Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Huonville woman charged with high-range drink driving

Wednesday, 6 August 2025 – 9:59 am.

A 39-year-old woman from Huonville has been charged with high-range drink driving following a single vehicle crash on the Tasman Highway at Cambridge on Monday night (4 August).
Emergency services were called to the crash about 7.45pm, where the woman was reportedly found behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla.
She was taken into custody and returned a breath alcohol reading of 0.242, almost five times the legal limit.
The woman was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, received an immediate disqualification from driving for two years, and was bailed to appear in court at a later date.
“We’re reminding the public that drink driving on our roads places themselves, other drivers and the wider community at significant risk,” said Sergeant Andy McShane from Road Policing Services. 
“If you are going to consume alcohol, please don’t get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.”
Anyone who has information or dash cam footage of the Toyota Corolla driving in a dangerous manner between Huonville and Cambridge last night is asked to contact police on 131 444 and quote ESCAD 369-04082025.

Source: Ministers for the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science

Australia’s solar manufacturing sector is set for a major boost, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announcing $34.5 million in funding to support Tindo to scale up domestic production of solar PV, and a further $11 million to Solquartz, Energus and Stellar for feasibility studies, all under the Federal Government’s $1 billion Solar Sunshot Program.

Tindo, Australia’s only solar module manufacturer, will use the funding to upgrade its Mawson Lakes facility in South Australia, scaling its annual output from 20 MW to 180 MW, introducing advanced automation and expanding its product range to include premium N-type solar modules. The project also includes a feasibility study for a future gigafactory capable of producing 1 GW of solar panels annually.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said funding projects like Tindo is a key step in building a resilient, homegrown solar manufacturing industry.

“As the only homegrown solar module manufacturer, Tindo brings unmatched local expertise to the table,” said Mr Miller.

“With deep knowledge of our labour market and manufacturing processes, they’re uniquely placed to help scale up and strengthen our solar PV industry.”

“Australia needs to install hundreds of millions of solar panels over the coming decades to reach our 2050 emissions goals and deliver on the renewable energy superpower ambition. There is an opportunity to make a portion of these here in Australia and today marks a significant step in that direction.”

The Mawson Lakes facility upgrade will create more than 50 direct jobs, with flow on benefits to local suppliers. Additionally, Tindo will deliver a recruitment and training program to upskill workers to meet the specific needs of the solar manufacturing industry. The proposed gigafactory would aim to employ a further 230 people, with approximately half of them trained in solar PV manufacturing roles.

Tindo CEO Richard Petterson said the funding was a strategic and targeted way to sustainably boost Australian solar PV manufacturing.

“With targeted support over the next seven years, we’ll be able to scale up production at our Mawson Lakes facility to a more efficient and cost-effective model,” said Mr Petterson.

“That means lower prices, broader market reach and maintaining the high-quality Australian-made panels we’re known for.”

A further $11 million has been awarded to support feasibility studies for upstream solar manufacturing.

• $5 million to Solquartz for its Townsville Green Polysilicon Feasibility Study into a 100,000 tpa low-emission, solar-grade polysilicon production facility close to Townsville, Queensland.
• $1.3 million to Energus for its Feasibility Study for a 50,000 tpa low-emissions, solar-grade polysilicon production facility at AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub.
• $4.7 million to Stellar PV for its Feasibility Study for a 2 GW low-emissions polysilicon ingot pulling and wafering facility close to Townsville, Queensland.

These studies will explore local production of polysilicon, ingots and wafers, which are critical components in solar panel manufacturing. Australia is rich in raw materials and well positioned to manufacture the upstream components that will drive our solar future and help strengthen Australia’s energy independence, add value to international supply chains and create new opportunities in clean energy manufacturing.

About Solar Sunshot 

ARENA is delivering the $1 billion Solar Sunshot program to grow Australia’s solar PV manufacturing industry by supporting innovation, scale and diversity in solar manufacturing.

Solar Sunshot is a cornerstone of the Government’s work to build a Future Made in Australia, powered by Australian-made renewables.

The program will help Australia make the most of its abundant solar energy and expertise, creating diverse, secure and resilient supply chains that support thriving green energy industries.

Round 1A (now closed) offered $500 million in capital and production-linked funding.

Round 1B remains open, with $50 million available for feasibility and engineering studies.

Round 2 is currently under design and is expected to be launched in August.

Learn more at https://arena.gov.au/funding/solar-sunshot/

ARENA media contact:

media@arena.gov.au

Download this media release (PDF 151KB)

Source:

06 August 2025

New research by the University of South Australia finds a silver lining to the struggling media landscape in the face of the digital age, revealing that social media is enhancing the diversity of news the community receives.    

The study found that Australian news is more diverse on social media, as the traditional media landscape – particularly quality local journalism – has become increasingly unsustainable.

Social media is the most popular way for Australians to find and consume news, with over 16 million active Australian users on the Facebook app alone.

The recent study, led by UniSA lecturer Cameron McTernan, examined more than 86,000 Facebook posts from Australian print, digital and TV newsrooms from 2010 to 2022.

“The study found that news shared on Facebook is much more diverse than news shared by traditional media, with many different news sources and voices,” McTernan says.

“In the first few years sampled, the three leading news pages on Facebook were ABC News, 9News and news.com.au, however, newer entrants like Daily Mail Australia and Sky News have since become highly popular.”

The majority of posts over the course of the study were shared by newspaper pages (56%); digital news platforms (37%) and TV (7%). Content shared by print and digital pages was overwhelmingly local, whereas TV had a strong metropolitan focus. TV and digital posts also had a stronger national focus.

“While Australia has long seen a decline in newsrooms and concentration in ownership, the results of this study show the potential for new entrants to succeed on a distributed access platform like Facebook.”

McTernan, who specialises in social media, political communication and media industries, says social media platforms have become a double-edged sword for the news economy.

“While social media can provide better discoverability of news, it also competes with traditional outlets for revenue. The two competing industries are struggling to find a cooperative path forward, and ultimately that hurts newsrooms a lot more than tech firms, and ultimately, it hurts all of us,” he says.

“Exposing the community to more diverse news sources benefits tolerance, encourages people to challenge biases and ultimately informs better decision-making and a more inclusive world. A viable media industry is also vital for supporting the economy and fulfilling a crucial role in democratic societies – including through its own contributions on social media.”

Big tech companies and traditional news outlets face ongoing tensions, particularly with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, declining to pay for news in Australia. The company is set to stop paying publishers for content when current deals under Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code expire.

The Australian government announced a News Bargaining Incentive designed to encourage Meta and other platforms to contribute to the sustainability of the country’s news media, with a public consultation process expected to begin soon.

McTernan says while this move shows governments are supporting newsrooms, there has been a lack of quality data into the diversity of news content on digital platforms.

“The goal of my research was to understand whether Australian news on Facebook is truly diverse or dominated by a few big companies. We already knew that Australia has one of the most concentrated media markets in the world, so it was important to understand the scale, scope and structure of its social media news market, to help inform conversations and negotiations in this complex space.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Cameron McTernan, Lecturer, UniSA Creative E: Cameron.mcternan@unisa.edu.au

Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communications Officer, UniSA M: +61 403 659 154 E: melissa.keogh@unisa.edu.au

Source: New South Wales – News

About 2.40am on Wednesday 6 August, police were called to Dorset Street after reports of gunshots heard in the street. A vehicle was seen leaving the area immediately after.

Police arrived and located a bullet hole in an empty vehicle parked in the driveway of a home.

Thankfully no one was injured.

It is early in the investigation however police do not believe this was a random incident.

Limestone Coast CIB and Crime Scene Investigators are attending the scene.

Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestopperssa.com.au on 1800 333 000. You can remain anonymous.

Source:

John Mangrum (front row, second from left) with the Australian swim team at this years games

CFA member John Mangrum has represented Australia and bought home a haul of medals from the World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) in Alabama USA.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Premier of Victoria

As AI becomes a part of everyday life, NAB is lifting its approach to Data & AI literacy, hosting 40 events and activations for its team throughout August dedicated to building knowledge around how these tools can make a real difference for customers.

NAB Chief Data & Analytics Officer Christian Nelissen said the initiative is about giving employees the chance to build new skills, understanding, and confidence, no matter their role.

