a good look to be buying a $4.2 million home during a cost‑of‑living crisis?

    ALBANESE:

    Well, Jodie and I are getting married, as is known, and I’m pleased about that. And Jodie’s a Coastie. She’s a proud Coastie. She’s as proud of being a Coastie as Jim is here, of being a Logan lifelong resident. There are 3 generations of Haydons on the coast there. And when your relationship changes, your life changes and you make decisions. But what I’m focused on is making sure that everyone can get a roof over their head. I’m focused on increased public housing and social housing investment. That’s why we have our Housing Australia Future Fund. We’re focused on increased rentals, which is why we have our Build to Rent scheme. And we’re focused, in addition to that, in getting more housing supply, such as the 1,100 homes for Queenslanders that we’re announcing right here.

    JOURNALIST:

    PM, buying a $4 million dollar home is very different to buying a modest family home or living on a block like this. Do you think it’s a good look?

    ALBANESE:

    I have – of course, I am much better off as Prime Minister. I earn a good income. I understand that. I understand that I’ve been fortunate, but I also know what it’s like to struggle. My mum lived in the one public housing that she was born in for all of her 65 years. And I know what it’s like, which is why I want to help all Australians into a home, whether it be public homes or private rentals or home ownership.

    JOURNALIST:

    PM, it’s been reported that Australia is seeking an assurance from PNG it won’t sign new security agreements with China in return for the $600 million assistance package for its NRL bid. Can you confirm if there is a security element in this agreement and what exactly it says?

    ALBANESE:

    This is a relationship between friends and what we don’t do is have our security arrangements out there in public. What we do is to work with our friends and partners. Papua New Guinea has made it very clear that Australia is their security partner of choice.

    JOURNALIST:

    PM, do you plan to retire at that house on the New South Wales Central Coast?

    ALBANESE:

    Sorry?

    JOURNALIST:

    Are you planning to retire there?

    ALBANESE:

    I’m planning to be in my current job for a very long period of time.

    JOURNALIST:

    Are you going to rent it out in the meantime?

    ALBANESE:

    I’m planning to be in my current – I haven’t bought it yet. To be clear, it hasn’t settled yet, these arrangements, I’m very transparent. I declare everything. I’ve declared, some time ago, if you followed the story that I was selling a house in the Inner West that will make a contribution towards this.

    JOURNALIST:

    There’s been a lot of commentary around the hope from Federal Labor that some of the frustration may be taken out on October 26 and then maybe go easy at the federal election. What do you make of this and are you concerned about support for Labor in Queensland?

    ALBANESE:

    I want people to vote Labor in Queensland and to return Steven Miles as the Premier and this bloke here as the Deputy Premier, because I want a government that actually cares about Queenslanders. It’s a government that’s committed to increasing housing supply, that’s committed to dealing with cost‑of‑living pressures, including the 50 cent fares. I had the privilege of going on Gold Coast Light Rail yesterday. It’s committed to the free school lunches to make sure that people are looked after. This is a government that is getting things done and is worthy of re‑election and I’m very pleased to campaign with them.

    JOURNALIST:

    PM, Canada has expelled 6 Indian diplomats, accusing them of being part of a criminal network targeting the Sikh diaspora. Have you spoken, or do you plan to speak with Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau about this?

    ALBANESE:

    I speak with the Prime Minister of Canada all the time.

    JOURNALIST:

    Does Australia –

    ALBANESE:

    I speak with the Prime Minister of Canada all the time. And what I do in my relationships with international leaders is I have proper discussions with them and that’s how we get things done. And that’s why – one of the reasons why my government has been so effective in international diplomacy.

    JOURNALIST:

    On the Bruce Highway, why won’t you match Peter Dutton’s commitment for an 80/20 split.

    ALBANESE:

    He hasn’t done anything. His commitment? He was part of a government that didn’t fund things, that was good at media releases. I’ll give you the big clue. You can’t drive on a media release. What you can drive on is a road. And to build a road, you need money. So, Rockhampton Ring Road, for example, was $700 million short in terms of its funding. The former government made announcements with $0 attached to it, from time to time. When we came into government last time, we put record funding into the Bruce Highway. $1.3 billion under the Howard government, $7.6 billion under us, and we have $10 billion in our plan for the Bruce Highway, including additional money that we put in in the last Budget.

    JOURNALIST:

    So, those accusations are credible that we were talking about just before?

    ALBANESE:

    I’ve answered your question.

    JOURNALIST:

    Queensland has – you took a 50 cent fare yesterday. Obviously it’s a fair bit more expensive in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, to take a light rail, in Canberra. Should it not be? I mean, it’s increased our patronage in Queensland and would not do the same thing elsewhere?

    ALBANESE:

    Well, it’s a matter for state and territory governments. But I say this, that the Queensland government – and Cameron or Meaghan might want to comment on this as well – it’s been a huge success. Increasing patronage gets cars off the road, saves people money and also it’s good for people’s health. It’s good for a range of reasons to increase public transport patronage and from a Commonwealth government perspective, I make this point, when it comes to infrastructure. Gold Coast Light Rail, $365 million in the 2009 budget from the government when I was the Infrastructure Minister and now stage 3 underway, will be completed next year. It was opposed by the LNP – state and federal. You had federal LNP members like Steve Ciobo collecting petitions against Gold Coast Light Rail. Cross River Rail, major project to increase the whole capacity of the network was funded $715 million from the Commonwealth with an availability payment going forward each year in partnership with what was the Queensland LNP government then, originally started under the Labor government. Tony Abbott got elected, the whole thing crashed, and then they came up with this ridiculous plan that didn’t go anywhere. Cross River Rail would be open today if Labor governments had kept being elected. That’s why we believe in this. That’s why we’re funding Sunshine Coast Rail as well.

