Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

It is hard to believe this December marks 10 years since the devastating bushfires which destroyed 116 houses in the coastal towns of Wye River and Separation Creek.

Walking through the town now you would not suspect such damage had occurred. A strong bond between the community and the brigade remains, and the memory is not lost to most. 

The destructive fire was ignited on 19 December 2015 by a lightning strike at Jamieson Creek, 6km away from the township, before escalating significantly on Christmas Day, and ultimately burning more than 2,500 hectares of steep terrain.

Although it wiped out a substantial part of the town, including four brigade members homes, Wye River Fire Brigade Captain at the time Roy Moriarty said they still marvel at the orderly evacuation and no loss of life.

The evacuation process has been highly praised and was a result of the proactive community engagement and preparedness activities the brigade held in the lead-up.

Current Captain Andrew Hack said there had not been a major fire since 1962 and every year they thought it was only a matter of time before it was their turn.

“Ironically just six weeks before that fire we went through a Phoenix computer modelling of what it would look like if one came through and took out the township,” Andrew said.

“Although the yearly events often attract the same crowd, everyone who came to the scenario changed their fire plan based on what they saw – and that was to leave early.

On 23 December 2015, although there was a fire at their doorstep, there was no current threat and the advice to residents and travellers was to stay informed. Most residents continued to take part in carols at the Wye River pub on Christmas Eve.

“I came back to the station at midnight on Christmas Eve and I thought there was no way the fire was getting out, but I was shocked the next day when it jumped the lines,” Roy said.

“There had been a lot of communication from CFA, and we were forewarned that Christmas Day could be a significant day,” Andrew said.

“You didn’t really want to dampen the vibe at the pub, but there was a sense that it could all turn upside down the following day – and ultimately it did. But there was quick action by all.”

Roy set the town evacuation siren off at 11.30am on Christmas Day and traffic was guided out. With one road in, and one road out, access is difficult on a normal summer day, not to mention during an emergency. For this reason, the brigade planned to tackle the challenge on their own.

Forest Fire Management Victoria crews helped hold the fire on the upper roads and protect the caravan parks, while Wye River brigade members focused on the town’s greatest assets to ensure facilities with water and power were available for recovery after the fire eased.

Roy recalled the firefighters remaining calm across the day. There was no panic, everyone just did their job. Eighteen aircraft were used on this fire and fire breaks were strengthened into January. The fire was not fully contained until 16 January 2016.

“We felt so fortunate that there wasn’t any loss of life. However, it’s physically devasting to see the loss of the infrastructure, people’s homes and all the memories,” Andrew said.

“Soon after the event, when it was safe, we organised buses to bring property owners back through the hills to see what was going on. We hoped it would help the process of healing.”

Like many within the town, Roy said he has become more emotional since the fires took place and believes the anniversary will bring a mix of emotions for people.

Wye River Fire Brigade will hold events on Friday 19 December and Saturday 20 December at the fire station to mark the anniversary with community members and their families.

Submitted by	CFA media

Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory

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Source: Australia Government Statements 2

Melissa Clarke, Host: The Federal Government has announced a suite of reforms to clamp down on antisemitism in the wake of the deadly Bondi terror attack. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government also adopts and fully supports recommendations in the report by the envoy for combating antisemitism, Jillian Segal, which is handed down to government earlier this year. Matt Thistlethwaite is the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Foreign Affairs and Trade and he joins me now. Matt Thistlethwaite, welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

Matt Thistlethwaite, Assistant Minister for Immigration: Good morning, Mel.

Clarke: Matt, you’ve been taking part in the paddle out at Bondi Beach this morning with many others on the shore there. Can you give me your sense of how the community is feeling at the end of this week?

Assistant Minister: Well, the community’s pretty bruised and grieving and there’s been a lot of emotions in the local community. I’ve spent most of the last few days at Bondi or around there trying to support the local Jewish community as much as I can. Yesterday I attended the funeral of young Matilda, who was a student at one of the public schools in my electorate. I’ve been at the public school to console the staff and students. We had Peter Meagher, a very well-respected member of the Randwick Rugby Club that lost his life. They had a vigil at Coogee Oval on Monday that I attended. And today I’ll attend the funeral of Boris and Sofia Gurman, who showed great bravery and courage on the day. So, our community is coming together. We’re wrapping our arms around the Jewish community and we’re providing them with as much support as we possibly can.

