Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Mental Health Australia

Road users are advised of changed traffic conditions at the intersection of Richmond Road and Boomerang Place, Cambridge Gardens.

The work will improve intersection safety by making the traffic lights brighter and easier to see.

We will be onsite for up to 5-night shifts between Sunday 7 September and Thursday 18 September 2025, weather permitting. Work hours are between8pm and 5am from Sunday to Thursday. We will not work on Friday or Saturday nights.

If we cannot complete the work due to wet weather, we will work between Sunday 21 September to Thursday 2 October 2025 to finish the work.

There will be temporary traffic changes to make sure the work zone is safe. Lane closures and a reduced 40 km/h speed limit will be in place for the safety of workers and road users.

Please drive 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.com or call 132 701.

Source: Mental Health Australia

The finish line is in sight for the new Wallendbeen Bridge to be delivered by the NSW Government, with traffic expected to switch on to the new bridge in the coming weeks.  

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

The Albanese Government will abolish another 500 nuisance tariffs.

We’re abolishing these additional tariffs to help cut red tape, ease the compliance burden on businesses and boost productivity.

This means cheaper products for Australian consumers and reduced compliance costs for Australian businesses.

This is on top of the 457 tariffs already abolished by the government in July last year.

This progress is built on the consensus reached at the Economic Reform Roundtable.

With this reform, we’ll have removed around 1,000 tariffs over two years and streamlined approximately $23 billion worth of trade, saving Australian businesses $157 million in compliance costs annually.

It means the Albanese Government has slashed more tariffs than any government in two decades.

These nuisance tariffs risk doing more harm than good.

From today, Treasury will consult on the proposed list of almost 500 additional tariffs to be abolished by the government.

Submissions will be open on the Treasury website until 10 December and a full and final list of agreed tariffs for removal will be published in the next Budget.

Examples of products that could be cheaper as a result of the abolition of tariffs proposed by the government include:

• Tyres with annual imports worth nearly $4 billion, raise less than $80,000 in revenue per year. Abolition will save business over $32 million in compliance costs each year.
• Televisions with annual imports worth over $1.4 billion, raise less than $43,000 in revenue per year. Abolition will save business over $13 million in compliance costs each year.
• Wine glasses with annual imports worth over $42 million, raise less than $28,000 in revenue per year. Abolition will save business over $375,000 in compliance costs each year.
• Air conditioners with annual imports worth over $58 million, raise less than $100,000 in revenue per year. Abolition will save business over $504,000 in compliance costs each year.

While abolishing ineffective tariffs, the Albanese Labor Government is strengthening protections for Australian businesses from unfair trade practices.

Responsibility for safeguards actions, which protect Australian industry from sudden surges in imports, will move from the Productivity Commission to the Anti‑Dumping Commission.

This change will bring together responsibility for all trade remedy measures within the Anti‑Dumping Commission, allowing for better harmonisation of actions to support Australian manufacturers and consumers.

By accelerating the modernisation of Australia’s anti‑dumping regime, we’re ensuring it is fit for purpose in a modern global economy.

These are common sense changes that will help to make our economy more prosperous, productive and resilient in the face of growing global uncertainty.

We’re proud of the progress that we’ve been able to make unilaterally because tariffs push up compliance costs on business and risk pushing up prices for workers and families as well.

While other nations are putting up trade barriers, we’re tearing them down.

We’re abolishing more tariffs because we recognise their removal will deliver benefits to Australian businesses.

We’re grateful for the clear consensus that was built around tariff reform at the Roundtable, and these contributions will continue to inform the government’s decisions on economic reform in the lead up to the budget and beyond.

Source: Airservices Australia

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Credit: Uniform Photography

Having served the community since 1935, Melton Fire Brigade has gathered with grateful community members to celebrate their 90-year anniversary in a highly anticipated extravaganza.

More than 150 people joined in the festivities at Melton Entertainment Park on Saturday (23 August) to take a trip down memory lane, hearing stories from past and present members and reflecting on the many memorabilia items on show.

As a stalwart of Melton Fire Brigade, Alan Squires, who has been involved for 55 years, was first introduced to the fire services when he sadly lost his house to a fire that took off through the back of Truganina in 1969.

“Not long after I transferred from Truganina in 1974, I took over as secretary for the next 35 years,” Alan said.

“Melton was a little spot on the map back then – a small town that averaged 250 to 300 fire call outs a year. I’ve watched both the town, and the brigade grow exponentially since then.

