Month: August 2025

Source: Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

The Australian Antarctic Program’s new Chief Scientist, Professor Nerilie Abram, always knew she wanted to be a scientist, but it took a while to find her niche.
After flirting with physics she trained as a geologist, before eventually finding her way to climate research.
Some 20 years on, her substantial contribution to the field of climate science was recognized in 2024 when she was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, placing her among the nation’s most eminent scientists.

In 2019 she was the Coordinating Lead Author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, and is a coordinating lead author again for the current assessment cycle.
She has also previously chaired the National Committee for Antarctic Research, which aims to foster Antarctic science in Australia and link national and international Antarctic researchers.
“I’m driven by a fascination for science and how the world works, but also delivering information that people need for making decisions about how we’re going to be resilient to climate change,” Prof. Abram said.
Looking to the future from the past
As a palaeoclimate scientist, Prof. Abram uses the Earth’s climate archives, which include corals and ice cores, to reconstruct climate variability and change over time.
“I did my PhD on reconstructing climate in the tropics using corals,” Prof Abram said.
“My work focused on the eastern Indian Ocean, off the coast of Sumatra, studying the natural variability of the Indian Ocean Dipole – which affects Australia’s rainfall – and how it’s changed over hundreds and thousands of years.”
When she finished her PhD in 2004, it was a fairly natural progression to move into ice core research, with a position at the British Antarctic Survey.
“There are many similarities between using corals and ice cores to reconstruct climate history. The difference was I was working in a freezer instead of a nice warm laboratory,” Prof. Abram said.
Her first visit to Antarctica in 2007 was to James Ross Island, near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, to drill a 364 metre ice core containing 1000s of years of climate history.
Her work proved to be an influential point in her research career. The ice core showed summer ice melting had increased 10-fold in the past 1000 years with the most rapid increase occurring in the past 50 years.
“It was the first long ice core that had been collected from the Antarctic Peninsula,” she said.
“We showed that the recent warming of the peninsula was unusually fast compared to any of the natural variability in the region. We also showed how the climate in the region is related to how stable the nearby ice shelves are.”
Since that first trip Prof. Abram has been to Antarctica a further four times, and twice to drill ice in the Arctic.
Her most recent visit to Antarctica was as part of the Antarctic Program’s Denman Terrestrial Campaign in 2023, where she oversaw ice chip drilling – a first for Australia – near the Denman Glacier.
The chips will enable measurements of how the climate and weather have changed in the region over the past 500 years.
Unity in strategic direction
Prof. Abram said the role of Chief Scientist was a natural extension of her work, given the opportunity to shape the direction of Antarctic research and ensure its relevance to decision-makers.
“My career has been increasingly focused on how we bring scientific information together to produce impactful pieces of work and deliver that information to the people that need it,” she said.
“The role of Chief Scientist will allow me to look strategically at what we need to do in Antarctica and to work with the Australian Antarctic science community to shape that.”
Prof. Abram’s appointment aligns with a new 10-year strategy outlining Australia’s priority science to advance national interests in Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and sub-Antarctic islands.
It’s a fresh opportunity to foster a unified and collaborative Antarctic science community, with a vision that’s paired with logistical capabilities.
“We need to understand how Antarctica is changing, what that means for the rest of the world, and how we can best protect Antarctica,” she said.
“As Chief Scientist I hope to bring the research community together to take ownership of the strategy and to coalesce around it.”
Bringing it together
Scientific icebreaker RSV Nuyina, and Australia’s renewed deep-field traverse capability, will be important in delivering the science priorities.
“As well as being a science platform in its own right, Nuyina is going to be particularly important in getting us to places that aren’t easy to access from our stations,” Prof. Abram said.
“Our field campaigns, such as the previous multi-disciplinary Denman Terrestrial Campaign and our current Million Year Ice Core project, will also be important in getting to the heart of scientific problems.”
Making the most of existing data, infrastructure and resources will also be key to delivering impactful science.
“There’s a lot of work that I think we can do with the information we already have, including from long-term monitoring projects,” Prof. Abram said.
“I’ll be looking at how we bring that information together and how we work with other nations to develop a big picture, integrated understanding of the Antarctic system.
“As part of that, Australia has also invested significantly in our own climate model and we need to continue to contribute to the development of that.”
At the end of the day, Prof. Abram said doing science in Antarctica is always challenging and that being adaptable is key.
It’s a trait she’s personally honed throughout her career, and one that she will undoubtably draw on in her new role.
“The first time I went to Antarctica I stepped out of the helicopter, looked around and thought ‘oh my goodness, what am I doing? I can’t do this’.
“Then I took a few deep breaths and got on with it, and it was an amazing experience.”
This content was last updated 1 hour ago on 18 August 2025.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

This week in Canberra we are bringing together leaders from the business community, the union movement and civil society to work on making the Australian economy stronger, fairer, more productive and more resilient into the future.

