Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Australian Green Party

NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting several locations in Sydney.
The case recently returned from Indonesia where there is an active outbreak of measles.
People who attended the following location should watch for the development of symptoms. This location does not pose an ongoing risk.
Tuesday 16 September 2025

Umaya Restaurant, Level 2 Macquarie Shopping Centre, from 11.30am to 1.15pm.

Northern Sydney Local Health District Director of Public Health, Dr Michael Staff, said while this location does not pose an ongoing risk, if you or someone you know visited the above locations at those times, you should monitor for symptoms.
“Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that is spread through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes,” Dr Staff said.
“Symptoms to look out for include fever, sore eyes, and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash which usually spreads from the head and neck to the rest of the body”.
“It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it is really important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms until Saturday 4 October 2025.”
“Anyone who develops symptoms should call ahead to their GP or emergency department to say they may have measles to ensure they do not spend time in the waiting room with other patients.”
“We want to remind the community to make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations. The measles vaccine can prevent the disease even after exposure, if given early enough.”
“This should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are protected against measles, which is highly infectious.”
“Anyone born in 1966 or after needs to ensure they have had two doses of measles vaccine. This is especially important before overseas travel, as measles outbreaks are currently occurring in several regions of the world.”
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective and is given free for children at 12 and 18 months of age. It is also free in NSW for anyone born in 1966 or after who hasn’t already had two doses.
Children under the age of 12 months can have a dose of MMR from six months of age if they are travelling overseas. Parents should consult their GP.
People who are unsure of whether they have had two doses should get a vaccine, as additional doses are safe. This is particularly important prior to travel. MMR vaccine is available from GPs (all ages) and pharmacies (people over 5 years of age).
For more information on current measles exposure locations visit: Measles public exposure locations in NSW.
For more information on measles, view the measles factsheet.
If you, or a loved one, is experiencing measles symptoms, or have questions about measles, please call your GP or Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.

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

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) under its Advancing Renewables Program (ARP) to fund innovative community electrification demonstration projects across Australia.

Community electrification holds the potential to unlock renewable energy demand in the residential sector, reduce household energy bills, and empower communities to actively participate in the clean energy transition.

Under its “Optimise the transition to renewable electricity” strategic priority, ARENA is seeking proposals for high-impact demonstration projects that:

• Empower household and community participation in the clean energy transition
• Showcase innovative technologies and approaches
• Deliver tangible benefits to diverse residential settings

Projects are encouraged from Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory, complementing existing initiatives in New South Wales, Western Australia, and South Australia.

Proposals should address one or more of the following:

• Deployment at scale (ideally involving ~1,000 homes)
• Inclusion of private and multi-dwelling residences, including medium and high-density dwellings
• Low-income households
• First Nations communities
• Integration of innovative technologies such as vehicle-to-home (V2H), vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and shared/community energy storage
• Solutions to overcome barriers to Consumer Energy Resources (CER) adoption
• Infrastructure to orchestrate and optimise energy use at household and grid levels
• Products and technologies that enable active household participation in the energy transition

Projects should also contribute to one or more of the following objectives:

• Integration of CER into distribution networks and wholesale markets
• Enhancement of aggregator business models and capabilities
• Support for IT infrastructure and governance

More information about the types of projects ARENA funds can be found on our Community electrification webpage and our Advancing Renewables Program funding page.

Back to the Newsroom

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

I am a western suburbs kid with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. 

I think it grew there when I got to uni and I saw how the other half lived and what the other half got. 

It’s what got me involved in the Labor Party. 

And what drives a lot of what I am doing now, in this job. 

I grew up in Cabramatta in classrooms full of kids from all around the world. 

One of those kids was a boy named Corey. He was a refugee from Vietnam.

He was the tallest kid in Year 7 and one of the shortest in Year 12. 

Why? He was five years older than the rest of us. 

His mum changed his age.

I only realised it a lot later what she was doing. 

She knew how important education was, and she didn’t want Corey to miss out. 

I don’t want any of our kids to miss out. 

I am the first person in my family to finish high school. 

The first to even finish year 10.  

When my mum and dad were growing up it wasn’t what most western suburbs kids did. 

Almost no one went to uni. 

That started to change in the 70s with Whitlam.  

And it changed even more in the 80s and 90s. 

Today most young people finish school.  

And about 50 percent go on and get a uni degree. 

But that divide between east and west that I noticed at uni still exists. 

More young people still finish school in the eastern suburbs than the west. 