“The biggest change has been transitioning from a farming and grassland area to an urban area of 100,000 people.”

The old tin shed was replaced in 1974 when the brigade went from rural to urban. In 2008, the brigade grew, and permanent CFA staff were required, before integration with Fire Rescue Victoria in 2020.

“We were probably one of the first successful integrations for a long time in CFA,” Alan said.

“We could see we just couldn’t provide the service that the town needed. Now we have 118 members and a very strong junior program.

“Because the town is so spread out, with a freeway going through the middle of it, we’ve also built a satellite station in Melton South, where we also house a vehicle.”

Alan recalls the fires that tore through Melton South in 1985 as alike the conditions endured throughout Ash Wednesday, when 14 homes and a business were lost.

“We’re very active in campaign fires as a brigade – I’ve been to New South Wales twice, Queensland, Gippsland and the most recent Grampians fires,” Alan said.

“We were involved in the major Pentland Hills school bus crash in 2022 and in Exford in 2023. It was very confronting, but we looked after some of the kids and got them to hospital.”

Fire Prevention Week was a real highlight for the community in the 80s and 90s, from school visits, poster competitions and a parade. It has since evolved into a yearly Djerriwarrah Festival.

Melton is also well renowned for their success at the State Firefighter Championships in both rural and urban competitions and has had a very lively women’s auxiliary over the years.

“We’ve put together a photo board of all the old equipment, radios, and knapsacks that we’ve collected over time. The clippings have covered my lounge room floor for weeks!” Alan said.

The brigade proactively fundraises for new vehicles, particularly road rescue equipment and has strong recruitment, with 20 new members arriving over the last 18 months.

Third generation Melton firefighter, Ben Gilbertson is well entrenched in Melton’s history, having started as a junior at just 14 when he started running in the Championships.

“My mum grew up in the area on a farm and her grandfather was one of the founders of the brigade, and our first president,” Ben said.  

“During our 75-year celebration, my twin brother and I were part of the procession because at the time, we were the youngest of our family in the brigade.

“I was awarded with a brigade life membership last year for 20 years’ service and that has definitely been a highlight.”

With a much-loved group of long serving members around the brigade, Ben said while the generations have changed, they continue to impart their wisdom on newcomers to the station.

“There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t realise, whether that’s operational or in administration. We’re lucky to have so much knowledge around us,” Ben said.

“There are a lot of young enthusiastic people taking the mantle of those who have been there for many years and they’re going straight into other training courses after their General Firefighter to expand their capabilities.

“The different personas are a good opportunity to revitalise the brigade.”

Submitted by	CFA media

Source:

AFAC released its Spring Seasonal Outlook

Victoria is likely to experience an early start to the fire season this spring, with drought-affected areas facing an increased risk, according to the Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Spring.

In the past 18 months, Victoria has experienced low rainfall across most parts of the state, except for East Gippsland. Record low rainfall was recorded in the state’s west, extending across west central and in south-west Gippsland, including the Mornington Peninsula. Lower rainfall has also been expanding into the north-central and central highlands.  

This has resulted in an increase in fuel, such as dead plant material and vegetation, which has the potential to support significant bushfire potential. The more fuel available, the hotter and more intense a bushfire can become and the faster it can spread.

While winter rainfall across the south-west, central, eastern and north-east ranges could minimise the chance of fires in forests, a lack of rainfall in spring could result in above-normal fire potential in these areas leading into summer.

Green growth in paddocks during spring is also likely, but underlying dryness may result in early curing. The degree of curing influences how easily a fire can ignite and spread.

Eastern and northern Victoria is forecast to have a normal level of risk for spring, with a wetter outlook forecast for northern Victoria.

Victoria’s emergency services remain well prepared for all emergencies – including bushfires, heatwaves, storms and flash flooding.

Preparedness is a shared responsibility, and it’s important for communities to prepare now and understand their local risks.

Stay informed by downloading the VicEmergency app or checking the VicEmergency website. Make sure you understand the three levels of warnings and what they mean.

Having a fire plan and reducing vegetation around your home by mowing lawns and clearing gutters are steps you can take now to prepare for a bushfire.

The Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for Spring is developed by AFAC, the National Council for fire and emergency services in Australia and New Zealand, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology, along with state and territory fire and land managers. The Outlook gives a national picture of the likelihood of fires over the spring months.

Quotes attributable to Country Fire Authority Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan

“Our brigade members have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming fire season, but as always, fire safety must be a shared responsibility with community members. 

