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The country’s peak mental health body Mental Health Australia welcomes the Coalition’s election commitment to increase youth mental health support and calls on all political parties and candidates to prioritise mental health in this Federal Election.
See full media release at the PDF attached below.
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We’ve reviewed our advice and continue to advise reconsider your need to travel to Burundi overall. Higher levels apply in some areas. There’s currently an Mpox outbreak in parts of Africa, including in Burundi.
The land border with Rwanda is currently closed. We advise do not travel to Kibira National Park and areas of Bujumbura Rural province west of the Rusizi river. All passengers entering or leaving Burundi via Bujumbura Airport must now register online before travelling.
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The Netherlands has introduced temporary checks along its land borders with Belgium and Germany. The Netherlands national terrorism threat level remains at ‘substantial’ – level 4 of 5. Terrorists may target tourist areas or other places frequented by foreigners. Take official warnings seriously and follow the advice of local authorities (see ‘Safety’).
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APRA-regulated funds are encouraged to use the self-service tools available through Online services for business to proactively and efficiently manage super tasks, eliminating the need to submit a request through the Superannuation enquiry service.
We’ve identified some common issues encountered by super funds and provided links below to help you find relevant information.
For more information, visit businesses and organisations online services.
Looking for the latest news for Super funds? – You can stay up to date by visiting our Super funds newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly Super funds newsletter and CRT alerts.
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The Volunteer Brigade movement has been around in Victoria for more than 170 years, but on April 2, CFA will celebrate its 80th anniversary since it was formed following the findings of the 1939 Black Friday disaster.
Beaufort Captain Tony Neville said the brigade, in its 151 year, were thrilled to be operating out the new state of the art station and using the new Heavy Tanker.
“Everything flows better,” Tony said.
“All our trucks are all on the one bay, we used to have separate sheds and had to move cars around to get to equipment.
“I think it may have also helped with recruitment with five new volunteers waiting to do their General Fire Fighting training.”
The new station includes essential amenities such as a motor room with three drive-through bays, offices, workshops, operational areas, meeting rooms, change rooms for both male and female volunteers, as well as unisex ambulant facilities. Externally the station provides a car park, and a six-bay storage shed.
To mark the occasion a Willy’s Truck and running cart were on display to show how far CFA has evolved in the last 80 years.
CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said there was no better place to mark CFA’s 80th anniversary than with one of the oldest brigades in Victoria.
“This brigade has been there since CFA’s inception and it is just wonderful to be celebrating here surrounded by the history of this long running brigade,” Jason said.
“This new facility marks the beginning of a new part of this brigade’s history and one that will only improve the service CFA provides for their local areas.”
Beaufort Fire Brigade respond to more than 100 call outs every year, attending bushfires, structural fires, motor vehicle accidents and heavy vehicle incidents, as well as supporting emergency response efforts of surrounding brigades.
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Back L to R: Jeremy Martin, Jai Maher, Aaron Yates, Captain Wayne Draper, ACFO Bryan Russell, Michael Franchetto, Bayley Charalambous. Front L to R: Lynne O’Callaghan, Narelle Douthie, Jarod Rodway
Brigade members gathered at the fire station on Thursday, 27 March to celebrate the new addition to their fleet, where CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bryan Russell had the honour of handing over the keys.
Morwell Captain Wayne Draper said the brigade is excited to use the new tanker which will put them in a better position to protect the community because of the increased water capacity of 4000L.
“The new tanker has been great for morale since coming into the station. It’s very user friendly and will be a great benefit to us,” Wayne said.
“The extra 1,000 litres of water will go a long way out on the fireground.
“It is also now a lot more comfortable for members to ride in the cab, and the simplicity of the layout has been easier for our volunteers to navigate.
“Over the last few months, we’ve put a lot of work into adjusting to a completely different truck, as this one is a lot bigger than what we’ve had previously.
“I’ve been really proud of how well our members have embraced the challenge. We’ve had eight drivers and operators do more than 15 hours of training each to become accredited and they are keen to put their training into practice.”
CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Bryan Russell said the new tanker will not just be an asset for response but also for the safety of the members.
“It has some fantastic enhancements, with updated crew protection systems and burn over protection, plus full equipment stowage,” Bryan said.
“The new features also aim to reduce crew fatigue and improve safety and ergonomics including easy to read electric monitors and electric rewind hose systems.”
“Environmentally, we’re reducing impacts through use of recyclable building materials and higher levels of emission controls.”
The Heavy Tanker’s 4×4 capability and automatic transmission will also help crews access fires in difficult terrain.
The new vehicle was funded through the Victorian Government’s CFA Capability Funding package and is one of 48 new tankers being rolled out to CFA fire brigades across Victoria to ensure volunteer firefighters are well-equipped to protect their communities.
Morwell Fire Brigade has a strong membership of 78, with 31 of them operational, and a strong female presence of six operational, six auxiliary and 14 junior members. The brigade has a large response area in the Latrobe Valley area of Gippsland and averages 310 callouts a year.
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28 March 2025
Identifying genetic links that predispose children to deadly brain cancers and neuroblastoma is the focus of a new Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) project led by University of South Australia researchers.
The $976,292 project is one of five successful UniSA research projects, totalling more than $7 million, announced by the Federal Government today.
Chief Investigator Associate Professor Quenten Schwarz from the Centre for Cancer Biology says he hopes the $976,292 stem cell project will improve treatment outcomes for the two diseases that have a very low survival rate.
“Current treatment-induced side effects lead to long-term complications for children with these neuronal tumours, affecting their neurological and neurocognitive functions,” Assoc Prof Schwarz says.
“If we can better identify the genetic links to these diseases, it will inform new targeted treatment options for these cancers that are less toxic.”
