Month: August 2025

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has further expanded its data-matching capability to safeguard taxpayers from identity crime enabled fraud attacks.

The new Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX) data-matching program, conducted by the ATO, outlines the ATO’s use of AFCX data for 2024–25 to 2026–27 financial years.

Deputy Commissioner John Ford said the AFCX data will be matched against ATO records and other data holdings to identify bank accounts that are being used in fraudulent activity.

‘We anticipate receiving more than half a million records of suspected money mule bank accounts and malicious IP addresses through this program each year.’

‘Our existing data-matching capability is already powerful and widespread. Receiving this additional data will strengthen our systems to ensure individuals who commit fraud are caught and held to account,’ Mr Ford said.

The ATO is committed to taking action against individuals who take control of others’ bank accounts to facilitate money laundering. These schemes often involve money mules, a process where people knowingly or unknowingly transfer illegally obtained funds through their personal accounts, making it harder to trace the origin of the money.

This data matching with the AFCX will help the ATO detect and monitor unusual activity through bank accounts and IP addresses, allowing the ATO to stop fraudulent registrations and lodgments, and prevent fraudulent refunds from being issued.

‘The community rightfully expects us to crackdown on things like identity crime, fraud and lodgment of false and fictitious tax forms, and this implements another layer of protection.’

‘We’re continuing our focus on preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting serious financial crime activity including identity takeover, money laundering, and serious and organised crime,’ Mr Ford said.

Since joining the AFCX, the ATO has been working collaboratively with major banks, and other financial institutions to minimise the spread of online financial crime.

The AFCX membership supports the ATO’s Counter Fraud Program, a $180 million program that will significantly bolster both the ATO’s ability to tackle fraud against taxpayers and to invest in preventative measures to reduce fraud before it occurs.

While the ATO is doing everything it can to combat fraud, protecting personal information is everyone’s responsibility. There are some specific things individuals can do, whether you lodge your tax return yourself or with the assistance of a registered tax agent:

• If you don’t already have one, obtain a myID at as high a level as you can.
• Use that myID to link your myGov to the ATO.
• Download the ATO app.

Importantly, the ATO app has a new anti-fraud feature. Once you’re registered, the ATO app now sends real time notifications of changes to your account, such as your bank account details being changed, or a return being lodged. If it wasn’t you, you have the ability to lock your account in real time to prevent any fraudulent changes being made or refunds being issued.

The app enhancements bolster the ATO’s existing fraud controls that have been in place for some time to detect unusual or out of pattern behaviour on taxpayers’ accounts.

You can download the ATO app for free only from Google Play or the App Store and visit ato.gov.au/app to find out more. Whilst your first line of defence is the ATO app, make sure you are also:

• Turning on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
• Using strong and unique passwords or passphrases.
• Keeping your devices and software updated to block the latest threats.

And most importantly, never share your TFN, myGov login, or bank details even in private messages or emails. These are keys to your identity.

Notes to journalists

• The AFCXExternal Link is an independent not-for-profit company. The AFCX provides a platform where participating organisations share and gain operational data and insights from each other to assist in combatting financial-related crimes, including fraud and scams. It operates independently of government, law enforcement and its members, and has the support of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. It is a key limb in Australia’s response to criminal activity and organised crime.
• ATO stock footage and images are available for use in news bulletins.
• More information about data-matching protocols and tax crime are available on the ATO website.

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The number of passengers flying domestically each month has returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, growth in the total number of seats provided by domestic airlines has not kept pace with traveller demand, the ACCC’s latest Domestic Airline Competition report has found.

In June 2025, the number of seats flown by the major airlines was 2.8 per cent lower than in June 2019. Although both the Qantas Group and Virgin Australia have increased capacity since 2019, the industry has not yet filled the gap left by Tigerair’s exit from the market in 2020. Furthermore, Rex has reduced capacity on its regional services over this time.

“The withdrawal of Tigerair in 2020 significantly reduced the capacity for low-cost travel from the domestic market,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.

“Since then, the lack of growth in seat capacity to meet rising demand has likely meant consumers are paying more than they would have in a more competitive, better-supplied market.”

Despite jet fuel prices falling by 12.3 per cent in the year to June 2025, the average airfare across all fare types was slightly higher in June 2025 than it was a year earlier.

After several years of delays in the delivery of aircraft and global supply chain issues, both the Qantas Group and Virgin Australia are expected to receive new aircraft in the second half of 2025.

The Qantas Group’s fleet will also increase following its decision to close Jetstar Asia, resulting in the redeployment of 13 aircraft to Australian and New Zealand routes.

Airlines have indicated that the new and redeployed aircraft will be used to replace leased and older aircraft in the first instance, before considering significant expansions in capacity.

Service reliability improves

The on-time performance rate for domestic air travel reached a three-year high in April 2025 following sustained industry efforts to improve the reliability of arrival times.

Domestic flights arrived at their destination on-time 82.4 per cent of the time in April, with Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all beating the long-term industry average of 80.7 per cent.

In April and May, Virgin Australia recorded the best on-time arrival rate for any domestic airline since February 2022, when its flights arrived on-time 84.4 per cent and 84.8 per cent of the time, respectively.

“This improvement in on-time performance is good news for travellers as they can have more confidence that their flight will arrive at their destination at the time they booked,” Ms Brakey said.

“The improved performance follows a collective effort by airlines, air traffic controller Airservices Australia and airports.”

Airline on-time performance rates (arrivals) – June 2023 to June 2025

Cancellation rates have also improved and were below the long-term industry average of 2.2 per cent in April and May before increasing slightly to 2.4 per cent in June.

This improvement was largely driven by strong performance by Virgin Australia and Jetstar. In April, both airlines cancelled just 0.7 per cent of their domestic flights.

Qantas’ cancellation rate continues to be higher than other airlines and on average has been more than double the cancellation rate of Jetstar and Virgin Australia over the quarter to June.

“We will continue to closely monitor cancellation rates on all routes and expect airlines to make improvements where cancellation rates are high to minimise disruptions for travellers,” Ms Brakey said.

Airline cancellation rates

Consumers encouraged to consider the value they receive from frequent flyer programs

This quarter’s report includes an analysis of airline frequent flyer programs.

Frequent flyer programs are big business in Australia and contribute significant revenue to both the Qantas Group and Virgin Australia. As of December 2024, Qantas Frequent Flyer had 17.0 million members and Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer had 12.9 million members.

These programs encourage consumers to book with a specific airline by offering customers exclusive benefits such as reward flights, seat upgrades, access to airport lounges, and other goods and services.

“While these programs can offer appealing benefits to consumers, they also come with certain drawbacks that consumers should consider before preferencing a particular airline in pursuit of points and status credits,” Ms Brakey said.

“We encourage consumers to look into how frequent flyer programs operate and weigh the potential benefits of frequent flyer points or status credits against the cost of flights when choosing fares.”

“Points may lose value, expire or be difficult to redeem. Similarly, airlines can change the number of status credits required to reach or maintain a higher tier,” Ms Brakey said.

Things to consider when using frequent flyer programs

Background

On 6 November 2023, the Treasurer directed the ACCC to recommence domestic air passenger transport monitoring. Under this direction the ACCC is to monitor prices, costs and profits relating to the supply of domestic air passenger transport services for a period of three years and to report on its monitoring at least once every quarter.

The ACCC collects data from Jetstar, Qantas, Rex and Virgin Australia for monitoring purposes.

Rex entered voluntary administration in July 2024 but continues to operate its regional services. The government is guaranteeing regional flight bookings for Rex customers throughout the voluntary administration process.

Source: Australian Green Party

The NSW Health Expert Advisory Panel on PFAS has finalised its report, with all recommendations accepted by NSW Health.
The Panel, convened by NSW Health and advising the Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant, released their findings after assessing available research from Australia and globally.
The Panel is comprised of speciality practitioners, including leading science and health experts in the fields of oncology, endocrinology, toxicology, cardiology, epidemiology, pathology, primary care, public health and risk communication.
The report, as well as updated NSW Health advice, is now published on the NSW Health website at NSW Health Expert Advisory Panel on PFAS.
The Panel provided the following findings and recommendations:

based on substantial research already undertaken, the health effects of PFAS appear to be small
at present there is no clinical benefit for an individual to have a blood test for PFAS
clinical interventions that reduce blood PFAS are of uncertain benefit and may cause harm
the prerequisites for epidemiological studies to contribute positively to our understanding and provide reliable information about a clinical effect caused by PFAS are not currently met in NSW communities
NSW Health should review communication tools and content to better support communities and clinicians.

The Panel recommended that should a health care provider order a blood test for PFAS for a patient, they should provide clear contextual information about the test and its limitations, and offer preventative health screening in line with current recommendations, independent of the patient’s PFAS level.
The Panel noted the United States National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) recommendations on PFAS management and advised that the NASEM guidance on individual blood testing is not appropriate to guide clinical management. The responsible agency within the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not adopted NASEM’s recommendations on individual blood testing and health screening based on PFAS blood levels.
The Panel acknowledged genuine concern in communities about PFAS exposure. The Panel noted actions have been taken to ensure Blue Mountains drinking water complies with the new health-based guideline levels adopted by the National Health and Medical Research Centre, thereby removing an exposure source.
Dr Chant said updated NSW Health advice provides consumers with guidance on how to reduce PFAS exposure.
“There is considerable concern, particularly in the Blue Mountains community, about exposure to PFAS through drinking water, and NSW Health takes these concerns very seriously,’ Dr Chant said.
“NSW Health will continue to support local clinicians with information for GPs who may be managing patients with concerns about PFAS exposure including evidence about potential adverse health effects, counselling patients, the utility of blood tests for PFAS and the role of further investigations.”

Source:

12 August 2025

An international team of researchers has demonstrated how artificial intelligence (AI) can now detect contaminated food in fields and factories before it reaches consumers, potentially saving four million deaths annually.

Led by the University of South Australia, a new paper published in the journal Toxins describes how advanced hyperspectral imaging (HSI) integrated with machine learning (ML) can identify mycotoxins – dangerous compounds produced by fungi that can contaminate food during growth, harvest and storage.

Mycotoxins cause a range of serious health issues, such as cancer, compromised immunity and hormone-related disorders. According to the World Health Organization, foodborne contamination, including from mycotoxins, results in 600 million illnesses and 4.2 million deaths each year.

The UN-based Food and Agricultural Organization estimates that about 25% of the world’s crops are contaminated by mycotoxin-producing fungi, highlighting the economic and health imperatives to address this threat.

Lead author and UniSA PhD candidate Ahasan Kabir says that traditional mycotoxin detection methods are time-consuming, expensive and destructive, making them unsuitable for large-scale real-time food processing.

“In contrast, hyperspectral imaging – a technique that captures images with detailed spectral information – allows us to quickly detect and quantify contamination across entire food samples without destroying them,” Kabir says.

Kabir and his co-authors in Australia, Canada and India evaluated the effectiveness of HSI in detecting toxic compounds in cereal grains and nuts, the world’s most produced food and the economic backbone of many countries.

Both are highly susceptible to fungi and mycotoxin contamination in warm, humid environments, from cultivation to storage.

“HSI captures an optical footprint of mycotoxins and when paired with machine learning algorithms it rapidly classifies contaminated grains and nuts based on subtle spectral variations,” Kabir says.

The researchers reviewed more than 80 recent studies across wheat, corn, barley, oats, almonds, peanuts and pistachios. Findings showed that ML-integrated HSI systems consistently outperformed conventional techniques in detecting key mycotoxins.

“This technology is particularly effective at identifying aflatoxin B1, one of the most carcinogenic substances found in food, according to the project lead UniSA Professor Sang-Heon Lee.

“It offers a scalable, non-invasive solution for industrial food safety, from sorting almonds to inspecting wheat and maize shipments,” says Prof Lee.

One of the main advantages of this approach is the ability to work in real time. Researchers say that with further development, HSI and ML could be deployed on processing lines or handheld devices, reducing health risks and trade losses by ensuring that only safe, uncontaminated produce reaches consumers.

The team is now working on refining the technique to improve its accuracy and reliability, using deep learning and AI.

The research was supported by the Federal Government’s Research Training Program, with top-up funding from SureNut Australia

‘Detection of Mycotoxins in Cereal Grains and Nuts using Machine Learning Integrated Hyperspectral Imaging: A Review’ is published in Toxins. DOI: 10.3390/toxins17050219.

The paper is authored by Ahasan Kabir, Associate Professor Ivan Lee and Professor Sang-Heon Lee (University of South Australia); Professor Chandra Singh (Lethbridge College, Canada); and Assistant Professors Gayatri Mishra and Brajesh Kumar Panda (Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur).

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

Media contacts:

University of South Australia: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au
SureNut Australia: Drew Marin E: drew@omegaorchards.com.au

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Audit evidence

When conducting the annual statement and annual compliance audit of a self-managed super fund (SMSF), approved SMSF auditors must obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence that the:

Ownership of fund assets

As an approved SMSF auditor, you need to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence over the ownership of fund assets when:

• conducting the annual financial audit of a SMSF, and
• providing an opinion about whether the financial statements fairly represent the fund’s financial position and is free from material misstatement.

You need to use the rights and obligations assertion (whether the fund holds or controls the rights to assets) to comply with Australian Auditing StandardsOpens in a new window.

The way an asset is held and titled is relevant when determining whether an SMSF owns the asset and whether it is being held beneficially by the trustees on behalf of the fund.

Reporting requirements

If you form the view that an asset is not a fund asset, or there is not sufficient appropriate audit evidence to support the ownership of fund assets, if the asset is material you:

You should consider whether the situation gives rise to other contraventions under the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SISA) or Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations 1994 (SISR).

You should also bring the issue to the attention of the SMSF trustees in a management letter so they can address it.

Separation of fund assets

Regulation 4.09A of the SISR requires trustees of SMSFs to keep the money and other assets of the fund separate from those held by the trustees personally, or by a standard employer-sponsor or their associates.

This is a prescribed operating standard all trustees must comply with for the purposes of section 31 of the SISA. This means it applies equally to individual trustees and corporate trustees. Both types of trustees can hold assets in their personal capacity for the purposes of applying regulation 4.09A.

The requirement to keep fund and personal assets separate is also reflected in the trustee covenant in paragraph 52B(2)(d) of the SISA.

These rules aim to protect fund assets in the event of a creditor dispute and prevent costly legal action to prove who owns them.

When conducting the annual compliance audit of an SMSF, you must obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to form an opinion on whether the fund has complied with regulation 4.09A.

The way an asset is held and titled is relevant to determining whether regulation 4.09A has been complied with.

Reporting requirements

If the SMSF trustees fail to comply with regulation 4.09A, this is a reportable contravention for the purposes of the ACR and SMSF IAR.

If you identify non-compliance with regulation 4.09A when conducting the annual compliance audit of an SMSF, or form the view there is not sufficient appropriate audit evidence of compliance with the provision, you must:

• notify the fund trustees in writing so they can rectify the matter (for example, via a management letter)
• modify Part B of the SMSF IAR if the contravention is material (by providing a qualified or adverse opinion)
• report the contravention to us via an ACR at Section E (Contraventions) provided the reporting criteria are met.

You should also consider whether the situation gives rise to other SISA or SISR contraventions.

Even if the circumstances do not result in a contravention of regulation 4.09A, it may still be considered prudent management of the fund that the trustees take steps to have an asset held or titled in a certain way to ensure it is adequately protected. You should consider whether it is appropriate to:

• bring it to the attention of the trustees via a management letter
• report the issue to us via an ACR at Section G (Other regulatory information).

Evidencing ownership and separation of assets

For SMSF trustees to comply with their obligations under the SISA and SISR and help protect the fund’s assets, they should ensure assets are recorded in a way that:

• distinguishes them from the trustees’ personal or business assets
• clearly shows legal ownership of the assets by the fund.

A separate bank account must also be maintained for the SMSF.

Where possible, fund assets should be held in the name of the:

• individual trustees ‘as trustees for’ the fund (for example, Jack and Jill Smith as trustees for the Smith SMSF), or
• corporate trustee ‘as trustee for’ the fund (for example, Smith Pty Ltd as trustee for the Smith SMSF).

However, there may be situations where it is not possible for assets to be held in the name of the trustees ‘as trustee for’ the fund. This may occur, for example, because of the:

• state or territory laws
• type of asset
• ownership documentation for purchasing assets
• system that records asset ownership or account used to purchase assets.

Where this is the case, we still expect you to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence that the assets are held by the trustees beneficially on behalf of the fund and are kept separate, and are distinguishable, from the assets the trustees hold personally.

For example, the trustees may be able to provide evidence of a declaration or acknowledgment of trust over property. If trustees don’t have this evidence readily available, they should seek legal advice about how they can obtain this.

If an asset is not held in the name of the trustees ‘as trustee for’ the fund, but it can be corrected, it would be appropriate for the trustees to take steps to do so as soon as possible. It would be prudent for you to bring the issue to the trustee’s attention so they can rectify the matter and put any interim arrangements in place to protect the fund asset if required.

Common scenarios

Whether an asset belongs to the fund and is being kept separate to assets held by the trustees personally will ultimately depend on the individual circumstances.

In all scenarios, if you conclude that an asset is not a fund asset or there is uncertainty as to whether it is, or there is a contravention of regulation 4.09A, you:

• should seek clarification from the trustees
• must follow the above reporting requirements
• must consider whether the situation gives rise to other contraventions under the SISA or SISR.

The fund’s trust deed may also contain additional rules that need to be complied with.

Asset not held ‘as trustee for’

If an asset is held in the name of the SMSF trustees (whether individual or corporate trustee) but not ‘as trustee for’ the fund, this does not of itself mean it does not belong to the fund and the trustees have contravened regulation 4.09A.

You will need to obtain sufficient appropriate evidence that the assets are:

• held by the trustees beneficially on behalf of the SMSF
• distinguishable from the assets the trustees hold personally.

For example, documents for purchasing property on behalf of the fund, such as a contract of sale for real property, should be executed in the name of the trustees ‘as trustee for’ the fund. If the fund name cannot be reflected in the property title, the contract may be used as evidence that the asset belongs to the fund and regulation 4.09A has been complied with (together with other evidence relating to the acquisition such as bank transactions).

As regulation 4.09A also applies to money, the bank account should be recorded in the name of the fund, or in the name of the trustee ‘as trustee for’ the fund and should only be used for fund transactions. For example, if a fund has a corporate trustee, and the bank account is not recorded in the name of the company as fund trustee, you should check whether the:

• company is a special purpose corporate trustee, or operates in a separate capacity
• bank account has been used for transactions unrelated to the fund.

Asset not recorded in all individual trustee names

Where a fund has individual trustees, assets should be held in the name of all trustees ‘as trustee for’ the fund where possible.

However, there may be circumstances where this is not possible, for example some:

• ownership documents, such as contracts of sale, do not allow 6 individual trustee names to be recorded.
• share trading accounts do not allow more than 3 names to be recorded on the online share application form as trustees of the account
• banks may not allow a bank account to be opened or recorded in the name of all trustees ‘as trustee for’ the fund.

A contravention of regulation 4.09A will not occur just because a fund asset is held in the name of some but not all trustees ‘as trustee for’ the SMSF.

Change in trustee

If an SMSF has individual trustees, and a trustee joins or leaves the fund, you need to check that the names on the ownership documents (such as a title deed) for each fund asset have been updated, as applicable.

If a fund asset is held in the name of more than one current trustee (as trustee for the SMSF) and a trustee either joins or leaves the fund and the ownership documents are not updated, this will not result in a contravention of regulation 4.09A.

If an SMSF has a corporate trustee and the company directors change, the name on the ownership documents for each fund asset does not need to be updated as the corporate trustee remains the same. However, if the corporate trustee changes, or the fund changes from having individual trustees to a corporate trustee, you need to check that the fund’s records and ownership documents have been updated as applicable.

The auditor should note in the management letter that trustees should take steps to ensure the asset is recorded in the name of the current trustees for the prudential management of the fund and to protect the fund’s assets.

Special purpose corporate trustee

A contravention of regulation 4.09A will not occur just because a SMSF has a special purpose company, and the assets are recorded in the name of the company but not ‘as trustee for’ the fund.

The special purpose company must be one where the constitution of the company prohibits distribution of its income or property to its members. The sole purpose of the company must be to act as trustee of a regulated superannuation fund.

You will still need to confirm with the trustees that the company does not act and hold assets in another capacity, for example, as a trading entity or as a trustee for another SMSF.

If a SMSF has a corporate trustee that operates and holds assets in another capacity, and the asset is not held ‘as trustee for’ the fund, you must obtain sufficient appropriate evidence that the asset is:

• owned by the fund (this may require requesting the trustee to update ownership documents to show the corporate trustee owns the asset on behalf of the fund), and
• kept separate from the assets held by the company in that other capacity.

For example, you can check transactions on fund bank statements to ensure fund money is not being mixed with money of the trustee company operating in another capacity to check compliance with regulation 4.09A.

Source: New South Wales – News

About 3.30pm Monday 11 August, police were called to Athol Street, Athol Park following reports that a Toyota ute had been stolen from outside a business premises.

The owner noticed his ute being stolen and tried to prevent the suspect from driving away.  He was dragged a short distance by the ute, but thankfully did not sustain serious injuries. 

Police subsequently tracked the ute via GPS to Commercial Road, Port Adelaide. 

Multiple patrols and PolAir were dispatched to assist in locating the ute which was spotted in a shopping centre car park. 

As officers approached the ute, the driver attempted to flee and allegedly assaulted police before being taken into custody. Fortunately, the officers were not injured.  

A search of the stolen car uncovered tools allegedly stolen from a construction site at the shopping centre.  

The 56-year-old man from Port Adelaide was charged with acts to endanger life, illegal use of a motor vehicle, driving disqualified, serious criminal trespass, theft, assaulting a prescribed emergency worker and resisting arrest. He did not apply for bail and will appear in the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court tomorrow (Tuesday 12 August). 

The car was forensically examined at the scene, before being returned to the owner.

Source:

11 August 2025

Using a fully solar-powered vehicle built from scratch, university students will race across Australia as part of the world’s biggest solar car challenge aimed to foster sustainable transport innovation.

The biannual event, Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, sees students from around the world design and manufacture a vehicle powered solely by the sun, to be driven from Darwin to Adelaide CBD via Stuart Highway — a 3020km journey mixing with traffic on public roads.

This year’s competition will run from August 24 to 31, with 37 teams competing, largely made up of university students from engineering, maths, science, business, and media disciplines.

Students from the University of Adelaide have competed as Adelaide University Solar Racing Team (AUSRT) since 2015; this year, for the first time, UniSA students have come on board expanding the team across both institutions ahead of their unification as Adelaide University from 2026.

Together, the team has designed and built Lumen III which is the first new car for AUSRT in eight years and the most advanced vehicle AUSRT has ever created.

AUSRT Team Manager and final-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Adam Palkovics says it’s been a challenging but rewarding ride, with construction progressing well.

“The team is feeling very excited about the 2025 Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, especially since it’s our first time building a car from scratch,” Palkovics says.

“The challenge itself is gruelling and extremely difficult to complete. In general, only ten out of 30 to 40 teams make it to the finish line. Our main goal is to finish the challenge for the first time for AUSRT.”

The energy-efficient electric vehicle Lumen III has been in development since the end of the last race in 2023, with the majority of the current team joining in 2024. While the race has regulations such as car dimensions, battery size and solar array limits, it’s ultimately a design-led competition encouraging creativity.

AUSRT’s design philosophy is centred around safety and reliability, with a strong focus on performance and balancing weight with aerodynamics.

“We’ve learned to do more with less, especially in ‘David versus Goliath’ situations. Our past success has come from building a car that doesn’t break down, and we’ve used those lessons to optimise our new design,” Palkovics says.

“The race is more like a marathon than a sprint. We’ll be adjusting our strategy every ten minutes to calculate the most energy-efficient speed to cruise at.”

AUSRT race strategist and UniSA PhD candidate in mathematics Maria Kapsis is responsible for devising that strategy and ensuring the team’s vehicle is operating as efficiently as possible on the journey from Darwin to Adelaide. 

“One of my main jobs is to optimise Lumen III’s solar array so that it provides maximal performance in gathering energy from the harsh Australian sun,” Kapsis says.

“I’ve also been working with a group of third-year mathematics students to develop software that will provide the team with the most efficient cruising speeds during the race.”

UniSA mathematics student Rong Xu has helped Kapsis as part of her final-year project and says developing the software has involved multiple steps.

“Using data from previous races, we’ve developed a mathematical model to calculate how much solar energy the vehicle will need for the race then, using solar radiation forecasts, calculated how much solar energy would be available to the vehicle during the race,” Xu explains.

“We’ve created a simulation of the vehicle’s journey from Darwin to Adelaide to determine the best speed profile for the car, while testing it under different weather scenarios to demonstrate how driving strategies should adapt to changing conditions.”

The competition aligns with the students’ values for sustainability while developing their problem-solving abilities.

“For the AUSRT team, renewable energy and solar racing isn’t just a hobby, it’s a passion. We’re all really driven to innovate and get involved in the sustainable energy sector,” Palkovics says.

“Being part of the solar racing team lets us apply the theory we learn in class to real-world challenges.”

The competition generates key industry partnerships for universities, and often leads to job opportunities with global leaders in engineering, automotive, and sustainable transport.

“It gives students an opportunity to develop skills that are sought after by industry,” Kapsis says.

As a part of an ongoing partnership, Adelaide University is providing logistic support to the aCentauri Solar Racing team from ETH Zurich university. This enables students and academics from both institutions to build relationships that will strengthen research on solar powered cars well into the future.

“There’s huge reward in competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, not just in the experience, but in knowing we’re building one of the fastest solar cars in the world,” Palkovics says.

“It’s not often you get the opportunity to compete at an international level while also creating the experience of a lifetime.”

The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge will be livestreamed on YouTube. Keep up to date with Adelaide University Solar Racing Team on Facebook and find out more on the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge website.

Media contact:

Lara Pacillo, Media Officer, The University of Adelaide. Mobile: +61 404 307 302. Email: lara.pacillo@adelaide.edu.au

Source: New South Wales – News

A man was assaulted at western end of the shopping centre on Peachey Road, Davoren Park about 4.15pm on Monday 11 August and sought assistance from a nearby pharmacy.

Police and paramedics attended, and the victim was taken to hospital by ambulance.  His injuries are serious but not believed to be life-threatening.

Northern District detective and crime scene investigators will attend and examine the scene.

Anyone who witnessed this incident is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

While investigations are in their early stages, this does not appear to be a random incident.

206913

Source: New South Wales – News

The hardware chain reported 21 thefts and attempted thefts since 29 May involving the same two suspects and a vehicle.

The thieves targeted power tools, heaters, electrical and hardware items.

Police spotted the suspect vehicle at Hackham in the early hours of this morning.

Following investigations and searches throughout the day, police located and seized power tools and other items confirmed to have been stolen during the crime series, and other items suspected of being stolen or unlawfully obtained.

A 32-year-old Hackham man and a 30-year-old Hackham woman were arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft.

They were both refused police bail and will appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court today, Monday 11 August.

Investigations are also continuing for the remaining stolen property believed to be outstanding.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of stolen goods can report it anonymously to police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

CO2500033005

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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information after police members were assaulted during an arrest in Titjikala earlier today.

At around 1:15pm, Santa Teresa members identified a male who was subject of a parole revocation during a routine patrol in Titjikala. While taking the offender into custody, a group of people nearby allegedly armed themselves with rocks and threw them at the attending members and the police vehicle.

Both members were struck to the body and were forced to withdraw. The vehicle also sustained damage.

The offender fled the scene on foot and remains outstanding.

The police officers suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information urged to contact police on 131 444 or attend their local police station. Please quote reference P25213628. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.