Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Australian Attorney General’s Agencies

This transcript has been redacted in accordance with Digital Transformation Agency guidelines.

---

Rory McClaren: In a time of growing global uncertainty, my next guest is currently charged with trying to navigate Australia’s international trade relationships. Federal Minister for Trade and Tourism and South Australian Senator Don Farrell. Good morning to you.

Trade Minister: Good morning, Rory.

Rory McClaren: Minister, ABC News is reporting today that a lobby group representing the big tech sector in the US Is encouraging the Trump administration to try and put pressure on Australia to change its policies. And the group has attacked the way that social media, streaming services, and artificial intelligence is being regulated. How do you respond to that criticism?

Trade Minister: Well, every day, Rory, you get reports of things happening in the United States. I don’t panic about them and try and work through all of these issues, in a calm and consistent way. On this particular topic, of course, we are not singling out United States companies. We treat all companies from all countries equally, and that’s how it should be, and that’s how we’ll proceed to deal with these issues. We have been working to try and improve online safety for all Australians and of course, ensure that we’ve got a diverse and sustainable news media sector. So, that’s our objective out of all of this. And we’ll keep working in the interest of Australians on that online safety and that diversification of the media sector.

Rory McClaren: But is this intervention from this lobby group just another example of how volatile this trade relationship is becoming with the United States?

Trade Minister: Look, again, I don’t think we should be overreacting to everything that comes out from the United States. We’ve had a very long standing and good relationship with the United States. Sure, things have started to change in the last few weeks and the last few months. But the goodwill that we have towards the Americans and that they have towards us is still on display. I spoke with my counterpart, the United States Trade Representative, on Tuesday morning. We had a very good discussion. He got to explain what their objectives are. And I explained to them just how important we think we are to the American economy. We have an interesting trade relationship with America. We roughly have $100 billion worth of trade. We buy $70 billion worth of product off them and we sell them $30 billion worth of product. So, we say to them, look, why would you impose a tariff on a country where you have a trade surplus? He pointed out to me that there are only a few other countries in the world where the United States has a trade surplus. One is Hong Kong and the other one is the Netherlands. So, as best we can, we are trying to explain to the highest levels of the United States government just how our trading relationship works. And we’ll continue to do that over the days and the weeks ahead. Obviously, there’s going to be some developments next week. The American government is going to announce what it’s going to do across the board on tariffs on that.

Rory McClaren: Have you received any reassurances from the Trump administration about Australia and how Australia will be impacted?

Trade Minister: We’re continuing to talk with them, Rory. I think that’s the most appropriate thing I can say at this stage. We want to engage with the Americans. We want to understand what it is that they want out there, out of the relationship. We’ve had 20 years of our free trade agreement. We think it’s been beneficial to both countries. We want that relationship to continue. Obviously, we have a very important relationship, particularly in South Australia with the AUKUS arrangement. We continue to talk to them about that and we have good, strong, friendly relationships with the United States and we want to keep it that way.

Rory McClaren: Just on that, we’ve had a text with a question for you, Senator Don Farrell. Do we have a free trade agreement with the U.S. and if so, have they broken it? Do these free trade agreements really mean anything?

Trade Minister: Well, answering that final question, yes, yes, they are important. You might recall three years ago when I first came into this job, we had $20 billion worth of tariffs and impediments imposed on us by the Chinese government. Despite the fact that we had a free trade agreement with the Chinese. Over that three year period, we – one by one – managed to remove all of those tariffs and all of those trade impediments. The last of them, interestingly, was crayfish just before Christmas last year. And already in that first month we’ve sold $33 million worth of crayfish back into the Chinese market. A record amount. But what did we use? We used our free trade agreement to take issues to, for instance, the World Trade Organization. And we were able to, by combination of diplomacy and other remedies, we were able to resolve each and every one of those issues. So, yes, we do have a free trade agreement with the United States and yes, we are able to use those free trade agreements to progress issues if there is a dispute. Now, obviously first point is we’re trying to resolve issues with the United States by discussion. That’s the first starting point. What we might do subsequently to that. Well, let’s, let’s see what happens. But my ambition is to do what we did in the China situation, that is sit down, open the dialogue, start talking, try and understand what their issues are, but also explain to the Americans what our issues are.

Rory McClaren: Minister, could that also see you travel to the United States ahead of that decision?

Trade Minister: Well, I’ve been taking video conferences in the post Covid world. That’s a pretty good way to talk to people and to communicate with people. I don’t want to predict just how we’ll conduct those negotiations, but the listeners should be, should rest assured that we’re open to dialogue and we are having dialogue with the Americans as we speak. And we’ll continue to do that because I think that’s the way you resolve issues. That’s how you resolve issues. Between other people. And that’s how you resolve issues between countries. And that’s what I’d like to do.

Rory McClaren: Don Farrell, Federal Trade Tourism Minister, thank you for your time.

Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

“We’re giving Victorians the infrastructure they deserve after being short-changed by the former Coalition government.

“This will be transformative project for Melbourne’s north, better connecting these growing suburbs with the city and the region.

“We are committed to delivering critical projects across Victoria that will help keep people moving, which is why we’re investing in Kalkallo.”

Quotes attributable to Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams

“As Melbourne’s population continues to grow, we are investing in critical projects that will create better journeys for motorists – just like this upgrade.

“After ten years of neglect from the Federal Liberal Government, it’s great to have a partner in Canberra that can find Victoria on a map and help deliver critical projects that people rely on every day.”

Quotes attributable to Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell:

“Our community deserves the infrastructure that will provide safer and faster travel and the Albanese Labor Government is investing in projects that build our future.”

Source: New South Wales – News

Operation Adelaide Fringe Festival 2025 was held from 21 February to 23 March and saw the deployment of foot and bicycle patrols, along with police horses, dogs and Public Transport Safety Branch members to focus on behaviour, liquor licensing compliance, and public safety.

The ‘Adelaide Fringe Festival 2025’ Declared Public Precinct (DPP) was also in place for a 12-hour period from 6pm to 6am every night during the Fringe period, in addition to the city-west DPP already in place.

“The event appears to have been extremely well attended, and I am pleased, as the Police Commander, to report that despite a few minor behavioural matters, most people in attendance were extremely well behaved,” Superintendent Scott Denny said.

“A combination of additional police, the Declared Public Precinct, the extremely well organised event and great behaviour by the public saw a very successful and entertaining Fringe event yet again.

“Police reported that the interactions with the public were friendly which again highlights how wonderful this event is. Pleasingly there were no significant incidents of note.”

Fringe DPP results included:

• Number of people removed from Fringe DPP- 50
• Number of people issued with Licensed Premises Barring Orders within DPP- 0
• Number of expiation notices issued for Offensive/Disorderly in Fringe DPP- 8
• Number of people searched with a metal detector in the Fringe DPP- 83
• Number of weapons located from a metal detector search in Fringe DPP- 0
• Number of people arrested for breaching of Fringe DPP- 1
• Number of people arrested/reported in Fringe DPP- 6

Anecdotally, police reported large numbers of the public in the CBD each night, swelling extensively in the East End on Friday and Saturday nights being the peak times for the demand of police resources. Festival organisers announced the sale of one million tickets for the 2025 event.

“Thank you to all involved in keeping festival goers safe for another year,” Superintendent Denny added.

“It’s great to see the city come alive with many locals and visitors, and we look forward to being part of next year’s event.”

Source:

2025 Championships winners team Melton

The Urban Juniors battled it out over the weekend (22-23 March) in the 2025 CFA/VFBV State Firefighter Championships with ‘Melton A’ once again taking reign in Mooroopna.

Thousands gathered for the historic event and were welcomed to the competition with an opening parade, remarks from CFA Board Chair Jo Plummer and VFBV State President Samantha Collins, before the event was officially opened by Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward MP.

The Urban Junior competition kicked off around 9.30am on Saturday 22 March and concluded in the afternoon of Sunday 23 March, with the ‘Melton A’ team crowned Urban Junior champions for the fifth year in a row, making it their sixth overall win in seven years.

Melton Fire Brigade 2^nd lieutenant Bailey Rhodes took over the role as coach of Melton A from his father Anthony who had been in the role for around 20 years.

Bailey who led the winning team, alongside his brother Cooper and brigade member Denzel as assistant coaches, said the victory was very emotional after a rocky start to the competition over the weekend.

“The team struggled in the first few events but the comeback was incredible to watch,” Bailey said.

