Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Tasmania Police

Man charged following vehicle theft and dangerous driving incident in Hobart CBD

Thursday, 22 January 2026 – 6:18 pm.

Police have charged a 29-year-old man from Geilston Bay with several offences following a vehicle theft and dangerous driving incident in the Hobart CBD this morning.
Police will allege the man stole a vehicle from a Blackmans Bay address about 9.30am, before he drove it to the Hobart CBD area in a negligent manner.
Police will further allege the man struck a vehicle and the traffic lights near the Molle Street and Goulburn Street intersection about 10.30am.
He was safely taken into custody at the scene a short time later.
Minor damage was caused to the vehicle that was struck, and no injuries were reported.
The man has been charged with a range of offences including motor vehicle stealing, evade police, negligent driving, aggravated burglary, stealing and bail breaches.
If anyone has information, CCTV, or dash cam that would assist the investigation, they are asked to contact South East CIB on 131 444 and quote OR795601.
Information can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or 1800 333 000.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Australia’s job market continues to deliver strong outcomes under the Albanese Government, with a record number of people in work, and the unemployment rate remaining low.

Australia’s unemployment rate decreased in December, to 4.1 per cent. The labour force participation rate rose to 66.7 per cent, showing that Australians are staying engaged in work or finding work.

In December 65,200 more people were in work, which takes the number of Australians employed to a record high of 14,684,100.

The data paints a picture of a labour market continuing to grow, creating opportunities for all Australians with full‑time jobs accounting for the vast majority (84.1 per cent) of the increase in employment over the month.

Quotes attributable to Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations

“Under the Albanese Government, the labour market continues to support workers, with a record number of Australians in work, the unemployment rate is low and participation high.

“We’re also seeing a record number of women in work and contributing more hours, which is good for families, communities and the economy.

“Our focus is fairness at work, secure jobs, safe workplaces and decent pay.

“Under Labor more Australians are in work and earning more as we support families, build skills, and lift living standards.”

Quotes attributable to Treasurer Jim Chalmers

“This result is welcome and highlights the resilience of our labour market at a turbulent time for the global economy.

“Unemployment has come in lower than the market expected and around 65,000 new jobs were added.

“It’s good to see lower unemployment, higher participation and tens of thousands more jobs created in the month of December.

“We’ve maintained low unemployment, high participation, strong wage growth, and overseen the creation of more than 1.2 million new jobs, and over four in five of these have been in the private sector.

“Our three big economic priorities for this year are addressing inflation, productivity, and global uncertainty, and our resilient labour market gives us a strong foundation to build on the progress we’ve already made.”

Source: Australian Department of Communications

AUSTRAC has ordered the appointment of an external auditor to assess whether payment platform, Airwallex Designated Business Group (Airwallex DBG), is meeting its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) obligations, following concerns about potential non-compliance.
AUSTRAC Chief Executive Officer, Brendan Thomas, said external audits are a critical regulatory tool to assess serious compliance concerns and to protect the financial system from criminal exploitation. 

Source: South Australia County Fire Service

This warning was reissued to correct typographical errors

Issued on
22 Jan 2026 13:55

Issued for
Riverlea Park near Virgina on the Adelaide Plains, north of Adelaide.

Warning level
Advice – Stay Informed

Action
CFS is responding to a fire in the vicinity of Riverlea Park near Virginia.

If you are in this area, stay informed and monitor local conditions. More information will be provided by the CFS when it is available.

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

A range of community groups have planned Australia Day activities for residents on Monday January 26.

The main Australia Day event, presented by the Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst, is again on at Lake Weeroona and runs from 10am – 3pm, with official proceedings starting at 10.30am.

The event will feature a BBQ, live entertainment, family activities, community displays and the popular Rotary market.

Smaller events are also planned for Axedale, Eaglehawk, Elmore, Heathcote, Huntly, Junortoun, Maiden Gully, Mia Mia and Strathfieldsaye.

Mayor Cr Thomas Prince said Australia Day was an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Australian.

“Australia Day is an opportunity for us all to acknowledge and reflect on our nation’s deep history, to celebrate the people who have made valued contributions to our community, and to share in our gratitude for our magnificent country,” Cr Prince said.

“There is no better place to embrace Australia Day than in the beautiful Greater Bendigo region with all our local events and activities.

“As we gather in communities across Greater Bendigo, I encourage residents to embrace inclusion and kindness, and to consider how these attributes make Greater Bendigo such a wonderful place to live.

“However you choose to mark this day, it is important that we do so respectfully and recognise it can be a day of sorrow for many First Nations Peoples. It is important we all continue to grow our understanding of Australia’s history.

“It’s going to be a really hot day on Australia Day, so I want to make sure that everyone stays safe in the heat, looks out for those vulnerable to the heat, and that our pets have plenty of water.“

Thank you to the hard work and commitment of the local community groups and volunteers across our region who have worked hard to plan local events.”

On Saturday January 24, the Moonlight Market returns to the Hargreaves Mall from 3pm to 8pm. Then on Friday January 30, the Garden for the Future in White Hills will host Boots n All Band from 6.30pm to 8.30pm for a free event and a relaxed summer evening.

For those looking to escape the heat and cool off at a local pool, there will be free entry to all indoor and outdoor pools on Monday January 26. Please contact your local pool to confirm opening times.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force is investigating the circumstances of a serious crash near Stuarts Well on Wednesday afternoon.

Around 2:45pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of a traffic crash on the Stuart Highway approximately 10km south of Stuarts Well.

At this stage, it is alleged a vehicle attended a service station in the area prior to the crash and failed to pay for fuel before leaving the premises.

A short time later, an employee from the service station followed the vehicle along the Stuart Highway.

It is further alleged the two vehicles travelled alongside each other before a collision occurred, causing one vehicle to leave the roadway and roll.

The employee returned to the service station and contacted police.

Police and St John Ambulance attended and located a 37-year-old male outside the vehicle and a 38-year-old female inside the vehicle. Both occupants were stabilised at the scene before they were conveyed to Alice Springs Hospital where they remain in critical but stable conditions.

A 22-year-old male was later arrested and is assisting police with enquiries.

Investigations are ongoing and police are working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

Anyone with information, or dash cam footage from the Stuart Highway between Stuarts Well and approximately 30km south of Stuarts Well around the time of the incident, is urged to make contact on 131 444 and quote reference number P26021338. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

The OECD’s survey on Australia released today highlights the recovery in our economy and the Government’s responsible economic management in uncertain times.

This report is a powerful endorsement of Labor’s economic management and reform agenda.

The OECD has confirmed that the Albanese Government has been able to achieve a “soft landing” in Australia’s economy in the face of substantial global volatility by getting inflation down while avoiding a recession and keeping unemployment low.

The report says that without Labor’s economic management, including cost of living support to households, Australia might have experienced a recession in 2023–24 – which is what took place in other countries like the UK, New Zealand and Germany.

It commends the Government’s reforms to transform Australia’s energy system, to make Australia’s economy more competitive and to make the Reserve Bank more effective.

The report describes our new mandatory notification merger regime as “a major step forward” which will “bring Australia in line with OECD best practices” and describes the government’s revitalised National Competition Policy as a positive step to boost competition.

More homes, more cleaner and cheaper energy and progress on addressing Australia’s longstanding productivity challenge feature prominently in this report and the report also highlights they are big features of Labor’s economic plan.

Under Labor, economic growth is picking up, business investment is strengthening, unemployment is low, participation is at near record highs, real wages are growing, debt is down, the budget is stronger and interest rates fell three times last year.

We’ve made a lot of progress together on the economy but the job’s not done because people are still under pressure and that’s why we continue to roll out responsible cost‑of‑living relief at the same time as we modernise Australia’s economy and build more homes.

The three big economic priorities for the Albanese Government this year are addressing inflation, productivity and global uncertainty, and the OECD’s report shows why that’s the right approach.

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

Cultural burning, sometimes referred to as Traditional Owner burning or Cultural Fire, is performed by First Nations communities as part of their cultural responsibilities and obligations to care for Country.

It is the traditional ecological knowledge of Australia’s first people.

The connection Traditional Owners have to Country and their role in fire and land management in Victoria is recognised and acknowledged by CFA and partner agencies. Many First Nations communities now have dedicated staff delivering cultural burning for cultural purposes including: 

• caring for Country
• promoting biodiversity
• protecting cultural and natural assets
• fuel reduction
• regeneration of flora and fauna
• maintaining spiritual connection to land and Country.

It’s guided by traditional ecological knowledge and is deeply rooted in Aboriginal lore and responsibilities. Acknowledgment of this knowledge and intellectual property rights is practised across Victoria. 

Traditional Owners and Victorian land and fire management agencies are working together to reintroduce cultural burning across Victoria, allowing for healing and caring for Country, and working towards the Victorian Traditional Owner Cultural Fire Strategy.

CFA has supported many cultural burns across Victoria led by Traditional Owner groups to provide operational assistance, build capacity through training and funding, and promote cultural safety and inclusion.

For CFA this means working with three key principles:

• Cultural burning is a practice performed by Aboriginal people for cultural purposes.
• Cultural burning knowledge belongs to the Traditional knowledge holders.
• Cultural burning partnerships with CFA must be led by Aboriginal people.

Cultural burning is carried out on both private and public land with the involvement of the landowner and/or manager. Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) and CFA support Traditional Owners develop objectives and outcomes that assist in the planning and delivery of burns on public and private land. FFMVic and CFA tailor support to each Traditional Owner group’s cultural fire aspirations and capacity.

CFA staff and volunteers also attend and support cultural burning workshops to deepen their understanding and respect for Aboriginal fire practices.

Retired CFA Vegetation Officer Ian Morrison has been involved with cultural burning for the past 10 years.

“Aboriginal cultural heritage is the property of the Traditional Owners, and CFA can help preserve and protect it for future generations,” Ian said.

“Cultural burning has a large part to play in restoring and healing Country. By reintroducing their traditional burning practices, they will be able to improve the native fauna and flora and hand down their knowledge to the next generation.

“CFA can still learn from this practice while also helping them improve their burning practices.”

CFA Cultural Heritage Adviser Michael Sherwen oversaw the burn for CFA at Ryans Lagoon.

“The wetland had been degraded with weeds and biomass accumulation over time, so the objective of the burn was to reduce that mass and give opportunities for native species to come through,” Michael said.

“It’s been a great opportunity to work at that grassroots level to enable Traditional Owners apply fire to Country.”

Submitted by	News and Media

Source: ACT Police

Last update: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 12:50pm

Original publication: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 12:50pm

Source: ACT Police

Last update: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 11:15am

Original publication: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 11:15am