NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-Evening Report: Wetland restoration is seen as sunk cost – but new research shows why it should be considered an investment

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Wei Yang, Senior Scientist in Environmental Economics, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa – Massey University

    Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators

    As extreme weather intensifies globally, governments are seeking nature-based solutions that deliver both climate and economic benefits.

    The restoration of wetlands is an often overlooked opportunity. As our recent study shows, wetlands have long been treated as environmental “add-ons” but are in fact rising economic assets, delivering more value as they mature.

    Restored coastal wetlands, particularly mangroves and saltmarshes, offer growing returns in the form of carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection and storm buffering. These benefits build up gradually, sometimes exponentially, over time.

    But planning frameworks treat restorations as static costs, rather than compounding investments.

    Using international data and economic modelling, we developed a framework to capture how wetland benefits evolve over decades. While we draw on global datasets, this approach can be applied in New Zealand to understand the value of local restoration projects.

    Timing matters for wetland investment

    Traditional cost-benefit analyses treat wetland restoration as a one-off expense with fixed returns. Our research shows this misses the bigger, long-term picture.

    For example, coastal mangroves initially store a modest amount of carbon while seedlings develop. But as root systems establish and capture sediment, there is a critical threshold when carbon sequestration accelerates dramatically. Mature restored mangroves can store three times more carbon annually than during early years.

    Saltmarshes follow a similar pattern. They develop from basic habitat into complex networks that buffer storm surges, filter nutrients and support productive fisheries.

    For New Zealand, where many wetlands were historically drained or degraded, the implication is clear. Early investment in restoration is critical and will deliver increasing returns over time.

    Our study highlights mangroves and saltmarshes as priority systems, but also points to peatlands and freshwater marshes as promising candidates.

    Early investment in wetland restoration can deliver long-term returns.
    Shutterstock/Wirestock Creators

    Risk from resource management reform

    As part of a major reform of the Resource Management Act, the government is reviewing the environmental rules governing the work of local and regional councils, including policies on freshwater.

    The law review and freshwater policy consultations present both opportunities and challenges for wetland valuation.

    The amendment to the Resource Management Act regarding freshwater proposes:

    quick, targeted changes which will reduce the regulatory burden on key sectors, including farming, mining and other primary industries.

    While this may reduce the regulatory burden, it highlight the need for robust valuation tools that can weigh long-term benefits against immediate development returns.

    The current consultation outlines specific changes, including clarifying the definition of a wetland. The amended definition would exclude wetlands “unintentionally created” through activities such as irrigation, while constructed wetlands would have a new set of objectives and consent pathways.

    Councils would also no longer need to map wetlands by 2030, while restrictions on non-intensive grazing of beef cattle and deer in wetlands would be removed.

    These definition changes could exclude wetlands that accumulate significant climate and biodiversity benefits over time, regardless of their origin. As our research suggests, the ecological and economic value of wetlands often increases substantially as systems mature.

    The valuation gap

    Despite growing international recognition of “blue carbon” initiatives (which store carbon in coastal and marine ecosystems), New Zealand lacks frameworks to capture the dynamic value of wetlands.

    Earlier research shows coastal ecosystems contribute about US$190 billion annually to global blue carbon wealth, with wetlands storing about half of all carbon buried in ocean sediments despite occupying less than 2% of the ocean.

    New Zealand has no wetland-specific financial instruments to attract private investment and wetlands are not integrated into the Emissions Trading Scheme, the government’s main tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    This creates a fundamental mismatch. Policy frameworks treat restoration as static costs while science reveals appreciating assets.

    Our modelling framework offers a pathway to bridge this gap. By tracking how different wetland types accumulate benefits over time, decision makers can better understand long-term returns on restoration investment.

    Australia is already developing wetland carbon markets. International blue carbon financial initiatives are emerging and recognising that today’s restoration investment delivers tomorrow’s climate benefits.

    For New Zealand, this could mean:

    • integrating wetland valuation into environmental assessments, moving beyond upfront costs to consider decades of accumulating benefits across different wetland types

    • aligning finance with restoration timelines and developing funding mechanisms that capture growing value rather than treating restoration as sunk costs

    • building regional datasets and generating location-specific data on how New Zealand’s diverse wetlands develop benefits over time, reducing investment uncertainty.

    With sea-level rise accelerating and extreme weather becoming more frequent, wetlands represent critical infrastructure for climate adaptation. Unlike built infrastructure (stop banks, for example) that depreciates, wetlands appreciate, becoming more valuable as they mature.

    The current policy consultation period offers an opportunity to embed this thinking into New Zealand’s environmental frameworks. Rather than viewing wetlands as regulatory constraints, dynamic valuation could reveal them as appreciating assets that increase resilience for coastal communities.

    Restoring coastal wetlands is not just about repairing nature. It’s about investing in a living, compounding asset that ameliorates climate impacts and protects our coasts and communities.

    Wei Yang was funded by a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour grant.

    – ref. Wetland restoration is seen as sunk cost – but new research shows why it should be considered an investment – https://theconversation.com/wetland-restoration-is-seen-as-sunk-cost-but-new-research-shows-why-it-should-be-considered-an-investment-258281

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Why does my phone sometimes not ring when people call? A communications expert explains

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jairo Gutierrez, Professor, Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Auckland University of Technology

    Tada Images

    There’s a certain feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when I’m waiting for an important call to come through. You know the type – maybe a call from your boss, a potential new employer or news of a loved one who’s due to give birth.

    In these situations, I usually stare at my phone, willing it to ring. I make sure – over and again – it’s not on silent or “do not disturb” mode. When the screen is out of my sight, I imagine I can hear the familiar ringtone.

    Then it pops up – the missed call notification. But the phone never rang. What happened?

    How do mobile calls work?

    When making a mobile call using 4G or 5G networks, the caller dials a number and their network operator (Telstra or OneNZ, for example) routes the request to the recipient’s device.

    For this to work, both phones must be registered with an IP Multimedia Subsystem – or IMS – which automatically happens when you turn on your phone. IMS is the system that allows the combination of voice calls, messages and video communications.

    Both phones must also be connected to a 4G or 5G cell phone tower. The caller’s network sends an invite to the recipient’s device, which will then start to ring.

    This process is usually very fast. But as generations of cellular networks have evolved (remember 3G?), becoming faster and with greater capacity, they have also become more complex, with new potential points of failure.

    From phone failures to ‘dead zones’

    Mobile phones use Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for 4G networks or Voice over New Radio (VoNR) for 5G. These are technologies that enable voice calls over those two types of networks and they use the above mentioned IMS.

    In some countries such as New Zealand, if either of these aren’t enabled or supported on your device (some phones have VoLTE disabled by default), it may attempt to fall back to the 3G network, which was switched off in Australia in 2024 and is currently being phased out in New Zealand.

    If this fallback fails or is delayed, the recipient’s phone may not ring or may go straight to voicemail.

    Another possibility is that your phone may have failed to register with the IMS network. If this happens – due to something like a software glitch, SIM issue, or network problem – a phone won’t receive the call signal and won’t ring.

    Then there are handover issues. Each cell phone tower covers a particular area, and if you are moving, your call will be handed over to the tower that provides the best coverage. Sometimes your phone uses 5G for data but 4G for voice; if the handover between 5G and 4G is slow or fails, the call might not ring. If 5G is used for both data and voice, VoNR is used, which is still not widely supported and may fail.

    Mobile apps introduce other potential problems. For example, on Android, aggressive battery-saving features can restrict background processes, including the phone app, preventing it from responding to incoming calls. Third-party apps such as call blockers, antivirus tools, or even messaging apps can also interfere with call notifications.

    Finally, if your phone is in an area with poor reception, it may not receive the call signal in time to ring. These so-called “dead zones” are more common than telcos would like to admit. I live at the end of a long driveway in a well-covered suburb of Auckland in New Zealand. But, depending on where I am in the house, I still experience dead zones and often the WiFi-enabled phone apps will more reliably cause the phone to ring.

    Battery-saving features on phones can restrict background processes, including the phone app, preventing it from responding to incoming calls.
    ymgerman/Shutterstock

    What can I do to fix it?

    If your phone frequently doesn’t ring on 4G or 5G there are a few things you can do:

    • make sure VolTE/VoNR is enabled in your network settings
    • restart your phone and toggle airplane mode to refresh network registration
    • check battery optimisation settings and exclude the phone app you are using
    • contact your carrier to confirm VoLTE/VoNR support and provisioning.

    But ultimately, sometimes a call will just fail – and there’s very little an everyday person can do about it. Which yes, is annoying. But it also means you have a failsafe, expert-approved excuse for missing a call from your boss.

    Jairo Gutierrez 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. Why does my phone sometimes not ring when people call? A communications expert explains – https://theconversation.com/why-does-my-phone-sometimes-not-ring-when-people-call-a-communications-expert-explains-258400

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch Reaction to Tax Bill Text, Unveiled by Senate Finance Committee 

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Bill will hurt Vermonters and tank the economy 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today released the following reaction to the recently unveiled text of the Republicans’ reconciliation bill:  
    “Republicans’ tax bill poses a very real threat to the American people and the American economy. This bill makes painful cuts to Medicaid, which will limit or block access to care for millions of seniors, families and people with disabilities, and hurt the rural hospitals millions of patients rely on. The Republicans’ bill will rip away nutrition assistance kids and families need. Green energy jobs across America will be cut. Interest rates will go up, trillions will be added to the deficit, and the economy will get tanked.   
    “In Vermont, nobody comes up to me to ask about how this bill will affect their taxes, but they do ask about their access to health care and food assistance. They ask about the trusted community institutions—like our hospitals and health centers—that will close. They ask why Republicans in Washington are forcing a tax cut that will benefit the wealthy, but not everyday, hardworking people.  
    “This bill hurts folks in blue and red states alike. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to consider how this bill will inflict real pain in their state. They should stand up for the needs of their constituents, not the demands of the president.” 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pakistan native arrested, charged with illegal reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Saima Qamar, 55, a citizen of Canada and native of Pakistan, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with re-entry of a removed alien, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Smith, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, Qamar was detained by the Lewiston Police Department, which reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for assistance in identifying the defendant. A records check determined that Qamar was a citizen of Canada and national of Pakistan who was illegally present in the United States after previously having been removed in April 2019.

    Qamar made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah J. McCarthy and was detained.

    This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by U.S. Border Patrol Niagara Falls Station, under the direction of Patrol Agent in Charge Brady Waikal.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.   

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PHOTOS: Capito Attends White House Signing of her Resolution Ending California’s EV Mandate

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, attended a White House ceremony where President Trump signed her joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal California’s attempted electric vehicle mandate through their “Advanced Clean Cars II” regulation that prohibits the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035.

    “With President Trump’s signature today, we have successfully ended California’s attempt to establish a nationwide EV mandate that would have hurt our economy, eliminated jobs, and removed consumer choice across our country. Despite the best efforts of the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats, the voice of the American people has been heard and put into action through the repeal of this rule. I’m proud to have led this effort and thank President Trump and my Republican colleagues in Congress for their work and support throughout this process,” Chairman Capito said. 

    TIMELINE OF SENATOR CAPITO’S EFFORTS:

    • May 22, 2025: The Senate passed Senator Capito’s CRA to repeal California’s EV mandate through their “Advanced Clean Cars II” regulation.
    • May 21, 2025: Senator Capito spoke on the Senate floor outlining the importance of ending California’s EV mandate, and the Congressional Review Act process she led to repeal California’s waiver. 
    • May 1, 2025: Senator Capito applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of joint resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal California’s EV mandate.
    • April 4, 2025: Senator Capito, joined by Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced joint resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to repeal California’s EV regulations that prohibit the sale of new gas-powered light-duty vehicles by 2035 and set unrealistic and stringent requirements for heavy-duty trucks and heavy-duty diesel engines.
    • December 18, 2024: Senator Capito pledged to work to reverse the Biden administration’s lame duck action of approving California’s waiver to implement its “Advanced Clean Cars II” regulation.
    • February 28, 2024: Senator Capito joined Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.-05), Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), and Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.-13), in a bicameral letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan warning of the legal and economic consequences of granting a Clean Air Act waiver for the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which would enable the state to require 35 percent of automobile sales to be electric vehicles in model year 2026, and 100 percent of them by 2035.

    PHOTOS:

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) with President Donald Trump at the White House signing ceremony for her resolution to end California’s nationwide electric vehicle mandate.

    U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) with President Donald Trump at the White House signing ceremony for her resolution to end California’s nationwide electric vehicle mandate.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: £250m for green aerospace projects ahead of Industrial Strategy

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    £250m for green aerospace projects ahead of Industrial Strategy

    UK aerospace will be boosted by more than £250m funding for cutting-edge aerospace tech projects to drive greener air travel, ahead of the Paris Air Show.

    • Government announces over £250m joint industrial investment with industry for cutting-edge green aerospace tech projects at companies including Rolls-Royce, Airbus.
    • Industry Minister announces latest win for UK aerospace at Paris Air Show in run-up to launch of Government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in advanced manufacturing and defence.
    • Announcement comes as new figures show UK aerospace sector supports 100,000 direct jobs and contributed £13.6bn to the economy in 2024, almost 50% up on 2014.

    UK aerospace will be boosted by more than £250 million funding for cutting-edge aerospace tech projects to drive greener air travel, Industry Minister Sarah Jones will announce at the Paris Air Show today.

