Category: MIL-OSI

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As more Victorians trade city life for the peace and quiet of regional and rural areas, CFA is encouraging tree changers to take the time to learn about their local fire risks.

According to the Regional Movers Index, over 32 per cent more people are relocating from capital cities to regional areas than vice versa.

CFA District 17 Assistant Chief Fire Officer Chris Eagle said it’s critical for new regional and rural residents to have a fire plan and the VicEmergency App.

“Moving to the country can bring a fresh start, but it also comes with a need to understand local risks, especially the threat of bushfire and what to do when one occurs,” Chris said.

“Having a plan can make all the difference when time is tight, and conditions change quickly.”

Dimboola resident Chan Uoy experienced this firsthand during the Little Desert Bushfire on January 27, when he received an emergency warning.

Chan moved to the small town for a change after two decades running restaurants in Melbourne’s inner west.

“The smell of the smoke and our first emergency warning text made it feel very real. I’d never experienced anything like it,” Chan said.

“We thought, if a city like Los Angeles can burn, so can a small town like Dimboola.

“When we got the alert, we had to make a call—what’s important? For us, it was the passport, laptop, and clothes for two days.”

Chan added that it’s not only vital to plan for your own household, but also important to remember those who might rely on you for help.

“Our neighbours are elderly. My partner’s older brother and sister-in-law moved here too, and they don’t drive. So, our first thought was, ‘who can we help?’ It was a wake-up call.” he said.

“The building we’d spent years renovating could’ve gone up in smoke. But when it came down to it, we learned what really matters…and it’s not the building.”

While Chan and his partner did not have a formal fire plan at the time, they have since made changes to be better prepared, including getting familiar with local warnings and having an emergency kit ready to go.

“The most important thing is information and mental preparation. You’ve got to take it seriously. It’s real. It can happen, and it did happen,” Chan said.

CFA is encouraging residents new to regional or rural areas to:

• Learn if they live in a high fire-risk area.
• Download the VicEmergency app and set up watch zones.
• Create a Bushfire Survival Plan on CFA’s website, even if they plan to leave early.
• Talk to neighbours and understand who may need assistance in an emergency.

Submitted by	CFA media

Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC has accepted a court-enforceable undertaking from apparel business Hard Rock Enterprises Pty Ltd in which it admitted to engaging in resale price maintenance and making false or misleading representations about consumers’ rights to return faulty or incorrect products.

Hard Rock is an Australian business which sells blank apparel to retailers on a wholesale basis and directly to consumers via its online store. Its customers include uniform shops, merchandisers, and individual consumers.  

Hard Rock has admitted that between 20 June 2024 and 11 September 2024 it required certain resellers to sell Hard Rock products within a specific price range.

Under Australia’s competition law, it is illegal for suppliers to prevent, or attempt to prevent, resellers from advertising or selling goods or services below a specified minimum price. This conduct is known as resale price maintenance.

“Hard Rock has admitted that it sent written communications to ten resellers requiring them not to sell their products below 10 per cent of Hard Rock’s recommended retail price,” ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said.

“In addition, Hard Rock told resellers that if they did not agree, it may adjust pricing or cease supplying its products to them.”

“Suppliers cannot maintain price premiums in an anti-competitive way by setting minimum prices for resellers.”

“Competition issues in the supermarket and retail sector are an enforcement priority for the ACCC in the 2025-26 financial year. The ACCC takes resale price maintenance conduct very seriously as it can cause significant consumer harm, particularly at a time when Australians are facing increased cost-of-living pressures,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

Hard Rock has also admitted to making false or misleading representations to consumers about the amount of time a consumer has to seek a remedy for a faulty product or return an incorrect product.

From at least 24 February 2025, Hard Rock displayed the following statements on its website:

• You must notify us of any faulty or incorrect supplied items within 7 business days of receiving the goods.
• The Seller must be notified by the Purchaser for [sic] delivery shortages and incorrect products against invoice in writing within 48 hours of receiving products.
• The Seller must be notified by the Purchaser for [sic] faulty products in writing within seven (7) days upon receipt of products.

“Under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers have basic rights when buying products and services, known as consumer guarantees. These rights are separate from any warranties offered by a business and cannot be taken away by anything a business says or does,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

“The representations made by Hard Rock on their website were false or misleading as they sought to restrict consumers’ consumer guarantee rights by imposing time-limits for returning a faulty or incorrect product.”

“Consumers are entitled to a repair or replacement if a product is faulty and can choose to receive a refund if the fault is major,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.

Hard Rock’s undertaking, which the ACCC has accepted, is in effect for three years and includes admissions of breaching the Competition and Consumer Act and the Australian Consumer Law; a commitment to issue corrective notices to the ten resellers and remove misleading representations about consumer guarantees from its website; and implement a compliance program.

The undertaking can be found here: Hard Rock Enterprises Pty Ltd

Note to editors

Resale price maintenance is strictly prohibited by Australia’s competition laws. It occurs when suppliers:

• make it known they will not supply goods or services unless a reseller agrees not to advertise or sell at a price below a specified minimum price;
• induce, or attempt to induce, resellers not to advertise or sell below a specified minimum price;
• enter into agreements, or offer to enter into agreements, for the supply of goods or services on terms including that the reseller will not advertise or sell below a specified minimum price;
• withhold supply of goods or services because a reseller, or a purchaser from the reseller, has not agreed to not advertise or sell below a specified minimum price, or has advertised or sold (or is likely to sell) at a price below a specified minimum price;
• use, in relation to goods or services supplied or that may be supplied, a statement as to price which is likely to be understood as the price below which the goods or services are not to be sold.

Businesses may lodge a notification of resale price maintenance conduct with the ACCC or apply for ACCC authorisation of proposed resale price maintenance conduct, which will be permitted if the likely public benefit from the proposed conduct outweighs the likely public detriment from that conduct.

More information about resale price maintenance can be found at Minimum resale prices.

Background

Hard Rock was established in 1997 and operates as a blank apparel business, selling t-shirts, fleeces, polos, jackets, workwear and organic babies wear, among other clothing items to wholesalers and consumers. 

Its resellers sometimes add decoration (such as embroidery, screen printing, etc) to the apparel before it is then on-sold to consumers.

Source: New South Wales – News

Operation Safe Holidays will be deployed state-wide from Thursday 17 to 21 April, with a focus on the Fatal Five factors that lead to road trauma.

Officer in Charge of SAPOL Traffic Services Branch Shane Johnson said during the 2024 Easter long weekend, three lives were lost and 18 serious injuries incurred as a result of road trauma on South Australian roads.

“With people commuting to and from holiday destinations, it’s essential road users follow the road rules,” Superintendent Johnson said.

“Remember that small actions can have real impact on road safety and that all road users, from cyclists to drivers, have a responsibility to do their part by following traffic laws.”

Minister for Police Stephen Mullighan MP said, “as thousands of South Australians head away for the Easter Long weekend, we’re urging drivers to take extra care on our roads.”

“A split-second lapse of concentration can have fatal consequences, so please do what you can to ensure you and other road users arrive at their destinations safely,” Minister Mullighan said.

This Easter, SA Police launches the story of Sergeant John Hong, who has dedicated his career to road policing following the tragic loss of his mother in a road crash.

“Sergeant Hong’s story is a reminder of the lasting impact road trauma has on families and communities,” Superintendent Johnson said.

“His lived experience brings a deep sense empathy when working with families who have been affected by road trauma.”

“His story is a touching and poignant reminder of what lies at stake each time we use the road.”

Sergeant John Hong said he chose to share his story to show how road trauma was an experience that charted the course of the rest of his life.

“My family and I had the good fortune of a strong support system following the loss of my mother,” Sergeant Hong said.

“The circumstances of my mother’s collision are an example of how a second of inattention can have catastrophic consequences which persist over a lifetime for those who remain behind.

“Hopefully my story can inspire drivers to take a moment when they get behind the wheel to consider the task at hand.

“When you are driving, that is your only job – be safe.”

See Sgt Hong’s story here: [YouTube link].

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We’ve reviewed our advice for Colombia and continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution in Colombia overall due to the threat of violent crime and terrorism. We now also advise do not travel to the Catatumbo region in Norte de Santander and Cesar, and the department of Cauca (except Popayán and the Pan American Highway), amongst other areas, due to increased violence from illegal armed groups and other criminal organisations.

There’s been an increase in foreigners, including Australians, who have been assaulted and robbed using incapacitating drugs (see ‘Safety’). If you plan to travel from Colombia to Ecuador through the land border crossings, you’re required to present an apostilled police check covering the previous five years (see ‘Travel’).

Source: New South Wales – News

The February rolling year crime statistics reveal house break-ins have dropped for the eighth successive period, shop theft and car theft have also continued to decline at a steady rate and robbery and related offences have again dropped significantly.

The latest figures reveal the number of house break-ins declined by seven per cent from 5,899 to 5,465 reported offences. This followed a five per cent decline in the January period and a six per cent decline in the December period.

The number of non-residential break-ins declined by five per cent from 3,648 to 3,479 reported offences. This followed a two per cent decline in the January period.

Acting Assistant Commissioner (Metropolitan Operations Service) John de Candia said the continued reduction in both residential and non-residential serious criminal trespass offences was encouraging.

“The results reflect the proactive work being done by frontline officers across all of our policing districts,’’ he said.

“Identifying the recidivist offenders responsible for a significant number of these offences and then targeting them with specific operations to uncover the depth of their offending, gathering the necessary evidence and then charging them accordingly is paying dividends.

“In a number of these matters the courts have recognised their serious level of offending and they have been refused bail which contributes to a reduction in further offending.’’

One recent joint operation, dubbed Sentinel, involved detectives from the Northern, Eastern and Southern District Criminal Investigation Branches who probed the activities of a group of individuals responsible for committing multiple serious offences across several suburbs.