“I shed a few tears after the last event which we had to win to win the championship, I’m not usually an emotional person but I’m immensely proud of the juniors and all their hard work.

“The team has been training since last October around 4 hours a week. It’s also nice to see so many siblings and family connections to Melton Fire Brigade in the team.

“The Championships are all I’ve known since I was born, I’ve watched Dad run in them for many years and competed with my whole family, so to take reign of the team and see them put in all the hard work is an honour to be a part of and a moment I’ll never forget.”

The Junior Championships was a weekend full of traditions and some surprises, with Stawell being announced as the new location for the State Firefighter Championships next year.

Stawell Captain Mal Nicholson said the brigade is chuffed to have the championships move to their town in 2026.

“We ran the State Championships in Stawell in 1995, 2000 and 2006 so it will be great to have people back in the town, supporting the area especially after the bushfires over the Christmas period,” Mal said.

“The Championships are also a great opportunity to showcase the area and local community to several other CFA volunteers from across the state.

“We are a strong brigade with over 40 members and more than 200 call-outs per year.

“We know the Stawell community and Northern Grampians Shire will get behind us to make the 2026 State Championships a fantastic event. See you all in Stawell next year!”

Chief Officer Jason Heffernan congratulated all the competitors and thanked those who worked hard behind the scenes in the lead up and during the event.

“It was fantastic to see the juniors battle it out over the weekend but more importantly, it’s great seeing the camaraderie between brigades and the skills of our future firefighters being showcased to thousands of spectators,” Jason said.

“I look forward to seeing everyone this weekend for the final weekend of competition. May the best team win!”

Grand Aggregate result

1st place: Melton A – 80 points

2nd place: Echuca A – 73 points

3rd place: Grovedale – 48 points

A full list of results can be found on the VFBV website. Members can find out more information on the Urban Senior, Rural Junior and Senior State Firefighter Championships taking place next weekend at www.cfa.vic.gov.au/champs.

Keep up to date with everything that’s happening across the event on our CFA Champs Facebook page.

The 2025 State Firefighter Championships are supported by the Victorian Government.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Allens Insights (legal sector)

Stays granted even if contractors are not insolvent 6 min read

The Queensland Supreme Court has granted a stay preventing enforcement of a judgment debt obtained by a contractor in reliance upon an adjudication decision pursuant to the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) (BIF Act).

In this Insight, we consider Taringa Property Group Pty Ltd v Kenik Pty Ltd [2024] QSC 327 and similar cases in NSW and Victoria, with a focus on two key questions:

• can contractors in liquidation benefit from security of payment legislation?
• how do courts approach stay applications made by the principal where the contractor is solvent, but in a precarious financial position?

Key takeaways 

• Taringa Property Group is a welcome development for principals in Queensland as it lays the foundation for seeking a stay, even when a contractor is not in liquidation.
• Insolvency remains a major challenge for contractors, who may now experience more difficulties in enforcing payment of adjudicated amounts which can, in turn, exacerbate cash flow problems.
• Courts maintain a wide discretion and will consider each stay application on its own facts and circumstances—however, a major consideration is how long the stay will likely be.
• We expect to see an increase in security of payment adjudication and related court litigation as a result of the likely reforms in Victoria.

Taringa Property Group Pty Ltd v Kenik Pty Ltd [2024] QSC 327

TPG (Principal) engaged Kenik (Contractor) to design and construct a retail complex at Taringa.

The contract ended in August 2023 and the Contractor made a final payment claim in September 2023 for $9.7 million. Following the Principal issuing a payment schedule (with a scheduled amount of nil), the Contractor made an adjudication application under the BIF Act, where the adjudicator awarded the Contractor $4.2 million. The Contractor obtained judgment in respect of the adjudicated amount.

The Principal commenced two applications in the Queensland Supreme Court:

• First, seeking to have the adjudication decision declared void for jurisdictional error or, in the alternative, a stay of the judgment debt.
• Second, seeking final relief relating to the contract (specifically, that the Contractor is not entitled to retain the adjudicated amount).

The court warned that considerable caution should be given to the granting of the stay as it detracts from the primary purpose of the BIF Act in enabling a contractor to be paid.¹ Any risk of non‑recovery of payments made under the BIF Act as a consequence of the financial failure of the contractor after the receipt of the BIF payment is generally to lie with the principal.²

The court gave three examples of circumstances of when a stay might be granted:³

• where the contractor has taken steps to make the task of recovering any BIF payment more difficult for the principal by way of restructuring its financial affairs;
• where the contractor engages in tactics to delay the resolution of the substantive proceeding;⁴ or
• where the contractor is in liquidation or in some form of external administration due to liquidity issues at the time the BIF payment would otherwise be made.

Essentially, there needs to be a real risk that the Principal will suffer prejudice or damage if a stay is not granted. However, Justice Hindman rejected the proposition that the risk must reach the level of certainty before a stay might be granted—in other words, the threshold is not so high that the contractor must actually be in external administration or must be positively proved to be hopelessly or otherwise insolvent.⁵

Justice Hindman found ‘undisputed’ evidence of serious financial instability and that, if a stay is granted, the Contractor is most likely to financially fail.⁶ It was further observed that, even if it received the adjudicated amount, the Contractor was still likely to go into external administration as it would be insufficient to satisfy its debts.

The court concluded that if the stay was refused, there would be a very high risk that the Contractor would not be able to repay the adjudicated amount should the Principal succeed in its claim for final relief. The practical effect of refusing the stay would be to transform the Contractor’s interim entitlement under the BIF Act into a final payment, unable to be recovered by the Principal, and at odds with the intended operation of the BIF Act.

In a separate proceeding following this decision, a creditor of the Contractor successfully obtained an order that the Contractor be wound up.⁷

The decision is currently under appeal.

Discussion 

Insolvency has been a major challenge for contractors, who are experiencing obstacles at every turn—high inflation, regulatory reforms, supply-chain issues, delayed effects of the pandemic, labour shortages etc. The main purpose of the BIF Act (and equivalent acts) is to help contractors be paid for the work they do, so stays to delay payment to contractors may have significant consequences and could potentially increase insolvency rates in the industry.

New South Wales

Since 2019, NSW has had a prohibition on companies in liquidation using the security of payment process⁸—the only jurisdiction in Australia to have such an express carveout. Companies in liquidation may not serve or enforce payment claims, or make applications for adjudication of a payment claim.

Where contractors are not in liquidation, courts have been cautious in light of the policy of the statute and have undertaken a close analysis of the extent or certainty of the risk of prejudice or damage if a stay is not granted. Nevertheless, courts have been ready and willing to grant stays if the failure to do so would have the practical effect of making permanent that which, clearly enough, the legislature intended to be only interim.⁹

Recently, the NSW Supreme Court noted that, although it does make it harder to obtain a stay when the contractor is not in liquidation, it by no means follows that a stay cannot be obtained unless it is.¹⁰

The court further observed that:

‘up to a point, the more financial difficulty the contractor is in, the less reason there is for granting a stay, as the more likely it will be that the grant of such a stay will result in the contractor being deprived of the cashflow which is needed to sustain its operations. It is only when insolvency becomes inevitable, or at least highly probable, that the dynamics reverse because of the possibility that an interim payment will effectively become final.’¹¹

Indeed, in another recent decision, the court considered that even a ‘significant risk’ was not sufficiently certain of financial difficulty such that a stay should be granted.¹² We note, however, in that case the contractor continued to trade, unlike the contractor in Taringa Property Group.

The decision in Taringa Property Group, although the first of its kind in Queensland, is consistent with the approach taken in NSW.

Victoria

Victorian principals can still run the argument that contractors in liquidation may not use the payment regime, though this is unlikely to be without serious consideration by the courts due to conflicting decisions on this issue.¹³

There is also a question of whether, in seeking a stay against a contractor who is not in liquidation, a principal is required to show that there is more than a real risk the contractor would not be able to repay the adjudicated amount in order to succeed.¹⁴

At least one decision has granted such a stay, without requiring that higher standard.¹⁵ In that case, the stay was justified—save the fact of the parlous financial circumstances of the contractor—on the basis that it would be limited in time, and therefore minimal in the prejudice it caused the contractor.¹⁶ The likely takeaway is that, where the court is able to grant the stay on conditions or for a limited time period, application of a higher standard in the form of more than a real risk may be less relevant.

On a wider note, principals in Victoria should be prepared to engage in more and broader adjudications in the near future as a result of the likely reforms to the current Victorian act. Consequently, it is expected that there will be an increase in proceedings seeking final determination of rights under contract and corresponding stay applications.

To read more about Victoria’s proposed reforms, including the removal of Victoria’s unique ‘excluded amounts’ regime, removal of the concept of ‘reference dates’, an introduction of a blackout period and the introduction of a new provision allowing notice-based time bars to be declared unfair, see Government support for security of payment reform in Victoria.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Mark Riley:

Treasurer, thank you for speaking to Weekend Sunrise.

Jim Chalmers:

Thanks very much, Mark.

Riley:

About your fourth budget, quite a feat in itself. The energy rebate extension, $150, half the amount of the first rebate. Why?

Chalmers:

This is hip pocket help for households, and that’s because we know that the cost of living is front of mind for most Australians and it’s front and centre in the Budget. This is another 2 quarters of energy bill relief, which recognises that even with all the progress we’ve made together on inflation, people are still under pressure and the Budget is designed to respond to that.

Riley:

Does that mean that after these 2 quarters, say the end of the year, people won’t need further assistance on their energy bills, they’ll start coming down?

Chalmers:

It means that there’s another 6 months worth of assistance and relief. We’ve provided 2 rounds of energy bill relief already. That’s played a really important role, taking some of the edge off these cost‑of‑living pressures.

What we’ve tried to do here, in the most responsible way that we can, is to continue that for another 6 months. $150 off people’s power bills, more hip pocket help for households, because we know people still need it.

Riley:

Will you review it after that 6 months and see if it’s needed for another 6 months?

Chalmers:

Yeah, we keep these cost‑of‑living measures under more or less constant review. One of the defining features of the first 3 budgets, and will be again in the fourth, is doing what we responsibly can to help people with the cost of living. We know, as I said, that cost of living is front of mind for a lot of people and that’s why it’s front and centre in the Budget.

Riley:

So, this isn’t all the cost‑of‑living relief in the Budget? There will be more?

Chalmers:

We’ve already made it clear last Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that we’ll make medicines cheaper as well. What people will see on Tuesday night is really that the primary focus of the government’s fourth Budget, just like the first 3, is easing cost‑of‑living pressures, but also at the same time as we strengthen our economy and make it more resilient in the face of all of this global economic uncertainty.

Riley:

So, a couple of things have been suggested. Household battery subsidies for people to install them in their homes. Is that on the cards?

Chalmers:

First of all, I’m not going to foreshadow all of the elements of the Budget. We’re obviously aware that people have put that proposal to us.

Riley:

Of course. Is it a good one?

Chalmers:

The focus of the energy elements of the Budget is this energy bill assistance. $1.8 billion, a very substantial investment, but a responsible one as well, which recognises the pressure people are under.

Riley:

Some months ago the PM said he was looking at a fixed fee model for childcare. So, parents didn’t pay more than about $10 or $20 a day. What’s happened to that idea? Is that something that’s being accepted by the government?

Chalmers:

What we’ve announced already at the end of last year and what will be funded in the Budget is what’s called our 3‑day guarantee. That’s an important step towards that universal early childhood education system that we want. We can’t get there from A to B in one step when it comes to universal childcare. And that’s why we’re investing more money in building more childcare centres, especially for not‑for‑profit providers and especially where areas where there’s a real need, the so‑called childcare deserts. So the Budget will have that money for new childcare centres, it will have money for the 3‑day guarantee. These are important steps towards that universal system that you’re asking about.

Riley:

And just checking, that’ll be it for childcare in this Budget?

Chalmers:

There won’t be the fixed fee model that you’re talking about. That’s because we need to get there in interim steps. We know that the Prime Minister, the Minister, myself and others, we are real enthusiasts for early childhood education. We think it’s a game changer for families and especially for children. It also helps people to work more and earn more if they want to. That’s why we’re big believers, that’s why it’ll be an important feature of the Budget.

Riley:

Ok. A pre‑election Budget, which is interesting in itself. So, you’re going to empty the bank? Are you throwing the kitchen sink at it?

Chalmers:

No, it won’t be some kind of free for all of public money as I’ve made clear on a number of occasions. Cost of living will be the primary focus, but we’ll provide that cost‑of‑living relief in the most responsible way that we can. And we’ll also do it in a way with it where we’re not neglecting our responsibilities to the future.

We know that there’s a lot of global economic uncertainty. What’s happening in the US and China, Europe and the Middle East casts a shadow over this Budget. There’s a lot of unpredictability and volatility in the global economy. So, in addition to that cost‑of‑living help, we’ll also be investing in making our economy more resilient because that’s the best way to build Australia’s future.

Riley:

And will there be measures in this Budget that we won’t hear about on Tuesday night that will be released during the election campaign?

Chalmers:

As I made clear, I think last week from memory, a lot of what’s in the Budget has been announced already. I mean, the big game‑changing investment in strengthening Medicare because more bulk billing means less pressure on families. That will be an important feature of the Budget – one of the most important features of the Budget already announced. There’ll be a small number of announcements to be made during the course of the election campaign, as you would expect. You’ve seen a few of these, Mark, over the years.

Riley:

Just a couple.

Chalmers:

But there’ll be some important initiatives announced on Tuesday.

Riley:

In the cost of living space as well?

Chalmers:

We’ve made it clear already cheaper medicines and some extra help with electricity bills. We’ve also got in the Budget the cuts to student debt, which is about cost of living as well. People will see a real focus on Tuesday night on the cost of living, but also making our economy more resilient in the face of this global uncertainty.

Riley:

Are you confident this is going to be enough to get you re‑elected?

Chalmers:

It remains to be seen. You know me, Mark. You know that I don’t take outcomes for granted when it comes to elections. What I am confident about is that we’ve made the right decisions for the right reasons. And I genuinely believe that if you have the right values and the right priorities, and if you take those right decisions for the right reasons, the politics will take care of themselves.

Riley:

Treasurer, thank you very much for speaking with Weekend Sunrise.

Chalmers:

Thanks.

Source: New South Wales – News

Shortly after 4pm on Sunday 23 March, contact was made with a group of four missing people who had become stranded in the outback after suffering mechanical issues with their car.

The group had left Oodnadatta on Friday at 4pm, believed to be heading to Finke in the Northern Territory. However, concerns were raised when the group had failed to arrive.

Supplies, including food and a satellite phone, were provided to the group yesterday.

The four people were successfully retrieved and transported to Coober Pedy this afternoon.

There were no reports of injuries.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Search continues for woman missing on Flinders Island

Monday, 24 March 2025 – 2:20 pm.

Police are continuing to search the Flinders Island area for 68-year-old Victoria Jean Paine.
The White Beach resident has not been seen or heard from since Wednesday 19 March and there are concerns for her welfare.
Police from Flinders Island and Launceston along with SES volunteers, and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter have been involved in searches over the weekend.
The search will continue today, including a targeted ground search and sea search utilising police divers on Police Vessel Cape Wickham. 
Anyone with information or who may have been contacted by Victoria after 2pm Wednesday should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

The Albanese Labor Government has made a range of appointments to arts bodies and cultural institutions to ensure they remain under strong leadership.

• Mr Tony Ayers has been appointed as a member of the Council of the National Museum of Australia for a three-year term.
• Ms Sue Hampel OAM has been reappointed to the National Archives of Australia Advisory Council for a three-year term.
• Mr John Barrington AM has been reappointed as Deputy Chair to the National Portrait Gallery Board for a three-year term. 

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the appointees would lend a deep well of expertise to guide the administration of these important organisations.

“Each appointee brings years of dedication and experience across the arts and public sectors that positions them well for these roles.

“Protecting our beloved cultural institutions for future generations means having the best leadership in place to safeguard them.”

Mr Tony Ayres is an award-winning Australian director, producer, showrunner, screenwriter, and editor with more than 33 years’ experience in film and television. Mr Ayres’ feature films and television shows have been nominated for over 100 Australian and international awards, and have won more than 60 of these awards – including an International Emmy, a BAFTA, a Golden Horse, six AACTA awards, and six Logies. Mr Ayres is Executive Producer at Tony Ayres Productions, a Member of the Advisory Board of Australians in Film, and a Company Director at Big and Little Films.

—-

Ms Sue Hampel OAM has been a member of the National Archives Advisory Council since 2019. Ms Hampel is working as a teaching associate and research assistant at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation at Monash University and is a well-known public speaker and lecturer. She holds a Masters degree in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and is the co-President of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum. Ms Hampel has been recognised for her teaching and community service by receiving numerous awards including a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2014, for Service to the community through the promotion of understanding and tolerance. 

Ms Hampel is a representative of the Australian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). She is an expert in Holocaust education and served as the International Chair of the Education Working Group in 2021.

—-

Mr John Barrington AM has served as Deputy Chair on the National Portrait Gallery of Australia Board since May 2022. He is co-founder and previously Managing Director of Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Artrya Ltd, developing AI solutions to improve the diagnosis of heart disease and is Managing Director of Barrington Consulting Group. He is Chair of John Curtin Gallery and Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research and a Director of Health Translation Group Ltd. He was previously Chair of Perth International Arts Festival, Deputy Chair of Creative Partnerships Australia, Deputy Chair on the Federal Government’s Creative Economy Taskforce and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Commerce from Curtain University in 2022. In 2019 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community of Western Australia

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

The Albanese Labor Government has now reached agreements with every state and territory to put all public schools in the country on a path to full and fair funding.
 
The Government promised to work with states and territories to put all schools on a path to full and fair funding as set out in David Gonski’s review. We have now delivered that promise.
 
As part of these Agreements, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to all states and territories, with the exception of the Northern Territory.
 
This will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034.
 
For the Northern Territory, the Commonwealth’s contribution will lift from 20 per cent to 40 per cent of the SRS by 2029.
 
This will see an estimated $16.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to public schools across the nation over the next 10 years.

This represents the biggest new investment in public schools by the Australian Government – ever.
 
As part of the Agreements, the provision allowing jurisdictions to claim 4 per cent of SRS funding for indirect school costs such as capital depreciation will be replaced with funding on eligible expenses.
 
Unlike the previous school funding agreement reached by the former government, this is not a blank cheque.
 
This funding will be tied to the reforms needed to lift education standards across the country, including more individualised support for students, mandating evidenced-based teaching practices, and more mental health support in schools.
 
Reforms include: 

• Year 1 phonics and early years of schooling numeracy checks to identify students in the early years of school who need additional help.
• Evidence-based teaching and targeted and intensive supports such as small-group or catch-up tutoring to help students who fall behind.
• Initiatives that support wellbeing for learning – including greater access to mental health professionals.
• Access to high-quality and evidence-based professional learning, and
• Initiatives that improve the attraction and retention of teachers.

In addition to these reforms, the Agreements have targets, including that by 2030 the proportion of students receiving a Year 12 Certificate will be the highest it has ever been. Other targets include:

• Reducing the proportion of students in the NAPLAN ‘Needs Additional Support’ proficiency level for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent by 2030.
• Increasing the proportion of students in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ proficiency levels for reading and numeracy by 10 per cent by 2030 and trend upwards for priority equity cohorts in the ‘Strong’ and ‘Exceeding’ proficiency levels.
• Increasing the Student Attendance Rate, nationally, to 91.4 per cent (2019 level) by 2030.
• Increasing the engagement rate (completed or still enrolled) of initial teacher education students by 10 percentage points to 69.7 per cent by 2035.

This means more help for students and more support for teachers. It has taken too long, but all public schools in the country are now on a path to the full and fair funding level set by David Gonski more than a decade ago.
 
Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
 
“Building Australia’s Future means investing in the next generation.
 
“That’s why every dollar of this funding will go into helping children learn.
 
“We know that education opens the doors of opportunity, and we want to widen them for every child in Australia.
 
“This is about investing in real reform with real funding – so Australian children get the best possible education.”
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
 
“This is an historic day for Australia’s education system.
 
“We have now reached agreements with every state and territory to put all schools on a path to full and fair funding.
 
“This is a game‑changer for public education and it’s a life‑changer for our kids at school today, kids that will be at school in the next few years, and children that aren’t even born yet.
 
“This will see on average a 70 per cent increase in Commonwealth funding per student when this is fully implemented.
 
“This is real funding tied to real reform to get real results.
 
“But this is all at risk if Peter Dutton wins the next election. In 2013, the Liberals said there’d be no cuts to our schools. That was a lie. As soon as they got in, they ripped $30 billion out and they will do the same thing again if they win this year.”