    The combined funding from government and industry will drive forward the development of cutting-edge technologies that will help to secure the future of the UK’s aerospace sector. This includes advancements in gas turbines, hydrogen-powered flight and the use of laser technologies for large-scale aerostructure manufacturing.

    It will help attract even more investment into the UK’s world-leading aerospace sector and support thousands of high-skilled jobs outside of London, delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change and helping grow the economy.

    The announcement comes as new figures from the industry’s trade association ADS show the UK’s aerospace sector added £13.6 billion to the economy last year – an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2014 – and supported 100,000 direct jobs.

    It marks the latest win for the UK’s world-class aerospace sector in the run-up to the launch of the Government’s modern Industrial Strategy, which will target growth in the UK’s leading advanced manufacturing and defence sectors, and giving businesses the confidence they need to invest in the UK.

    Industry Minister Sarah Jones said:

    This government is backing aerospace. This investment will keep it at the forefront of innovation, not only delivering economic growth but boosting the charge to net zero 2030, two key pillars of our Plan for Change.

    This is the latest win for British aerospace in the run-up to the launch of our Industrial Strategy, which will turbocharge growth in our advanced manufacturing and defence sectors to take them to new heights, bringing new high-skilled jobs to every corner of the UK.

    During her visit to Paris Air Show – the world’s largest event for the civil aerospace sector – Minister Jones will tour the UK’s pavilion and meet with British companies exhibiting, before meeting with a wide range of leading aerospace companies, such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce and GKN.

    The meetings will focus on encouraging even greater investment into British aerospace, promoting the UK’s world-class R&D offer on the global stage, and how government can support businesses to increase their manufacturing and operations in the UK.

    Smaller and medium size businesses across the UK continue to benefit from the ATI Programme, with more than 302 receiving support since 2013, and another 19 investing over £22.8m in innovation in today’s announcement.

    The UK aerospace sector had an annual turnover of £34 billion in 2024 and spent £1.9 billion on business R&D – a record level, driven by ongoing investment in both sustainable technology and market manufacturing technology to help ramp up UK production.

    Rolls-Royce Director of Research & Technology Alan Newby said:

    Gas turbines are an engine for growth for the UK economy. We welcome the recognition of the technology’s vital role from the Government in supporting both national and economic security.

    Together, government and industry investment in future gas turbine technologies will enhance the UK’s global competitiveness and help secure UK jobs and exports for the decades ahead.

    Airbus UK Chairman John Harrison said:

    It’s terrific to see ATI funding allocated to projects like our ZeroE Development Centre (ZEDC) that will be built at Airbus Filton, and for DecSAM which builds on the industry’s additive manufacturing capabilities.

    It’s initiatives like these that are absolutely critical to accelerating our decarbonisation journey and advancing sustainable, cutting-edge manufacturing. The continued ATI funding provides the UK aerospace industry with the confidence and stability it needs to fuel innovation.

    Aerospace Technology Institute Chief Innovation Officer Paul Adams said:

    Today’s funding announcement, including our dedicated small and medium-sized company grants, supports critical world-leading research – vital to ensuring UK aerospace companies continue to provide great jobs and growth in future, whilst delivering on our ambitious environmental goals. This is a huge vote of confidence in UK aerospace and in British aerospace companies.

    Notes to editors

    • The ATI Programme is a joint government and industry investment. Its purpose is to competitively offer funding for research and technology development in the UK, to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and accelerate the transition to net zero aviation. 

    • The support announced today is from the £975 million between 2025 and 2030 allocated to the ATI Programme by the Government. This funding, matched by industry, provides continued stability for industry to invest in the UK, delivering economic growth, supporting high skilled jobs and advancing aviation’s challenging transition to net zero. 

    • In total between 2013 and 2030, industry and government will invest over £5 billion developing transformational aircraft technology to secure and grow UK jobs and reduce harmful aviation emissions.

    Specific investments announced are: 

    1. DRAGONFLY (Actuation Lab & Cranfield University)
      This project is developing a special valve to control the flow of super-cold liquid hydrogen for future zero-emission aircraft. It aims to support cleaner aviation by improving hydrogen fuel systems.

    2. STAR (Advanced Manufacturing & partners)
      The STAR project is creating a new gas shielding device that removes the need for expensive argon chambers in manufacturing. This will lower costs and allow for the production of larger components.

    3. REIT (AerospaceHV)
      REIT is building test facilities to help certify electrical systems used in high-voltage aerospace machines. This will support the development of future electric aircraft.

    4. PACE-AM (Alloyed & Brunel University)
      This project is improving the use of strong aluminium alloys in 3D printing for aerospace parts. It aims to make aircraft components lighter and more efficient to produce.

    5. HiRACOS (Carbon ThreeSixty & partners)
      HiRACOS is developing fast and efficient composite materials for use in next-generation aircraft. The goal is to speed up production for advanced air mobility and narrowbody planes.

    6. LoCAP (CKPD)
      LoCAP is working on lightweight, non-metallic aircraft parts using new materials. This will help UK aerospace companies make better quality parts faster and at lower cost.

    7. MACH2INE (Darvick & Cranfield University)
      This project is creating machines to test materials used in hydrogen-powered aircraft. It will help ensure these materials are safe and reliable for flight.

    8. SPCLH2 (Enoflex Ltd. & partners)
      SPCLH2 is designing lightweight composite pipes to carry liquid hydrogen in aircraft, replacing heavy steel ones. These new pipes will reduce aircraft weight and improve fuel efficiency.

    9. DAA (Hover Inc.)
      DAA is developing smart onboard computers with AI for future autonomous and hybrid-electric aircraft. These systems will improve safety and performance.

    10. GENACOM (iCOMAT & University of Sheffield)
      GENACOM is creating new ways to design and build curved composite parts for aircraft using a patented process. This will result in lighter, more sustainable aerospace structures.

    11. AAIFC (Luffy AI & University of Southampton)
      This project is using AI to make flight control systems safer and more adaptable. It opens up new design possibilities for future aircraft.

    12. MAMBA (NEMA LTD & University of Nottingham)
      MAMBA is developing advanced magnetic bearings for aerospace use, which are more reliable and fault-tolerant. These will be tested in real-world turbo-compressor systems.

    13. MB HeX FC (Qdot Technology & Atomik AM)
      This project is using metal 3D printing to improve radiators and heat exchangers in hydrogen fuel-cell aircraft. The goal is to make these systems more efficient and compact.

    14. FEEAD (Scintam Engineering)
      FEEAD is improving a machining technique to safely remove stuck fasteners during aircraft engine maintenance. This will make repairs quicker and safer.

    15. Sora Aero (Sora Aviation & Universities of Bristol and Manchester)
      Sora Aero is developing AI-powered tools to simulate how aircraft behave in flight. These tools will help design better zero-emission aircraft.

    16. BatWing (Sora Aviation & University of Bath)
      BatWing is creating lightweight battery packs and new ways to safely attach them to aircraft wings. This supports the move to electric-powered flight.

    17. MEFSVS (Ultima Forma & GKN Aerospace)
      MEFSVS is replacing heavy outer jackets on hydrogen fuel tanks with lighter, advanced materials. This will reduce aircraft weight and simplify manufacturing.

    18. SPARR (Zero Emissions Aerospace Ltd. & partners)
      SPARR is developing a hydrogen propulsion system for various aircraft types, including airships and eVTOLs. It aims to cut emissions and lower operating costs.

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Transport Secretary secures major rail supply deal to protect thousands of British Steel jobs

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Transport Secretary secures major rail supply deal to protect thousands of British Steel jobs

    The contract will see British Steel supplying a minimum of 337,000 tonnes of long and short rail in the UK over the next 5 years.

    Credit: Network Rail

    • thousands of steelworkers’ jobs are protected as Transport Secretary secures landmark £500 million rail contract
    • deal follows the government’s urgent April intervention that saved British Steel’s blast furnaces from immediate closure
    • 5-year agreement delivers on the government’s Plan for Change commitment to harness British manufacturing to rebuild Britain and deliver and the critical infrastructure that unlocks economic growth

    Thousands of British manufacturing jobs have today (17 June 2025) been secured as the Transport Secretary visited Scunthorpe to finalise a major rail steel deal between Network Rail and British Steel.

    The £500 million 5-year contract will see British Steel supply over 337,000 tonnes of rail track, helping cement the company’s future just 2 months after the government took emergency action to save the Scunthorpe plant from closure.

    Visiting the historic steelworks today, Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, announced details of a landmark deal signed between Network Rail and British Steel in an agreement representing the first major public procurement since the government’s unprecedented April 2025 intervention.

    This saw the Prime Minister requesting the recall of Parliament to pass emergency legislation preventing the immediate shutdown of Scunthorpe’s blast furnaces, protecting vital British manufacturing jobs.

    That decisive action came after British Steel’s owners, Jingye Group, announced plans to shut down the site’s blast furnaces and some other key steelmaking operations, despite months of negotiations and a £500 million co-investment offer from the government.

    This news complements the announcement of a new trade deal between the UK and US, which, once implemented, will lower tariffs and protect thousands of jobs across key sectors, including steel. The UK was the first and is currently the only country to have secured such a deal.

    The deal demonstrates progress with the government’s wider industrial strategy to strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains as part of the Plan for Change commitment to drive economic growth across all regions of the UK.

    Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said:

    This landmark contract truly transforms the outlook for British Steel and its dedicated workforce in Scunthorpe, building on its decades-long partnership with Network Rail to produce rail for Britain’s railways.

    After taking urgent action to step in and save these historic blast furnaces from closure, we’ve now helped secure their long-term future by backing British Steel with meaningful government contracts, protecting thousands of skilled manufacturing jobs in the process.

    This crucial investment in our railway infrastructure shows we are delivering on our Plan for Change commitment to raise living standards in every part of the UK and ensure economic growth is felt by working people in our proud industrial heartlands.

    Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said:

    This is great news for British Steel and a vote of confidence in the UK’s expertise in steelmaking, which will support thousands of skilled jobs for years to come.

    Following our decisive action to step in and save steelmaking at Scunthorpe in April, this contract will give the sector the security to supply the steel we need for the infrastructure of the future, as part of our Plan for Change.

    Today’s Network Rail contract, worth an estimated £500 million, will start on 1 July, providing the company with 80% of its rail needs and builds on the government’s £2.5 billion steel fund established to revitalise UK steel production over the next 5 years.

    It forms part of Network Rail’s rail supply contracts for the provision of almost 450,000 tonnes of rail for the next 5 years.

    To ensure security of supply, Network Rail is set to award smaller contracts to some European manufacturers, who will supply specialist rail products alongside British Steel.

    The contracts will see:

    • British Steel supplies a minimum of 337,000 tonnes of long and short rail
    • a further 80,000 to 90,000 tonnes will be provided by other European manufacturers, with deals expected to be announced shortly

    The strategic partnership builds on decades of collaboration between Network Rail and British Steel, whose Scunthorpe plant has been producing rail for Britain’s railways since 1865.

    Network Rail’s Group Director for Railway Business Services, Clive Berrington, said:

    British Steel remains extremely competitive in the provision of rail and we are delighted that they will remain our main supplier in the years ahead.

    British Steel’s Commercial Director for Rail, Craig Harvey, said:

    We are exceptionally proud to be extending our long-term strategic partnership with Network Rail with an agreement demonstrating British Steel’s importance to the UK’s economy and infrastructure.

    The contract is a ringing endorsement of UK workers and British industry, underpinning the vital role we play in ensuring millions of passengers and freight operators enjoy safe, enjoyable, and timely journeys on Britain’s railways.

    Rail media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 17 June 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rochester business owner sentenced for food stamp fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Zina Amba Mbile Mbile, 46, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of food stamp fraud, was sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $246,890.00 in restitution to the United States Department of Agriculture by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle P. Rossi, who handled the case, stated that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) uses federal tax dollars to help low-income individuals purchase food. Eligible individuals are provided with a debit card from which they can make food purchases at authorized food stores. Businesses authorized to accepts SNAP benefits, can only do so for the sale of eligible food products. It is unlawful to accept SNAP benefits for non-food items such as cigarettes, beer, or for cash. Between March 1, 2020, and July 23, 2024, Mbile, who operated the Beni Food convenience store on Dewey Avenue in Rochester, accepted SNAP benefits from customers in exchange for non-food items, such as cosmetic products. Mbile also exchanged cash for food stamp benefits, resulting in a profit for Mbile. In total, Mbile fraudulently caused $246,890.00 to be deposited into Beni Food’s bank accounts for food that was never purchased.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Charmeka Parker, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, and the Monroe County Department of Human Services, under the direction of Commissioner Thalia Wright.        

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy Introduces Bill to Remove Barriers to Telemental Health Care

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Telemental Health Care Access Act to remove barriers to telemental and behavioral health services for Medicare beneficiaries by removing the statutory requirement that Medicare beneficiaries be seen in person within six months of being treated for mental or behavioral health services through telehealth.
    “Every Louisianan with a mental health condition must have access to telehealth services. For those in rural areas in my state who have a far drive to the nearest specialist, telehealth saves lives,” said Dr. Cassidy.  
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) in introducing the legislation.
    U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Troy Balderson (R-OH) introduced a companion version of this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    BackgroundIn 2020, Congress permanently allowed Medicare patients to be treated for mental health services at home or other non-clinical sites, but it also included an in-person visit requirement that limits access. This legislation eliminates that mandate and brings mental health telehealth rules in line with how Medicare covers substance use disorder services without requiring an in-person visit.
    The Telemental Health Care Access Act is supported by dozens of leading mental health, provider, and telehealth organizations, including: Alliance for Connected Care, Alliance of Community Health Plans, American Counseling Association, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association,American Psychological Association, American Telemedicine Association, ATA Action,Association for Behavioral Health & Wellness, Association of American Medical Colleges, California Medical Association, Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law, Centerstone, Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action, Health Innovation Alliance, Hims & Hers, HIMSS, Included Health, Mental Health America, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, National Association of Social Workers, Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, REDC Consortium, Talkspace, Teladoc Health, United States of Care.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Give Bureau of Prisons Officers Fair Pay

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

    WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) introduced the Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act to ensure fair pay for U.S. Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees in rural areas. The bill will help to address staffing shortages at Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) Oakdale in Allen Parish and FCC Pollock in Grant Parish by allowing for competitive pay that better reflects the cost of living, commute times, alternative careers, and the hard work and dedication of BOP employees.
    “Underpaying correctional officers leads to fatigue, which leads to mistakes and safety risks. If we want criminals to remain behind bars, then we need to provide Bureau of Prisons employees with workable conditions. This goes for FCC Oakdale, Pollock, and the rest of Louisiana,”said Dr. Cassidy.
    U.S. Representative Randy Weber (TX-14) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
    “Every day, federal correctional officers put their lives on the line to maintain order, enforce the law, and keep dangerous criminals behind bars,”said Representative Weber. “They serve with grit, integrity, and resolve—and they deserve to be paid accordingly. This bill delivers a long-overdue pay raise to correctional officers across the country. It’s a common-sense investment in public safety that will help us recruit and retain the best in the field.”
    Cassidy was joined by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in introducing the legislation.
    Background
    The shortage of correctional officers has grown each year over the past four years. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 7% decline in correctional officers by 2032. Understaffed prisons and overworked employees have created increasingly dangerous work environments.
    FCC Oakdale houses approximately 2,000 federal inmates and faces unsustainably low staffing levels. These vacancies force FCC Oakdale to rely on mandatory overtime and using support staff to guard inmates just to meet the basic safety needs of its mission. FCC Pollok is facing similar shortages.
    Under current policies, BOP uses cooks, teachers, and nurses to guard inmates. This temporary fix pulls employees away from their usual duties and negatively impacts inmates by limiting visitations, recreational time, and academic enrichment opportunities.
    BOP employees are usually paid on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale, with slight pay modifications for correctional officers. Locality raises are determined by comparisons of local private sector salary rates, not by cost of living. An individual’s rate is based on where he or she works, not where he or she lives. Places located outside of these locality pay areas are compensated on a lower Rest of US (RUS) pay scale.
    Cassidy has urged the BOP to address staffing shortages in the past, highlighting the challenges at FCC Oakdale in 2022 and calling for staffing increases at both Oakdale and Pollock.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Don’t risk Dutton on TAFE

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    15 April 2025

    The 2025 Federal Election will set the path for many aspects of the lives of TAFE students, teachers and educators, but none more pressing than the future of TAFE.

    We have seen landmark improvements to the sector since Anthony Albanese’s Labor government took office. TAFE once again holds its rightful place as the pre-eminent provider of vocational education in Australia. TAFE as a public institution must be supported and fully funded by state, territory and federal governments.

    In the three years since the election of the Albanese government, significant elements of the AEU’s Rebuild with TAFE campaign have been realised:

    • Major new sources of guaranteed funding for TAFE have been delivered realising that at least 70 per cent of total government vocational education funding is allocated to TAFE.

    • The contestable funding model that had marketised vocational education funding for more than a decade is being dismantled.

    • The mammoth task of restoring and investing in the TAFE workforce has begun with new workers employed across Australia and VET Workforce Blueprint projects underway.

    • Hundreds of thousands of students now have access to TAFE because of Free TAFE, many of whom would have been excluded from vocational education due to cost.

    • TAFE is once again recognised as the anchor of the vocational education system.

    • The creation of TAFE Centres of Excellence has recognised the outstanding quality of vocational education provided through TAFE and creates a mechanism for this to be coordinated and shared across Australia.

    • In a further recognition of the quality of TAFE, pilot programs are underway to empower TAFE to self-accredit qualifications at AQF level 5 and above.

    • TAFE workers are more central to decision making about government policy and actively involved.

    • Thousands of TAFE workers have security of employment through industrial relations reform and legislation restricting the indiscriminate use of fixed-term employment.

    • New collective bargaining laws have ensured that TAFE workers in several jurisdictions are the beneficiaries of long-overdue salary increases that have begun to address the imbalance between income and the cost of living.

    • The AEU has been elevated to a primary role as the voice of teachers and educators in TAFE, with critical roles on major new government bodies charged with setting policy and implementing change in vocational education, including Jobs and Skills Australia and the 10 Jobs and Skills Councils.

    The importance of the next government

    We have seen strong support in Parliament from the Australian Greens and members of the crossbench for Free TAFE and for progressive policies. But there’s more to be achieved, especially in terms of staff retention and attraction, boosting infrastructure funding, facilities and resources, and strengthening student support, and to achieve this and ensure that all the gains are not dismantled, the next federal government is key.

    Labor wants to legislate Free TAFE, recognising the value of TAFE and cementing its long-term future. Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia are enrolling in Free TAFE, they are getting the flexibility they need to study, work and raise families without a financial penalty.

    Already, Free TAFE has had a disproportionately positive impact for priority cohorts such as Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people with disability, young people and those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

    Impact and reach of Free TAFE

    Data provided by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations to the Senate inquiry indicates that more than 568,000 students have so far enrolled in Free TAFE courses, and many of these enrolments have been in national priority industry areas.

    In 2023:

    • Aboriginal Students and Torres Strait Islander Students represented 6.7 per cent of students in Free TAFE compared with 3.5 per cent in the wider VET sector.

    • Students with disability were 7.6 per cent compared with 3.8 per cent.

    • Women were 61.8 per cent compared with 46.2 per cent.

    • Regional and remote students were 35.9 per cent compared with 26.8 per cent.

    This demonstrates that Free TAFE is assisting those that need it most.

    Beyond just these cohorts, Free TAFE programs have also enabled many parents and older Australians to re-enter the workforce, or to make a change in their careers towards an in-demand area.

    Risks of a Coalition government

    Peter Dutton has threatened to end Free TAFE if he’s elected prime minister.

    The Coalition cut $3 billion from TAFE last time they were in government and almost 10,000 jobs were lost. When the current Liberal deputy leader Sussan Ley says: “TAFE is just the state-government-run trainer, just like public schools. The Liberal Party believes that you do not value something unless you pay for it” and Liberal MP Luke Howarth says: “We’ve said we won’t do Free TAFE, that’s another $1.5bn saved”, the same cuts are again expected.

    Dutton has not yet announced any policy but is already hinting at sending more federal funds to private RTOs rather than public TAFE. Australia cannot risk the Coalition getting in and stopping its investment in TAFE like they did last time they were in government.

    Also at risk is the suite of industrial reforms won under the Albanese government, which has seen swathes of the TAFE and AMEP workforce transitioned from contract to permanent positions, sector wage increases, allowed multi-employer bargaining, the right to disconnect from work after hours and strengthening workers’ rights across the board. The Coalition has already spoken of dismantling these worker-centred gains in favour of big business.

    Dutton has spent the last three years attacking and undermining teachers. He wants to spend $330 billion on nuclear power stations while investing nothing in building and upgrading public schools and public TAFE.

    TAFE needs a government that supports public education.

    Party Platform Comparisons

    ALP

    Climate action
    Supports:
    • Paris Climate Agreement
    • Net zero emissions by 2050
    • Just Transition to a clean energy
    Actions:
    • Has enshrined into law an emissions cut target of 43 per cent by 2030
    • A carbon cap for the biggest emitters
    • Legislated a Net Zero Authority
    • Restored the role of the Climate Change Authority (CCA)

    Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People
    • Considering pathways to self-determination
    • Supports the states that want to work towards Treaty
    • Believes in community consultation

    Workplace Relations
    • Worker-friendly, inclusive of unions
    • Stronger worker protections
    • Introduced permanency for many workers, stronger protections for casuals, multi-employer bargaining, the right to disconnect
    • Delivered wage increases to ECEC workers
    • Supportive of the Fair Work Commission

    Schools
    • Fully funding public schools
    • Addressing teacher shortages and engaging with AEU
    • Addressing Aboriginal Teacher and Torres Strait Islander Teacher representation and engaging with Community experts

    TAFE
    • Supports Free TAFE and making it permanent
    • Centres TAFE as the anchor of vocational education in Australia
    • Supports Rebuilding TAFE and the TAFE workforce
    • Ongoing rollout of TAFE Centres of Excellence
    • Plans to establish a National TAFE Network to foster cross-country collaboration and innovation

    Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)
    • Three day guarantee – a childcare subsidy for three days a week to all families earning up to $530,000 a year from January 2026
    • Scrapped the activity test
    • $1 billion Building Early Education Fund, which is the next step in creating a universal Early Childhood Education and Care system in Australia
    • 15 per cent pay rises for ECEC teacher and educator wages

    COALITION

    Workplace Relations
    • Unwind Labor’s industrial relations changes
    • Revert to a simple definition of a casual worker
    • Revoke the laws which provide for multi-employer bargaining
    • Remove the “right to disconnect”
    • Curtail unions in workplaces

    Schools
    • Believes government should continue to overfund private schools and that the federal government should only fund private schools
    • Says “children taught the basics – reading, writing and maths – through explicit instruction across our primary education system – and ensuring classrooms are places of education, not indoctrination”, which is the same coded language the Trump government used before banning books and threatening teachers in the USA
    • Has failed to declare their commitment to fully fund public schools

    TAFE
    • Opposes Free TAFE Bill and Free TAFE as a whole

    ECEC
    • Opposes scrapping the activity test

    Climate action
    Against climate action, instead:
    • Make our nation a mining powerhouse
    • Defund the Environmental Defenders Office
    • Slash resource approval timeframes in half
    • Stop the renewable energy roll-out, ramp-up domestic gas production and move to nuclear energy

    Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People
    Against self-determination and Truth-telling, instead choosing punitive responses:
    • A full audit into spending on Aboriginal programs and Torres Strait Islander programs
    • Reintroduce the Cashless Debit Card
    • Bolster law and order in crime-heavy communities
    • A Royal Commission into Sexual Abuse in Indigenous Communities

    GREENS

    TAFE
    • Increase access and opportunity for people with disability and remove barriers to tertiary education for people with disability
    • Abolish all student debt, including HELP, SFSS, and VET, starting 1 July 2025

    ECEC
    • Fix the current broken system
    • Extend free preschool for three-year-olds to at least 15 hours a week

    Climate action
    • No new coal or gas
    • Protect precious water resources
    • Expand publicly owned renewable energy
    • End the billions in handouts to coal, oil and gas corporations
    • End native forest logging
    • Save koalas and wildlife from extinction
    • Create thousands of jobs during renewable transition

    Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islander People
    • Truth, Treaty, Justice for Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
    • Connect kids to Country by funding school-based programs guided by Elders to learn about culture, language, and Country as a means of holistic healing and growth
    • Support language revival and bilingual instruction in schools

    Workplace Relations
    • Defend workers’ rights, lift wages

    Schools
    Make public schools free and fully funded:
    • Fully fund all public schools to 100% of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS)
    • Ensure sustainable funding by indexing public school funding to the higher of the Wage Price Index, Consumer Price Index, or SRS indexation factor
    • Restore $5 billion to the system by closing Morrison-era loopholes
    • Abolish public school fees and charges with an additional allocation of $2.4 billion over the forward estimates
    • Establish a new capital grants fund for public schools to invest in capital works of $1.25 billion in its first year, and then $350 million annually
    • Develop a National Inclusive Education Transition Plan in collaboration with people with disability, families, unions and experts
    • $800 ‘back to school’ payments to parents

    Article by Correna Haythorpe, AEU Federal President
    Originally published in The Australian TAFE Teacher, Autumn 2025

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Early childhood firmly on the national agenda

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    15 April 2025

    Early childhood education and care (ECEC) wages have substantially improved under the Albanese government. Governments in three states are rolling out three- and four-year-old preschool programs and the introduction of multi-employer bargaining has revolutionised industrial relations.

    These advances represent essential first steps to support children, teachers, educators and the sector as a whole. The AEU is addressing unsustainable workloads, further enhancing remuneration and conditions, and securing ongoing federal funding.

    Cara Nightingale, Chair, AEU federal early childhood committee

    Historic victory

    There have been many positive changes in the ECEC sector. The 15 per cent wage increase for early childhood teachers and educators in one of Australia’s lowest paid sectors is a historic victory after many years of seeking wage justice for this feminised and undervalued workforce.

    The pay rise goes some way towards achieving wage justice, but we’ll continue campaigning for the full 25 per cent we believe these underpaid workers need and deserve.