Clarke: You’re offering that kind of support. You’re also the Assistant Minister for Immigration, so involved in the efforts the government is putting forward as a response to these attacks to look at what initiatives can be taken to try to kerb antisemitism. Part of what’s been flagged has been greater powers to cancel or reject visas for people who spread hate and division. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has referred to this as making it much easier to cancel visas. Can you explain how this would change the way things currently work? Because we’ve heard Tony Burke talk about his high level of rejecting and cancelling visas under the current regime. So, what would be different under what’s been flagged here?

Assistant Minister: Well, we’ll strengthen the power for the Minister to cancel a visa for a person who’s been involved in preaching hate and division. We’ve already used that power on several occasions. I’ve personally denied people a visa to come to Australia where they’ve publicly espoused antisemitic views. I’ve been involved in cancelling the visas of people who are already in Australia because they’ve been involved in antisemitic activities.

Clarke: So, when you say, when you say this is to make it easier, can you explain what a change to a threshold that will be used? Can you just set that out for me?

Assistant Minister: Yeah, yeah. Section 501 of the Migration Act allows the Minister to cancel a person’s visa in certain circumstances, and that involves being involved in criminal conduct in Australia, harassing, intimidating, stalking another person in Australia or vilifying a segment of the Australian community. So, we’ll look to how we can increase that power and provide other categories that will allow the Minister to cancel a visa, specifically where someone’s been involved in preaching hate and division. So, that will allow a lower threshold, if you like, for the Minister to cancel a visa if someone espouses antisemitic views whilst they’re in Australia.

Clarke: So, that would have to be something that’s a lower threshold than, I guess vilify is probably the lowest in that existing list, but it’s not clear exactly what terminology you would draught at this point?

Assistant Minister: Yeah, that’s correct. We’ll work with the parliamentary draftspeople to ensure that we strike the right balance. And obviously we need to consult with not only members of the Jewish community, but other communities throughout the country to make sure that we’re reflecting community sentiment and that we get the balance right. But it will mean that we’ve got additional powers to cancel visas in circumstances where people are preaching hate.

Clarke: The Government’s also proposing new Commonwealth offences of aggravated hate speech and serious vilification based on race or racial supremacy. Would the government extend that protection against hate speech and vilification to other minority groups as well?

Assistant Minister: Yes, this will apply across the board to all Australians and people that are living here. The aggravated factor will be a sentencing issue. So, there’ll be aggravated factors taken into consideration in sentencing for crimes, particularly online threats and harassment. We’ve seen, unfortunately, in Australia, and indeed throughout the world, a number of people using online platforms and other tools to harass and threaten others, and indeed to incite violence. So, that will become an aggravated factor and we’ll also increase the penalties for aggravated hate speech offences. And that will include for preachers and leaders who promote violence as well.

Clarke: Against racial minorities or, more broadly than that, other minority groups?

Assistant Minister: Racial minorities will be one of the factors, and we’ll look to consult with different groups about whether or not there should be other factors included. But obviously this is in response to the preaching of antisemitic views that we’ve had in the community. And of course, the actions that occurred at Bondi Beach on the weekend and the consultations that we’ve had with the Jewish community. But obviously it will apply to other forms of hate speech as well.

Clarke: You’re listening to Radio National Breakfast and my guest is the Assistant Minister for Immigration, Matt Thistlethwaite. On the program yesterday, we spoke to former ASIO Director-General Dennis Richardson, who said the issue when it comes to clamping down on hate speech may not necessarily be the strength of the law, but an unwillingness to prosecute cases. Has the Office of Public Prosecutions been too cautious in pursuing people who may have contravened this law?

Assistant Minister: Well, I think there’s two factors. Firstly, we need to know. You need to have the information and the intelligence to know that someone’s been involved in those activities. So, ensuring that our police, our security intelligence agencies, have the resources they need to discover people who have been undertaking these views is a factor. And obviously ASIO has the largest budget that it’s ever had to ensure that it can undertake these activities. But then ensuring that people can be prosecuted is really, really important and this will lower the threshold. These actions that we are taking will ensure that we have the strongest laws that the country has ever had to combat antisemitism and the preaching of hate speech in our community. So, there’ll be no excuses in the future and we’re providing our police, security and intelligence organisations with the tools to prosecute people if they undertake these activities.