“We’re urging Victorians to take small steps to prepare and plan with their families before it is too late. Clear you winter piles, tidy up around your homes, and have your plan in place, so you know what to do if a fire breaks out near you. 

“The response from the community over coming weeks will make all the difference.”

Submitted by	CFA media

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC has issued a draft determination proposing to grant an exemption for the next five years to allow the Battery Stewardship Council (BSC), to continue to operate its scheme to facilitate appropriate disposal of end-of-life batteries.

BSC’s members and industry participants would be able to meet their participation requirements under the BSC’s B-cycle Battery Stewardship Scheme without breaching competition law under the ACCC’s proposed determination.

The Scheme is designed and operated by BSC and aims to significantly increase appropriate end-of-life battery disposal and recycling in Australia.

“Our role in this process is to determine whether the collaboration and price agreement between the BSC’s members, results in benefits to the public that are greater than the potential detriments and therefore can be granted an exemption. In this case our preliminary view is that an exemption can and should be granted,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

“We consider the conduct proposed by BSC is likely to result in significant environmental, health and safety benefits by diverting batteries from landfill and raising public awareness around responsible battery disposal and re-use, reducing fire risks in waste streams, and increasing innovation.”

“We acknowledge the Scheme’s low collection rate to date, particularly due to its voluntary nature, and recognise the opportunity for better collection outcomes with states moving towards mandatory stewardship frameworks and as consumer awareness and behaviour continues to change,” Mr Keogh said.

The ACCC considers that minimising the safety risks associated with storing button batteries must continue to be a priority and therefore proposes to specify a condition in its authorisation that the BSC continues implementing its Button Battery Safety Strategy.

To ensure sufficient transparency and effectiveness of the Scheme, the ACCC also proposes to require an annual report on key Scheme outcomes be published by the BSC, as well as an independent review of the Scheme in three years’ time.

Some interested parties proposed a shorter authorisation period of 2–3 years due to uncertainty around the anticipated introduction of mandatory product stewardship legislation, and the current low collection rates of the Scheme.

“We don’t consider that the BSC’s proposed conduct will delay or deter other regulatory approaches to battery stewardship in the short to medium term, although the ACCC seeks further submissions on the proposed duration of authorisation,” Mr Keogh said.

More information, including the ACCC’s draft determination, is available online on the ACCC’s public register at Battery Stewardship Council.

Note to editors

The ACCC is not an environmental regulator. The ACCC’s role as Australia’s competition regulator includes assessing applications for authorisation. ACCC authorisation provides statutory protection from court action for certain conduct by competitors that might otherwise raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (the Act).

In this instance, authorisation is proposed in respect of Division 1 of Part IV (cartel conduct), section 45 and section 47 of the Act (contracts, arrangements or understandings that restrict dealings or affect competition, and exclusive dealing)..The ACCC must not make a determination granting authorisation unless it is satisfied, in all the circumstances, that the conduct would likely result, in a benefit to the public and that benefit would likely outweigh the detriment to the public, from the conduct.

Details about how the Battery Stewardship Scheme will operate, are matters for the Battery Stewardship Council. The ACCC is not involved in the operational aspects of the scheme.

Broadly, the ACCC may grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment.

Background

Product stewardship is an environmental management strategy that means whoever designs, produces, sells or uses a product takes responsibility for minimising that product’s environmental impact through all of the stages of its life cycle.

The BSC is a not-for-profit entity established to operate and oversee the Scheme, which promotes the safe collection, recycling, and disposal of end-of-life batteries. The Scheme does not cover automotive lead-acid batteries or batteries already included in other recycling programs.

The BSC first sought authorisation in 2020 for a static, weight-based levy which was charged on imported batteries at a rate of four cents per equivalent battery unit. The weight-based charge on imported batteries (or equivalent fee to be paid by members of the scheme) is passed on to consumers as a levy and used to fund the scheme and a rebate system to subsidise service providers responsible for battery collection, sorting and processing.

The proposed conduct also adds an annual review process to set the levy and rebates using eco-modulated formulas based on battery type to cover the increased costs and risks of battery collection and recycling. The BSC’s proposal seeks to raise sufficient revenue that it can continue to implement public awareness campaigns to increase participation in battery recycling.

