Month: April 2026

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for witnesses in relation to an alleged indecent assault that occurred in Alice Springs today.

Around 11:45am, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received a report that a female aged in her 20s had been indecently assaulted by an adult male not known to her while walking along Gregory Terrace.

It is alleged the victim was approached from behind by the offender, when he indecently assaulted her before fleeing the scene on foot.

The victim did not suffer any physical injuries.

The offender is described as being approximately 40 years old, with a dark complexion, wearing dark clothing, a light-coloured hat, and yellow footwear. He was allegedly carrying a backpack with indigenous print at the time of the incident.

The incident is not believed to be linked to a separate physical assault that occurred a short time earlier in Alice Springs.

The offender remains outstanding and investigations are ongoing to identify and locate him.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference P26113296. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Strike Force Trident Detectives have arrested a 21-year-old male in relation to an aggravated robbery which occurred at a licensed premises in Jingili.

Around 7:15pm on Thursday, an adult male was attempting to enter the premises whilst wearing a mask. He was confronted by security who refused his entry.

The male allegedly assaulted a staff member rendering him unconscious before assaulting him on the ground. The offender allegedly damaged the store before stealing a quantity of alcohol and fleeing.

Police responded immediately however were unable to locate the offender.

On Friday around 1:30pm Strike Force Trident Detectives identified the offender and later located and arrested him at a residence in Malak.

Strike Force Trident Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Burns said “This was a quick and professional response from the General Duties and on call Crime team that ensured we had access to the evidence to identify the offender quickly. This is exactly the type of offending that the community does not tolerate, and the ability of Trident to quickly identify, locate and arrest this offender should act as a deterrence to others intent on bringing harm to our community”

The male remains in custody with charges expected to follow.

Source: Tasmania Police

Chigwell shooting incident, call for information

Friday, 17 April 2026 – 2:25 pm.

Police investigating a shooting incident at Chigwell earlier this month have issued a renewed call for information.
A 29-year-old man from Bridgewater sustained a serious gunshot wound to the head and neck area during the incident in Taree Street on the night of Sunday, 5 April.
The man received treatment at Royal Hobart Hospital and is recovering.
Detectives are requesting any persons with information, or CCTV relating to the matter, to contact Glenorchy CIB on 131 444 and quote Offence Report 802048.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000.

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

Left to right: Ash & Alanah Cant, Niko & Belinda Jouhki and Marc Dankers

Leonards Hill and District Fire Brigade has received a welcome boost, with several new members joining in recent months after making the move from the city.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Welcome everyone today to the Viva refinery in Corio. Obviously, we wish we were here under better circumstances, but we are very pleased to have here, today, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Energy, Libby Coker, the Member for Corangamite, Ella George, who is the Member for Lara, and Scott Wyatt, the CEO of Viva, and Bill Patterson as well. We are enormously thankful that in the midst of all that has occurred here, there have been no injuries as a result of the incident. And that is very much a source for gratitude from the perspective of the local community. But with no further ado, let me hand over to the Prime Minister.

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Source: Tasmania Police

Firearms and ammunition seized at Frankford property

Friday, 17 April 2026 – 1:08 pm.

Guns, ammunition and cannabis have been seized from a rural property in Tasmania’s north during a targeted police operation sparked by ongoing drug intelligence.
Two Frankford men – aged 47 and 55 – have been charged with a series of drugs and firearms offences as the result of a Tasmania Police search this week. The accused men have been released on bail and are due to appear in court at a later date.
Officers from the Northern Drugs and Firearms Unit conducted the search of a property at Frankford on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into suspected drug activity.
Police allege investigators located 17 firearms, including rifles, shotguns and a .303 carbine during the search.
Large amounts of ammunition were seized, along with assorted firearm components such as barrels, bolts, magazines and trigger assemblies.
Police also uncovered about 2.5kg of dried cannabis and six cannabis plants.
Detective Acting Sergeant Nathan Wheldon said investigators would allege some of the items were concealed in the dense bushland around the property boundary, including on neighbouring land.
“Illegal firearms have the potential to cause significant harm, particularly when they are stored or concealed in a way that bypasses safety and oversight,” Acting Sergeant Wheldon said.
Tasmania Police is committed to disrupting the unlawful use of firearms.
Anyone with information about firearms crime, or the misuse or unsafe storage of firearms, is urged to contact police on 131 444.
You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperstas.com.au

Source: Tasmania Police

Armoured Bearcat strengthens Tasmania Police specialist capability

Friday, 17 April 2026 – 11:58 am.

