Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Airservices Australia

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and pay my respects to Elders past and present.

It’s an honour to join you today at the Anika Foundation fundraising lunch. The Foundation supports vital work on youth mental health research, awareness and education, in which I have a strong personal interest.

I’m proud to uphold the tradition of the Reserve Bank Governor speaking at this event to support an organisation that is making a real difference.

My remarks today centre on the dual objectives of monetary policy: ‘price stability’, which means maintaining low and stable inflation; and full employment, which I will talk about in more detail later.

I’ll explore how these aims have shaped the Monetary Policy Board’s strategy in recent years. As part of that, I will reflect on the relationship between the labour market and inflation over that time, and how conditions in the labour market have evolved to the present day.

Now is a good time to revisit these subjects, following the agreement two weeks ago of an updated Statement on the Conduct of Monetary Policy, which sets out the common understanding of Government and the Board on key elements of the monetary policy framework.

But before I turn to that, I’ll start with an update on recent monetary policy settings.

Recent monetary policy settings

If you cast your mind back to 2022, you will recall that inflation was higher than it had been in decades, peaking at 7.8 per cent at the end of that year. It was this rise in inflation that required a tightening in monetary policy over 2022 and 2023, with the cash rate increasing from almost zero to 4.35 per cent over that period.

Over the past couple of years, we have made meaningful progress in bringing inflation down. Higher interest rates have been working to bring aggregate demand and supply closer towards balance. We expect headline inflation in the June quarter to be in the lower half of our 2–3 per cent target range – although that partly reflects the ongoing effect of temporary cost-of-living relief. As that effect unwinds, we expect headline inflation to pick up to around the top of the band at the end of this year and into the first part of 2026.

To help look through temporary factors like this, we also pay close attention to trimmed mean inflation (published quarterly), which provides a good guide to underlying inflation trends. This measure has also been easing, but it’s still a bit higher than headline inflation. At 2.9 per cent in the March quarter, year-ended trimmed mean inflation was under 3 per cent for the first time since 2021.

We expect trimmed mean inflation to fall a little further in the June quarter in year-ended terms. However, the monthly CPI Indicator data, which are volatile, suggest that the fall may not be quite as much as we forecast back in May. We still think it will show inflation declining slowly towards 2½ per cent, but we are looking for data to support this expectation.

Encouragingly, as inflation has slowed, the labour market has eased only gradually and the unemployment rate is relatively low. I’ll have more to say on developments in the labour market later.

Since February, we have reduced the cash rate by 50 basis points. The Board continues to judge that a measured and gradual approach to monetary policy easing is appropriate. Global economic and policy developments have so far been largely in line with our baseline May forecasts, and the likelihood of a severe downside ‘trade war’ appears to have diminished. But there is still uncertainty and unpredictability in the global economy. The Board’s view is that monetary policy is well placed to respond decisively to adverse international developments if needed.

Our longstanding strategy has been to bring inflation back to target while preserving as many of the gains in the labour market as possible. This approach meant that interest rates in Australia did not rise as high as they did in some other economies, and so we may not need to lower them as much on the way down.

We also know that Australians continue to feel cost-of-living pressures, with the average level of prices now notably higher than it was just a few years ago. That is why we want to make sure that inflation remains low and stable from here on in. Low and stable inflation is good for households, good for jobs, good for communities and good for the economy.

Our goals of price stability and full employment generally reinforce each other

Stepping back from current policy settings and the inflationary episode of recent years, I now want to reflect on the framework that guides the Board’s decisions more generally.

The RBA’s monetary policy objectives are set out in legislation. Our overarching goal is to promote the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people, both now and into the future. For the Board, this means setting monetary policy in a way that best achieves both price stability and full employment.

These goals are often referred to as our ‘dual mandate’ and are longstanding objectives of the RBA.

Over time, low and stable inflation and full employment go hand in hand. Low and stable inflation – or price stability – is a prerequisite for strong and sustainable employment growth because it creates favourable conditions for households and businesses to plan, invest and create jobs without having to worry about inflation. So our two objectives are complementary over the longer term.