Clarke: And just briefly, the Opposition’s put forward their own proposals to combat antisemitism, including giving the Minister for Immigration a stronger and broader pathways to strip citizenship from dual citizens who’ve been engaged in any kind of conduct related to military style training or committing hate crimes. Is that something the Government would consider?

Assistant Minister: Look, stripping people of citizenship is a very difficult issue and involves a constitutional issue as well. And leaving a person stateless is very difficult. What we have done is consulted with the Jewish community, with the leadership of that community, and responded to their requests. And in doing so, we’re fully supporting and adopting the recommendations of the Segal report. We’re going further and strengthening some of our laws, particularly those around migration. And importantly, there’s a number of educational reforms that we’re undertaking as well as so that we’re educating the wider community about how to identify antisemitism and how to say no, it’s not acceptable and to call it out and to report it where it occurs in any form.

Clarke: Matt Thistlethwaite, thank you very much for joining me on Radio National Breakfast this morning.

Assistant Minister: Thanks for having me, Mel.

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for information in relation to an aggravated robbery that occurred in Darwin yesterday.

Around 3:40pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received a report that a male offender had entered a grocery store on Sabine Road in Milner, threatened staff with an edged weapon, before stealing the cash register. The offender fled the scene on foot and was pursued by staff, causing him to drop the register a short distance away.

No persons were injured during the incident.

General duties officers responded, and CCTV footage has been reviewed. The offender remains outstanding at this time.

Police investigations are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444. Please quote reference P25352443. Anonymous reports can be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

Source: Tasmania Police

Ashley Youth Detention Centre update

Friday, 19 December 2025 – 10:34 am.

Police are continuing to search for four young people following an escape incident at Ashley Youth Detention Centre overnight.Three of the seven young people allegedly involved in the incident are safely back in custody at Ashley Youth Detention Centre as of this morning.Police responded to the centre just before 7pm last night, after reports of a disturbance within the facility.Three staff members were physically assaulted by some of the young people during the disturbance with one receiving non life threatening injuries to their neck and hands.Seven young people escaped the facility in a vehicle.Police were called and quickly deployed significant resources to the area, including the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.Just after 10pm, the stolen vehicle was located in the Penguin area, with the young people believed to have fled on foot.One of the young people was safely taken into custody just before 1am.A second vehicle was then commandeered by two of the young people near Ulverstone just before 7.30am this morning. They were arrested a short time later without incident and safely returned to Ashley Youth Detention Centre.Police are continuing to actively search the North and North West of the state for the remaining four.The young people were last seen wearing black pants, and a black top and or a black hoodie.One has been described as having short brown hair with blonde tips and a rats tail, the second has short dark hair, the third has long dark hair, and the fourth has short light brown hair.They are all between 170 and 180 centimetres tall.While there is still no specific threat to the wider community, members of the public are advised not to approach the young people, and to contact police on 131 444 or triple zero in an emergency.

Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

19 December 2025

Who does this notice affect?

​​First point of entry (FPOE) operators, vessel operators, shipping agents, importers, brokers and others.​ 

What has changed?

​​A new biosecurity FPOE determination has been made for the Port of Point Wilson, Victoria – Biosecurity (First Point of Entry—Port of Point Wilson) Determination 2025.

​As a…

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Today the Albanese Government is releasing draft legislation on reforms to boost the superannuation savings of low‑income workers and make superannuation tax concessions fairer and more sustainable.

We’re boosting the Low‑Income Superannuation Tax Offset and making a number of important changes to better target superannuation concessions for large balances.

This is all about helping workers earn more, keep more of what they earn and retire with more at the same time as we strengthen our superannuation system.

The measure we’re consulting on from today reduces the tax concessions available to individuals whose total superannuation balance exceeds $3 million.

The amendments maintain the concessional treatment of superannuation and makes superannuation tax concessions more targeted for those with large balances.

The draft legislation introduces a second threshold of $10 million to make superannuation tax concessions even more targeted, and indexes the large balance thresholds of $3 million and $10 million. These changes will apply to realised earnings from 1 July 2026.

These changes are consistent with the objective of superannuation, to preserve savings to deliver income for a dignified retirement, alongside government support, in an equitable and sustainable way.

The Albanese Government is also boosting the superannuation savings of more than a million low‑income workers through changes to the Low‑Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO) that ensure they receive a fairer tax concession on their superannuation contributions.