Tasmania Police has accepted the transfer of a gifted armoured Lenco BearCat from Western Australia Police, further strengthening the organisation’s capacity to safely respond to high risk incidents statewide.The 2012 Lenco BearCat, which is the same model as the armoured vehicle already utilised by Tasmania Police, will be allocated to the Special Operations Group (SOG) and will complement existing armoured capability currently deployed across the State.Assistant Commissioner Adrian Bodnar said that the additional vehicle enhanced Tasmania Police’s ability to manage incidents involving long arms, sieges, armed offenders and other high risk situations, while providing a greater level of protection for police, other emergency service workers and members of the community.“The BearCat is bullet and blast resistant and is designed to support the safe deployment of specialist police, as well as the extraction of injured persons or members of the public from high risk environments,” he said.“Tasmania Police SOG currently operates a combination of armoured assets positioned across the State. The inclusion of this gifted BearCat will allow improved coverage in both northern and southern regions, increasing operational flexibility and resilience during critical incidents.”Assistant Commissioner Bodnar said that the vehicle was scheduled to arrive in the state this weekend, before undergoing routine maintenance and preparation prior to operational deployment, including registration and operator training.“Members of the public may see the vehicle on Tasmanian roads from time to time; however, its presence should not cause alarm,” he said.“The BearCat will not be used for general duties or patrols and will only be deployed in circumstances where specialised armoured protection is required.“The acceptance of this vehicle represents a strong example of inter jurisdictional cooperation between Australian policing agencies and ensures Tasmania Police continues to maintain contemporary, effective specialist capabilities.”

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

he Albanese Labor Government has worked with industry and the Indonesian Government to facilitate 250,000 tonnes of additional agricultural grade urea for Australian farmers from Indonesia.

This deal, between Incitec Pivot Fertilisers and PT Pupuk Indonesia, supported by the Australian and Indonesian Governments, facilitates around 20 per cent of the remaining fertiliser needed for the current season.

The Government is working closely with Australia’s key international partners and domestic industry to secure critical additional fertiliser supply. 

Having this additional supply locked in will give greater certainty for farmers as they make planting and management decisions for this season.

This is a demonstration of the close partnership and friendship between Australia and Indonesia.

The Government will continue to work with partners across the region to support food and energy security, in the interests of Australia and our neighbours.

Australia plays a critical role supporting food security in Indonesia, and across our region, which this agreement helps strengthen.

This significant new agreement builds on the Government’s work to help get fertiliser to Australian farmers, including:

• Joint Leaders’ Statement with Brunei Darussalam committing to cooperation on food security and resilient supply chains for food production
• Establishing a Fertiliser Supply Working Group between Government and industry
• Amending legislation to underwrite the purchase of fuel and fertiliser by the private sector
• Streamlined border processes for imported fertiliser.

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

 “This is a significant outcome for our farmers. We understand how critical fertiliser is for Australian farmers, for our food production system and the food security of our region.

“This deal also shows why it’s critically important that we have strong relationships with our regional partners.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong

“Australia is working with our international partners, particularly in our region, to strengthen our shared energy and food security.

“Indonesia is one of Australia’s closest neighbours and friends, and we thank the Indonesian Government for their partnership.

“The Albanese Government is focused on ensuring Australia gets the supplies we need – including petrol, diesel and fertiliser – and that those supplies can get where they’re needed.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins

“I have been working day and night with industry to support fertiliser getting to Australian farmers.

“I am very grateful for the cooperation and support of the Indonesian Government in finalising this.

“While this is a commercial deal, the Australian and Indonesian Governments have been working to support this positive outcome. 

“This guarantees supply of fertiliser to Australian farmers at this critical time.

“This will mean Australia can continue to play an important role supporting food security in Indonesia and our region at a time of global uncertainty.”

“I am very grateful for the cooperation and support of the Indonesian Government in finalising this”

Quotes attributable to Scott Bowman, President, Incitec Pivot Limited

“Incitec Pivot’s trading relationship with PT Pupuk Indonesia, supported by the collaboration between the Australian and Indonesian governments, has yielded a positive outcome for Australian for Australian farmers”

“This additional volume for the period May to December, at prevailing market prices, is another critical plank in servicing the needs of Australian farmers.

“Australian farm output is necessary for regional food security, and this is a crucial contribution to securing inputs via Australia’s largest fertiliser distributor, Incitec Pivot”

“Whilst there is more work to do to ensure farmers requirements can be fully met this upcoming season, this additional volume will go a long way to shoring up critical supplies to Australian farmers”

Source: Prime Minister of Australia

THE HON ANWAR IBRAHIM, PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA: We are really encountering post normal times. We discussed this. Developments are unanticipated and continue to haunt us because we are not able to fairly and squarely craft an agenda forward, because many of these issues are quite unresolved. Disruptions to production and supply chains. So, the world certainly looks different today, Prime Minister, than it did when you were here in Kuala Lumpur last October. The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed for nearly seven weeks. Global energy markets are under severe stress. Supply chains are disrupted and the consequences are pummelling through the seven seas. This is of course the backdrop of our meeting today.

I’m of course extremely grateful that the exchange has been very frank, cordial as great friends, not only to the bilateral relationship, but based on trust. And that was what I said, and I want to repeat this publicly. Malaysia will always be a reliable partner to Australia. We will be mates – I don’t know why you use that term – through thick and thin as we have always been. Our discussions today cover trade, investment and agriculture. But given the state of the world today, I want to start with energy. Malaysia and Australia share strong interdependence in energy resources, including fuel and LNG. We have existing agreements and today we reaffirmed our commitment to them. We also signed a Joint Statement on Energy Security reflecting our commitment to stable and resilient energy supplies.

We also witnessed the signing of the MoU between Malaysia’s Department of Islamic Development, or JAKIM, and Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. This will enhance market access for both countries. We also agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, including sharing expertise in production and irrigation to ensure sustainable food supply for both Malaysians and Australians. Let no one mistake the weight of what we signed today. When supply chains are disrupted and food prices are increasing and rising, agreements like this have a direct impact on people’s lives. The distance between a signed agreement and a family’s dinner table is shorter than most people imagine.

I also wish to touch on Palestine. There is a ceasefire in Gaza, but let us be honest about what that has meant so far. The killings have not stopped, the hunger has not ceased in the West Bank. Settlements continue to expand and violence continues to escalate with utter impunity the world must not avert its gaze and allow a ceasefire to become the silence of the grave. What the Palestinian people need is a just and lasting solution. And that means a viable sovereign state. Malaysia will not waver on this matter of principle and conscience. I appreciate Australia’s stance on Gaza, calling for an end to hostilities, supporting humanitarian assistance and working towards a lasting resolution. That position matters, and Malaysia welcomes that.

Prime Minister Albanese, thank you again for making this journey to Kuala Lumpur. These conversations matter and I’m glad we are having them. I look forward to continuing the work when we meet in Australia next year, I’m sure before that, but the Australian meeting will be the fourth Annual Leaders’ Meeting. Until then, let us make good on what we have promised today. Thank you.

< ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

Australian resources help to power our region, and our farmers help to feed the region. Nearly 60 per cent of Malaysia’s wheat and 75 per cent of its lamb and beef come from Australia. And our neighbours know that providing fuel and fertiliser to Australia helps put food on the table in this region. We rely on each other for fuels, including crude petroleum and natural gas. And Malaysian urea helps Australia grow crops like wheat that we supply here, contributing to Malaysia’s food security. As comprehensive strategic partners, we’re working together to prepare and shield our citizens from the worst of the impacts of this global conflict.

And today I am pleased that we’ve agreed a Joint Statement on Energy Security. This underscores our commitment to ensuring that essential goods, both food and energy, continue to flow between our two countries. And I’m pleased that our Energy Ministers have agreed to continue working together to coordinate our response to this global crisis and ensure a continued trade in energy. We have also agreed a partnership on red meat processing and trade. This agreement will support bilateral halal meat trade, boosting Australian red meat exports and supporting Malaysia’s food security, whilst boosting jobs on Australian farms and in processing facilities. We also discussed how to deepen our trade and economic relationship, including through Invested, which is Australia’s Southeast Asia economic strategy to 2040. This includes Monash University’s investment into a new campus that I was delighted to launch at the end of last year.

Prime Minister Anwar and I also discussed developments in our region and around the world. The nations in our region know that Australia is not one of those friends that only rings up when they want something. We engage constructively in good times and in hard times. And the Indo Pacific is not a place that we visit. It’s our home. A diverse and dynamic region with ASEAN central to its strength and its success. I thank Prime Minister for your warmth and hospitality and your friendship for the discussions that we have regularly on the phone as well as these face-to-face meetings. And I look forward to meeting with you on the sidelines at the ASEAN East Asia Summit in the Philippines in months ahead. I know that the relationship between Australia and Malaysia will continue to strengthen in the years ahead and that we will continue working together as partners and friends during this time of global uncertainty. Thank you.

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With regard to fuel as well, I can announce that my Government has secured an additional 100 million litres of diesel from two shipments, one from Brunei, where I was yesterday, and one from South Korea. This is the first of many expected shipments secured under the Government’s new strategic reserve powers with the support of Export Finance Australia. That is very important. The purchase of more than 570,000 barrels of additional diesel has been done by Viva, made possible because of the decision that my Government made early in this global crisis to empower Export Finance Australia. To do that, additional fuel can be directed to where it is needed most, including to our farmers. And one of the discussions we had today was very much about diesel. That’s so important at a time where many farmers are looking at planting and they will only do that with the confidence that they’ll be able to harvest as well. So, this is welcome news. It’s a practical outcome of the engagement and the interventions that my Government has had to deal with the consequences of a crisis right across the other side of the world, but one that is impacting here in our region and in Australia in particular.

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Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

Insurance Australia Group Limited’s (ASX: IAG) proposed acquisition of RAC Insurance (RACI) could substantially lessen competition and requires an in-depth Phase 2 assessment, the ACCC has decided.

RACI is owned by the Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC). IAG and RACI both supply motor insurance and home and contents insurance in WA. The acquisition would result in IAG underwriting motor insurance and home and contents insurance under the RAC brand.

“This acquisition would combine two of the biggest insurers in WA,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

“RACI is WA’s market leader both in motor vehicle insurance and in home and contents insurance.”

“We consider the acquisition could substantially lessen competition in both the supply of motor vehicle insurance and the supply of home and contents insurance in Western Australia”.

The ACCC is also considering the impact of the acquisition in relation to smash repair services.

The ACCC has not reached a conclusion on the issues and will continue to consider the acquisition in Phase 2.

The ACCC invites submissions in response to its Phase 2 Notice by 4 May 2026. Parties can contact the ACCC via mergers@accc.gov.au.

More information and the Phase 2 Notice are available on the ACCC’s acquisitions register: Insurance Australia Group – RAC Insurance | ACCC.

Note to editors

IAG applied to the ACCC for clearance of the acquisition in 2025 under the previous informal merger regime. In December 2025, the ACCC decided not to clear the acquisition based on the information available to it at that time.

Under the formal merger regime which commenced on 1 January 2026, IAG notified the acquisition again and the ACCC is considering the acquisition under this regime.

Background

IAG is an ASX-listed general insurance company operating in Australia and New Zealand providing a range of personal and commercial insurance products in Australia directly under its owned brands, including NRMA, Swann Insurance, ROLLiN’, Cylo and Lumley Special Vehicles.

In Victoria, IAG has a joint venture with RACV where IAG underwrites RACV-branded home and contents and motor vehicle insurance, and RACV manages distribution and member engagement. In Western Australia, IAG primarily supplies home and motor vehicle insurance under the NRMA brand.

In addition, IAG provides intermediated insurance through brokers, authorised financial representatives, institutions and agents under the CGU and WFI brands. IAG also underwrites insurance products distributed by financial institutions, including Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, People’s Choice Bank and, since 2023, ANZ Bank.

The RAC is a WA-based member-owned mutual association that provides roadside assistance, general insurance products, and other ancillary services to its members. RACI underwrites motor insurance and home and contents insurance for RAC.

RAC distributes other personal lines of general insurance underwritten by third party insurers, such as travel insurance, health insurance and pet insurance.

The proposed acquisition does not include RAC’s roadside assistance business or its other operations including RAC’s auto servicing and repair services, finance, retirement living, home security, batteries, tyres, travel and tourism operations.

Formal merger regime

The ACCC can decide a notification is to be subject to a Phase 2 review if the ACCC is satisfied that the acquisition to which the notification relates, if put into effect, could, in all of the circumstances, have the effect, or be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in any market.

Under the Competition and Consumer Act, a Phase 2 assessment can take up to 90 business days, unless extended under specific circumstances.

More guidance on the new merger regime can be found on the ACCC’s website: Guidance documents for the merger control regime.