Even in the shorter term, the two objectives often go hand in hand. For example, when there are ups and downs in demand, inflation tends to rise as the labour market tightens, and fall as it loosens. So a monetary policy response that returns inflation to target will, in time, also move the labour market towards full employment.

But sometimes there are developments that push up inflation at the same time as they weigh down demand – and therefore employment. This includes sharp increases in energy prices and supply disruptions that push up prices more broadly. As I’ll discuss in a moment, such ‘negative supply shocks’ were part of the reason for the high inflation of recent years, though they were not the only factor.

In the face of supply shocks that push up prices, we need to think about possible trade-offs: how do we balance our two goals in these circumstances?

If a supply disruption is temporary and modest, monetary policy should mostly ‘look through’ it. Raising interest rates makes little sense if inflation is expected to ease once temporary supply disruptions are resolved – it would only weaken the job market.

By contrast, when a supply shock is likely to have a longer lasting effect on the economy and inflation there may be stronger grounds for monetary policy to respond.

A key concern here is that the longer inflation stays high, the more households’ and businesses’ expectations for future inflation could increase. This could, in turn, lead to second-round effects on inflation as households and businesses build higher expectations into their decisions.

But if households and businesses instead maintain a high level of confidence that the Board will do what is needed to return inflation to target, inflationary shocks will have less effect on price and wage setting. That means we can look through adverse supply shocks to a greater extent – even those that we think could last for some time.

This highlights another important way in which our objectives are complementary – and it’s something I want to emphasise. Having a strong track record of low and stable inflation puts us in the best possible position to support employment. It means there is less risk of inflation getting out of control, which allows inflation to be brought down with smaller increases in interest rates than otherwise. This in turn keeps the labour market closer to full employment.

That is why maintaining well-anchored inflation expectations is a key benefit of inflation targeting frameworks, as I will return to in a moment, and why it is important that inflation returns to be sustainably in our target range.

The dual mandate in the post-pandemic period

So how did this dual mandate shape our policy response to the post-pandemic rise in inflation?

First, the starting point for our monetary policy settings mattered – these were of course very accommodative, with the cash rate effectively at zero.

Second, the causes of the pick-up in inflation were crucial. The initial pick-up in inflation was partly driven by some of the supply factors I have mentioned. Temporary disruptions in global supply chains during the pandemic led to strong increases in goods prices, and the war in Ukraine caused a spike in global energy prices.

But it was also clear that demand was part of the story. Accommodative fiscal and monetary policy settings in the pandemic period supported strong growth in demand for goods during lockdowns, and this demand strength interacted with supply constraints to amplify inflationary pressures. Then, as lockdowns eased and the economy started to recover, demand for services also recovered strongly. As a result, conditions in product markets and labour markets were very tight by mid-2022.

It was clear that we needed to increase interest rates to bring about a better balance between demand and supply, which would help to ease domestic price pressures. This need was reinforced by a concern that longer run inflation expectations could increase. If this happened, it would add to inflationary pressure and would ultimately require a larger policy response, and higher job losses.

Although it was clear that we needed to raise interest rates to slow demand growth, it was less clear how quickly demand pressures needed to ease, how persistent global shocks or their effects would be, and how much we could afford to ‘look through’ those effects.

The Board could have chosen to match the more significant rate increases of some other central banks to bring inflation back to target more quickly. But this could have risked a sharper and more persistent increase in the unemployment rate.

Instead, the Board judged that a measured approach was consistent with its dual mandate. We increased the cash rate quickly at first – but we didn’t go as high as some other central banks. We then held the cash rate for over a year, even as some other central banks started easing monetary policy. Throughout, we kept a close eye on longer term inflation expectations, to ensure they remained anchored to the target.

This strategy was designed to rein in inflation while also preserving as many of the gains in the labour market as possible – an example of our dual mandate in practice.

How has this played out so far?

Since the peak of inflation in 2022, headline inflation has declined by over 5 percentage points. And over the same period there has been a relatively modest easing in labour market conditions. The unemployment rate has increased from around 3.5 per cent in mid-2022 to 4.2 per cent in the June quarter this year, and remains low by historical standards.

Crucially, the share of the population in work has remained around record highs; this is in contrast to declines in many other advanced economies (Graph 1).

