Month: September 2025

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Skills put to test at Search and Rescue exercise

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 – 1:14 pm.

Tasmania’s extensive network of search and rescue personnel has been put through its paces at a two-day exercise at Wayatinah Lagoon, in the rugged Central Highlands.
Led by Tasmania Police Search and Rescue, more than 100 people took part in the weekend training exercise which also involved agencies Ambulance Tasmania and Surf Life Saving Tasmania Swift Water Rescue alongside volunteers from State Emergency Service, Mounted Search and Rescue and bushwalking clubs.
Pictures, video and interviews available here.
Conditions were challenging, with rolling showers and low temperatures adding another level of complexity to the exercise.
Under the scenario presented by co-ordinators, a man and his elderly father on a fishing trip had been forced to swim for their lives after their boat flipped and sank at Wayatinah Lagoon.
Once ashore, they had become separated in thick bush, with the man raising the alarm via mobile phone that he was lost and could not make his way back to his injured father. Contact was lost soon after.
Tasmania Police Search and Rescue Senior Constable Cameron Rennie said the training exercise involved people from across the state and ensured emergency response teams were prepared for complex and potentially high-risk incidents in rugged and remote environments.
“Today is extremely realistic … we often have protracted searches in Tasmania, we can have up to a week-long search. This is very common to have input from so many different agencies to co-ordinate these searches,” he said.
“(This exercise) gives us a chance to test our current understanding of things. To see what’s broken, to see what works well.
“It’s a chance for agencies to test their people, to test their equipment, so that we have those skills finely tuned for when there is an emergency.”
SES Regional Officer North-West Andrew Freeman said more than 40 SES members volunteered their time to take part, undeterred by the challenging weather and rugged terrain.
“The weather today creates its own challenges and as a result of that, it informs how we conduct our searches and helps for the preparation of the members as well, with the types of equipment they carry and use during the day,” he said.
All aspects of a search and rescue were tested, providing teams with a valuable assessment of their co-ordination of resources, their planning and execution of skills.
On Saturday, search and rescue teams on foot scoured bushland along Wayatinah Lagoon for several hours, looking for clues that could locate the ‘missing’ men.
Search teams on horseback were also deployed, a crew in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter executed sweeps of the bush, and police and a Swift Water Rescue team trained for the rescue of a man stranded in a fast-flowing river.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

The Government is looking at new ways to cut red tape in the tax system to ease the compliance burden on businesses and make our economy more productive.

Today, we’ve tasked the Board of Taxation (the Board) to identify ways to responsibly reduce unnecessary compliance burdens and red tape in the tax system.

This is all about reducing the regulatory and compliance burden across the economy to support productivity growth.

As part of the review, the Board will consult with businesses and the broader community to identify areas of business tax law and administration where there are opportunities for red tape reduction.

The Board will look for substantial, material and measurable areas of red tape reduction that directly support productivity.

Today, we are also announcing we have appointed Mr Andrew Mills as acting Chair of the Board for a 3‑month period effective from 1 October 2025. The Board is a non‑statutory advisory body that provides the Government with advice on tax policy.

Mr Mills has been a member of the Board since 8 December 2023 and brings more than 40 years’ experience in senior commercial, accounting and legal practice, government and academic roles.

He is currently Chair of the Financial Reporting Council, Chair of the NSW Independent Planning Commission, and a Principal Fellow of the University of Melbourne Law School.

The Government thanks outgoing acting Chair Dr Julianne Jaques KC for her service and substantial contribution to the Board since her appointment as a member on 1 July 2017.

She has been acting Chair since 1 April 2025 and her term as acting Chair, and as a member, ends on 30 September 2025.

She brought significant tax and legal expertise to the Board’s work, including leading the Board’s review of Digital Assets and Transactions in Australia and the Review of GST on low value imported goods, as well as contributing to many other reviews and providing real‑time advice to the Government.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Underlying inflation fell in August according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Today’s figures show the substantial and sustained progress we’ve made together on underlying inflation.

Despite increased volatility in the global economy, underlying inflation is within the RBA’s target and that’s a promising result in uncertain times.

While headline inflation fell slightly in the month, the annual rate increased slightly to 3.0 per cent due to base effects and the ending of state energy rebates. This outcome was within the range the market expected.

Headline inflation has been at or below three per cent for more than a year and underlying inflation has been within the Reserve Bank’s target range for nine months in a row.

Monthly inflation figures can be volatile and are less reliable than the quarterly figures because they don’t compare the same basket of goods and services from month to month.

The official quarterly numbers show that both underlying and headline inflation are at their lowest rates in almost four years.

This progress on inflation has given the RBA confidence to cut rates three times in six months.

Inflation has more than halved since we came to office.

Headline inflation was 3.0 per cent through the year to August 2025, much lower than the 6.1 per cent we inherited.

Annual trimmed mean inflation was 2.6 per cent through the year to August 2025, down from 2.7 per cent in July and much lower than what we inherited.

These results come at a time where inflation has ticked up in parts of the world including the United States, Canada and New Zealand and remains stubbornly high in places like the United Kingdom.

Since Labor was elected, inflation is down, debt is down, real wages are growing, unemployment is low, and interest rates have fallen.

Today’s figures show the Albanese Government’s responsible cost of living relief measures are making a meaningful difference in easing pressure on Australians.

Rents rose 3.7 per cent through the year but would have risen 4.8 per cent without the recent increases to Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

Our policies including energy rebates, the childcare subsidies and rent assistance have helped to directly reduce inflation when it was at its peak, to allow time for the structural drivers of inflation to settle and for underlying inflation to return to the RBA’s target band.

Labor’s economic plan is all about helping with the cost of living at the same time as we modernise Australia’s economy to boost living standards.

We know the best way to improve living standards is to make our economy more productive and resilient and our budget more sustainable and that’s our focus.

Source: South Australia Police

The City of Wanneroo’s Halesworth Park has been recognised by WA Football as Football Facility of the Year, just one season after opening.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Second man charged in relation to burglary and stealing at Hobart jewellery store

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 – 12:05 pm.

Detectives from South East Criminal Investigation Branch have charged a second man in relation to a burglary and stealing at a jewellery business on Murray Street in Hobart on 13 July 2025. 
The 40-year-old man from New Norfolk was arrested this morning and has been charged with several offences including stealing, burglary, motor vehicle stealing, and drive whilst disqualified. 
He has been detained to appear before the Hobart Magistrates Court later today. 
This arrest follows detectives previously charging a 33-year-old man with a series of alleged offences including stealing, burglary and motor vehicle stealing in relation to the incident. 
The watches and jewellery stolen during the burglary remain outstanding. 
Anyone with information in relation to the location of the outstanding stolen watches and jewellery is asked to contact South East CIB on 131 444 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 0000 – quote OR779855.

Source: Airservices Australia

The Reserve Bank of Australia today released the 2025 Assessment of the ASX Clearing and Settlement (CS) Facilities. This assesses the performance of the ASX CS Facilities against the Bank’s Financial Stability Standards (Standards).

ASX has considerable work to do to meet the Bank’s expectations for an operator of critical market infrastructure. Recent shortcomings in risk management – particularly the December 2024 CHESS batch settlement incident – have highlighted that ASX must make foundational changes to its governance, culture and risk management processes. ASX must also accelerate its uplift of operational and financial risk management, while meeting key milestones for its major technology projects. Delivering on these initiatives will require appropriate resourcing and the RBA will be closely monitoring progress over the coming year.

The ASX CS facilities were rated as having ‘observed’ or ‘broadly observed’ many of the individual Standards.

The Bank assessed that one or more of the CS facilities ‘partly observed’ requirements under the specific Standards on the Framework for Comprehensive Management of Risks, Governance, Credit Risk, Settlement Finality, and Operational Risk. ASX Clear and ASX Settlement continue to be rated as ‘not observed’ on the Operational Risk Standard, following the Bank’s out-of-cycle assessment against this Standard in March 2025.

The Bank has issued a number of recommendations, including that ASX should:

• obtain assurance that it has addressed gaps in its risk appetite statement and strategy to return to risk appetite
• ensure its risk transformation plan is appropriately resourced and implement regular reporting on the plan
• conduct a review of business continuity and contingency arrangement across the CS facilities
• comprehensively improve data and reporting controls for financial risk models and address issues identified in the assessment period.

RBA Assistant Governor (Financial System) Brad Jones said: ‘ASX is not currently meeting the regulators’ expectations for an operator of critical national infrastructure. Resilient and secure CS facilities are crucial to the stability of the Australian financial system.

‘This assessment highlights that ASX still has more work to do to in strengthening its governance, risk culture, and frameworks for managing operational and financial risk. We are expecting meaningful progress over the coming year and will consider further regulatory responses if necessary.’

Background

The Reserve Bank is responsible for the supervision of Australian-licensed CS facilities with a focus on financial stability and the reduction of systemic risk. Systemically important CS facilities are assessed on a regular basis against the Financial Stability Standards determined by the Bank.

The Bank conducts annual assessments of ASX’s four CS facilities: two central counterparties – ASX Clear Pty Limited and ASX Clear (Futures) Pty Limited – and two securities settlement facilities – ASX Settlement Pty Limited and Austraclear Limited. These assessments include a rating of the CS facilities’ observance against each financial stability standard.

For more information on the Bank’s approach to assessing CS facilities, see: The Reserve Bank’s Approach to Supervising and Assessing Clearing and Settlement Facility Licensees.

ASIC has separate, but complementary, responsibilities for the supervision of CS facilities. In carrying out supervision of CS facilities, the RBA works closely with ASIC.

Source:

As Victorians prepare to celebrate the AFL Grand Final long weekend, Victorian fire services are urging residents to prioritise safety when using barbecues and fire pits.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 23 Sep 2025

A Gladstone company has been fined $1 million for causing serious environmental harm, following a major chemical release at its alumina refinery in March 2022.

The release occurred when a pipe in a high-pressure system ruptured.

The pipe was carrying a dangerous chemical mixture called spent liquor, which turned into a vapour plume that drifted into a nearby Gladstone residential area.

While no injuries were reported, the incident posed a potential significant risk to residents’ health, as spent liquor contains sodium hydroxide.

The incident caused more than $800,000 in insurance claims relating to property damage.

On Monday, 22 September 2025, Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) was sentenced in Gladstone Magistrates Court and fined $1 million after pleading guilty to three offences against the Environmental Protection Act 1994:

• One offence of unlawfully causing serious environmental harm;
• Two offences of contravening a condition of its environmental authority.

A DETSI spokesperson said the sentence highlighted the Department’s commitment to holding companies accountable for their actions and ensuring the safety of Queenslanders and the environment.

Source: Mental Health Australia

Consultation is now open and Transport for NSW is seeking feedback from road users and the community on their experiences travelling along and accessing the M1 Princes Motorway between Picton Road and the base of Mount Ousley. 

The Australian and NSW governments have jointly committed $10 million towards planning for options to improve the safety and reliability of this five-kilometre section of the M1 Princes Motorway. 

Site investigations will be carried out in coming months and will be used in conjunction with community feedback to inform planning and development of upgrade options.

Read the full media release (PDF, 84.4 KB) for more information.