The release of the draft legislation follows Treasury’s targeted consultations with the sector and reflects the Government’s intention of introducing the legislation as soon as possible in 2026.

The Government welcomes feedback from stakeholders on the draft legislation and explanatory materials.

Consultation closes on 16 January 2026.

Our economic plan is all about helping Australians earn more, keep more of what they earn and retire with more while boosting living standards and modernising our economy, and our improvements to super are an important part of that.

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC will not oppose Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL) acquiring leasehold interests to establish new supermarkets in Victoria at Mt Atkinson Major Town Centre and Deanside Central Town Centre, subject to an undertaking.

The court-enforceable undertaking accepted by the ACCC requires Coles to divest its ownership and interest in a site at the nearby Kororoit Town Centre.

The two proposed acquisitions combined with Coles’ interest in the Kororoit site would have meant consumers would have limited choice beyond Coles supermarkets in the relevant local area.

Mt Atkinson, Deanside and Kororoit are all areas close to each other, in the Melton Growth Corridor, northwest of Melbourne. Each of the relevant Coles sites in these areas is suitable for large format supermarkets.

The ACCC had concerns the proposed acquisitions would have the effect, or be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in the retail supply of groceries and household products within the local markets of each of Deanside Central and Mt Atkinson.

Coles has undertaken to divest the Kororoit site to Neale Deanside Developments Pty Ltd, trading as Oreana, so that it will be available for a competitor to enter the local area. The ACCC has approved this purchaser.

“Without the divestiture undertaking, the proposed acquisitions would have given Coles three supermarkets within close proximity to each other, in local areas with few alternative sites suitable for supermarkets and few existing competitors,” ACCC Deputy Chair Mick Keogh said.

“In an area in which Coles already had a significant supermarket presence, we were concerned Coles would control most of the sites suitable for large format supermarkets within 5km of the target sites.”

The ACCC was concerned that the proposed acquisitions would significantly increase barriers to entry and expansion for rival supermarkets to enter the relevant local markets.

The ACCC concluded that, absent the divestiture undertaking, the proposed acquisitions would substantially lessen the overall competition in the supply of groceries in the local areas and the broader Melton growth corridor.

“The divestiture ensures that the Kororoit site is available to a rival supermarket operator. It’s important that residents of these new suburbs don’t suffer from a lack of supermarket competition, as we observed for many established suburbs around Australia in the ACCC’s recent Supermarkets Inquiry,” Mr Keogh said.

More information is available on the ACCC’s public register at Coles – proposed acquisition of a leasehold interest at Mt Atkinson Major Town Centre and Coles – proposed acquisition of a leasehold interest at Deanside Central Town Centre .

Background

Coles operates more than 800 supermarkets nationwide. Coles’ large-format stores typically offer standard grocery items, as well as a full-service bakery and deli service. Coles also operates smaller format ‘Coles Local’ supermarkets with a smaller range of grocery items. Coles operates an online grocery shopping and delivery platform named ‘Coles Online’, which allows customers to shop for groceries with either home delivery options or pick up from ‘Click&Collect’ locations at existing Coles stores. Coles Group Property Developments Limited (CGPD) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coles and was established to support Coles’ development operations.

Neale Deanside Developments Pty Ltd, trading as Oreana, is the lessor for the Deanside Central Town Centre located in Deanside, Victoria. Oreana is also a privately-owned Australian property development, construction and investment group.

Mensch Investments No. 3 Partnership is the landholder and developer for the Mount Atkinson Major Town Centre located in Mt Atkinson, Victoria.

The sites at Deanside Central and Mt Atkinson are approximately 3.5km apart and are both located in an area undergoing significant development, known as the ‘Melton Growth Corridor’.

On 17 April 2025, CGPD and Coles entered into a sale agreement and an agreement for lease with Oreana, pursuant to which CGPD would transfer its freehold interest in the Kororoit site to Oreana and CSA would take a leaseback of a developed supermarket at the site.  

The undertaking to divest the site at Kororoit ensures that CGPD divests the site to Oreana by no later than 31 July 2026 and CSA terminates the Agreement for Lease with Oreana.

ACCC Supermarkets Inquiry   

On 21 March 2025, the ACCC published the Supermarkets Inquiry final report. In it the ACCC made a number of findings relevant to how it will assess supermarket acquisitions, including under the mandatory merger regime commencing 1 January 2026, including acquisitions of land. The Inquiry noted that the supermarket industry is highly concentrated with Coles and Woolworths accounting for approximately 67% of share of supply in Australia. The ACCC also found the availability of suitable sites for supermarket retailers is a likely impacted by planning and zoning laws and Coles and Woolworths have advantages over other retailers in securing such sites.