And a lot more have uni degrees. 

The split is not uniform though. 

More young people have a uni degree here in Parramatta than parts of the North Shore. 

More than 62 percent. 

But you don’t have to drive far from here to find a different story. 

In Mount Druitt it’s 32 percent.  Fairfield it’s only 25 percent.  In Liverpool it’s 34 percent. 

In Cabramatta, where I grew up, it’s 30 percent.

Now you work in business. 

You know skill shortages are real. 

I suspect you also know that in the years ahead more jobs are going to require more skills. 

At the moment about 60 per cent of the workforce has a TAFE qualification or a uni degree. 

By the middle of the century that will be about 80 per cent. 

That’s a big jump. 

And the only way that happens is if it happens here. In places like Western Sydney.

More people finish school here.

And more people go to TAFE and uni here.

That’s what I am focused on. 

That’s what the Universities Accord is all about. 

That includes a number of things. 

First, I’m funding a big increase in university bridging courses.

These are free courses that help people who aren’t ready to start a degree to get ready. 

We are putting about an extra billion dollars into that over the next 10 years.

Second, is setting up university hubs in places like Fairfield and Mount Druitt and Macquarie Fields and Liverpool. 

This will make it easier to go to uni closer to where you live. 

Third, is opening the doors of our universities to more kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

From 2027, if you’re a kid from a disadvantaged background and you get the marks to do the course you want, we will guarantee a place for you at uni and provide you with extra help to get you through. 

Fourth, is joining up TAFE and uni.  Making it easier to move between the two and get the skills you need. 

None of this is enough on its own. 

If we want more people to get more skills at TAFE or uni, first we need more people to finish school. 

When we were kids something pretty incredible happened.  

The number of kids who finished high school jumped from about 40 percent to about 80 percent. 

That helped create the businesses and the jobs we have today. 

In the last ten years though, that percentage has gone backwards. 

Not everywhere. 

It’s happening in public schools. 

It’s dropped from about 83 percent to 73 percent.

The agreement I have signed with Courtney and every other Education Minister is fundamentally about turning this around. 

It’s the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian Government ever.

In Western Sydney it’s worth about an extra $1.4 billion over the next 10 years.

And it’s not a blank cheque. It’s tied to reform.  

That extra funding starts next year. 

The reform has already started. 

It’s what you would expect, a focus on basic literacy and numeracy.

And tutoring.  What we call small group tutoring.

Taking kids out of a classroom of 30 and into a classroom of 3.

Helping them to catch up.

We are also making changes in child care. 

I am sure you have seen some of the horrific news in Victoria and here in NSW. 

We are making changes there.  

But not just there. 

State Governments are building more preschools in schools. 

I have got a billion-dollar fund to do more of that. 

That will help more kids start school ready to learn.

And we are also making sure that from next year every child who needs it will get access to the Child Care Subsidy three days a week. 

That will make a big difference, particularly for a lot of kids from poor families who currently miss out on it. 

All of this. All the changes to unis, to schools, child care that I have talked about here, are for the whole country.

But I hope you can see the inspiration for it here in Western Sydney and the benefit I hope it will make. 

For the economy here.

For businesses here. 

But most importantly for the people who live here. 

For our community. 

Let me just leave you with this. 

In Vaucluse – 34kms east of here – the average life expectancy is 86.

In Mount Druitt – 23 km west of here – it is 70.

16 years less.

The average person in Mount Druitt lives 16 years less than the average person in Vaucluse.

In the same city.

About an hour apart on a good day.

How is that right?

Education alone can’t fix that.

But you can’t fix it without it.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

G’day Naarm scholars. 

I start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we’re meeting today and pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

And I thank the University of Melbourne for inviting me to speak to you today. 

Education is the most powerful cause for good in this country. And when we get it right, it doesn’t just change lives, it changes countries. 

But there’s a flip side too. 

If we don’t get it right, it’s kids from disadvantaged backgrounds who miss out. And I want to change that. Programs like the Naarm scholarship are a big part of that. 

This is personal for me.

I’m the first person in my family to go to university. I’m the first person in my family to finish school. The first to even finish year ten. 

I imagine that many of you have similar stories. 

When I was growing up as a kid in Western Sydney, I didn’t know many people who’d been to university. 

Most of my mates finished school at the end of year 10. 

There was this invisible brick wall that made them feel that university was never really going to be an option for them. 

That it was for privileged young people from the other side of town, that it was some place else for someone else. And it’s programs like this that help to change that. 