    Industrial changes have also had a big impact on the sector. The Albanese government’s Secure Jobs, Better Pay reforms include multi-employer bargaining, which has enabled us, for the first time, to bring employers to the table to bargain on behalf of members. It’s a very important win for members.

    There is more to be done, however, on convincing the government to extend its promise to fund the wage increases for two years. An ongoing funding commitment is crucial to support sustainable wage levels into the future.

    For example, we need to see this pay increase rolled out to the entire early childhood workforce. It currently applies to just the employers who have signed on to a Multi-Employer Agreement (MEA), covering some 30,000 teachers and educators. Employers who haven’t signed the MEA instead use Individual Flexibility Arrangements (IFAs) that don’t offer protection for members.

    An MEA, a union bargaining agreement, provides protections and accountability measures that an IFA simply doesn’t. We’re finding high levels of non-compliance in IFAs. Plus, an employer can give 13 weeks’ notice to end the IFA, leaving workers at risk of returning to basic award rates.

    Professional pay is a non-negotiable issue to recognise the importance of the work. However, members are telling us it’s just one piece of the puzzle. The second piece is addressing the crippling workload that’s associated with the job. Plus, we need funding to support new teachers and educators to thrive with professional development and mentors to help improve retention at a time of severe workforce shortage.

    An overhaul of the funding system for early childhood and care is overdue to ensure appropriate levels of support and resources for vulnerable children and those with a disability or additional needs. Extra funding to build new centres in rural, regional and remote areas is also required to alleviate early childhood and care deserts.

    The federal government must also prioritise universal access to quality preschool delivered by qualified teachers and educators for three- and four-year-olds across the country, a move already made by state governments in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales.

    The government’s Commonwealth Prac Payment for students undertaking mandatory placements, which will begin in July this year, will provide valuable financial assistance for students as they do their practicum placements.

    The government is also providing scholarships for teaching students and Fee-Free TAFE courses.

    Overall, the early childhood and care sector has seen substantial progress during the term of the Albanese government but there’s more to be done to build on those gains.

    Georgie Dent, CEO, The Parenthood

    Welcome changes

    Over the past few years, early childhood education and care has been elevated as key to educational, social and economic policy.

    One of the reasons for that shift is that we elected a federal government in May 2022, which said this policy mattered to it.

    We have seen increased understanding of the importance of ECEC in the development and wellbeing of children, in addition to the economic reform it provides by enabling parents, particularly mums, to participate in the workforce.

    Growing support for women’s rights and gender equity have also helped propel the issue.

    There is a gender component to this because we know that when families can’t access or afford early childhood education and care, it tends to be women’s employment, their financial security and their safety that can be undermined.

    The 15 per cent wage rise for teachers and educators also represents a win for women, who dominate the early childhood education and care workforce. They have been significantly underpaid compared to similar jobs with similar levels of qualification. Having that identified and rectified has had a substantial effect on teachers and educators and on their ability to achieve financial security. Having better paid teachers and educators is crucial to the quality of early education and care and to luring back some of the many who have left the sector in recent years.

    We would like to see a commitment of access to at least three days a week of high quality, inclusive, early education and care – free for lower income families and a low-set fee for others – to every child in Australia.

    Part of that means recognising the parts of the country where there is no provision of services. We need an investment and policy response to ensure that families who live in childcare deserts can access the early learning and care that their children need.

    We want to see proper funding to ensure inclusion. Around one in 20 children using early education and care are accessing the inclusion support program, whereas in primary schools, around one in five children have an identified need for additional support. There are too many children and families being turned away from services because they’re not adequately funded.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Classroom creativity inspires

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    12 May 2025

    Challenging classrooms are producing fresh ideas as the new school year gets underway for the four teachers we will follow throughout 2025.

    Lilly Maynard

    Year 5–6 teacher, Ulverstone Primary School, Tasmania

    Year 5–6 teacher
    Ulverstone Primary School, Tasmania

    For Lilly Maynard, now in her second year as a graduate teacher at Ulverstone Primary School on Tasmania’s northwest coast, additional funding would be transformative.

    Teaching a Year 5 to 6 class, Maynard says the school’s resources, particularly in technology, fall short of meeting student needs.

    “We have one device for every two to three students,” she says. “I’d love to see one-to-one devices because, by the time they reach Year 5 or 6, many students still don’t know basic technology skills like saving a document or changing fonts.”

    To bridge this gap, Maynard and other Year 5 and 6 teachers are rolling out a new technology unit in 2025 to cover foundational skills for Microsoft Word, Teams and Canva.

    Funding impacts more than technology. She reflects on the benefits of having extra teacher aides in the classroom.

    “Last year, I had a Year 6 student who struggled academically. With the limited aide time we had, we focused on intensive small-group work, going back to sentence structure and the elements of narrative writing,” she says.

    “Having more support would mean not only helping those who are struggling but also extending students who are ready to be challenged.”

    A legacy of safety

    Maynard was inspired to teach by her kindergarten teacher, whom she describes as creating a caring and safe presence for students: “I’ve always wanted to be that person for others.”

    This aspiration now shapes her classroom priorities, in which building resilience and fostering a safe learning environment are central. “We do a lot of social and emotional learning activities, teaching students how to handle conflicts or deal with challenges,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch them start resolving small issues on their own.”

    A one-year part-time paid teaching internship, which she completed in the last year of her university studies, helped her segue into teaching.

    Learning on Sea Country

    Maynard’s school’s connection to its local environment is a highlight. Late last year, about one third of Ulverstone’s 380 students participated in the education department’s Sea Country program, which integrates Palawa perspectives into learning.

    “We did pre-teaching activities about what Sea Country means and, on the excursion, it was incredible to see students reflecting on the land’s historical and cultural significance.”

    This year, Maynard aims to continue refining her skills and exploring innovative assessment techniques. “I want to build on my trials of formative assessments like exit tickets I had success with last year.”

    “My goal as a teacher is to nurture curiosity, foster creativity, and instil a lifelong love of learning.”

    With additional funding, Maynard says these aspirations could become a reality for every student in her class.12 May 2025

    Challenging classrooms are producing fresh ideas as the new school year gets underway for the four teachers we will follow throughout 2025.

    Bry Knife

    English teacher, Mabel Park State High School, Logan, QLD

    Homeschool to high school

    Bry Knife’s teaching career reflects education’s evolving landscape, where personal experience and advocacy play vital roles in meeting the diverse needs of today’s classrooms.

    Knife’s school days were outside of the mainstream experience. The child of a missionary and pastor, Knife was home-schooled in Ethiopia from Years 3 to 10.

    “Because I didn’t have a traditional education, I feel I can relate to the diversity of students at my school,” says Knife.

    Studying at his own speed through homeschooling taught them that “everyone works at their own pace”. For Knife, that means embracing organisational strategies such as using a bullet journal and medication to manage ADHD.

    Knife identifies as a non-binary, trans-masculine teacher. He prefers to use a combination of pronouns – he/him and they/them – to reflect his identity and experience of gender.

    At university, Knife found themself “figuring out that I was queer in a very conservative space”. He completed an accelerated liberal arts bachelor’s and teaching master’s degrees in four-and-a-half years. After graduating, Knife was guaranteed permanency through the Teacher Education Centre of Excellence Program.

    Embracing diversity

    This year marks Knife’s fifth as a teacher. He joined Mabel Park High just over two years ago. The school has almost 1800 students and can be “complex”, says Knife, particularly with behaviour management issues. In 2025, Knife expects to continue teaching English to students in Years 7 to 12.

    “My identity wasn’t as supported early in my teaching career,” Knife says. “Now, I’m much more myself. I’m supported and even celebrated, such as on Wear It Purple Day. I can project a steadiness to my students, who won’t feel safe or comfortable if the adult in the room is anxious and jittery.”

    Knife credits the Queensland Teachers’ Union with the support provided to facilitate their transfer. Knife now holds multiple union roles, including QTU activist and Pride Committee member, and has helped advocate for solutions to address the teacher shortage.

    “Offering permanency is no longer an incentive because the shortage makes that easy to get,” Knife says.

    Bridging gaps

    Proper funding for resources remains a major challenge, particularly as Mabel Park High works to “close the digital divide”.

    “There are Year 7 students at my school who don’t know how to use computers, research on the internet, or type up an assessment. As we roll out a bring-your-own device program, we’re finding that many parents can’t afford computers and don’t have one at home. More funding would bridge that gap,” he says.

    Lottie Smith

    Year 7–10 teacher, Centre of Deaf Education, Adelaide, SA

    Lottie Smith still feels pride over a student’s achievement in her first year of teaching.

    The Year 8 student, who is deaf and has an intellectual disability, won the speech contest on the theme “black, loud and proud” during Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reconciliation Week.

    Smith, who teaches a Year 7 to 10 class at Avenues College in Adelaide, thought of the student as soon as she heard about the contest.

    “I sat with him and broke down the question, and we worked out a speech in sign language and practised it,” she says.

    “On the day, I stood in front of him holding big cue cards. He used sign language, and an interpreter voiced his words.”

    Smith grows emotional recalling the moment: “He did this in front of the Aboriginal Youth Commissioner, a panel of Elders, and young people. His competitors, the other contestants, used a microphone.”

    Support that’s needed

    The achievement highlights Smith’s dedication and one-on-one coaching. She teaches four other students who are deaf or hard of hearing and have complex additional needs such as autism or intellectual disabilities. Smith works with the support of one Student Learning Support Officer (SLSO).

    “Extra funding would mean more support staff,” she says. “One-on-one support is critical for meeting the needs of our complex student cohort.”

    Smith also believes in upskilling SLSOs, who often work closely with the students with the highest needs. “SLSOs have limited access to professional training, and that needs to change,” she says.

    Out-of-pocket costs

    Smith is grateful for a partial subsidy she received to pursue Certificates II and III in Auslan, a prerequisite for her master’s degree in teaching hearing-impaired students. However, the financial burden of further qualifications has been significant.

    “The government offers a scholarship for one unit per semester of the Auslan course, which means doing it part-time,” she says. “But I studied my master’s full-time alongside Auslan, so I was automatically out-of-pocket by a few thousand dollars, but only just found out I could have applied for a scholarship.”

    The lack of funding support is unfair and unethical, says Smith.

    “I went out of my way to gain these qualifications, adding to my HECS debt for a hard-to-fill role,” she says.

    Last year Smith was awarded SA Early Career Educator of the Year 2024 on World Teachers Day in recognition of her work with Australian Association of Teachers of the Deaf (SA).

    Smith says developing her students’ Auslan and English language skills drives her.

    “I look forward to continuing celebrating my students’ small wins that contribute to their confidence, skills and independence.”

    Amelia Evans

    Physical education and science teacher, University of Canberra High School Kaleen, ACT

    The opportunity to take on leadership roles and make a positive community impact drew ACT teacher Amelia Evans into teaching.

    Recalling her school days, the sixth-generation teacher says: “I didn’t always love school, but I enjoyed the positive relationships I had with my PE teachers, making school a bit more fun every day.”

    After Year 12, Evans completed a year in the Royal Australian Navy, “squirrelling away my pay” before starting her teaching degree.

    Despite juggling multiple jobs, she finished her degree in three years instead of four, without a scholarship.

    Inclusive PE

    Now in her third year of high-school physical education teaching at the University of Canberra High School Kaleen, Evans faces ongoing challenges.

    “In each class, I have 30 young people with diverse abilities and needs, but we’re all working towards the same goal: ensuring everyone can succeed,” she says.

    For example, last year, she adapted PE lessons so a blind student who loves to run could participate.

    “We’d go out onto the oval and play ‘tips’. I got a whole class set of little bells for the other students to wear, so she knows they’re about to try to tag her.”

    Funding wish list

    Evans says more funding would improve equipment, facilities, and accessibility for schools like hers.

    “Some of the gear only lasts a term. Things get thrown on the roof, then you put a fragile badminton racket in the hands of a 13-year-old who’s never used one before – one will break every couple of lessons.”

    Boosting funding would also mean “extra hands to create tasks to help students who need differentiated learning”.

    Limited facilities remain a problem, too.

    “Our school ovals aren’t good enough for PE, so we use the public ovals 500 metres away, which takes more of our teaching time,” she says.

    Wet weather brings further challenges, with up to six PE classes crammed into a gym designed for two.

    Despite these hurdles, Evans’ dedication hasn’t gone unnoticed. She was nominated for an ACT teaching award last year for co-founding a Year 8 and 9 girls’ empowerment group. About 20 students attend twice-weekly sessions, which include lunch, music, and resilience-building activities.

    “A parent has twice run workshops on saying ‘no’ – what to do if you’re approached in the street – and how to walk and look tougher than you feel,” Evans says.

    Last year, she co-ordinated the transition of Year 6 students into high school. Additionally, she is studying a Certificate IV in mental health at her own expense to upskill in wellbeing support.

    “It will help me have an input in decision-making for the benefit of all students and staff. I want to help lead my school in a positive direction,” Evans says.

    By Margaret Paton

    This article was originally published in the Australian Educator, Autumn 2024

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Paid to learn

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    12 May 2025

    The Skills Shortage and the Teaching Gap

    The skills shortage gripping Australia’s workforce is a vicious cycle. Vocational education is essential to train workers to fill these gaps, but there’s also a shortage of qualified TAFE teachers – who are struggling under high workloads to meet this essential demand.

    To close that skills gap, and avoid losing current staff to burnout, the VET sector desperately needs more industry-qualified teachers. But like other Australian employers, TAFE must hire from the same limited pool of skilled tradespeople and professionals.

    From Industry to the Classroom

    Ten years ago, trade-qualified carpenter Steve Cole turned down a TAFE teaching job because “business was booming” and he had contract commitments. At the time, Cole was keen to share his 30 years’ knowledge of the construction industry, but as the boss of a busy company he felt he couldn’t walk away.

    Still, teaching stayed in Cole’s mind.
    “I was training people on-the-job and I felt that there were things that I had to give,” he says. Looking ahead to the final act of his career, he liked the idea of “a full circle back to where I started. I had fond memories of TAFE in the ’70s studying carpentry and construction”.

    Teaching is an intellectually challenging job that offers great work/life/family balance without the physical demands of industry labour.
    “I know as a 62-year-old electrician that I wouldn’t be up crawling around in roofs or out digging ditches,” says Phil Chadwick, NSW Teachers Federation TAFE lead organiser.

    Enter: Paid to Learn

    To lure mid-career and senior professionals such as Cole, “TAFE NSW had to be a little bit creative in the way that they recruited teachers to encourage people to get off the tools [and] pick up the whiteboard marker,” Chadwick says,

    It developed a program that’s unique to NSW: Paid to Learn.

    Learning to Teach

    There are three prerequisites to become a VET teacher: a nationally recognised qualification in the discipline in which you want to teach, between three and five years of industry experience, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAE).

    “One of the bigger barriers in attracting tradespeople and professionals out of the jobs that they do is gaining that minimum teaching qualification, the TAE Cert IV,” Chadwick says.

    While the TAE course is fee-exempt under the Free TAFE joint government initiative, it still demands six months of full-time study, or 12 months part-time. To a busy professional, that’s a long time without their usual income.

    Even juggling part-time coursework with an industry job is tough, as worksite demands compete with the routine and discipline of study. “I wouldn’t advise that,” says Cole.

    Early in 2024, he was browsing the ‘I Work for NSW’ public-sector jobs website when he spotted a Paid to Learn carpentry teaching job at Meadowbank TAFE. For Cole, the chief attraction was financial: “I’ve still got bills to pay, a mortgage to pay, and I could learn on the job and be paid a reasonable salary instead of closing my business, having no income and doing it that way.”

    Paid to Learn allowed Cole to start working at Meadowbank straight away – with full teaching salary, plus superannuation, leave and other benefits – while refreshing his 11-year-old TAE qualification through an intensive course of 14 weeks.

    “Basically from day one, they’re in the classroom teaching,” Chadwick says. TAFE students benefit from their new teachers’ industry currency, as effectively six weeks earlier, they were on the tools.

    To soften the impact of hitting the ground running, Paid to Learn also pairs trainee teachers with mentors and supervisors, whose tailored, wraparound support sets them up to succeed.

    “I think that’s invaluable,” Cole says now, a year into his new career. “The TAE teaching staff are extremely supportive if you allow them to support you.”

    How It Works

    “Most of our members that go into the program are employed as permanent full-time or temporary full-time employees,” Chadwick says. “It’s a bit like an apprenticeship or a traineeship, where a person starts the job and then they’re released from work to attend TAFE.”

    Cole spent three full days per week in TAE classes at Mt Druitt TAFE, then two days at Meadowbank, shadowing a more experienced teacher. Trade skills teaching has improved since his apprentice days. “It’s a lot more hands-on,” he reflects. “That hands-on approach, theory taught within practical, I think works well for the student cohort that we have.”

    Paid to Learn prioritises industries targeted by the NSW skills shortage list: trades such as electrical, carpentry, plumbing, automotive and engineering, and metal fabrication, plus in-demand fields such as community services, aged care and community health.

    “In our class, we had two electricians,” says Cole; “I’m a carpenter. We had two cabinetmaker-joiners and we had a fellow from aerospace who trains aeroplane mechanics and service technicians.”

    TAFE NSW uses Paid to Learn as an incentive to attract staff to campuses with the most acute needs. “[Teachers] can be recruited based on their trade or profession, but they can also be recruited to a specific location in the state, and that’s what sets the priority,” says Chadwick.

    The program was piloted from August to November 2022 in Western Sydney, which is in a construction and energy boom. “So that’s typically why there’s a lot of carpenters, electricians and plumbers in it,” Chadwick says. The next cohort of 47 new teachers start their jobs in March 2025.

    Putting Learning Into Practice

    The TAE Certificate IV can be academically demanding for trade-qualified professionals, especially if it’s been a while since they were in a classroom.

    Though Cole already knew his trade inside out, the TAE course handed him a different toolbox: “teaching methodology and classroom management, and building up effective relationships with the student cohort.”

    “[It was a] very steep learning curve for me,” Cole recalls, but he’s relished the challenge. “I learn something new every single day, and I learn things about myself.”

    He uses the term “reflective journey” – which he calls “a TAFE-ism” – to describe the introspective, analytical skills he honed during Paid to Learn. “I’ve certainly learned a lot about other people.”

    He was particularly impressed by his specialist TAE teacher, “and the lengths she went through to not cut corners at all, but to build our skills up to the level where we pass with confidence.” And he could immediately practise what he’d just learned: “That’s how I teach now, using her as an example.”

    He also bonded with the other trainee teachers in his class.

    “We’ve socialised since, got together for Christmas drinks and so forth, and talked about our experiences,” he says.

    Chadwick says Paid to Learn’s cohort-based approach boosts trainee teachers’ engagement in their studies, and their completion rates, compared to those undertaking the TAE alone.

    “The collaborative effort between the students helps each other,” he says.

    The Rewards

    Of 287 participants in Paid to Learn’s first year, 278 are still teaching – a 97 per cent retention rate.

    A full-time TAFE NSW teacher can earn $88,842 to $105,362, depending on their work history. Chadwick concedes industry pay can be higher, “but it’s not the money that they come for, it’s the conditions.”

    After an interim review of NSW’s VET system found only 48 per cent of TAFE NSW educators were employed permanently, “it’s a really big improvement that TAFE are taking these people on in secure jobs rather than in casual jobs,” Chadwick says.

    They’ll also benefit from the newly negotiated TAFE Commission of NSW Teachers and Related Employees enterprise agreement, which will boost the top salary to around $120,000 by 2027.

    Compared to teaching, “running your own business is quite an onerous task – a lot longer hours per week,” says Cole.

    Now his kids are adults, he’s happy to trade off the flexibility and control of self-employment for more relaxed work.

    Cole was also surprised by how much he appreciated the camaraderie of teaching.

    “I was the top dog in my business; that’s a little bit isolating in some ways, and now I’m working closely with people of equal standing within the TAFE hierarchy,” he says. “To feel like I am part of a team, for me, has been a real positive.”

    Chadwick says Paid to Learn “is not a magic bullet. On its own, it is not a solution. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”

    It represents a welcome investment in an education sector whose funding has been volatile and politicised.

    Cole, meanwhile, heartily recommends Paid to Learn to other NSW industry professionals contemplating a career change.

    “The rewards from teaching aren’t really talked about enough,” he enthuses.

    “The regard with which students hold us is something of an honour, really. We’re seen as mentors and people to be trusted, and guides. That’s a lovely position to be in. It makes me feel really good about myself.”

    Article by Mel Campbell

    This article was originally published in The Australian TAFE Teacher, Autumn 2025

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Keeping the engines running

    Source: Reserve Bank of Australia

    20 May 2025

    TAFE NSW Ultimo in the heart of central Sydney delivers the state’s only Marine Mechanical Cert III alongside qualifications in marine engineering, in a purpose-built onsite marine craft construction education facility.
    The Ultimo campus, originally opened in 1891 as the new home of Sydney Technical College on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and represents New South Wales’ first government owned and built vocational education facility. Today its NSW’s largest TAFE campus consisting of heritage buildings from the 1890s with newer buildings built through the 20th century to support expanding educational offerings and the growing number of students. The campus encompasses structures including the former Technological Museum (1893), Turner Hall (1892) and Commercial High School (1892), and the separate George Street-located Marcus Clark Building (1913), which was acquired in 1966.It seems fitting that mechanics remains an important offering on campus, considering Sydney Technical College was initially established in 1878 as a partnership between the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, the Trades and Labor Council of New South Wales, the Engineering Association of New South Wales Trades, and supported by government. When the government decided to fully fund the college in 1883, it became the birthplace of TAFE as we now know it – a statewide system of technical education. Today TAFE NSW continues its public vocational education mission. When visiting the Ultimo campus in February, NSW minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan said: “The maritime industry is crucial to our economy and TAFE NSW plays an important role in ensuring the next generation of seafarers and mechanics have the skills to succeed.”

    Navigating the Waves

    Simon Rodgers is acting head teacher, Mechanics at TAFE NSW Ultimo. He looks after marine mechanics, motorcycles and auto electrical and is the first marine mechanic to head the department. Rodgers has been teaching at TAFE NSW for 20 years and began his career as a marine mechanic apprentice, learning at TAFE NSW alongside automotive apprentices as the marine mechanic qualification wasn’t yet available. “I grew up on a farm, so we were just into motorcycles and boats and tractors and things like but when I started my apprenticeship, that’s when my formal training started,” he says. “When I was at school, I loved mechanics and a lot of my friends were getting into automotive and I saw that as there was so many people doing it that I didn’t want to do it, I wanted to do something unique and I was lucky enough to secure a marine apprenticeship.” “I started my apprenticeship as a marine mechanic in 1988 and worked with that company for just under 10 years. [Then] I had an opportunity to start my own business.” After 10 years running his business, one of his boating industry representatives mentioned a TAFE NSW teaching role and he decided to look into it and found it offered him the flexibility to spend more time with his young family. After 10 years running his business, one of his boating industry representatives mentioned a TAFE NSW teaching role and he decided to look into it and found it offered him the flexibility to spend more time with his young family. He went through the TAFE NSW teacher training program at the time, where he taught at TAFE on a reduced program and went to university to earn a BA in Adult Education: “Working in industry with your hands for 15–20 years and then having to go and sit in a classroom and write essays, it was very difficult, but what I have noticed is the teaching skill set that I gained through that process has benefited me.” He hasn’t looked back, discovering he truly loved being a TAFE teacher. “My philosophy is that I don’t try and drag them up to where I’m at with my experience is, I let them know that the only difference between the students and myself is time in the saddle,” he says. “So I like to get down to their level, interact with them and just teach them stuff. “Probably my best teacher was my stepfather and he always explained to me, it doesn’t matter how much you learn or whatever you do, if you don’t pass it on it gets lost. I’ve got to pass the baton on.”

    Passing the Baton

    Marine mechanics has been offered at Ultimo since 1997 when the marine specialist facility opened. “We get to concentrate on three main things in our qualification: engines, electrical and propulsion systems and we probably do more than most other disciplines around those three topics,” he says. “Our qualification is incredibly diverse. We’ve got specialist teachers that represent most of the industry – we all have unique skill sets and we program those skill sets around the subjects to best suit the apprentices.” “We’ve been able to restructure the course delivery in Stage Three to run two separate streams so that we can have the heavy diesel people concentrating on their discipline and the petrol people concentrating on theirs.” “You can engage any employer, any engine manufacturer and they really respect what we do at TAFE and how we train our apprentices.” “There are apprentices who have sat in our classroom who now work for engine manufacturers, we’ve had apprentices travel throughout Europe working on superyachts and many of the students that we’ve taught in the past are now running their own business and sending their own apprentices here.” “It’s a very family style of business, very generational, we’ve got one current employer who’s got his third child coming through.”

    Family Legacies

    That third child is the younger brother of Michaela Douglas who recently completed her Marine Mechanical Technology apprenticeship at TAFE NSW Ultimo last year, before winning the Boating Industry Association’s Apprentice of the Year award. “I am a third-generation qualified marine mechanic,” says Douglas. “I work for my family’s business Douglas Marine; and we’re based on Pittwater out of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. My grandparents started the company, then my dad and his brother worked in the business, and now me and my two brothers are in the business and my sister was also working in the office while she was at uni.” “The teachers, they’re great. If you put the effort in, they will put double the effort in, they really want to help you.” “They have really good facilities. They start in the morning teaching you the theory. And then you’d go into the workshop and actually pull apart whatever you’re learning about… and learn how to put them back together.”

    Lifelong Learning

    Following the completion of her Cert III, on the recommendation of her teacher Simon Rodgers, TAFE NSW nominated Douglas for Boating Industry Australia’s Apprentice of the Year award. She won both the NSW and Australia wide Apprentice of the Year. Now fully qualified, she’s loving her work, especially the variety it offers: “I enjoy explaining to someone why [what I’ve done is] important… it’s always different.” Douglas is now studying Automotive Electrical Technologies to support her marine mechanic work.

    Building and Sharing Knowledge

    TAFE NSW marine construction teacher Robert Reid is a shipwright by trade and has been teaching full time at Ultimo since 2018. “I kind of needed to share,” he says of his transition from industry to teaching. “Thinking back, as a kid sailing, I was kind of always instructing… and as a foreman at work, I was showing others how to do things.” Reid says TAFE is about more than technical instruction: “TAFE is about access, support, and being able to come in and learn all the [skills] and the mechanics behind the visual.”