    JOURNALIST:

    Question for Mr Dick, please.

    ALBANESE:

    Sure.

    JOURNALIST:

    Credit rating agency S&P Global has warned Queensland’s AA+ credit rating is in danger of being downgraded due to your spending. How concerning is that?

    DICK:

    Well, S&P Global and Moody’s went through the Queensland Budget books top to bottom, left to right, up and down after our Budget, and they reaffirmed our AA+ credit rating. And when you look at our competitor states, our comparative states in New South Wales and Victoria, we are streets ahead of them when it comes to budget management and fiscal management in this state. Just a week ago, I announced the unaudited financial results for Queensland. Our net debt for last financial year has been halved from $12 billion to just under $6 billion. Our surplus went up from $600 million to $1.7 billion. And let’s put that in comparison to New South Wales and Victoria. So, our net debt at the end of last financial year was $5.7 billion. In New South Wales , it was $97 billion. In Victoria it was $136 billion. So, that means New South Wales debt is 16 times higher than Queensland and Victoria’s debt is 22 times higher. And so we are in a really strong position to make commitments and deliver on them because our commitments are fully funded. And the question for David Crisafulli and David Janetzki, who did 2 train wreck interviews today, the Shadow Treasurer who’s been in an LNP witness protection program, has not been seen with the Leader on the campaign trail for 2 weeks. And that is disrespectful to train wrecks because a train needs momentum and forward movement before it can run off the rails. We haven’t seen or heard from that bloke. And when he came out today, he didn’t say to Queenslanders – he couldn’t even tell Queenslanders what the total cost of their commitments would be, nor how they would pay for them. Now, their election commitments in this campaign are twice as high as ours. The LNP election commitments in this campaign now total $18 billion, twice as high as Labor. We’ve been upfront about how we’re paying for that. The only way that David Crisafulli can deliver on his promise of not borrowing for operational costs of government, by spending more, reducing taxation, lowering debt, delivering balanced budgets, not having a fiscal deficit, having a fiscal surplus. He has promised all of those things in this campaign. The only way he can deliver that is by cutting and that is what he is going to do. And that should put a shiver down the spine of every Queenslander, because the last LNP leader who offered to the community that he would look after the money of the people of Queensland, the last LNP leader who said that he would deliver a fiscal surplus was Campbell Newman. And 14,000 Queenslanders paid for that promise with their jobs. They built nothing for 3 years. So, they cut operating expenditure and they cut infrastructure expenditure. And the hide of David Crisafulli to say to Queenslanders that he respects money. The hide of David Crisafulli. David Crisafulli doesn’t respect public or private money. This is a man who was responsible for a training company that collapsed under $3 million of debt and owed the Australian Taxation Office $750,000. That’s not a man who respects money. That’s a man who disregards every single creditor of that company, including creditors that came from this community. And so we are fighting hard for the future of Queensland. Fully costed, fully funded plans, our promises will be delivered within the budget envelope and the funding envelope we’ve set aside. You cannot say the same for David Crisafulli.

    JOURNALIST:

    He wouldn’t have said what they’d said if they didn’t have concerns, though, surely?

    DICK:

    Well, let’s see what happens when I do – if I have that privilege – when I do the Budget update in December and when I do the Budget next year. Because there are 2 aspects to budgets, one’s expenditure and one’s revenue. And so you have to look at the budget position in total before we go to the ratings agencies and before they look at us. And so we’ll continue to deliver as we’ve delivered for every budget, except my first one, we’ve beaten our debt projections in every budget that I’ve delivered as Treasurer and we’ll continue to work hard to maintain that AA+ credit rating. We are the only state of the big 3 states that didn’t have a credit rating downgrade during or subsequent to COVID. That was because of our effective and appropriate financial and budgetary management and we’re going to continue on that path and people can trust us to deliver on our promises. The only thing you can trust David Crisafulli to do if he’s elected Premier is to cut. Anything else?

    JOURNALIST:

    Mr Janetzki was on radio this morning that he would release his costings once they make their final announcement. Is that the typical convention? Are you aware of that? And do you think it’s good enough considering voters already going to the polls?

    DICK:

    Look, this is all just a smokescreen for David Crisafulli to hide his plan for cuts. Our Party, Queensland Labor, has been the most transparent of any political party in any election in history. We put our costings live 2 weeks ago. We said upfront what we would do and how we would pay for it. And I released a budget economic and tax plan 2 weeks ago. Two years ago, David Crisafulli promised to release a tax and debt plan for Queensland. It is now 11 days until the election. David Crisafulli has been the Leader of the LNP now for more than 1,200 days and he still won’t be honest with the people of Queensland. And look, it’s just obvious the reason they won’t tell Queenslanders the total of their election commitments is because they would have to reveal to Queenslanders what they need to cut to deliver those election commitments. Which is why they’re hiding their costings, hiding their funding sources, because their single biggest funding source is to cut. And that’s why they’re not being honest with you.

    JOURNALIST:

    Amy McMahon from the Greens reckons you’re a hypocrite for recommending a preference for the Katter Australia Party in North Queensland. Are you not assisting an anti‑abortion party here by putting them above the Liberal Party?

    DICK:

    I don’t take political advice from the Queensland Greens Political Party. I never have and I never will. Anything else?