Other UniSA chief investigators on the project include Professor Stuart Pitson, Dr Katherine Pillman, and Professor Natasha Harvey, along with researchers from SAHMRI, UNSW and the University of Western Australia.
The other UniSA projects awarded MRFF funding include:
Co-design models of care for youth with chronic pain ($2,604,235): MRFF EPCDRI & PHCR Multidisciplinary Models of Primary Care, Chief Investigators: UniSA’s Dr Carolyn Berryman, Prof Lorimer Moseley, Dr Hayley Leake, Prof Ian Gwilt, Dr Sarah Wallwork, Abby Jennings, and Prof Adrian Esterman.
This project will develop an improved model of care for the 20% of youths in South Australia who experience chronic pain. This is a serious unmet need in Australia due to affected youths not being believed, leading to delayed diagnosis.
Cost-effectiveness of a new treatment to reduce the risk of chronic post-surgical pain after total knee replacement surgery ($1,998,433): MRFF Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative, Chief Investigators: UniSA’s Assoc Prof Natasha Stanton, Prof Lorimer Moseley, Dr Daniel Harvie, Dr Felicity Braithwaite, Peter Ninnes, Dr Tyman Stanford).
Total knee replacement surgery (TKR) is the gold standard care for knee osteoarthritis, with approximately 70,000 TKR surgeries performed each year. However, TKR causes long lasting severe pain for up to 15% of people undergoing surgery. This project will investigate a new lifestyle treatment approach so that people can rehabilitate with better outcomes.
Medication safety rounds in aged care to prevent medication induced harm ($990,645): MRFF Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission, Chief Investigators: UniSA’s Assoc Prof Janet Sluggett, Dr Sara Javanparast, Prof Marion Eckert, Prof Debra Rowett, Prof Ian Gwilt, Aaron Davis, Dr Daria Gutteridge.
This study will equip pharmacists, nurses, and aged care workers with the tools to identify medication issues early and develop safe action plans for aged care residents. New medication safety rounds will help address medication harm and management, which is the most common complaint reported to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Tailored hydrogels to improve wound healing therapy ($588,922): MRFF Stem Cells Therapies Mission, Chief Investigators: UniSA’s Prof Allison Cowin and Prof Ferry Melchels.
Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a genetic skin condition affecting children and characterised by fragile skin, chronic blistering, open wounds, fibrosis, constant pain and early death. This project will develop an easy-to-apply stem-cell based WoundGel that stimulates healing without scarring and fibrosis.
The Medical Research Future Fund is a $22 billion long-term investment supporting Australian health and medical research. The MRFF aims to transform health and medical research and innovation to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to health system sustainability.
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Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au
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The FDP will end in the following areas:
Buloke Shire Council
Campaspe Shire Council
Loddon Shire Council
Deputy Chief Officer for CFA’s North West Region Bill Johnstone said the ending of the FDPs was because of a range of favourable factors.
“This year’s fire season has been a long one, but the risk is easing in these municipalities, and we need to give our primary producers time to prepare the ground for the growing season ahead,” he said.
“Nights are becoming increasingly cool and we are seeing dew in the mornings that further reduces our fire risk.
“We are also optimistic that we will see some rainfall in coming days and weeks.
“Traditionally, autumn is a good time for landholders to prepare their properties well ahead of winter.
While the FDP will end in these municipalities people are urged to still remain vigilant as it is not uncommon to get a late burst of hot, dry weather late in the season.
“Even with milder weather we still want landowners to take precautions and ensure conditions are safe before burning off,” Bill said.
“Some of our neighbouring municipalities will still be under FDP restrictions, and so it is important to remain aware of that. Just because you see someone is burning off, you need to be sure that you can before you light up.
To prevent unnecessary emergency callouts, landowners must register their burn-offs. If smoke or fire is reported, it will be cross-checked with the register to avoid an emergency response.
Where possible, landowners should also notify neighbours and those nearby who may be sensitive to smoke.
Burn-off safety checklist :
For tips on protecting your health from smoke, visit the EPA Victoria website.
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Crews responded at about 1pm to reports of an animal stuck in a tree along the Campaspe River in Kyneton.
Wildlife Victoria attempted to free the currawong, which was suspended over the river, tangled in fishing wire. However, despite getting in the water they were unable to free the bird.
When they were unable to make the rescue, they contacted Kyneton Fire Brigade who arrived promptly and ready to help.
Crews used their rescue equipment to get the bird out of the tree and it was then able to be disentangled from the fishing line.
The bird had a damaged beak and a swollen wing but is expected to make a full recovery.
A spokesperson for the brigade said CFA volunteers are always ready to answer the call for help wherever it might come from.
“We’re incredibly proud of our volunteers, who never hesitate to step up, no matter who needs help,” they said.
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Source: New South Wales Community and Justice
Youths to face court over Metro incidents
Friday, 28 March 2025 – 12:07 pm.
Police are proceeding against three youths over incidents reported on Metro buses earlier this month.
A 14-year-old boy will face court over two matters, including allegedly stealing from a bus on 13 March, and assaulting a bus driver and stealing a quantity of cash in Glenorchy on 15 March.
Two 15-year-old boys will face court after allegedly damaging a bus in Gagebrook on 19 March, and stealing approximately $270 worth of property in a separate matter.
Inspector Jason Klug said CCTV enabled police to quickly identify all the alleged offenders.
“The safety of Metro employees and community members on public transport is a priority for Tasmania Police,” he said.
“We work in partnership with Metro and have dedicated officers who proactively patrol and detect offending on buses and around key transport areas.”
“The use of high quality CCTV on buses and in bus malls helps us to identify those engaging in illegal behaviours.”