Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

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Interview with ABC News Breakfast

Source: Australian Attorney General’s Agencies

James Glenday, Host: On federal politics, Don Farrell joins us now from Parliament House. Don, good morning and welcome back to News Breakfast.

Trade Minister, Don Farrell: Good morning, James.

Glenday: On the final sitting day, could you have imagined returning to Canberra knowing that you’d knocked off the Liberal Party’s leader, Peter Dutton, and the leader of The Greens, Adam Bandt as well?

Minister Farrell: Well, the truth is, James, I don’t think anybody could have predicted that. I was confident, based on the work that we’d done over the previous three years, especially in my space, of trade, that we would be returned and returned with a majority. But even I couldn’t believe the results as they came in on Saturday night. I think the Greens have suffered because so many times in the last Parliament they blocked sensible policies of the Albanese Government. They voted with the Coalition in the Senate to block, for instance, legislation on housing, sensible housing policy, and I think they’ve paid the political price for that.

Glenday: This outcome must be deeply satisfying for you. Personally, I just wonder, have you ever felt so satisfied after an election win? Where does this rank? Is it the sweetest victory, almost a fairytale for Labor?

Minister Farrell: Look, it doesn’t, doesn’t get any better than this, James. When you’ve been involved in politics as long as I have, this has to be the sweetest victory of all.

Glenday: There you go. Now there’s a trade war happening. I’m not sure where you’re going to end up, but if you are reinstalled as Trade Minister, you’ll have a lot on your plate. Do you know where you’ll head?

Minister Farrell: First of all, look, we’ve got a number of objectives that we will need to prosecute and prosecute very quickly. On election night I got messages from my European colleagues, they’re very keen to re-engage and have another crack at an EU free trade agreement. The EU has 450 million people, and a $17 trillion economy. They’ll be very important if we can get a breakthrough there. The Indians also contacted me. We were very close to a new free trade agreement with them and I think we can move very quickly now to finalise that agreement. And of course, in the next few weeks, our new free trade agreement with the United Arab Emirates, which sends all of our products into the UAE tariff free, will come into force and that will be important. And of course we, we want to continue discussions with the United States. We believe in free and fair trade and that’s the argument we’ll be prosecuting with them.

Glenday: I think it’ll be closely watched. Do you expect to head to either China or to the States first?

Minister Farrell: Look, we’ll worry about that after we know who the new Trade Minister is next week.

Glenday: That’s fair.

Minister Farrell: But we will move very quickly to ensure that Australia’s interests are protected here. China, of course, is our largest trading partner. We’re concerned about the tariff war between China and the United States. We believe in free and fair trade and we think that those tariffs should be removed on China.

Glenday: Okay. You are a factional leader of the Labor right. You were once unkindly referred to as a faceless man. Of course you do have a face. And here you are speaking to us. What are you asking the Prime Minister for though? You’ve got a lot of influence as these Ministerial portfolios are carved up.

Minister Farrell: A face that a mother could love. And they do call me other things too, by the way. That’s not the only thing they call me. Look, I’m not going to give the Prime Minister any advice on what he should do. He’s won a fabulous victory here. He ran a flawless campaign. His strategy throughout the whole of the last term was about getting reelected and continuing the policies that we took to the election. I’m very happy to leave it all to him and to accept whatever he might wish me to do in the new government.

Glenday: Ok, just before I let you go, I want to get you on an international issue that’s been developing. Has the Albanese government made any contact with India or Pakistan regarding these cross border strikes we’re seeing?

Minister Farrell: Look, that’s an issue of course, that is in the hands of our very competent and successful Foreign Minister, Penny Wong. But of course we don’t want to see any conflict in our region. We’d like to see an end to the conflict in the Middle East, the conflict in Ukraine, Russia, and we certainly don’t want to see any conflict in our own region.

Glenday: And Don, just one last one. We saw smoke this morning from the Vatican. You went to the Pope’s funeral. I’m not sure what that was like, but do you have a personal preference of who the next Pope should be or the direction of the Catholic Church? I’m guessing this is outside the bounds of your factional influence.

