Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The NT Police Force is calling for information after a domestic violence incident occurred in Darwin City overnight.

Around 9:10pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports that two adult males known to each other were involved in a violent altercation on Finniss Street.

It is alleged that the males, aged 40 and 57, began a verbal argument that escalated into a physical altercation resulting in serious injuries.

Police and St John Ambulance attended, and the two males were conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital where they are receiving treatment.

Investigations remain ongoing and police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25242207. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties due to domestic violence, support services are available, including, but not limited to, 1800RESPECT (1800737732) or Lifeline 131 114.

Source: South Australia Police

Do you know of someone who makes your community a better place? Highlight their hard work by nominating them for a Community Citizen of the Year Award.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

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CFA Senior Research Scientist Dr Chloe Begg and CFA Project Lead for Bushfire Education Neil Munro

CFA senior leaders and researchers joined forces last month with agency counterparts in the second Safer Together Science Symposium to discuss their recent study developments.

The event, chaired by CFA’s Manager Research and Development Dr Sarah Harris brought together more than 130 participants in person and online on Tuesday, 12 August.

Speakers from CFA the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) touched on the program’s investment in science-based research, modelling and advancements.

CFA Deputy Chief Officer Fire Risk, Research and Community Preparedness Alen Slijepcevic AFSM opened the day and said it was a great opportunity for people to come together to reflect on and celebrate Safer Together’s significant contribution to bushfire management in Victoria.

“Safer Together is such an important pillar of the work we do across the sector to manage bushfire risk, and the symposium showcased some of the incredible and innovative work we are doing,” Alen said.

“We need this research to help address key challenges faced by fire agencies, including the effects of climate change, the shifting demographics and the complex and evolving operating environment.”

The event coincided with National Science Week and explored four key themes surrounding community preparedness and risk understanding and strengthening bushfire operations capability.

CFA Senior Research and Development Officer Dr Nick McCarthy said it was a great opportunity to come together to learn from like-minded colleagues and knowledge share in one room. 

“We often all have our heads down focusing on doing the work, so it was a good chance to take stock of all the different programs of work and science projects that are taking place across the sector,” Nick said.

“We’re really trying to focus on projects where we can enable broader science to happen and to get data out into the research community and beyond, prioritising things that are close to being implemented, while also overcoming fundamental bottlenecks.

“We’ve got multiple PhD’s worth of science we can put toward our fire reconstructions of what just took place in the Grampians fires, where we can look at the fire behaviour to understand and predict future events.”

Nick spoke on the day alongside CFA’s Lead Data Scientist Kristy Butler about a management framework for large wildfires that we are adapting in Victoria from the US Forest Service.

“We have adapted a new index called the suppression difficulty index that is a measure of how hard it is to work in different parts of a complex landscape,” Nick said.

“So, if we’re putting people into really remote areas in challenging conditions, it allows some decision support from the index among others to figure out what risks are associated and the probability of success.”

CFA Senior Research Scientist Dr Chloe Begg and CFA Project Lead for Bushfire Education Neil Munro also presented at the event and highlighted the Schools in Fire Country program which uses a research-informed approach to deliver bushfire education in schools and reinforces the role children can play as agents of change in their community.

DEECA representatives explored a hydro-fire program that uses behavioural science methods to understand how bushfire risk is perceived and interpreted based on eventual flash flooding, debris flows and water quality degradation following intense fire events and short duration rainfall. 

For more information about the Safer Together program, head to www.safertogether.vic.gov.au

Submitted by	CFA media

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

A former Melbourne estate agent’s representative is facing disciplinary action for allegedly taking nearly $200,000 in client funds for his personal use. 

Daniel Cvetkoski, 33, of Craigieburn, was an agent’s representative at Select Realty Sales Pty Ltd (trading as Barry Plant Craigieburn), working as a rental property manager. 

Cvetkoski was responsible for up to 170 rental properties.  

His employer learned of the potential mishandling of funds and alerted Consumer Affairs Victoria, prompting an investigation.  No wrongdoing is alleged against the company. 

It is alleged that Cvetkoski:  

• failed to pay the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority about $44,000 in bond money, between February 2020 and July 2023. 
• took cash rental payments from more than 40 renters, and put the money into his personal account, between January and August 2023. The amounts ranged from $500 to $20,000.  

The money has since been repaid. 

Disciplinary proceedings can result in reprimands, being barred from working as an estate agent, or a penalty of up to $5,000. 

The matter is listed for a directions hearing on 15 September. 

Source:

11 September 2025

Namrata Nair has been named the winner of the University of South Australia (UniSA) Three Minute Thesis (3MT®)  Grand Final last week, for her powerful research into sanitation access and its impact on community safety in India.

Analysing sample data from over 600 districts, PhD candidate Nair found that in a third of these regions, more than half of the population still lacks access to an indoor toilet. Her research also uncovered a strong relationship between poor sanitation infrastructure and increased crime rates and delivered a framework for intervention.

“When something as basic as a toilet is out of reach, it creates deep feelings of deprivation and resentment,” Nair says. “And when people feel left behind, it threatens the safety and cohesion of society.

“I identified precisely where access is weakest in India and what needs to change. 

“With district level mapping, the government can now take more localised action and also effectively implement community sanitation programs.”

Her district-level mapping could also be adopted by other regions, offering a strategic framework for targeted interventions.

Professor Sandra Orgeig, UniSA Dean of Graduate Studies congratulated Nair on her outstanding presentation.

“The UniSA 3MT Grand Final highlights how our PhD students communicate ambitious ideas with clarity, impact and engagement,” Prof Orgeig says.

“Namrata’s work offers governments practical tools to improve dignity and build safer, fairer societies. This year’s finalists were especially strong across diverse fields – well done to all.”

Competition runner-up Anita Kral presented groundbreaking research on the long-term effects of mould exposure on asthma development. Using lab-grown lung tissue, Kral discovered that a single exposure to mould particles rewires lung stem cells to express asthma-inducing signals, and these effects persist long after the initial exposure.

“I found that mould exposure rewired lung stem cells to produce signals that induced asthma,” Kral says.

“We’re now investigating how this action might be blocked, starting with existing signalling inhibitors.”

People’s Choice award went to Cheryl Chan, whose research is laying the foundation for a new generation of tiny, high-performance satellites capable of identifying intricate detail day or night, and invisible movements such as plant growth and volcanic activity. 

“Building high quality imaging systems comes with a challenge, because when you’re sending cameras into space, every gram and cubic centimetre is expensive,” Chan says.

“I’m tackling this by investigating the use of free form optics rather than the standard round shape found in traditional telescopes.

“These are complex, irregular surface shapes – more like a Pringle or a wave than a perfect bowl. The complex surface shapes allow us to bend, fold and compress light paths into radically compact ways, which means fewer components, lighter systems and smaller satellites.”

To keep production costs low, Chan is also exploring a new fabrication method leveraging 3D printing combined with ultra precise post-processing techniques, that can economically deliver a detailed and smooth surface for use with infrared applications.

The 3MT® competition celebrates the communication skills of PhD candidates, challenging them to present their research in just three minutes using non-technical language and a single slide. The 2025 UniSA Grand Final was presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre and the Office for the Dean of Graduate Studies, supported by UniSA Academic Units. A video of the event will shortly be available at The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre’s website.

Nair will now represent UniSA at the Asia Pacific Final, hosted by The University of Queensland. 3MT is an academic research communication developed by The University of Queensland.

Media contact: Megan Andrews M: +61 434 819 275 E: megan.andrews@unisa.edu.au

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

Retail petrol prices were lower in all capital cities and on average across regional locations in the June quarter 2025, according to the ACCC’s latest quarterly petrol monitoring report.

Quarterly average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) were 175.7 cents per litre (cpl), a decrease of 6.5 cpl from the previous quarter. Among the five largest cities, prices decreased the most in Brisbane (by 14.4 cpl).

Click to enlarge

The decrease in average retail prices mainly reflected lower international prices for refined petrol (largely driven by international crude oil prices). A higher average AUD-USD exchange rate also helped make the cost of international refined petrol relatively less expensive in Australian dollar terms.

Crude oil prices predominantly trended downward in the quarter, as trade tensions impacted financial and commodity markets. Another influence was the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other crude oil producing countries including Russia (together, OPEC+) agreeing to a further unwind of production cuts.

“Crude oil prices jumped in mid-June following impacts from the Israel-Iran conflict, but they settled and decreased toward the end of June,” ACCC Commissioner Brakey said. “The jump in international prices contributed to average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities briefly moving higher in early July, before reducing shortly after.”

The following figure shows the movements in average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities from July 2023 to July 2025.

Seven-day rolling average retail petrol prices across the five largest cities in nominal terms

 

Source: ACCC calculations based on data from Informed Sources.

Notes: The grey shaded area in the figure represents the June quarter 2025. The blue shaded area in the figure represents July 2025 (the month after the June quarter 2025 ended). A 7-day rolling average price is the average of the current day’s price and prices on the 6 previous days.

Across the five largest cities, seven-day rolling average retail petrol prices increased to 180.6 cpl at the end of the quarter. By the end of July average prices decreased to 168.3 cpl.  

Petrol gross indicative retail differences were 16.4 cpl across the five largest cities in the June quarter, an increase of 2.0 cpl from the previous quarter. Gross indicative retail differences are a broad indicator of gross retail margins and include both retail operating costs and retail profits.

Average retail petrol prices were lower in the smaller capital cities and on average across regional locations

In Canberra, Hobart and Darwin, quarterly average retail petrol prices also decreased. Quarterly average retail petrol prices in Canberra decreased the most among the eight capital cities (by 17.0 cpl).

Across more than 190 regional locations that the ACCC monitors, average retail petrol prices (in aggregate) were 179.2 cpl, a decrease of 5.1 cpl from the previous quarter.

“We were pleased to see lower prices across most locations in Australia in the quarter, providing some relief to motorists,” Ms Brakey said.

Retail diesel prices were also lower in all capital cities

Across the five largest cities, quarterly average retail diesel prices were 178.4 cpl, a decrease of 8.5 cpl from the previous quarter.

Quarterly average retail diesel prices decreased in all capital cities. Diesel prices dropped the most in Hobart (by 13.3 cpl), followed by Sydney and Melbourne (by 10.4 cpl).

Retail diesel prices generally follow international diesel benchmark prices, which accounted for the largest component of retail diesel prices.

The ACCC welcomes a fuel price transparency scheme in Victoria

In August 2025, the Victorian Government made new regulations requiring fuel retailers to provide timely fuel price data as soon as practicable, and no more than thirty minutes after a change in price. This follows the government’s announcement of its Fair Fuel Plan earlier in the year. The pricing data is expected to be available to motorists on the Service Victoria app later this year.

“We encourage motorists to shop around for lower fuel prices as there is often a range of prices available,” Ms Brakey said.

“We have long been an advocate of fuel prices transparency schemes. This fuel price reporting and subsequent publishing will give motorists in Victoria access to near real-time fuel price data.”

Victoria is the last jurisdiction in Australia to establish a fuel price transparency scheme.

Annual average retail petrol and diesel prices were lower in the 2024-25 financial year

The ACCC’s latest report also provides results for the 2024-25 financial year. Across the five largest cities, annual average retail petrol prices were 180.1 cpl, a decrease of 15.0 cpl, or around 8 per cent from 2023–24 (195.1 cpl).

Annual average petrol gross indicative retail differences across the five largest cities were 15.9 cpl, which was the same as the 10-year average, in real (inflation adjusted) terms.

Across the five largest cities, annual average retail diesel prices were 181.9 cpl, a decrease of 18.1 cpl, or around 9 per cent from 2023–24 (200.0 cpl).

The decreases in average retail petrol and diesel prices largely reflected lower international prices for refined petrol and refined diesel.

In each capital city, annual average retail petrol prices in cents per litre, and the change from 2023–24 were:

In each capital city, annual average retail diesel prices in cents per litre, and the change from 2023–24 were:

Source: Premier of Victoria

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

The City of Greater Bendigo with $3.74M funding provided by the Victorian Government’s Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) is set to commence work in September on an exciting major project to construct a new protected shared user path along Mundy Street from Back Creek to McCrae Street in the Bendigo city centre.

Work will commence on September 15 in the section of Mundy Street between McCrae Street and Hargreaves Street.  There will be no right or left turns available into Mundy Street from McCrae Street when the work commences on this section.

City of Greater Bendigo Presentation and Assets Director, Brian Westley said the new path will be constructed on the same side of the street as the Law Courts and Salvation Army and is approximately one kilometre in length.

“It will feature a mix of clearly designated shared and separated walking and cycling zones along the various sections of the project,” Mr Westley said.

“It will also include the installation of new pedestrian operated traffic lights where the path meets the arterial road network at Myers Street.

“DTP will also install pedestrian operated signals over McCrae Street near the intersection of Mundy Street. The new traffic lights including the recently installed traffic lights at Chapel and Mundy Streets will provide dedicated, safe crossing points for pedestrians, bike riders and other vulnerable road users and provide access to the Bendigo Creek Trail and the Bendigo Low Line.

“The project will be delivered in stages and while it is anticipated there will be some minor disruption to traffic flows in Mundy Street while the work is underway, access to businesses and properties will remain open at all times.

“City staff will work with any affected businesses and property owners/householders to ensure any disruptions are kept to a minimum.”

The project will:

• Provide opportunities for people to travel safely off-road between the Bendigo city centre and the popular Back Creek Trail
• Connect to the Bendigo Creek Trail and Bendigo Low Line
• Complete a major project identified in six Council strategies
• Improve community access and liveability, and increase community pride and connection to the Bendigo Creek
• Support safe travel to and from local schools and events in the Bendigo city centre
• Enhance other projects being undertaken in the Bendigo city centre such as the Bendigo Low Line that allow people riding bikes to move around safely off-road
• Reduce traffic by providing sustainable active transport options

Works will commence in mid-September for an anticipated completion by the end of 2026.