“This month is a chance for our team to fully immerse themselves. It’s an open invitation to the more than 38,000 colleagues across the bank, whether they’re deep in the data or just starting out. We’re encouraging them to be curious, dive in and explore these tools,” Mr Nelissen said.

Now in its fourth year, NAB’s Data & AI month is a bank-wide educational program designed to help colleagues at all levels grow their confidence and capabilities with data and AI.

This August, 40 hours of learning will be delivered across 19 working days, with sessions exploring how different tools can improve customer experiences, while being used safely and responsibly. The programme breaks down what it takes to build a truly data-driven organisation – from making customer experiences more personalised in real time and ethical data practices, to exploring how NAB’s platforms connect behind the scenes through the evolving Lakehouse architecture.

According to research by Canva, 92% of leaders say AI literacy is a must-have skill in the next two to four years. At NAB, colleagues have had access to more than 200 hours of learning since Data & AI month launched in 2021. Over the past four years, more than 10,000 colleagues have attended sessions during the month. With growing interest in how AI and data are shaping the workplace, even greater engagement is anticipated this year.

The annual series reflects NAB’s longer-term commitment to building AI literacy across the bank and giving all employees an opportunity to learn. In addition to the dedicated month, NAB also has Data & AI Guilds which provide continuous learning and development opportunities for colleagues.

“AI has been around for years, but the current pace of change is rapid. Providing opportunities to learn are vital to helping drive creativity and innovation.

“History shows us the pattern: from printing presses to electrification to the dot-com boom, every major leap has created new skills and roles.

“Fifty years ago, banks had thousands of typists. Today, we have none – and yet we employ more people than ever before. No one was hiring for a Prompt Engineer five years ago. The nature of work will change.

“We’re implementing GenAI tools which are removing drudgery for our people, giving them time back to solve more complex tasks that AI can’t for our customers.”

Unlocking the Strategic Power of Data 

Data & AI Month also invites teams to explore how data can be used to reshape customer understanding and help drive smarter decisions.

“We have an enormous amount of data and reporting available to us,” said Mr Nelissen.

“But we haven’t fully tapped into its potential to rethink how we can anticipate customer needs, streamline decision making and rethink how our teams operate.

“That’s what Data & AI Month is all about – turning insight into action.”

During the month, colleagues will also hear from platform partners like Databricks, AWS and Microsoft, who are deeply embedded in NAB’s technology ecosystem.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Source: New South Wales – News

It will be alleged that on 3 May, a 4-week-old child was taken to a hospital with a swollen leg. A medical examination was conducted identifying a number of serious injuries which included bone fractures.

Detectives from Southern District Criminal Investigation Branch conducted an investigation into the child’s injuries which has today resulted in the arrests of a 34-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man from Reynella East.

Both were charged with criminal neglect and recklessly cause serious harm.

They were granted bail to appear at the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on 30 September.

All parties are known to each other.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Couple in missing light plane identified

Tuesday, 5 August 2025 – 4:42 pm.

With the permission of their family, Tasmania Police has released the names of the two Tasmanians on board a light plane that has been missing since Saturday.
Gregory Vaughan, 72, and his partner Kim Worner, 66, of Deloraine, plus their dog Molly, were in a light sport aircraft that took off from George Town airport about 12.45pm on Saturday. 
The plane is a two-seater Bristell S-LSA in distinctive green colour.
Tasmania Police Inspector Nick Clark said the plane did not arrive at its destination in central NSW as scheduled and family members raised the alarm on Saturday evening. 
“The two people on the plane have not been in contact with anyone, or aviation authorities, since they left George Town,” Inspector Clark said.
“If anyone has information that could assist the search, has seen a plane matching this description, or noticed anything such as unusual debris on land or in the water, they should contact Tasmania Police on 131 444.”
A Tasmania Police helicopter crew conducted sweeps of the state’s northern coastline between George Town and Turners Beach today however, there has been no sighting of the plane.
Inclement weather and low cloud complicated search conditions, while boats did not go out on the water due to the rough conditions.
Inspector Clark said Tasmania Police would continue searching on Wednesday.
“Significant resources have been utilised in the search and Pol Air will continue to be used over the next two days, at which time the search efforts will be re-assessed based on any possible new information that becomes available,” he said.
“The longer Gregory and Kim are missing the greater the concerns are for their welfare.”