In March 2025, the Product Lifecycle Responsibility Act 2025 (PLR Act) commenced in NSW, which creates a mandatory stewardship framework for certain products. The NSW Government has committed to urgently use the powers of the PLR Act to make regulations targeting batteries. This follows an agreement between Australia’s Environment Ministers on the need for urgent reforms to increase participation in product stewardship arrangements for end-of-life batteries.

On 4 June 2025, the ACCC granted interim authorisation with a condition for the BSC to continue operating the Scheme with the ability to increase levies to reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index since the Scheme’s commencement. The BSC is also able to progress the development of new levy arrangements involving an eco-modulated levy to reflect the different costs of collecting and recycling different battery types, while the ACCC assesses the substantive application for authorisation.

Source: New South Wales – News

SAPOL is continuing to see an increase of remote access scams, particularly through unsolicited phone calls from scammers pretending to be from well-known businesses or government departments.

Assistance scams refer to a wide variety of scams where assistance is offered and help to an unknowing victim. These may include:

– Pop-up scams

– Tech support

– NBN impersonation

– Unsolicited payments

– Scam recovery companies.

“In each example, the victim will receive a call, text message, email or pop-up stating that something is wrong and that they can assist the victim in repairing what has occurred,” Cybercrime Sergeant David Mitchell said.

“Examples of this include such things as removing a virus from a computer or fixing internet speed.

“The scammer may push you into buying unnecessary software or a service to ‘fix’ the computer or ask you for your personal details, including your bank or credit card.

“The scammer may initially sound professional and knowledgeable, however, they will be persistent and may become abusive if you don’t do what they ask.”

Looking at remote access data alone, in 2024 South Australians lost more than $629,000 across 525 scams, and in Australia overall more than $7.5 million was lost to 6755 scams.

So far this year South Australians have lost more than $558,000 across 154 scams, with men 65 and over the main victims. In Australia overall more than $2.4 million has already been lost across 1623 scams, however 54 per cent of victims are female.

“Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer or share personal details,” Sergeant Mitchell added.

“If you receive a random call about your computer and remote access is requested – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company.”

Red flags:

• Unsolicited texts, emails, or calls advising of an issue that you were unaware of.
• Requests for you to download a program on your phone or PC to help you.
• Scammers ask you to transfer funds to keep your money safe.
• Pressure to act quickly to ensure you do not lose money.
• Claims untrustworthy employees are working at your banking institution.
• Scammers ask you not to tell your friends or family.
• They utilise emotions such as fear to switch off your rational mind, leading to impulsive decisions and missing red flags.
• Using complicated technical language which is confusing.

Tips to help keep you safe:

• Hang up and contact the organisation on a known, reputable number. Do NOT trust contact details given to you by the caller.
• Never download programs or applications at the request of someone over the phone.
• Remember that you can still receive scam calls from a private number. If in doubt, hang up and ring the organisation back on a known number.
• Do not be intimidated by technical language or pushy behaviour.
• Make sure your computer is protected and regularly updated with anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Conduct your own research first and only purchase software from a source that you know and trust.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on your accounts where possible to ensure an extra layer of security.
• Never provide one-time passcodes (OTPs) to unknown callers.
• If you have been scammed, do not trust companies claiming to recover your funds. These are often the same people conducting the original scam.

Real-life example

After having technicians attend his street to fix low-hanging phone wires, Allen received a call from NBN asking if he was having slow internet speeds. Assuming the call was related to the attendance, Allen agreed to having his internet speed checked. He followed the caller’s instructions and downloaded a program called AnyDesk. The caller advised he would fix his speeds, and Allen could go about his day. A week later, Allen checked his bank accounts and noticed fraudulent transactions totalling almost $70,000. He contacted his bank and attended his local police station, but unfortunately the money was unable to be recovered.

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.

Support:

– Talk to friends and family.

– eSafety Commissioner – www.esafety.gov.au

– Victims of Crime SA – www.voc.sa.gov.au

– Lifeline – 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au

– Rebuild Victim Counselling – www.rasa.org.au

Have you been a victim of an assistance scam? Make a report to Report Cyber or attend your local police station to speak with an understanding police officer like Cybercrime Sergeant David Mitchell.

Source: Mental Health Australia

Sydney’s electric bus fleet continues to build up with the purchase of 151 more battery electric buses.

The new electric buses will go to the Leichardt and Kingsgrove bus depots that are being converted for the future, sustainable fleet.

Over the long-term, the Zero Emission Buses program will transition NSW’s 8,000-plus diesel and gas buses to zero emissions vehicles.

Read the full media release here (PDF, 101.06 KB). 

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin