Category: MIL-OSI

Source: South Australia Police

The City of Wanneroo shares our respects following the passing of a pioneering figure in our local business community, Bill Meredith, at the age of 91 years old.

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A CFA volunteer has had the chance to say thank you to fellow volunteers and paramedics that helped save his life.

John Moyes, a volunteer with Yarragon CFA, suffered a cardiac arrest while responding to a grass and scrub fire on Tuesday 4 March 2025 in Yarragon.

Shortly after arriving at the scene, John collapsed.

Crews from Trafalgar were on scene battling the blaze and Commander Greg Fisher said he immediately snapped into action.

“We had to fight the fire, but we also needed to help John,” he said.

“Thankfully, our members are first aid trained, and we were able to quickly begin doing what we needed to do.”

Immediately following contact with Triple Zero (000), Trafalgar members, Sally Neenan, Colin Proctor, and Danny Mynard, got to work on John, starting cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and attaching an automated external defibrillator (AED) from one of the trucks.

“It was all a bit of a blur,” Danny said.

“But my training kicked in and I just did what I had to do to help save John.”

Sally said John collapsed behind her and having just refreshed her CPR just months before, she was able to rely on her knowledge to help save John.

“It was daunting but it really drives home the importance of having your first aid and CPR training even if you’re just a member of the community, this could have happened anywhere,” she said.

Colin said having an AED was a huge help to their CPR efforts.

“We were really glad to have the defibrillator right there on the truck,” he said.

The trio continued CPR, delivering three shocks with the AED prior to the arrival of Ambulance Victoria paramedics. At the time of handover, John remained pulseless and unconscious.

Paramedics took over care, intubated John and placed him into an induced coma. He was transported in a critical condition to the Victorian Heart Hospital for specialist care.

John said he was “forever indebted” to those that intervened early and saved his life.

“They are the reason I am here,” John said.

“Because they knew what to do, I have another chance.”

Greg said the incident was a good reminder about the importance of early intervention, having AEDs on trucks, and completing first aid training with CFA.

“We offer basic first aid and CPR training to all CFA members and this really showed us why this training is so important,” Greg said.

“Our members do more than just fight fires; they are there to help their communities in so many different situations.

“All CFA primary firefighting appliances are also fitted with AED’s which is an amazing resource.”

Ambulance Victoria Gippsland Clinical Support Officer Dion Meade said John’s recovery was testament to the quick actions of those around him.

“It’s fantastic to see John alive and doing so well, which is all because of his peers who immediately started the chain of survival by implementing Call, Push, Shock,” he said.

“We know the significant impact of early intervention, with a patient’s chance of survival almost doubling when they receive CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrive.

“The Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry 2023-24 showed Victoria has Australia’s best cardiac survival rate and the third best in the world, which is because of people, like Sally, Colin and Danny, stepping in when they see someone in cardiac arrest.

“Anyone can save a life by remembering to Call Triple Zero 000, give CPR by pushing hard and fast on the middle of the chest, and use an AED if available.”

Additional resources:

To find a list of registered AED’s in Victoria, visit registermyaed.ambulance.vic.gov.au.

Call, Push, Shock resources are available in multiple languages on the Ambulance Victoria website: ambulance.vic.gov.au/translated-resources/

Learn more in the 2023/24 Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry (VACAR) Annual Report.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: This is really exciting. It’s about bringing university closer to where people live in the outer suburbs of our big cities and in particular here in Perth. We’re setting up a hub here in Ellenbrook, but also in Armadale and in Mandurah. It’s about making sure that wherever you live, you get a chance at going to university. And this will help people who are studying at uni now to be able to study closer to home. But also hopefully it’ll help a lot of young people who’ve got a dream to go to university but just think that it’s too far away. 

Next door I got a chance to meet a young woman who’s studying to become a school teacher. She’s at Edith Cowan University at the moment and she’s got to travel about an hour to get to university. Now she only has to travel five minutes. I met a bloke who’s doing a PhD at RMIT in Victoria. He just lives across the road and now he could study right across the road, just a two minute walk to get to university. And I’m hoping that for kids at school today in Ellenbrook, they’ll see the sign university and they’ll know that, “hey, I can go to uni too.”

JOURNALIST: 100 per cent, that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? You’re obviously in Perth for Cabinet today. Anything on your agenda?