Every one of you will inspire someone else. 

Young people, school kids, family members will see what you achieve here and what you go on to achieve too. 

You can show them what your pathway to university looked like. 

And you can be the example, the role models that a lot of my mates never had. 

Help them to see what they might think is impossible today is possible. 

That’s better than any TV advertising campaign. You’re a walking talking billboard. 

So, congratulations from the bottom of my heart. All the best.

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Updated on 4 November 2024: The charges referenced in this article have been withdrawn by the Director of Consumer Affairs Victoria. There are no findings against the estate agent.

A Melbourne real estate agency is facing criminal charges for allegedly failing to provide a reasonable estimated selling price on an Ivanhoe townhouse.

Consumer Affairs Victoria has launched the court proceedings against estate agency Manningham Sales Pty Ltd, trading as Barry Plant Manningham, as a result of an investigation by our Underquoting Taskforce, following consumer complaints.

Charges against the agency for two breaches of the Estate Agents Act 1980 were filed in court on Wednesday 13 March. Consumer Affairs Victoria alleges the agency failed to provide a reasonable estimated selling price on two separate occasions.

The charges include that the agency claimed it could not find comparable properties that had sold in the Ivanhoe area. The townhouse sold at auction for about 40 per cent above the highest end of the price range. 

If you suspect underquoting may have occurred, you can make a report to Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Yesterday the Northern Territory Police Force conducted a screening operation targeting the transportation of dangerous drugs into the Alice Springs region.

The operation was a collaboration with the Southern Drug Investigation Unit, the Dog Operation Unit, and Southern Traffic Operations. It occurred on the Stuart Highway and was in conjunction with a local music festival.

During the operation, police conducted multiple drug tests and made the following arrests:

A 42-year-old male was charged with:

• Drive unregistered motor vehicle
• Driver with prohibited drug in body
• Possess schedule 2 dangerous drug – commercial quantity (4.53kgs of cannabis)
• Supply schedule 2 dangerous drug – commercial quantity
• Possess schedule 2 dangerous drug – commercial quantity (70 grams of psilocybin)
• Possess schedule 2 dangerous drug – less than trafficable (2 grams of DMT)
• Possess firearm under influence
• Receive or possess tainted property

He was remanded to appear in Alice Springs Local Court today.

A 23-year-old male was charged with:

• Possess schedule 1 dangerous drug – commercial quantity (224 grams of cocaine)
• Possess schedule 1 dangerous drug – commercial quantity (54 grams of MDMA)
• 2x Supply schedule 1 dangerous drug – commercial quantity
• Possess schedule 2 dangerous drugs – less than trafficable

He was remanded to appear in Alice Springs Local Court today.

A 32-year-old male was issued with a Notice to Appear for:

• Possess schedule 1 dangerous drug – less than trafficable (0.2 grams of cocaine)
• Possess schedule 2 dangerous drug – commercial quantity (29 grams of psilocybin)

A 57-year-old male was issued with a Drug Infringement Notice:

• Possess cannabis public place

Southern Investigations Detective Acting Sergeant Adrian George said, “Police will continue to monitor vehicles entering the Alice Springs region to ensure road safety and to intercept any persons attempting to bring in prohibited items, particularly to these big events.

“While most people were found to be doing the right thing, this is a reminder that police may be operating anywhere and anytime.”

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

The Albanese Government will be appointing new senior leaders at two of Australia’s most important regulators.

High quality leadership at our core economic institutions is crucial to the more modern and competitive economy we are building together.

The search has started for the next Chair of the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and Deputy Chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).

ASIC Chair Joseph Longo has advised he will not be seeking reappointment when his term finishes at the end of May next year.

Since his appointment in 2021, ASIC has carried out significant enforcement actions to uphold the integrity of our corporate, market and financial services sector.

Mr Longo has overseen ASIC during a period of heightened economic, geopolitical and technological change, and I thank him for his leadership.

Recruitment processes to appoint a new Deputy Chair for APRA are underway after Margaret Cole advised she would not seek an extension beyond the end of her current term at the end of June 2026.

Through her tenure, Ms Cole has made a significant contribution to APRA both as a member and then as Deputy Chair over the last four years and the Government thanks her for that.

Treasury will work through these processes in the usual methodical and considered way.

Key appointments like these are another important way to refresh and renew our economic institutions.