Minister Farrell: Well, as a matter of fact, James, I do have a personal favourite in the Conclave at the moment. And that is the Australian – Ukrainian Cardinal, Cardinal Bychok. I was lucky enough to meet with him twice while I was in Rome. He’s a very, very fine man. A very holy man. I’d like to see him as the next pope. My wife, on the other hand, who’s Filipino, she would like to see Cardinal Tagle as the next pope. And we also had the opportunity of meeting him at the Vatican. So, there’s a couple of candidates for you, James.

Glenday: There you go. Well, we’ll have to wait and see if you’ve backed a winner there, Don Farrell, the Trade Minister. Perhaps the continuing Trade Minister. We’ll wait and see for that as well. Thank you so much for joining News Breakfast this morning.

Minister Farrell: Thanks, James.

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New tool to fast-track ovarian cancer diagnosis

Source:

08 May 2025

A woman’s chances of surviving ovarian cancer at least five years after diagnosis come down to the toss of a coin: just 49% will reach that milestone, making it one of the most lethal reproductive cancers worldwide.

One of the reasons for the high mortality rate is late-stage diagnosis and delayed treatment due to nonspecific symptoms that are often missed by healthcare professionals and women themselves.

University of South Australia postdoctoral researcher, Dr Amanda Lumsden, with a transdisciplinary team, is hoping to rectify this by co-designing a user-friendly symptom assessment tool for ovarian cancer, thanks to a $45,087 Catalyst grant from Health Translation SA (HTSA).

Via an online ovarian cancer symptom scoping survey, researchers will gather feedback from people with lived experience of ovarian cancer (as well as clinicians) to help develop a prototype symptom assessment tool. The tool will detail potential symptoms and risk factors for ovarian cancer and will lay the groundwork for a larger study to test how well the prototype performs.

Dr Lumsden, a Research Fellow based in UniSA’s Australian Centre for Precision Health, says that unlike mammograms and cervical screening tests that help detect breast and cervical cancer at an early stage, there are no public screening programs for picking up ovarian cancer early.

“Women with ovarian cancer may experience nonspecific symptoms for up to two or more years before the tumour becomes clinically apparent, and often do not connect these symptoms with cancer,” Dr Lumsden says. “By then, the tumour has usually progressed to an advanced stage.”

“Abdominal issues, including bloating, pain and loss of appetite are red flags. If there is a family history of ovarian cancer, this should also be considered. Some other factors are linked to lower risk, such as having children, and having ever used oral contraceptives.

“We are hoping to identify common symptoms, patterns and themes experienced by people who have experienced an ovarian cancer diagnosis and use these findings to inform the development of the tool.”

“This is a very exciting avenue of research, and an important first step in a larger program of work,” says Professor Elina Hyppönen, who leads the group. If we can find a way to identify high risk women at an earlier stage, this can increase the available treatment options, and hopefully help to ensure better treatment outcomes.”

The online ovarian cancer symptom scoping survey is open until 20 June. Take the survey here:

 https://unisasurveys.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3KuR3ohn99UX48K

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

Researcher contact: Dr Amanda Lumsden E: amanda.lumsden@unisa.edu.au

Other articles you may be interested in

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Inside the ACT’s Traffic Management Centre

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Staff monitor traffic flow on 30 screens, from over 130 CCTV cameras across Canberra.

In brief:

  • The ACT has a Traffic Management Centre.
  • Centre staff monitor traffic flow around the territory and make changes to traffic signals as needed.
  • This article contains more about the traffic management process.

The ACT’s Traffic Management Centre is the nerve centre for the road network.

For 12 hours a day, centre staff monitor traffic flow on 30 screens, from over 130 CCTV cameras.

They make changes to traffic signals as needed. This helps reduce congestion and improve travel times for motorists.

Staff work with a range of different people, including bus drivers and construction project managers, to do so.

There are several major public and private construction projects underway in the city. The Centre plays an integral role in ensuring motorists, pedestrians and cyclists get where they need to safely and efficiently.

Traffic Management Centre insights

  • Fewer people are on the roads on Mondays and Fridays.
  • Wednesdays are the busiest day on the roads.
  • Peak travel times on weekdays are from 7.30am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6pm. If you can, it’s best to try to travel outside of this time.
  • Routes into the western side of the city, including Edinburgh Avenue and Marcus Clarke Street, are particularly busy in the morning and evening peak times. Motorists are encouraged to take alternate routes where possible.

Keeping Canberrans informed

Hundreds of Bluetooth ‘sniffers’ on the road network also give live anonymous travel time data to the centre.

This data is then placed on variable message signs, including on the Monaro Highway and Tuggeranong Parkway.

They state how long it will take to get to the city via different routes.

Centre staff are always prepared to respond and coordinate with relevant agencies in case of:

  • an accident
  • a vehicle breakdown
  • a special event
  • congestion
  • debris on the road
  • hazards related to weather.

Stay up to date on travel changes in the city at the Built for CBR website.

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ACCP to lead research into European child abuse responses

Source:

08 May 2025

ACCP researcher Dr James Herbert will lead the project to analyse the Barnahus model .

UniSA’s Australian Centre for Child Protection (ACCP) will lead research into the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary and child friendly response to child sexual abuse in Europe.

ACCP has been awarded a $910,000 Oak Foundation grant to help evaluate the impact of the Barnahus response to child abuse.

The Barnahus model (translates to ‘Children’s House’ in Icelandic) is a multidisciplinary and child friendly response to child sexual abuse in Europe that aims to bring together all relevant professionals under one roof, creating a safe and child-centred environment for investigation and support.

Dr James Herbert will lead the million-dollar research project with partners in the United Kingdom and Germany to better understand the variations in how countries implement Barnahus and how to measure the impact of these different models for children.

“The project will evaluate the impact of Barnahus in Europe and look at the evidence,” says Dr Herbert.

“An Australian being awarded this grant for a project in Europe is a really important recognition of the work that ACCP has done to date in advancing research into multidisciplinary responses like Children’s Advocacy Centres (CAC) and Barnahus.”

Along with research into multi-disciplinary models in Australia, Dr Herbert has a strong track record of international collaboration.

This has included a national survey of CACs in the United States to identify the scale of resources they had to support children, contributing to a review of medical services at the Chicago CAC, supervising a research project in Canada into the alignment of multi-disciplinary teams, and serving on the international evaluation advisory committee for the Scottish ‘Bairns Hoose’.

The research team will work closely with the Barnahus Network and their membership on the project across 28 countries in Europe.

 “The Barnahus approach is an excellent example of what systems change can look like and what’s possible when we put children at the centre of our considerations,” Dr Herbert says. “Long term, I’m hoping that we will be able to bring the learning and experience from this work back to Australia.”

The ACCP has received the Oak Foundation grant under their Prevent Child Sexual Abuse Programme.

The ACCP is Australia’s premier research centre for the prevention of child abuse and neglect; the Director is currently Professor Leah Bromfield (2025 Australian of the Year for SA). It was established by the Commonwealth Government in partnership with the University of South Australia in 2004 to better prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect by helping to not only grow the evidence base but also translate it into practice.

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Contact for interview: Dr James Herbert M: +61 402 298 734 E: james.herbert@unisa.edu.au

Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

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K’gari’s annual planned burning program ignites for 2025

Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 7 May 2025

The flames of protection and renewal are lighting up K’gari once again as the island’s annual collaborative planned burning program sparks into action.

From now through July, fire-trained Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) rangers and their firefighting partners will be leading the charge across key areas of the island to safeguard its unique ecosystems and protect vital infrastructure.

After a soggy start to the year, including the impacts of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred and a bustling Easter holiday season, QPWS has officially launched this year’s planned burn initiative.

In late April, the first planned burns were carefully conducted at the Dundubara camping area.

Over a two-day operation, rangers expertly applied low-intensity fire to reduce fuel loads around the popular campground and nearby dingo exclusion fence.

The result was a safer, more resilient landscape – better prepared for bushfire season and the next phase of aerial planned burns.

Senior Ranger Linda Behrendorff emphasised the importance of timing and ecological balance.

“Now is the prime time for planned burning on K’gari,” Ranger Linda said.

“We take many factors into account – like seasonal wildlife movements, peak visitor periods, and recent weather patterns – to ensure every burn benefits the environment and the community.”

Planned burns play a critical role in QPWS’s long-term fire management strategy.

