Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

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

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) will invest up to $45 million in Fortescue’s Solar Innovation Hub (the Hub) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia with aims to significantly reduce the levelised cost of utility-scale solar and accelerate its broader deployment. 

The Hub will serve as a 500 MW test bed for emerging technology within Fortescue’s planned 1.5 GW solar PV development pipeline. The project introduces a novel funding approach, trialling a portfolio of up to 10 individual projects deploying a range of technologies under one agreement aimed at cutting costs, demonstrating technical and commercial feasibility, and sharing knowledge across the solar PV and clean technology sectors. 

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the Solar Innovation Hub is a groundbreaking initiative that will help drive down the cost of solar energy in line with ARENA’s Ultra Low-Cost Solar (ULCS) vision, while paving the way for future innovations in the renewable energy sector. 

“Solar PV deployment is evolving as we find new ways to reduce costs, streamline logistics and adapt to challenging environmental conditions. These advances are helping to lower the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) and improve commercial viability for the heavy industrial and hard to abate sectors,” Mr Miller said. 

“This project also represents a new way for ARENA to provide funding, maximising our impact and fostering collaboration between Australia’s energy innovators. By creating a space where cutting-edge technologies can be tested and refined in real-world environments, we’re helping to deliver significant cost reductions as quickly as possible for the benefit of both industry and the climate.” 

Fortescue has already launched two demonstration projects within the Hub. The first, with Built Robotics, has successfully trialled its automated pile-driving technology at the Cloudbreak Solar Farm, showcasing the potential for robotics to transform large-scale solar construction. The second, with 5B, will test its rapid-deployment Maverick solar technology onsite from early 2026. Both innovations are being evaluated at Cloudbreak and, if successful, are set to be scaled up in future stages of Fortescue’s solar development pipeline. 

The Hub is expected to produce high-value insights into cost drivers, validate multiple innovative technologies and identify pathways to commercialisation. Co-locating innovations within Fortescue’s Pilbara solar farms provides a unique opportunity to assess and compare the impact of different approaches in a single operational and environmental setting. The knowledge generated will support broader industry efforts to accelerate solar PV adoption in challenging contexts and contribute to ARENA’s strategic objectives around innovation and decarbonisation. 

Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Metals and Operations Dino Otranto said, “This opportunity to work with ARENA is a strong endorsement of Fortescue’s commitment to pioneering renewable energy solutions at scale.” 

“The Solar Innovation Hub will allow us to trial and refine new technologies that improve safety, speed up delivery and drive down costs – helping us and Australia accelerate the transition to green energy.” 

With Australia’s net zero goals, demand for clean energy is forecast to increase rapidly. The Solar Innovation Hub supports ARENA’s ambitious ULCS goal of 30 per cent module efficiency at an installed cost of 30 cents per watt by 2030. If delivered, Australia could reach a LCOE of <$20 per megawatt hour, which represents approximately one third of the cost of today’s solar PV. ARENA is also looking beyond 2030, through research and development activities that can drive further cost reductions through to 2040. 

ULCS will also help us achieve our goal of accelerating deployment to reach 1 terawatt of installed solar PV in Australia by 2050. 

To find out more about the Project, visit: https://arena.gov.au/projects/fortescue-solar-innovation-hub/ 

ARENA media contact:

media@arena.gov.au

Download this media release (PDF 174KB)

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

For the third year running, Crib Point played host to a major joint training exercise, bringing together brigades from across the Westernport, Peninsula and South East Groups.

Submitted by	CFA News

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC will conduct a Black Friday sales sweep to identify misleading or deceptive sales advertising used by retailers.

The sweep will focus on a range of sales advertising tactics used by retailers. This includes misleading limited time representations that create a false sense of urgency for consumers, misleading ‘site-wide’ or ‘store-wide’ claims about sales, and claims of ‘up to X% off’, where few products are on sale at X% off.

“We are putting retailers on notice to review their sales advertising practices to ensure that any sales or discount claims they make are accurate, clear, and not likely to mislead or deceive consumers,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said.

“Misleading advertising may influence a consumer’s behaviour and impact their ability to make an informed purchasing decision during the sales,” Ms Lowe said.

“We will pay special attention to retailers who were identified as having problematic sales practices in the sweep we conducted during last year’s Black Friday and Boxing Day sales and expect to see improved compliance across the retail sector.”

Retailers that use misleading or deceptive tactics during the Black Friday sales period may face enforcement action by the ACCC.

“If consumers are waiting for the Black Friday sales to make a big purchase, we encourage them to consider checking the prices now before sales start, so they can compare the price and determine if they are making a legitimate saving,” Ms Lowe said.

The ACCC encourages consumers to be wary of broad claims about discounts or savings during Black Friday and to check for any disclaimers or conditions in sales advertisements.

“Consumers shopping during the Black Friday sales are encouraged to report promotions or ads that raise concerns to the ACCC, including images of the potential misconduct,” Ms Lowe said.

The best way for consumers to report any potentially misleading or deceiving advertising representations is by the ACCC website, where images and specific detail can be provided.

The ACCC has guidance that retailers should review on advertising and promotions.

Consumer and fair-trading concerns in the supermarket and retail sectors, with a focus on misleading pricing practices, is a 2025-26 Compliance and Enforcement Priority for the ACCC.

Background

The ACCC sweep will focus on a range of conduct, including:

• Misleading time representations, including, the use of phrases such as ‘3 days only’ and devices such as countdown timers that don’t align with the true duration of the sale.
• Claims of store-wide or site-wide sales, when in fact the sales involve exclusions
• Fine print or disclaimers that seek to limit headline claims about the sale, including member-only deals or excluding a range of products.
• ‘Up to X% off’, where the ‘up to’ text is not prominently displayed, or where few or very few products are on sale at X% off.
• Misleading ‘was/now’ or ‘strikethrough’ pricing representations

In 2024, the ACCC conducted a sweep of sales advertising by Australian retailers online and in store to target the Black Friday and Boxing Day sale periods. The 2024 sweep uncovered a range of concerning practices, including those listed above.

Following the sweep, the ACCC launched a number of investigations into specific retailers and wrote to those retailers where the most concerning conduct was identified and asked them to justify their claims.

In June 2025, Michael Hill, My House and Hairhouse online paid penalties for allegedly making false and misleading representations about their Black Friday Sales.

There are still ongoing investigations as a result of the sweep conducted in 2024.

Examples of the type of advertising that the upcoming sweep will focus on:

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Two men have been arrested after the owners of a Darwin residence tracked the would-be thieves’ movements on home CCTV.

About 2:54am this morning, the owners of a residence in The Gardens, who were not at home, reported to Northern Territory Police that intruders were on their property after they were alerted by their motion-activated CCTV.

The offenders were seen walking around the residence attempting to disable the security cameras before forcing entry through a locked side door.

The owners continued monitoring the offenders remotely, providing real-time updates to police as the pair rummaged through the property.

Darwin General Duties officers, supported by City Safe and members of the Trident Strike Force team, were dispatched to the home where both offenders were located within the property and arrested without incident.

Police located an extendable baton and a knife concealed on the offenders, who are both adults and not currently subject to bail.

Detective Senior Sergeant Darren Burns from Trident said, “This was an excellent example of teamwork between vigilant residents and attending police, resulting in the quick arrest of both offenders before further harm or damage occurred.”

Police urge anyone who witnesses suspicious activity in their neighbourhood to contact them immediately on 131 444 or report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Northern Territory Police have arrested a 20-year-old woman following a stabbing incident at Tennant Creek yesterday morning.

About 9:40am police received reports of a stabbing at a residence on the outskirts of the town.

Investigations indicate a 19-year-old woman was in bed with her boyfriend when the boyfriend’s ex-partner allegedly entered the residence and stabbed the victim in the back.

The knife penetrated the victim’s lung, causing it to collapse.

The offender fled the scene immediately after the incident. The victim’s boyfriend was also assaulted and sustained a minor graze after being slashed at before fleeing the residence.

Police and St John Ambulance attended the scene. The victim was transported to Tennant Creek Hospital before being transferred to Alice Springs Hospital for further treatment.

The 20-year-old offender was located nearby and taken into custody without incident.

She has since been charged with:

• 1 x Unlawfully cause serious harm
• 1 x Aggravated assault
• 1 x Going armed in public
• 1 x Aggravated burglary – dwelling

The offender remains in police custody.