The fact that unemployment has remained low and employment growth has remained strong is remarkable – and very welcome.

And it is striking that the increase in the unemployment rate has been small compared with the large decline in inflation. This is especially true compared with previous episodes of disinflation in Australia (Graph 2).

Why is this?

Part of the answer is that the supply-driven price increases that I mentioned earlier did turn out to be temporary, even if they flowed through to the economy over a long period of time (Graph 3). As these supply disruptions eventually subsided and oil prices declined, price pressures eased.

And also as I mentioned earlier, the Board were very alert to the risk that inflation expectations could increase. Crucially, that did not happen.

Instead, households and businesses continued to believe that inflation would return to the target range (Graph 4). This limited any so-called ‘second-round’ effects on inflation, which allowed inflation to fall without a sharp rise in the unemployment rate.

This demonstrates the point I made earlier about how our two objectives can be complementary. A history of low and stable inflation, and the resulting public confidence in the inflation target, enabled the Board to adopt a strategy that protected the labour market as much as possible while still ensuring inflation came down.

How has the labour market adjusted in the current cycle?

I’ve already highlighted the comparatively modest increase in the unemployment rate over the past few years from a very low level, and that overall employment has continued growing. The rate of layoffs has increased only a little and remains at a remarkably low level by historical standards (Graph 5). The share of workers who are long-term unemployed also remains low.

These are good outcomes – as job losses are an especially painful way for the labour market to adjust to tighter monetary policy. Losing a job can be one of the most stressful events in someone’s life, and it can have far-reaching implications for families and communities.

While the unemployment rate has risen since its trough in late 2022, including an uptick in the month of June, there has been significant jobs growth in aggregate. Instead, the labour market has adjusted in some other – less disruptive – ways.

First, job vacancies have declined from a very high level as firms have slowed hiring activity.

Second, the average number of hours that people are working has declined. This follows a period when hours had increased sharply due to very strong demand for workers (Graph 6).

Having your hours cut is tough, but it’s often preferable to losing a job altogether. And it’s worth noting that some of this decline in hours has been voluntary, especially over the past year or so.

Third, there has been a decline in the share of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs (the ‘quits rate’). This suggests there could be less need for firms to compete to attract and retain workers, implying less upward pressure on wages growth than otherwise (Graph 7).

In summary, the gradual easing in labour market conditions has so far been most evident in fewer job vacancies, reductions in hours worked and declining rates of voluntary job switching.

These shifts aren’t without their challenges, but they all tend to be less disruptive than outright job losses.

I should note that the RBA can’t wave a magic wand and control how adjustments in the labour market play out. Interest rates are too blunt an instrument for that, and I am not here to claim credit for the fact that the adjustment has so far taken place in a less costly way.

By the same token, because the labour market can adjust in different ways, we do not ‘target’ any one adjustment mechanism, such as a set number of job losses, as we seek to bring demand and supply back into balance. Indeed, there have been substantial job gains over this period.

Are we close to full employment?

Let me bring the labour market story up to date.

Our overall assessment at the time of our most recent forecast in May was that there was still some tightness in the labour market, and we expected it to ease a little over the remainder of this year.

A broad range of indicators underpinned this assessment, and in many ways not much has changed. Firms still report significant difficulties finding labour, even if this constraint has eased somewhat recently. The ratio of vacancies to unemployed people remains high (Graph 8). At the same time, unit labour costs have been increasing strongly.

In May we also highlighted the possibility that labour market conditions could be less tight than we thought. As I noted earlier, the low rate of job switching may imply less upward pressure on wage growth than otherwise. And the quarterly rate of underlying inflation has recently been around a pace that would be consistent with 2½ per cent in annual terms.

For that reason, our May forecasts for wages growth and inflation incorporated some downwards judgement to reflect the possibility that there is more capacity in the labour market – and the economy more broadly – than is suggested by our usual assessment.