CLARE: This is the first time that the Cabinet’s back in Perth since the election and it’s a great opportunity not just to meet as a Cabinet and talk about the fantastic things that are happening here in WA, but to meet with Roger Cook and his team and continue the great work that we’re doing together. As Education Minister, I’m doing a lot of work with WA. WA was the first state in Australia to sign up to the new education agreement to fully fund our schools. So, I’m looking forward to catching up with the Education Minister tomorrow. 

JOURNALIST: First thing on the agenda is cutting HECS. Is that something that really excites you?

CLARE: Big time. There are 3 million Aussies across the country that have a HECS debt and we’re going to cut their debt by 20 per cent. It’ll be the very first piece of legislation that we introduce into the Parliament next month and I’ll have the privilege to introduce that legislation. That’s going to make a massive difference for young people right across the country. The average debt today is about $27,000. That means for a lot of people it’s going to cut their debt by $5,000. That’ll make it a lot easier for young people starting out who are just getting started, just moving out of home, just wanting to get a mortgage and buy their first home. Cutting that debt will make a world of difference. I want more young people to have a crack at university. That means setting up hubs like this and also means cutting their debt.

JOURNALIST: 100 per cent. Tania, is there anything you’d like to add on the announcement today?

TANIA LAWRENCE, MEMBER FOR HASLUCK: Yes. Ellenbrook is a part of the growth corridor in the outer region of Perth. There will be projected 76,000 people living out in this area by 2036. And we know that the infrastructure that’s needed for this community is being realised under the Labor Government both at the state and the federal level. We’ve now got a train station just within proximity, walking distance of today’s opening of the Ellenbrook Study Hub. We have a need to ensure that every student has access to affordable education. We’re achieving that with the reduction in the HECS debt. We are achieving that with making access to a study hub environment like this. 

A means for students, no matter where they live, no matter their home environment, that they have the opportunity to be able to study in a place that is supportive, that’s inclusive and that allows them access to resources to ensure they get the best results at university. I’m definitely proud to be part of a Labor Government that sees education as a silver bullet. That we are investing in education from tiny tots with early education access right through to as the Minister spoke about having every public school now fully funded within Western Australia through to free TAFE and now with university making it more affordable but also more accessible with the Ellenbrook Study Hub opening today.
 

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

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Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Two men arrested and youths spoken to after drug dog patrols in Glenorchy

Wednesday, 4 June 2025 – 9:34 am.

Tasmania Police continues to focus on reducing anti-social behaviour and retail crime in the Glenorchy municipality with high visibility patrols supported by police dog handlers yesterday afternoon resulting in several arrests and formal directions being made.
Sergeant Iain Shepherd from the Tasmania Police Dog Handlers Unit said that during the patrols, dog handlers searched 12 people resulting in the seizure of drugs such as methylamphetamine and cannabis, and three people were found in possession of knives or other weapons.
“A 48-year-old man from Bridgewater wanted on stealing charges was located and interviewed and another 48-year-old man from Bridgewater was arrested for consuming alcohol and engaging in disorderly conduct.”
“The man was bailed before being arrested again a short time later for attempted stealing.”
“He was banned from entering all Coles stores for one year and will appear in court at a later date.”
“Five other individuals also received formal directions to leave the Glenorchy CBD due to their behaviour.”
“In addition, several youths were spoken to, and those found in possession of drugs will be dealt with through youth diversion programs,” said Sergeant Shepherd.
Police would like to thank the community for their support and assistance, and encourage anyone with information about drugs and anti-social behaviour to contact police at 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania at 1800 333 000 or via crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Youths charged in Devonport

Wednesday, 4 June 2025 – 9:03 am.

Two boys have been arrested and charged over an alleged assault in the Devonport CBD as police continue to focus on anti-social behaviour in the city precinct.
The male youths have been bailed to appear at the Devonport Youth Justice Court at a later date.
Tasmania Police is aware of recent reports of anti-social behaviour in the Devonport CBD and is continuing with a high-visibility police presence in the area to deter this disruptive behaviour.
“Members of the public and those working in the Devonport CBD have a right and expectation to feel safe. Tasmania Police are committed to ensuring public safety and will not tolerate any disruptive or harmful behaviour from anyone,” Devonport Police Acting Inspector Luke Negri said.
“Offenders, including youths, will be held to account for their actions and behaviour.”
Anyone who witnesses concerning activity is encouraged to report it to police on 131 444 or call triple zero (000) if it is an emergency.
You can also report anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

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04 June 2025

Maintaining regular savings habits and paying off credit card debt on time are two stable financial behaviours that significantly lead to improved mental health, University of South Australia finance experts have found.

New UniSA research has revealed that stable financial habits can significantly contribute to improved mental health, which in turn can lead to higher productivity and employment. This was found to be true across all socioeconomic demographics.

Researchers explored data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey database, comprising the socioeconomic status, physical and mental health, labour market dynamics, family conditions and life experiences of more than 17,000 Australians aged 15 years and over from 2001 to 2021.

Upon examining the data, researchers found that people who practised stable financial behaviours, such as regularly saving money and paying off credit card payments on time, reported increased mental health as well as vitality, social functioning and general wellbeing.

UniSA Professor of Applied Economics Rajabrata Banerjee says while the link between financial behaviours and mental health is already known, research into patterns of consistent behaviour and the impact on mental health was lacking.

“We already know that having high debt and low savings has a negative impact on mental health, but we wanted to learn more about the positive financial behaviours – such as how regularly someone saves or pay off their debt – that may reduce financial strain and cause less worry about money and better mental health,” he says.

“Considering Australians are already facing cost-of-living pressures, and the ongoing mental health crisis since the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to investigate what part positive financial behaviours can play in significantly altering mental health.

“We found that people who are saving and regularly putting money aside have the best mental health. Those who don’t save at all had the worst mental health. In terms of paying off credit card debt, the same principle applies.”

To examine the effect of cost-of-living pressures, the study also investigated whether financial burden was a factor that influenced regular savings and debt behaviours. Financial burden was measured by the cost of utilities like electricity, gas and water, adjusted based on how close someone is to retirement.

“The study found that sharp increases in utility prices placed a greater financial burden on younger people, who typically have low savings and high debt. This burden further strains their finances and negatively impacts their savings and debit behaviours and mental health,” Prof Banerjee says.

“The study also found that the positive impact of savings behaviour on mental health was stronger for men than women, indicating that, in Australia, financial management is still dominated by men, therefore resulting in a greater impact for that group.”

However, the study found that stable financial behaviours led to good mental health irrespective of whether an individual is from a higher or lower socioeconomic background, signifying that even saving a small amount when expenses are high, can lead to better mental health.

Prof Banerjee says financial hardship can be a profoundly disheartening experience that can have a detrimental effect on someone’s mental health as well as their long-term economic interests.

“When individuals are financially strained, they often can’t save as much or invest, so they miss out on growth and meeting those goals they might have set for the future. People can also become reliant on borrowing to meet their basic needs, and this can lead to high interest payments and continuous debt cycles,” he says.

“That’s why healthy financial behaviour is important to build stability and long-term security, allowing goal achievement, independence and access to opportunities, as well as reduced stress and good mental health.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Contact for interview: Raj Banerjee, Professor of Applied Economics, UniSA E: rajabrata.banerjee@unisa.edu.au
Media contact: Melissa Keogh, Communication Officer, UniSA M: +61 417 361 403 E: Melissa.Keogh@unisa.edu.au

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The historic Perth Concert Hall is one step closer to its transformation, with preliminary works commencing last month on the $150.3 million refurbishment. 

Construction broke ground marking the start of essential structural work to restore the heritage listed building, which was the first Australian concert hall built after World War II.

The revitalisation includes a home for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra featuring office and rehearsal spaces, bar areas and events spaces, along with refurbishment of the auditorium entry, lifts and stairs to improve venue accessibility. 

Updated seating, lighting and backstage facilities have been carefully considered to preserve the venue’s distinctive features and internationally-renowned acoustic features.

The WA Government awarded the tender for forward works to Australian-owned and operated construction company ADCO, which has delivered similar large-scale, government and private projects. The main works tender is scheduled to be awarded in November 2025.

A digital fly-through of the Perth Concert Hall project shows a new and improved entry experience, through a redesigned and landscaped forecourt to create a more connected and welcoming approach to the venue.

The Perth Concert Hall Redevelopment is one of 14 projects under the $1.7 billion Perth City Deal partnership. The Australian Government is investing $532.7 million to projects including the ECU City Campus, WACA Upgrade, East Perth Common Ground, and the Boorloo (Causeway) Bridge.

The $150.3 million investment includes $134.3 million in WA Government funding, $12 million from the Australian Government and $4 million from the City of Perth.