Source: Australia Government Statements 2

I acknowledge that we are on Gadigal land and pay my respects to elders past and present.

I’d also like to acknowledge the Australian Malaysian Singaporean Association (AMSA) and the dinner’s theme celebrating SG60 and 70 years of Malaysia-Australia diplomatic relations.

And the representatives of the High Commissions of Malaysia and Singapore, Dr Fahmi Abdul Rahim and Ms Simret Kaur.

Thank you for having me here tonight for your annual dinner, as we celebrate two anniversaries of tremendous significance – 60 years of diplomatic relations with Singapore and 70 years of Australia’s diplomatic presence in Malaysia.

Congratulations on both milestones.

For both, we have stood together, as partners, and friends.

Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Singapore’s independence in 1965.

And we were one of the first to establish formal diplomatic relations with Malaysia, soon after its independence with a former Governor-General of Australia, Sir William McKell helping to draft the nation’s constitution.

While tonight invites us to look back, it also offers us the opportunity to look ahead to further growing our relationships, across multiple domains, from trade and investment to education and research, defence, green energy cooperation, even artificial intelligence.

In particular, I want to mention Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040, Australia’s strategy to deepen economic engagement with the region, including Singapore and Malaysia, our first and fourth largest regional trading partners respectively.

We have sent nine business missions to Singapore and Malaysia since 2023 we have set up Deal Teams in both countries, facilitating nearly $700 million of Australian investment and a pipeline of opportunities worth over A$20 billion.

And we’ve also established our $2 billion Southeast Asia Investment Financing Facility to boost Australian trade and investment and support the region’s clean energy transition and infrastructure development.

As we look to the future, we are reminded that these relationships do not grow overnight, they develop over decades of working together to progress shared interests.

Tonight’s theme reminds us of this: ‘Weaving Cultures, Celebrating Unity’.

Or as you may put it another way – we are one, but we are many.

Because Australia is a multicultural nation – a majority migrant nation, home to the world’s oldest continuing culture, and to people from every country on this planet.

And people of Malaysian, or Singaporean heritage, have long been a part of our national story.

The Malay migrants who made their way to our shores from the middle of the nineteenth century worked as pearl divers in the north and west of the country, or as miners in South Australia, or as workers in the sugar plantations up north in Queensland.

Singaporeans too, were here pre-federation, as part of the gold rush and a hundred or so years later, returning, in large numbers for education.

Today, Australians of Malaysian, or Singaporean heritage, or descent, have woven their successes and talents into the social fabric of our communities.

Like Patrick Y-Kin Grove, the co-founder and CEO of Catcha Group, and alumni of the University of Sydney, a driving force in the region’s digital evolution, proving a great internet company doesn’t have to come from Silicon Valley.

Or Dr Yvonne Ho, an internationally acclaimed radiologist, and nuclear medicine specialist, and a University of Melbourne alumni.

In 2015, she was the first Malaysian-born woman to receive an OAM in recognition of her significant services as both a practitioner and educator.

I also mention household names like tennis player Nick Kyrgios, whose mother was born into the Pahang royal family but who renounced her royal title to move to Australia in her twenties and become a computer engineer.

And of course, our Foreign Minister, Senator Penny Wong, whose father came to Australia on a Colombo Plan scholarship to study architecture at the University of Adelaide.

So, as we celebrate these milestones tonight, we also celebrate our people, our diaspora community, grounding the future of our relationship with both Singapore and Malaysia, and with the region.

And we celebrate AMSA for your work to support and empower Australians of Malaysian and Singaporean heritage.

Congratulations again, and thank you.

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

For too long women’s health has been unrecognised, misinterpreted, underserviced or siloed in the broader medical systems that were designed by and for men.

Here in Victoria, we are changing that. Because we know women’s health matters.

In 2024, the Victorian Government launched a landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain – the first of its kind in Australia. The Inquiry provided Victorian girls and women with a platform to voice their experiences of pain and pain care.

The response was overwhelming. Over 8 months of consultation, more than 13,000 girls, women, gender diverse people, carers, and clinicians shared their stories through an online survey, written submissions, and focus groups attended by over 300 people.

Following extensive consultation, the Department of Health and Safer Care Victoria are pleased to share the Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report, reflecting the voices and experiences of those who contributed to the Inquiry into Women’s Pain.

What we heard

As part of the Inquiry, women and girls told us about the wide-ranging impact of pain, and the barriers they face when trying to access care. An astounding 90% of respondents reported experiencing pain lasting longer than a year, and 54% described living with pain every day.

Women also shared how pain isn’t just physical. For many, it affects every part of life – mental health, relationships, work, education, and participation in daily activities. Pain can isolate people from community, limit opportunities and diminish quality of life.

Many respondents also highlighted barriers within the healthcare system, identifying areas for reform. These included gender bias, stigma, stereotyping, and a lack of specialist knowledge. Some respondents reported being dismissed or gaslit. Others faced challenges accessing appropriate care due to cost, long wait times, and the complexity of navigating services that often didn’t meet their needs.

Next steps

The Inquiry resulted in 27 recommendations across 7 key areas to inform improved models of care and service delivery of Victorian girls and women experiencing pain in the future.

The 7 key areas for improvement include:

• Women’s health research
• Policy strengthening
• Training and professional development
• Cultural change and public awareness
• Models of care
• Building our workforce
• Affordable and accessible healthcare

Thank you for sharing your voices and experiences

The Department of Health is incredibly grateful to the women, girls, carers, friends, family members, peak bodies, and healthcare professionals who took part in this landmark Inquiry.

The outcomes of this Inquiry mark a potential turning point for women’s health in Victoria – a unifying moment that can drive lasting, systemic change for generations to come.

Read the full Bridging the Gender Pain Gap report.

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

People are being urged not to consume various alfalfa sprouts produced by Parilla Fresh following a national recall due to potential Salmonella contamination.

The recall follows a joint investigation by interstate health and food regulatory authorities into an increase in an unusual type of Salmonella infection.

The company, based in NSW, has recalled the product while the investigation continues and further testing of the product is undertaken.

The Victorian Department of Health advises the impacted alfalfa sprouts were sold in multiple supermarkets including Coles, Woolworths, IGA and other independent grocers and stores in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Northern Territory, Australia Capital Territory and South Australia. These products were all sold in 125g varieties with use-by dates up to and including 20 November 2025.

Products affected are listed on the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) website. Brands included in the recall include:

• Aussie Sprouts Alfalfa Sprouts
• Hugo’s Alfalfa Onion & Garlic Sprouts
• Hugo’s Alfalfa Radish Sprouts
• Hugo’s Alfalfa & Onion Sprouts
• Hugo’s Salad Sprouts
• Hugo’s Alfalfa & Broccoli Sprouts
• Hugo’s Trio Sprouts Selection

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Caroline McElnay, said anyone who has recently bought the affected products should discard them immediately.

“If you’ve eaten alfalfa sprouts, you should monitor for symptoms of salmonellosis, which may include diarrhoea, fever and headache,” Dr McElnay said.

“Stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting and dehydration are other common symptoms.”

Symptoms usually start 6-72 hours after exposure to the bacteria and usually last for 4-7 days, however symptoms can sometimes last a lot longer.

“Most people recover within about a week and do not need treatment but you should see your doctor if your symptoms last longer than a few days.”

“The best thing you can do is rest at home and drink a lot of fluids, such as water or oral rehydration drinks.”

To date, as part of the ongoing joint investigation, at least 44 people nationwide have been identified with the unusual strain of Salmonella, including 9 people in Victoria.

You should contact your doctor if:

• symptoms last longer than a few days;
• diarrhoea is severe or bloody;
• you are at risk for severe Salmonella (young children, older people, and people with poor immune systems); or
• you are worried.

Source: South Australia Police

Just after 12pm on Friday 31 October, police and emergency services were called to Port Road after reports that a man riding an electric scooter had been hit by a black Lexus sedan near Bonython Park.

The scooter rider, a 53-year-old Brompton man was taken to hospital but sadly passed away on Friday 7 November.

The same day, the driver of the sedan, a 39-year-old Tranmere man was arrested by Major Crash officers and charged with cause death by careless driving.

He was bailed to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 4 February 2026.

The man’s death is the 77^th life lost on South Australian roads this year.