    JOURNALIST:

    What have you made of voter sentiment on the ground?

    CHALMERS:

    I don’t like being called the other Treasurer, but sure, you go ahead.

    JOURNALIST:

    What have you made of voter sentiment around the area? How closely will you be watching the result, particularly around this area?

    CHALMERS:

    Oh, look, Queenslanders right around our state desperately need a re‑elected Miles Labor government. You know, I was listening to Cameron and to the PM a moment ago. You know, Cameron is running one of the strongest budgets in the Commonwealth and that’s because we have a couple of things in common. You know, we are all about responsible economic management so that we can afford to provide cost‑of‑living relief for people who really need it, whether it’s in our community right around Queensland or indeed right around Australia. So, we have that in common and we want to work with the Miles Labor government after the election in a couple of weeks’ time. Now, as Cameron rightfully pointed out a moment ago, David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton have got something in common as well. Neither of them will come clean on their secret cuts. And those cuts that Peter Dutton and David Crisafulli won’t tell us about will make Queenslanders and Australians personally financially worse off. They’ll come after wages, they’ll come after housing, they’ll come after health. They will absolutely gut the joint. And we know this because Peter Dutton did that last time with Medicare when he was the Health Minister. And we know this because David Crisafulli is essentially Campbell Newman 2.0. And that was devastating for our local community. That has been a real low point for this part of the world seeing the way that Campbell Newman slashed and hacked at the essential services that local people desperately need. You asked a moment ago about our surcharging change and what it will mean for the cost of living. Now, that’s an important step that we are taking to help ease the cost of living, but it’s not the only step. Tax cuts for every taxpayer, Energy Bill Relief for every household, cheaper medicines, Rent Assistance, cheaper early childhood education, getting wages moving again. And here we have an enthusiastic and willing partner in the Miles Labor government. Cheaper fares for these communities in the outer suburbs are absolutely transformational. I’ve lost count of the amount of times that people have come up to me and said, ‘if you run into Cameron, or if you run into Steven, can you tell him how much we value those 50 cent fares?’ So, I’ll do that in front of all of our friends now, Cam. People appreciate the Energy Bill Relief that we’re working together with Steven and Cameron and Meaghan to provide. And so we desperately need a Miles Labor government re‑elected. We love working with these guys, not because we always have an identical view about every single issue, but because we’ve got a heart for local people. And that shows when it comes to housing, when it comes to health, and when it comes to cost of living.

    JOURNALIST:

    Sorry, just on the sentiment, you pick up anything on the ground around you?

    CHALMERS:

    Yeah, well, in our communities, people are desperately relying on the cost‑of‑living help that the Miles government and the Albanese government are providing. Now, we know that people are under pressure. You know, we know that people are doing it tough, but more than acknowledge that, we’re doing something about it. In all of the ways that I ran through a moment ago. And today, in addition, when it comes to surcharging on people’s debit cards, people shouldn’t be paying huge fees to use their own money. The Prime Minister has made that clear and we’ve made that clear today. So, in these local communities, we take no votes for granted. We don’t take any outcome for granted in this election. But I know I’ve seen what it’s like to have mostly state LNP members around here. I’ve seen what it’s like to have mostly Labor state members around here. We desperately need Labor members in this part of the world to look after the interests of the people and to work with Albo and I to make sure we’re rolling out that cost‑of‑living help.

    JOURNALIST:

    So, Queensland has – the Liberal National Party in Queensland has 21 of the federal seats in Queensland. Do you think that a plebiscite on nuclear power might change that?

    CHALMERS:

    Oh, we need to do better federally in Queensland. We’ve made that clear. You know, Anthony is an honorary Queenslander. You know, he spends a lot of time here in Queensland and I think Queenslanders understand because he is a practical, pragmatic leader and we are practical and pragmatic people in Queensland. And so, we need to do better, we’ve acknowledged that. Queensland is front and centre when it comes to our efforts as a Federal Labor government, including in the upcoming federal campaign. But first, we’ve got to re‑elect these guys because 2 Labor governments working together are better for local communities like this one.

    JOURNALIST:

    Queensland Labor has announced help for GP clinics that bulk bill. Isn’t that a tacit admission that Federal Labor hasn’t done enough to stop the gap, the Medicare gap, which has led to this?

    CHALMERS:

    No, I think it’s a tacit admission that both Labor governments are investing, in our case, billions and billions of dollars in strengthening Medicare. Now, there’s an Urgent Care Clinic down the road in Browns Plains which is making a major difference, taking the pressure off Logan Hospital, which is just next door. These are the investments that Labor governments make in local communities in getting out of pocket health costs down. And we welcome the contribution that the Miles Labor government comes to the table with when it comes to providing more money for health, so that we can get out of pocket costs down, so we can get the waiting times down, so that we can take pressure off local hospitals. But most importantly, make sure that we’re providing the healthcare that local families and pensioners need.

    JOURNALIST:

    When you were in Opposition, how many days before the election did you announce your costings?

    CHALMERS:

    Well, we did, unfortunately, we had a couple of goes at it when we were in Opposition and the timing of that varied. The difference was, you know, we didn’t have a big agenda for secret cuts like David Crisafulli does, and like Peter Dutton has. You know, Peter Dutton and Angus Taylor say that there’s $315 billion of spending in the Commonwealth Budget that they don’t support. That includes pension indexation, that includes Medicare funding, that includes funding for veterans, it includes funding for housing. And David Crisafulli and Peter Dutton are joined at the hip when it comes to their secret plans for cuts. I don’t think Queenslanders are asking too much when they say to David Crisafulli, ‘come clean in time for us to make an informed decision.’ And when they do, and if they do, they will understand that the Miles Labor government is providing cost‑of‑living relief, investing in housing and health, and David Crisafulli will cut all of those things as sure as night follows day.