Last week brought us the latest labour market data, which confirmed that the unemployment rate increased in the June quarter. Some of the coverage of the latest data suggested this was a shock – but the outcome for the June quarter was in line with the forecast we released in May. That on its own suggests that the labour market moved a little further towards balance, as we were anticipating. While the June monthly data showed a noticeable pick-up in the unemployment rate, other measures – such as the vacancy rate – have been stable recently. More broadly, leading indicators are not pointing to further significant increases in the unemployment rate in the near term.

Nevertheless, the risks we highlighted in May remain. As always, there is uncertainty around how labour market conditions stand relative to full employment, and we will continue to closely monitor incoming labour market data. Our August Statement on Monetary Policy will provide a full updated assessment of labour market conditions and the outlook.

Concluding remarks

So, to conclude, our goals of low and stable inflation and full employment are closely linked and generally reinforce each other.

A critical feature of the recent high-inflation period is that longer term inflation expectations remained anchored. This has enabled the Board’s monetary policy strategy of bringing inflation down in a relatively gradual way so as to limit the easing in labour market conditions.

Much of the rebalancing of demand and supply in the labour market that has occurred in recent years has been reflected in declines in job vacancies, hours worked and voluntary job switching. There are many ways the labour market can adjust. The RBA doesn’t ‘target’ a specific outcome, like a certain unemployment rate or number of job losses, to reach full employment.

Monetary policy cannot control how the adjustment happens, but if it can occur while keeping employment strong – and even growing – that is a great outcome for workers, families, communities and the economy.

In the end, the best way to promote the economic welfare of Australians is by achieving low and stable inflation alongside full employment.

And that is what the Board is constantly striving for.

Thank you and I look forward to taking your questions.

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force, in partnership with the Department of Housing, Larrakia Nation and the City of Darwin, will launch a coordinated operation, Operation Home Safe, to assist visitors returning home following the Royal Darwin Show.

The show is a major event that brings families together from many vast and remote locations from across the Northern Territory. We encourage people to enjoy the show and all it has to offer, but to also plan for a safe return home.

Superintendent Kirsten Engels said, “Everyone enjoys the Royal Darwin Show as it’s a fantastic celebration for families and more. Returning safely home to family and friends is also important.

“Every year, extended stays in Darwin following the event can result in people sleeping rough or living in overcrowded housing. This multi-agency operation will involve patrols and engagement teams supporting and assisting showgoers where we can, to help people return home.”

The operation’s focus includes:

• Supporting children to return to school in their home communities
• Encouraging people to return home to access medical appointments and support services
• Promoting stability, safety, and wellbeing for families

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Northern Territory Police Force has arrested four youths following multiple aggravated robberies and a ram raid in the northern suburbs overnight.

Around 10:35pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre (JESCC) received a report that a woman had allegedly been threatened with an edged weapon and had her silver Mitsubishi ASX stolen outside her residence on Aralia Street.

It is alleged that victim was sitting in her parked vehicle when she was approached by two youths, one of which threatened her with an edged weapon and demanded the keys to the vehicle. They subsequently fled the scene in the Mitsubishi ASX.

The victim was not physically harmed during the incident.

Around 12:05am, the JESCC received a report that three youths entered a residence on Carnoustie Circuit before being confronted by the occupants. The offenders then threated the occupants with a machete and demanded money and vehicle keys before fleeing the scene in a Mitsubishi ASX.

The offenders subsequently drove to a shopping complex on Yanula Drive where they allegedly used the stolen vehicle to ram through the rear gate of the premises and cause significant property damage before fleeing the scene.

A short time later, the stolen Mitsubishi, occupied by three youths, was allegedly used to ram the roller door of a bottle shop on Baroalba Street, Leanyer. Once inside the group stole a quantity of alcohol and fled the scene.

Police later observed the stolen vehicle travelling towards Darwin City on Tiger Brennan Drive. A pursuit was initiated, however, was terminated shortly after the stolen Mitsubishi attempted to ram the police vehicle. At this time, it was identified that two female youths were also occupied the offending vehicle.

CCTV operators later observed the offenders abandon the vehicle on Voyager Street, Stuart Park. A large quantity of alcohol was located inside the vehicle.

General duties officers, Strike Force Trident and the Dog Operations Unit deployed to the area and arrested two females aged 13 and 14, and two males aged 14 and 17. The fifth offender remains outstanding.

