Month: March 2025

Source:

2025 Championships winners team Melton

The Urban Juniors battled it out over the weekend (22-23 March) in the 2025 CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships with ‘Melton A’ once again taking reign in Mooroopna.

Thousands gathered for the historic event and were welcomed to the competition with an opening parade, remarks from CFA Board Chair Jo Plummer and VFBV State President Samantha Collins, before the event was officially opened by Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward MP.

The Urban Junior competition kicked off around 9.30am on Saturday 22 March and concluded in the afternoon of Sunday 23 March, with the ‘Melton A’ team crowned Urban Junior champions for the fifth year in a row, making it their sixth overall win in seven years.

Melton Fire Brigade 2^nd lieutenant Bailey Rhodes took over the role as coach of Melton A from his father Anthony who had been in the role for around 20 years.

Bailey who led the winning team, alongside his brother Cooper and brigade member Denzel as assistant coaches, said the victory was very emotional after a rocky start to the competition over the weekend.

“The team struggled in the first few events but the comeback was incredible to watch,” Bailey said.

“I shed a few tears after the last event which we had to win to win the championship, I’m not usually an emotional person but I’m immensely proud of the juniors and all their hard work.

“The team has been training since last October around 4 hours a week. It’s also nice to see so many siblings and family connections to Melton Fire Brigade in the team.

“The Championships are all I’ve known since I was born, I’ve watched Dad run in them for many years and competed with my whole family, so to take reign of the team and see them put in all the hard work is an honour to be a part of and a moment I’ll never forget.”

The Junior Championships was a weekend full of traditions and some surprises, with Stawell being announced as the new location for the State Firefighter Championships next year.

Stawell Captain Mal Nicholson said the brigade is chuffed to have the championships move to their town in 2026.

“We ran the State Championships in Stawell in 1995, 2000 and 2006 so it will be great to have people back in the town, supporting the area especially after the bushfires over the Christmas period,” Mal said.

“The Championships are also a great opportunity to showcase the area and local community to several other CFA volunteers from across the state.

“We are a strong brigade with over 40 members and more than 200 call-outs per year.

“We know the Stawell community and Northern Grampians Shire will get behind us to make the 2026 State Championships a fantastic event. See you all in Stawell next year!”

Chief Officer Jason Heffernan congratulated all the competitors and thanked those who worked hard behind the scenes in the lead up and during the event.

“It was fantastic to see the juniors battle it out over the weekend but more importantly, it’s great seeing the camaraderie between brigades and the skills of our future firefighters being showcased to thousands of spectators,” Jason said.

“I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend for the final weekend of competition. May the best team win!”

Grand Aggregate result

1st place: Melton A – 80 points

2nd place: Echuca A – 73 points

3rd place: Grovedale – 48 points

A full list of results can be found on the VFBV website. Members can find out more information on the Urban Senior, Rural Junior and Senior State Firefighter Championships taking place next weekend at www.cfa.vic.gov.au/champs.

Keep up to date with everything that’s happening across the event on our CFA Champs Facebook page.

The 2025 State Firefighter Championships are supported by the Victorian Government.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

Stays granted even if contractors are not insolvent 6 min read

The Queensland Supreme Court has granted a stay preventing enforcement of a judgment debt obtained by a contractor in reliance upon an adjudication decision pursuant to the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) (BIF Act).

In this Insight, we consider Taringa Property Group Pty Ltd v Kenik Pty Ltd [2024] QSC 327 and similar cases in NSW and Victoria, with a focus on two key questions:

• can contractors in liquidation benefit from security of payment legislation?
• how do courts approach stay applications made by the principal where the contractor is solvent, but in a precarious financial position?

Key takeaways 

• Taringa Property Group is a welcome development for principals in Queensland as it lays the foundation for seeking a stay, even when a contractor is not in liquidation.
• Insolvency remains a major challenge for contractors, who may now experience more difficulties in enforcing payment of adjudicated amounts which can, in turn, exacerbate cash flow problems.
• Courts maintain a wide discretion and will consider each stay application on its own facts and circumstances—however, a major consideration is how long the stay will likely be.
• We expect to see an increase in security of payment adjudication and related court litigation as a result of the likely reforms in Victoria.

Taringa Property Group Pty Ltd v Kenik Pty Ltd [2024] QSC 327

TPG (Principal) engaged Kenik (Contractor) to design and construct a retail complex at Taringa.

The contract ended in August 2023 and the Contractor made a final payment claim in September 2023 for $9.7 million. Following the Principal issuing a payment schedule (with a scheduled amount of nil), the Contractor made an adjudication application under the BIF Act, where the adjudicator awarded the Contractor $4.2 million. The Contractor obtained judgment in respect of the adjudicated amount.

The Principal commenced two applications in the Queensland Supreme Court:

• First, seeking to have the adjudication decision declared void for jurisdictional error or, in the alternative, a stay of the judgment debt.
• Second, seeking final relief relating to the contract (specifically, that the Contractor is not entitled to retain the adjudicated amount).

The court warned that considerable caution should be given to the granting of the stay as it detracts from the primary purpose of the BIF Act in enabling a contractor to be paid.¹ Any risk of non‑recovery of payments made under the BIF Act as a consequence of the financial failure of the contractor after the receipt of the BIF payment is generally to lie with the principal.²

The court gave three examples of circumstances of when a stay might be granted:³

• where the contractor has taken steps to make the task of recovering any BIF payment more difficult for the principal by way of restructuring its financial affairs;
• where the contractor engages in tactics to delay the resolution of the substantive proceeding;⁴ or
• where the contractor is in liquidation or in some form of external administration due to liquidity issues at the time the BIF payment would otherwise be made.

Essentially, there needs to be a real risk that the Principal will suffer prejudice or damage if a stay is not granted. However, Justice Hindman rejected the proposition that the risk must reach the level of certainty before a stay might be granted—in other words, the threshold is not so high that the contractor must actually be in external administration or must be positively proved to be hopelessly or otherwise insolvent.⁵

Justice Hindman found ‘undisputed’ evidence of serious financial instability and that, if a stay is granted, the Contractor is most likely to financially fail.⁶ It was further observed that, even if it received the adjudicated amount, the Contractor was still likely to go into external administration as it would be insufficient to satisfy its debts.

The court concluded that if the stay was refused, there would be a very high risk that the Contractor would not be able to repay the adjudicated amount should the Principal succeed in its claim for final relief. The practical effect of refusing the stay would be to transform the Contractor’s interim entitlement under the BIF Act into a final payment, unable to be recovered by the Principal, and at odds with the intended operation of the BIF Act.

In a separate proceeding following this decision, a creditor of the Contractor successfully obtained an order that the Contractor be wound up.⁷

The decision is currently under appeal.

Discussion 

Insolvency has been a major challenge for contractors, who are experiencing obstacles at every turn—high inflation, regulatory reforms, supply-chain issues, delayed effects of the pandemic, labour shortages etc. The main purpose of the BIF Act (and equivalent acts) is to help contractors be paid for the work they do, so stays to delay payment to contractors may have significant consequences and could potentially increase insolvency rates in the industry.

New South Wales

Since 2019, NSW has had a prohibition on companies in liquidation using the security of payment process⁸—the only jurisdiction in Australia to have such an express carveout. Companies in liquidation may not serve or enforce payment claims, or make applications for adjudication of a payment claim.

Where contractors are not in liquidation, courts have been cautious in light of the policy of the statute and have undertaken a close analysis of the extent or certainty of the risk of prejudice or damage if a stay is not granted. Nevertheless, courts have been ready and willing to grant stays if the failure to do so would have the practical effect of making permanent that which, clearly enough, the legislature intended to be only interim.⁹

Recently, the NSW Supreme Court noted that, although it does make it harder to obtain a stay when the contractor is not in liquidation, it by no means follows that a stay cannot be obtained unless it is.¹⁰

The court further observed that:

‘up to a point, the more financial difficulty the contractor is in, the less reason there is for granting a stay, as the more likely it will be that the grant of such a stay will result in the contractor being deprived of the cashflow which is needed to sustain its operations. It is only when insolvency becomes inevitable, or at least highly probable, that the dynamics reverse because of the possibility that an interim payment will effectively become final.’¹¹

Indeed, in another recent decision, the court considered that even a ‘significant risk’ was not sufficiently certain of financial difficulty such that a stay should be granted.¹² We note, however, in that case the contractor continued to trade, unlike the contractor in Taringa Property Group.

The decision in Taringa Property Group, although the first of its kind in Queensland, is consistent with the approach taken in NSW.

Victoria

Victorian principals can still run the argument that contractors in liquidation may not use the payment regime, though this is unlikely to be without serious consideration by the courts due to conflicting decisions on this issue.¹³

There is also a question of whether, in seeking a stay against a contractor who is not in liquidation, a principal is required to show that there is more than a real risk the contractor would not be able to repay the adjudicated amount in order to succeed.¹⁴

At least one decision has granted such a stay, without requiring that higher standard.¹⁵ In that case, the stay was justified—save the fact of the parlous financial circumstances of the contractor—on the basis that it would be limited in time, and therefore minimal in the prejudice it caused the contractor.¹⁶ The likely takeaway is that, where the court is able to grant the stay on conditions or for a limited time period, application of a higher standard in the form of more than a real risk may be less relevant.

On a wider note, principals in Victoria should be prepared to engage in more and broader adjudications in the near future as a result of the likely reforms to the current Victorian act. Consequently, it is expected that there will be an increase in proceedings seeking final determination of rights under contract and corresponding stay applications.

To read more about Victoria’s proposed reforms, including the removal of Victoria’s unique ‘excluded amounts’ regime, removal of the concept of ‘reference dates’, an introduction of a blackout period and the introduction of a new provision allowing notice-based time bars to be declared unfair, see Government support for security of payment reform in Victoria.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Mark Riley:

Treasurer, thank you for speaking to Weekend Sunrise.

Jim Chalmers:

Thanks very much, Mark.

Riley:

About your fourth budget, quite a feat in itself. The energy rebate extension, $150, half the amount of the first rebate. Why?

Chalmers:

This is hip pocket help for households, and that’s because we know that the cost of living is front of mind for most Australians and it’s front and centre in the Budget. This is another 2 quarters of energy bill relief, which recognises that even with all the progress we’ve made together on inflation, people are still under pressure and the Budget is designed to respond to that.

Riley:

Does that mean that after these 2 quarters, say the end of the year, people won’t need further assistance on their energy bills, they’ll start coming down?

Chalmers:

It means that there’s another 6 months worth of assistance and relief. We’ve provided 2 rounds of energy bill relief already. That’s played a really important role, taking some of the edge off these cost‑of‑living pressures.

What we’ve tried to do here, in the most responsible way that we can, is to continue that for another 6 months. $150 off people’s power bills, more hip pocket help for households, because we know people still need it.

Riley:

Will you review it after that 6 months and see if it’s needed for another 6 months?

Chalmers:

Yeah, we keep these cost‑of‑living measures under more or less constant review. One of the defining features of the first 3 budgets, and will be again in the fourth, is doing what we responsibly can to help people with the cost of living. We know, as I said, that cost of living is front of mind for a lot of people and that’s why it’s front and centre in the Budget.

Riley:

So, this isn’t all the cost‑of‑living relief in the Budget? There will be more?

Chalmers:

We’ve already made it clear last Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that we’ll make medicines cheaper as well. What people will see on Tuesday night is really that the primary focus of the government’s fourth Budget, just like the first 3, is easing cost‑of‑living pressures, but also at the same time as we strengthen our economy and make it more resilient in the face of all of this global economic uncertainty.

Riley:

So, a couple of things have been suggested. Household battery subsidies for people to install them in their homes. Is that on the cards?

Chalmers:

First of all, I’m not going to foreshadow all of the elements of the Budget. We’re obviously aware that people have put that proposal to us.

Riley:

Of course. Is it a good one?

Chalmers:

The focus of the energy elements of the Budget is this energy bill assistance. $1.8 billion, a very substantial investment, but a responsible one as well, which recognises the pressure people are under.

Riley:

Some months ago the PM said he was looking at a fixed fee model for childcare. So, parents didn’t pay more than about $10 or $20 a day. What’s happened to that idea? Is that something that’s being accepted by the government?

Chalmers:

What we’ve announced already at the end of last year and what will be funded in the Budget is what’s called our 3‑day guarantee. That’s an important step towards that universal early childhood education system that we want. We can’t get there from A to B in one step when it comes to universal childcare. And that’s why we’re investing more money in building more childcare centres, especially for not‑for‑profit providers and especially where areas where there’s a real need, the so‑called childcare deserts. So the Budget will have that money for new childcare centres, it will have money for the 3‑day guarantee. These are important steps towards that universal system that you’re asking about.

Riley:

And just checking, that’ll be it for childcare in this Budget?

Chalmers:

There won’t be the fixed fee model that you’re talking about. That’s because we need to get there in interim steps. We know that the Prime Minister, the Minister, myself and others, we are real enthusiasts for early childhood education. We think it’s a game changer for families and especially for children. It also helps people to work more and earn more if they want to. That’s why we’re big believers, that’s why it’ll be an important feature of the Budget.

Riley:

Ok. A pre‑election Budget, which is interesting in itself. So, you’re going to empty the bank? Are you throwing the kitchen sink at it?

Chalmers:

No, it won’t be some kind of free for all of public money as I’ve made clear on a number of occasions. Cost of living will be the primary focus, but we’ll provide that cost‑of‑living relief in the most responsible way that we can. And we’ll also do it in a way with it where we’re not neglecting our responsibilities to the future.

We know that there’s a lot of global economic uncertainty. What’s happening in the US and China, Europe and the Middle East casts a shadow over this Budget. There’s a lot of unpredictability and volatility in the global economy. So, in addition to that cost‑of‑living help, we’ll also be investing in making our economy more resilient because that’s the best way to build Australia’s future.

Riley:

And will there be measures in this Budget that we won’t hear about on Tuesday night that will be released during the election campaign?

Chalmers:

As I made clear, I think last week from memory, a lot of what’s in the Budget has been announced already. I mean, the big game‑changing investment in strengthening Medicare because more bulk billing means less pressure on families. That will be an important feature of the Budget – one of the most important features of the Budget already announced. There’ll be a small number of announcements to be made during the course of the election campaign, as you would expect. You’ve seen a few of these, Mark, over the years.

Riley:

Just a couple.

Chalmers:

But there’ll be some important initiatives announced on Tuesday.

Riley:

In the cost of living space as well?

Chalmers:

We’ve made it clear already cheaper medicines and some extra help with electricity bills. We’ve also got in the Budget the cuts to student debt, which is about cost of living as well. People will see a real focus on Tuesday night on the cost of living, but also making our economy more resilient in the face of this global uncertainty.

Riley:

Are you confident this is going to be enough to get you re‑elected?

Chalmers:

It remains to be seen. You know me, Mark. You know that I don’t take outcomes for granted when it comes to elections. What I am confident about is that we’ve made the right decisions for the right reasons. And I genuinely believe that if you have the right values and the right priorities, and if you take those right decisions for the right reasons, the politics will take care of themselves.

Riley:

Treasurer, thank you very much for speaking with Weekend Sunrise.

Chalmers:

Thanks.

Source: New South Wales – News

Shortly after 4pm on Sunday 23 March, contact was made with a group of four missing people who had become stranded in the outback after suffering mechanical issues with their car.

The group had left Oodnadatta on Friday at 4pm, believed to be heading to Finke in the Northern Territory. However, concerns were raised when the group had failed to arrive.

Supplies, including food and a satellite phone, were provided to the group yesterday.

The four people were successfully retrieved and transported to Coober Pedy this afternoon.

There were no reports of injuries.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Search continues for woman missing on Flinders Island

Monday, 24 March 2025 – 2:20 pm.

Police are continuing to search the Flinders Island area for 68-year-old Victoria Jean Paine.
The White Beach resident has not been seen or heard from since Wednesday 19 March and there are concerns for her welfare.
Police from Flinders Island and Launceston along with SES volunteers, and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter have been involved in searches over the weekend.
The search will continue today, including a targeted ground search and sea search utilising police divers on Police Vessel Cape Wickham. 
Anyone with information or who may have been contacted by Victoria after 2pm Wednesday should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

The Albanese Labor Government has made a range of appointments to arts bodies and cultural institutions to ensure they remain under strong leadership.

• Mr Tony Ayers has been appointed as a member of the Council of the National Museum of Australia for a three-year term.
• Ms Sue Hampel OAM has been reappointed to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council for a three-year term.
• Mr John Barrington AM has been reappointed as Deputy Chair to the National Portrait Gallery Board for a three-year term. 

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointees would lend a deep well of expertise to guide the administration of these important organisations.

“Each appointee brings years of dedication and experience across the arts and public sectors that positions them well for these roles.

“Protecting our beloved cultural institutions for future generations means having the best leadership in place to safeguard them.”

Mr Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian director, producer, showrunner, screenwriter, and editor with more than 33 years’ experience in film and television. Mr Ayres’ feature films and television shows have been nominated for over 100 Australian and international awards, and have won more than 60 of these awards – including an International Emmy, a BAFTA, a Golden Horse, six AACTA awards, and six Logies. Mr Ayres is Executive Producer at Tony Ayres Productions, a Member of the Advisory Board of Australians in Film, and a Company Director at Big and Little Films.

—-

Ms Sue Hampel OAM has been a member of the National Archives Advisory Council since 2019. Ms Hampel is working as a teaching associate and research assistant at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University and is a well-known public speaker and lecturer. She holds a Masters degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the co-President of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Ms Hampel has been recognised for her teaching and community service by receiving numerous awards including a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2014, for Service to the community through the promotion of understanding and tolerance. 

Ms Hampel is a representative of the Australian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). She is an expert in Holocaust education and served as the International Chair of the Education Working Group in 2021.

—-

Mr John Barrington AM has served as Deputy Chair on the National Portrait Gallery of Australia Board since May 2022. He is co-founder and previously Managing Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Artrya Ltd, developing AI solutions to improve the diagnosis of heart disease and is Managing Director of Barrington Consulting Group. He is Chair of John Curtin Gallery and Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and a Director of Health Translation Group Ltd. He was previously Chair of Perth International Arts Festival, Deputy Chair of Creative Partnerships Australia, Deputy Chair on the Federal Government’s Creative Economy Taskforce and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Curtain University in 2022. In 2019 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community of Western Australia

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

The Albanese Labor Government has now reached agreements with every state and territory to put all public schools in the country on a path to full and fair funding.
 
The Government promised to work with states and territories to put all schools on a path to full and fair funding as set out in David Gonski’s review. We have now delivered that promise.
 
As part of these Agreements, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to all states and territories, with the exception of the Northern Territory.
 
This will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034.
 
For the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth’s contribution will lift from 20 per cent to 40 per cent of the SRS by 2029.
 
This will see an estimated $16.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to public schools across the nation over the next 10 years.

This represents the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian Government – ever.
 
As part of the Agreements, the provision allowing jurisdictions to claim 4 per cent of SRS funding for indirect school costs such as capital depreciation will be replaced with funding on eligible expenses.
 
Unlike the previous school funding agreement reached by the former government, this is not a blank cheque.
 
This funding will be tied to the reforms needed to lift education standards across the country, including more individualised support for students, mandating evidenced-based teaching practices, and more mental health support in schools.
 
Reforms include: 

• Year 1 phonics and early years of schooling numeracy checks to identify students in the early years of school who need additional help.
• Evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind.
• Initiatives that support wellbeing for learning – including greater access to mental health professionals.
• Access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning, and
• Initiatives that improve the attraction and retention of teachers.

In addition to these reforms, the Agreements have targets, including that by 2030 the proportion of students receiving a Year 12 Certificate will be the highest it has ever been. Other targets include:

• Reducing the proportion of students in the NAPLAN ‘Needs Additional Support’ proficiency level for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent by 2030.
• Increasing the proportion of students in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ proficiency levels for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent by 2030 and trend upwards for priority equity cohorts in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ proficiency levels.
• Increasing the Student Attendance Rate, nationally, to 91.4 per cent (2019 level) by 2030.
• Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students by 10 percentage points to 69.7 per cent by 2035.

This means more help for students and more support for teachers. It has taken too long, but all public schools in the country are now on a path to the full and fair funding level set by David Gonski more than a decade ago.
 
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
 
“Building Australia’s Future means investing in the next generation.
 
“That’s why every dollar of this funding will go into helping children learn.
 
“We know that education opens the doors of opportunity, and we want to widen them for every child in Australia.
 
“This is about investing in real reform with real funding – so Australian children get the best possible education.”
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
 
“This is an historic day for Australia’s education system.
 
“We have now reached agreements with every state and territory to put all schools on a path to full and fair funding.
 
“This is a game‑changer for public education and it’s a life‑changer for our kids at school today, kids that will be at school in the next few years, and children that aren’t even born yet.
 
“This will see on average a 70 per cent increase in Commonwealth funding per student when this is fully implemented.
 
“This is real funding tied to real reform to get real results.
 
“But this is all at risk if Peter Dutton wins the next election. In 2013, the Liberals said there’d be no cuts to our schools. That was a lie. As soon as they got in, they ripped $30 billion out and they will do the same thing again if they win this year.”

Source:

Source: Historic Cooma Gaol listed on the NSW State Heritage Register

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much for joining us. And I begin by giving a shout out to all those mums and dads and carers who are dropping their young ones off at school this morning for the school drop off right around the country and indeed for them, but most importantly for the young Australians to come, this is a historic day. Today we reach the point for the first time in Australian history where every student, public and private, will be delivered the school funding that they deserve. The School Resourcing Standard that was identified by David Gonski more than a decade ago. By Queensland agreeing to sign up with the agreement put in today, will change lives because public education changes lives. Public education is what is accessible and available to all Australians. And from today we can announce that every little Queenslander will have a better chance to reach their potential. Nothing is more important in the role of the Commonwealth and state and territory governments than delivering opportunity for young Australians. And it is education that opens the doors of opportunity and today we are widening them. This historic agreement means that every Australian child who goes to a public school will now receive a fully funded education. The private school students had reached the SRS standard previously. But what the agreements between the Commonwealth and our eight state and territory governments have delivered is that every student, regardless of which school they go to, will receive this funding. This agreement with Queensland will deliver an estimated $2.8 billion in additional funding for Queensland public schools over the next decade. This represents the biggest ever investment in Queensland public schools by an Australian government ever. In Queensland, we expect this to support some 560,000 public school students. It isn’t a blank cheque. This money is tied to real reforms like evidence based teaching practises, phonics and numeracy checks, catch up tutoring and more mental health support. Today’s announcement contributes to an estimated $16.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to public schools across the nation from 2025-2026, for the decade ahead to 2034. It represents the biggest new investment in public schools by an Australian government ever. And I do want to thank Premier Crisafulli for the constructive engagement that we have had to deliver this agreement. Constructive engagement that’s now reflected with agreements between every government right across this country, every state, every territory, combining with the Commonwealth. On election night in 2022, I spoke about education as being the key to widening those doors of opportunity. What my Government is doing in early childhood education, now in school education, with our higher ed agreements and with Free TAFE, is delivering across the board so that every child will have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. That’s what aspiration is about. That’s what people want for their young sons and daughters. And indeed, the beneficiaries of this agreement today include obviously people who haven’t been born yet. This is intergenerational reform that will make an incredible difference. And I do want to thank the Premier, we’ve engaged constructively in this over a period of months and today we’ve reached what is a historic agreement.
 
DAVID CRISAFULLI, PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND: Thanks, PM. It is a historic agreement and today I can confirm that Queensland has secured the biggest investment in schools in our nation’s history. And we are delighted to be standing here with you Prime Minister, thank you very much for the way that you’ve negotiated with us. This means a lot to Queensland and it means a lot because we’ve got some challenges in our schooling systems that other states don’t have. We are the most decentralised state. We’ve got a large portion of rural and regional and Indigenous schools. We have challenges because of that, not just geographically, but challenges that are historically been baked in. As a result, our NAPLAN results aren’t what we have wanted to see in recent years. What this does is give us a decade long commitment to be able to turn the funding shortfall around and with that will come the ability to turn those results around. And what excites me about this deal is it’s not just about a financial injection. It’s also about making sure that we meet standards. It’s also about making sure that we give every child the opportunity to be their best. And we want that and we want them to be their best, whether they’re in the capital or in the smallest of rural or remote schools. It’s important that that money does flow. This is a 10 year deal that will see an immediate investment, but also will deliver long term generational reform that’s important for Queensland, for what we want to achieve. We want to make sure that we have well educated children who become great performing members of our state. And we’ve got a lot ahead as a state. And making sure that we could sign this education deal means a lot to us. And we are delighted with the agreement that’s been struck and we are determined to make sure that the education standards for Queensland kids continue on an upward trajectory. And with that comes the best for our state. Thanks very much.
 
PRIME MINISTER: We’ll hear from Jason and JP and then we’re happy to take questions.
 
JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: First, I want to thank the Prime Minister. This is real leadership in action. This is a Prime Minister who gets it and who knows how to get things done. Who knows how to work with the states and work with different political parties. A Prime Minister who gets how important this is for our kids and for our future. I also want to thank you, Premier, for all of the work that we’ve done together to get this deal across the line. Bringing forward funding, just extraordinary, sir. And I take my hat off to you and to JP. Absolute legend, mate. It’s been wonderful working with you and looking forward to working with you in the future. This is the last piece in the puzzle. With the agreement that we’ve just signed, it means that every public school in the country will now be fully funded. And that has never ever happened before. It should have, but it hasn’t. Now it will be and it will change kids’ lives. This is the biggest investment by the Commonwealth Government in public schools ever. As the Prime Minister said, it’s worth about $16.5 billion over the next decade. But it’s not a blank cheque. This money is tied to real and practical reforms to help children who fall behind to catch up and keep up. Ultimately help more young people finish high school. It’s bigger than that. It’s about helping to make sure that every child gets a great start in life. It’s what every mum and dad wants for their child and it’s what every Australian child deserves. You know, we know that a good education can change a life and a good education system can change a country. If you think back to the 1980s, to the 1990s, when some of us were at school, the number of kids finishing high school skyrocketed. It went from about 40% of kids to almost 80%. That changed us as a country. Now, in the last 10 years, that percentage has gone backwards. It’s dropped from about 83% to 73%. And that’s happening in public schools. We’ve got to turn that around. Fundamentally, that’s what this is all about, making sure that more young people finish school. It’s more important today than it was when we were at school. This is building Australia’s future in action. This is real microeconomic reform. If we’re going to build the country of our imagination, then we need people to build it. We’ve got to build the skills of the workforce today and tomorrow. We’ve got to make sure that more young people finish school and then go on to TAFE or to university and can build the career of their dreams. And that’s what this is about. And Albo, as a kid from public school I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. This is going to change the lives of kids at school today, kids that go to school tomorrow, children that aren’t even born yet. It’s going to make our education system better and it’s going to make us an even better and fairer country.
 
JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks, Jason. Well, can I also say as a returning education minister, hopefully this marks the end of the education wars because over a decade ago when I was Minister for Education, Training and Employment in a former government, was when we had the Gonski report and we had this constant debate about special needs in terms of what the states had. And as the Premier has mentioned, Queensland does have more of those areas of needs, whether it’s disability, Indigenous, socioeconomic status, small, regional, remote. Queensland has more than any other. And if we’re going to have league tables about schools, then no wonder Queensland’s had trouble competing. But this agreement today really does mean a big change for Queensland. It’s something I’m personally very appreciative of. I want to thank Jason as well for, he and I have had numerous conversations over the last four to five months. First of all we had to do a one year deal and after 10 years of declining investment or the former government in Queensland not putting enough funding in it means that now as a result of this agreement we’re reaching 75% in Queensland, four years ahead of the previous agreement or what the intended time was going to be. So, I want to thank the Premier and the Prime Minister as well. It’s been protracted negotiations but importantly for Queensland schools and I’m also state school educated, something I’m very proud of for in my family that’s made a big difference to my life and I know it will continue for other Queensland students. This is going to have a real impact in Queensland in education and across the country.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks JP. Happy to take questions.
 
JOURNALIST: Has there been deals, arrangements locked in for how fast the states, all the states are going to lift their funding amounts and this announcement today that you said $2.8 billion just for Queensland, your Finance Minister’s announced $2.1 billion of savings in the budget. Is this baking in more spending?
 
PRIME MINISTER: No, because we accounted for most of this investment is already in MYEFO. There will be some additional investment given to Queensland that will be accounted for in the pre-election fiscal outlook. This is an investment in our young Australians. I can’t think of anything that is more worthwhile than investing in the opportunity of a young Australian and this will make an enormous difference. It has been spoken about for a long period of time, as JP said, people spoke about, the Gonski review occurred under the former Labor government. We then had in 2014 budget $30 billion ripped out of education. Since then we’ve seen school completions decline from 83% to 73%. We need to, in public schools overwhelmingly, we need to make sure that we compete not on the basis of driving down wages but we compete on the basis of how smart we are. And what this is is seizing opportunities. And Queensland does have particular challenges because it is the most regional of states and we’ve worked through all of these issues constructively but we have fully funded all of these agreements will be there. We’ve gone through our ERC processes, the Premier has been through his. But I’ll ask the Premier to comment.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: That’s a very good question. As part of this deal we have had to bring forward some funding at a Queensland level as well to secure the deal. But so we should. We’ve under invested in public education as a state for too long and this was an opportunity too good to miss. It was an opportunity to bring two levels of government together. But ultimately it’s about kids, ultimately it’s about can we get an outcome for children. And at the moment, when I look at Queensland’s education standards over many years it hasn’t been what it should be. And that’s not because of the kids, it’s not because of the teachers, it’s because of the broken system. And today we start putting together that broken system and outlining a funding pathway but also driving results. And that’s good news for everyone.
 
JOURNALIST: Just on the schools funding now that all the states and territories have kind of signed on, what will this mean for the educational divide going forward? Because for every public school that still has demountables with air conditioning that doesn’t work, there’s private schools that are spending millions of dollars for performing arts venues with orchestra pits or multi-million dollar swimming pool centres like how will this lessen that educational divide that will be going on?
 
PRIME MINISTER: What we want to make sure is that every parent, when they make a decision which is up to them of where their child goes to school, that they can have confidence that that child will receive the level of support that they deserve. It also is about making sure that children don’t get left behind. What we know from the testing that occurs is that if you wait until a child reaches the middle of primary school, it’s too late. Part of this agreement and the tying of this funding is for Year One testing, is making sure that if a young person needs that one on one help or small group help to make sure they’re not left behind, they get that really early on, they get to catch up, they don’t get to fall behind and then have issues later on. And so this is an investment that will pay off because we know that when people do fall behind, students, they can take forever or sometimes just don’t catch up. That’s what those figures of the decline in Year 12 completion shows. You know, the Hawke Government made the decision to lift very consciously the level of Year 12 completions from three out of ten to eight out of ten. What we’re doing as a Commonwealth, in partnership with Queensland and other states and territories, is making a conscious decision that children will not be left behind.
 
JOURNALIST: A couple of years before you got the job, the Prime Minister and the premiers did a deal on the NDIS to try and bring it back under control. They offered the states, they extended the GST deal for another two years and guaranteed hospital funding, etc. Are you, is your state any closer to holding up your end of the deal and taking responsibility for foundational support?
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: Well, of course we’ll continue to negotiate in good faith and I hope what today proves is that we will always negotiate in good faith, but we’ll always look for the best deal for Queensland. I don’t think that’s any surprise to the Prime Minister with, we negotiated hard, but in the end I think we’ve got a good outcome. Good outcome for Queensland and a good outcome for Australia.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Just here and then, Paul.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you’ve committed to legislate to protect salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Have we got anything else on the biggest schools announcement? Can we stick to if there are schools questions, if not happy to move on?
 
JOURNALIST: A school of fish.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Paul is always focused on the micro.
 
JOURNALIST: So, salmon fishing, you’ve committed to legislate to protect it in Macquarie Harbour. How will that work and will that legislation have implications for environmental considerations in other industries?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we know is that the environmental science tells us that the skate is at the same levels that it was back a decade ago. We responded to the science to provide certainty. My Government makes no apologies for supporting jobs. That’s what the Labor Party does. We support jobs, but we also support sustainability, which is why we’ve invested $37 million for sustainability, for oxygenation. That’s why we’re engaged as well in what has been a very successful breeding program as well.
 
JOURNALIST: Some of your colleagues believe that you’ve got a sense of momentum, that you might call the election as soon as you can after this sitting period’s over, they want to head back to their electorates very quickly. Do you want to seize the moment you’re in and call the election as soon as you can after Thursday? And Premier, you’ve had some time to speak to Peter Dutton now that you’re in the job. Do you have any more confidence in his nuclear plan now that you’ve had a chance to look at it?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, on the first, I’m told by my office that when we called this press conference, some thought we were about to call the election the day before the Budget. So, I say consistently, as I have said privately and publicly, three years is too short. I can now confirm the election will be in May. I’ve been saying that for a year. I was advised this time last year, in order to stop tax cuts going forward, that we should call an election. And I ignored that call by Mr Dutton and I continued to govern. We’ve got a Budget to hand down tomorrow night. It’s an important Budget that will set Australia up on the path to a better future. And I look forward to that. I look forward to some policy besides the three that have been announced. The nuclear plans, the $20,000 lunches and the cuts that we don’t know about, coming out sometime between now and May. But we’re very clear about what our agenda is. And it’s an agenda of governing. And what I’m doing today is governing, putting in place these important reforms.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: You won’t get running commentary from me about policies in Canberra, that’s for this guy and Peter to do. I don’t think Australians or Queenslanders or any of you will be too surprised with who I’m backing in the Federal Election. Of course I’m backing Peter – 

JOURNALIST: It’s not contrary though, Premier (inaudible) reverse the ban on nuclear –
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: But it is, it is because I’m – no, it is because I’m here signing the biggest education deal in my state’s history and that’s pretty bloody important to me. And, you know, I’ll let others run political commentary. I’m here to talk about something that matters to parents in my state.
 
JOURNALIST: On the Olympics stadiums there have been some major changes announced – thanks, Prime Minister – today, or major changes are due. Do you have a Plan B if you can’t renegotiate with the Prime Minister on moving funding away from Brisbane Live Arena to other venues?
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: Well, firstly, it’s been 1430 days since Queensland was awarded the Olympic and Paralympic Games. I reckon if I told you and didn’t wait until tomorrow, I’d probably be in strife from my gallery. But look, we’ve got a plan and it’s a plan to make sure that we do deliver generational infrastructure. And it’s a plan to make sure that we do host great Games when the eyes of the world are on us. And I want people to understand that we – yes, there’s been a long time since we were awarded the Games, but I do believe we’ve got a plan that can get the show back on the road.
 
JOURNALIST: Premier, have you raised the Olympics in discussions with the Prime Minister?
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: I reckon we’ve spoken a lot about it, but we’ve negotiated well together. I think that’s fair. We’ve worked together well and that’s always my style. I’m on Team Queensland. Of course, there’s been some strong negotiations. Two people of Italian descent, you’d expect that. But there’s nothing that can’t be solved over a bit of common sense and a cannoli. Two cannolis, and I bought both of them.
 
PRIME MINISTER: And I can confirm that the Premier has, on two occasions, given me cannolis and I haven’t declared them. So, I declare them now just in case I get into some trouble.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: They were good cannolis.
 
PRIME MINISTER: We regard that as a cultural thing rather than anything else. And they’re fine cannolis, I’ve got to say. We’re going to go: 1, 2, 3, 4, and then we’re done. Oh, 5 – just got in.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister a question for you and one for the Premier. Peter Dutton yesterday described your energy rebate extension as a Ponzi scheme. His Shadow Treasurer said it was putting a band aid on a bullet wound, yet they’re supporting it. I’m just wondering what your view is of that. And, Premier, can you tell us, are you going to break your election promise tomorrow about no new venues?
 
PRIME MINISTER: On the first, it says something about the Coalition – I’m trying not to be too partisan here, standing next to the Premier –
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: I’m out of the shot.
 
PRIME MINISTER: But whether it’s our Medicare tripling of the bulk billing incentive for all 21 million Australians, the 50 new Urgent Care Clinics, the $25 for medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the freezing of the beer excise for two years, or a range of other measures – including the extension of Energy Bill Relief – the Opposition, having opposed all of these things for almost three years, have just said yes. I guess they’ve got to have something to say about policy and they don’t have any of their own. So, that has been their fallback position. But I think that Australians will have a look at their rhetoric and show that their heart isn’t in it. And in the rhetoric that they use, attacking this means that it can’t be secure. The last time round there was an election where the Coalition formed government was in 2013. They said there’d be no cuts to education, no cuts to health. The 2014 Budget had $50 billion cut from hospitals and $30 billion cut from education. And we’ve been playing catch up ever since. And in part, that’s what today’s announcement is about.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: Well, one day to go, Mark, one day to go. One thing’s for certain, though, is we set about a process to make sure that we could get that show back on the road. And I think even the most, even the most objective person – even the most partisan person – looking at where we are at the moment, would acknowledge that it’s been three years of chaos and crisis since we were awarded the Games. And I’m a big believer when you make decisions, you put the information out. I’ve done that throughout my career and I’ve certainly done it in recent times dealing with the disasters. I have this view that if you provide the information and the reasons behind your decision, whatever those decisions are, I think overwhelmingly people will respect where we’re going. And tomorrow we will outline a plan to make sure that we can deliver generational infrastructure for every square inch of the state. And I think it’s an exciting time and I want Queenslanders to believe that we can deliver something when the eyes of the world are on us that makes us feel proud to be Queenslanders.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, yesterday your Treasurer said it remains to be seen when the next surplus will be delivered. Do you hope another surplus will be delivered during your Prime Ministership? And Premier, when the GST cover was recently announced by the Commonwealth Grants Commission, your Treasurer, David Janetzki, was quite critical of the funding that had been announced for Queensland under that deal. Was the GST arrangements subject to discussions today?
 
PRIME MINISTER: You’ll see the Budget and all the figures tomorrow night. Not long to wait now. One more sleep.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: We don’t believe it was a good decision. We acknowledge how it was made, we acknowledge the framework behind it. But we, you know, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t tell you all today that we’re going to continue to work pretty hard to make sure that some of that infrastructure funding is excised from the GST. I think that’s fair and proper, particularly with the Bruce Highway. We were very, very pleased with the announcement on the Bruce, but it is a national road and it is, in my mind is something that should be excise from that GST agreement. We’ll continue to negotiate in good faith. And then there’s that little matter of the flood mitigation on the Bruce Highway as well, which I might go and try and get his signature before I fly back to Brissie.
 
JOURNALIST: PM, Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are due to start from April 2. Is the Budget in such a position that it can withstand any economic turmoil that will come out of that? And where is Australia’s negotiations up to with the Administration about changes or excisions of Australia’s trade markets into the US under those reciprocal tariffs?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Look, we continue to engage constructively with the Trump Administration. We were engaged over the weekend again in some of those discussions that have taken place. My Ministers are engaged, our people in the United States are engaged as well. We’re advancing Australia’s national interest, as you would expect.
 
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, David Littleproud says we need more gas in the market, he seems to be suggesting they’re going to water down the safeguard mechanism. Do you agree with the proposition we need more gas in the market and what would you be doing to resolve that? And for the Premier, is there enough being done to get the gas out of Queensland’s south?
 
PRIME MINISTER: On the former, we’ve announced and delivered publicly released our future gas strategy. That’s a strategy that understands that gas has an important role to play, along with batteries, in providing certainty. I was in Gladstone in the great State of Queensland just last week with Rio Tinto there, at the refinery producing fantastic alumina, aluminium there. And they employ many people, and one of the things that they’ve done is to shift to renewables but they have firming capacity there as well. That’s part of the transition that’s important. The former government had this big announcement when they were there about gas, a gas led recovery. Not much happened. Not much happened. You don’t need rhetoric. What you need is actually investment. What the safeguard mechanism does, like the Capacity Investment Scheme, is to provide certainty for the investment environment for business, which is why business backed the safeguard mechanism.
 
PREMIER CRISAFULLI: I haven’t seen what David Littleproud said, but if he’s talking about the need for more gas in the market, he’s 100 per cent correct. And have a look at across the states. Queensland, over a long period of time, we’ve done the heavy lifting, we’ve done our end of the bargain, and some of the safeguards that were put in place a little over the decade ago has ensured that communities that were once trod on have now embraced it. And overwhelmingly, it’s been great not just for our economy, but it’s also been great for regional communities to have a sense of identity. It’s been great for meeting the market that’s there. I would argue that other states probably haven’t come on the same journey that we have. And I think if you point to Queensland as an example, that it can be done, it can be done. You can protect the environment, you can treat local communities with respect, you can create some jobs, you can earn a living. It is absolutely possible.
 
PRIME MINISTER: Last one.
 
JOURNALIST: Australian doctor Mohammed Mustafa is in Gaza right now. He says he told SBS the situation is catastrophic. He’s asking for urgent assistance. What is your Government actively doing now that Israel has broken the ceasefire?
 
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we have maintained our same position, which is we want to see the ceasefire be continued. We want an end to hostilities, we want to see hostages released. We want to see peace and security in the Middle East. Something that my Government is very focused on. We will remain focused on. But we’re not major players in the Middle East. That’s just the truth of the matter. And so, we remain incredibly concerned about the innocent loss of life that we’ve seen since October 7, whether that be in Israel or whether it be in Gaza. Surely people have a look at that innocent loss of life, including children and people who have done nothing wrong but be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They deserve protection. And I want to see that occur, as I’m sure most people who have a look at what is occurring, including whether it be people in Gaza or indeed people in Israel who are saying that as well. Thanks very much, thank you.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Investigation team calling for information about former police officer

Monday, 24 March 2025 – 1:08 pm.

As was announced on 26 February, Tasmania Police is conducting an investigation into former police officer Dale Cook, who has been charged with allegedly accessing child exploitation material.
Acting Commissioner Jonathan Higgins said the investigation is examining Cook’s entire career to determine whether he used his position as a police officer to commit child sexual abuse crimes or any other criminal offending and identify any misconduct during his employment with Tasmania Police.
“The investigation has independent oversight by the Integrity Commission and is being run concurrently with the criminal case he is currently facing charges over,” Acting Commissioner Higgins said.
“We strongly encourage anyone with information to come forward, as every piece of information, no matter how small, can be key to the outcome of an investigation.”
“The investigators would like to hear from anyone with information by 5 May 2025, however information after this time will of course still be examined.”
“The specialist investigation team recognises the need to offer choice and confidentiality to anyone wanting to provide information.”
There are several ways information can be provided to investigators.
This includes:

Sending a direct email to the investigation team at cookinvestigation@police.tas.gov.au
Submitting an online form which allows you the option or remaining anonymous, or providing your details if you are willing to be contacted.
Submitting a report to the Tasmania Police Professional Standards online portal.
If you would like to meet in person, contact the investigation team at cookinvestigation@police.tas.gov.au and they will arrange this at a time and place that ensures confidentiality.

“An important part of the investigation is also receiving any relevant information from people who have previously been in the workplace with Dale Cook, and our staff are being contacted to facilitate this.”