    JOURNALIST:

    Why upgrade the travel advice to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories?

    ALBANESE:

    It’s a dangerous place at the moment. We know that that’s the case. So, what we do is we take advice from our security agencies and the government then implements that advice. We know that travelling into an area where there is conflict is a dangerous thing to do and it’s appropriate that the federal government make announcements in accordance with that advice from the security agencies. Can I just make one further point before we wrap up, which is that I was noticing – Clare probably noticed as well this morning – Michael Sukkar actually speak about the delay in implementing the Housing Australia Future Fund roll out and Help to Buy scheme that’s stuck in the Senate. Well, Labor are the builders, they’re the blockers. Between the LNP and the Greens, they blocked the Housing Australia Future Fund and now they’re still blocking the Help to Buy scheme. They could vote for it tomorrow or the next day that Parliament sits, but they don’t. So, they vote against it, block it and then complain that there’s a delay in its implementation. That says it all about how hopeless the Opposition are when it comes to policies that will actually deliver more housing supply. Thanks very much.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Gympie Bypass opens to traffic

    Source: Australian Ministers 1

    The Albanese and Queensland Government funded Gympie Bypass has opened to traffic, a significant improvement for residents with heavy vehicles no longer needing to travel through Gympie.

    The $1.162 billion Bypass cuts travel times, improves motorist safety, access and flood immunity.

    The project has constructed a new 26-kilometres, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, just south of Gympie, and Curra.

    It includes three new interchanges – at Flood Road, Gympie Connection Road and Curra. There are also 42 new bridges at 23 locations. 

    Over the next couple of weeks and months, the Gympie community will begin to see the positive impact of fewer heavy vehicles, while freight efficiency will be improved.

    Motorists can still also access Gympie from the Old Bruce Highway via the interchange at Woondum and from Curra in the north.

    The Gympie Bypass is jointly funded, with the Australian Government contributing $929.6 million and the Queensland Government contributing $232.4 million.

    It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.549 billion. Construction of the overall Cooroy to Curra program began in September 2009.

    While major construction for the bypass is finished, there will be some intermittent works over the next few weeks while the crew finishes some minor activities on the connections at either end of the new highway.

    Further details can be found on the Transport and Main Roads website at http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/cooroytocurra (select ‘Section D’). 

    Quotes attributable to Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese:

    “This vital infrastructure project has been a long time coming for the locals and visitors who travel throughout the Gympie region.

    “We recognise the importance of upgrading the Bruce Highway, which is why we have committed almost $1 billion to the project. 

    “This is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of construction on the 62-kilometre Bruce Highway upgrade between Cooroy and Curra, and it is wonderful to see motorists will now be able to reap benefits of a completed Gympie Bypass.” 

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

    “The Gympie Bypass opening to traffic today is a monumental achievement by the Australian and Queensland governments.  

    “This stretch of highway will improve safety, flood resilience and capacity for motorists as well as meet the transport needs of the Gympie and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future.

    “We know how important continued investment in major infrastructure upgrades is, and that’s why in this year’s Federal Budget we allocated a further $467 million towards several projects along the Bruce Highway like the Gympie Bypass to ensure they get delivered for Queenslanders.”

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm:

    “This opening has been a long time coming. Gympie residents and regular visitors to this popular part of Queensland will be thrilled to hear that the bypass is ready to use. 

    “Today’s opening is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of construction on this 62-kilometre upgrade to the Bruce Highway, which will improve safety, flood resilience and is designed to meet the transport needs of the Gympie, Maryborough and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Fogbow, solar eclipse and an aurora captured in 2025 Australian Weather Calendar

    Source: Weather Warnings – Australia

    15/10/2024

    Issued: Tues 15 October 2024

    An elusive optical effect caused by light bending through fog, space weather and a total solar eclipse are among the weather phenomena captured in the Bureau of Meteorology’s Australian Weather Calendar for 2025.

    Photos submitted by professional and amateur photographers from across the country are featured in the latest edition of the popular annual calendar.

    The photos in the 2025 calendar takes viewers on a journey throughout the country’s many climate zones from Tasmania’s central highlands in the south to the Arafura Sea off the Northern Territory.

    The calendar features photos from across Australia which were entered and judged through the Bureau’s yearly photo competition.

    National Community Information Manager Andrea Peace said the images were selected from a strong offering of over 500 entries.

    “Each month features a photo of a different weather phenomenon alongside a meteorological description written by the Bureau’s meteorologists,” Ms. Peace said.

    “The photos offer a glimpse into the science behind how the weather works, and how the Bureau’s services meet the needs of the Australian community and industries.

    “Some of the fascinating weather phenomena captured on camera in this year’s selection include unusual cloud formations known as Cirrus uncinus, glowing anticrepuscular sun rays, a glorious sunrise in regional WA, a colourful Aurora australis and moody thunderstorms.”

    Featured as the February photo is a waterspout, captured by hobby photographer Cathryn Vasseleu off the Arafura Sea in the NT, after she spotted the unusual sight by chance while birdwatching.

    The phenomenon is a tornado that occurs over water and forms a twisting funnel of liquid and vapour, usually only lasting about 5-10 minutes but which can create havoc with winds of over 100km/h.