Local area maps

Figure 1 and Figure 2 below provide maps of the local areas around the Deanside Central and Mt Atkinson sites. The maps show existing and prospective medium and large format supermarket sites from public information.  

Figure 1: Deanside Central local area map

Figure 2: Mt Atkinson local area map

Source: New South Wales Ministerial News

Healthy Loddon Campaspe has released a preliminary finding from the 2025 Active Living Census (ALC), highlighting a concerning increase in food insecurity across the Loddon Campaspe region.

The latest data shows that 18% of residents in the region are experiencing low or very low food security, meaning they have faced challenges in accessing enough nutritious food over the past 12 months. This figure has almost doubled since 2019, when 9.2% of residents reported low or very low food insecurity.

The 2025 ALC included a more comprehensive set of questions on food security than previous surveys that provides a richer understanding of the issue within the Loddon Campaspe region.

Respondents were asked about experiences such as worrying food would run out, being unable to afford balanced meals, and reducing meal size or skipping meals due to financial constraints.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe spokesperson, Jess Howard said the findings are particularly relevant as the festive season approaches.

“Food insecurity is a growing issue in our region, and this time of year can be especially challenging for families and individuals,” Ms Howard said.

“Everyone in the community has the right to access sufficient healthy, affordable food to support their health and wellbeing. These early findings give us a clearer picture of the scale of the problem and will help inform future planning and action.

“In-depth, locally relevant data like that we receive from the Active Living Census is something most regions don’t have access to. It provides a unique opportunity to make evidence-based decisions, advocate for resources, and design programs that respond directly to local needs. This is critical for tackling complex issues like food insecurity.

“The early finding highlights that food insecurity is more commonly reported among certain community groups, including females, young adults, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people who identify as neurodivergent.

“It is also more prevalent among those with lower levels of education, people experiencing financial hardship, and individuals requiring help with daily activities. Residents reporting poor mental wellbeing, poor self-rated health, current smokers and vapers, and those not meeting recommended sleep or screen time guidelines, were also more likely to experience food insecurity.”

Bendigo Foodshare CEO, Michelle Murphy said the data reflects what their 98 local food relief agencies are seeing on the ground.

“We continue to see increased demand for food relief across Central Victoria. Rising living costs mean more people are struggling to put food on the table,” Ms Murphy said.

“This data reinforces the need for strong partnerships and community support to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food. It also reinforces the importance of prevention programs such as Bendigo Foodshare’s cooking and growing programs that work to build capacity in disadvantaged communities, and particularly for young people from diverse communities.”

Healthy Loddon Campaspe and other local organisations are also supporting food relief efforts and working together to address food insecurity within the region in a number of ways including local food relief programs, and community lunches, and via strategies like the Flourish Regional Food System Framework.

While this early release provides a regional snapshot, detailed findings broken down by local government area will be available in the first half of 2026.

The Active Living Census is a key part of the Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative, which aims to improve health outcomes across the Loddon Campaspe region.

The full set of findings from the 2025 ALC will be released in 2026.

For more information about the 2025 Active Living Census, visit:

Source: Resmed Inc

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Resmed (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) today announced Mick Farrell, chairman and chief executive officer, and Dr. Carlos Nunez, chief medical officer, will present at the 44^th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 12, 2026, beginning at approximately 10:30 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) in San Francisco, CA.

More information about this event, including access to the live, audio-only webcast, may be accessed by visiting https://investor.resmed.com. The audio-only webcast replay will be available approximately 24 hours after the live webcast ends and will be accessible for the following thirty (30) days.

About Resmed
Resmed (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD) creates life-changing health technologies that people love. We’re relentlessly committed to pioneering innovative technology to empower millions of people in 140 countries to live happier, healthier lives. Our AI-powered digital health solutions, cloud-connected devices and intelligent software make home healthcare more personalized, accessible and effective. Ultimately, Resmed envisions a world where every person can achieve their full potential through better sleep and breathing, with care delivered in their own home. Learn more about how we’re redefining sleep health at Resmed.com and follow @Resmed.

Source: Resmed, Inc.

Released December 18, 2025