These discussions will be informed by nearly 900 submissions from experts, industry leaders and individuals and over 40 forums that Ministers have held right around the country.

This process has brought forth a wide range of views on everything from deregulation to tax reform. This healthy public debate has also made it clear there is substantial common ground on many issues – and that is where the immediate opportunities lie.

Australians understand this is a time of significant global economic uncertainty. Yet for our nation this is also a moment of profound opportunity.

Because when you think about the big changes underway in the world: the shift to clean energy, the economic transformation of the Indo‑Pacific, the race for new skills and knowledge and the rise of new technologies like AI, there is nowhere else you’d rather be than right here in Australia.

With our resources, our skills, our sunlight and space and our proximity to the fastest growing region of the world in human history, we have a powerful combination of national strengths.

Making the most of these advantages depends on making sure our economy rewards people for their hard work, invests in their talent and capacity and nourishes their aspiration.

That’s what this roundtable is about, it’s what the agenda we took to the election was all about: a plan defined by Australian values, built on valuing every Australian.

This is what people voted for on the 3rd of May and it is what our government has spent every day since working to deliver.

As promised, our legislation to cut student debt by 20 per cent was the first bill to pass the parliament.

This reform saves 3 million Australians an average of $5,500 and – just as importantly – it makes the repayment system fairer into the future.

We’ve already opened the first of our 50 new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, adding to the network of 87 we opened in our first term. Taking pressure off public hospitals and making sure people can get the treatment they need, with just their Medicare card.

From the 1st of July this year, another round of energy bill relief has rolled out for every household and small businesses around Australia. Paid Parental Leave has been expanded by another 2 weeks and superannuation has been added to it for the first time ever. Three million workers on the minimum wage and award wages have received another real pay increase.

And on the 1st of July next year – and the year after that – all 14 million taxpayers will receive our top‑up tax cuts. Because we want Australians to earn more and keep more of what they earn.

We are investing in greater economic opportunity for women, abolishing non‑compete clauses and pursuing competition reform to boost productivity.

Delivery is what drives our government. We understand that delivery is fundamental to building and repaying people’s trust, because delivery is what makes a positive and concrete difference to people’s lives.

As Prime Minister and as Treasurer, we both see this week’s roundtable as a valuable opportunity to help deliver and fulfil the commitments we have made to the people of Australia, as well as expanding our vision to take our nation forward.

Delivering on our promise to build more homes means cutting through the red tape that is holding back housing construction, as well as clearing away barriers that stand between skilled workers and key projects.

We are committed to making more things here in Australia. This is why we want to get on with fixing the broken approvals process, so households and industry alike can seize the opportunities of cleaner and cheaper energy to bring down their bills and power the next generation of manufacturing jobs.

We want to make sure Australian workers and Australian business have the skills and safeguards to get the best out of new technology, including AI. In such a fast moving space we must get the balance right: maximising the productivity benefits while protecting people from potential risks. Ensuring AI is a creator of good jobs, not a threat to them.

These are significant challenges but the last 3 years offer compelling proof that Australia is more than capable of rising to meet them.

Together, we have come through the worst global inflation since the 1980s and the biggest international energy crisis since the 1970s.

When we came to government in May 2022, real wages were going backwards, inflation had a 6 in front of it and was rising and interest rates had started going up.

Today, real wages are growing at their strongest rate in 5 years, inflation has a 2 in front of it and interest rates have been cut 3 times in the last 6 months. At the same time over 1.15 million new jobs have been created.

Importantly, the gender pay gap is down to a record low and women’s workforce participation is at a record high.

This progress is a credit to the hard work of the Australian people and it is a powerful repudiation of those who argued that the only way to bring inflation down was to drive unemployment up and cut services and support for people under pressure.

Our responsible approach has brought inflation under control while providing direct assistance with cost of living, keeping employment strong, getting real wages up and delivering the first back‑to‑back budget surpluses in nearly 2 decades.

There is more that can and must be done to drive growth, boost productivity, strengthen the budget and secure our future prosperity.

This is not a task for one roundtable or the decisions of one budget. It is a continuous effort: bedding down the changes we have begun, building on the foundations we have laid and delivering further reform in coming weeks, budgets and parliamentary terms.

During the campaign, we indicated the Australian economy had turned the corner. This week’s roundtable will help us make our way forward, with no‑one held back and no‑one left behind.

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

What is a private ruling

A private ruling is binding advice that sets out how a tax law applies to you in relation to a specific scheme or circumstance.

A private ruling can cover anything involved in the application of a relevant provision of a tax law, including issues relating to:

• liability
• administration
• procedure and collection
• ultimate conclusions of fact (such as residency status).

See TR 2006/11 Private rulings for more information.

If you would like to discuss your issue with us prior to applying for a private ruling, you can submit an Early engagement for advice request.

Terms we use

Terms we use in relation to private rulings are as follows:

• Scheme is a general term we use to facts and circumstances being ruled upon, including the facts, dates, and names of parties. In limited circumstances, it might include assumptions.
• A legal personal representative is
  • an executor or administrator of the estate of a person who has died
  • a trustee of the estate of a person who is under a legal disability
  • a person who holds a general power of attorney that was granted by another person. 

General anti-avoidance rules

Part IVA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Part IVA) is a general anti-avoidance rule that can apply in certain circumstances. If Part IVA applies to an arrangement, the tax benefits you obtained from the arrangement can be cancelled – for example, we might disallow a deduction that would otherwise be allowable.

If you ask us to consider Part IVA

When you apply for a private ruling about an arrangement, you can also ask us to consider whether Part IVA applies to the arrangement.

If you apply for a private ruling on Part IVA, you need to provide detailed information regarding your arrangement, including transaction documents, contracts, and information to support your commercial rationale and circumstances. You will need to provide sufficient information to enable us to fully understand the commercial and tax consequences of that arrangement. If there is insufficient information to determine whether Part IVA applies, it may not be possible to develop the necessary set of facts and circumstances upon which a ruling can be made.

If the ruling requested concerns a prospective arrangement details of the exact circumstances and the implementation of the arrangement (that is, how the proposal is actually carried out) may not be ascertainable.

While assumptions can be made in limited instances, we must be comfortable that such assumptions are appropriate and can be reliably made.

We may decline to make a ruling where:

• details of the arrangement relevant to determining whether Part IVA applies are incomplete or information to support those details is not available, or
• the correctness of the ruling would depend on which assumptions about a future event or other matter were made.

If you ask us to provide a ruling about the application of Part IVA, you may also ask us to refer the Part IVA matter for consideration by the General Anti-Avoidance Rules Panel (GAAR Panel). You may request a referral to the panel either with your ruling application, or after you have lodged your application. See also PS LA 2005/24 Application of General Anti-Avoidance Rules.

More information about Part IVA is contained in PS LA 2005/24 Application of General Anti-Avoidance Rules.

If you do not ask us to consider Part IVA

If you do not ask us to provide a ruling on the application of Part IVA, we will still be required to consider its application where the information provided in your ruling request indicates that it could apply.

See PS LA 2005/24 Application of General Anti-Avoidance Rules for the process that will be followed by tax officers in these circumstances.

When we will and won’t refer an application to the GAAR Panel

If you ask us to provide a ruling about the application of Part IVA and our view is that Part IVA:

• may apply to the arrangement, you can also ask us to refer the ruling application for consideration by the GAAR Panel
• does not apply to the arrangement, we will not refer the application for consideration by the GAAR Panel.

If you don’t ask us to make a ruling about the application of Part IVA, we will not refer the application for consideration by the GAAR Panel.

PS LA 2005/24 Application of General Anti-Avoidance Rules provides further details on our approach to sending matters for consideration by the GAAR Panel.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Police clamp down on hooning and dangerous driving

Monday, 18 August 2025 – 9:43 am.

Tasmania Police is boosting its road safety push, with extra wheel clamps being rolled out across the state to put the brakes on drivers caught hooning or driving dangerously.
The new clamps – specialised locking devices fitted to a vehicle’s steering wheel – will be distributed between road policing services in the Western, Northern and Southern districts.
Southern Road Policing Services Acting Inspector Rebecca Sulman said the use of wheel clamps sent a strong message on road safety.
“Clamps are an important tool for our officers, ensuring that drivers caught doing the wrong thing and driving in a reckless or dangerous manner can face strong and immediate ramifications for their actions,” she said.
“If police choose, vehicles can be clamped then and there on the side of the road.”
In 2024-25, Tasmania Police clamped 175 vehicles due to road offending by drivers, including 60 that were clamped specifically for the offence of hooning. This compares with 147 vehicles (total) and 51 (hooning) clamped in the previous 12 months.
Other traffic offending in which Tasmania Police clamped vehicles in 2024-25 included:• Dangerous and reckless driving x 3• Disqualified driving x 23• Evade police, (non-aggravated) x 49• Evade police, (aggravated) x 22• Speeding in excess of 45km/h x 16
Acting Inspector Sulman said road safety was a key priority for Tasmania Police, with officers making a concerted effort to increase their presence on state roads and conduct policing activities that reduce road trauma.
Tasmania Police data shows an increase of about 22 per cent in the number of traffic offenders caught in the most recent financial year, compared with the previous year.
“Our officers remain committed to policing those factors known to contribute to road trauma, including dangerous driving, excessive speed and distraction,” Acting Inspector Sulman said.
“If you are behind the wheel of a car and you engage in hooning behaviour, if you drive in a reckless and dangerous manner and if you drive to excessive speed, you are putting yourself, your passengers and other road users at risk.
“You won’t know where and when police will be out on the roads, but you can be sure when you engage in that dangerous behaviour and you are apprehended by police, then strong penalties will apply. This includes the potential that your vehicle could be clamped.”
Among the total 175 clamping incidents in the past financial year, more than 100 drivers had their vehicles clamped for a period of 28 days.
In 21 instances, cars were clamped for nine months due to more serious offending, while 19 were clamped indefinitely.
The southern district had the highest number of hooning-related clamping incidents with 35.
If you see hooning or dangerous driving, report it to police on 131 444 or triple zero (000) if there is an emergency or life-threatening situation.
You can also report anonymously to Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 and upload video or photos online at www.crimestopperstas.com.au

Tasmania Police trainee Constable Brandon McTigue, left, and Constable Michael Karena with steering wheel clamps. (Picture: Tasmania Police)

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

At the heart of Bendigo Writers Festival is a commitment to share thoughtful and informed stories, provide a platform for diverse voices and opinions to be heard, and to reflect on current events.

This weekend, the Festival and City of Greater Bendigo were determined to provide an opportunity for our community and visitors to get together and talk about books.

The City and La Trobe University, as the Festival’s Presenting Partner, introduced a Code of Conduct like other festivals have done. This step was intended to support a safe environment among what could have been some challenging conversations.

The City and the Festival wanted every conversation to take place. Not silence them.

Although not every conversation occurred, the Festival still delivered more than half the program thanks to a dedicated team that prioritised our community and the arts.

The Festival understands and respects the decision of those who felt they could no longer participate, however is also grateful to those authors, moderators and audience members who chose to attend. No doubt, some participants and attendees would have felt conflicted by showing their support.

The City of Greater Bendigo has owned and operated the Bendigo Writers Festival throughout its 15-year history, supported for 13 years by a Founding Director and more recently by a Curatorial Team that have both helped grow this annual event into one of the most-loved regional writers festivals on the Australian circuit.

For more than a decade we have been proud to welcome authors, academics, creatives and thought leaders to our city for conversation and to engage on varied topics that seek to appeal to a wide audience.

Local Government contributes significantly to the arts because it is good for the community, placing accessible and engaging opportunities on our doorstep. More broadly, the arts make an invaluable contribution to social cohesion, encouraging us to consider the world from someone else’s point of view, and drive economic development.

However, writers festivals are inherently risky and exist to push the boundaries. Such festivals are under increasing pressure to walk a fine line between staging thoughtful, engaging discussions while challenging and confronting local and global issues.

All levels of government, academia and the wider community are continuing to figure out how we collectively contend with the world as we know it today.

The events of the past few days do not mean we do not want to have difficult conversations in our community. The Bendigo Writers Festival will not be the last arts festival to face this challenge, but the Festival and the City stand by wanting to create a safe and inclusive environment for everyone.

Despite the initial challenges, the Festival was able to proceed this weekend and intends to honour the financial commitments it made to local businesses, recognising they have also missed out on what is usually a bumper weekend of trade.

The City and the Festival have received strong feedback about the decisions and events of the past few days, including some encouraging messages of support. We look forward to working with creative industries regarding how festivals like this find a balance while continuing to navigate challenging issues.

So, thank you to those who showed up, who supported the legacy of the Festival, who shopped locally, and acknowledged the great efforts of our staff and volunteers.

Your support is very much appreciated.

Source:

18 August 2025

Wastewater from aircraft toilets could provide a critical warning system for the global spread of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) superbugs, a silent pandemic that threatens to kill more people than cancer by 2050.

A new study led by scientists from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, in partnership with Xiamen University, the University of South Australia and Michigan Technological University, analysed lavatory wastewater from 44 international flights arriving in Australia from nine countries.

The team detected nine high-priority pathogens and superbugs, including some that are acquired in hospitals and resistant to multiple drugs. The researchers used advanced molecular techniques to analyse the superbugs’ genetic signatures and antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) profiles.

Five of the nine superbugs were found in all 44 flight samples, while a gene conferring resistance to last-resort antibiotics was detected on 17 flights. Notably, this gene was absent in Australia’s urban wastewater during the same period, suggesting its likely introduction through international travel.

The findings, published in Microbiology Spectrum, confirms that aircraft wastewater is a viable tool for global AMR surveillance, according to senior author Dr Warish Ahmed, a principal research scientist from CSIRO.

“Aircraft wastewater captures microbial signatures from passengers across different continents, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective way to monitor threats like AMR,” Dr Ahmed says.

The wastewater samples revealed significant geographic variations, according to co-author UniSA microbiologist Professor Nicholas Ashbolt, from the Future Industries Institute.

“Flights from Asia, particularly India, showed higher concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes, compared to flights from Europe and the UK,” Prof Ashbolt says.

Of the 44 international flights, 18 originated from India, 14 from the United Kingdom, six flights from Germany and the remainder were single flights from France, UAE, Türkiye, South Africa, Japan and Indonesia.

Lead author Dr Yawen Liu, a visiting scientist at CSIRO from Xiamen University in China, says these disparities could reflect differences in antibiotic use, water sanitation, population density and public health policies across regions.

The study also tested whether disinfectants used in aircraft toilets degrade genetic material. The results showed that nucleic acids remained stable for up to 24 hours, even in the presence of strong disinfectants, confirming the reliability of aircraft wastewater for surveillance purposes.

“International travel is one of the major drivers of AMR spread,” says Dr Liu. “By monitoring aircraft wastewater, we can potentially detect and track antibiotic resistance genes before they become established in local environments.”

Infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are all known to have been spread by air travel. Multi-layered control strategies have been trialled to reduce their transmission, including travel restrictions, individual passenger screening, and quarantine.

The samples used in the study were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic repatriation flights, which may have influenced passenger demographics. However, the authors say that the approach can be adapted to routine international travel.

“With AMR projected to cause more than 39 million deaths globally by 2050, the need for innovative surveillance tools is urgent,” Prof Ashbolt says.

“Aircraft wastewater monitoring could complement existing public health systems, providing early warnings of emerging superbug threats.”

“This is a proof-of-concept with real-world potential,” says Dr Ahmed. “We now have the tools to turn aircraft toilets into an early-warning disease system to better manage public health.”

The research presented in this study builds on CSIRO’s previous work in collaboration with Dr Ian Hosegood (Qantas) and Dr Jochen Muller (University of Queensland), which identified SARS-CoV-2 virus in wastewater samples from long-haul flights carrying returning Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work demonstrated that wastewater surveillance can provide valuable data for public health agencies.

‘Aircraft lavatory wastewater surveillance for movement of antimicrobial resistance genes: a proof-of-concept study’ is published in Microbiology Spectrum. DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00569-25

Notes for editors

A video describing the research is available for media use here.

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

UniSA Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au
CSIRO Media contact: Emily Brown M: +61 434 714 846 E: emily.brown@csiro.au

Source: Mental Health Australia

As part of Road Rules Awareness Week, starting today (18 August), Transport for NSW has launched a new online tool designed to challenge what Australians think they know about road safety.

Source: New South Wales – News

Just before 4pm on Sunday 17 August, police and emergency crews were called to St Kilda Road, St Kilda by reports of a single vehicle crash involving a Holden hatch.

The driver, a 29-year-old Salisbury North man, was conveyed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.  His condition is now considered stable.

His vehicle was towed from the scene.

St Kilda road was closed for several hours but has since reopened.

Investigations into the crash are ongoing.

Anyone who witnessed the crash who has not yet spoken with police is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: New South Wales – News

Just before 4.30am Monday 18 August, police and fire crews were called to Port Road following reports of a fire. Fire fighters arrived to find the front of the business premises alight which they quickly extinguished, preventing significant damage.

Western District Detectives and Crime Scene investigators attended the scene, with the fire being treated as suspicious.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone who was a witness or with information is asked to come forward. You can anonymously provide information to Crime Stoppers online at https://crimestopperssa.com.au or free call 1800 333 000. Reference #00248.

Source: New South Wales – News

The young man was driving west along Williamson Road, Para Hills about 12.15am on Monday 18 August when a large tree fell on the bonnet of his Mitsubishi Lancer.

The 23-year-old Para Hills man was not injured but was checked over by paramedics as a precaution.

The tree completely blocked the road.

MFS and SES crews worked to cut up and remove the tree from the road and the car was towed from the scene.