Comments attributed to Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King: 

 “Refurbishing and expanding the Perth Concert Hall will capitalise on Perth’s historical and cultural strengths, and preserve the hall for future generations.

“After 50 years of continuous operation, we’re investing in this cultural icon to be enjoyed by the community for at least 50 more. 

 “Expected to create 230 jobs, the Albanese Labor Government is delivering infrastructure that stimulates the economy, connects communities, and fosters vibrancy in our cities.”

Comments attributed to Federal Member for Perth Patrick Gorman:

“This investment helps secure Perth’s future as the cultural centre of Australia’s west coast. 

“This will give local, national and international acts a venue worthy of their creative talents. 

“The Albanese Labor Government is investing in Perth and the creative and tourism industries that employ thousands across our country.”

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NADIA CLANCY [STATE MEMBER FOR ELDER]: I’m Nadia Clancy. I am the Member for Elder I’m here today with the Premier Peter Malinauskas as well as Federal Minister for Infrastructure Catherine King. We also have State Minister who you are all well accustomed to, Minister Koutsantonis, and my electorate boundary mate, Jayne Stinson. So we’re right in the electorate of Elder at the moment and I am so excited to see so much activity on site at the moment. It sort of has felt like a slow burn and now we are here. I really want to thank my constituents for their patience and understanding as we’ve dealt with these changes and these sort of minor inconveniences, and really, really excited that now the Norrie Avenue link road has now been completed which is making things a lot easier for locals. Now I will hand over to the Premier.

PETER MALINAUSKAS [SA PREMIER]: Thanks so much Nadia, it’s great to be here with you and Jayne. Your consistent advocacy on behalf of your constituents is making the relative inconvenience of this project far easier to deal with so we can make sure we can get it done. It’s great to be here with Tom as always but I particularly want to thank Catherine King, the Federal Infrastructure Minister, and take this opportunity to in this forum congratulate you, Catherine, on the re-election of the Albanese Government and your retention of one the most important portfolios that we see in any government in the country.

The partnership between my state government and the Albanese federal government really is on show here. I am very pleased that we are getting this project done. The non-stop South Road project has been talked about for decades and the hardest part is now finally underway because we are making it happen. We have not spared any expense to get it done properly the first time. A $15.4 billion infrastructure project that will literally change the way that traffic moves through our city for the next 100 years. The legacy of this project will be not just an infinite amount of convenience for tens of thousands of motorists, but it’ll actually be changing the economic dynamic of the way our city operates, which is exactly why this is worth it in the long run. I cannot possibly overstate the size and the complexity of this $15.4 billion project, but when it is completed, which is actually, in the scheme of things, not that far away, it’ll mean that up to 40 minutes in commute time is saved as a result of the removal of 21 sets of traffic lights for people during peak hour. Any time you remove 21 sets of traffic lights from any journey on our roads in a metropolitan environment, it saves a lot of time, but 40 minutes for a community to peak hour, that’s a big number. And when you add that up for every single working family, every single day of the week, it means hours and hours of people’s lives that are returned to a better standard of living or to a better economic outcome, which is exactly why this project requires urgency. And finally, we’ve got two governments getting together to get it done and get it done properly.

There has been a lot of work, a lot of work that has led to us being able to be here today where major construction is now underway for where the tunnel boring machines on the southern end of the project will be lowered. Just behind where I’m standing right now, two 90 metre- long tunnel boring machines will be lowered 25 metres below the surface to start tunnelling out throughout the second half of 2026 right through to the project’s completion. This is one of the biggest engineering undertakings that’s not just occurred in the history of our state but indeed the nation. This is the biggest infrastructure project in Australia right now. There is none bigger than this, and it’s going to change the way our city operates forever in a way that will be a lot more convenient for everyone from working families to small businesses to big businesses who want to get things moving in and around metropolitan Adelaide.

The non-stop South Road project has been talked about a lot and we’ve seen a lot been achieved over the course of the last 20 years. But this is the big part, this is the hard part and my government is getting it done. But we’re only able to do that because of the partnership, a 50/50 funding partnership between the state and federal government, $7.7 billion from the Commonwealth, $7.7 billion coming from the state government. Every step of the way, the relationship between the government, particularly between Minister Koutsantonis and Minister King has just been outstanding.

I want to take this opportunity to really thank Minister King, not just for her stewardship but also for her advocacy on occasions. She appreciates just how dynamic and important this project is and has done a lot to help make it happen. So I’ll hand over to the Minister to say a few words and then Minister Koutsantonis, Minister King and myself will be able to answer your questions.

CATHERINE KING [MINISTER]: Thanks Premier. Well, it’s great to be back here in the great state of South Australia, and you can see behind us here, this is a state that is delivering important infrastructure for communities here in Adelaide. Can I thank Nadia and Jayne for being here, they’ve been great advocates of this project, but can I particularly acknowledge both the premier and also Minister Koutsantonis. It is such a delight to work with the pair of them on these projects. I know both them coming to government and us coming to government, this project really was in a bit of a state and we had to make hard decisions about investing more money to get this project done. This $15 billion plus project is very much a 50/50 partnership between the Albanese Labor Government and the Malinauskas Labor Government, because Labor Government’s build peace.

Infrastructure is absolutely my passion. I’m so delighted to have been returned as Infrastructure Minister because infrastructure changes lives. And what a great way of doing so. Twenty-one sets of traffic lights removed, 40 minutes off commute time. And that means for people, that’s 40 minutes more you can spend with your families. Actually spending time being able to do the things that matter most to all of us. Being able to spend that time with your kids, being able to spend that time with your families. It also is a great employment generator. Over 5,500 people will be employed on this site over the course of its life, and 600 of those are going to be trainees and apprentices, new workers coming into the construction industry. And I particularly want to give a shout out to the many women in construction that we’re seeing, heaps of them on site here today. It is a great career, and I’m so delighted that we see so many women entering this field. We have to have more women in construction, and this project with 600 new trainees and new apprentices working on site will deliver that.

Delighted to partner with the Malinauskas Government on this project. We’re investing over $9 billion in infrastructure here in South Australia, but this is by far the biggest build of any of them. You can see behind us where the tunnel boring machines will be assembled and then dropped to actually start their work, and there’s going to be lots of opportunities for the media to see this construction project. It is the biggest road project in the state. There are lots of other projects that would claim to rival it, but I would have to say it’s the biggest project in state and the biggest project in the country in terms of the longest and three tunnel boring machines, the largest in the country, when they’re assembled on site.

So, terrific to be here today. I want to thank and wish all the very best to the construction company. You can see this has started because it’s only Labor governments that actually deliver infrastructure, and only Labor governments that deliver the sort of infrastructure that South Australia needs.

I’ll hand over to the Premier for questions and then we’ll work from there.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

PETER MALINAUSKAS: Yeah, I can talk about that, and maybe Tom can [indistinct]… as well. Look, you can’t make an omelette without breaking some eggs, and we’re a government that’s very conscious of the fact that during a project of this size and complexity, of course there’s going be a degree of disruption. But we want to get things done, and we’re not going to back away from making tough decisions that are required to set the state up for the long term. There’s a lot of economic opportunity before South Australia at the moment, and if we want people to be able to participate in it, they’ve got to be able to get to their places of work in a way that is efficient and productive, which means this project just has to be delivered. It just has to get done.

Now, there has been a lot of engagement with local communities, and local MPs have certainly been powerful advocates – not just through the compulsory acquisition process, which is largely complete, but also with all the various movements and traffic that we’ll see over the coming years ahead. But at the end of it is the end game, which is a 40 minute saving for people in their commute during peak hour. Twenty-one sets of traffic lights removed. That’ll be worth it, right? It’s not just this project that we’ve got going on that causes a bit of inconvenience too. As a government, we’ve made tough decisions on this project. We’ve made tough decisions on the womens’ and kids’ project. But we do it because what we’re interested in is the long-term outcome. We’re not thinking about short-term politics. We’re thinking about long-term outcomes for the state, and none is more important than the $15.4 billion project that we deliver here.

It’s true to say that if I was only thinking about the next election, we probably wouldn’t necessarily make the same decisions. But because we’re thinking about the long term, and we do want to get to that end point of having a 40 minute saving, we’re powering ahead and making the tough choices so we can get this project done, and done as quickly as we can.

JOURNALIST: How confident are you that this is going to be delivered on time and on budget? [Indistinct] …

PETER MALINAUSKAS: [Talks over] Well, so far, things have gone alright. So far, things are going well. Now, we’re not naive to the fact that there’s going to be challenges along the way, but so far, I mean, I’ve been honest about the womens’ and kids’, and I’ll be honest about this project. So far, things are going well. But we’re still at the front nine, we’re not on the back nine yet, and then it’s going to happen.

JOURNALIST: There’s a lot of money that’s being spent on this, obviously federally and state. Is there a lot of wiggle room in the budget for other projects that are going to be coming up?

PETER MALINAUSKAS: Well, you’ll have to wait and see in the budget. We’re not that far away. Look, we’ve been really pleated as a government in delivering budget surpluses. We haven’t just forecast them, we’ve delivered them. We haven’t delivered a deficit yet. We’re working hard to keep it that way, and that gives us the room to be able to invest in things that set the state up for the long term. But there’s always competing priorities. The biggest one for us remains health and education. That’s core business as far as we’re concerned, and it makes a difference to people’s lives, and we’re always looking for opportunities to invest in those things.

But as far as major transport infrastructure, we focus on the non-stop South Road element, but there’s also a lot of east-west connectivity that we’re investing in as well. That’s already starting to move traffic a lot better to and from other parts of Adelaide. So the $15.4 billion project number is predominantly the non-stop South Road element, but a lot of east-west activity and connectivity has been invested in too, which will also help traffic flow more broadly.

JOURNALIST: There’s a lot of construction going on around Adelaide [indistinct]. Do we have the local [indistinct]…?

PETER MALINAUSKAS: That’s a good question. By and large, yes. I mean, look, If you’re in civil construction or other construction type jobs, South Australia is the place you want to be. There’s no doubt about it. We are grateful though that we are seeing some expertise come from other parts of the country. In fact, I was just chatting to someone calling Adelaide home, and hopefully, it stays that way because we are going to need the workforce in the future. Because understand this, we’ve got this project, we’ve got the womens’ and kids’, but then beyond that, all the work that is required down at Osborne, which is many billions of dollars worth of construction, there’ll be work there in the future as well. Our ambitions for what we hopefully want to see happen at Olympic Dam, what we want to see at Wyalla, it’s not just a pipeline of work over the course of the next four years. What we’re setting ourselves up for is a pipeline of work over the course of the decade ahead, because that’s what prudent planning demands.

So, in terms of workforce, yes, of course, there’s a lot of demand for labour in the state at the moment. We’ve got the lowest unemployment rate levels we’d ever seen. I think we’ve got the seventh lowest unemployment rate in the nation. It’s below 4 per cent. That’s a good problem to have, in some respects. But we’ve also got to be investing into skills in the future, which is what our technical college is all about.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible]

PETER MALINAUSKAS: Yeah, in parts, yes. And if they end up calling Adelaide their home, that’s a good thing. It’s why we’ve got more houses being built in South Australia on an apples-for-apples basis than any other part of the country. The stats out just in the last fortnight show that housing dwelling starts, and also approvals are growing at the fastest rate in South Australia, anywhere in the country. In fact, the national average is going backwards but South Australia is growing. 

JOURNALIST: Had another fatal crash, and you’re saying [indistinct] on our roads. What will need to be done to keep the roads safe now?

PETER MALINAUSKUS: Well, I might invite Tom to have a few words about this. I mean, apart from just acknowledging the awful loss of life, it’s heartbreaking for a family. You know, we see the road toll and that’s a number but what sits behind that, of course, are real people and family will be devastated badly by those deaths and my thoughts are with them. But in terms of the truck traffic I might just leave it to Tom to say a few words. Is there any other questions for me before I [indistinct] to Tom? 

JOURNALIST: Yeah. I was just wondering, in terms of the upper house, Sarah Game has obviously left One Nation. What does that look like for you guys now in terms of passing legislation? Do you have any concerns or confidence in that change with Tammy as well of course? 

PETER MALINAUSKUS: Yeah. I haven’t had chance to speak about Tammy publicly yet, either, so maybe I’ll deal with both of those. Yeah look, in our rich, vibrant liberal democracy change happens, and we’ve got a quite a diverse mix of people in the upper house. And what I try to do is work with them, regardless of their political hue. Of course, there are things that we’ll disagree on ideologically and philosophically, that’s clear. But I also want to work with people from other political parties, because that’s the way you achieve results. 

So, whether Tammy Franks is in the Greens or Sarah Nation[sic] is in One Nation, I’m going to sit down and I’m going to work with them, because I think that’s what leadership requires. I will, however, make this point, you know, out of all of the cross section of political hues in the parliament at the moment, of which there are a number, there’s only one political party that hasn’t lost any members or had anyone quit or leave, and what is the party? It’s us. So, despite us having more members than anybody else, we’re the most disciplined and united team. So- but in terms of Tammy and Sarah, they’ve made their own decisions, that’s for them and their political parties to resolve. But as the Premier of the state I want to work with them no matter what.

JOURNALIST: Do you think it’s very fair for the voters who have helped vote in these people in to have party members. For example, Sarah wasn’t particularly known in her own right beforehand to have these people then going to sit as independent? Do you think that’s fair to them?

PETER MALINAUSKUS:  This has been a feature of the Westminster system since it’s dawn. And what we do, though, in the Labor Party is- you know, in South Australia, we’ve got a particularly disciplined and united- you know, where we have points of difference we sit down and work with one another, rather than just storm out and quit. And that’s what allows us, as a government, to focus on what’s in the best interest of the state. The business of other political parties, I’ll leave that to them to [indistinct].

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] around the issues [indistinct] parties or anything which will change that way. 

PETER MALINAUSKUS: I understand the argument, but I think it’s difficult. And it’s not a feature of many Westminster parliaments we see around- in the world. So, it’s not something I envisage having here anytime soon. 

JOURNALIST: Back to the question?

PETER MALINAUSKUS: Yeah, I’ll know that Tom’s got that.

JOURNALIST: [Indistinct] There have been some talk about our industry, trucking industry and the rules surrounding the drivers and training that’s sort of sparked up that debate, and why we don’t know the circumstances surrounding this one we need to have another look at how we’re training truck drivers.

TOM KOUTSANTONIS [SA MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORT]: Yeah. So, we have here in South Australia. So, we’re the first state in the federation to change the way we’re training drivers, especially ones who are coming from abroad. We are no longer recognising accreditation in other jurisdictions internationally. We wanted them to be trained here in Australia, to understand Australian conditions. 

Look, heavy vehicles are getting larger in Australia, they’re not getting smaller. We’re a big country and we are looking at growing our road trains even larger, and training is becoming even more important. What occurred on the weekend is a tragedy. It probably could have been avoided. No one needs to die on our roads with a heavy vehicle if everyone is trained appropriately and equipment is appropriately maintained. 

We’ll let this go through the court process to understand exactly what occurred. I understand police have charged a person this morning so I’m not going to go into the details other than to say, if you come to this and you want to drive a heavy vehicle in South Australia, we expect you to be trained here in South Australia. I call on other jurisdictions to do the same thing because it’s important that Australian conditions are top of mind for when we train our drivers. 

Now, I don’t know the circumstances here. I don’t know what occurred here, I’m getting a briefing later on today. But it’s important to note that heavy vehicles are dangerous. We have very, very strict heavy vehicle national regulations that govern the way people drive heavy vehicles, the way that they’re trained, and the way that these vehicles are assessed. There’s trainer responsibility here, right back to the owners of the company and directors of that company who could be personally liable for even criminal charges if something is going wrong. So, we want to get to the bottom of this, but it is way too early to form any judgment.

PETER MALINAUSKUS: Thanks so much everyone. Cheers.

JOURNALIST: Sorry. Just one more. 

PETER MALINAUSKUS: So, we’ll take this last one [indistinct]…

JOURNALIST: Sorry. In terms of the speed that [indistinct] today, you’re going to increase it to around [indistinct] saying another 25 kilometres per hour on our roads. Do you know much about that? Does council [indistinct]…

TOM KOUTSANTONIS: I do. Yes, there are reforms. Yes, yes. So, what we’ve done is we’ve listened to the RAA, we’ve listened to tow truck drivers. When amber lights turn on because they’re working on a vehicle on the side of the road that’s either broken down or needs to be towed, there have been too many crashes and near misses that make it dangerous to bring aid to people who are stranded on the side of the road. So, when you see these amber lights it’s important that you slow down to 25 kilometres per hour, as safely and as quickly as possible for you to do so. If you do breach it, depending on the speed that you’re going over – the same penalties apply for emergency service vehicles, if you drive past a police car and ambulance with red lights flashing. 

It’s very, very important to maintain the safety and security of these people providing assistance on the side of the road, and we make no apologies for that. I heard this morning tow truck drivers who are turning up to cars that have been broken down on the side of the road, while they’re connecting these vehicles seeing either individuals being clipped or vehicles being rammed into. It’s important now people, when they see flashing lights, to slow down. 

PETER MALINAUSKUS: All right, thanks very much, everyone.