    The much less destructive phenomenon of a fogbow — an optical effect caused by light bending through fog, producing a colourless rainbow — was captured by weather chaser David Metcalf in country NSW and features as the June image.

    The perfectly wintery scene of a wombat braving the snow as it journeys through Tasmania’s central highlands was captured by Tassie local Gill Dayton and selected as the cover image for the 2025 edition.

    Several of the photos within the calendar reflect the dedication often needed to capture fleeting weather phenomena on camera like spectacular lightning strikes captured in split-second moments.

    The December photo of a dazzling Aurora australis display taken by weather-obsessed photographer Rusli Hashim in Northern Tasmania was the photographer’s dream image, captured in the early hours of the morning following an all-night aurora stakeout.

    Now in its 41st year, the weather calendar has been celebrating the best of Australian weather photography since 1983.

    The 2025 Australian Weather Calendar is on sale now.

    Order online at https://shop.bom.gov.au/

    ENDS

    More information, including detailed meteorological information and photographer profiles, is available by contacting media@bom.gov.au.

    Please contact media@bom.gov.au for high-res copies of all images in this year’s Calendar.

    Detailed information on each photo’s location and weather phenomenon are listed below, with photo credits.

    Per the conditions of entry when photos are submitted, all winning images can only be published in support of Australian Weather Calendar promotion or story. The images cannot be used for any other purpose or project, or in conjunction with any other Bureau media. The photographers retain all rights so image copyright line must accompany each image.

    Photo credits:

    Cover – Snow, Central Highlands, Tas – Gill Dayton

    January – Sunrise and fog, Mornington, WA – Bernard Shaw

    February – Water spout, Rapid Creek, NT – Cathryn Vasseleu

    March – Lightning strike, Sydney, NSW – Philipp Glanz

    April – Solar eclipse, Exmouth, WA – Barend Becker

    May – Rainbow and lightning, Derby, WA – JJ Rao

    June – Fogbow, Tuena, NSW – David Metcalf

    July – Streaky clouds, Yamanto, Qld – Sharon Smolenski

    August – Lightning strike, San Remo, Vic – Anna Carson

    September – Dust cloud, Merredin, WA – Grant Stainer

    October – Rainbow and storm, Nightcliff, NT – Patch Clapp

    November – Fog, Mount Beerwah, Qld – Billy Tillott

    December – Aurora australis, Squeaking Point, Tas – Rusli Hashim

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: What is a Coral Reef?

    Source: NASA

    Coral reefs cover only 1% of the ocean floor, but support an estimated 25% of all marine life in the ocean, earning them the moniker ‘rainforest of the sea.’ They also play a critical role for coastal communities; preventing coastal erosion, protecting coastlines from hurricane damage, and generating $36 billion in annual income worldwide.
    We asked Juan Torres-Pérez, a research scientist and coral reef expert at NASA Ames Research Center, about the science behind coral reefs, and the role they play in both marine ecosystems and human communities.

    Reef
    Reefs are ridge-like structures, either natural or artificial. “A reef by definition is a structure that provides some relief above the ocean floor,” Torres-Pérez said. “It could be something man-made: you can pile a bunch of car tires, and then they get colonized by different organisms. Or it could be natural: a small hill on top of the ocean floor in which the primary framework is a rock.”
    Corals
    Corals are animals from the phylum Cnidaria, typically found along tropical coastlines. They comprise hundreds to thousands of living organisms called polyps, each only a few millimeters in diameter. Each polyp has its own body and a mouth with stinging tentacles to capture food such as plankton and small fish. The polyps grow together until they form a colony, and it is this colony that we recognize as a coral. There are two types of coral: hard corals and soft corals. Hard corals, also known as stony corals or more formally as Scleractinians, secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton; it is this type of coral that form a coral reefs. Soft corals, also known as Alcyonacea, are fleshy and bendable, often resembling trees or fans.  

    The colorful appearance of corals comes from the microscopic algae that live inside coral cells, called zooxanthellae. These algae perform photosynthesis, bringing vital food and nutrients to the corals. “The majority of the products from photosynthesis, about 80 to 90%, pass on to the coral, and then the coral uses those for its own metabolism,” said Torres-Pérez. “This is why corals are usually found in shallow waters: because these organisms need the sunlight to photosynthesize.”
    Coral Reefs
    A coral reef is a term used to describe the collective structure of hard corals that help shape a coral reef ecosystem. “A coral reef is a reef whose main structure is made by living organisms, in this case corals,” said Torres-Pérez. “A coral reef will always be a reef, but not all reefs are coral reefs.” The largest coral reef in the world is Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, which is over 1,000 miles long and covers around 133,000 square miles.

    Healthy coral reefs play a crucial role in providing coastal protection, habitats for marine life, and even key ingredients for potential new medicines.
    “Coral reef ecosystems provide habitat for thousands of species, from unicellular organisms like bacteria or some phytoplankton communities, to large organisms like sharks, groupers or snappers, and reptiles like sea turtles,” Torres-Pérez said.
    Corals act as a protective barrier during big storm events such as typhoons or hurricanes and have proven to be 97% effective in preventing damage to the natural and built environment. As coral reefs have been damaged in recent decades, coastal flooding and erosion have increased, causing significant damage to coastal communities.
    Many communities depend on coral reefs as a resource to sustain their livelihoods. “These are critical ecosystems, not only in terms of the whole biodiversity of the planet but because they also provide sustenance for millions of people, especially in island nations,” Torres-Pérez said. Coral reefs also support fisheries (fish caught for commercial, recreational, or subsistence purposes), recreational activities, and educational purposes.
    Scientists have been exploring coral as a new ingredient source for some medicines. They have discovered that a chemical from coral can be extracted to create antibiotics that are effective against bacteria resistant to other types of antibiotics. These ingredients are replicated in a lab, eliminating the need to continuously harvest and harm corals.

    According to a 2020 report produced by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network (GCRMN), 14% of the world’s coral reefs have been lost since 2009. In the wake of the 2023-2024 global coral bleaching event, that number is expected to increase.

    Coral bleaching is caused by increasing ocean temperatures. As water temperatures rise, it causes corals to expel their zooxanthellae, leaving behind a bone-white shell and depriving the coral of its main food source. “Eventually what happens is that the coral is too weak to compete with other organisms, like filamentous algae, that can overgrow the coral and eventually kill the whole colony,” said Torres-Pérez.
    Other threats to coral reefs come from human activity, such as pollution or physical damage. “Increases in sedimentation from poor land management get deposited into the reefs,” said Torres-Pérez, citing urban stormwater runoff and deforestation as two examples of sedimentation. Coral sedimentation is the deposition and accumulation of sediments, like fine sands or mud, on a reef. This clouds the waters, blocking critical sunlight and reducing the ability of zooxanthellae to photosynthesize.
    Another human-caused threat to corals is eutrophication, the unnatural increase of nutrients in the water. “Eutrophication provides grounds for the development of filamentous algae, which grows much faster than corals,” said Torres-Pérez. Some of these excess nutrients in the water come from sewage released into coastal waters or runoff of agricultural fertilizers into the ocean. The algae feed off the excess nutrients and grow into massive blooms, which suppress the growth of corals.

    Moreover, Torres-Pérez pointed out that human-caused physical damage to reefs can result from mechanical damage, such as ship anchors being thrown onto corals. Some fishing techniques, like deep water trawling (dragging fishing nets along the sea floor), can also damage reefs by pulling and tearing corals away from their bases. On a more individual scale, coral damage can also result from being stepped on by humans, or accumulated trash left behind by beach-goers.

    Many coral reefs in the world are still unclassified, unexplored, or yet to be discovered. NASA’s NeMO-Net hopes to change that. Torres-Pérez, who is a Co-Investigator for NeMO-Net, described how the citizen science project functions like an interactive mobile video game, allowing anyone to identify corals. “Users can characterize different components of a coral reef based on 2D [and 3D] images of a coral reef,” said Torres-Pérez. “which goes into a machine learning component.” The information from these classifications is fed into a scientific model and helps NASA both classify and assess the health of coral reefs around the world. To learn more about NeMO-Net and how to get involved, check out their website.
    In 2022, Torres-Pérez founded OCEANOS (Ocean Community Engagement and Awareness using NASA Earth Observations and Science for Hispanic/Latino Students), a program aimed at bringing oceanography and STEM opportunities to the next generation of Hispanic/Latino students in Puerto Rico. During the program, students build and test their own low-cost optical sensors, test data in a phytoplankton lab, replant coral reefs, and create storymap presentations of their work. “We want students to feel confident and capable to pursue STEM careers,” Torres-Pérez said, “and we want them to become agents of change in their community to share the importance of preserving the ocean.”

    Outside of NASA, Torres-Pérez is an active member of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF); an interagency body established in 1998 from Executive Order 13089: Coral Reef Protection that aims to preserve, protect, and restore coral reef ecosystems.

    To learn more about coral reefs and how they are monitored, Torres-Pérez recommends checking out resources from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has a section on their website dedicated to corals. One notable coral reef resource from NOAA is their Coral Reef Watch website, which monitors sea surface temperatures on global and local scales. The website serves government and non-governmental agencies with their data products, which are used to monitor and predict climate impacts on coral reefs worldwide.
    Written by: Katera Lee, NASA Ames Research Center

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: NSW Government supports amended Equality Bill

    Source: New South Wales Government 2

    Headline: NSW Government supports amended Equality Bill

    Published: 16 October 2024

    Released by: Attorney General

    The NSW Government is today announcing the government’s support of the proposed amended Equality Bill to offer protections for members of the LGBTIQA+ community.

    First introduced to NSW Parliament in August 2023 by the Independent Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich, this Bill has been subject to extensive consultation, including a Parliamentary inquiry.

    The NSW Government has worked with the Member of Sydney on a number of proposed amendments.

    The amended Equality Legislation Amendment (LGBTIQA+) Bill 2023 proposes various legislative changes, including:

    • Allowing people to change their registered sex through an administrative process, without requiring surgery.
    • Making hatred for or prejudice against transgender, gender diverse or intersex people an aggravating factor in sentencing.
    • Updating terminology in laws to replace terms such as “HIV infection” and “suffering with AIDS” to “living with HIV/AIDS”.
    • Clarifying in the Mental Health Act 2007 that expressing, or refusing to express, a particular gender identity does not that someone has a mental illness.
    • Enabling a parentage order to be made for a child born through international commercial surrogacy, if it is in the best interests of the child and other criteria and important safeguards are met.

    The changes to allow people to register a change of sex without surgery are simple changes that will bring NSW in line with all other jurisdictions across the country.

    This follows ongoing work by the NSW Government to progress reforms that ensure all members of our community feel valued, respected and equal.

    The Minns Labor Government has already fulfilled our election commitment to ban ‘LGBTQ+ conversion practices’ through the Conversion Practices Ban Act 2024, which passed the NSW Parliament in March.

    The Premier also issued a formal apology in June to people convicted under discriminatory laws that criminalised homosexual acts, and passed legislation this year that meant more of these offences were able to be extinguished.

    In September, the NSW Government supported all 19 recommendations delivered by the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes, which examined the unsolved deaths of LGBTIQ people and found shortfalls in historical responses by the NSW Government.

    The Government has also announced that it is establishing the LGBTIQ+ Advisory Council, which will provide a mechanism for ongoing community consultation.

    Penny Sharpe, Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council said:

    “The changes proposed by the Equality Bill will make NSW a safer and more inclusive place – and they’ve been a long time coming.

    “People in every other state of Australia are already able to change their sex without requiring surgery, and this legislation will bring us in line with the rest of the country.

    “As a government, we’ve been committed to equality for a long time. Supporting this bill is our latest step to ensure every citizen in NSW is valued.”

    Michael Daley, Attorney General of New South Wales said:

    “The Equality Bill seeks to change multiple pieces of legislation to make NSW a more inclusive place.

    “As legislators, it is our job to reflect the views of the community, and in this instance, it is clearly time for these pieces of legislation to be updated.”

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Nine new projects to support innovation in SA communities

    Source: University of South Australia

    16 October 2024

    LGA SA CEO Clinton Jury and UniSA Dr Alyson Crozier.

    Projects focusing on improving health and fitness, addressing regional staff shortages and tackling pest birds in South Australia are just some of the initiatives funded through the latest round of the Local Government Research and Development Scheme.

    Nine new projects supporting local councils will share in nearly $500,000 to fast-track solutions and help build stronger communities.

    LGA South Australia CEO Clinton Jury said significant interest in the funding program highlighted its importance and the demand for resources to drive local innovation.

    “The Local Government Research and Development Scheme is unique to South Australia and the latest funding round was highly competitive, with 37 applications seeking almost $2.5 million,” Mr Jury said.

    “The successful projects address issues such as health and wellbeing, workforce attraction, social inclusion and sustainable practices, all of which are important to local government and communities.

    “I congratulate this year’s recipients and look forward to seeing these initiatives in action and making a positive difference across the state.”

    One of the funded projects, being led by University of South Australia, will involve monitoring usage of outdoor fitness equipment.
    It will involve tracking usage data of fitness equipment in several metropolitan and regional council areas, including user patterns and preferences, which can be used to inform future planning decisions and lead to improved outcomes for all councils across South Australia.

    University of South Australia project lead Dr Alyson Crozier said using an evidence-based approach when purchasing outdoor fitness equipment would ensure councils are making the best choices informed by user feedback.

    “More than 200 free-to-use outdoor fitness equipment stations have been installed by councils across South Australia to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles,” Dr Crozier said.

    “However, there is limited information about which machines are being used most by community members, and how they’re being used.

    “We know purchasing these machines has a cost, so councils need to be confident they’re investing in equipment they know is popular, functional and will be used regularly by their residents and visitors, rather than sit dormant.

    “Through this project, we hope to track and share data that councils can use to make informed decisions about the type of outdoor fitness equipment they install in future, leading to even better planned spaces being created for communities to use and enjoy.

    “We’re excited to get started and appreciate the funding support we’ve received through the Local Government Research and Development Scheme to bring this initiative to life.”

    To be eligible for funding, projects had to demonstrate clear long-term benefits and address future local government needs in the areas of climate and environment, community wellbeing and inclusion, planning and infrastructure, financial sustainability or building sector capability.

    Each year the Local Government Research and Development Scheme delivers up to $2 million for innovative projects which benefit South Australian councils and help tackle sector-wide challenges.

    To learn more about all nine projects funded through the latest Local Government Research and Development Scheme round, visit: http://www.lga.sa.gov.au/research

    ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

    Media contacts:
    LGA Media M: +61 476 853 689 E: media@lga.sa.gov.au
    UniSA Media – Annabel Mansfield M: +61 479 182 489 E: Annabel.Mansfield@unisa.edu.au 

    Other articles you may be interested in

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China to work with other countries to pursue open, inclusive sci-tech cooperation

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

    China to work with other countries to pursue open, inclusive sci-tech cooperation

    BEIJING, Oct. 15 — China stands ready to work with other countries to pursue open and inclusive sci-tech cooperation, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

    According to the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024 recently released by the World Intellectual Property Organization, China moved up one spot to 11th place in the ranking of the world’s most innovative economies compared with last year, remaining the only middle-income economy in the top 30.

    In response to a related query, spokesperson Mao Ning said since the GII was launched in 2007, China has steadily moved up in various GII rankings. According to this year’s report, China is one of the fastest 10-year climbers and leads with the most science and technology clusters in the top 100, showing strong momentum in and broad prospects for innovation-driven development, she said.

    Mao said the improvement of China’s innovation capability is a result of its increasing research and development (R&D) spending and open and inclusive international cooperation.

    According to statistics, China’s R&D expenditure topped 3.3 trillion yuan (over 450 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, up 8.4 percent year on year, Mao said, adding that China has established sci-tech cooperation relations with more than 160 countries and regions and signed 118 inter-governmental agreements on sci-tech cooperation.

    The sound environment for innovation and rich human resources in China have attracted more and more multinational businesses to set up R&D centers in this country, she said.

