Road users are advised of changed traffic conditions for road surface work at the intersection of Heathcote and Walder roads, Hammondville.
We will work for one-night shift between Tuesday 9 September and Sunday 14 September 2025, weather permitting. Night work hours are 8pm to 5am. We will not work on Friday or Saturday nights.
There will be temporary traffic changes while we complete this work. This includes lane closures, detours and a reduced speed limit of 40km/h.
While we are working you won’t be able to:
enter or exit Walder Road via Heathcote Road
enter or exit Heathcote Road via Walder Road
turn right from Bardia Parade onto Heathcote Road.
Detours will be in place:
from Bardia Parade use Heathcote Road, Keato Avenue, Bradley Avenue and Wattle Grove Drive
from Heathcote Road use Keato Avenue, Bradley Avenue and Wattle Grove Drive
from Meehan Avenue use Norman Avenue and Keato Avenue.
Traffic control will be onsite to help road users and pedestrians through the work area if required.
Please drive and ride to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic controllers.
Thank you for your patience during this time.
For the latest traffic updates across the network, download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.comor call 132 701.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force is investigating a death in Tennant Creek.
At 7:05am today, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report that a male had been located unresponsive at a communal area in Kargaru Camp.
Police and St John Ambulance attended; however, the 43-year-old was pronounced deceased and a crime scene was established.
His cause of death currently remains unknown, and investigations are ongoing.
Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25228132. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.
Road users are advised of changed overnight traffic conditions from Tuesday 2 September at the intersection of Moore-Oxley Street and Broughton Street, Campbelltown for pedestrian safety improvement work.
So far, we have completed the installation of new arrow lanterns on the existing traffic light poles to allow pedestrians to safely cross the intersection while motorists are held on red arrows and the installation of new traffic signal infrastructure, within the footpath and road area. To complete this work, we will permanently restore the footpath and road surface and carry out line marking.
Work will be completed between Tuesday 2 September and Friday 31 October 2025, weather permitting. We will be on site for up to four night shifts, between Sunday and Thursday, 8pm and 5am, the next day.
We will not work on Friday nights, Saturdays or on the Monday 6 October public holiday.
There will be temporary traffic changes to make sure the work zone is safe. Lane closures and a 40km/h speed limit will be in place for the safety of our workers and motorists.
Traffic controllers will be on site to assist motorists and pedestrians.
For the latest traffic updates across the network download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.comor call 132 701.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested three offenders in relation to a stolen vehicle in Darwin yesterday.
Over the weekend a Toyota RAV4 was reported stolen during a burglary in Gunn. At around 2:35pm yesterday afternoon, police from Strike Force Trident observed the stolen vehicle in Jingili after a call from a member of the public.
A pursuit was then initiated in Anula and terminated soon after for safety reasons as the vehicle approached a school zone.
A short time later the vehicle crashed through a fence of a residential premises.
Two male youths aged 11 and 16, and one female youth aged 12, fled the scene but were quickly located and arrested by attending members from Trident and the Dog Operations Unit.
The 16-year-old and the 12-year-old were later charged and remanded in custody to appear in court today. The 11-year-old will be dealt with under the provisions of the Northern Territory Youth Justice Act 2005.
Police urge anyone with information on property crime to contact 131 444 and quote reference number P25227482. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
With spring just around the corner, many of us are thinking about eating better or moving more. Yet while most of us know what we should do to be healthier, putting it into practice is often the hardest part.
Now, Healthy Choices – a new student-led health and wellbeing program from the University of South Australia – is helping people set their health goals and stick to them.
Healthy Choices is a free, research-based community health coaching program that’s driving real change for people with, or at risk of, chronic health conditions – including diabetes, mental health disorders, asthma, and heart disease.
Created in partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Charles Sturt Council and the North-West Adelaide Health Study, and funded by the Medical Research Future Fund, Healthy Choices is unique in that it supports people’s social and mental health goals, as well as their physical health.
Lead researcher, UniSA’s Prof Susan Hillier, says Healthy Choices aims to tackle the prevalence and persistence of chronic and complex diseases in Australia.
“We’re facing an epidemic of chronic conditions that our health system is struggling to manage – from long waiting lists and hospital ramping to the difficulty of seeing a GP,” Prof Hillier says.
“Yet because most chronic conditions are preventable, making sustainable health and lifestyle changes could dramatically reduce both disease risk and the burden on the system.
“The trouble is, while people may know what they should do to be healthier and happier, they often don’t have the knowledge, support or tools to make positive changes.
“This is where Healthy Choices comes in. As a student-led health and wellbeing coaching program, we work with participants to identify and meet their health goals so they can better manage their health conditions.
“And while you might assume that most health goals are physical or nutrition-based, Healthy Choices delivers far more than this. Our team is just as likely to be helping one person join a Men’s Shed, as coaching another to cut back on late-night snacking.
“It all depends on the health and wellbeing needs of the individual.”
The program’s diverse health goals have included joining a community group, sleeping better, managing stress, drinking more water, decluttering, adopting a Mediterranean diet, reducing snacking, increasing physical activity, and navigating health and care services.
Already more than 150 people have enrolled in Health Choices, with nearly all successfully achieving their goals.
Co-researcher, UniSA’s Dr Caroline Fryer, says the relationship between participants and students is central to the program’s success.
“Participants benefit from the genuine interest students show in their goals and, at the same time, students gain valuable experience which builds both confidence and expertise for their future roles as health professionals,” Dr Fryer says.
“Over the course of the program, this connection and accountability is helping participants strengthen their capacity for self-management – and we’re seeing it deliver real results.
“Healthy Choices empowers people to take charge of their health and change their lifestyle habits for the better.”
Let’s talk about sex-tortion – an online blackmail scam targeting students where criminals may threaten to share explicit images or compromising personal information.
On day three of Scams Awareness Week, South Australia Police (SAPOL) is shining a spotlight on this form of sexual exploitation, where the typically unknown offender creates a fake online profile and tricks or coerces the victim into sending sexual images of themselves.
The sophistication of these scams is largely attributed to advancements in AI and the availability of personal data from recent large-scale data breaches.
“Scammers are now employing Artificial Intelligence to create ‘deepfake’ or edited images by superimposing a victim’s face onto another body, accompanied by threatening messages and demands for payment for the image to be deleted,” Detective Chief Inspector Brett Featherby said.
“Historically, young men have mainly been targeted in sextortion scams, however, in the past financial year a distinct spike in matters involving female victims has occurred.
“The increase does not relate to AI or photoshopped images but are much more likely to involve intimate images previously shared by the victim, either directly to previously trusted individuals or on intimate websites, or through images obtained through social media account take overs.”
Sextortion scam data is incorporated in the Online Image Abuse (OIA) category of reporting.
In South Australia, 339 OIA reports saw more than $127,000 lost to scammers in 2023/2024, noting the data relates to Cyber Issue Reporting System (CIRS) reporting only.
In the 2024/2025 financial year more than $101,000 was lost across 284 OIA reports, with the majority still male victims.
“Victims under 18 are overrepresented in this offence type, with minors being vulnerable to this type of offending,” Detective Chief Inspector Featherby added.
“Embarrassment or fear can prevent people asking for help.
“Know that anyone can become a victim of sextortion, and that if you are preyed on, you are not at fault.”
Red flags:
Conversation quickly turns intimate, with the scammer asking for explicit images.
Their profile has little to no photos and you have no mutual friends with them.
The messages might be written in broken English, have typos or an unusual use of common phrases. Their profile details might not add up with what you see.
They may send intimate images or videos to “prove” they are real.
The person is extremely attractive, and it may appear too good to be true.
Attempts are made to move the conversation off of the original platform.
Tips to help keep you safe:
Refuse friend requests from people you do not know personally.
Avoid sending intimate images and videos online as you never know where they may end up.
Conduct research on their account such as how long the account has been active and who their followers are.
Beware what you share online and ensure your settings are on private. Some scammers may include their own ‘personal’ information, which could be a local area they live at nearby. They could have obtained information off your account that makes them appear more legitimate.
Refuse demands for payments which may include gift cards and cryptocurrency.
Protect children by keeping all computer/phone use to common family areas.
Install parental controls on mobile devices to prevent calls or texts to strangers.
Younger people should speak to a trusted adult for support or are encouraged to engage with family, mental health services or other community support services.
Real-life example:
John was scrolling through reels on social media, when an attractive young woman messaged him. After a quick back and forth, John was keen to explore this potential love interest. She asked him to add her on a separate messaging app, as it was easier to share images. Although John didn’t know this person, the idea of dating someone so attractive was too good to ignore, so he added her on the other platform and continued the conversation. Things soon turned heated, with the woman sending an intimate image, asking for John to do the same. He obliged, but shortly after the image was sent, the woman began threatening John, telling him his nude image would be sent to his friends and family unless he paid her $2000. John agreed, not wanting the image shared, but after he paid, she requested more money. Unable to pay anymore, John approached his parents who were supportive and understood his traumatic mistake and helped him report the incident to police. The image was never released by the scammer.
Report
– If you have suffered harm or loss because of a scam, make a report at www.cyber.gov.au/report or attend your local police station.
– If you’re 18 years or older, report it to any platforms or services where the blackmailer contacted you. If your intimate image or video is shared, you can report it to eSafety.
Have you been a victim of sextortion? Make a report to Report Cyber or attend your local police station to speak with an understanding police officer, like Cybercrime Constable Max Allison.
The Albanese Government is strengthening Australia’s home-grown doctor workforce, with additional Commonwealth supported places available from 2026.
Universities can now apply for Commonwealth supported places for an additional 100 medical students, increasing to 150 students per year from 2028.
These additional places are particularly focused on growing the pool of GPs.
To secure places, universities will need to demonstrate that they will train more GPs with more rotations in primary care.
Applications for Stream A will close 23 September 2025. It is expected that Stream B will open for applications by mid-2026.
By investing in medical education today, the Albanese Government is delivering the doctors Australia needs for the future.
The Government will also introduce demand driven places for First Nations medical students from 2026 to increase the number of First Nations doctors across Australia.
This is part of the Government’s commitment to strengthening Medicare and builds on our previous investments to grow the pipeline of future GPs, particularly in regional areas.
More information about the new places can be found here.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler:
“The Albanese Labor Government is strengthening Medicare with more bulk billing, more Urgent Care Clinics and thousands more doctors.
“By growing our medical workforce, we are strengthening Medicare for decades to come.
“More training places will deliver more doctors to care for Australians in every corner of the country.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“We want more young Australians to be able to choose medicine, and more of them to go on to become GPs.
“More places and more training means more opportunity for young people – and more doctors for communities that need them.
“We are backing more medical students today so we have the doctors we need for the future.”
The Arboretum has one of the world’s largest collections of rare, endangered and significant trees. You’ll also find the National Bonsai and Penjing Collection.
Smooth, wide pathways connect key attractions such as Pod Playground and café.
There are also all-access paths and grade 1 sealed paths with no steps to help you explore. These include:
Take the family to see wildlife in a natural setting at Tidbinbilla, just a 40-minute drive from the city.
Tidbinbilla offers mobility access to many popular locations with:
accessible toilets
designated parking areas
paved footpaths for independent wheelchair access.
Some accessible tracks to enjoy include the Sanctuary Loop and Koala Path. If you are in a wheelchair you will need someone to assist you on these paths.
The Nature Discovery Playground has a bird’s nest swing suitable for young children and people with limited mobility.
Mobility-impaired visitors can hire a free all-terrain wheelchair from the Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre.
Yerrabi Pond has a picturesque walking track that everyone can enjoy.
The path is around 4.2 km long and flat, making it both pram-friendly and wheelchair friendly.
The Yerrabi Pond District Park features toilets , barbeques, a play space and adventure playground. This includes a wheelchair-accessible liberty swing.
Commutation is the process of converting a self-managed super fund (SMSF) pension or annuity into a lump sum payment. This payment can be:
paid to the beneficiary
rolled over to another
product in the same super fund
super fund.
Each commutation must be reported to us as a transfer balance cap event in a transfer balance account report.
Making a large pension drawdown, instead of partially commuting, doesn’t:
To reduce your transfer balance, you must commute an amount of your super income stream.
Actioning commutation requests and minimum payments
When actioning a request to commute a pension, you must consider the following:
Partial commutations no longer count towards the annual minimum pension payment amount.
When the commutation is for the full amount of the pension, ensure the minimum pension amount has been paid before actioning the commutation.
When the commutation is only partial, ensure that either
the minimum amount is paid before commutation
sufficient assets remain to meet the minimum pension payment standards for that year, based on the original value of the income stream at the start of the year.
The requirement to make a minimum payment before commutation doesn’t apply when either:
the commutation arises because of the death of a member
make a payment split under the family law provisions
allow a client’s right to return a financial product under the corporation’s law provisions.
Full commutation and minimum payments
A full commutation doesn’t count towards the minimum pension payment. It happens when you have a liability to pay a member a lump sum instead of a pension. The account-based pension also ends before you make the lump sum payment to the member.
Before fully commuting a member’s pension (paying the lump sum), ensure all minimum annual pension payments are made. This is to ensure the minimum pension standards are met up to the time the pension stops.
If a pension that started from 20 September 2007 is to be commuted in full, the SMSF must ensure at least a minimum amount is paid from the pension beforehand. This is because the pension ends at the time the decision is documented to fully commute.
The minimum payment must occur in the same financial year as the commutation.
For pensions starting in the same financial year they are commuted, the pro rata minimum annual payment amount is calculated using the number of days from the start day of the pension to the day it is commuted. This is calculated as follows:
Pro rata minimum payment amount = minimum annual payment amount × days from the start day to the day pension commuted ÷ 365 (or 366 in a leap year).
If a member fully commutes a pension and retains the amount of the commutation lump sum within the fund, you will be required to recalculate the tax-free and taxable components of any new benefit subsequently paid from the fund.
Example: full commutation in year pension started
Deepthi starts an account-based pension on 1 January 2023 at 60 years old. She decides to commute the pension on 30 May 2023. This is in the same financial year the pension began.
The account balance of the pension on 1 January 2023 is $235,000.
Step 1: Determine the minimum annual payment for 2022–23
Based on the account balance on the start day of the pension, the minimum annual payment amount is $4,700 (2% of $235,000). As the pension started after 1 July 2022, the minimum payment amount is calculated proportionately from the start day to the end of the financial year as follows:
$4,700 (minimum annual payment amount)
× 181 (the number of days from the start day of the pension to the end of the financial year) ÷ 365
= $2,330.68.
Therefore, the minimum annual payment required for 2022–23 is $2,330 ($2,330.68 rounded to the nearest 10 whole dollars).
Step 2: Calculate the minimum payment prior to commutation
The number of days from the start of the pension (1 January 2023) to the day the pension is to be commuted (30 May 2023) is 150.
The pro rata minimum payment amount for the pension will be:
$2,330 (minimum annual payment)
× 150 (the number of days from the start of the pension to the day the pension is to be commuted) ÷ 365
= $957.53.
Therefore, Deepthi must be paid at least a minimum amount of $960 ($957.53 rounded to the nearest 10 whole dollars) before the commutation.
End of example
Example: full commutation in a later year
John starts an account-based pension on 1 January 2023 at 63 years old. He decides to commute the pension on 31 July 2023. This is not in the same financial year as the pension began.
As required, the minimum payments were made from the fund during the first year. The account balance of the pension on 1 July 2023 is $240,000.
The minimum annual payment amount in 2023–24 is $9,600 (4% of $240,000).
The number of days from the beginning of the financial year (1 July) to the day the pension is commuted is 31.
The pro rata minimum payment amount for the pension will be:
$9,600 (minimum annual payment amount)
× 31 (number of days from the beginning of the financial year to the day the pension is commuted) ÷ 366 (2024 was a leap year)
= $813.11.
As no payments have been made from the pension in 2023–24, the fund must pay John a minimum amount of $810 ($813.11 rounded to the nearest 10 whole dollars) before the commutation.
End of example
Commutation of legacy retirement products
From 7 December 2024, changes have been made to the law allowing members to commute a range of legacy retirement products for 5 years. These products generally started before 20 September 2007 or started as a result of a conversion of an earlier legacy product that started before that date.
The commutation must be in full and all minimum annual pension payments must be made in the same financial year as the commutation.
The minimum amount for the financial year of commutation is calculated as follows:
Annual amount × days from the start day of the financial year to the day pension commuted ÷ 365 (or 366 in a leap year).
The annual amount is determined under regulations 1.07B and 1.07C of SISR or regulation 1.08 of the Retirement Savings Account Regulations 1997.
The minimum annual payment amount where a pension or annuity has been commuted will be calculated on a pro rata basis under the relevant regulations for that pension or annuity, as follows:
Pro rata minimum payment amount = minimum annual payment amount × days from the start day to the day pension commuted ÷ 365 (or 366 in a leap year).
Where the legacy retirement product had moved to a reversionary income stream, members will be eligible to commute the income stream into a death benefit payment. Minimum pension payment rules apply.
Full commutation paid in specie
A full commutation can be paid in specie. For the purposes of super laws, the payment that results from a full commutation is a lump sum. If permitted under the fund’s governing rules, the payment may be in the form of cash or in specie.
You’ll need to consider the governing rules of the fund and any CGT consequences with the transfer of assets instead of cash.
Tax consequences
If the pension was in retirement phase:
the super income stream ends at the time the full commutation takes effect
eligibility for ECPI also ends at the same time.
There may also be CGT consequences because of the disposal of assets after this time.
Partial commutation payments
A partial commutation:
occurs when a member receiving a pension requests to withdraw a lump sum amount that is less than their total pension entitlement
doesn’t result in a pension ending because there’s still an obligation to continue to pay pension benefits.
A partial commutation of an SMSF account-based pension doesn’t count towards the minimum pension payment.
The taxable and tax-free components of any partial commutation payment must have the same proportions as those determined for the components of the separate interest that supported the pension when the pension started.
The payment that results from a partial commutation is a lump sum for the purposes of the super laws. A lump sum payment includes a payment made by way of an asset transfer, known as an in specie payment.
When the super income stream is partially commuted, the value of the super interest supporting the super income stream is reduced.
On behalf of the CFA Board, CEO and Chief Officer and all members of the CFA, we express our deepest sympathies to our colleagues at Victoria Police on the loss of two (TBC) officers in the line of duty.
We are devastated by the events which have occurred, and our hearts go out to those who are impacted by this tragic event.
This tragedy strikes at the heart of all emergency services who put themselves in harm’s way to serve and protect others.
Our thoughts are with you. We stand with you and offer our heartfelt support.