Regulators play a really important role in our economy, and that’s why we will continue to appoint the best people we can to lead them.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Police reiterate warnings to bushwalkers following several rescues in North West Tasmania

Friday, 19 September 2025 – 12:21 pm.

Police are reiterating the warning to bushwalkers – to be suitably prepared with equipment and physical capability – or reconsider bushwalking following several rescues in North West Tasmania over the past two weeks.
“Over the past two weeks, police have responded to several requests for assistance from bushwalkers requiring assistance in North West Tasmania,” said Inspector Steve Jones from Search and Rescue.
“Concerningly, the bushwalkers were not suitably equipped for the weather conditions and were not carrying equipment to keep them safe.”

On 8 September, about 8.10pm, police received a request for assistance in relation to a bushwalker who had become separated from their walking companions in the Waterfall Valley Hut area. Due to inclement weather, the rescue helicopter could not safely fly in the area. Subsequently, search and rescue ground crews walked for several hours, and the bushwalker was safely located.

On 11 September, about 2.30pm, police received a request for assistance from a solo bushwalker on the Overland Track at Cradle Mountain who had become stuck in snow. Due to inclement weather, the rescue helicopter could not safely fly in the area. Subsequently, search and rescue ground crews walked to the bushwalker, and they were safely brought out of the area the following day.

On 14 September, about 5.05pm, police received a request for assistance from a solo walker on the Leven Canyon Walk. Ground crews located the walker safely.

“Following the rescues over the past two week, and with inclement weather forecast for this weekend, it’s imperative that bushwalkers hear our message – if you are considering bushwalking, you must be suitably prepared with physical capability and equipment, or please reconsider.”
“Bushwalkers should always prepare for the worst, and carry sufficient warm clothing and food, and emergency communication devices.”
“Rescue agencies, including police, will always respond to requests for assistance, but it’s important to remember that if you require assistance in bad weather, rescue parties could be hours away and you must have suitable equipment with you to remain safe until help arrives if required.”
Police again remind those venturing outdoors to monitor weather warnings and consider the impact of the weather on their activities. Other essential safety considerations include:

Carry reliable communication devices, such as mobile phones, power banks, and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs).
Pack adequate emergency supplies, including food, water, spare clothing, and shelter, in case your trip takes longer than expected.
Wear and carry clothing appropriate for all possible weather conditions.
Check the weather forecast for your walking area, and postpone or cancel your plans if severe weather is predicted.
When walking in a group, always match the pace of the slowest member. Staying together reduces the risk of someone becoming lost or injured.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Man charged with drug trafficking and dealing with proceeds of crime following public place arrest in North Hobart

Friday, 19 September 2025 – 12:06 pm.

Police have charged a 54-year-old man from Queensland with drug trafficking and dealing with the proceeds of crime following a public place arrest in North Hobart yesterday. 
As part of Tasmania Police’s continued focus on public order offences in the Hobart CBD area, yesterday afternoon, police approached a man who was acting suspiciously on Elizabeth Street at North Hobart. 
Police will allege they located a large quantity of cash in the man’s possession, and 1kg silver bullion. 
Police will further allege, in a subsequent search at a home stay accommodation linked to the man, they located around 4.5kg of cocaine, and what is estimated to be around $240,000 in cash.
The cocaine seized could potentially be broken into several thousand individual street deals. 
The drug is highly addictive and has the potential to do significant harm in the community. 
The man has been charged with trafficking a controlled substance (major offence) and dealing with proceeds of crime. 
He has been detained to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court today.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Police issue 27 barring orders in three months

Friday, 19 September 2025 – 11:27 am.

Police are continuing to focus on public safety at licensed premises, with 27 barring orders issued in Southern Tasmania in the past months.
Constable Elisha Meyer from the Southern District Licensing Unit said the initiative is focused on creating a safe and enjoyable environment for all patrons.
“We work closely with venues to ensure anyone whose behaviour poses a public safety risk, or breaches liquor licensing laws, is prevented from entering licensed premises.”
“The barring orders have been issued for a range of reasons, including intoxication, violent or disorderly conduct, and in some cases, underage youths attempting to gain access using fake identification.”
“These measures are designed to protect both venue staff and patrons, and to deter repeat offences,” Constable Meyer said.
Police will continue to work with licensed venues to ensure compliance with liquor licensing legislation, which not only protects patrons but also contributes to the overall safety and wellbeing of the community.
With enforcement efforts ongoing, the number of barring orders is expected to rise as police maintain a strong focus on public safety in licensed environments.