    “China’s sci-tech innovation serves the interests of China and the whole world. In the face of the new round of scientific and technological revolution, we stand ready to work with other countries to pursue open and inclusive sci-tech cooperation, share the outcomes of sci-tech innovation and jointly address global challenges,” Mao said.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s maritime fleet sees shipping capacity growing

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    As of September, China’s maritime fleet has seen its capacity grow to 430 million deadweight tonnes, accounting for 18.7 percent of the world’s total, according to a press conference held Tuesday in Shanghai.
    From January to August this year, the country’s cargo throughput at ports exceeded 11.5 billion tonnes, up 3.7 percent year on year, and its container throughput at ports reached 220 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 8.2 percent year on year.
    During the period, the volume of China’s rail-water intermodal transport through ports notched up 7.78 million TEUs of containers, up 17.7 percent year on year, according to the press conference on the upcoming 2024 North Bund Forum, an international shipping conference.
    A total of 49 automated port terminals have been constructed nationwide, marking a continued leading global position, said Gao Haiyun, an official from the water transport bureau under the Ministry of Transport, during the press conference.
    Shanghai is accelerating the construction of an international shipping hub. In the first three quarters of this year, the Shanghai port alone handled a container throughput of more than 39 million TEUs, up 8 percent year on year.
    Scheduled from Oct. 22 to 24 in Shanghai, the 2024 North Bund Forum is co-hosted by the Ministry of Transport and the Shanghai municipal government. This year’s edition is expected to focus on the digital, intelligent and green development of global shipping services. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Allens advises TPG Telecom on $5.25bn sale of fibre network and Enterprise, Government and Wholesale fixed line business to Vocus

    Source: Allens Insights

    Allens has advised TPG Telecom on an agreement to sell its fibre network infrastructure and its enterprise, government and wholesale (EGW) fixed line business to Vocus Group Limited for an enterprise value of $5.25 billion.

    The sale will include all of TPG Telecom’s fibre and fixed line network infrastructure, its EGW fixed line business, its PPC-1 international submarine cable system and its wholesale broadband business, Vision Network.

    The sale price is inclusive of a potential $250 million contingent value payment related to subscriber targets for the Vision Network business.

    TPG will retain its mobile and radiocommunications network infrastructure, consumer and EGW mobile business and its consumer and small office/home office fixed retail business, including fixed wireless.

    The deal also includes a long-term strategic partnership between TPG and Vocus, with Vocus to provide TPG with ongoing access to its fibre infrastructure.

    Allens acted for TPG Telecom on the strategic review of its Vision Network business in 2022. The firm then advised TPG Telecom on negotiations with Vocus and its owners, Macquarie Asset Management and Aware Super, when the parties decided to explore a larger transaction.

    ‘This transaction demonstrates that telecommunications infrastructure continues to be a highly attractive asset class for financial investors,’ said co-lead Partner and Head of Allens’ Technology, Media & Telecommunications group, Gavin Smith.

    ‘The pace of digitisation, and the continued growth in requirements for data transmission and storage, means that the physical infrastructure underpinning that trend is highly valued.

    ‘Allens has had a long-standing relationship with TPG Telecom. We are delighted to advise it on this transformational transaction which allows it to unlock the value of its fixed line networks.’

    Co-lead Partner Julian Donnan said: ‘This deal will allow TPG Telecom to focus on its mobile and its consumer and small office/home office fixed retail business, including fixed wireless. We congratulate the teams at TPG Telecom and its financial adviser, Bank of America, with which we worked closely. We also congratulate the Vocus, Macquarie Asset Management and Aware Super teams’.

    The deal cements Allens’ position as the leading advisor on telecommunications M&A activity in Australia.

    The firm advised on all major Australian and New Zealand telecommunications tower transactions between 2021 and 2024, including: the Morrison and Future Fund investment into Amplitel (Telstra towers); the sale by TPG Telecom of its towers portfolio to OMERS/Waveconn; AustralianSuper on its acquisition of a majority stake in ATN (Optus towers) and the acquisition by ATN of Axicom; Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s acquisition of a majority stake in Connexa, the Spark New Zealand tower company; Connexa’s acquisition of the 2degrees NZ tower portfolio; and NorthLeaf Capital Partners and InfraRed Capital Partnerson their acquisition of Fortysouth, the Vodafone New Zealand towers business. Allens also advised Morrison and Brookfield on its acquisition of Uniti Group.

    Allens legal team

    Lead partners

    Gavin Smith, Julian Donnan

    M&A and Capital Markets

    Tom Story (Partner), Kimberley Lowrie (Managing Associate), Stephanie Rowan (Senior Associate), Harry Martin (Associate), Will Brown (Senior Associate), Sophie Stitch (Lawyer)

    Technology, Media & Telecommunications

    Jessica Mottau (Partner), Isabelle Guyot (Managing Associate), David Liao (Senior Overseas Practitioner), Alexandra Martin (Senior Associate), Isaac Nankavill (Associate), Isabelle Orazio (Lawyer), Tasnim Ahsan (Lawyer), Matilda Winnell (Lawyer)

    Competition, Consumer and Regulatory

    Rosannah Healy (Partner), Robert Walker (Partner), John Yiannakou (Managing Associate), Edison Wang (Senior Associate), Tom Hodgson (Lawyer)

    Real Estate & Development

    Victoria Holthouse (Partner), Tom Wilson (Senior Associate), Jayne Williams (Senior Associate), Alex Jeffares (Associate)

    Banking & Finance

    Alan Maxton (Partner), Sarah Denton (Senior Overseas Practitioner), Robert Lau (Senior Associate)

    Intellectual Property

    Tommy Chen (Managing Associate), Max Jones (Senior Associate)

    Employment & Safety

    Veronica Siow (Partner), Sikeli Ratu (Partner), Eden Sweeney (Associate)

    MIL OSI News –