At the time of arrest, one of the offenders was armed with a large machete and another was in possession of a bottle of alcohol believed to have been stolen during the ram raid.

Three of the youths have been charged in relation to the offending:

• A 17-year-old male has been charged with multiple property related offences, weapons offences, aggravated robbery, ram raid and traffic offences.
• A 14-year-old male was charged with multiple aggravated robbery offences, property offences, ram raid, going armed in public and traffic offences.
• A 14-year-old female was charged with Drive/use motor vehicle without consent, Possess stolen property and armed with offensive weapon.

The 13-year-old female will be dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act 2005.

Police urge anyone with information to make contact on 131 444. Please quote reference number P25196901. Anonymous reports can be made via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/. 

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Highway safety blitz catches speeding drivers

Thursday, 24 July 2025 – 11:11 am.

Tasmania Police issued 24 drivers with speeding infringements during a four-hour road safety blitz on the Bass Highway on Wednesday.
Officers from Western and Northern Road Policing Services conducted the joint operation on the highway, between Westbury and Latrobe, between 8am and noon.
Police detected 24 speeding offences, including five drivers travelling 20km/h to 30km/h over the posted speed limit. There was also one unregistered and uninsured vehicle.
Western District Acting Inspector Martin Parker said the higher range speeding offences were committed near the Paramatta Creek weigh bridge, where the speed limit had been reduced to 80km/h due to officers from the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator conducting operations at the weigh bridge.
“It is concerning that motorists are disregarding highly visual speed reduction signs when the weigh bridge station was operating,” Acting Inspector Parker said.
“The speed limit had been reduced to allow NVHR officers to safely conduct their work and the safe flow of traffic in the area, when trucks are exiting and re-entering the highway.”
Tasmania Police is committed to continuing road safety activities with the aim to reduce crashes on our roads, particularly serious and fatal crashes.
One death or serious injury is one too many and has the potential to severely impact the community.
Incidents of dangerous driving can be reported to police on 131 444 or call triple zero (000) if the behaviour is life threatening. Reports can also be made via Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JUSTIN SMITH, HOST: Yesterday the Albanese Government announced legislation around child care, introduced the legislation into Parliament. The main part of this is the threat to withdraw funding from centres that do not come up to standard. The Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Victorian Senator Jess Walsh, is in our Canberra studio. Minister, good morning.

SENATOR DR JESS WALSH, MINISTER FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND MINISTER FOR YOUTH: Good morning, Justin. Thanks for having me.

SMITH: With this new plan, how would that have prevented what we’re now talking about?

WALSH: Well, this has been a really distressing time, Justin, for families in Victoria, families of the children who are affected. Really, all parents of children who have their kids in early childhood education are watching on and they want strong action. So we have introduced legislation into the first sitting of our new Parliament to cut Commonwealth funding from those providers who do put profit ahead of child safety. This is a big lever that we have in the Commonwealth. We fund early learning centres through the Commonwealth Child Care Subsidy. This legislation will allow us for the first time to withdraw that subsidy from those providers who consistently and persistently fail to put child safety first.

SMITH: OK. This has come up, though, because of what, particularly in Victoria, as you’re a Victorian Senator, what we’ve seen in the last three weeks. So, for that reason, you’re introducing this legislation. So how is that going to prevent what we’ve been talking about and what we’ve been seeing? How will it change that? How will it stop that?

WALSH: Yeah, Justin, we announced this legislation some months ago and it certainly is in response to concerns about quality and safety in early childhood education. We know that the vast majority of providers do the right thing. We know that the vast majority of our dedicated, passionate early childhood educators do the right thing. But there is a small number of repeat offenders who this legislation is targeted at. It allows us to withdraw funding from those providers, it allows us to stop them expanding, and it allows us to take a range of actions against them, right from issuing them with show-cause notices, imposing conditions on their services, and again right through to withdrawing funding.

SMITH: No, no, I understand. I understand. And respectfully, forgive me for interrupting, but I will have to ask the same question again. How is that going to prevent what we’re talking about? If somebody is working in the industry, they have got red flags against them but there are no charges and then they pop up at another child care centre, with the proposals that you’re now putting in place, how is that going to prevent that?

WALSH: Yeah, thanks Justin. So, there’s two big pieces of work going on here and I hope you’ll let me go through them because –

SMITH: Sure.

WALSH: It’s really important, Justin. So, there’s our Commonwealth legislation, we have a big lever, being the funding and I’ve taken you through that. At the same time the Commonwealth States and Territories are working together shoulder-to-shoulder on a big package of reform – a strong and significant package of child safety reform. And that goes to some of the other things that are being discussed right now, including the first ever nationwide register of early childhood educators. You’re right that there have been flags raised about this alleged offender in Victoria. What we need is a nationwide register of early childhood educators that allows us to see those flags. And that register needs to be integrated with working with children checks. And yes, this individual, this alleged offender, had a working with children check. And it needs to be integrated with other information that we have about substantiated complaints and conduct against individuals. And that’s what we’re working towards. That register will raise those flags.

SMITH: Yep.

WALSH: It will allow us to track that behaviour, Justin, and provide information to regulators around the country about action that needs to be taken.

SMITH: Just on that register, before you move on to anything else, the Productivity Commission recommended that last year. How long is that going to take to get up and running?

WALSH: So, we’re working on it right now. As you’ve said, the Victorian Government is also working on these matters as well. They’ve announced their own register. We’re having discussions with them about making sure that it will be harmonised into the nationwide register. I think people want us to work together and we are. We do know that early childhood educators and providers cross borders and we need one strong national harmonised approach where we can see where our early childhood educators are working and where every regulator across the country can see those red flags.

SMITH: How long will it take for the register to get up and running?

WALSH: So, Justin, I don’t have an answer to that this morning. We’re meeting again in a couple of weeks, and we’ll announce the plans for the register then. We had an urgent ministers meeting – an urgent stand-alone meeting of Education Ministers focused on this issue at the end of June. At that meeting we put this nationwide register right on our agenda. We’re working on it. We’re coming back together in August, and we’ll have more to say then.

SMITH: OK. You can understand, and I don’t mean to be disrespectful when I say this, but you understand that people listening to this, parents who are listening to this now, have a fear that what is being announced and what’s being introduced into Parliament is a bit of window dressing and that it’s not actually going to make any changes. You would understand that fear?

WALSH: Justin, I met with three mums yesterday who had the courage to come up to here in Canberra and talk about their experiences. They were parents of children who had been abused in early learning settings historically, and I listened to their stories and their stories will stay with me and drive the action that we are taking. If there was one simple thing, Justin, that we could do, everyone would do it – the Commonwealth, States and Territories. There are many actions that need to be taken. I think everyone’s been really honest in this that not enough has been done up until now, but there is a real determination to do more. At the Commonwealth level, we have this lever of our funding, and we are sending a clear message to providers to lift their game or leave the sector. And we are working shoulder to shoulder with the States and Territories around a strong and significant package of reform.

SMITH: I guess there –

WALSH: Not enough has been –

SMITH: I’m sorry. Finish, please.

WALSH: Not enough has been done, Justin. I think everyone can see that. Everyone is clear about that. But we are all working together at a Commonwealth, State and Territory level and we are all driven by our understanding of the experiences that families are having right now and the fears that they have.

SMITH: With the withdrawal of funding, who is going to police that? Who will make the spot checks? Who will do the reports and make a call on whether a centre is up to scratch or not?

WALSH: So the Secretary of my Department is already looking at the data that we have. We know that there’s a small group of providers that consistently and persistently breach our national quality standards. We’re also looking at serious incidents, we’re looking at complaints, and we know which providers are of concern. It’s important to say, Justin, that if there are serious and imminent concerns, child care centres can be shut down immediately, and that does happen from time to time. This legislation is about the Commonwealth having the power for the first time to remove funding from those providers who are doing the wrong thing. And we also want it to send a message to the sector to lift their investment in quality and safety now.

SMITH: It’s 14 to 9. We’re with Jess Walsh, who is the Early Childhood Education Minister in the Albanese Government. Minister, I’m sorry, I’ll have to ask that – I will have to ask you that question again. Who makes the decision? Who polices it? Who does the spot checks?

WALSH: The Commonwealth is responsible for setting the standards, and the States and Territories for enforcing those standards with boots on the ground. It’s the States and Territories who have the regulators.

SMITH: OK.

WALSH: And we are of course all working together. We are hearing from the State regulators that this stick, if you like, that we have will help them do their job as well.

SMITH: Does that not place us back into a problem that we’ve had, which is that the State and the Commonwealth are working, not working separately but they are separate entities and as you’re going to be relying on the States to gather this data to make the call on these child care centres, but each State seems to have a very different way of approaching child care? How is that all going to be pulled together nationally?

WALSH: Well, the Commonwealth and the States do have different responsibilities, Justin, but we have one responsibility and that is to keep children safe in early learning and to give parents the confidence that their children are safe too. The regulators do provide information. We want to make sure that that information is shared nationally. And what we are doing this week with the legislation that we introduced yesterday is making sure that we can use the Commonwealth lever that we have, to withdraw funding from those providers who do put profit ahead of child safety. And there is one thing I want to add, Justin, to reassure parents. The vast majority of providers are meeting and exceeding our standards. Over 90 per cent of providers are meeting and exceeding standards. And the vast majority of educators out there are doing the very best job that they can do every day. There’s over a million families out there in Australia who are getting quality early education. This is a real problem that we’re seeing in terms of the distressing events that are occurring in Victoria, and more needs to be done about that. That’s why we’re focused on this legislation and bringing together a strong and significant package of child safety reforms.

SMITH: Okay. Is the, you talk about standard, is the Allan Government up to standard?

WALSH: Well, I think the Victorian Government, as with all governments around the country, have acknowledged that not enough has been done to date, and that more needs to be done. And we’ve acknowledged that at a Commonwealth level as well. Again, it’s why we’ve introduced this legislation in the first sitting of this Parliament because it’s such a big priority for us to keep children safe. It’s why we’re working shoulder to shoulder with the States on this package of reform. Of course, there is a review underway in Victoria, and we await the results of that review.

SMITH: Thank you for your time, Minister.

WALSH: Thank you.
 

Source: Jobs and Skills Australia

Workers on the move: job mobility is easing back to pandemic levels but employers still affected

Linda

Thu, 2025-07-24 10:54

Source:

Australian farmers could benefit from burn trials conducted in paddocks of canola stubble, which indicate current fire behaviour models are overestimating the spread and behaviour of fire in the crop under mild weather conditions.

The Canola and Alternative Crop Experimental Burn project is a critical component of a national collaborative research initiative involving the Victorian Country Fire Authority (CFA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the South Australian Country Fire Service (SACFS).

The aim of the collaborative project is to enhance Australia’s current understanding of fire behaviour in non-cereal crop stubbles, particularly canola and legume stubble, to address significant gaps in current fire behaviour models.

SACFS Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) Manager, Simeon Telfer said this collaborative project demonstrates our proactive approach to refining AFDRS, enhancing the accuracy of our fire simulators, and improving the quality and reliability of public warnings.

‘This project is a critical national partnership to address significant gaps in knowledge, as existing models are currently overestimating the fire spread risks in these fuel types under mild weather conditions,’ Mr Telfer said.

‘We are listening to communities and firefighters who have told us that canola burns differently; sometimes it will just stop spreading and other times it travels quickly, so we need to test the model.’

He said a large portion of data still needs to be collected before changes are made but initial indications show changes could be made to refine Fire Danger Rating thresholds for canola.

‘One of the main advantages of the AFDRS is its ability to adopt new research as it comes along, once it is peer reviewed, we will be able to adopt this research straight into AFDRS, which will help across the nation,’ he said.

‘We know farmers are doing it tough in South Australia as they continue to grapple with drought conditions, so we want to do our part to support them by ensuring our data provides the best available information to protect their crops and properties.’

A small delegation of fire scientists from SACFS, CFA and CSIRO have conducted stubble burns near Ungarra on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, in conjunction with local landowners and SACFS volunteers.

CFA Senior Research Officer, Rachel Bessell, said the project helps to foster collaboration and gets more agencies involved in fire research, all while helping the community.

‘It’s not very often that volunteers get to stop and watch fire, so it’s a great learning experience for them to be involved in these burns.’

‘There’s a lot of complexities with getting these burns up and running, so we’re really appreciative of all the support from the suppression crews and the local community.’

CSIRO Researcher Richard Hurley said the groundbreaking research will significantly enhance fire behavior predictions in cropping regions.

‘Currently throughout Australia, croplands are largely misunderstood and often misclassified as grasslands, which have different fuel characteristics. This highlights the need to better quantify fire propagation in these fuel types,’ Mr Hurley said.

‘From a scientific perspective, this type of research has never been done before at this scale. The next step is to conduct burns under much hotter and drier conditions to test fire behavior at the upper end of the fire behavior index.

The second stage of the project is planned for summer 2025/26, as soon as practicable after harvest is complete. In this stage, fires will be lit under increased temperatures and wind speeds to measure crop stubble fires in more typical wildfire conditions. Safety measures will be increased for the next stage of the project to ensure containment of these hotter and drier stubble fires, including additional SACFS suppression resources, burn buffers surrounding the experimental area and mineral earth breaks.

Media information
For media enquiries call the CFS Media Line on 08 8115 3531.

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is advising it is time to lodge, as most taxpayers with simple affairs will now have their information pre-filled into their accounts.

Assistant Commissioner Rob Thomson said that the ATO had completed pre-fill of over 91 million pieces of information available for individual tax returns from employers, banks, government agencies and private health insurers.

‘You’ve been patiently waiting, but now you’re good to go! Whether you lodge using a registered tax agent or lodge yourself through myTax, pre-fill information will now be available,’ Mr Thomson said.

Taxpayers should check the pre-filled data to ensure accuracy, add anything that may be missing and then include any deductions they are entitled to claim.

‘Don’t forget that you need to include all sources of income in your tax return. This includes side-hustles, linked income from providing ride sourcing services or selling services via an app.’

‘Remember, the ATO has 40 industry and occupation specific guides to assist you in what you can claim and what records are required to prove it,‘ Mr Thomson said.

To help keep your personal information safe and protected, the ATO’s app now has powerful new safety features designed to give users real-time control over their tax affairs through alerts and instant account locking to help stop fraudsters in their tracks.

‘Fraudsters are getting smarter, but so are the protective features in the app. The ATO app will send you real-time messages when changes are made to your ATO record, and you can quickly lock your account to prevent unauthorised access or fraudulent refunds.‘

‘These features provide peace of mind knowing your account is protected and you remain in control of your tax affairs anytime, anywhere‘ Mr Thomson said.

The ATO app and ATO online services through myGov also allow taxpayers to see the progress of their return once they or their registered tax agent have submitted it.

‘Most refunds are finalised within two weeks and this process cannot be sped up, even if you call us,’ Mr Thomson said.

Taxpayers have until 31 October to lodge their tax return or to get on the books of a registered tax agent, which may allow them more time to lodge.

Notes to journalists

A high-resolution headshot of ATO Assistant Commissioner Rob ThomsonThis link will download a file is available for download from our media centre.

ATO stock footage and images are available for use in news bulletins from our media centre.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Man charged with serious family violence offences

Thursday, 24 July 2025 – 10:06 am.

A 43-year-old Risdon man has been charged with serious family violence offences following an operation led by Tasmania Police’s South East Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB).
The offences include emotional abuse (coercive control), systems abuse, and numerous family violence order breaches.
As part of the investigative operation, several coordinated searches were conducted at a range of locations on Wednesday, with exhibits seized and the man charged on Wednesday evening.
Supporting and protecting victims of crime is a priority for Tasmania Police, and this matter remains under active investigation.
The man is due to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court on 5 December 2025.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence and is in need of urgent assistance, call police on Triple Zero (000).
To report a non-urgent incident of family violence – call the Tasmania Police Assistance Line on 131 444 or attend your local police station to make a report. If you have a hearing impairment, call TTY 106.
For advice, support and counselling relating to family violence (if you do not wish to report the matter to police in the first instance) – call the Family Violence Counselling Support Service on 1800 608 122.