By creating a diverse mosaic of burnt and unburnt areas, these efforts help reduce bushfire intensity, support biodiversity, and promote healthier ecosystems across the K’gari section of Great Sandy National Park.

Visitors to K’gari over the coming months are encouraged to stay informed, respect Ranger instructions, and look out for signage related to fire operations.

For your safety and the safety of others:

  • Never enter closed areas
  • Only light campfires in designated zones
  • If smoke is present, stay indoors, close windows and doors, and keep respiratory medication handy

For the latest updates, visit the QPWS Fire Management webpage or stay connected via Park Alerts and @QldParkAlerts on X (formerly Twitter).

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Kondalilla National Park temporary closure

Source: Tasmania Police

Issued: 7 May 2025

Parts of Kondalilla National Park, including the Kondalilla Falls Lower Circuit are temporarily closed due to damage from flash flooding.

Recent heavy rainfall and severe weather in the Blackall Range has resulted in damage to bridges and tracks in the national park.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) Rangers are working to assess and repair the damage and will re-open parts of the Kondalilla Falls when it is safe to do so.

These measures have been enforced to ensure the safety of visitors.

Sections of Kondalilla National Park remain open:

  • Picnic Creek Circuit
  • Kondalilla Falls Lookout
  • Kondalilla Falls Rock Pools
  • Access to Flat Rock and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk

Visitors are being urged to check Park Alerts for up-to-date information on protected area closures.

QPWS will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates when the protected areas are safe to reopen.

The public is urged to obey all signs and directions from Rangers to ensure their safety.

Media contact:                 DETSI Media Unit on (07) 3339 5831 or media@des.qld.gov.au

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Free waste disposal options in Canberra

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

You can dispose of e-waste at either Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centre.

In brief:

  • Many household items cannot go in your kerbside bins.
  • There are ways to dispose of these free of charge – even if they are large.
  • This article outlines how you can do this.

Do you have old household items sitting around that can’t go in your kerbside bins?

You may not know of the free services you can take advantage of, to declutter your home and save money in the process.

Free drop-off at resource management centres

If you’d rather get rid of things yourself, you may be able to drop them to a resource management centre for free.

Canberra has two resource management centres:

Both locations are open 7:30am– 5:00pm, seven days a week. They are closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day.

When dropping your items at the resource management centres, please ensure they are sorted and clearly identifiable.

There will be a charge for mixed loads which are not easily visible.

Batteries and items with built-in batteries

Plenty of household items cannot go in kerbside bins. Batteries, for example, are classed as hazardous waste and can cause fires if disposed of incorrectly.

There are  many options to dispose of them.

You can take your batteries and devices with built-in batteries – including damaged or fire affected batteries – to the hazardous waste collection area at either the Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centres.

There are also over 50 B-cycle drop off points for household batteries located around Canberra.

Find out more about where to drop off batteries.

Other hazardous waste

You can also drop off small amounts of other hazardous waste for free. Look out for the hazardous waste collection area at either Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centres.

You can dispose of:

  • liquid hazardous waste, such as aerosol cans (full), caustic materials, household cleaning agents, cooking oils, household pesticides, photographic chemicals, domestic poisons, domestic pool chemicals
  • helium party balloon cylinders
  • fire extinguishers
  • gas bottles
  • paint (see the paintback website for more information)
  • fluorescent tubes (including compact fluorescent tubes and bulbs)
  • automotive fuels.

Electronic waste (e-waste)

You can dispose of e-waste, such as computers and laptops, televisions, tablets, mobile phones, printers and gaming consoles, at either Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centres.

There is a limit of 15 items per person (a keyboard, mouse and monitor equals one item).

You can also dispose of electrical appliances such as kettles, microwaves, toasters, hairdryers, coffee machines, irons and fans for free.

White goods

You don’t need to pay to take white goods to either Mugga Lane or Mitchell resource management centres. White goods include items such as fridges, freezers, clothes dryers, washing machines, dishwashers and ovens.

It’s also worth noting ActewAGL offers a fridge buyback program. Working fridges can be collected for recycling and a $30 rebate applied to the account holder’s electricity account.

Green waste

Green waste bin overloaded? You can take your excess green waste to Corkhill Bros for free. This is located at Mugga Lane only.

Fees apply to oversized (branches or trees larger than 20cm in diameter and/or two metres in length) residential and commercial green waste.

Find out more about your green waste disposal options.

Household recycling

Household recycling can be dropped off for free at the Mugga Lane resource management centre or one of the five recycling drop off centres located at Mitchell, Gungahlin, Belconnen, Woden and Tuggeranong. You can take:

  • paper
  • cardboard
  • glass bottles and jars
  • aluminium and steel cans
  • plastic bottles and containers.

Corflute signs

Corflute signs are accepted for free at the corflute collection bins at Mitchell and Mugga Lane resource management centres.

Please remove any paper, glue, plastic ties, stakes and metal from the signs.

Find out more about what is accepted at the resource management centres, and how much you can dispose of.

Give your items a new life

Remember, if your items can be reused, you may be able to drop them off for free at Goodies Junction – located at both Mitchell and Mugga Lane resource management centres.

Find out what can be donated to Goodies Junction.

Still unsure about something? Check out ACT City Services’ A-Z guide to waste and recycling to see what can go where.

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Active travel boost for the ACT

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Our CBR is the ACT Government’s key channel to connect with Canberrans and keep you up-to-date with what’s happening in the city. Our CBR includes a monthly print edition, email newsletter and website.

You can easily opt in or out of the newsletter subscription at any time.

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Arrests – Aggravated assault and aggravated robbery – Jingili

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested two males in relation to an aggravated assault and aggravated robbery that occurred in Jingili on Sunday 20 April.

Around 8:15pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received a report that a male and female had been assaulted while at a service station on McMillans Road.

It is alleged that as the male victim returned to his vehicle from the service station, an alleged offender approached him aggressively before punching him to the back of the head. The offender then damaged the victim’s vehicle before assaulting him again. 

A second male offender, known to the first, then approached and allegedly threw a rock through the vehicle’s window, striking the female, who was seated inside. The victims then drove away to avoid further assault and contacted police.

During the incident, a female customer at the service station attempted to leave the location; however, one of the offenders opened her vehicle door and took the keys out of the ignition.

The offender demanded money in exchange for the keys before pushing the victim to the ground and returning her keys.

Both alleged offenders subsequently fled the location.

On Tuesday 6 May, Detectives from Strike Force Trident arrested two males, aged 25 and 37-years-old, at a shopping centre on Trower Road.

The 25-year-old male was identified in connection to a separate aggravated assault that occurred in Palmerston and had been actively evading police.

The 25-year-old male has been charged with:

  • Aggravated assault x 2
  • Recklessly endanger serious harm
  • Endanger occupants of vehicle or vessel
  • Theft
  • Engage in violent conduct
  • Going armed in public

And the 37-year-old has been charged with:

  • Recklessly endanger serious harm x 2
  • Endanger occupants of vehicle or vessel
  • Engage in violent conduct
  • Going armed in public

Police urge anyone with information about the incident to make contact on 131 444. Anonymous reports can be made via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

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Firearm seizure – Moil

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has seized a homemade firearm and other firearm equipment following an incident in Moil on Sunday.

About 4:10am, the Joint Emergency Services Communications Centre (JESCC) received multiple calls in relation to the discharge of a firearm at a residence. As part of these calls, a 43-year-old male called to self-report that he had unintentionally shot himself in the foot.

Police deployed and applied first aid to the male at the residence before he was conveyed to Royal Darwin Hospital by St John Ambulance in a serious but stable condition. Police seized a privately manufactured firearm following the incident.

Yesterday, members from the Firearms Audit and Enforcement Unit conducted a lawful search at the residence and subsequently seized a partially manufactured firearm, an electronic firing device for explosives and other equipment used in the manufacturing of firearms.

Investigations remain ongoing and the male is expected to be charged at a later date.

Police urge the public to be aware of the serious risks posed by illegal and privately manufactured firearms. These weapons are often unreliable and can cause severe injury or death. The illegal manufacturing of firearms is an offence against the Northern Territory Firearms Act 1997 and carries penalties up to 10 years imprisonment.

Anyone with information regarding illegal firearms, their misuse, or individuals involved in manufacturing firearms is strongly encouraged to report it to the police on 131 444. Reports can also be made anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via Crime Stoppers NT.