    Nurturing Initiative

    “When things start to click for them, things they couldn’t do before… when they’ve brought in their own initiative.” “There’s close ties to industry… the apprentice’s bosses came through TAFE and they want the same skills demonstrated.” “We’ve been able to tie in Cert IV from this year, which is set up for fabrication and welding units and for bidding for contracts.”

    Smoother Sailing

    Maddison Webb-Leck, Certificate III in Marine Craft Construction Stage 1 Student of the Year, is a shipwright apprentice and Wiradjuri woman. She found her passion through hands-on TAFE learning and help from her uncles: “I watched [my boss] put a transom in and lay it up a bit and I was like, oh, this is kind of cool.” She especially enjoys fibre glassing and being on the water: “The guys are stronger in woodwork, but you put me in a glass room and I pretty much overtake them all,” she laughs.

    Putting in the work

    Webb-Leck says the approach of seeing and then doing at TAFE suits her style of learning: “I can’t just be told on how to do it. I have to watch it a bit and then I can replicate it.” She applies the same philosophy to her work: “There’s only the three of us at my work, so I have to do a lot of my own jobs. I’ll get shown how to do it and then I’m on that, as a small business we’ve got a lot of business to get through.” Webb-Leck’s work includes the gamut of repairs and building of marine craft, but her favourite part is glassing – working with fibreglass. “I do a lot of fibreglass work, so then when I come to TAFE, it’s a bit of a struggle because it’s all woodwork, but we do a lot of rebuild and repairs at work, so that helps me a lot. “The guys are stronger in woodwork, but you put me in a glass room and I pretty much overtake them all,” she laughs. It’s those skills and her work ethic that put her in contention for the Student of the Year award. “So many people in the class were like ‘you got it because you’re a girl’, but I’m good at what I do. I’ve come so far and I’m more trained than most people my age,” she says. “My folks, they’re actually really proud. Everyone’s really proud. It’s a lot of pressure on me, but it’s good to have pressure, because there’s been a few rough days and rough weeks where I’ve thought about leaving just because it’s rough but I pulled through. I start thinking about that and I’m just like, whoa, I’ve come this far, there’s so much riding on it. Those days where it gets really hard and your boss is angry at you, you’re angry at yourself and you kind of just have to go with it.” She says her love of being on the water also helps and reminds her of why she’s working so hard, but also of being a kid and constantly going up river with her dad. “I learned how to ski when I was four – dad grew up on the water, his mates grew up on the water, his dad grew up on the water,” she says. “Quiet weekends when you go out on the water with your mates and you have the whole water to yourself and we don’t stop skiing, it’s just fun.” Aside from playing netball, most of her hobbies, such as water-skiing, revolve around the water: “Power boat races are pretty cool to watch. We’ll go to Yarrawonga to watch them and then when they come back down to the Hawks, we’ll watch them again. There are a lot of different designed hulls and motors in there. It’s really fun – they’re one of the best weekends.” Between work, her apprenticeship, friends and family, she also continues to spend time with her dad on the water and looks forward to one day helping him race his boat. “My dad wants to race his boat. He’s got a car motor in it, but he’s always wanted to race it. So if he was to race that, I’d race that with him just for the fun of it, not for any competition, just see how quick we can go,” she says. “If we actually put work into it and do it, then yeah, maybe we can do it.”

    By Diana Ward

    This article was originally published in the Australian TAFE Teacher, Autumn 2025

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Truck Driver Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison for Kidnapping Leading to Death

    Source: US FBI

    A truck driver who kidnapped a 25-year-old woman and dumped her dead body in the woods in August 2024 was sentenced today to life in federal prison, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson.

    Naasson Hazzard, 28, of Austin, was indicted in October 2024 on federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death, which carried a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.  Hazzard’s victim was an army veteran who entered the military immediately after high school.  Information shared during the sentencing hearing today revealed that there were full military honors at her funeral.

    After an eight-day trial in late January this year, a jury convicted Hazzard.  Today, U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay sentenced him to life in federal prison.

    “The tremendous, relentless work of multiple law enforcement partners brought the terrible acts of this predator to light, and the jury answered the call for justice by finding him guilty,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “Now, the life sentence he will serve reflects the value and sanctity of this victim’s life.  We hope that this sentence helps her family in the healing process.”

    “This defendant has been justly sentenced to prison for his abhorrent actions, ensuring that society will be safe from his predatory behavior for the remainder of his life,” said Travis Pickard, Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “I applaud the unwavering commitment of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force, and all the law enforcement partners whose persistence led to this outcome.  May today’s judgment provide some solace to the victim’s family, reassuring them that HSI will never relent in our pursuit of sexual predators who aim to exploit and harm unsuspecting victims.”

    According to evidence presented at trial, surveillance video caught Hazzard’s victim, a young woman, entering his semi-truck in Dallas at 9:27 p.m. on Aug. 15, 2024.  Eight days later, her decomposing body was found in a wooded area off Texas Highway 11 in Pittsburg, Texas with a black plastic bag tied around her head.  

    Cell phone records showed that on the evening of Aug. 15, Mr. Hazzard traveled from the pickup location to a nearby parking lot, where he remained for approximately 17 minutes.  Evidence at trial reflected that Hazzard picked up the victim with the expectation of engaging in a sex act.  He then drove over three hours to a wooded area off Highway 11 in Pittsburg, Texas, where he texted his boss that he would be out sick the following day and remained for almost an hour before completing a load for work.

    The next day, he and his wife returned to the scene before going to dinner in Tyler, Texas.

    In the days that followed, Mr. Hazzard switched cell phones and deleted his Google and Life360 location sharing accounts.  He also cleaned the truck with bleach and searched “how many years for first second and third degree murders.”  Meanwhile, his wife searched for “Pittsburg Texas news.”

    On Aug. 23, the same day the victim’s body was recovered, agents found the victim’s cell phone shattered on the side of the road along Mr. Hazzard’s route the night she was killed.  

    “Your Honor, Naasson didn’t just take a life.  He destroyed futures.  He created a ripple effect of suffering that reaches further than he could ever understand,” the victim’s brother told the Court during his impact statement at today’s sentencing hearing.  “I ask you, please don’t see my sister as just a name in a case file.  She was a daughter.  A sister.  A mother.  A light in the lives of everyone who knew her.  Her life mattered.  And her death must mean something.”

    The North Texas Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation with the assistance of the following agencies: the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, the Dallas Police Department, the Midlothian Police Department, the Texas Rangers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Titus County Sheriff’s Office, the Buda Police Department, the Austin Police Department, the Hayes County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.  Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office leads the Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandie Wade and Renee Hunter prosecuted the case with the help of appellate liaison AUSA Jonathan Bradshaw.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hickenlooper, Merkley, Daines Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Train Next Generation of Wildland Firefighters

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper, Jeff Merkley, and Steve Daines recently introduced the bipartisan Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2025, which would create a pipeline for young people to enter into careers fighting fires and caring for public lands.  

    Specifically, this bill directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer wildland firefighter training to Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students. 

    “Colorado’s wildfires are growing more intense. We all agree that we can’t wait to act,” said Hickenlooper. “Our bill sets students on a direct path to stable careers caring for our public lands, and builds a firefighting force that’s ready to meet the urgent threat of climate change.” 

    The Job Corps is the nation’s largest job training and education program for students from 16 to 24 years of age. The U.S. Forest Service operates 24 Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs) nationwide, including one in Colorado. 

    During the 2024 fire season, CCC youth across the country completed 205,882 hours of work on wildland firefighting efforts and prescribed burns to reduce hazardous fuels and the risk of catastrophic wildfire, and 11,410 hours on other fire management support functions, including providing meals through mobile kitchens.

    The Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act would further strengthen the program by setting a goal for both the USDA and the DOI to hire 300 students a year and providing direct hire authority specific to CCC graduates to expedite that process. It would also create a pilot program to use students at CCCs to address the lack of workforce housing for wildland firefighters.

    The full text of the bill is available HERE. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jeffries, Morelle Letter to Speaker Johnson on Member Security

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)

    Dear Speaker Johnson:

    We write in the wake of this weekend’s lethal and catastrophic political violence in Minnesota to urge you to fulfill one of your most fundamental obligations as Speaker of the House: ensuring Members of Congress can safely carry out their constitutional duties.

    As you know, on June 14, 2025, Minnesota State Representative and Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in cold blood. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were critically injured after being shot 17 times by the same violent gunman.

    These shootings were not isolated incidents. Credible threats and acts of political violence have increased significantly over the last decade. Threats against Members of Congress have grown by nearly 1,000 percent since 2016. These incitements, often posed by lone actors motivated by conspiracy theories and political grievance, are particularly dangerous for Members, their families and staff while at home in their communities and away from the protective measures in place at the Capitol.

    While we differ in many areas related to policy and our vision for America’s future, Member safety must be an area of common ground. Representatives from both sides of the aisle have endured assassination attempts that changed their lives and careers forever. Too many other patriotic public servants have left Congress because they no longer felt safe carrying out their duty as elected officials. We must act to protect each other and preserve this great American institution.

    That responsibility starts with you.

    The Speaker of the House has extensive authority over this institution, both administratively and legislatively. We strongly urge you to immediately direct the Sergeant at Arms to take all necessary steps to protect House members throughout the country. At the same time, it is imperative that we substantially increase the Member Representational Allowance (MRA) to support additional safety and security measures in every single office.

    Thank you for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Arrests Dangerous Criminal Illegal Aliens who Escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Law enforcement is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the remaining two dangerous criminal illegal aliens

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it captured two of the four dangerous criminal illegal aliens who escaped Delaney Hall on June 12, 2025. Two additional criminal illegal aliens remain at large.  

    Contrary to reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities for detainees to practice their religious beliefs.  

    CAPTURED 

    On June 13, 2025, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and Passaic Police in Passaic, New Jersey. During the arrest, Sandoval-Lopez kicked and threatened to kill the law enforcement officers. This criminal illegal alien’s criminal record includes unlawful possession of a handgun and aggravated assault.

    On June 13, 2025, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, a criminal illegal alien from Colombia whose criminal record includes arrests for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted to turn himself in to local authorities at the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station. Due to their sanctuary policies, the State Police refused to take him into custody because they do not work with ICE. On June 15, Castaneda-Lozada surrendered himself to Agents from FBI and ICE in Milleville, NJ. 

    “DHS has captured two of the detainees who escaped the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility. On June 13, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was apprehended. During his arrest, he kicked and threatened to kill law enforcement officers. Disturbingly, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada tried to turn himself into local authorities and was turned away because of the state’s sanctuary policies that prohibit law enforcement from working with ICE. Thankfully, this criminal alien has now been arrested and is no longer a threat to Americans,” said a Senior DHS Official. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to locating the two criminal illegal aliens who remain at large. DHS and FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of these public safety threats.” 

    DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two remaining criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey. The safety of Americans and the Newark community is DHS’ top priority. 

    Below are the two criminal illegal aliens who are evading federal law enforcement and pose a threat to public safety.  

    Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

    Andres Pineda-Mogollon is an illegal alien from Colombia who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

    Anonymous tips may be reported on this form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423. 

    ICE’s 24-hour tip line gives Americans the ability to report suspicious criminal activity by illegal aliens including terrorist activity, gang related crimes, and suspected sex trafficking. The tip line is manned by highly trained specialists who take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on the more than 400 laws enforced by ICE. Secretary Noem will be providing more resources and personnel to this tip line to ensure DHS is able to quickly identify, locate, and arrest these criminal illegal aliens.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Arrests Dangerous Criminal Illegal Aliens who Escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Law enforcement is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the remaining two dangerous criminal illegal aliens

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it captured two of the four dangerous criminal illegal aliens who escaped Delaney Hall on June 12, 2025. Two additional criminal illegal aliens remain at large.  

    Contrary to reporting, there has been no widespread unrest at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility. This privately held facility remains dedicated to providing high-quality services, including around-the-clock access to medical care, in-person and virtual legal and family visitation, general and legal library access, translation services, dietician-approved meals, religious and specialty diets, recreational amenities, and opportunities for detainees to practice their religious beliefs.  

    CAPTURED 

    On June 13, 2025, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, and Passaic Police in Passaic, New Jersey. During the arrest, Sandoval-Lopez kicked and threatened to kill the law enforcement officers. This criminal illegal alien’s criminal record includes unlawful possession of a handgun and aggravated assault.

    On June 13, 2025, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada, a criminal illegal alien from Colombia whose criminal record includes arrests for burglary, theft, and conspiracy to commit burglary, attempted to turn himself in to local authorities at the New Jersey State Police Bridgeton Station. Due to their sanctuary policies, the State Police refused to take him into custody because they do not work with ICE. On June 15, Castaneda-Lozada surrendered himself to Agents from FBI and ICE in Milleville, NJ. 

    “DHS has captured two of the detainees who escaped the privately held Delaney Hall Detention Facility. On June 13, Joel Enrique Sandoval-Lopez was apprehended. During his arrest, he kicked and threatened to kill law enforcement officers. Disturbingly, Joan Sebastian Castaneda-Lozada tried to turn himself into local authorities and was turned away because of the state’s sanctuary policies that prohibit law enforcement from working with ICE. Thankfully, this criminal alien has now been arrested and is no longer a threat to Americans,” said a Senior DHS Official. “We encourage the public to call 911 or the ICE Tip Line: 866-DHS-2-ICE if they have information that may lead to locating the two criminal illegal aliens who remain at large. DHS and FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of these public safety threats.” 

    DHS and the FBI are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the two remaining criminal illegal aliens who escaped from Delaney Hall Detention Facility in New Jersey. The safety of Americans and the Newark community is DHS’ top priority. 

    Below are the two criminal illegal aliens who are evading federal law enforcement and pose a threat to public safety.  

    Franklin Norberto Bautista-Reyes is an illegal alien from Honduras who illegally entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration. On May 3, 2025, the Wayne Township, New Jersey Police Department arrested Bautista for aggravated assault, attempt to cause bodily injury, terroristic threats, and possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes.

    Andres Pineda-Mogollon is an illegal alien from Colombia who overstayed a tourist visa and entered the U.S. in 2023 under the Biden administration. On April 25, 2025, the New York City Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for petit larceny. On May 21, 2025, the Union, New Jersey Police Department arrested Pineda-Mogollon for residential burglary, conspiracy residential burglary, and possession of burglary tools.

    Anonymous tips may be reported on this form and via the toll-free ICE tip line, (866) 347-2423. 

    ICE’s 24-hour tip line gives Americans the ability to report suspicious criminal activity by illegal aliens including terrorist activity, gang related crimes, and suspected sex trafficking. The tip line is manned by highly trained specialists who take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on the more than 400 laws enforced by ICE. Secretary Noem will be providing more resources and personnel to this tip line to ensure DHS is able to quickly identify, locate, and arrest these criminal illegal aliens.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Hill Announces New District Representative in Little Rock

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman French Hill (AR-02)

    Rep. Hill Announces New District Representative in Little Rock

    Little Rock. AR, June 16, 2025

    LITTLE ROCK, AR – Rep. French Hill (AR-02) today announced that Cal Jarrett has joined his staff in Little Rock in the role of District Representative as part of the Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program. 

    Jarrett brings distinguished military experience to the position, having served six years in the United States Navy as an Operations Specialist Second Class (E-5) before being honorably discharged in November 2024. Cal joins three other veterans in Rep. Hill’s district office and will provide constituent services and legislative support. 

    “Cal’s distinguished naval service and operational expertise make him an exceptional addition to my team,” said Rep. Hill. “I look forward to working with him to support Arkansas families and assist our veterans who have dedicated themselves to serving our nation.”

    The Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program is sponsored by the U.S. House of Representatives and designed to provide meaningful career opportunities for military veterans and their spouses who seek to continue in public service following their time in the military.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican national guilty of immigration violations in the Eastern District of Texas

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BEAUMONT, Texas –A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to an immigration violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Rigoberto Rodriguez-Moreno, 44, a Mexican national illegally residing in Lufkin, pleaded guilty to illegal reentry by a previously deported person before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christine L. Stetson on June 16, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on March 4, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security and Investigations (HSI) received information that Rodriguez-Moreno was being held in the Angelina County Jail on a state arrest warrant. An HSI investigation determined that Rodriguez-Moreno was previously deported from the United States to Mexico on October 4, 2017, and did not have permission to return to the United States.

    Immigration records reveal this was the second time Rodriguez-Moreno was deported. The first deportation occurred in 1999. He has previous federal convictions for bringing in and harboring illegal aliens in 1999 and illegal reentry by a deported person in 2015. 

    Rodriguez-Moreno faces up to 20 years in federal prison and deportation at sentencing.  The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.  A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.  Rodriguez-Moreno still faces unrelated state charges in Angelina County.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    This case was investigated by the Lufkin Homeland Security Investigations and the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office.  This case was prosecuted by the Lufkin Division of the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hopkinsville, Kentucky Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Paducah, KY – A Hopkinsville, Kentucky man was sentenced on June 11, 2025, to 10 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine.

    U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd, Cincinnati Field Office, IRS Criminal Division, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, Chief Jason Newby of the Hopkinsville Police Department, and Sheriff Tyler DeArmond of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.

    According to court documents, Troy Clark, 45, sold methamphetamine on three separate occasions. Specifically, Clark sold 46.46 grams of pure methamphetamine on November 24, 2021, 100.1 grams of pure methamphetamine on December 3, 2021, and 104.18 grams of pure methamphetamine on January 25, 2022. On January 27, 2022, a state search warrant was executed at Clark’s residence. Clark was in possession of approximately 2 ounces of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute.

    For his role in the offenses, Clark was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for three counts of distribution of methamphetamine.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case was investigated by the DEA Paducah Post of Duty, the IRS-CI, Kentucky State Police, the Hopkinsville Police Department, and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Leigh Ann Dycus, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Slidell Man and Woman Indicted for Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, False Statements in Loan Applications, Money Laundering, and Federal Controlled Substances Act Violations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JAMAR HOWARD (“HOWARD”), age 38, and CHARENYIA CARMOUCHE (“CARMOUCHE”), age 31 of Slidell, were charged in a recently unsealed twelve-count indictment on May 30, 2025 with conspiracy to commit offenses, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, False Statement in Loan Application, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1014, Money Laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957, and Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Carfentanil, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846.

    According to the indictment, HOWARD and CARMOUCHE submitted loan applications to various lenders and other entities between 2023 and 2024.  In support of the loan applications, HOWARD and CARMOUCHE submitted false tax documents.  HOWARD submitted altered bank statements in support of loan applications in his name and in the name of his business, Marathon Expedited Trucking.  Once HOWARD and CARMOUCHE obtained approval of the loan applications, the funds from various financial institutions were deposited into bank accounts held by HOWARD and CARMOUCHE.  HOWARD and CARMOUCHE used the loan proceeds for their personal use and enrichment.

    In addition, CARMOUCHE did knowingly engage and attempt to engage in monetary transactions in criminally derived property of a value greater than $10,000, such property having been derived from a specified unlawful activity.

    Finally, according to court records, beginning on a date unknown, but at least by March 26, 2024, and continuing until the date of the indictment, in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere, HOWARD knowingly and intentionally conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, 100 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of carfentanil, a Schedule II controlled substance and fentanyl analogue.

    If convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Offenses, HOWARD and CARMOUCHE face a maximum term of imprisonment of five years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  If convicted of Wire Fraud, HOWARD faces a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. If convicted of False Statement in Loan Application, HOWARD and CARMOUCHE face a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty years, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  If convicted of Money Laundering, CARMOUCHE faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten years, a fine of up to $250,000.00, and at least three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.  If convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute carfentanil, HOWARD faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of ten years and up to a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a fine of up to $10,000,000.00, and at least five years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

    The defendants also face payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charging document and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Briana Williams of the Narcotics Unit.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: New Pharmac Chief Executive welcomed

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour has welcomed Natalie McMurtry as Pharmac’s Chief Executive.

    Natalie McMurtry will start as Pharmac’s Chief Executive on Monday 15 September, taking over from the Acting Chief Executive, Brendan Boyle.

    “For the first time, Pharmac has its own Minister. Last year I outlined in my letter of expectations that Pharmac should have appropriate processes for ensuring that people living with an illness, along with their carers and family, can participate in and provide input into decision-making processes around medicines – this is committed to in the Act-National Coalition Agreement,” Mr Seymour says. 

    “Since then, the culture shift at Pharmac has been positive. It has moved towards a more adaptable and patient-centered approach to funding medicines. My expectation is that this will continue.

    “This is in part thanks to the culture review Pharmac undertook to ensure their internal processes weren’t getting in the way of their job – negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders.

    “Pharmac also conducted a consumer engagement workshop. Patients groups were invited to discuss how they should be consulted in decision-making processes. I look forward to seeing this in practice. 

    “Pharmac are learning from their experiences and making changes where necessary. For example, the community let Pharmac know that they weren’t consulted enough on the original oestradiol decision. In response, Pharmac added a consultation step to its annual tender process to seek feedback when considering a medicine brand change.  

    “The appointment of Natalie McMurtry is another positive step towards a Pharmac which works for the people it serves. I look forward to working alongside her as we look to cement positive change, and continue to move towards a more transparent, inclusive and people-focused organisation.”

    Natalie McMurtry is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 25 years of experience as a frontline clinician and senior leader in Canada. Natalie has held several executive roles within Alberta Health Services, including Vice President of Provincial Clinical Excellence.

    “The Government is doing its part. Last year we allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, and a $604 million uplift to give Pharmac the financial support it needs to carry out its functions – negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders,” Mr Seymour says. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Implementing the General Terms of The United States of America-United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
           By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (section 232), section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby determine and order:
         Section 1. Background.  On May 8, 2025, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and I announced the General Terms for the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Economic Prosperity Deal (General Terms).  The General Terms outline a historic trade deal that provides American companies unprecedented access to British markets while bolstering the national security and economy of the United States.  The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports.  In addition, the United Kingdom will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products, hurt the United States’ manufacturing base, and threaten the national security of the United States.     The General Terms provide, among other things, that the United States intends to create an annual quota of 100,000 vehicles for United Kingdom automotive imports at a 10 percent tariff rate.  In the General Terms, the United Kingdom also committed to working to meet American requirements on the security of the supply chains of steel and aluminum products intended for export to the United States and on the nature of ownership of relevant production facilities.  Provided the United Kingdom meets these requirements, the United States intends to promptly construct a quota at most-favored-nation rates for steel and aluminum articles and certain derivative steel and aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom in the context of implementing the General Terms.       Furthermore, in the General Terms, the United States and the United Kingdom committed to negotiate significantly preferential treatment outcomes on pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients that are products of the United Kingdom, contingent on the findings of an investigation regarding pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients under section 232, and provided that the United Kingdom complies with certain supply chain security standards.  Finally, in the General Terms, the United States and the United Kingdom committed to adopt a structured, negotiated approach to addressing United States national security concerns regarding sectors that may be subject to future section 232 investigations.  To that end, the United States and the United Kingdom further committed to strengthen aerospace and aircraft manufacturing supply chains by establishing tariff-free bilateral trade in certain aerospace products.     In my judgment, I determine that the following actions are consistent with the national interests of the United States and are necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff To Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), as amended, and to reduce or eliminate the threats to national security found in Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), as amended; Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States), as amended; and Proclamation 9888 of May 17, 2019 (Adjusting Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts Into the United States), as amended.
         Sec. 2.  Automobiles and Automobile Parts.  (a)  I hereby establish an annual tariff-rate quota of 100,000 automobiles as classified in heading 8703 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) and as further specified in note 33(b) to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS for automobiles that are products of the United Kingdom.  Imports of automobiles within the tariff-rate quota that would otherwise be subject to a 25 percent tariff under Proclamation 10908 of March 26, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts Into the United States), shall instead be subject to a 7.5 percent tariff, in addition to the most-favored-nation rate for automobiles of 2.5 percent, for a combined tariff of 10 percent.  Imports of automobiles in excess of the tariff-rate quota shall remain subject to the full duties imposed by Proclamation 10908.  The tariff-rate quota shall be adjusted for calendar year 2025 to reflect the General Terms’ operative date of May 8, 2025.  The quota shall be effective 7 days after the publication of this order in the Federal Register.     (b)  Automotive parts specified in note 33(g) to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS that would otherwise be subject to a 25 percent tariff under Proclamation 10908 shall instead be subject to a total tariff of 10 percent (including any most-favored-nation tariffs), provided that they are products of the United Kingdom and are for use in automobiles that are products of the United Kingdom.  This change shall be effective as of the date of the publication of the Federal Register notice described in subsection (c) of this section.      (c)  Within 7 days of the date of publication of this order in the Federal Register, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in consultation with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), shall publish a notice in the Federal Register modifying the HTSUS consistent with this section, if necessary.      (d)  The Secretary may issue rules, regulations, guidance, and procedures to carry out the provisions of this section.
         Sec. 3.  Aerospace.  (a)  With respect to products of the United Kingdom that fall under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the tariffs imposed through the following Presidential actions and subsequent amendments to those actions shall no longer apply, as of the date of publication of the Federal Register notice described in subsection (b) of this section:          (i)    Executive Order 14257, as amended;          (ii)   Proclamation 9704, as amended; and          (iii)  Proclamation 9705, as amended.      (b)  Within 7 days of the date of publication of this order in the Federal Register, the Secretary, in consultation with ITC and CBP, shall publish a notice in the Federal Register modifying the HTSUS consistent with this section, if necessary.     (c)  The Secretary may issue rules, regulations, guidance, and procedures to carry out the provisions of this section.
         Sec. 4.  Aluminum and Steel Articles and Their Derivative Articles.  (a)  At a future time that the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, deems appropriate, the Secretary shall design and establish a tariff-rate quota for aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom, consistent with the General Terms and the purpose of this order.  Imports of aluminum articles or derivative aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom in excess of the tariff-rate quota established by the Secretary shall remain subject to the duties set forth in Proclamation 9704, as amended.      (b)  At a future time that the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, deems appropriate, the Secretary shall design and establish a tariff-rate quota for steel articles and derivative steel articles that are products of the United Kingdom, consistent with the General Terms and the purpose of this order.  Imports of steel articles or derivative steel articles that are products of the United Kingdom in excess of the tariff-rate quota established by the Secretary shall remain subject to the duties set forth in Proclamation 9705, as amended.     (c)  In determining when to establish, whether to establish, and the design of a tariff-rate quota for aluminum and steel articles and their derivatives, the Secretary shall act in a manner consistent with the national interests of the United States and the purpose of this order and shall consider factors he deems appropriate, such as actions taken by the United Kingdom to implement the General Terms and any final agreement entered by the United States and the United Kingdom subsequent to the General Terms; the need to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, as amended; and the need to reduce or eliminate the threats to national security found in Proclamation 9704, as amended, and Proclamation 9705, as amended. 
         Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:          (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or          (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.     (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Commerce.
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,    June 16, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Implementing the General Terms of The United States of America-United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal

    US Senate News:

    Source: US Whitehouse
           By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (section 232), section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby determine and order:
         Section 1. Background.  On May 8, 2025, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer and I announced the General Terms for the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Economic Prosperity Deal (General Terms).  The General Terms outline a historic trade deal that provides American companies unprecedented access to British markets while bolstering the national security and economy of the United States.  The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports.  In addition, the United Kingdom will reduce or eliminate numerous non-tariff barriers that unfairly discriminate against American products, hurt the United States’ manufacturing base, and threaten the national security of the United States.     The General Terms provide, among other things, that the United States intends to create an annual quota of 100,000 vehicles for United Kingdom automotive imports at a 10 percent tariff rate.  In the General Terms, the United Kingdom also committed to working to meet American requirements on the security of the supply chains of steel and aluminum products intended for export to the United States and on the nature of ownership of relevant production facilities.  Provided the United Kingdom meets these requirements, the United States intends to promptly construct a quota at most-favored-nation rates for steel and aluminum articles and certain derivative steel and aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom in the context of implementing the General Terms.       Furthermore, in the General Terms, the United States and the United Kingdom committed to negotiate significantly preferential treatment outcomes on pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients that are products of the United Kingdom, contingent on the findings of an investigation regarding pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients under section 232, and provided that the United Kingdom complies with certain supply chain security standards.  Finally, in the General Terms, the United States and the United Kingdom committed to adopt a structured, negotiated approach to addressing United States national security concerns regarding sectors that may be subject to future section 232 investigations.  To that end, the United States and the United Kingdom further committed to strengthen aerospace and aircraft manufacturing supply chains by establishing tariff-free bilateral trade in certain aerospace products.     In my judgment, I determine that the following actions are consistent with the national interests of the United States and are necessary and appropriate to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025 (Regulating Imports With a Reciprocal Tariff To Rectify Trade Practices That Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits), as amended, and to reduce or eliminate the threats to national security found in Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Aluminum Into the United States), as amended; Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018 (Adjusting Imports of Steel Into the United States), as amended; and Proclamation 9888 of May 17, 2019 (Adjusting Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts Into the United States), as amended.
         Sec. 2.  Automobiles and Automobile Parts.  (a)  I hereby establish an annual tariff-rate quota of 100,000 automobiles as classified in heading 8703 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) and as further specified in note 33(b) to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS for automobiles that are products of the United Kingdom.  Imports of automobiles within the tariff-rate quota that would otherwise be subject to a 25 percent tariff under Proclamation 10908 of March 26, 2025 (Adjusting Imports of Automobiles and Automobile Parts Into the United States), shall instead be subject to a 7.5 percent tariff, in addition to the most-favored-nation rate for automobiles of 2.5 percent, for a combined tariff of 10 percent.  Imports of automobiles in excess of the tariff-rate quota shall remain subject to the full duties imposed by Proclamation 10908.  The tariff-rate quota shall be adjusted for calendar year 2025 to reflect the General Terms’ operative date of May 8, 2025.  The quota shall be effective 7 days after the publication of this order in the Federal Register.     (b)  Automotive parts specified in note 33(g) to subchapter III of chapter 99 of the HTSUS that would otherwise be subject to a 25 percent tariff under Proclamation 10908 shall instead be subject to a total tariff of 10 percent (including any most-favored-nation tariffs), provided that they are products of the United Kingdom and are for use in automobiles that are products of the United Kingdom.  This change shall be effective as of the date of the publication of the Federal Register notice described in subsection (c) of this section.      (c)  Within 7 days of the date of publication of this order in the Federal Register, the Secretary of Commerce (Secretary), in consultation with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), shall publish a notice in the Federal Register modifying the HTSUS consistent with this section, if necessary.      (d)  The Secretary may issue rules, regulations, guidance, and procedures to carry out the provisions of this section.
         Sec. 3.  Aerospace.  (a)  With respect to products of the United Kingdom that fall under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade in Civil Aircraft, the tariffs imposed through the following Presidential actions and subsequent amendments to those actions shall no longer apply, as of the date of publication of the Federal Register notice described in subsection (b) of this section:          (i)    Executive Order 14257, as amended;          (ii)   Proclamation 9704, as amended; and          (iii)  Proclamation 9705, as amended.      (b)  Within 7 days of the date of publication of this order in the Federal Register, the Secretary, in consultation with ITC and CBP, shall publish a notice in the Federal Register modifying the HTSUS consistent with this section, if necessary.     (c)  The Secretary may issue rules, regulations, guidance, and procedures to carry out the provisions of this section.
         Sec. 4.  Aluminum and Steel Articles and Their Derivative Articles.  (a)  At a future time that the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, deems appropriate, the Secretary shall design and establish a tariff-rate quota for aluminum articles and derivative aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom, consistent with the General Terms and the purpose of this order.  Imports of aluminum articles or derivative aluminum articles that are products of the United Kingdom in excess of the tariff-rate quota established by the Secretary shall remain subject to the duties set forth in Proclamation 9704, as amended.      (b)  At a future time that the Secretary, in consultation with the United States Trade Representative, deems appropriate, the Secretary shall design and establish a tariff-rate quota for steel articles and derivative steel articles that are products of the United Kingdom, consistent with the General Terms and the purpose of this order.  Imports of steel articles or derivative steel articles that are products of the United Kingdom in excess of the tariff-rate quota established by the Secretary shall remain subject to the duties set forth in Proclamation 9705, as amended.     (c)  In determining when to establish, whether to establish, and the design of a tariff-rate quota for aluminum and steel articles and their derivatives, the Secretary shall act in a manner consistent with the national interests of the United States and the purpose of this order and shall consider factors he deems appropriate, such as actions taken by the United Kingdom to implement the General Terms and any final agreement entered by the United States and the United Kingdom subsequent to the General Terms; the need to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 14257, as amended; and the need to reduce or eliminate the threats to national security found in Proclamation 9704, as amended, and Proclamation 9705, as amended. 
         Sec. 5.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:          (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or          (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.     (d)  The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of Commerce.
                                   DONALD J. TRUMP
    THE WHITE HOUSE,    June 16, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, Schumer, Kim Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Sepsis Fatalities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced the Securing Enhanced Programs, Systems, and Initiatives for Sepsis (SEPSIS) Act, bipartisan legislation that would reduce sepsis deaths by tasking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with working to improve sepsis care in hospitals. The SEPSIS Act aims to prevent sepsis fatalities by educating providers and hospitals on best practices for early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of sepsis. This legislation would lessen the devastating and costly impact that sepsis can have on patients, hospitals, the health care system, and friends and families of potential sepsis victims. 

    “This bipartisan bill would help provide hospitals and health care professionals with the training and data they need to detect and treat sepsis earlier, so that fewer families lose loved ones to this devastating condition,” said Senator Collins.

    The SEPSIS Act would task the CDC with dedicated sepsis work in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, building on ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of sepsis through the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements. The CDC’s work will include an education campaign about addressing sepsis in hospitals; improving data collection on pediatric sepsis; sharing information across the Department of Health and Human Services on sepsis quality measures; and development and implementation of a sepsis outcome measure. The SEPSIS Act would also require a report to Congress to evaluate the sepsis outcome measure. Finally, the SEPSIS Act includes a voluntary recognition program for hospitals who maintain effective sepsis programs or improve their sepsis programs over time.

    “Sepsis Alliance is grateful to Senators Schumer, Collins and Kim for their reintroduction of the SEPSIS Act, an important measure for saving lives from sepsis. Over 350,000 U.S. adults are being taken by sepsis each year. The SEPSIS Act is a strong first step in the fight to save lives and limbs from this devastating condition, and we support the swift passage of this measure,” said Thomas Heymann, CEO of Sepsis Alliance.

    “America’s hospitals and health systems are committed to improving patient safety and reducing sepsis. We thank Senators Schumer, Collins and Kim for their leadership on this important issue and support the SEPSIS Act’s efforts to combat this life-threatening condition through increased education and development of a sepsis outcome measure that could help better assess progress, reduce unnecessary administrative burden and improve sepsis care,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, senior vice president of federal relations, advocacy and political affairs, American Hospital Association.

    “Sepsis is a leading cause of preventable death and a critical patient safety challenge that hospitals confront every day. The SEPSIS Act represents meaningful federal leadership that will equip providers with strategies to detect and treat sepsis earlier,” said Charlene MacDonald, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the Federation of American Hospitals.  “We applaud Senators Schumer, Collins, and Kim for prioritizing patient safety through this bipartisan legislation and recognizing the importance of partnership across hospitals, public health agencies, and families impacted by sepsis.”

    The complete text of the bill can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Collins, Schumer, Kim Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Sepsis Fatalities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced the Securing Enhanced Programs, Systems, and Initiatives for Sepsis (SEPSIS) Act, bipartisan legislation that would reduce sepsis deaths by tasking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with working to improve sepsis care in hospitals. The SEPSIS Act aims to prevent sepsis fatalities by educating providers and hospitals on best practices for early recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of sepsis. This legislation would lessen the devastating and costly impact that sepsis can have on patients, hospitals, the health care system, and friends and families of potential sepsis victims. 

    “This bipartisan bill would help provide hospitals and health care professionals with the training and data they need to detect and treat sepsis earlier, so that fewer families lose loved ones to this devastating condition,” said Senator Collins.

    The SEPSIS Act would task the CDC with dedicated sepsis work in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, building on ongoing efforts to reduce the burden of sepsis through the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements. The CDC’s work will include an education campaign about addressing sepsis in hospitals; improving data collection on pediatric sepsis; sharing information across the Department of Health and Human Services on sepsis quality measures; and development and implementation of a sepsis outcome measure. The SEPSIS Act would also require a report to Congress to evaluate the sepsis outcome measure. Finally, the SEPSIS Act includes a voluntary recognition program for hospitals who maintain effective sepsis programs or improve their sepsis programs over time.

    “Sepsis Alliance is grateful to Senators Schumer, Collins and Kim for their reintroduction of the SEPSIS Act, an important measure for saving lives from sepsis. Over 350,000 U.S. adults are being taken by sepsis each year. The SEPSIS Act is a strong first step in the fight to save lives and limbs from this devastating condition, and we support the swift passage of this measure,” said Thomas Heymann, CEO of Sepsis Alliance.

    “America’s hospitals and health systems are committed to improving patient safety and reducing sepsis. We thank Senators Schumer, Collins and Kim for their leadership on this important issue and support the SEPSIS Act’s efforts to combat this life-threatening condition through increased education and development of a sepsis outcome measure that could help better assess progress, reduce unnecessary administrative burden and improve sepsis care,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, senior vice president of federal relations, advocacy and political affairs, American Hospital Association.

    “Sepsis is a leading cause of preventable death and a critical patient safety challenge that hospitals confront every day. The SEPSIS Act represents meaningful federal leadership that will equip providers with strategies to detect and treat sepsis earlier,” said Charlene MacDonald, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the Federation of American Hospitals.  “We applaud Senators Schumer, Collins, and Kim for prioritizing patient safety through this bipartisan legislation and recognizing the importance of partnership across hospitals, public health agencies, and families impacted by sepsis.”

    The complete text of the bill can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins Speaks at Northern Light Health Rural Dementia Training Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins

    Click HERE and HERE for individual photos.

    Orono, ME – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered remarks at the Northern Light Health Maine Rural Dementia Training Program at the University of Maine. More than 100 medical professionals from across the state were in attendance for the all-day program, which trains rural medical professionals, caregivers, and social workers to care for patients with dementia in outpatient and hospital-based settings. Maine, being one of the oldest and most rural states in the nation, faces a high prevalence of age-associated cognitive disorders and limited access to dementia specialists.

    “Far too many of us know the pain of having a loved one stricken by dementia, including Alzheimer’s. I’ve seen it in my own family, and I understand how devastating these diseases can be,” said Senator Collins during her remarks. “In our large rural state, it can be difficult to secure an accurate, early diagnosis and a plan for care. That’s why I worked hard to secure funding for this important training program to help ensure families across Maine can access the care they need.”

    Last year, through her role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins secured more than $1.3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for Northern Light Acadia Hospital to create the Rural Dementia Training Program.

    This week, Senator Collins delivered remarks at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM) Advocacy Forum in Washington. In her remarks, Senator Collins highlighted her successful legislative efforts to advance Alzheimer’s research, prevention, and treatment. In the 118th Congress, there were 1,868 standalone health care bills introduced in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Of those bills, only 15 passed both chambers and were signed into law. U.S. Senator Susan Collins led or co-led 5 of those 15 bills to passage with strong bipartisan support, and 3 of those 5 bills dealt directly with brain health. Those bills were the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act, and the Alzheimer’s Accountability and Investment Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –