Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Professor Leonie Quinn, Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative Lead and Research and Innovation Fund recipient
Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative has created Canberra’s first Brain Cancer Biobank.
Headed by Professor Leonie Quinn and her team, the collaborative has been able to develop this with a $300,000 grant awarded in the 2022 Research Innovation Fundround.
The biobank stores brain cancer biospecimens and genomic data from patients treated at Canberra Hospital.
It contributes to Brain Cancer Biobanking Australia – a virtual biobank hub that allows researchers around the country to access brain cancer tissue, samples and data.
The information gathered by the biobank enables researchers at ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research to create 3D bio-printed ‘mini brains’.
This allows them to analyse how tumours grow and respond to treatment, and to trial new therapeutic drugs tailored to each patient. It is hoped this will help develop new cancer treatments and improve clinical care.
“The ACT Health Research Innovation Fund has provided us with an exciting opportunity to explore the complex environment where brain cancer occurs and ultimately develop new treatments,” Professor Quinn, Canberra Brain Cancer Collaborative Lead and Research and Innovation Fund recipient, said.
“The biobank will enable more personalised treatments, which are critical to improving survival rates and quality of life for people diagnosed with the disease. It will secure the ACT as a health research hub and improve the clinical experience of cancer patients around Australia.”
The Research and Innovation Fund is guided by Better Together: A strategic plan for research in the ACT health system 2022-2030.
Five fellowships through the Research Innovation Fund2023 have recently been announced, supporting early and mid-career Canberra health researchers.
The diverse research projects selected include enhancing post-diagnostic care for dementia patients, supporting community response to voluntary assisted dying, and studying allergies and immunodeficienciesof patients in the ACT.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Downer Community Centre recently received a rebate to replace gas heating with efficient reverse cycle heating.
ACT small businesses can now access rebates of up to $10,000 to help transition their workplaces and work practices away from fossil-fuel gas to efficient electric appliances.
The rebates will support businesses to be more sustainable, in reducing both their emissions and operating costs.
Small to medium business can take advantage of the rebate, to upgrade to efficient electric appliances.
The rebates can pay for up to half the upfront cost of upgrading.
The ACT Government’s Sustainable Business Program complements the new rebate. The program provides expert advice at no cost, helping businesses identify areas of their business they can improve and act in the smartest, most cost-effective way.
The Downer Community Centre is using the new rebate to switch from gas heating to efficient reverse cycle heating. This change will help them save $1900 per year in bills and two tonnes per year of CO2 emissions.
ACT businesses with fewer than 20 employees are eligible for up to $10,000 in support through energy efficiency rebates.
The maximum rebate for electric-to-electric upgrades is $5,000 (incl GST), while fossil-fuel gas-to-electric upgrade rebates are capped at $10,000 (including GST).
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Future Swirl founder Maddalena Eastbrook at her pop-up van.
Future Swirl is a Canberra-based start-up whipping up a storm in the ice-cream world.
Founder Maddi Easterbrook wanted to challenge the popular coconut, almond and soy-based ice-creams that dominate the dairy free alternatives market, with an oat milk soft-serve.
A hugely successful summer season with a pop-up van in Braddon showed Maddi that her idea had real potential.
“We opened Summernats weekend in Braddon and I was blown away by the response,” said Maddi.
“It was by far our best weekend during that January to May period in the van. It was really reaffirming. I thought the Summernats demographic would not be my audience, but we had so many converts and repeat customers over that weekend who turned into oat milk soft-serve lovers! It showed me there’s a lot of potential for us to grow.”
That experience paved the way for Maddi to secure an Innovation Connect (ICON) grant from the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN).
CBRIN receives funding from the ACT Government to support entrepreneurs, innovators and start-ups—like Future Swirl—in Canberra. It offers business support, programs, grants and access to networks of other entrepreneurs.
“The idea [for the ICON grant] was to take that soft-serve, which you can only get when I’m selling at markets in the van, and bring it to independent grocers in Canberra and straight to our customers in take home tubs.
“I received matched funding for $30,000,” Maddi said. “I contributed $30,000 myself and bought machinery to scale the business and work on product development.
“With that money I can move manufacturing out of the pop-up van and into a premises.”
The take home tubs are being manufactured at the Centre for Entrepreneurial Technology (CEAT) at ANU. CEAT is another ACT Government grant-funded spin out from the Priority Investment Program.
“I would encourage anyone who is thinking of applying for an ICON grant to do it,” she said.
“I was nervous about pitching my idea against people developing AI and high-tech solutions.
“But plant-based food alternatives are a growing and global industry, valued at nearly $5 billion and it’s expected to reach just over $100 billion by 2030. Being a vegan myself, I’m in a unique position to create a product that I would want to eat, rather than multi-nationals that are producing because there is a gap in the market.
“CBRIN could see my product has the capacity to scale and succeed.”
Maddi’s oat milk soft-serve is also filling a much-needed gap in the food allergen market. Her soft-serve is nut free, dairy free and soy free.
“It was amazing to see children who had never eaten a soft-serve or ice-cream before, sitting in the park enjoying their first taste in their 10 or 12 years of life,” Maddi said.
“My desire to start Future Swirl came from being vegan and being passionate about sustainability and plant-based food being the best way for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint. But meeting this need in the food allergen market has been an added bonus.
“It’s pretty great seeing the joy of a kid eating an soft-serve in the park! And soft-serves are very nostalgic.”
Future Swirl’s signature and most popular vanilla and chocolate oat milk based soft-serve.
As for what’s next for Future Swirl, Maddi is preparing to bring her take home tubs to Canberrans but also has her eyes set on the Sydney and Melbourne market.
CBRIN’s ICON grants are currently open and close on 11 September.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Thor Diesendorf, founder and owner of Thor’s Hammer which makes use of recycled timber.
The ACT Government is providing a plan to create new jobs and develop innovative sustainable businesses by delivering Canberra’s first Circular Economy Strategy and action plan.
The new circular economy strategy recognises benefits of supporting businesses that reduce waste, while supporting solutions to product development and investment.
Through the strategy and plan, the Government wants to give businesses the tools they need to support more sustainable jobs, create stronger supply chains that reduce waste, and make the most of materials.
The strategy and action plan aims to achieve this across a broad range of industries, from technology and hardware, right through to food waste and building products.
It also addresses land use for businesses that might need to process materials that support resource recovery or to help design waste out of our systems in the first place.
The strategy identifies six areas of the economy to lead first efforts:
Food and garden organics
The built environment
Emerging and problematic waste streams
Consumer goods
A circular economy innovation precinct
Procurement, skills, and governance.
Importantly this strategy is backed by a series of individual action plans, which outline specific objectives of Government, industry, business and our community.
Major reforms have already started to improve resource recovery outcomes for the region.
This includes the bulky waste pick-up service, building a new materials recycling facility, a food organics collection service pilot and the ACT container deposit scheme.
Canberrans are also demonstrating leadership in growing the circular economy, with some great initiatives such as repair cafes, Community Toolbox Canberra, Lids for Kids and thriving second-hand markets.
Once the strategy is in place across a broad range of industries, the ACT Government aims to make further changes to supply chains and education, and help make jobs and businesses more innovative, sustainable, equitable, fair, and profitable.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The townhouses are ready to welcome tenants and families most in need of housing support.
Construction is now complete on 30 new public housing homes in Calwell.
The townhouses are ready to welcome tenants and families most in need of housing support.
The 30 two- and three-bedroom townhouses are built to Class C Adaptable standards. This means they can be easily adapted to meet changing accessibility needs and support tenants to remain at home as they grow older.
The new homes are located close to schools, shops, services and transport.
They add to the category of public housing in highest demand – with approximately 80 per cent of all housing applicants able to be housed in a two-bedroom dwelling.
Construction took less than nine months for this project, which began in November 2022.
The project is a positive example of government and industry collaborating to deliver for the community.
More than 500 homes have been delivered under the ACT Government’s commitment and another 700 homes are currently underway in design or construction.
This is another step towards providing more people in need with safe, secure public housing.
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Relationship Authorisation ManagerExternal Link (RAM) enables authorised people to transact with government online services on behalf of your fund. This includes access to Online services for business and Access Manager. As the holder of an ABN, APRA regulated funds must keep authorisations and permissions up to date by regularly completing these 3 checks.
Ensure the right people are authorised
The principal authority or authorisation administrator must create authorisationsExternal Link in RAM for people who need access. Maintaining accurate records ensures employees and others can easily identify who can approve access.
When a person no longer needs access (for example, they change roles or leave) remove their authorisation immediately to prevent unauthorised access.
Ensure each person has the right access
The principal authority or authorisation administrator should regularly check each person has the right access. After creating an authorisation for someone in RAM, permissions can be customised in Access Manager.
If someone increases their myID identity strength from Basic to Standard, the principal authority or authorisation administrator needs to create a new authorisation. Once accepted, this will remove restricted access to our online services.
Where your fund uses Standard Business Reporting (SBR) enabled software to interact with our online services, you may need to create a machine credentialExternal Link using RAM. You can also customise machine credential permissions in Access Manager.
Review activity regularly
The principal authority or authorisation administrator should regularly check the authorisation and machine credential activities for the fund using the History functionExternal Link in RAM.
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.
Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry
The Albanese Government is reforming financial advice rules so that more Australians can access the advice they need without the huge price tag. The Delivering Better Financial Outcomes package delivers on this commitment, ensuring Australians can access quality and affordable financial advice.
This is about cutting red tape that adds to cost without providing a benefit to consumers. It will also expand access to financial advice about savings, retirement and insurance for all Australians.
The first components of the next tranche of legislation:
replace the statement of advice with a more fit‑for‑purpose client advice record
provide clear rules on what advice topics can be collectively charged for via superannuation
allow superannuation funds to provide targeted prompts to members to drive greater engagement with superannuation at key life stages
The Government continues to develop legislation to modernise the best interests duty and create a new class of adviser. Reforming the best interests duty and removing the safe harbour steps will provide advisers with confidence to deliver appropriately scaled advice. The new class of adviser is also vital to allowing life insurers, financial advice licensees, superannuation funds and other institutions to expand the supply of quality and affordable advice to consumers.
These remaining pieces will be consulted on and combined with the draft legislation released today to be introduced into Parliament as a single package. The whole package works together to expand access to affordable, quality financial advice.
Releasing this legislation now gives stakeholders more time to review and comment on the parts of the next tranche that are ready to be reviewed. It also demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to reform financial advice laws.
The Government invites feedback to ensure that the reforms deliver on their objectives and operate effectively across all parts of the financial advice industry. Consultation is available on the Treasury website and closes on 2 May 2025.
Privacy Commissioner Marie Shroff has strengthened the Health Information Privacy Code 1994 to improve legal protections around newborn babies bloodspot samples. These samples are collected as part of a national newborn metabolic screening programme, also called the heelprick or Guthrie Test. The samples are held permanently unless parents request their return. The amendment will restrict how information derived from the samples may be used and disclosed. DNA testing is getting cheaper and faster all the time and that makes national bloodspot collections more valuable. Because of this it is possible someone in the future will want to use the collection as a national DNA database. If this were to happen, trust in the programme would be severely damaged.
A recent scan of school websites and some popular childrens game sites showed there is often no information given to users about how their personal information collected via the site will be used and shared. The scan was part of an international internet sweep day, involving the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner and other overseas data protection offices in the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN). Each participating office selected a range of websites to scan. The first step was to see if the site showed any sort of privacy policy at all. We found that in a selection of the larger New Zealand schools websites we looked at, very few had any sort of policy at all.