NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Russia: On April 27, the traffic pattern in the center and west of the capital will temporarily change

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    In connection with the holding Moscow Half Marathon (21.1 kilometers) on the morning of April 27, traffic will be temporarily closed on several embankments in the city center and some streets near them.

    From 00:01 to 12:00, the section of Kosygina Street towards University Square from Vernadsky Avenue to University Square will be closed. From 06:00 to 12:00, Kosygina Street will be closed from Vorobyovskoye Highway to Vernadsky Avenue and from Vernadsky Avenue to Leninsky Avenue. From 07:00 to 13:00, it will be impossible to drive along University Square from University Avenue to Kosygina Street.

    From 07:30 the Luzhniki Bridge and Komsomolsky Prospekt will be closed, from 08:00 — Khamovnichesky Val and Luzhniki streets, Frunzenskaya Embankment and Novokrymsky Proezd. From 08:30 restrictions will be introduced on Luzhnetskaya and Prechistenskaya Embankments, in Soymonovsky Proezd, and from 09:10 — on Ostozhenka Street.

    Parking will be prohibited on all the listed streets and embankments from 00:01 on April 27 until the end of the Moscow Half Marathon.

    Drivers are asked to plan their route in advance. Detailed information is available on the website Traffic Management Center.

    Get the latest news quicklyofficial telegram channel the city of Moscow.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152983073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Incomparable charisma: how the Pallas’s cat Timofey lives in the Moscow Zoo

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    Timofey – one of the most charismatic inhabitants Moscow Zoo— all visitors know. He is an Internet star and a favorite of children and adults. Videos with him get thousands of views on the zoo’s social networks, and recently a song was dedicated to him. At the same time, the Pallas’s cat is not only a recognizable animal, but also a rare one. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia and the International Red Book. This small wild cat, on average no larger than a domestic cat, is distinguished by bright yellow eyes, lush sideburns and long white whiskers. The Pallas’s thick fur and short paws give it a squat and heavy appearance.

    On International Pallas’s Cat Day, celebrated on April 23, we tell you how the most famous Moscow cat spends his days and how he surprises visitors.

    House made of natural materials

    You can see a Pallas’s cat already at the entrance to the capital’s zoo. This animal is a living symbol of the Moscow Zoo. It is depicted on the emblem above the main gate.

    “It is no coincidence that the Pallas’s cat appeared on the zoo’s emblem. The fact is that the Moscow Zoo was one of the first in the world to achieve regular breeding of this feline species in captivity. Since 1975, more than 140 cubs have been born here. Since 1987, the Pallas’s cat began to decorate the emblem, then in 2013 the image changed, and in 2019 it returned,” says Mikhail Bragin, head of the Mammals Department of the Moscow Zoo.

    Timofey is not a native Muscovite. He was born in June 2020 at the Novosibirsk Zoo and moved to the capital in 2021. The Pallas’s cat settled near the Bolshoi Presnensky Pond next to pandas and a large eagle – the golden eagle. You can get to him by turning left from the main entrance.

    We stop at a spacious outdoor enclosure with thick glass sides. In the center is a clearing with stumps and logs. A little further away is a play complex – one of the Pallas’s favorite places. On the far wall of the outdoor enclosure are fixed wooden ledges, shelves and ladders. The cat can run, jump and climb on them. Timofey also has a place to hide. Under the ladders, a pipe is built into the wall, imitating a cave.

    “The Pallas’s cat is a sneaking, lurking animal. In the wild, it lives for about five years, in a zoo – up to 12. Such animals live in the steppes and rocky deserts of Central Asia, feed on rodents, small birds and reptiles. To catch prey, they hide and then make dexterous throws. In addition, Pallas’s cats have many enemies. Among them are birds of prey, wolves and even snow leopards. Therefore, Pallas’s cats lead a secretive lifestyle, hiding among stones, in abandoned burrows and crevices. Timofey also likes to hide and spends most of the day where few people see him,” says Mikhail Bragin.

    The Pallas’s cat can be alone in the inner enclosure. This is a room with wooden paneling, hidden from prying eyes. There the Pallas’s cat has a litter box – like a real cat – and several houses. The animal rests and sleeps in them. A massive door leads from the inner enclosure to the street one. From behind it, the large wild cat cautiously watches passers-by.

    “The Pallas’s cat is mostly active in the morning and at dusk. In warm weather, it likes to spend time in the sun. In winter, it is kept warm by its thick fur coat – the fluffiest among cats. Thanks to its grey-black color with red, it also helps the cat camouflage itself well,” adds the mos.ru source.

    Having seen the Pallas’s cat, the zoo visitors come closer to the fence. Timofey moves his ears, pushes off and jumps out from behind the door. He climbs up the ladder and dives into the pipe. The cat moves so quickly that only the most attentive people manage to notice his presence in the outdoor enclosure. It seems as if he is playing hide-and-seek with the guests. But the reason for such activity is different: the Pallas’s cat is getting ready for dinner. The neighboring door opens, and one of the zoo employees enters the enclosure, carrying a paper bag in his hands.

    Jumping, jogging and spring diet

    Keepers, veterinarians and technologists of the capital’s zoo monitor Timofey’s nutrition and health. A special menu and feeding schedule are developed for the Pallas’s cat. The number of portions depends on the time of year.

    “The Pallas’s cat stands out among other cats in a number of ways: it does not make a characteristic meow, has round pupils (which is unusual for small wild cats), and is actively preparing for winter. This process is called fattening, or fattening. To help Timofey gain weight, we feed him twice a day in the fall, and once a day in the spring so that he can lose the weight he has gained. The Pallas’s cat eats whole carcasses of quails and small rodents, and in the summer it can sometimes enjoy grass growing on the lawn,” notes Mikhail Bragin.

    Feeding the Pallas’s cat is an unusual process. The specialists do not simply bring him food, but imitate hunting conditions. The prey is hidden on ledges and ladders, behind stumps and logs, and even hung, creating the impression that it is moving. Timofey’s food is often brought in a craft bag. The rustling of paper and the smell of food do not leave the cat indifferent, and he eagerly begins to unpack. Zoo staff have chosen this method of feeding today.

    The keeper puts the bag on the ground and goes out, closing the door. Having sensed prey, the manul runs from ladder to ladder, hiding behind the ledges. Then he jumps to the very top of the game complex and slowly creeps down, calculating the trajectory of the jump. But the bag is far away – it is standing a little further than the center of the clearing, closer to the group of visitors delighted by such a hunt. The wild cat does not dare to run up to it and again runs away behind the open door of the inner enclosure.

    “The Pallas’s cat does not have a specific feeding time, it is always different, so that it does not wait for food to be brought. It should be unexpected, like in nature. At the same time, we regularly check its health. For example, we monitor its weight. In winter, thanks to fattening, Timofey weighs about six kilograms, and in the warm season – about four. Now he is actively losing weight. We do not conduct training with him for this, he copes well on his own with the help of games and imitation of hunting,” the mos.ru interlocutor emphasizes.

    A healthy wild cat does not require serious care. It sharpens its claws using logs and the wooden paneling of the inner enclosure. In the wild, it can brush off excess fur on rock ledges, and in the zoo, this function is performed by juniper growing in the clearing.

    “Timofey is a cat with character and great charisma. He is completely self-confident: he is not afraid of attention and often demonstrates feline playfulness to visitors. The main thing is to behave calmly and not to frighten the cat with sudden actions or loud sounds. Then he will definitely show up,” adds Mikhail Bragin.

    And so it happens. Without waiting for Timofey to appear, the visitors move on to other enclosures. And a few minutes later, noticing that no one is watching him, the manul looks out from behind the door again.

    You can now see how the main symbol of the capital’s zoo lives online. To do this, visit the mos.ru portal video broadcast available. The live broadcast is hosted byfrom the enclosures of other zoo inhabitants.

    Pandas, Pallas’s cats and capybaras: broadcasts from the Moscow Zoo enclosures have been viewed more than 820 thousand timesMore broadcasts from the Moscow Zoo are now available on mos.ruThe “City of Tasks” project invites you to meet the animals of the Moscow Zoo and get points

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/152985073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Speech to Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Tēnā koutou katoa. Nga mihi ki nga manawhenua o tenie rohe  me nga waka katoa ki tae mai nei.

    Good afternoon everyone.

    Thank you for the opportunity to be here today.

    I want to acknowledge the work the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce does. 

    And I want to acknowledge the Nelson Tasman business community. You are at the heart of your communities, creating jobs, generating income for locals and producing a diverse range of goods and services.

    I always enjoy visiting Nelson and have enjoyed many visits here since becoming an MP.  Your local Mayor and Former MP Nick Smith has made sure of that!  

    But my first iconic Nelson-Tasman experience was not in fact a  Nick Smith related one. 

    I have especially fond memories of kayaking and hiking through the Abel Tasman National Park around 20 years ago with my then boyfriend – now husband – and being dazzled by its majesty, complete with frolicking baby seals, enthusiastic trampers playing 500 in the huts. A Thai green curry and cold beer providing a grand finale at what I think must have been the Park Café Mārahau. 

    My personally memorable experience is not unique. 

    The Nelson Tasman region is a really special part of New Zealand. That’s demonstrated by the number of people who choose to visit here – from around the country and the world, and the number of migrants who choose to move here and make this place home. 

    Like many other areas of the country, the communities of this region are facing both exciting economic opportunities and a range of economic challenges.  

    On the one hand there is so much to feel optimistic about, from your thriving and diverse food and beverage sector, the growing and potential-filled blue economy, your leadership in forestry and wood product manufacturing, and your growing visitor economy, all of which sustain jobs and incomes today and have the ability to deliver even more in future.  

    These growing industries are good news for the future of people here, and, beyond that, will help New Zealand earn the additional revenue we need to fund great health care, education services and physical infrastructure. Like the Hope Bypass, upgrades to Nelson Hospital and repairs to local schools.  

    I’ve had the pleasure today of visiting some of the people leading in these sectors: I spent time at the Cawthron Aquaculture Park and felt excited by their vision for driving forward the Government’s goal of quadrupling the size of the aquaculture sector over the next decade.

    I visited Trinder Engineering and was wowed by their commitment to research, innovation and a positive workplace culture.

    And I visited Pic’s Peanut Butter:  whose story began with a product made in a concrete mixer winning over die-hard fans at the Nelson Farmer’s Market and has now expanded to produce 25,000 jars a day for peanut butter lovers the world over.

    There are good news stories like this across New Zealand, and I think we should all do more to celebrate our great Kiwi success stories.  

    These successes came about because of clever, brave people who decided to take a risk, to take a loan to invest in big ideas, to work hard to make things happen, to hire good people and offer them meaningful careers, to pursue a vision and keep going in the face of adversity.  

    In doing so, these enterprises, and the hundreds like them across Nelson and New Zealand, have supported thousands of people into good jobs, providing income for their families and investments for their communities.  

    They’ve also paid a lot of tax along the way – which has allowed the Government to increase its annual investments in schools, health services, superannuation support, and other essential public services.  

    That contribution by business and hard working taxpayers too often goes unacknowledged:  We all have hopes for new investments and better services, but before we dream up new ways of spending, we first need to collectively earn the dollars required to sustainably fund that spending. 

    Growing regional economies, and successful local businesses are vital to that equation.  Put simply: To deliver the kind of country we all want – with better living standards, better opportunities for our kids and more financially secure families, Nelson and New Zealand needs more success stories like Cawthorn, Trinder and Pic’s.  

    That’s why our Government is so focused on delivering policies that support economic productivity and that give entrepreneurs, employers and firms the confidence they need to invest, hire, expand and grow.  

    That includes getting the basics right, such as low and stable inflation, manageable interest rates and credible fiscal management.  

    It means ensuring the Government doesn’t make it harder to do business by tying people up in red tape, endless consent processes, or sticking rigidly to rules that simply don’t make sense. 

    These sensible policy approaches are the base from which we will deliver better choices and investments in the years ahead.  

    I have enormous optimism in New Zealand’s economic growth potential.  

    We are a safe, secure country with established trading relationships and a global reputation as a good place to do business.  

    We are blessed with abundant natural resources – everything from ocean to freshwater, fertile land to minerals and temperate weather.  

    In a world worried about food security, we feed more than 40 million people with levels of efficiency and sustainability that are the envy of the world.  

    We have a long history of stable democracy, strong institutions and rule of law.  

    We’ve produced world-leading scientific breakthroughs, send rockets to space and continue to produce some of the world’s best digital effects.

    There are many reasons for New Zealand to be optimistic that better times are ahead.  

    Even so, I’m not a total Pollyanna.  

    I’m conscious of the challenging economic circumstances many people in Nelson, and around the country for that matter, have experienced in the past few years and in some cases continue to experience.  

    Local employers and households have come through a post-Covid period of very high inflation and rapidly rising interest rates. 

    High inflation and high interest rates aren’t just numbers for economists – they’ve had big human impacts:  elevating the cost of living, and putting a handbrake on business activity, with significant impacts for people’s jobs and incomes.  

    Our country has also been left with a sea of debt and red-ink in the Government books that will take time to repair.  

    The post-Covid ‘structural deficit’ has left a big gap between what the country needs to fund to deliver on the spending commitments we’ve made and what we need to earn to pay for that spending. 

    In effect, the Government is borrowing billions to bridge the gap, with a $13 billion deficit this year and forecasters anticipating deficits in future years too.  

    That obviously can’t go on forever, or else our kids and grandkids will be left with unsustainable debt and considerable economic uncertainty.  

    That’s why our Government is working carefully to bring the country’s finances back into balance: so we can start to pay down our debt and create better buffers for the future.  

    We want to ensure New Zealand is financially strong and resilient enough to effectively respond to whatever the future may throw at us: be it earthquakes, extreme climatic events or other events outside our control. 

    Restoring that fiscal balance, while continuing to increase investment in essential front line public services, requires careful prioritisation and some tough – but unavoidable –  choices.

    Believe me – I too would love the freedom to throw today’s Budget constraints out the door – but I’m always conscious that the dollars we spend today eventually need to be repaid.  Freedom today could mean serfdom tomorrow.

    The good news is that New Zealand has in recent months been turning the corner in our post-Covid recovery.  

    Inflation has been brought back under control, interest rates have dropped 200 basis points, exports have been growing, commodity prices have improved, tourists have been returning and business and consumer confidence has been on the up.  

    That growth is positive for Kiwis’ jobs and incomes and for the Government’s books.  It provided a welcome backdrop as the Government started putting together this year’s Budget.  

    But, there’s a but. As you know, the world economy is now facing further headwinds, with United States trade policy changes, counter-tariffs, retaliatory measures, tariff pauses and still unfolding estimates of what this could all mean for global and regional growth.  

    Uncertainty abounds.

    The impacts for New Zealand are twofold.  

    On the one hand, there is the first-order impact for our exporters who now face the prospect of higher tariffs being charged for them to export their goods to the US.  

    I know many exporters are finding it very difficult to see through the noise and plan for what might lie around the corner for them.  

    I think for example of the wine exporters of the Nelson-Marlborough region, who are nervous about the many implications different tariff regimes could have for their existing customers and for the way wine is traded around the world.  Will they be competing with more European wine in the UK?  Will they be better placed in a relative sense in the US?  

    It’s simply too soon for wine exporters to know and this makes it very difficult for them to plan.  

    Direct tariff impacts may well be uneven from firm to firm, sector to sector and market to market.  

    There will inevitably be both swings and roundabouts. For example, I spoke to a beverage manufacturer in Wellington last week who’d just taken a large order from China, as importers there were looking to find alternatives to US products which they expect will carry much higher tariffs into the future.  

    The Government has moved swiftly to gather the best possible information and insights about these unfolding implications for our exporters, relying on our incredible network of diplomats and representatives around the world.  

    Officials are addressing queries from exporters, have hotlines established, are delivering information webinars and are working with individual firms to help them understand the practical implications of tariffs, including for firms who have manufacturing in third countries or product already en-route to the US.  

    New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is currently providing tailored support to a group of 1000 larger exporters, including access to their in-market staff, their network of private sector exporters and financial advice.    

    For now, most business appear to be looking to navigate through the initial uncertainty rather than making dramatic changes in response.

    The Government will keep providing exporters with information and advisory support and assess impacts as more certain information becomes available.

    Beyond direct tariff effects, the second-order impact for the New Zealand economy is what forecasters are now predicting will be more financial uncertainty, potentially increased inflation pressure and a lower growth trajectory for the global economy and many of the countries with which New Zealand trades.  

    These are just forecasts at this stage, and, once again the actual impacts are still unclear.  Put simply though: all these developments will make New Zealand’s economic recovery harder.  

    We can’t wish that away.  

    What we can do is focus on the things we can control.  

    This means it is more important than ever that New Zealand offers a predictable, steady approach to our economic and fiscal management.  

    In an unstable world we need to stay the course with responsible policies that provide stability, support investment and make us an attractive place for the world to trade and do business with.  

    New Zealand has the opportunity to position ourselves as a safe haven, and to continue our long history of honouring existing trade agreements and forging new ones.  

    Earlier this year, well before “Liberation Day”, I released the Government’s Going for Growth framework which sets out 88 policy actions to do just that.  These actions are grouped under the Government’s five key thematic growth pillars.  

    Promoting global trade and investment was a key pillar then and it’s a key pillar now.  

    Our goal is to double the value of New Zealand exports within a decade so we are working to grow and strengthen our trade relationships around the world. 

    The Prime Minister kicked off the year in Dubai signing a new trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates and trade talks with India, soon to be the world’s third largest economy, are underway.

    At the same time, we are making it much easier for New Zealand to benefit from international capital and investment. 

    A new agency, Invest NZ, is being established to welcome international investment into New Zealand, and the Overseas Investment Act is being reformed to make it easier for businesses to receive new investment, grow and pay higher wages.  

    There are four additional pillars in the Government’s Going for Growth agenda:

    • Developing talent
    • Competitive business settings
    • Innovation, technology and science; and
    • Infrastructure for growth

    I encourage you to check out the full plan online but let me make just a few remarks about each.  

    Developing talent:  This is about making the most of our most important asset, human capital, getting back to basics and arresting the woeful decline in the literacy and numeracy skills of our school leavers. 

     We simply can’t be the wealthy country we want to be if too many of our school leavers emerge from the school system without the basic skills they need to succeed in the modern world. 

    We’ve already acted to stop the slide and re-introduced structured literacy and maths to our schools, ensuring kids are receiving instruction in ways that work.  We’re bringing practical knowledge and skills back to the curriculum and reporting on performance. 

    At the same time, we’re tuning-up our vocational education system to make it more responsive to industry and regional needs, and to ensure people wanting to acquire skills for a new trade or industry have good choices for upskilling. This means ensuring institutions like the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology can be locally nimble and responsive.  

    Competitive business settings:  This is about both cutting red tape and ensuring we have rules that foster competition between big firms to deliver a better deal for New Zealand consumers. 

    In my view, in recent years New Zealand has in too many areas of life become stultifyingly risk-averse, and we now have a spaghetti of costly and complex rules and regulations that are holding back sensible development and clever ideas.  

    The Government has already zeroed in on a key target in this regard: the Resource Management Act.  

    We’ve passed a new fast-track law to bypass the burdensome court process and accelerate the yes for dozens of major projects that, if approved through a streamlined panel process, will drive jobs and growth across the country.  

    In this region, three projects have been identified as potential fast-track initiatives.  

    They include the Hope Bypass, already confirmed as a Road of National Significance in our land transport plan, with a proposal to alter the existing designation and acquire additional land outside that designation. 

    They also include the Maitahi Village housing development, including plans for a commercial centre and retirement village.  I’m advised that this project is already being progressed through the fast-track panel process, with final decisions still pending.  

    The Mapua Housing Development, is also listed as a fast-track project with potential to enter the process. I’m advised that project would include up to 320 residential allotments, a recreational reserve, a community amenities building and parking, a wetland and restoration of the Season Valley stream.   

    Beyond the fast-track process we are also working at pace 

    to replace the Resource Management Act as a whole.  

    We’re advised our plans will deliver a 45 per cent reduction in administrative and compliance costs. 

    We’ve also worked quickly to lessen the regulatory burden on the agricultural sector. We back farmers, and we don’t want unwieldy rules stopping them making sensible decisions for their farming businesses.

    Reform of the Health and Safety at Work Act is underway to reduce box ticking exercises and compliance costs. 

    The other aspect of this work is in the competition space. 

    Everyday Kiwis, visiting OECD economists and Ministers around our Cabinet table share concerns about the concentration of large businesses in some of our major industries, with mounting evidence that competition has suffered as a result, and that New Zealand consumers are missing out on a fair deal.

    You’ll probably have noticed that we’re acting to improve competition in the banking and grocery sectors and we’ll have more to say about those as well as other sectors in the coming months. 

    Innovation, technology and science:  This is about not only the Government’s investment in science but also the steps we’re taking to make it easier for businesses and industries to pursue their own innovation agendas. 

    Government science institutions are being streamlined into four much more commercially focused entities that will ensure our taxpayer investment in science is connected with the needs of a growing economy.  

    We’re also thinking hard about what we can do to incentivise New Zealand businesses to invest in the new machinery, technology and equipment that will lift productivity in the years ahead.  

    We know that faster-growing countries tend to have more ‘capital intensity’ in their businesses, which helps drive productivity.  I’m keen to unlock more of that in New Zealand and am considering the best ways to support it.

    Finally, infrastructure for growth. Roads, ports, hospitals, schools and more. 

    New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit that is reducing productivity and living standards. 

    We need to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to how we plan, fund and build modern infrastructure.  

    We are putting together a 30 year National Infrastructure Plan and a new national infrastructure agency.  Just last week we released New Zealand’s first health infrastructure plan, which sets out a national, long-term approach to renewing and expanding the country’s public health facilities.  

    Instead of building single, large-scale structures, the plan proposes a staged approach – delivering smaller, more manageable facilities in phases. This will mean patients benefit from modern healthcare environments sooner, while providing greater certainty around delivery timeframes and costs.  

    And yes, rest assured, redeveloping Nelson Hospital is a key priority for the Government. Work is already underway to expand the Emergency Department at Nelson Hospital, and earthquake strengthening of the George Mason Building is also underway. The $10.6 million ED expansion project is designed to meet the growing demand for emergency care in the area as part of the wider redevelopment programme for the hospital.

    The Health Infrastructure Plan highlights the need for increased bed capacity at Nelson Hospital, earthquake strengthening, a new energy centre and a refurbishment of the George Mason Building. These improvements are key to ensuring the hospital is able to deliver timely and quality healthcare for the people of Nelson. These stages of development of course remain subject to future Budget funding allocations.  

    Conclusion

    Taken together, all of this work represents a significant economic change agenda.  

    I doubt all of this will be welcomed by everyone. 

    It’s easy to say no to a new mine, to say no to concerts at Eden Park, to say no to more tourists, to say no to more housing, to say no to change. But cumulatively all those little “no’s” add up;  they add up to a smaller, poorer country.  

    New Zealanders can’t afford that.  We have to make it easier to get things done in this great country.  We have to deliver on our untapped potential. We owe that to our kids.

    Let me finish on a positive note: New Zealand faces some significant challenges and those challenges have only grown in recent weeks. 

    But if I could choose to be any country at this particular moment in time, I would choose New Zealand. 

    Our Government has a plan, and our plan will mean a stronger, growing economy and that growth will mean New Zealanders can live better lives. And that is what it is all about. Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Graduation time for Course 79

    Source: New South Wales – News

    Easter may have come and gone but celebrations continued at South Australia Police’s (SAPOL) academy this afternoon for Course 79’s graduation.

    Ranging in age from 22 to 35, 11 men and three women begin their policing careers after 9.5 months of thorough training.

    The 14 new police officers bring a variety of former work experience, including from retail, grain testing, health and fitness, refrigeration, and as Police Security Officers.

    Prior to joining SAPOL, Sam was working as a personal trainer and enjoyed hitting the jiu-jitsu mats.

    “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer, but what started off as wanting to fight crime, became a desire to do something more with my life and partake in an exciting, challenging and rewarding career,” he said.

    “Following my time at the academy, I’m a more self-assured, confident and capable individual.”

    Fellow graduate Renae alternated seasonal jobs grain testing and cellar hand vintage work, with working as a refit merchandiser before becoming a police officer.

    “This experience will benefit me in policing as no two working days were the same, and I have a variety of different skills,” she said.

    “I am excited to see where my career will take me as there are endless opportunities in different areas of policing.”

    Dylan was working as an RAA retail sales consultant before joining SAPOL and has played cricket since a young age.

    “Policing appealed to me since I was young, and this is due to the difference police make in the community and even being able to help one person who is having their worst day,” he said.

    “I have gained better conversational skills as well as dealing with people more confidently.”

    Sam hopes to one day work in STAR Operations, while Renae is open to any SAPOL career path but particularly interested in Dog Operations Unit, and Dylan has ambitions to become a District Duty Inspector and would love to eventually work in the executive leadership team.

    Sam encouraged anyone interested in a SAPOL career to “put the work in”.

    “If you feel you will struggle with the fitness side of the training, train. If you feel it will be the academic portion, you’ll have a hard time with, study,” he said.

    Renae said the past 9.5 months have been the toughest but most rewarding she had experienced.

    “If you’re thinking about joining, now is the time,” she encouraged.

    Dylan similarly urged people looking for a new career to “just go for it”.

    “It is a great time to join, and you will make lifelong friends,” he added.

    “Make sure you have some good study habits and fitness habits when you join.”

    Course 79 members will be stationed to metropolitan and regional postings, including Whyalla, Port Pirie, and Port Augusta.

    SAPOL is currently recruiting and is keen to hear from people interested in an inspiring career with unmatched experiences and rewards.

    If you’re looking for job security, career progression pathways and a chance to make a real difference in local communities visit Achievemore – Join Us (police.sa.gov.au)

    Sam, Renae, and Dylan are excited to embark on new policing careers after today graduating from Course 79.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Mentoring crucial for success of overseas and new secondary teachers

    Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

    “The Government has made it easier for overseas trained teachers to come to New Zealand to try to address the teaching shortage. It’s hard coming to an entirely new country with an entirely different curriculum and schooling system, so understandably these teachers require support. This support needs to come from experienced teachers, often the same teachers who are responsible for leading the implementation of the new curriculum and NCEA changes in their departments.”

    A recent PPTA survey of establishing and overseas trained secondary teachers found that 90% of respondents agreed that mentoring had helped their development. Worryingly, almost 20% of respondents said they did not receive the right amount of mentoring during that time and almost 20% said they did not believe the mentoring they received was good quality.

    “That’s why we are launching today a series of initiatives aimed at making the role of the mentor teacher better supported and recognised. These initiatives include the development of clear and detailed guidelines for mentors of teacher trainees, beginning teachers, overseas trained teachers and classroom specialist teachers.”

    And in the upcoming collective agreement negotiations, PPTA Te Wehengarua will claim for: 

    • Continued funding for the delivery of a highly successful professional development course in effective mentoring
    • An increase in the allowance received by teachers mentoring student teachers from $3 an hour to the minimum wage of $23 an hour
    • An increase to the unit and allowance payments which are paid to teachers in roles that include mentoring responsibilities.

    “Secondary teaching is an amazing and hugely satisfying career. But it’s hard, and particularly teachers in their first five years of teaching need a firm foundation of support to keep them grounded.”

    Chris Abercrombie said both academic and anecdotal research showed that effective mentoring and support could ‘make or break’ an establishing teacher. “The quality of mentoring that teachers receive, particularly in their first few years in the profession, can have a significant influence on whether they stay in or leave teaching after their first few years.

    “Retaining the experienced teachers that we need in the workforce to pick up these mentoring responsibilities is incredibly important. The largest number of teachers leave after five to 10 years in the profession, exactly the time when we need them to start mentoring new teachers.

    Chris Abercrombie said it was appropriate that the mentoring initiatives were being launched at the PPTA Te Wehengarua Network of Establishing Teachers conference, being held in Tāmaki Makaurua today and tomorrow. The network of establishing teachers is made up of secondary teachers with up to 10 years’ experience.

    “It is these teachers who we really need to keep in our schools. Everything that can be done, needs to be done, to support their professional growth.”

    Last modified on Wednesday, 23 April 2025 14:53

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Next steps for state highway speed reversals programme

    Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

    Community consultation has concluded, results have been analysed, and decisions have been made on speed limits for 49 state highway corridors, with most locations set to return to their previous higher speed limits.

    On 29 January 2025, the Minister of Transport confirmed that 38 sections of state highway were subject to speed limit auto-reversal under the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024, with a further 49 sections open to community consultation to confirm whether there was public support to retain current lower speed limits. 

    Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024

    NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) carried out six weeks of public consultation on these 49 sections of state highway between 30 January and 13 March, and the NZTA Board considered the consultation results earlier this month.

    Over 21,500 people had their say, and based on their feedback, 43 locations will return to their previous higher speed limits, with six remaining at their current lower speed limits.

    The six locations that demonstrated majority public support, as required by the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024, to keep their current lower speed limit were: 

    • SH30 Rotorua South  
    • SH5 Waipā State Mill Road 
    • SH5 Waiotapu, 
    • SH3 Whanganui 
    • SH3 Palmerston Northeast to Whakarongo
    • SH94 Homer Tunnel to Milford Sound.  

    Local road users and communities in these six locations made their support for the current lower speed limits clear through consultation feedback:

    • More than 50 per cent of respondents asked for the current lower speed limits to be retained for each of these locations. NZTA can now confirm that these lower speed limits will remain in place.  
    • Public support levels for the other 43 sections of state highway did not reach a similar level of support, with less than 50 per cent of respondents wishing to retain lower speed limits. 
    • NZTA will now add these 43 locations to its wider list of speed limit reversals and will begin notifying local communities in each of the locations about upcoming signage changes.

    Implementation of the speed limit reversals will be rolled out in monthly tranches, with all reversals to be in effect by 1 July 2025, as required by the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2024. 

    NZTA acknowledges there are a wide range of opinions on speed limits, and thanks everyone who took the time to share their views.  A summary of feedback received through the consultation process is available here:

    Consultation summary report – Speed reversals [PDF, 1.9 MB]

    This feedback will be valuable in shaping future speed reviews. This includes concerns voiced by local schools and marae. 

    NZTA will now work with those schools and iwi, hapū, and marae to see what other safety interventions, such as Variable Speed Limits (VSLs), can be applied under the Rule to help them keep vulnerable users safe. 

    VSLs are required by the Rule to be implemented outside all schools by 1 July 2026. 

    Work is continuing separately on consultation on 16 of the 38 sections of state highways subject to auto-reversal requirements under the Rule, but where local communities have given strong feedback that they want to keep lower speeds.  
     
    For consultation on these 16 sections of state highway, NZTA is required to follow different process under the Rule. This involves undertaking a full speed review, which includes looking at technical, safety, cost and economic data, alongside consultation feedback, before being able to confirm final speed limit outcomes.

    Consultation on these 16 sections of state highway is open for six weeks, between 2 April and 14 May, and the results of this phase of work will be known in June.  

    If the new speed reviews determine a lower speed should be confirmed, instead of the higher one set through the reversal process, this change will take place immediately after 1 July 2025.

    More information about the sections of state highway currently under consultation can be found on the NZTA website:  

    New consultation on urban connectors 

    More details on the sections of state highway reversing to their previous higher limits is also available on the NZTA website can be found here: 

    Speed reversals and consultation – transitional changes in 2024-25

    Notes to editors:  

    • The new Setting of Speed Limits Rule (the Rule) requires that a range of specified roads managed by NZTA and local council road controlling authorities (RCAs), where speed have been lowered since January 2020, must automatically reverse back to their previous higher speeds by 1 July 2025. 
    • While NZTA has published a list of 89 road locations on state highways that are required to reverse, the Rule also allowed for the agency to consult on some state highways in two of the five categories (rural connectors and inter-regional connectors), before confirming its final list for implementation. 
    • There are five categories of specified roads required to auto-reverse under the Section 11 Transitional provisions of the Rule. These categories are managed by both local government and NZTA. NZTA was the only road controlling authority (RCA) able to consult on retaining current lower speed limits on some state highways as part of these provisions in two of the five categories – rural connectors and interregionals.   
    • All RCAs must confirm their lists to reverse to the Director of Land Transport in May 2025, for uploading to the National Speed Limits Register (NSLR). Implementation is required to take place by 1 July 2025.   
    • An additional 16 locations included in NZTA’s list of specified roads are now going through full new speed reviews under different provisions of the rule. If the new speed reviews determine a lower speed should be confirmed instead of the higher one set through the reversal process, this change will take place immediately after 1 July 2025. The results of these speed reviews will be known in June 2025. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: EMA – Corridor Improvements Unlock Significant Economic Gains

    Source: EMA

    Today’s announcement of the preferred corridor over the Brynderwyn Hills to Whangārei signals the unlocking of major gains for the Northland economy, and further enhances connectivity in New Zealand’s most important economic region.
    “For those in Whangārei and further north, the four-lane connection between Auckland and Whangārei can’t come soon enough. When you add that announcement to yesterday’s decision on the SH 29 and 29A connections from Tauranga, there are big gains for the economy and housing infrastructure to follow,” says the EMA’s Head of Advocacy, Alan McDonald.
    “When completed, the connection between Auckland and Whangārei is expected to benefit that corridor by more than $500 million annually, similar to the gains seen on the corridors south to Hamilton and eventually through to Piarere. In addition, the Tauriko four-laning and Takitimu North projects in Tauranga create significant gains for the movement of people, goods and freight.
    “As well as unlocking thousands of jobs, the Tauriko project also opens up the construction of up to 30,000 new homes. Housing growth in Tauranga has been constrained by a lack of buildable sites in recent years.”
    The EMA has long supported a four-lane connection to Whangārei as it allows the region to become a full participant in the economic engine of the Upper North Island’s ‘golden triangle’. More than 40% of New Zealand’s economy is generated in the corridors from Tauranga to Hamilton and Auckland, with Northland (Whangārei and beyond) increasingly becoming a part of this engine.
    “Reliable connections from Whangārei to Auckland and beyond, through to Tauranga, are critical. Warkworth is already becoming a growth area for business and housing, following the completion of the four-lane highway that currently ends just north of the town. We’ll see similar growth in the next phase ending north of Wellsford at Te Hana.
    “With major business and housing growth in areas south of Auckland at Glenbrook, Pukekohe, Papakura and Drury, as well as the ongoing developments at Ruakura and other areas south of Hamilton, the improved connections to Tauranga are also critical.
    “The confirmation of these major corridor projects is good news for the region, especially in linking the major port hubs at Marsden, Auckland and Tauranga.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Aid cuts threaten the lives of 110,000 children with severe malnutrition reliant on emergency treatment from Save the Children

    Source: Save the Children

    At least 110,000- severely acutely malnourished children supported by Save the Children in 10 countries could be left without access to life-saving ready-to-use emergency food and nutrition programmes as aid cuts hit supplies in coming months, according to a Save the Children analysis.
    Globally, one in five deaths among children aged under 5 are attributed to severe acute malnutrition, making it one of the top threats to child survival. Community-based programmes combining medical treatment and therapeutic foods, including a fortified peanut paste, have a 90% success rate.
    Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is an energy-dense, micronutrient paste typically made using peanuts, sugar, milk powder, oil, vitamins and minerals that is packaged in foil pouches with a long shelf life and no need of refrigeration. Over the past 30 years this emergency therapeutic food has saved the lives of millions of children facing acute malnutrition [1] [2].
    At a time when global hunger is skyrocketing [3], the current global supply of RUTF is already not even meeting 40% of global needs, Save the Children said, leaving millions of children without access to this life-saving intervention.
    In 2024 there were large-scale breaks in the supply of RUTF as rising malnutrition rates drove up demand and due to disruptions in global supply chains and insufficient funding. This situation is expected to worsen in 2025. An analysis by Save the Children of the 10 countries forecast to have the biggest gaps in supplies found 110,000 malnourished children could miss out on this vital treatment by the end of the year. RUTF supplies are expected to run out in many locations from next month due to a lack of funding.
    Globally at least 18.2 million children were born into hunger in 2024, or about 35 children a minute, with children in conflict zones from Gaza to Ukraine, to Haiti, Sudan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), struggling daily to get enough to eat. Famine has been declared in several parts of Sudan where people are resorting to eating grass to stay alive.
    Hannah Stephenson, Head of Hunger and Nutrition at Save the Children, said:
    “Right now, funding shortfalls mean essential nutrition packs are not reaching the children who desperately need them. We know we have the expertise and the track record to reach children around the world but what we urgently need now is the funding to ensure children can receive life-saving treatment. We are running out of time, and t his will cost children’s lives.
    “We also need to see long-term commitments to tackle the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, or else we will continue to see the reversal of progress made for children.”
    In Kenya, one of the countries where Save the Children treats acute malnutrition cases, 18-month-old Ereng has just recovered from malnutrition with treatment from Community Health Promoter Charles, who was trained in basic healthcare by Save the Children.
    Lomanat and Daniel, Ereng’s parents, walked for several kilometres to reach Charles’ clinic. The family are pastoralists, but recent droughts have killed their livestock, and the family now has no sustainable income and no reliable food source.
    They know how important treatment is for children like Ereng, who gained 2.4 kgs (5.3 pounds) in two months once she started receiving nutrition treatment using the fortified peanut paste which has about 500 calories in each portion. Lomanat said:
    “Our  child was in a very bad shape, and the doctor helped by giving her peanut paste. I am very happy, because she is cured.”
    In Somalia, where Save the Children also treats child with acute malnutrition, 7-month-Mukhtar- arrived at a health centre in Puntland after contracting flu which led to breathing difficulties and malnutrition.
    His mother Shamso, 40, who has eight other children, feared her son would not survive with the family struggling after drought killed all but six of their herd of 30 goats. But after receiving medical care and treatment for malnutrition with peanut paste, Mukhtar recovered and returned home.
    “His condition was serious when I brought him in and I didn’t expect him to reach the town alive ,” said Shamso. “My biggest worry is the children, whether my own, those of the relatives or those of my neighbours. When drought comes, it follows that hunger will strike.”
    Children are always the most vulnerable in food crises and, without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, they are at high risk of becoming acutely malnourished.
    Malnutrition can cause stunting, impede mental and physical development, and increase the risk of contracting deadly diseases.
    About 1.12 billion children globally – or almost half of the world’s children – are unable to afford a balanced diet now, according to data from Save the Children released last month.
    In 2025, Save the Children aims to treat 260,000 children for severe acute malnutrition at outpatient sites in 10 countries that are now experiencing therapeutic food shortages.
    Save the Children is urgently trying to raise $7 million to provide 110,000 severely malnourished children with life-saving RUTF and the critical services needed to treat malnutrition 1 including skilled health workers, community follow-up, immunizations, safe spaces for treatment, safe water, hygiene and sanitation support.
    In the United States, actress and Save the Children ambassador Jennifer Garner launched her #67Strong4Kids campaign on her birthday last week. For #67Strong4Kids she is running a mile a day for 67 consecutive days to raise awareness about Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). The amount $67 covers a six-week course of RUTF that treats a child suffering from severe acute malnutrition and potentially saves their life.
    NOTES:
    -Methodology: Save the Children used the target reach figures for all outpatient severe acute malnutrition treatment in 10 countries facing the largest disruption to the RUTF supply and compared with the current funding gaps for RUTF in those countries. Given the continued uncertainty in supply funding these figures are preliminary and up to date as of 26 March 2025. The 10 countries facing the largest disruptions are Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen.
    REFERENCES
    About Save the Children NZ:
    Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
    Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Who will the next pope be? Here are some top contenders

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

    The death of Pope Francis this week marks the end of a historic papacy and the beginning of a significant transition for the Catholic Church. As the faithful around the world mourn his passing, attention now turns to the next phase: the election of a new pope.

    This election will take place through a process known as the conclave. Typically held two to three weeks after a pope’s funeral, the conclave gathers the College of Cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Here, through prayer, reflection and secret ballots, they must reach a two-thirds majority to choose the next Bishop of Rome.

    While, in theory, any baptised Catholic man can be elected, for the past seven centuries the role has gone to a cardinal. That said, the outcome can still be unpredictable – sometimes even surprising the electors themselves.



    Read more:
    How will a new pope be chosen? An expert explains the conclave

    An unlikely candidate

    Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – who became Pope Francis – wasn’t among the front-runners in 2013. Nonetheless, after five rounds of voting, he emerged as the top candidate. Something similar could happen again.

    This conclave will take place during a time of tension and change within the church. Francis sought to decentralise Vatican authority, emphasised caring for the poor and the planet, and tried to open dialogue on sensitive issues such as LGBTQIA+ inclusion and clerical abuse. The cardinals must now decide whether to continue in this direction, or steer towards a more traditional course.

    There is historical precedent to consider. For centuries, Italians dominated the papacy. Of the 266 popes, 217 have been Italian.

    However, this pattern has shifted in recent decades: Francis was from Argentina, John Paul II (1978–2005) from Poland, and Benedict XVI (2005–2013) from Germany.

    The top papabili

    As with any election, observers are speaking of their “favourites”. The term papabile, which in Italian means “pope-able”, or “capable of becoming pope”, is used to describe cardinals who are seen as serious contenders.

    Among the leading papabili is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, aged 70, the current Secretary of State of Vatican City. Parolin has long been one of Francis’ closest collaborators and has led efforts to open dialogue with difficult regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.

    Parolin is seen as a centrist figure who could appeal to both reform-minded and more conservative cardinals. Yet some observers argue he lacks the charismatic and pastoral presence that helped define Francis’ papacy.

    Another name to watch is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. At 60, he is younger than many of his colleagues, but brings extensive experience in interfaith dialogue in the Middle East. His fluency in Hebrew and his long service in the Holy Land could prove appealing.

    Then again, his relative youth may cause hesitation among those concerned about electing a pope who could serve for decades. As the papacy of John Paul II demonstrated, such long reigns can have a profound impact on the church.

    Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is also frequently mentioned. Now 67, Tagle is known for his deep commitment to social justice and the poor. He has spoken out against human rights abuses in his home country and has often echoed Francis’ pastoral tone. But some cardinals may worry that his outspoken political views could complicate the church’s diplomatic efforts.

    Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, now 76, was a prominent figure during the last conclave. A strong voice on environmental and economic justice, he has served under both Benedict XVI and Francis.

    Turkson has largely upheld the church’s traditional teachings on matters such as male-only priesthood, marriage between a man and a woman, and sexuality. He is also a strong advocate for transparency, and has spoken out against corruption and in defence of human rights.

    Though less widely known among the public, Cardinal Mykola Bychok of Melbourne may also be considered. His election would be as surprising (and perhaps as symbolically powerful) as that of John Paul II in 1978. A Ukrainian-Australian pope, chosen during the ongoing war in Ukraine, would send a strong message about the church’s concern for suffering peoples and global peace.

    Other names that may come up are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Brazil – both of whom lead large and growing Catholic communities. Although news reports don’t always list them among the top contenders, their influence within their regions – and the need to recognise the church’s global demographic shifts – means their voices will matter.

    On the more conservative side is American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who had been one of Francis’ most vocal critics. But his confrontational stance makes him an unlikely candidate.

    More plausible would be Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary, aged 71. Erdő is a respected canon lawyer with a more traditional theological orientation. He was mentioned in 2013 and may reemerge as a promising candidate among conservative cardinals.

    Cardinal Péter Erdő was ordained as a priest in 1975 and has a doctorate in theology. He will be a top pick among conservatives.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    One tough act to follow

    Although Francis appointed many of the cardinals who will vote in the conclave, that doesn’t mean all of them supported his agenda. Many come from communities with traditional values, and may be drawn to a candidate who emphasises older church teachings.

    The conclave will also reflect broader questions of geography. The church’s growth has shifted away from Europe, to Asia, Africa and Latin America. A pope from one of these regions could symbolise this change, and speak more directly to the challenges faced by Catholic communities in the Global South.

    Ultimately, predicting a conclave is impossible. Dynamics often change once the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and begin voting. Alliances shift, new names emerge, and consensus may form around someone who was barely discussed beforehand.

    What is certain is that the next pope will shape the church’s future: doctrinally, diplomatically and pastorally. Whether he chooses to build on Francis’ legacy of reform, or move in a new direction, he will need to balance ancient traditions with the urgent realities of the modern world.

    Darius von Guttner Sporzynski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Who will the next pope be? Here are some top contenders – https://theconversation.com/who-will-the-next-pope-be-here-are-some-top-contenders-255006

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: LDV Automotive Australia in court for alleged misleading advertising

    Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

    The ACCC has instituted proceedings in the Federal Court against Ateco Automotive Pty Ltd, trading as LDV Automotive Australia, (LDV) for allegedly making misleading representations to consumers about the durability and suitability of particular models of LDV branded vehicles in breach of the Australian Consumer Law. The ACCC alleges that those vehicles had a propensity to rust or corrode within five years of being manufactured.

    It is alleged that during various periods of time between approximately 23 April 2019 and 30 November 2024, LDV made misleading representations to consumers that models with T60 and G10 in their names (excluding the eT60) were durable and tough, and that they were suitable for use in, near, or on, a variety of environments and off-road terrains.

    LDV made these alleged representations in advertisements published on various mediums including its website, television, radio, Facebook and Instagram, which often portrayed the vehicles on beaches; near lakes, rivers or other pooled water; or on unsealed roads, or in dirt or gravel terrain.

    The ACCC alleges the relevant T60 and G10 vehicle models had a propensity to develop rust or corrosion within the first five years from the date of manufacture, and therefore the advertised LDV vehicles, including those in which rust or corrosion occurred, were not durable and tough.

    It is also alleged that the propensity to rust, which increased if the vehicles were used in, near or on certain terrains, made the advertised vehicles, including the vehicles in which rust occurred, not suitable for use in, near, or on, the advertised terrains.

    “A new car is a significant financial purchase, and consumers rightfully expect that the vehicle they purchase will live up to the quality and uses that it was advertised to include,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

    The ACCC also alleges that in advertising a 10-year anti-corrosion warranty between 23 April 2019 and 31 August 2020, LDV made representations to consumers that the relevant T60 vehicle models did not have a material risk of developing rust or corrosion in the first 10 years of manufacture. The ACCC alleges that these representations were false or misleading due to the propensity for those vehicles to develop rust or corrosion.

    In addition or instead, the ACCC alleges that, by April 2019, LDV was aware that rust or corrosion issues were prevalent in the T60 and G10 vehicle models within the first five years of being manufactured, and that the representations alleged in the case were false or misleading because LDV did not have a reasonable basis to make the representations.

    Between approximately January 2018 and November 2024, LDV received more than 5,000 consumer complaints regarding rust or corrosion in its T60 and G10 vehicle models, usually via LDV dealerships.

    “We allege that despite being aware of the propensity for the vehicles to rust, LDV continued to make representations for a number of years that the T60 and G10 vehicles were durable and suitable for use in a variety of terrains,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

    “As a result, we allege that LDV’s conduct is likely to have caused harm to affected consumers, including because the propensity for rust or corrosion lowered the value of their vehicles, and because consumers lost the opportunity to make an informed decision that may have involved purchasing an alternative vehicle that did not carry the same risks.”

    The ACCC is seeking penalties, declarations, consumer redress, costs and other orders.

    Examples of the allegedly misleading statements used in LDV’s advertisements

    • The T60 is up to any challenge you care to take on – work or play, on-road or off… It turns the toughest tracks into a walk in the park.
    • The T60 Ute has the tough build and all the robust features needed to take you anywhere, be it work or play.
    • Who needs roads when you’re driving a T60?
    • Why take a long walk on the beach when you could take a drive in the LDV T60 Ute?
    • G10s are built to stand up to the everyday and so much more.

    Background

    Ateco is an Australian vehicle importer that trades under various business names, including LDV Automotive Australia.

    Ateco is headquartered in NSW and has imported cars to Australia and New Zealand since 1985. Ateco currently distributes LDV branded vehicles and other vehicles through dealerships in Australia.

    Ateco is the exclusive importer of LDV branded vehicles in Australia. Its range of models includes both commercial and passenger vehicles, such as the T60 Max Ute, G10 Van and D90 SUV. LDV vehicles are generally priced between $36,000 to $65,000.

    There are 102 LDV dealerships across Australia, with locations in every state and territory. The majority of LDV dealerships are located in New South Wales (31), Victoria (25) and Queensland (22).

    Between the years 2018 to 2024 (inclusive), LDV’s dealerships sold more than 60,000 T60 and G10 vehicle models which generated more than $1.5 billion in revenue (excluding GST).

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: ER Report: A Roundup of Significant Articles on EveningReport.nz for April 23, 2025

    ER Report: Here is a summary of significant articles published on EveningReport.nz on April 23, 2025.

    The ‘responsible gambling’ mantra does nothing to prevent harm. It probably makes things worse
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University Haelen Haagen/Shutterstock Recent royal commissions and inquiries into Crown and Star casino groups attracted much media attention. Most of this was focused on money laundering and other illegalities. The Victorian royal commission found widespread

    This election, Gen Z and Millennials hold most of the voting power. How might they wield it?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Intifar Chowdhury, Lecturer in Government, Flinders University The centre of gravity of Australian politics has shifted. Millennials and Gen Z voters, now comprising 47% of the electorate, have taken over as the dominant voting bloc. But this generational shift isn’t just about numerical dominance. It’s also about

    Only a third of Australians support increasing defence spending: new research
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Richard Dunley, Senior Lecturer in History and Maritime Strategy, UNSW Sydney National security issues have been a constant feature of this federal election campaign. Both major parties have spruiked their national security credentials by promising additional defence spending. The Coalition has pledged to spend 3% of Australia’s

    After stunning comeback, centre-left Liberals likely to win majority of seats at Canadian election
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne In Canada, the governing centre-left Liberals had trailed the Conservatives by more than 20 points in January, but now lead by five points and are likely to

    The Greens are hoping for another ‘greenslide’ election. What do the polls say?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Miragliotta, Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University Election talk is inevitably focused on Labor and the Coalition because they are the parties that customarily form government. But a minor party like the Greens is consequential, regardless of whether the election delivers a minority government. Certainly, the

    Victory for US press freedom and workers – court grants injunction in VOA media case
    Asia Pacific Report The US District Court for the District of Columbia has granted a preliminary injunction in Widakuswara v Lake, affirming the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was unlawfully shuttered by the Trump administration, Acting Director Victor Morales and Special Adviser Kari Lake. The decision enshrines that USAGM must fulfill its legally required

    Scientists claim to have found evidence of alien life. But ‘biosignatures’ might hide more than they reveal
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Campbell Rider, PhD Candidate in Philosophy – Philosophy of Biology, University of Sydney Artist’s impression of the exoplanet K2-18b A. Smith/N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge) Whether or not we’re alone in the universe is one of the biggest questions in science. A recent study, led by astrophysicist Nikku

    What would change your mind about climate change? We asked 5,000 Australians – here’s what they told us
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kelly Kirkland, Research Fellow in Psychology, The University of Queensland LOOKSLIKEPHOTO/Shutterstock Australia just sweltered through one of its hottest summers on record, and heat has pushed well into autumn. Once-in-a-generation floods are now striking with alarming regularity. As disasters escalate, insurers are warning some properties may soon

    Even experts disagree over whether social media is bad for kids. We examined why
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Simon Knight, Associate Professor, Transdisciplinary School, University of Technology Sydney A low relief sculpture depicting Plato and Aristotle arguing adorning the external wall of Florence Cathedral. Krikkiat/Shutterstock Disagreement and uncertainty are common features of everyday life. They’re also common and expected features of scientific research. Despite this,

    Australian women are wary of AI being used in breast cancer screening – new research
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alison Pearce, Associate Professor, Health Economics, University of Sydney Okrasiuk/Shutterstock Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly relevant in many aspects of society, including health care. For example, it’s already used for robotic surgery and to provide virtual mental health support. In recent years, scientists have developed AI

    These 3 climate misinformation campaigns are operating during the election run-up. Here’s how to spot them
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alfie Chadwick, PhD Candidate, Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub, Monash University Australia’s climate and energy wars are at the forefront of the federal election campaign as the major parties outline vastly different plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle soaring power prices. Meanwhile, misinformation about

    Port of Darwin’s struggling Chinese leaseholder may welcome an Australian buy-out
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Colin Hawes, Associate professor of law, University of Technology Sydney Slow Walker/Shutterstock Far from causing trade frictions, an Australian buyout of the Port of Darwin lease may provide a lifeline for its struggling Chinese parent company Landbridge Group. Both Labor and the Coalition have proposed such a

    When rock music met ancient archeology: the enduring power of Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Craig Barker, Head, Public Engagement, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney Sony Music The 1972 concert film Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, back in cinemas this week, remains one of the most unique concert documentaries ever recorded by a rock band. The movie captured the band

    Gambling in Australia: how bad is the problem, who gets harmed most and where may we be heading?
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Russell, Principal Research Fellow, CQUniversity Australia Mick Tsikas/AAP, Joel Carret/AAP, Darren England/AAP, Ihor Koptilin/Shutterstock, The Conversation, CC BY Gambling prevalence studies provide a snapshot of gambling behaviour, problems and harm in our communities. They are typically conducted about every five years. In some Australian states and

    Lest we forget? Aside from Anzac Day, NZ has been slow to remember its military veterans
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato Fiona Goodall/Getty Images Following some very public protests, including Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata handing back his medal, the government’s announcement of an expanded official definition of the term “veteran” brings some good news for former military personnel ahead

    Dutton promises Coalition would increase defence spending to 3% of GDP ‘within a decade’
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will promise a Coalition government would boost Australia’s spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP within five years and 3% within a decade. Launching the Coalition’s long-awaited defence policy on Wednesday in Western Australia, Dutton will

    Leaders trade barbs and well-worn lines in unspectacular third election debate
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Joshua Black, Visitor, School of History, Australian National University Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton have met for the third leaders’ debate of this election campaign, this time on the Nine network. And while the debate traversed much of the same ground as the first two, the quick-fire

    Election Diary: Dutton in third debate gives Labor ammunition for its scare about cuts
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra In the leaders’ third head-to-head encounter, on Nine on Tuesday, Peter Dutton’s bluntness when pressed on cuts has given more ammunition to Labor’s scare campaign about what a Coalition government might do. “When John Howard came into power, there was

    To truly understand Pope Francis’ theology – and impact – you need to look to his life in Buenos Aires
    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Fernanda Peñaloza, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies, University of Sydney Pope Francis’ journey from the streets of Flores, a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the Vatican, is a remarkable tale. Born in 1936, Jorge Bergoglio was raised in a middle-class family of Italian Catholic immigrants.

    Bougainville takes the initiative in mediation over independence
    By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist In recent weeks, Bougainville has taken the initiative, boldly stating that it expects to be independent by 1 September 2027. It also expects the PNG Parliament to quickly ratify the 2019 referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of Bougainvilleans supported independence. In a third move, it established a

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Holds Roundtable on How Trump Attacks on Health Care, Child Care, and Social Security in WA State Put Families at Risk

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Budget Proposal to Fully Eliminate Head Start

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Trump Admin Ripping Away Billions—Including Over $160 Million for Washington State—to Protect People from Public Health Threats

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on Evisceration of Seattle HHS Office and Spokane NIOSH Office Amidst Mass Layoffs at HHS

    ***AUDIO HERE; PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***

    Seattle, WA— Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, held a roundtable discussion at Solid Ground in Seattle about how President Trump’s indiscriminate mass firings across the federal workforce, his funding freezes and attempts to rip away billions in public health funding for communities, and the deep cuts he is now proposing to our nation’s health care and child care infrastructure—and much else—puts programs and services that families across Washington state rely on every day at grave risk.

    Senator Murray was joined for the discussion by: Tana Senn, Secretary for the WA Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF); Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, State Health Officer, Washington State Department of Health; Shalimar Gonzales, CEO of Solid Ground; Janice Deguchi, Executive Director of Neighborhood House, a Head Start provider in Seattle; and Sarah Stafford, a Senior Tribal Specialist who worked in HHS’s Administration for Children and Families office in Seattle but is being fired through no fault of her own by Trump and Elon as part of the wide-scale Reduction in Force (RIF) at HHS.

    “We are talking about incredibly essential, basic necessities here—programs that get communities health care, programs that help families afford groceries, pay their energy bill, get child care—and let’s not forget Social Security offices are being shuttered, and Republicans are getting ready to gut Medicaid. We are getting our first look at Trump’s budget plans—it will be a bloodbath for programs our communities rely on,” said Senator Murray. “I know child care is make or break for so many families—and it has become a crisis, not just for parents, but for our economy. But Trump is already choking off funding for preschool, child care, and early learning programs. His funding delays temporarily closed at least a dozen of Head Start classrooms in Washington state—over 450 kids lost support, and more than 50 employees were out of work. Thankfully, they got their grant eventually, but the chaos is unacceptable and the threat remains. If Trump has his way with his budget, this is going to get catastrophically worse.

    “And it’s not just child care that Trump wants to zero out,” Senator Murray continued. “He is closing the HHS office in Seattle, undermining services for the Pacific Northwest. He illegally tried to rip away over $160 million awarded to Washington state for basic public health work. He wants to eliminate rural health programs—leaving our rural hospitals high and dry, shuttering our programs to train doctors in rural areas, and cutting families off from care. And he wants to cut 40 percent of NIH funding, which will push bright young minds out of our country. I am going to keep lifting up the voices of families in Washington state and I am going to fight tooth and nail to protect the programs that help them meet their basic needs from Trump’s and Elon’s chainsaw.”

    In late March, President Trump and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary RFK Jr. announced plans to cut HHS’s workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 (a 25 percent reduction) through a combination of mass firings and buy-outs and hollow out the Department, which is responsible for protecting Americans’ health and delivering essential health and social services. The announcement followed weeks of mass firings and chaos at HHS that prevented the Department from executing its mission to protect people’s health, and an onslaught of detrimental policies that are halting lifesaving biomedical research and more.

    As part of the restructuring, the administration abruptly shuttered the HHS Region 10 office, which is based in Seattle but covers all of Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Oregon, and has the greatest number of federally recognized Tribes (272) of all HHS regions. The closure of the HHS Region 10 office also included the closure of the Seattle Office of Head Start—among many other HHS subagency offices—and the termination of all employees who worked there.

    Since taking office, President Trump has gutted the offices that keep Head Start centers and child care programs across the country running and shuttered half of the regional offices at the Office of Head Start, which are responsible for ensuring high-quality Head Start services are available to families nationwide. Last week, new reporting revealed President Trump will propose zeroing out funding for Head Start in his forthcoming budget request—a goal proposed in Project 2025, which would cut off essential services and early childhood educational opportunities for hundreds of thousands of families nationwide. Head Start currently serves over 750,000 kids nationwide—with over 17,000 Head Start centers across the country, which are particularly important in serving rural communities with fewer options for care.

    “We are on the brink of seeing more of our communities fall victim to a deliberate and entirely preventable crisis when they are already suffering from historically high housing and food costs. If these proposed cuts to SNAP and Medicaid go through, the human toll will be profound: more families going without enough food, more people becoming seriously ill because they can’t get the medical care they need, and more of our neighbors losing their homes,” said Shalimar Gonzales, CEO of Solid Ground. “Solid Ground is committed to doing everything in our power to meet these growing needs, but we need support from partners and the local community, particularly as we face the loss of critical funding from the federal government.”

    “These cuts hurt kids,” said Tana Senn, Secretary for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. “While there are a lot of unknowns about what’s to come, we do know that a pause or termination of federal funds would have a devastating impact on Washington families and DCYF’s ability to provide them with much-needed services.”

    “These federal cuts are weakening public health in Washington state. The closure of the Seattle HHS office took away a critical connection between our region and Washington DC—professionals who understood our unique geographic challenges and health needs,” said Dr. Tao Kwan-Gett, State Health Officer at Washington State Department of Health. “The termination of over $11 billion nationally in CDC grants, with $140 million to Washington state would devastate our disease tracking systems, cancel over 100 planned vaccine clinics including 35 school-based clinics reaching 800 children, and cripple our laboratory response capacity for emerging threats. While we’re grateful for the temporary restraining order protecting these funds, the interruptions have already disrupted critical services, and the ongoing uncertainty puts them at greater risk. These chaotic federal changes threaten to put us on a path towards more illness and shorter lives.”

    “Neighborhood House’s Head Start and Early Head Start program serves 429 low-income children pre-natal to age 5 through home based and center-based services at 4 locations, with a 5th opening at White Center in May. There are 186 eligible children on our waitlist. Head Start and Early Head Start is comprehensive, we support the whole child: their academic, social emotional growth, medical, dental, and nutritional health. Head Start and Early Head Start supports the whole family, connecting parents to jobs, housing, health care, and providing opportunities for leadership development. Defunding Head Start would cut a vital lifeline for our nation’s children and families by eliminating a bridge to stability and economic opportunity,” said Janice Deguchi, Executive Director of Neighborhood House, a Head Start provider in Seattle. “Without Low Income Heating and Assistance Program, many hard-working people Neighborhood House serves will face the impossible choice between paying utility bills and meeting other basic needs like food and medication. Eliminating LIHEAP will leave vulnerable families without the support they rely on to stay safe and stable in their homes. Community Services Block Grant advances economic independence and strengthens local communities by empowering local Community Action Agencies like Solid Ground and Neighborhood House to respond to pressing and quickly changing community needs.”

    “The [HHS] Region 10 team recruited me to work with them because the CCDF, or Child Care Development Fund, serves many tribal nations within Region 10. I would say the majority of federally recognized tribes are within Region 10 and Region 9, so it was really important previously to have a staff that represented the communities that were being served for that program…There was zero transition of planning happening, there are files that cannot be accessed that are needed by the remaining staff. The staff that are left of course are qualified and dedicated, however the years of expertise from the staff that were RIF’d—you just can’t make any sense out of it,” said Sarah Stafford, a Senior Tribal Specialist in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families who is being fired for no reason and through no fault of her own by Trump and Elon as part of the HHS Reduction in Force (RIF). “In Region 10…those staff in particular spend so much time relationship building with tribal nations and states, no two states are the same, and no two tribal nations are the same. CCDF requirements are quite complex, and people are really innovative in the ways that they choose to deliver those services, and so absent having that expertise and guidance on policy, historical institutional policy knowledge, questions are going to go unanswered, grant applications are going to take a long time to review…Our office was understaffed before, and we made some great progress within the last four years, but all of that has been completely wiped—and without any tribal consultation, which is required anytime you make substantial changes that impact tribal nations as well.”

    Senator Murray has been a leading voice raising the alarm about how Trump and Elon’s mass firings across the federal workforce will undermine services all Americans rely on and hurt families, veterans, small businesses, farmers, and so many others in Washington state and across the country. Senator Murray has spoken out on the Senate floor repeatedly against this administration’s attacks on federal workers, held multiple press conferences  with federal workers—including at NOAA—who are being fired for no reason and through no fault of their own, released information about the mass firings, and repeatedly outlined her concerns with the administration’s so-called “Fork in the Road” offer to her constituents in Washington state.

    A fact sheet on how Trump and RFK Jr. hollowing out HHS is threatening Americans’ health and wellbeing is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: After Trump Admin Refuses to Allow VA to Host Discussion on Women Veterans’ Health Care, Senator Murray Meets with Women Veterans and Advocates In Seattle

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ICYMI: Senator Murray Demands Answers from Secretary Collins Over VA’s Unprecedented Refusal to Allow VA Puget Sound to Participate in Women Veterans Roundtable

    ICYMI: REPORT: Trump’s Mass Firings at VA Hurt WA Veterans

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

    ***AUDIO HERE; PHOTOS and B-ROLL HERE***

    Seattle, WA — Today,U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, hosted a roundtable discussion at the Ballard-Eagleston VFW Post 3063 with women veterans and veteran advocates to discuss the challenges women veterans face in receiving quality care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and how the Trump administration’s steep cuts across the federal workforce—including at VA—are affecting veterans. Senator Murray’s roundtable at the VFW took place only after the Trump administration refused to allow VA Puget Sound to host or participate in a discussion about the current state of women veterans’ health care. Audio of the full roundtable discussion is available HERE.

    Senator Murray has been outspoken in calling attention to how Trump and Elon’s indiscriminate mass layoffs are hurting people—especially veterans—across the country and will undermine services Americans everywhere rely on. She has hosted multiple press conferences with veterans and VA employees in Washington state who are being laid off by Trump and Elon for no reason and through no fault of their own.

    Participating in the discussion with Senator Murray today were: Minnette Mason, Veterans Training Support Center Program Manager at the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA); Alyson Teeter, Commander of VFW Post 3063; Barbara Heston-Moore, President of VFW Post 2289 Auxiliary; Sarah Rubin with VFW Post 3063; Dr. Samantha Powers, Director of UW Veteran Student Life; and Shellie Willis, Chair of the WDVA Women’s Veterans Advisory Committee.

    “I’m furious that under Trump, VA leadership is barring VA Puget Sound from participating in or hosting this important discussion on women veterans’ issues. Throughout my time in Congress, under both Republican and Democratic administrations, I have been able to have open and honest conversations with VA and engage with my veteran constituents in Washington state—but this administration has proven to be vastly different,” Senator Murray said. Yesterday, Senator Murray sent a letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins expressing concern and dismay over the unprecedented refusal—with no justification—by VA to allow VA Puget Sound to participate in today’s roundtable. In the hearing on his nomination to lead VA, his meeting with Senator Murray ahead of the Senate vote on his nomination, and in his own public statements, Doug Collins promised to be maximally transparent with Congress if confirmed.

    “Even though women are more likely to seek care through VA, and are more likely to be dealing with depression, anxiety, or sexual trauma—women are also more likely to face barriers to getting the care they need,” Senator Murray said. “And it’s been deeply frustrating to see the Trump administration undermine VA care, fire researchers, and push out other crucial workers who help veterans get care over the past few months, to say nothing of the disrespect they have shown female veterans—literally erasing the history of some women in uniform and denigrating the service of women in combat. I’m going to push every day to make sure you get the respect you deserve, and the care you were promised—whether that’s making sure VA is implementing women’s health care laws I worked to pass, fighting to expand access to IVF services and menopause research, and providing the federal resources we need for VA to improve care for women veterans.”

    Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the daughter of a WWII veteran, supporting veterans and their families has always been an important priority for Murray. Advocating for women veterans in particular has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. As Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee in 2010, Senator Murray passed her landmark Women Veterans Health Improvement Act into law. Murray has worked to permanently authorize the VA child care pilot program to increase access to free, quality child care for veterans during their appointments, make much-needed improvements to the women veterans call center, and fix a loophole that left veterans footing the bill for medically-necessary emergency newborn transportation that VA should be covering. Murray introduced and helped pass the Deborah Sampson Act, legislation to address gender disparities at VA that established a dedicated Office of Women’s Health at VA and required every VA health facility to have a dedicated women’s health primary care provider, among other things. Murray also helped to pass the MAMMO Act to expand access to high-quality breast cancer screening and treatment services for veterans.

    Last year as Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray delivered a record $900 million investment in women veterans’ health care. Earlier this month, Senator Murray introduced bipartisan legislation to require VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to research and study the effects of menopause on women servicemembers and women veterans.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Aviation experts appointed to new independent review function

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Three experts have been appointed as independent reviewers, making it easier and more affordable for New Zealanders to operate in the aviation sector, Acting Transport Minister James Meager says. 

    Mr Meager today announced the appointment of Kevin Short, Rob MacGregor and Ashok Poduval as the three reviewers for the new independent review function for aviation decisions.

    “All three appointees are highly skilled professionals, with decades of aviation and leadership experience between them across both the public sector and the private sector,” Mr Meager says.

    “Kevin Short offers extensive leadership and experience in assessing and testing highly technical information. He is the former Chief of Defence Force and was previously a senior officer within the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

    “Rob MacGregor brings 50 years of aviation experience within New Zealand and internationally, including former roles as Chief Executive of Texel Air and as an airworthiness inspector for the CAA New Zealand and Qatar.

    “Ashok Poduval is a highly experienced aviation professional who has served as Chief Executive of the Massey University School of Aviation since 2005 and was most recently the President of the Aviation Industry Association.

    The independent review function was established by the Civil Aviation Act which came into force on 5 April 2025. Independent reviewers have recommendatory powers, with the Director of Civil Aviation having final decision rights.

    The reviewers have been appointed for three-year terms, expiring on 31 March 2028. 

    “The new function offers opportunities that will make it easier and more affordable for aviation sector participants in New Zealand to access fair outcomes and challenge decisions that have a significant impact on their livelihoods, such as cancelling or suspending a pilot’s licence,” Mr Meager says.

    “The independent review function provides an alternative option for people wanting to appeal an aviation decision through the courts and is intended to enhance transparency and accountability within the aviation regulatory framework.

    “Being able to have decisions reviewed independently will now mean those people won’t incur these costs and delays, and they’ll have the opportunity for a quick, cost-effective determination.”

    “I look forward to seeing how this new independent review function will support people in their careers and in their involvement in aviation in our country.”

    For more information, visit: https://www.transport.govt.nz/area-of-interest/air-transport/air-transport-regulatory-information/independent-review-function 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northwest Busway takes another step forward

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Faster, more frequent, and reliable public transport for Auckland’s growing northwest is a step closer, following a decision by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Board to endorse the Northwest Rapid Transit investment case, says Transport Minister Chris Bishop.
    “The northwest of Auckland is home to 90,000 people and is one of the city’s largest planned growth areas. By 2051, an additional 100,000 people are expected to be living in the area, with 40,000 new homes, and 40,000 new jobs based there. Delivering faster, more frequent, and reliable public transport is essential and will ensure the transport network can accommodate this growth and ensure people can get where they need to go quickly and safely,” Mr Bishop says.
    “Currently, people in the northwest don’t have reliable public transport options, and 60 percent of residents commute out of the area. Most people travel to work by car, more than any other area in Auckland, and the Northwestern Motorway regularly suffers from congestion and delays.
    “Identified as a priority in the Government Policy Statement on Land Transport 2024 (GPS), delivering the Northwest Busway will be a game changer, and will build on the success of the Northern Busway, City Rail Link, Eastern Busway, and other public transport improvements across Auckland.
    “The Northwest Busway includes a park and ride station at Brigham Creek and stations at Westgate, Royal Road, Lincoln Road, Te Atatū, Point Chevalier and Western Springs. It will be able to move up to 9,000 passengers per hour in each direction – the equivalent of four motorway lanes. It will also provide a reliable 25-minute journey time from Brigham Creek to the city centre – all day, every day.”
    “The staged construction programme in the investment case prioritises benefits to West Aucklanders sooner and focuses on more people benefitting from faster and more reliable journeys, as quickly as possible, while building on the hugely popular WX1 service,” Mr Bishop says.
    “Work is already underway on a new station at Westgate, funded separately by the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group, with the first stage, which will serve local bus services, expected to open in mid-2026.
    “Funding of around $116 million has also already been approved by the NZTA Board in late 2024 for early consenting work and strategic property acquisitions for Brigham Creek and Lincoln Road stations. Depending on further funding availability, construction of the Northwest Busway could begin from 2027.
    “Stage 1 will see new stations at Brigham Creek and Lincoln Road as part of a $330m – $380m package of work. Stage 2 will include the separated and bi-directional busway from Brigham Creek to Te Atatū, along with the stations at Royal Road and Te Atatū, the second stage of Westgate station, and the city centre connection at Newton at an estimated investment of $4,100m – $4,600m*. The Point Chevalier and Western Springs stations are to be delivered as a third stage.
    “NZTA will be engaging with stakeholders and landowners to discuss what the Northwest Busway means for them and next steps. Further design and investigation work will be carried out in the coming months, ahead of lodging Notices of Requirement. The project will now seek to obtain statutory approvals for the project, likely via the Fast Track Approvals Act.
    “This is a great example of delivering faster, more effective processes that keep key transport projects moving. We’re committed to cutting red tape and ensuring critical infrastructure is delivered sooner to support growth, improve safety and keep New Zealand people and businesses moving.
    “Built in stages, the Northwest Busway delivers a strong case for investment with Benefit Cost Ratios of 6.3 for Stage 1, and 2.2 for Stage 2. Incremental delivery is expected over multiple National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) periods, spreading the investment to enhance affordability, and provide a strong pipeline of work for the construction sector into the future.
    “This is a common-sense project that will be transformational for the Northwest of Auckland. We need to get on with it, because congestion will only continue to get worse, current public transport will become overcrowded, late and unreliable, and economic growth and productivity in the Northwest will go backwards if we don’t.”
    This project has also been welcomed by Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, saying “this project will help growth in these areas, but it will also address the existing need for better and faster transport options out West, much like the efficiency of the Northern Busway.”
    “It’s what Aucklanders have been asking for, it’s what I’ve been advocating for on their behalf, and it’s a signal that Wellington is listening to Aucklanders’ needs,” Mr Brown says.
    Notes to Editor:
    Estimated project investment

     
    Estimated investment 
    Benefits 

    Stage 1 
    Brigham Creek station and Park & Ride
    Lincoln Road station
    WX1 improvements

      
    $330m – $380m*

      
    Benefit cost ratio 6.3:1
    $6.30 of benefits for every dollar spent
    Serve around 4,500 passengers per day

    Stage 2 
    City centre connection at Ian McKinnon Drive (Newton connection)
    Te Atatū station
    Royal Road station
    Busway from Brigham Creek to Te Atatū

      
    $4,100m – $4,600m*

      
    Benefit cost ratio 2.2:1
    $2.20 of benefits for every dollar spent

    * The estimated investment envelopes assume the project is delivered in the next 10 years and factor in 30% for escalation and administration.

    Stage 3 
    Point Chevalier station
    Western Springs station
    Busway between Waterview and city centre

      
    NZTA will seek statutory approvals for the project, likely via the Fast Track Approvals Act, but this stage is not expected to be delivered in the next 10 years.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Who will the next pope be? Here are some top contenders

    Source: The Conversation – Global Perspectives – By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University

    The death of Pope Francis this week marks the end of a historic papacy and the beginning of a significant transition for the Catholic Church. As the faithful around the world mourn his passing, attention now turns to the next phase: the election of a new pope.

    This election will take place through a process known as the conclave. Typically held two to three weeks after a pope’s funeral, the conclave gathers the College of Cardinals in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Here, through prayer, reflection and secret ballots, they must reach a two-thirds majority to choose the next Bishop of Rome.

    While, in theory, any baptised Catholic man can be elected, for the past seven centuries the role has gone to a cardinal. That said, the outcome can still be unpredictable – sometimes even surprising the electors themselves.



    Read more:
    How will a new pope be chosen? An expert explains the conclave

    An unlikely candidate

    Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio – who became Pope Francis – wasn’t among the front-runners in 2013. Nonetheless, after five rounds of voting, he emerged as the top candidate. Something similar could happen again.

    This conclave will take place during a time of tension and change within the church. Francis sought to decentralise Vatican authority, emphasised caring for the poor and the planet, and tried to open dialogue on sensitive issues such as LGBTQIA+ inclusion and clerical abuse. The cardinals must now decide whether to continue in this direction, or steer towards a more traditional course.

    There is historical precedent to consider. For centuries, Italians dominated the papacy. Of the 266 popes, 217 have been Italian.

    However, this pattern has shifted in recent decades: Francis was from Argentina, John Paul II (1978–2005) from Poland, and Benedict XVI (2005–2013) from Germany.

    The top papabili

    As with any election, observers are speaking of their “favourites”. The term papabile, which in Italian means “pope-able”, or “capable of becoming pope”, is used to describe cardinals who are seen as serious contenders.

    Among the leading papabili is Cardinal Pietro Parolin, aged 70, the current Secretary of State of Vatican City. Parolin has long been one of Francis’ closest collaborators and has led efforts to open dialogue with difficult regimes, including the Chinese Communist Party.

    Parolin is seen as a centrist figure who could appeal to both reform-minded and more conservative cardinals. Yet some observers argue he lacks the charismatic and pastoral presence that helped define Francis’ papacy.

    Another name to watch is Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. At 60, he is younger than many of his colleagues, but brings extensive experience in interfaith dialogue in the Middle East. His fluency in Hebrew and his long service in the Holy Land could prove appealing.

    Then again, his relative youth may cause hesitation among those concerned about electing a pope who could serve for decades. As the papacy of John Paul II demonstrated, such long reigns can have a profound impact on the church.

    Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is also frequently mentioned. Now 67, Tagle is known for his deep commitment to social justice and the poor. He has spoken out against human rights abuses in his home country and has often echoed Francis’ pastoral tone. But some cardinals may worry that his outspoken political views could complicate the church’s diplomatic efforts.

    Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana, now 76, was a prominent figure during the last conclave. A strong voice on environmental and economic justice, he has served under both Benedict XVI and Francis.

    Turkson has largely upheld the church’s traditional teachings on matters such as male-only priesthood, marriage between a man and a woman, and sexuality. He is also a strong advocate for transparency, and has spoken out against corruption and in defence of human rights.

    Though less widely known among the public, Cardinal Mykola Bychok of Melbourne may also be considered. His election would be as surprising (and perhaps as symbolically powerful) as that of John Paul II in 1978. A Ukrainian-Australian pope, chosen during the ongoing war in Ukraine, would send a strong message about the church’s concern for suffering peoples and global peace.

    Other names that may come up are Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cardinal Jaime Spengler of Brazil – both of whom lead large and growing Catholic communities. Although news reports don’t always list them among the top contenders, their influence within their regions – and the need to recognise the church’s global demographic shifts – means their voices will matter.

    On the more conservative side is American Cardinal Raymond Burke, who had been one of Francis’ most vocal critics. But his confrontational stance makes him an unlikely candidate.

    More plausible would be Cardinal Péter Erdő of Hungary, aged 71. Erdő is a respected canon lawyer with a more traditional theological orientation. He was mentioned in 2013 and may reemerge as a promising candidate among conservative cardinals.

    Cardinal Péter Erdő was ordained as a priest in 1975 and has a doctorate in theology. He will be a top pick among conservatives.
    Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    One tough act to follow

    Although Francis appointed many of the cardinals who will vote in the conclave, that doesn’t mean all of them supported his agenda. Many come from communities with traditional values, and may be drawn to a candidate who emphasises older church teachings.

    The conclave will also reflect broader questions of geography. The church’s growth has shifted away from Europe, to Asia, Africa and Latin America. A pope from one of these regions could symbolise this change, and speak more directly to the challenges faced by Catholic communities in the Global South.

    Ultimately, predicting a conclave is impossible. Dynamics often change once the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel and begin voting. Alliances shift, new names emerge, and consensus may form around someone who was barely discussed beforehand.

    What is certain is that the next pope will shape the church’s future: doctrinally, diplomatically and pastorally. Whether he chooses to build on Francis’ legacy of reform, or move in a new direction, he will need to balance ancient traditions with the urgent realities of the modern world.

    Darius von Guttner Sporzynski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Who will the next pope be? Here are some top contenders – https://theconversation.com/who-will-the-next-pope-be-here-are-some-top-contenders-255006

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Prescribed burns a health risk to skinks in Mt Lofty Ranges

    Source:

    23 April 2025

    The skink, Lampropholis guichenoti, is at significant risk due to prescribed burning.

    Prescribed burning in the Mount Lofty Ranges to reduce bushfire risks may be threatening the survival and biodiversity of skinks and other reptiles.

    That’s the finding from a new University of South Australia (UniSA) study that analysed the health of more than 1750 reptiles from eight species over a two-year period.

    The study, published in Forest Ecology and Management, investigated how reptiles respond to fire in native stringybark forests of the Mount Lofty Ranges, one of South Australia’s key biodiversity hotspots.

    According to lead author, UniSA PhD candidate Shawn Scott, the garden skink, Lampropholis guichenoti, had “significantly poorer body condition immediately following prescribed burns”.

    “This suggests that in the short term for the garden skink, fire may be depleting food sources, exposing them to predators, or otherwise stressing these animals in ways we hadn’t fully appreciated,” Scott says.

    In burnt areas, skinks showed the lowest body condition scores – a key indicator of animal health – in the first six months post-fire. While their condition improved over time, the initial decline raises concerns about long-term impacts, especially with increasingly frequent burns.

    Interestingly, the study found that reptiles with injuries such as tail loss (a common escape tactic known as autotomy), missing digits, or scarring had significantly lower body condition in two species. This suggests that injury, whether from predators or territorial fights exacerbated by reduced shelter, may compound the impact of fires on their health.

    Reptiles recaptured at study sites also told a compelling story. The skink L. guichenoti was most often recaptured in long-unburnt forests (more than 20 years since a fire), suggesting these habitats support higher survival or lower site emigration.

    South Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges have seen an increase in prescribed fire activity in recent years, with 5% of high-risk vegetation areas targeted annually. Yet this region also contains some of the state’s most fragmented and ecologically important woodlands.

    “Prescribed burns are often advocated as beneficial for biodiversity,” says Scott, “but our research adds to growing evidence that one-size-fits-all approaches to fire may be harmful to small animals. More nuanced strategies, such as preserving long-unburnt refuges and monitoring fire effects on reptiles, are urgently needed.”

    The researchers used a combination of a before-after control-impact (BACI) and fire-age chronosequence experimental design across 18 sites, ranging from recently burnt to more than 20 years post-fire.

    Their detailed analyses incorporated body measurements, injury records, and recapture rates, providing one of the most comprehensive evaluations to date of reptile responses to fire in South Australian forests.

    The authors stress that more research is needed into the post-fire ecology of reptiles, especially in the face of climate change and increasing fire severity.

    “We had La Niña, mild, conditions,” says co-author and UniSA wildlife ecologist Assoc Prof S. “Topa” Petit. “The results could be more dramatic after a drought, for example.”

    “Reptiles are critical for healthy ecosystems – they control insect populations and serve as prey for birds and mammals,” says Scott. “If fire regimes are compromising their health or numbers, it could have cascading effects on the whole ecosystem.”

    “Effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury, frequency, and recapture of reptiles in Mediterranean-type eucalypt forests is authored by researchers from the University of South Australia, Mid Torrens Catchment Group, and Kangaroo Island Research Station DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122683

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Contact for interview: Shawn Scott E: shawn.scott@unisa.edu.au

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cortez Masto, North Las Vegas Leaders Celebrate Opening of Dolores Huerta Resource Center

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nevada Cortez Masto

    Cortez Masto Secured $1.6 Million for Resource Center in First Bipartisan Government Funding Package for FY24

    Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-Nev.01), North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown, and North Las Vegas Councilman Isaac Barron to celebrate the opening of the Dolores Huerta Resource Center, named in honor of the longtime labor activist and co-founder of the United Farm Workers Association. In 2024, Cortez Masto secured $1,616,279 in bipartisan government funding legislation for the completion of this project.

    “Dolores Huerta is living proof that if we believe in ourselves and forge ahead with confidence, we really can change the world,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to have secured more than $1.5 million towards the opening of the Dolores Huerta Resource Center. I can’t think of a better way to honor her than with this community hub that will carry on her work.”

    The Dolores Huerta Resource Center will provide resources and services to the North Las Vegas community, including tutoring and homework help for school-aged children, GED preparation and college readiness workshops, bilingual language classes, job search and resume writing assistance, vocational training and certification programs, and digital literacy training for all ages.

    Senators Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) secured more than $184 million in Community Project Funding for FY2024 to support 100 projects across Nevada. This funding included more than $7 million for nine law enforcement projects in the state. A full list of projects in Nevada receiving community project funding in the first FY24 government funding legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Harshburger’s Demeaning Comments Require an Apology

    Source: Communications Workers of America

    The following statement is from Communications Workers of America President Claude Cummings Jr.

    During a recent podcast interview with FAME Ministries, Tennessee Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger referred to Texas Congressman Al Green using a racial slur, suggested that the cane he uses to provide stability when he walks is a “prop” that might contain a weapon, and referred to members of the LGBTQ community as “fairies.”

    FAME Ministries claims to be a Christian organization working to bring positive, moral, and ethical change to our media culture. There is absolutely nothing positive, moral, ethical, or Christian about mocking and demeaning anyone based on their race, use of mobility aids, or sexual orientation.

    Representative Green is a distinguished member of Congress who has spent his career fighting for working people, especially our veterans. If Congresswoman Harshbarger truly wants to bring people into the love of Christ, as she said on the podcast, she should apologize for her comments and emulate Al Green’s example of selfless service to his constituents and our country.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The Greens are hoping for another ‘greenslide’ election. What do the polls say?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Narelle Miragliotta, Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University

    Election talk is inevitably focused on Labor and the Coalition because they are the parties that customarily form government.

    But a minor party like the Greens is consequential, regardless of whether the election delivers a minority government. Certainly, the level of anti-Greens campaigning by third party groups, like Better Australia, suggests as much.

    The Greens’ have declared that their electoral aim is to “Keep Dutton out and get Labor to act”. They know this would be best achieved in a minority government, where the crossbench would be powerful players.

    But can the Greens build on their historic 2022 election result, which delivered four lower house seats and the balance of power in the Senate?

    State of play

    An aggregation of the main polls estimates the Greens’ nationwide primary vote has ticked up since 2022, now ranging from 12.4% to 14.1%.

    They are expected to retain all six Senate seats up for election. When combined with their five other Senate seats, the party will be critical in the next parliament to the fate of legislation in the red chamber.

    In the contest for the House, the Greens are defending a record four seats: Melbourne, Brisbane, Griffith and Ryan. Melbourne is held by party leader Adam Bandt, on a comfortable 8.5% margin. It is as safe as it gets for the Greens.

    The balance of the party’s seats are all Brisbane-based, starting with Ryan, which is held by just 2.6% if the two-party preferred vote. Despite the slender margin, Ryan has better prospects than the neighbouring seat of Brisbane, which it holds by 3.6%. This is based on the party’s 2022 swing of almost 10%, which placed them second in Ryan on primary votes.

    In contrast, the Greens finished in third position on primary votes in Brisbane on the back of a respectable, but much more modest swing of just under 5%. The electoral dynamics are also complicated because the seat is a genuine three-cornered contest.

    On the other hand, Griffith is now classed as a safe seat for the Greens. The party attained the highest number of primary votes (34.6%) on the back of a 10.94% swing three years ago. The Greens should be able to defend Griffith.

    Target seats

    The Greens have declared five additional electorates as “priority target seats” – two in Victoria and one in each of New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.

    Wills is the first of two Melbourne-based seats earmarked by the Greens. The party is betting on a redistribution in the Labor held seat, which independent analyst The Poll Bludger estimates will reduce the ALP’s primary vote by 2.6% and increase the Greens’ vote by 5%. The Greens are also fielding a high profile candidate, former state MP Samantha Ratnam.

    In the case of Macnamara, the Greens finished in second position behind Labor in 2022. At the point of the Greens’ exclusion in the count they were on 32.84%, just marginally behind Labor on 33.48%

    While the Greens’ prospects might be helped by a weakened Victorian Labor brand, victory could still prove elusive. In the case of Macnamara, the electorate takes in parts of the state seat of Prahran, which the party lost in a byelection in February. The by-election was precipitated by the resignation of the state Greens MP owing to allegations of inappropriate conduct with an intern.

    Moreover, Liberal how-to-vote cards in both Wills and Macnamara are preferencing Labor over the Greens, which may be enough to push Labor over the line in both seats.

    Chances elsewhere

    The NSW seat of Richmond is a marginal Labor electorate that was once held by the Nationals. The Greens are calculating the seat is winnable based on their strong primary vote in 2022 and candidate continuity.

    Richmond boasts one of the highest levels of rental stress in the nation, making it a perfect setting for Greens campaigning on housing affordability issues. Polling shows the Greens vote is up by 3% in NSW. If it’s accurate, and translates to Richmond, then the seat is potentially winnable.

    Sturt in South Australia is the Liberal Party’s second most marginal seat (0.5%). However, the likelihood of a Greens victory is slim. At the 2022 election the Greens attracted only 16.39% of the primary vote, well behind both Labor and the Liberals.

    The party’s final target seat is Perth, held by Labor on a very safe 14.4%, two party preferred. The seat’s demography explains why it’s a Greens priority. Perth is a relatively affluent inner metropolitan seat, with a high percentage of people who finished school, and a constituency that skews young.

    But Perth is unlikely to turn to the Greens. In 2022 they finished in third position on primary votes (22.16%), well behind Labor (39.25%). The party’s Perth campaign may have also been damaged by plans, since abandoned, to hold a fundraising event on ANZAC Day.

    Numbers game

    Based only on the seats examined, the Greens will likely retain at least Melbourne and Griffith in the lower house, along with the 6 senate seats it is defending.

    A more optimistic reading of the polling would also include Ryan, Brisbane and Wills. A best case scenario would also add Richmond and Macnamara to that list.

    And then, of course, there are the unexpected victories that many of us simply don’t see coming. This is because party support and voter swings are never uniform at the seat level. There will be electorates that under-perform for all parties. And that includes the Greens.

    Narelle Miragliotta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The Greens are hoping for another ‘greenslide’ election. What do the polls say? – https://theconversation.com/the-greens-are-hoping-for-another-greenslide-election-what-do-the-polls-say-254600

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: After stunning comeback, centre-left Liberals likely to win majority of seats at Canadian election

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne

    In Canada, the governing centre-left Liberals had trailed the Conservatives by more than 20 points in January, but now lead by five points and are likely to win a majority of seats at next Monday’s election. Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump’s ratings in US national polls have dropped to a -5 net approval.

    The Canadian election will be held next Monday, with the large majority of polls closing at 11:30am AEST Tuesday. The 343 MPs are elected by first past the post, with 172 seats needed for a majority.

    The Liberals had looked doomed to a massive loss for a long time. In early January, the CBC Poll Tracker had given the Conservatives 44% of the vote, the Liberals 20%, the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) 19%, the separatist left-wing Quebec Bloc (BQ) 9%, the Greens 4% and the far-right People’s 2%. With these vote shares, the Conservatives would have won a landslide with well over 200 seats.

    At the September 2021 election, the Liberals won 160 of the then 338 seats on 32.6% of votes, the Conservatives 119 seats on 33.7%, the BQ 32 seats on 7.6%, the NDP 25 seats on 17.8%, the Greens two seats on 2.3% and the People’s zero seats on 4.9%. he Liberals were short of the 170 seats needed for a majority.

    The Liberal vote was more efficiently distributed than the Conservative vote owing to the Conservatives winning safe rural seats by huge margins. The BQ benefited from vote concentration, with all its national vote coming in Quebec, where it won 32.1%.

    On January 6, Justin Trudeau, who had been Liberal leader and PM since winning the October 2015 election, announced he would resign these positions once a new Liberal leader was elected. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank of England, was overwhelmingly elected Liberal leader on March 9 and replaced Trudeau as PM on March 14.

    With the Liberals short of a parliamentary majority, parliament was prorogued for the Liberal leadership election and was due to resume on March 24. Carney is not yet an MP (he will contest Nepean at the election). Possibly owing to these factors, Carney called the election on March 23.

    In Tuesday’s update to the CBC Poll Tracker, the Liberals had 43.1% of the vote, the Conservatives 38.4%, the NDP 8.3%, the BQ 5.8% (25.4% in Quebec), the Greens 2.2% and the People’s 1.4%. The Liberals have surged from 24 points behind in early January to their current 4.7-point lead.

    Seat point estimates were 191 Liberals (over the 172 needed for a majority), 123 Conservatives, 23 BQ, five NDP and one Green. The tracker gives the Liberals an 80% chance to win a majority of seats and a 15% chance to win the most seats but not a majority.

    The Liberal lead over the Conservatives peaked on April 8, when they led by 7.1 points. There has been slight movement back to the Conservatives since, with the French and English leaders’ debates last Wednesday and Thursday possibly assisting the Conservatives.

    But the Liberals still lead by nearly five points in the polls five days before the election. With the Liberals’ vote more efficiently distributed, they are the clear favourites to win an election they looked certain to lose by a landslide margin in January.

    Carney’s replacement of Trudeau has benefited the Liberals, but I believe the most important reason for the Liberals’ poll surge is Trump. Trump’s tariffs against Canada and his talk of making Canada the 51st US state have greatly alienated Canadians and made it more difficult for the more pro-Trump Conservatives.

    In an early April YouGov Canadian poll, by 64–25, respondents said the US was unfriendly or an enemy rather than friendly or an ally (50–33 in February). By 84–11, they did not want Canada to become part of the US. If Canadians had been able to vote in the 2024 US presidential election, Kamala Harris would have defeated Donald Trump by 57–18 in this poll.

    Trump’s US ratings have fallen well below net zero

    In Nate Silver’s aggregate of US national polls, Trump currently has a net approval of -5.4, with 50.8% disapproving and 45.4% approving. At the start of his term, Trump’s net approval was +12, but went negative in mid-March. His ratings fell to their current level soon after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2.

    Silver has presidential approval poll data for previous presidents since Harry Truman (president from 1945–53). Trump’s current net approval is worse than for any other president at this point in their tenure except for Trump’s first term (2017–2021).

    Silver also has a net favourability aggregate for Elon Musk that currently gives Musk a net favourable rating of -13.6 (53.0% unfavourable, 39.3% favourable). Musk’s ratings began to drop from about net zero before Trump’s second term commenced on January 20.

    G. Elliott Morris used to manage the US poll aggregate site FiveThirtyEight before it was axed. He wrote last Friday that Trump’s net approval on the economy (at -5.8) is worse than at any point in his first term. During his first term, Trump’s net approval on the economy was mostly positive, helping to support his overall ratings.

    Adrian Beaumont does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. After stunning comeback, centre-left Liberals likely to win majority of seats at Canadian election – https://theconversation.com/after-stunning-comeback-centre-left-liberals-likely-to-win-majority-of-seats-at-canadian-election-254926

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The ‘responsible gambling’ mantra does nothing to prevent harm. It probably makes things worse

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Charles Livingstone, Associate Professor, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University

    Haelen Haagen/Shutterstock

    Recent royal commissions and inquiries into Crown and Star casino groups attracted much media attention. Most of this was focused on money laundering and other illegalities.

    The Victorian royal commission found widespread evidence that Crown also took advantage of vulnerable people.

    The regulatory framework that in large part allows this to occur is known as “responsible gambling”.



    Read more:
    Whatever happens to Star, the age of unfettered gambling revenue for casinos may have ended

    What is ‘responsible gambling’?

    Gambling operators usually adhere to a system of purported harm minimisation known as responsible gambling.

    In practice, this requires gambling operators to adopt and supposedly implement a “responsible gambling code of practice”.

    This is supposed to protect people from experiencing gambling harm. Crown and Star, like other gambling venues, are required to adopt such codes.

    Royal Commissioner Ray Finkelstein, overseeing the Victorian Crown inquiry, was scathing in his assessment of Crown’s implementation:

    Crown Melbourne had for years held itself out as having a world’s best approach to problem gambling. Nothing can be further from the truth.

    Unfortunately, Finkelstein’ comments about Crown could readily be made about most other gambling operators.

    How it all began

    The responsible gambling framework was developed by gambling operators as a way of deflecting attention from the serious harm of gambling.

    The document that arguably consolidated this was prepared in 2004 by a group of gambling researchers gathered, naturally, in Reno, Nevada (close to Las Vegas, the spiritual home of gambling excesses).

    This document argued the choice to gamble should be left to people and no external organisation should interfere with this.

    Now, responsible gambling is cemented in law, regulation, and practice. It is the overwhelming frame for gambling operators, governments and regulators to conceal gambling’s downside.

    Stacking the odds

    Responsible gambling depicts gambling harm as an issue for a small minority of people: so-called problem gamblers.

    So from this perspective, any issues with gambling are issues with people.

    But little if any attention is devoted to the environment in which gambling is available. Often, even less is devoted to examining the nature of gambling products.

    When it comes to wagering marketing, the Australian gambling ecosystem has argued very effectively to forestall prohibition or further regulation in recent years.

    The far-reaching power of this conglomeration of self-interested actors is hard to overestimate.



    Read more:
    Will the government’s online gambling advertising legislation ever eventuate? Don’t bet on it

    At venue level, responsible gambling interventions required include signage, referral to counselling and mottos such as “gamble responsibly”.

    With few exceptions, little of this is evidence based. Almost none of it is effective.

    Codes of conduct, for example, argue it is possible to intervene at a venue when a gambler shows signs of distress, or has a gambling disorder. While this is theoretically possible, the problem is to do so would rob venue operators of their most lucrative customers.

    The available evidence indicates such interventions are extremely rare, or nonexistent.

    Another major element is self-exclusion: an opportunity for people (or in some states their relatives) to ban themselves from gambling at particular venues.

    This is, again, fine in theory. But it has generally been poorly enforced at “bricks and mortar” venues.

    There are two fundamental issues with this approach:

    • those who self-exclude are very much in the minority of those with gambling problems
    • self-exclusion is generally undertaken only by those who are at rock-bottom. It is not a preventive approach.

    The other major intervention in the responsible gambling coda is treatment.

    Gambling treatment services are available and free via Gamblers Help but fewer than 10% of those who might benefit from treatment actually seek it.

    Unfortunately, attrition rates for counselling are high, so both the lack of help-seeking and the attrition rates when help is sought are at least partially attributable to another side effect of the responsible gambling mantra: shame and stigma, which are commonly reported by those struggling with gambling disorders.

    The blame game

    Responsible gambling effectively blames people for getting into trouble.

    It argues problem gamblers are far outnumbered by “responsible gamblers”, and deflects attention away from the highly addictive nature of many gambling products.

    It largely absolves operators of responsibility, while maintaining their revenues and stigmatising those who bear the consequences.

    As it does all this, it also provides a smokescreen of concern, a suggestion that gambling operators and governments care about gambling harm.

    Ideas for the future

    The best way to curb gambling harm is to view it as a public health problem.

    Public health is generally focused on prevention (think vaccines and clean water). At this stage, the most likely effective preventive intervention is what is known as pre-commitment, which uses technology to allow people to determine the amount of money they want to gamble.

    High-intensity gambling products rely on people becoming highly immersed in the product. Gamblers call this “the zone” – which limits or negates a person’s ability to make rational decisions.

    But pre-commitment systems allow this choice to be made outside of “the zone”.

    Unsurprisingly, few gambling operators support such a solution, even though these systems are now commonplace in many European countries.

    Pre-commitment and cashless systems are now required for casinos in NSW and Victoria, and shortly in Queensland, as recommended by the Crown and Star inquiries.

    These are welcome steps but much more is needed.

    A long overdue change

    Responsible gambling has allowed gambling operators to self-regulate and blame people for harmful gambling practices.

    It has made gambling businesses – casinos, wagering companies, pokie pubs and clubs – extraordinary profitable. But this has come at considerable cost to hundreds of thousands of Australians, and their families and friends.

    Ditching the responsible gambling mantra is long overdue. Along with effective interventions to prevent harm, doing so will dramatically reduce the damage that gambling does.

    Charles Livingstone has received funding from the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the (former) Victorian Gambling Research Panel, and the South Australian Independent Gambling Authority (the funds for which were derived from hypothecation of gambling tax revenue to research purposes), from the Australian and New Zealand School of Government and the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, and from non-government organisations for research into multiple aspects of poker machine gambling, including regulatory reform, existing harm minimisation practices, and technical characteristics of gambling forms. He has received travel and co-operation grants from the Alberta Problem Gambling Research Institute, the Finnish Institute for Public Health, the Finnish Alcohol Research Foundation, the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Committee, the Turkish Red Crescent Society, and the Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand. He was a Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council funded project researching mechanisms of influence on government by the tobacco, alcohol and gambling industries. He has undertaken consultancy research for local governments and non-government organisations in Australia and the UK seeking to restrict or reduce the concentration of poker machines and gambling impacts, and was a member of the Australian government’s Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling in 2010-11. He is a member of the Lancet Public Health Commission into gambling, and of the World Health Organisation expert group on gambling and gambling harm. He made a submission to and appeared before the HoR Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs inquiry into online gambling and its impacts on those experiencing gambling harm.

    – ref. The ‘responsible gambling’ mantra does nothing to prevent harm. It probably makes things worse – https://theconversation.com/the-responsible-gambling-mantra-does-nothing-to-prevent-harm-it-probably-makes-things-worse-251487

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Schiff, Reed Call on Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Defund Libraries and Museums

    US Senate News:

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

    Padilla, Schiff, Reed Call on Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Defund Libraries and Museums

    Senators: “The consequences of eliminating IMLS will be devastating for states, local communities, and the millions of Americans who rely on these institutions every day”
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and 23 lawmakers expressed serious concerns regarding President Trump’s call to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which was created by a Republican-led Congress in 1996 and is the only federal agency dedicated to supporting the nation’s libraries and museums. In the letter, the lawmakers called on the Administration to ensure there is continued funding in accordance with federal law for libraries and museums and to reverse any actions that jeopardize their provision of critical services on which many communities rely on.
    “The consequences of eliminating IMLS will be devastating for states, local communities, and the millions of Americans who rely on these institutions every day. These institutions are critical pillars of educational opportunity, cultural preservation, civic engagement, and economic development in our communities,” wrote the lawmakers.
    “We urge you to uphold the law, immediately disburse all LSTA grant funding to our states, including California, Connecticut and Washington, and reverse any actions that jeopardize the future of the libraries and museums our communities rely on,” concluded the lawmakers.
    Libraries serve as essential lifelines for families, students, and workers throughout California providing literacy programs, access to technology, job training, small business support, and more.
    In addition to Senators Padilla, Schiff, and Reed, the letter is also signed by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.). In the U.S. House of Representatives, this letter is signed by Representatives Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.-52), Mark Takano (D-Calif.-39), George Whitesides (D-Calif.-27), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.-04), Norma Torres (D-Calif.-35), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18).
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Mr. Sonderling, 
    We write to express our serious concerns regarding President Trump’s call to eliminate the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the only federal agency dedicated to supporting the nation’s libraries and museums. On March 14, 2025 President Trump issued the Executive Order “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” which includes IMLS to be eliminated “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law” and for IMLS to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to confirm compliance. We are reminding the Administration of its obligation to fully execute the law as authorized by Congress under the Museum and Library Services Act (MLSA) of 2018 (PL 115-40), as signed by President Trump. Beginning on April 3, 2025, several grantees — including the states of California, Connecticut and Washington — received written notice from IMLS that their federal Fiscal Year 2024–25 grants under the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) had been terminated. We strongly urge the Administration to reverse these terminations and ensure continued funding in accordance with federal law.
    For Fiscal Year 2024, Congress appropriated $294.8 million for IMLS, specifying funding should be allotted across the programs in the following manner:
    Library Services Technology Act 
                    Grants to States                                                                                           $180,000,000
                    Native American Library Services                                                             $5,763,000 
                    National Leadership: Libraries                                                                  $15,287,000 
                    Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian                                                            $10,000,000 
    Museum Services Act 
    Museums for America                                                                                  $30,330,000       
    Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services                           $3,772,000 
    National Leadership: Museums                                                                 $9,348,000
    African American History and Culture Act                                                       $6,000,000 
    National Museum of the American Latino Act                                                      $6,000,000
    Research, Analysis, and Data Collection                                                                $5,650,000
    Program Administration                                   $22,650,000 
    We expect the Administration to fully implement the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025 consistent with the Fiscal Year 2024 allocations. We also urge the Administration to allow IMLS to continue to engage with and support libraries and museums as Congress intended and as authorized in the MLSA, including maintaining the expertise of the IMLS staff to carry out the functions of the agency.
    Libraries and museums are deeply embedded in local communities across the country and millions of Americans rely on their services and programs, particularly the most rural and underserved areas. In 2024, IMLS funding reached 140,000 libraries and museums across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Public, school, academic, and specialty libraries provide a wide range of local services such as summer reading programs for youth, high-speed internet, workforce training, and support for small businesses. Libraries are especially vital for low-income families, students, and workers who depend on them for free access to technology, educational resources, and job search support. In California, local libraries serve as critical lifelines for families experiencing homelessness and those displaced by natural disasters, offering space for community gathering and access to emergency information. Every year, more than 1.2 billion people visit libraries in-person—and they are deeply valued by the American public.
    Museums serve as crucial sources of information for history, art, science, and culture and have broad public support. In fact, 96 percent of surveyed Americans believe lawmakers should support museums. Museums support more than 726,000 American jobs and contribute $50 billion to the U.S. economy every year. Beyond their cultural significance, museums play a vital role in education, offering hands-on learning opportunities for students of all ages and providing resources that supplement school curricula, especially in underserved communities. For states like California, Connecticut, and Washington, museums are essential pillars of local identity, tourism, and community development.
    The consequences of eliminating IMLS will be devastating for states, local communities, and the millions of Americans who rely on these institutions every day. These institutions are critical pillars of educational opportunity, cultural preservation, civic engagement, and economic development in our communities. 
    As such, please provide us with a written response to the questions below no later than May 1, 2025.
    How many IMLS employees have been fired, put on administrative leave, accepted the deferred resignation program offer, or accepted the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority or Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment offer since January 20, 2025?  Please provide the number of employees in each category.
    How many individuals are currently employed at the agency?  Please provide their titles and duties.
    How many of these employees were responsible for, or assisted in, administering grants?

    Which officials at IMLS were involved in the staffing reduction decisions and what planning, if any, was undertaken prior to these reductions?
    What factors are being used to determine the cancellation of grants, including the Grants to States funding?
    Please provide a full list of cancelled grants, including the date of cancellation, type of grant, and dollar amount.
    Please share what the agency’s “updated priorities” are and how grants are being assessed for alignment and plans for grant competitions in Fiscal Year 25.

    Which officials at IMLS are involved in developing the report to the Director of OMB?
    What are such officials’ expertise in IMLS administration and the Museum and Library Services Act statute?
    Please share with Congress the report detailing the functions of IMLS and what is statutorily required and to what extent.

    Museums and libraries are the cornerstone of our society that serve as protected spaces for people to learn, engage with their community, and build curiosity. We urge you to uphold the law, immediately disburse all awarded LSTA grant funding to our states, including California, Connecticut and Washington, and reverse any actions that jeopardize the future of the libraries and museums our communities rely on.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Reforms – PSA forces changes to restructure of Data & Digital and Pacific Health

    Source: PSA

    The PSA has settled litigation over the planned restructure of two key teams at Health NZ with an agreement to significantly amend planned cuts to roles and structures.
    The settlement relates to proposed restructures of the Data and Digital and Pacific Health teams at Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora which were subject to litigation before the Employment Relations Authority set down for 22 April 2025.
    “We’re pleased the PSA’s legal action has resulted in a reversal of the some of the planned deep and damaging cuts, but we remain concerned that the cuts across the health system have already gone too far and too wide,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association for Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
    “This is ultimately all about patient care. Both teams play critical roles in ensuring the health system delivers for patients and communities and supports clinicians to do their job, so it was important changes were made.
    “But it shouldn’t have taken legal action for Health NZ Te Whatu Ora to listen to what health workers were telling it about the risks to patient care and community health.”
    Data and Digital staff ensure clinicians can access patient records 24/7, maintain ageing legacy systems, and are integrating new nationwide IT systems. Health NZ had been planning to almost halve the workforce including not filling hundreds of vacant roles.
    “Our legal action has resulted in 175 roles being added back into these teams and for contractor roles to be available to employees and could mean that no staff are forced to be made redundant. This is positive as these people have skills our health system desperately needs.
    “We reached a settlement because Health NZ was shedding too many highly skilled IT workers through early exit allowed under the restructure. We had to stop the bleed as these workers were critical to ensuring patient care was not put at risk from IT systems failing.
    “While the settlement is welcome, the PSA is disappointed the Privacy Commissioner has refused to investigate cuts to Data and Digital given the risks to sensitive patient information and our concerns remain.”
    For Pacific Health, a smaller reduction in the full-time workforce has been agreed with a net 22 roles going compared to 50 in the original proposal though many of the people affected will have priority for similar roles within Heath New Zealand. This is not ideal, but the unions feedback was taken on board including retaining regional partnerships and protecting some crucial administration roles. In addition, some workers, previously facing redundancy, will be redeployed elsewhere in the health system so they can carry on their important work.
    “Today’s settlement underscores the value of a union taking on an employer which is following the Government’s direction to cut the health system regardless of the consequences.
    “There are still other teams that are subject to restructuring – Health NZ is still under instruction from the Government to cut spending and the PSA is seeking legal advice about filing litigation against these proposals too.
    “These constant cuts are not a recipe for a health system that properly delivers the timely and effective health care New Zealanders expect and the PSA will be strongly resisting all further cuts.”
    Background on litigation
    The PSA filed legal proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority in February because several proposed restructures breached the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector, the Employment Relations Act 2000, collective agreements and Te Mauri o Rongo – NZ Health Charter.
    Last month the PSA agreed a settlement with Health NZ stopping the restructuring of the National Public Health Service and two directorates in the Planning Funding and Outcomes business unit – Data and Analytics and Community Mental Health Funding and Investment
    Litigation remains in place for two other business units of Planning Funding and Outcomes – Procurement and Supply Chain and Systems Improvement and Innovation.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: 80 years of CFA fire stations

    Source:

    From tin sheds, red brick buildings to weatherboard structures and ex-army Nissen huts, the home base for CFA brigades across Victoria has evolved significantly over the last 80 years.

    From tin sheds, red brick buildings to weatherboard structures and ex-army Nissen huts, the home base for CFA brigades across Victoria has evolved significantly over the last 80 years.   

    Our volunteers work hard to protect the growing Victorian community, so it is important they have adequate facilities to support their fire response.  

    When CFA made its impact throughout Victoria in the early 1950s, and postwar shortages had ended, large numbers of tin shed fire stations began to appear across rural Victoria. Now, to cater for growing communities and response efforts, state-of-the-art features are being rolled out statewide in our fire stations.  

    CFA General Manager Infrastructure Services Paul Santamaria said CFA first made the decision to borrow funds from the government in 1951 to put toward the construction of new fire stations.  

    “While farm sheds were the garages for rural fire brigades pre the 1950’s, some primitive stations were also made of fibro cement,” Paul said.  

    “From 1953, CFA embarked on building galvanised iron sheds for rural brigades, renovating and extending urban fire stations and building several new ones. 

    “We borrowed £50,000 to build 40 sheds for rural fire trucks and urgently needed urban fire stations. Brigades often erected the two bay or single bay prefabricated iron buildings themselves.” 

    The tin sheds have become landmarks throughout Victoria, appearing in clearings without a house in sight, and were deemed a public sign of a community prepared to defend itself.  

    “Back then, brigade members lent horses, ploughs and scoops to level the ground of the new sites, and working bees took place to build the stations. Local fundraisers were held to pay for sirens and connect electricity,” Paul said.  

    “All CFA stations conformed to the building standards at the time that they were constructed to ensure alignment with building codes and to provide adequate housing for appliances that were developed for various risk environments. 

    “Over time, these station design standards have changed and have been amended to include additional functional requirements to support remote rural, rural, semi urban, and fully urbanised areas.” 

    Over the 2000s, a new generation of modern sheds and stations with additional facilities replaced older stations around the state, with greater consideration for sustainability and of diverse communities and membership.  

    Today, our latest, fit-for-purpose facilities can include drive-through motor bay rooms and ancillary sheds for equipment, separate toilet facilities and turnout areas that ensure privacy for our members. 

    “It is really pleasing to see the improvements our fire stations have seen over the years. Whether brigades are receiving renovations or a brand-new station, all enhancements will go a long way in accommodating the future needs of the brigade,” Paul said.   

    “Some stations now have adequate room for kitchens, multi-purpose rooms, privacy areas, gender diverse amenities, administration areas, workshops, breathing apparatus maintenance spaces, ICT equipment, laundry facilities, storerooms and hose drying towers. 

    “The larger, and improved facilities will be of great benefit to our Victorian towns as a whole, with members efficiently able to continue responding to incidents in the local area and surrounding neighbourhoods.” 

    Submitted by CFA Media

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Victory for US press freedom and workers – court grants injunction in VOA media case

    Asia Pacific Report

    The US District Court for the District of Columbia has granted a preliminary injunction in Widakuswara v Lake, affirming the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) was unlawfully shuttered by the Trump administration, Acting Director Victor Morales and Special Adviser Kari Lake.

    The decision enshrines that USAGM must fulfill its legally required functions and protects the editorial independence of Voice of America (VOA) journalists and other federal media professionals within the agency and newsrooms that receive grants from the agency, such as Radio Free Asia and others with implications for independent media in the Asia-Pacific region.

    Journalists, federal workers, and unions celebrate this important step in defending this critical agency, First Amendment rights, resisting unlawful political interference in public broadcasting, and ensuring USAGM workers can continue to fulfill their congressionally mandated function, reports the News Guild-CWA press union.

    “Today’s ruling is a victory for the rule of law, for press freedom and journalistic integrity, and for democracy worldwide,” said the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) national president Everett Kelley.

    “The Trump administration’s illegal attempt to shutter Voice of America and other outlets under the US Agency for Global Media was a transparent effort to silence the voices of patriotic journalists and professionals who have dedicated their careers to spreading the truth and fighting propaganda from lawless authoritarian regimes.

    “This preliminary injunction will allow these employees to get back to work as we continue the fight to preserve their jobs and critical mission.”

    President Lee Saunders of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees AFSCME), the largest trade union of public employees in the United States, said: “Today’s ruling is a major win for AFSCME members and Voice of America workers who have dedicated their careers to reporting the truth and spreading freedom to millions across the world.

    Judge’s message clear
    “The judge’s message is clear — this administration has no right to unilaterally dismantle essential agencies simply because they do not agree with their purpose.

    “We celebrate this decision and will continue to work with our partners to ensure that the Voice of America is restored.”

    “Journalists hold power to account and that includes the Trump administration,” said NewsGuild-CWA president Jon Schleuss. “This injunction orders the administration to reverse course and restore the Congressionally-mandated news broadcasts of Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and other newsrooms broadcasting to people who hope for freedom in countries where that is denied.”

    “We are gratified by today’s ruling. This is another step in the process to restore VOA to full operation.” said government accountability project senior counsel David Seide.

    “VOA is more than just an iconic brand with deep roots in American and global history; it is a vital, living force that provides truth and hope to those living under oppressive regimes.” Image: Getty/The Conversation

    “Today’s ruling marks a significant victory for press freedom and for the dedicated women and men who bring it to life — our clients, the journalists, executives, and staff of Voice of America,” said Andrew G. Celli, Jr., founding partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP and counsel for the plaintiffs.

    “VOA is more than just an iconic brand with deep roots in American and global history; it is a vital, living force that provides truth and hope to those living under oppressive regimes.

    “We are thrilled that its voice — a voice for the voiceless — will once again be heard loud and clear around the world.

    Powerful affirmation of rule of law
    “This decision is a powerful affirmation of the rule of law and the vital role that independent journalism plays in our democracy. The court’s action protects independent journalism and federal media professionals at Voice of America as we continue this case, and reaffirms that no administration can silence the truth without accountability,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, co-counsel for the plaintiffs.

    “We are proud to be with workers, unions and journalists in resisting political interference against independent journalism and will continue to fight for transparency and our democratic values.”

    “Today’s decision is another necessary step in restoring the rule of law and correcting the injustices faced by the workers, reporters, and listeners of Voice of America and US Agency for Global Media,” said former Ambassador Norm Eisen, co-founder and executive chair of the State Democracy Defenders Fund.

    “By granting this preliminary injunction, the court has reaffirmed the legal protections afforded to these civil servants and halted an attempt to undermine a free and independent press. We are proud to represent this resilient coalition and support the cause of a free and fair press.”

    “This decision is a powerful affirmation of the role that independent journalism plays in advancing democracy and countering disinformation. From Voice of America to Radio Free Asia and across the US Agency for Global Media, these networks are essential tools of American soft power — trusted sources of truth in places where it is often scarce,” said Tom Yazdgerdi, president of the American Foreign Service Association.

    “By upholding editorial independence, the court has protected the credibility of USAGM journalists and the global mission they serve.”

    A critical victory
    “We’re very pleased that Judge Lamberth has recognised that the Trump administration acted improperly in shuttering Voice of America,” said Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) USA.

    “The USAGM must act immediately to implement this ruling and put over 1300 VOA employees back to work to deliver reliable information to their audience of millions around the world.”

    While only the beginning of what may be a long, hard-fought battle, the court’s decision to grant a preliminary injunction marks a critical victory — not just for VOA journalists, but also for federal workers and the unions that represent them.

    It affirms that the rule of law still protects those who speak truth to power.

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Underwood, Fetterman, Sherrill, Titus, Cherfilus-McCormick Lead Legislation to Improve Access to Contraception

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14)

    Representatives Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Dina Titus (NV-01), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), and Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the Convenient Contraception Act, legislation that would improve access to contraceptive products, including over-the-counter contraceptives. The bill provides individuals covered by private health coverage with the option to receive a full year of contraception when their prescription is issued—an evidence-based policy that improves health outcomes—instead of the current three-month supply that is standard in many states.

    “Expanding access to contraception is a critical part of protecting the health and lives of millions of women who have seen their access to care jeopardized by extreme Republicans’ attacks on reproductive freedom,” said Congresswoman Lauren Underwood. “Contraception is essential health care, and it must remain easily available nationwide.” 

    “I will always fight to protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions. This bill would allow patients to pick up their full prescriptions at once, improving access to contraception by simply making it more convenient,” said Senator John Fetterman. “This is a commonsense solution, and I’m proud to lead this legislation to make contraception access more equitable.”

    “I am proud to co-lead this bicameral legislation to ensure women can pick up a full year prescription of contraceptives at once, rather than just three months at a time,” said Congresswoman Mikie Sherill. “As Donald Trump and Washington Republicans take aim at women’s health nationwide, it’s critically important that we continue to push forward in our fight to protect health care, preserve women’s rights and freedoms, and empower women to make their own decisions about their bodies.”

    “I’m proud to join Sen. Fetterman and Rep. Underwood in the effort to make contraception more accessible, especially as the GOP continues to attack women’s freedoms from every angle,” said Congresswoman Dina Titus. “Southern Nevadans have made clear for decades that reproductive rights are a top priority, and this commonsense legislation would make a simple but critical fix to expand access and reduce racial disparities in care.”

    “The ability to purchase contraception should be seamless and hassle-free, but that hasn’t been the case for far too many women,” said Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. “The Convenient Contraception Act is a common-sense solution to the financial and logistical hurdles that stand in the way of comprehensive reproductive health care.”

    Currently, many health coverage plans require a patient to pick up their contraception prescription multiple times during their prescription, creating an unnecessary burden and increasing the likelihood of gaps in protection. The Convenient Contraception Act requires insurers to permit individuals covered by private health coverage plans to pick up a full-year prescription supply at once and prohibits coverage plans from charging additional costs for a one-year supply.

    Removing barriers to contraception can help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in access to care and decrease the likelihood of unintended pregnancies, which have been linked to adverse health effects, including maternal depression, intimate partner violence, low birth weight, and preterm birth.

    The Convenient Contraception Act is endorsed by American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Catholics for Choice; Contraceptive Access Initiative; Every Mother Counts; In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; MomsRising; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Council of Jewish Women; National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Women’s Law Center; Physicians for Reproductive Health; Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Power to Decide; and What to Expect Project.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s zero-carbon industrial parks light way to greener future

    Source: China State Council Information Office 2

    This photo shows a charging station powered by the solar array at an industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province, April 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
    Along a nearly-500-meter asphalt road shaded by a glimmering canopy of photovoltaic panels, new energy vehicles travel back and forth. Some pull over at the roadside charging station powered by the solar array.
    This eco-friendly scene, especially fitting on Tuesday, the 56th Earth Day, is part of a broader zero-carbon initiative at a 100-hectare industrial park in Liyang, a county-level city under Changzhou in east China’s Jiangsu Province.
    Since beginning operations in June last year, the park has installed around 77,000 square meters of photovoltaic panels, generating 5.2 million kilowatt-hours of green electricity annually. To achieve net-zero carbon emissions, the park is diversifying its clean energy sources to include wind and hydro power, according to Li Jie, general manager of State Grid Liyang Electric Vehicle Service Company, one of the park’s key developers.
    Carbon-free industrial parks aim to achieve zero carbon emissions by integrating clean energy, green architecture, smart management systems and circular economy practices. China’s Central Economic Work Conference, which outlined the national priorities for 2025, called for ramped-up efforts to promote a green transition across all sectors, including the establishment of a group of zero-carbon industrial parks.
    According to Wu Wei, an associate professor at the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University, such parks not only drive low-carbon development but also enhance enterprises’ innovation capability, energy efficiency and informatization level, serving as a key engine for China’s high-quality economic growth.
    Zero-carbon practices power ahead
    According to the city’s action plan, Changzhou aims to build more than 10 near-zero-carbon parks and more than 15 near-zero-carbon factories from 2024 to 2026.
    Among the pioneers in this plan is Nari-Relays Electric (NR Electric), a local power electronics company. By leveraging AI and cloud computing to monitor and optimize energy use in real time — from water and electricity consumption to photovoltaic output and environmental conditions — the company has cut over 21,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and saved nearly 7,300 tonnes of standard coal since 2023.
    Thanks to these efforts, the cost reduction and efficiency improvement have saved NR Electric nearly 20 million yuan (about 2.77 million U.S. dollars), according to the company.
    As microgrids are a cornerstone of zero-carbon parks’ operation, Changzhou has completed 39 microgrid projects with a total investment of 1.18 billion yuan and plans to construct more such projects in the coming years.
    Beyond Changzhou, moves to go carbon-free are gaining momentum across China. In 2022, Shanghai released an action plan for a zero-carbon demonstration park in its Minhang District. In 2024, a plan was unveiled to build a zero-carbon park in Beijing’s Daxing District. Provinces and regions like Guangxi, Yunnan and Fujian have included zero-carbon park construction in their 2025 government work reports.
    China has pledged to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060. With the advancement of the dual carbon goals, it is expected to see a surge in zero-carbon parks in 2025, said Ding Hong, vice president of Jiangsu’s provincial society of the urban economy.
    “Advances in distributed solar photovoltaics, energy storage and smart energy management platforms will significantly lower costs of zero-carbon parks’ construction and operation, and profoundly change China’s energy utilization mode,” Ding said.
    Low-carbon innovations go global
    In Jiangsu’s Suzhou Industrial Park, a joint China-Singapore zero-energy building fitted with rooftop photovoltaic panels, small wind turbines and an AI-controlled lighting and climate system showcases the possibilities of future urban architecture.
    Built using sustainable materials, the structure is part of the China-Singapore Green Digital Hub, a 6.7-billion-yuan project launched last November to boost green industries and emerging services.
    According to Li Wenjie, deputy director of the institute of urban development at Suzhou Industrial Park, the zero-energy building has been certified by standards organizations in both the United States and Singapore. “This highlights that China’s carbon reduction technologies have gained worldwide recognition,” he noted.
    China’s green technologies are now reaching global markets. NR Electric, for example, has provided energy storage solutions to over 30 countries, including Britain, Japan and Saudi Arabia. At Britain’s Richborough Energy Park, its technology has helped reduce carbon emissions by over 10,000 tonnes — the greatest reduction among all battery energy-storage projects in the country in 2024.
    Currently, China is collaborating on green energy projects with over 100 countries and regions. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the average global cost per megawatt-hour for wind power has plummeted over the last decade by over 60 percent, and by 80 percent for solar power.
    China has made remarkable progress in its green transition and technologies, said Erik Berglof, chief economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, during this year’s Boao Forum for Asia held in late March. He noted that its journey offers a blueprint for sustainable development that other countries can follow. 

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Offers Disaster Assistance to Texas Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Affected by Spring Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low interest federal disaster loans to Texas small businesses, nonprofits and residents who sustained physical damage and economic losses from the thunderstorms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes occurring on April 4. The SBA issued a disaster declaration in response to a request received from Gov. Greg Abbott on April 17.

    The disaster declaration covers the Texas counties of Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Red River, Titus and Upshur.

    Businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

    Applicants may be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include insulating pipes, walls and attics, weather stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows to help protect property and occupants from future disasters.

    SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    EIDLs are for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business or PNP did not suffer any physical damage. They may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

    Interest rates are as low as 4% for businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits and 2.75% for homeowners and renters, with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    Beginning Wednesday, April 23, SBA customer service representatives will be on hand at a Disaster Loan Outreach Center (DLOC) to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process and help individuals complete their applications. Walk-ins are accepted, but you can schedule an in-person appointment in advance at appointment.sba.gov.

    “When disasters strike, SBA’s Disaster Loan Outreach Centers play a vital role in helping small businesses and their communities recover,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, SBA specialists assist business owners and residents with disaster loan applications and provide information on the full range of recovery programs available.”

    The DLOC hours of operation are listed below.

    MORRIS COUNTY
    Disaster Loan Outreach Center
    Morris County Collaborative
    200 Jefferson St.
    Daingerfield, TX  75638

    Opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 23

    Mondays – Fridays, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

    Closes at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 14

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is June 20. The deadline to return economic injury applications is Jan. 21, 2026.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Claire Anderson to the British Columbia Broadband Association

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Richmond, British Columbia
    April 22, 2025

    Claire Anderson, Commissioner for British Columbia and the Yukon
    Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)

    Check against delivery

    Thank you once again, Bob, for that welcome and for inviting me to join all of you once again at the British Columbia Broadband Association’s annual conference. My thanks, as well, to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations for allowing us to conduct our conference on their traditional, ancestral and unceded territories.

    The City of Vancouver acknowledges that the City is “located on territory that was never ceded, or given up to the Crown by the Musqueam, Squamish, or Tsleil-Waututh peoples. The term unceded acknowledges the dispossession of the land and the inherent rights of those Indigenous peoples to the territory.” So again, I pay my respects.

    Thank for you for inviting me to speak with you for a third year running now. This time, of course, I am meeting with you under very different circumstances, as we are currently in the midst of an election period.

    As you know, the CRTC is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. We hold public consultations on telecommunications and broadcasting matters and make decisions based on the public record.

    And as an independent tribunal, we are mindful that during an election period the federal public service operates under the principles outlined in what is commonly referred to as the “caretaker convention.” We, like the rest of the government, continue routine operations and necessary business, but we exercise restraint in what we say and do to demonstrate respect for the democratic process.

    What that means for today is I will not be able to discuss, for the most part, what the future might hold for the CRTC. I certainly will not speculate on the election or what it might mean for the CRTC, your sector, or any other areas of interest being discussed at the conference today. This will be true both for my time here at the podium, as well as in any discussion we have together afterward.

    With that out of the way, I would like to get to the things we can discuss, especially considering the theme of this year’s conference: “The Dollars and Sense of Telecom.” Because for many of the members here today, the CRTC’s recent regulatory decisions create the potential to open up new market opportunities for service providers willing to seize them.

    So let’s get started. 

    HSA

    I am, of course, referring to our decisions over the past couple years regarding aggregated, wholesale high-speed access services over fibre-to-the-home networks. The process by which we arrived at our decision began when we received a new policy direction from the government in February 2023. The direction asked us to renew our approach to telecommunications policy in Canada, requiring the CRTC to consider how our decisions could promote competition, affordability, reliability, and consumer interests.

    Shortly after we launched a proceeding on the Internet services market, focusing on how we could increase competition and encourage more affordable choices for consumers in the market.

    In November of the same year, we released an interim decision that provided competitors with a workable way to sell Internet services using the fibre-to-the-home networks of large telephone companies in Ontario and Quebec, where the CRTC had noticed that competition in the market had declined most significantly.

    We continued our public process, including a comprehensive review of all submissions on the matter, as well as a week-long public hearing in February of last year. In August 2024, we released our final decision in the proceeding. That decision expands competitor access to fibre networks nationwide.

    Our decisions throughout this process have aimed to promote greater competition in the Internet services marketplace while ensuring incentives for companies to continue investing in high-quality networks. For example, the access granted in our decisions only includes fibre that was already deployed on the date of the decision. Any new fibre built after that date is exempt until August 2029.

    Our hope is that through this decision, British Columbians and Canadians in general will soon benefit from increased competition for high-speed Internet. Because we know increased competition leads to more affordable choices and innovative services. 

    For service providers like many of you here today, the new framework presents an opportunity to compete in the fibre-to-home market. The access to that market is already available – large telephone companies had to be ready to grant it to competitors by February 2025. So we hope that you consider this as an option in your business planning.

    Broadband Fund

    Promoting both competition and continued investment has been one key focus of CRTC decisions in the past couple years. Another area where we have focused much of our attention is on expanding networks to ensure all Canadians have access to high-quality and reliable Internet – especially in underserved rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. The open data we publish tells us that 21.8 percent of households in those areas do not have access to reliable 50/10 connectivity.

    In 2016, we decided to overhaul our program for ensuring basic telephone service to all Canadians to focus on broadband. We established the criteria for the Broadband Fund in 2018, and launched three calls for applications – the first two in 2019, and then the third in 2022.

    We have directed funding to Inuit communities in northern Quebec and Nunavut, to nearly 100 kilometres of major roads in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and Ontario, and to roads and rural communities in the Yukon, here in B.C., and in Manitoba. Over the Fund’s lifetime, it has supported improved broadband infrastructure for more than 270 communities, including significant investments in the Far North.

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

    That’s why we are conducting an ongoing review of the Fund. Late last year we announced a number of changes in three broad areas — making it faster for you to submit an application and for us to evaluate it; supporting Indigenous applicants; and making our mapping more sensible and accessible.

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

    In terms of reducing barriers for Indigenous applicants, we have made a number of changes including on community engagement. We have taken steps to streamline the application process and to provide Indigenous applicants with a dedicated point of contact in our Indigenous Relations Team, instead of having to navigate our processes alone.

    We are also providing funding for up to two years of technical training for Indigenous staff in communities they are proposing to serve as part of funded capital projects, and for Indigenous applicants we are not requiring a 10% holdback on projects with approved funding of $5 million or less. Furthermore, we are requiring each Broadband Fund applicant to obtain and show they have conducted meaningful consultations with Indigenous communities and earned consent for any projects that are built on their territories.

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

    We expect these changes to improve how we operate the Fund and improve outcomes for recipients. Any further changes we make will be in service of our overarching goal: to help close the remaining connectivity gaps across the country effectively and efficiently.

    Recent decisions and ongoing consultations

    Our Broadband Fund work and our decisions regarding network access are not our only ongoing telecommunications work at the CRTC. Far from it.

    Just two months ago at the end of February we also released a decision to help strengthen network resiliency and reliability for emergency services like 9-1-1. Measures in the decision will help improve the resiliency of the wireless public alerting system, prioritize 9-1-1 traffic over Internet traffic during periods of network congestion, and provide greater information to the public on how to contact emergency services during outages.

    As British Columbians know all too well, access to emergency services and public alerts are even more important in a crisis. We will continue to help support Canadians’ access to 9-1-1 services and public alerts within our mandate.

    Another of our ongoing work streams at the CRTC regards access to poles and support structures. As many of you know, we issued decisions in recent years streamlining the approach to accessing support structures that are owned or controlled by large incumbent local exchange carriers, and then finalizing the tariffs by which to do so.

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

    These are just a few of the questions we are considering. Because this is a matter before us, I cannot even hint at any possible outcome, except that any decision we make will continue to promote both greater competition and more investment in networks.

    Next, I want to take a few moments to explain some of our ongoing work on the consumer side of things. While we hope our high-speed access to fibre-to-the-home networks decision will improve choice and affordability for consumers, we also think more can be done to ensure consumers have better information in the Internet services market.

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

    We are currently engaged in a series of four consultations around making it easier to choose, change, and cancel a plan.

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

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

    These consultations are still very much ongoing, and there will be a public hearing on the potential labeling system in June.

    Conclusion

    Which, I think, is a good place for me to wrap up today. As I said at the beginning, at the CRTC we regulate the Canadian communications sector in the public interest. To ensure we achieve our mandate, we have to gather input from everyone – including and especially everyone gathered here in this room – from our Internet service providers to everyday Canadians.

    So please visit our website, and work with your trade associations and advisors to stay up to date on our proceedings as they continue. Intervene in our proceedings and let us know the impact they could have on you and your business. Your input matters a great deal to what we do. When you intervene on the record of our proceedings, we’re able to take it into account and consider it in our final decision.

    Thank you for your time today, and I look forward to continuing our work together.

    MIL OSI Canada News –