Operation Sentinel resulted in seven individuals – several of whom were significant recidivist offenders – being charged with 29 offences including aggravated serious criminal trespass, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, firearms possession, illegal use and driving while disqualified. All have been refused bail.

Another protracted investigation into a recidivist offender committing offences across suburbs including North Adelaide, Kent Town, Marden and Evandale in February and March resulted in the arrest of a Queensland man, 41.

The man has been charged with 35 offences involving theft and non-residential serious criminal trespass. The man also had outstanding warrants for offences committed in Queensland, including multiple counts of rape and indecent assault.

A separate investigation into a string of thefts from hardware stores between September 2024 and March 2025 resulted in the arrest of a Henley Beach South man, 49, who is facing multiple counts of theft in connection with goods worth more than $10,000.

The latest figures reveal shop theft has continued to decline with a fourth successive decrease recorded. The number of offences dropped by eight per cent – from 18,743 to 17,268 offences – this period. This followed a five per cent decline in the January period, three per cent in December and two per cent in November.

Robbery and related offending have continued to decrease with a 15 per cent decline – from 887 to 742 offences recorded. This followed a 20 per cent decline in the January period, 22 per cent in December and a 26 per cent drop in the November period.

Within that category aggravated robbery declined by 19 per cent or 96 offences in the February period – from 512 offences to 416 offences – while non-aggravated robbery declined by five per cent – from 79 offences to 75 offences.

Car theft and theft from a vehicle have also continued to steadily decrease. Car theft dropped by 11 per cent or 408 offences – from 3,865 to 3,457 offences. This followed a 12 per cent decrease in the January period, an 11 per cent decrease in December and an eight per cent decline in the November period.

Theft from a vehicle decreased by 22 per cent – from 10,212 to 7,938 offences. This followed a 20 per cent drop in January and a 19 per cent decline in the December and November periods.

The homicide rate in South Australia has continued to decrease with a 64 per cent decrease reported in the period – from 25 to nine offences.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Road users urged to pay attention at level crossings following recent near misses

Wednesday, 16 April 2025 – 9:13 am.

Tasmania Police and TasRail are urging all road users to take greater care around level crossings following several near misses between trains and vehicles across Tasmania recently.
The warnings come after regular incidents where drivers failed to stop at level crossings, ignored warning signals, or attempted to beat approaching trains, putting lives at serious risk.
Tasmania Police is increasing patrols and monitoring of known high-risk level crossings, reminding drivers that failure to obey railway crossing signs and signals can result in significant fines and demerit points.
Inspector Adam Spencer from Western District said we’ve seen far too many close calls in recent weeks.
“Ignoring crossing signals or trying to outrun a train isn’t just illegal, it’s incredibly dangerous, and we’re urging everyone to slow down, look for trains and obey the signals at level crossings.”
“It is incredibly lucky that no one has been seriously injured in these incidents, and we are using them as an example to others about the importance of rail safety.”
“We’ll be monitoring driver behaviour around level crossings, and anyone found to be taking breaking the road rules will be prosecuted,” he said.
There are ~180 public level crossings across Tasmania’s 600km operational rail network, and most are located in rural or regional areas. TasRail operates freight trains throughout the day and night, and driver vigilance is essential.
“Our train drivers rely on road users obeying road rules at level crossings, trains cannot swerve or stop instantaneously. It’s in your hands. Thank you to Tasmania Police for its continued support for rail safety, TasRail CEO Steven Dietrich said.”
Both TasRail and Tasmania Police are calling on all road users, especially those in regional communities, to stay alert and help prevent the next potential tragedy by following the tips below:

Always obey signs, lights, and signals.
Stop, look both ways, and listen for trains—especially at passive crossings.
Never attempt to race a train or cross when warning signals are active.
Be patient—trains may take several minutes to clear a crossing.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Infringements issued for illegal rubbish dumping in Geeveston state reserve forest area

Wednesday, 16 April 2025 – 8:52 am.

Two men will receive an infringement notice for $2,200 each after they allegedly illegally dumped a significant amount of rubbish in a stream side reserve at Geeveston recently. 
The 39-year-old and 66-year-old men from Geeveston allegedly dumped more than two cubic metres of rubbish in the state reserve forest area. 
“Police are continuing to investigate further reports of illegal rubbish dumping within the Geeveston area,” said Sergeant Simon Ward from Huonville Police. 
“Illegal rubbish dumping will not be tolerated, and I ask anyone with information into the matters to contact Huonville Police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers Tasmania at crimestopperstas.com.au or on 1800 333 000”
Stephen Rymer, Assistant General Manager Operations, Sustainable Timber Tasmania said, “This is a strong demonstration that illegal rubbish dumping on Permanent Timber Production Zone land is a serious offence and offenders will be prosecuted.”   
“Illegal dumping of rubbish is a major concern for Sustainable Timber Tasmania, costing tens of thousands of dollars each year in time, resources, and clean up and has significant environmental, economic, and safety impacts.”  
Littering can be reported to the Environmental Protection Authority via epa.gov.au or by calling 1300 135 513.