Category: MIL-OSI

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ACCC consults on assessment guidelines for new merger regime

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC has marked a further milestone in the transition steps towards the new merger regime with the release of the draft merger assessment guidelines for consultation.

The merger assessment guidelines outline the analytical framework the ACCC will apply when assessing notified acquisitions under the new regime, reflecting best practice for competition assessments. 

While the new regime will not be compulsory until 1 January 2026, the guidelines provide early draft guidance.

“The merger assessment guidelines are intended to help the community, including merger parties and their advisers, understand how the ACCC will assess acquisitions under the new regime,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.

“This combined with the increased transparency that will be available for all decisions and the reasons for the decisions, will provide greater predictability regarding the ACCC’s analysis and decision making.”

“While the ‘substantial lessening of competition’ legal test has not changed, the legislation has clarified that it does include creating, strengthening or entrenching a substantial degree of market power. This reflects the economic link between a lessening of competition and an increase in market power, which is recognised in the jurisprudence and supports the approach to merger assessment set out in the guidelines,” Dr Williams said.

“Another change is that the cumulative effect on competition resulting from serial acquisitions over the preceding three years can now be taken into account in the ACCC’s decision on whether to approve an acquisition.” 

The merger assessment guidelines will be updated following this consultation process and will be released ahead of voluntary notifications commencing on 1 July 2025. Further updates are expected over time, including to reflect decisions of the Australian Competition Tribunal as they occur.

The ACCC is seeking feedback on the merger assessment guidelines from businesses and their advisers, consumers and other interested members of the community.

The guidelines are available to download from the ACCC’s consultation hub which also sets out the details for making a submission.

The consultation will run from 20 March to 17 April 2025.

Anyone interested in merger reform updates can subscribe for updates on the ACCC website here: Merger reform.

Background

On 10 December 2024, the Australian Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Mergers and Acquisitions Reform) Act 2024. The ACCC welcomed the new legislation.

Under the new regime, all transactions above a prescribed threshold must be notified to the ACCC.

The ACCC issued a Statement of Goals in October 2024 to outline its approach to implementing the new regime and to reduce uncertainty during the transition. This included a commitment to release merger assessment guidelines and merger process guidelines for public consultation by the end of Q1 2025.

The guidelines will replace the 2008 Merger Guidelines and reflect changes resulting from the new merger regime as well as updating them to align with current best practice for competition assessments.

The ACCC recently released Transition guidance to assist businesses navigate the transitional period leading up to the new merger control regime commencing on 1 January 2026.

The ACCC will also be releasing merger process guidelines by the end of March and these will be available on the ACCC website at Consultations on merger regime changes.

‘Serial acquisitions’ refers to acquisitions where a number of smaller transactions occur over time that cumulatively end up causing serious harm to competition.

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Upgraded NBN fixed wireless network delivers faster internet speeds

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

Australians on NBN Co’s Fixed Wireless Plus plan have experienced further improvements to their broadband speeds following the completion of NBN Co’s fixed wireless upgrade program, the ACCC’s latest Measuring Broadband Australia report has found.

The average download speed on the Fixed Wireless Plus plan during the busy weekday hours of 7 to 11pm increased from 86 Mbps in September 2024 to 93.3 Mbps in December 2024, with the average upload speed in these hours increasing from 8.3 to 11.5 Mbps.

“Australians living in regional and remote areas served by NBN Co’s fixed wireless network now have greater access to faster broadband after NBN Co’s upgrades,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.

The Fixed Wireless Plus wholesale plan is offered with a speed inclusion of 100/20 Mbps. While the average busy hour upload speed exceeded 10 Mbps for the first time in the program, it remains markedly below the wholesale plan speed of 20 Mbps.

NBN Co has also introduced higher-speed fixed wireless plans as part of their recent upgrades. The report found that the maximum download speed for most of these services monitored under the Measuring Broadband Australia program met or exceeded their wholesale plan speed, demonstrating the higher download speed capabilities of the upgraded network.

“Our latest report observed download speeds as high as 500 Mbps on the highest speed fixed wireless plan, compared to a year ago when the highest speeds were below 100 Mbps.”

“As some retail service providers are yet to offer these very high-speed plans, households or businesses connected to the upgraded NBN fixed wireless network may need to consider changing providers if they are interested in these very high-speed plans,” Ms Brakey said.

Fibre to the node connections continue to underperform

The proportion of underperforming services with a fibre to the node connection continued to remain higher than other fixed-line technologies.

Fibre to the node connections comprised 87 per cent of the underperforming NBN fixed-line connections in this quarter’s report. Underperforming services very rarely, if ever, achieve at least 75 per cent of their plan download speed.

“We encourage consumers experiencing slow speeds or frequent outages on fibre to the node and fibre to the curb connections to contact their broadband provider,” Ms Brakey said.

Performance of satellite services remains steady

The report again measured performance for satellite connections on both the Starlink and NBN Sky Muster networks after their introduction to the Measuring Broadband Australia program in the preceding report.

Performance for both networks remained consistent, with the average busy hour download speed for Starlink services at 162.2 Mbps in December 2024 compared to 165.5 Mbps in September 2024.

NBN Sky Muster services attained an average busy hour download speed of 64.9 per cent of plan speeds in December 2024, compared to 66.1 per cent in September 2024. The service is available with plan download speeds of 25, 50 and 100 Mbps, with the report’s average result consistent with a busy hour download speed of 64.9 Mbps for households on the highest available plan speed.

Background

Data for Measuring Broadband Australia is provided by UK-based firm SamKnows using methodology based on speed testing programs delivered in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.

This is the first Measuring Broadband Australia report to measure performance for connections with NBN Co’s new high-speed plans (Fixed Wireless Home Fast and Fixed Wireless Superfast plans). The report includes these plans in the aggregate results for NBN fixed wireless services alongside existing plans. The Fixed Wireless Home Fast and Fixed Wireless Superfast plans are respectively available in 90 and 80 per cent of NBN Co’s fixed wireless footprint.

Performance on fixed wireless connections is often more variable than fixed-line connections due to various factors, including the distance and line of sight from the consumer’s premises to the nearest fixed wireless tower and weather conditions

NBN services may exceed their maximum plan download speed due to overprovisioning. This is generally where NBN Co provides a slightly higher data rate than the wholesale plan download speed to accommodate for the portion of a connection’s data rate lost in retrieving information that enables a download to occur. NBN Co does not currently overprovision the uplink for NBN fixed-line connections. NBN Co overprovisions the downlink for services on the new fixed wireless plans by 50 per cent of the wholesale plan speed. This allows fixed wireless services to reach download speeds notably higher than the plan speed in optimal network conditions.

To sign up to the ACCC’s program, visit Measuring Broadband Australia

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Vocus’ proposed acquisition of TPG enterprise, government and wholesale business not opposed

Source: Australian Ministers for Regional Development

The ACCC will not oppose Vocus Group Limited’s proposed acquisition of TPG Telecom Limited’s (ASX: TPG) fixed line business, enterprise, government, and wholesale customer base as well as its fibre and transmission networks.

Vocus supplies fibre and network services to government, enterprise and wholesale customers. It also supplies communications and technology services to small and medium sized businesses, and retail telecommunications services to consumers.

Vocus also owns a fibre network, which includes domestic inter-capital transmission and metropolitan fibre infrastructure serving business premises.

TPG is a major telecommunications company which supplies fixed broadband services to consumers, business and government customers. It also supplies wholesale telecommunication services.

The ACCC’s review focused on how closely Vocus and TPG compete in the supply of data network and connectivity services, including fixed-line internet services, to large enterprise and government customers.

“Our investigation found that Vocus concentrates on supplying large enterprise and government customers, whereas TPG focuses on the small and medium enterprise segment of the market,” ACCC Commissioner Dr Philip Williams said.

The ACCC notes the introduction of NBN Co’s wholesale Enterprise Ethernet product in 2018 has significantly reduced barriers to entry and expansion to supplying large customers. This product has enabled providers with no or a small fibre footprint to compete for larger customers.

“After the acquisition, Vocus will continue to face strong competitors including Telstra, Optus, Aussie Broadband, Superloop and managed service providers in supplying government, large enterprise, and SME customers,” Dr Williams said.

As part of the review, the ACCC also considered the impact of the acquisition in the supply of fixed line voice services, NBN wholesale aggregation services, and data centre, cloud and security services.

“Overall, we did not find that the acquisition would likely result in substantially lessening competition in any market,” Dr Williams said.

More information can be found on the ACCC’s website at Vocus Group Limited – TPG Telecom Limited.

Note to editors

In considering the proposed merger, the ACCC applies the legal test set out in section 50 of the Competition and Consumer Act.

In general terms, section 50 prohibits acquisitions that would have the effect, or be likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition in any market.

Background

The assets that Vocus is proposing to acquire from TPG include the following:

  • Network assets: TPG’s fibre network, including metropolitan, domestic, inter-capital and international subsea cable systems, and data centres that are primarily used for business, enterprise, government, wholesale and SME.
  • Vision Network: a wholly-owned subsidiary of TPG, Vision Network is a fixed line broadband network that provides residential broadband access services in selected areas of Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, as well as Geelong, Ballarat and Mildura.
  • Wholesale, government and enterprise products and services: TPG provides fixed line fibre and fixed line network services to wholesale, enterprise and government customers under the TPG Telecom and AAPT brands.

TPG also operates a mobile network, which includes the Vodafone brand in Australia. However, this is not part of the proposed acquisition.

TPG’s consumer, business, enterprise, government, and wholesale mobile customers as well as its consumer and “small office home office” retail fixed line customers and business unit will also be excluded from the proposed acquisition.

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New cannabis formula will help epilepsy, multiple sclerosis sufferers

Source:

20 March 2025

Cannabidiol is widely prescribed for its analgestic and anti inflammatory properties.

Scientists at the University of South Australia have come up with an innovative solution to improve the effectiveness of cannabidiol to treat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. It is widely prescribed for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, but its clinical applications to date have been limited by its poor water solubility and absorption in the human body.

By developing a phospholipid complex – a class of lipids (fats) that contain phosphorus – UniSA researchers have increased the solubility of cannabidiol by up to six times and improved its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.

Lead researcher Professor Sanjay Garg says the breakthrough, reported in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, means that patients could experience more consistent and effective results with lower doses of oral CBD medications.

Currently, only a small fraction of orally ingested CBD reaches the bloodstream, limiting its therapeutic effects.

“For this reason, a number of different formulations have been explored, including the production of synthetic CBD, self-emulsifying delivery systems, and encapsulating CBD in gelatine matrix pellets, but all of them have only resulted in minor improvements in bioavailability,” Prof Garg says.

His research team identified the optimal phospholipid composition to form nanosized CBD-PLC particles. Compared to pure CBD, the phospholipid complex improved dissolution rates from 0% to 67.1% within three hours, demonstrating a significant enhancement in drug release.

In cellular uptake studies, CBD-PLC exhibited 32.7% higher permeability than unmodified CBD, ensuring greater absorption through the intestinal wall.

Another critical advantage of this new delivery system is its stability. Traditional CBD formulations degrade over time when exposed to heat, light or oxygen, reducing potency and shelf life.

However, testing over 12 months showed that CBD-PLC retained its performance under varied storage conditions, making it a more reliable option for pharmaceutical applications.

The study’s first author, UniSA PhD candidate Thabata Muta, says the discovery has significant implications for the future of CBD-based therapeutics.

“Improved bioavailability means that lower doses can achieve the same therapeutic effect, potentially reducing side effects and making treatment more cost effective,” Thabata says.

The research team believes that this innovation could be applied beyond CBD, providing a blueprint for enhancing the absorption of other poorly water-soluble drugs.

With the global CBD market projected to grow from USD 7.59 billion in 2023 to USD 202.45 billion by 2032, the findings of this study come at a crucial time, according to the study authors.

The team is now exploring opportunities for commercialisation and clinical trials to validate their new formulation.

Notes for editors

“Optimising Cannabidiol Delivery: Improving Water Solubility and Permeability Through Phospholipid Complexation” is authored by Thabata Muta, Riya Khetan, Dr Yunmei Song and Professor Sanjay Garg from the University of South Australia. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26062647

The study was supported by a PhD scholarship jointly funded by the University of South Australia, MedTEC Pharma, and the SA Government’s Industry Doctoral Training Centre program.

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

Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au
Research contact: Professor Sanjay Garg E: sanjay.garg@unisa.edu.au

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Innovative collaboration for women’s health screening

Source: Australian Capital Territory – State Government

Headline: Innovative collaboration for women’s health screening

Published: 20 March 2025

Released by: Minister for the North Coast, Minister for Regional Health, Minister for Women

In a first for the NSW North Coast, women will be able to have both their breast and cervical screenings done in a single visit, thanks to a Mid North Coast Local Health District (MNCLHD) and BreastScreen NSW partnership.

The Cervical Screening Collaborative is an initiative of MNCLHD’s Women’s Health team, ensuring women have access to timely, effective screening with nursing support throughout the process.

Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, with more than 70 per cent of cases occurring in people who have never been screened or are overdue for their cervical screening.

A Cervical Screening Test every five years is recommended for eligible people aged 25 to 74 who have ever been sexually active. A quick and simple procedure, the test looks for a common infection called human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes almost all cervical cancers.

Under the pilot project, women will be offered a cervical screening appointment at the time of booking their routine breast screening with BreastScreen NSW, allowing them to opt in to the cervical screening.

The first monthly clinic was held in Port Macquarie with the aim to offer the dual screening service at Coffs Harbour, Lismore, and Tweed Heads in the future.

For women aged 50-74, a breast screening every two years is still the best way to detect breast cancer early, before it can be seen or felt. Aboriginal women are recommended to start screening at 40 years of age. 

Any woman who has noticed a change in their breasts, like a lump, should see their doctor without delay. 

For more information and to make an appointment at a local BreastScreen NSW clinic or mobile van, call 13 20 50 or book online on the BreastScreen NSW website.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Regional Health, Ryan Park:

“Breast and cervical screening can save lives, and I urge all eligible people to get screened when they’re due.

“This pilot provides a seamless experience where women can choose to attend both breast and cervical screening services at the same time.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison:

“Many women have busy lives and often put off important health checks.

“I encourage all eligible women to make the most of this innovative service and book in for the screenings that could save their life.

“The integration of these services means they can get both of these important checks done at the same time. It’ll help increase cervical screening rates on the Mid North Coast, ensuring early detection and better health outcomes for women.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for the North Coast, Janelle Saffin:

“Offering a combination of screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer is a progressive win for women’s health in Lismore, Tweed Heads and Coffs Harbour.

“Every woman knows these health checks can be a bit uncomfortable, but they are absolutely necessary.

“Being able to opt in for this dual screening service is convenient and increases the chances of early detection, potentially saving more women’s lives.”

Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour, Cameron Murphy MLC:

“This integrated service will be seamless and life saving. We know that early detection of cancer is crucial and hopefully this new combined service prompts every eligible person to use it.”

Quotes attributable to Labor Spokesperson for Tweed, Emily Suvaal MLC:

“Early detection and prevention are key to delivering effective, timely care that can save lives and provide overall better health outcomes for women.

“This initiative will provide efficient and easy access to regular screening for women in the Mid-North Coast, helping them to manage their health on top of their busy lives.

“This is just one part of the Minns Labor Government’s ongoing efforts to improve health outcomes for people in rural and regional New South Wales.”

Quotes attributable to Professor Tracey O’Brien AM, Chief Cancer Officer and Chief Executive Cancer Institute NSW:

“As a working mother I know how busy life gets so it’s fantastic that we can provide a service that makes it easier for women to prioritise their health and get their cervical and breast screening in one location.

“The self-collection option to the Cervical Screening Test is now giving people a choice on how to do the test, helping break down barriers and encouraging people to take advantage of life-saving screening.”

Quotes attributable to MNCLHD Women’s Health Clinical Nurse Consultant Renee Bell:

“We know that time is precious and providing women with the opportunity to fulfil two commitments to their health at one location is both convenient and beneficial.

“Our Women’s Health team is excited to be able to offer this timely screening process to the women of the Mid North Coast.”

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Clan lab located in Camden Park

Source: New South Wales – News

A man was arrested for drug offences after a clandestine laboratory was located at his Camden Park home yesterday afternoon.

Just after 3.30pm on Wednesday 19 March, police and MFS were called to a block of units on Anzac Highway after reports of a strong chemical smell coming from one of the units.

MFS crews attended and rendered the scene safe.

Serious and Organised Crime Branch detectives entered the home and located chemicals believed to be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.

Detectives will spend today dismantling the clan lab.

A 36-year-old man from Camden Park was arrested and charged with manufacturing a controlled drug. He was refused bail and is expected to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court later today, Thursday 20 March.

Anyone with information on the sale, supply, manufacture or distribution of illicit drugs is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at www.crimestopperssa.com.au or on 1800 333 000. You can remain anonymous.

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From the murky depths to award night success

Source:

Wirrate brigade award recipients with the new Ford Ranger ultralight

Wirrate Fire Brigade members have come together to celebrate 505 years of combined service.

Nestled in the southern end of District 22 sits the little tin shed brigade of Wirrate. In October 2022, when our state was ravaged by floods, Wirrate brigade was hit hard.

During the flooding brigade members answered the call to help, assisting the community in any way they could. Little did they know they would lose everything, as their fire station became the lost city of Atlantis.

However, the station was not the primary concern but the treasured contents – the 1991 Hino FT 2.4D faithful old tanker, all the operational equipment, and a new Land Cruiser ultralight that the brigade had only just taken delivery of. The brigade also lost all the death notices of members and photos of the brigade.

“When they heard what had happened, the brigade members were devastated,” Wirrate Fire Brigade 3rd Lieutenant Jedd Dawe said.

“Fortunately, we had an inventory of everything we owned, which made the rebuild a lot easier than it would otherwise have been.” 

As the clean-up and rebuild began, the district office, district mechanical officer and CFA Fleet team tracked down another Hino 2.4D that was due to be decommissioned, and this was handed to the brigade to ensure they were operational as soon as possible.

When Wesburn-Millgrove Fire Brigade members heard about Wirrate brigade’s losses, they graciously loaned Wirrate their Land Cruiser slip-on that was also due for decommissioning. They did this without knowing when they would get it back.

In 2023, Wirrate members heard they were going to trial a prototype ultralight tanker based on a Ford Ranger cab chassis, using the tray from the brigade’s flooded ultralight.

“Brigade members gave feedback to the CFA Fleet team about the Ford Ranger, and it is now the new standard ultralight platform. Our members were proud to be involved,” Jedd said.

“After two years of rebuilding, we have pushed through the struggles of losing everything and finally come out in a better place then we have ever been in.

“None of this would have been possible without the support of District 22 headquarters staff, Danny Jones, Steven Hill, BASO Paul Verbeek, Commander Peter Dedman, ACFO Tony Owen, the members and BMT of Wesburn-Millgrove and the Wirrate community.”

On 7 March the brigade held an awards night to recognise the hard work of its volunteers and to thank all who had helped in the recovery after the flood.

The following brigade members were presented with awards: 

3rd Lieutenant Jedd Dawe, 5 years

2nd Lieutenant David Edwards, 10 Years and National Emergency Medal

Captain Hamish Fletcher, 10 years

Rick Hoskin, 10 years

Secretary/Treasurer Jon McKeown, 10 years

David Richardson, 10 years

John Hurley, 15 years

First Lieutenant Ian Dawe, 20 years

Craig Newnham, 20 years

Jonathan Billich, 25 years

Bob Doherty, 30 years

John Beresford, 35 years

John Palmer, 35 years

Warwick Hutton, 50 years

Vin Palmer, 65 years

Godfrey Haines, 65 years

Timothy Purbrick (posthumously awarded), 30 years

Norman Mclarty (posthumously awarded), 60 years  

  • 14/10/2022 Wirrate Appliances (note only way to enter was via boat)
  • 14/10/2022 Wirrate Station From Above
  • 17/10/2022 Station Condition After water subsided
  • 17/10/2022 Land cruiser ULT after the flood event
Submitted by News and Media
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New pilot program to strengthen regional manufacturing

Source: Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Published: 20 March 2025

Released by: Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Regional NSW, Minister for Western New South Wales

The NSW Government is continuing its commitment to rebuild the state’s manufacturing industry with the launch of an $800,000 pilot program aimed at boosting productivity, reducing costs and increasing competitiveness.

The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program will provide small-to-medium-sized manufacturers across regional NSW with funding to undertake audits by professional consultants that will identify ways to re-organise their manufacturing operations.

Lean manufacturing is an internationally recognised business management process that revolves around the principles of continuous improvement, waste elimination, and a customer-centric approach.

It focuses on creating products more efficiently by eliminating unnecessary steps, saving time and using fewer materials in the production process. This approach helps businesses produce goods with fewer resources, without compromising on quality.

More efficient processes mean production lines manufacture fewer products with defects, which in turn reduces operating costs related to providing returns and waste disposal.

For example, a regional food manufacturer might reorganise production lines to improve efficiency, implement preventative maintenance to reduce equipment breakdowns and implement just-in-time inventory management to reduce excess stock and waste.

The audits, undertaken as part of the program, will offer tailored recommendations to help businesses identify inefficiencies, streamline operations, reduce waste and increase productivity, while also highlighting training opportunities for staff.

Several major companies have successfully implemented lean manufacturing to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance productivity over the past decades including Toyota, Ford Motor Company, Boeing, General Electric and Nike.

Many regional NSW companies such as the Bega Group in Bega, Donaldson Australia on the Central Coast, Belmore Engineering at Tamworth, Flavourtech in Griffith and Tyree Transformers at Braemar have also successfully used lean manufacturing principles.

Manufacturing is a key driver of the NSW economy, contributing nearly 30 per cent of Australia’s total manufacturing output.

In regional NSW, the sector generates $32 billion in sales and employs 84,000 workers, reinforcing the need for continued support to strengthen and future-proof the industry.

Industry research by Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) suggests that adopting lean manufacturing can boost small-to-medium-sized businesses’ profit margins by up to three times, depending on their size and turnover.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development designed the pilot program following in-depth industry consultation, which highlighted the need for more support in adopting lean manufacturing principles to ensure regional manufacturers remain globally competitive.

The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program is part of the NSW Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting manufacturing industries across the state as they navigate rising costs and market challenges.

Expressions of interest for the audits are now open to eligible manufacturers and will close at 4pm on Monday 31 March 2025, with funding allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about the program, including guidelines and Expression of Interest details, go to www.nsw.gov.au/LMPP or email economic.programs@dpird.nsw.gov.au.

Minister for Regional NSW and Western NSW Tara Moriarty, said:

“The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program is an important part of our ongoing support for regional manufacturers across the state, helping them overcome the challenges posed by rising supply chain, energy and labour costs.

“This program is an important step towards ensuring the long-term success of our regional manufacturers.

“We know that by supporting regional businesses to improve their operations, we’re strengthening the entire economy of regional NSW, creating more local jobs and enhancing the long-term sustainability of our regions.”

Minister for Industry and Trade, Anoulack Chanthivong said:

“NSW manufacturing fell in nine out of 12 years under the previous Liberal-National Government, and the Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program is a prime example of how the Minns Labor Government is working to rebuild local manufacturing right across the state.

“Support for local manufacturing is also an integral part of the Minns Labor Government’s recently released Industry Policy.

“Central to the Industry Policy are three new local manufacturing targets, which demonstrate a real commitment to supporting local manufacturing to promote a dynamic, sustainable, and diversified economy.”

HunterNet Chief Executive Officer Ivan Waterfield said:

“Lean manufacturing plays a crucial role in the future of the NSW manufacturing sector. By focusing on eliminating waste and improving efficiency, it helps manufacturers reduce costs and enhance productivity.

“In a time of scarce resources, a strong Lean culture helps manufacturing companies improve their efficiency and their P&L.

“The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program by the NSW Government is a significant step towards supporting regional manufacturers in becoming more competitive on a global scale and is something that HunterNet fully supports and endorses.”

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$800,000 to make shooting in NSW safer

Source: Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Published: 20 March 2025

Released by: Minister for Sport

Shooting organisations across NSW have shared in almost $800,000 in funding after grants were awarded under the NSW Government’s Safe Shooting Program.

The Safe Shooting Program supports shooting clubs, shooting ranges and shooting organisations to improve storage, security and safety, as well as purchase new equipment such as electronic targets.

The Program invests in projects which incorporate inclusive design, improve safety, environmental sustainability and increase use of existing shooting facilities in NSW.

Another key objective of the Program is to increase participation in shooting by removing barriers for women and girls, people with disability, First Nations peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTQIA+ people.

Grants of $10,000 – $50,000 were awarded to 25 projects that aim to improve the safety and quality of shooting facilities in NSW.

Some of the projects to receive funding include:

  • $49,287 to Gilgandra Rifle Club for safety repairs and upgrades to prevent projectiles injuring people or damaging property after they pass through targets
  • $49,575 to Bermagui Field and Game Sporting Clays for new clay target traps
  • $37,243 to Cootamundra Rifle Club for a new solar power system for the clubhouse, shed, and toilet block.

For further information including the list of grant recipients, visit: https://www.sport.nsw.gov.au/grants/safe-shooting-program

Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:

“The Safe Shooting Program supports shooting clubs to provide safe, inclusive and accessible facilities.

“Projects announced today will increase the use of shooting facilities across NSW and encourage participation by people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

“This funding will play a significant role in supporting the next generation of Olympians and ensure Australia’s success at the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.”

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New NSW Privacy Commissioner appointed

Source: Australia Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Published: 20 March 2025

Released by: Attorney General, Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government

Ms Sonia Minutillo has been appointed as the new NSW Privacy Commissioner to deliver an independent voice on the administration of privacy legislation.

Ms Minutillo’s appointment allows her to continue promoting, protecting, and enhancing the privacy rights of the people of NSW.

The NSW Privacy Commissioner investigates and conciliates complaints about breaches of privacy, advises government agencies, businesses, and other organisations on how to ensure the right to privacy is protected.

The Commissioner also oversees NSW Government agency reviews of reported breaches with a view to developments in policy, law, and technology that may impact privacy.

Ms Minutillo will continue to provide oversight of and advice to NSW public sector agencies on compliance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2022 and in protecting the personal information of individuals.

Ms Minutillo was formerly the Director of Investigation and Reporting at the Information and Privacy Commission, leading its regulatory functions including the conduct of reviews, complaints, investigations, and proactive compliance program.

She has been acting NSW Privacy Commissioner since August 2023.

Find out more about the Information and Privacy Commission NSW here.

Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said:

“The Privacy Commissioner plays an important role in ensuring accountability in NSW Government by ensuring the public sector handles personal information responsibly and take steps to prevent and manage any data breaches.

“Ms Minutillo has demonstrated her expertise in this area while acting as Privacy Commissioner over the past 18 months, drawing on her experience leading programs in the fields of industrial relations and employment rights and obligations under NSW and Commonwealth legislation.

“I congratulate Ms Minutillo on her appointment and look forward to working with her to uphold the privacy of every NSW resident.”

Attorney General Michael Daley said:

“As the NSW Privacy Commissioner, Ms Minutillo will drive integrity and strong accountability in the public sector to underpin robust governance at every level.

“I welcome Ms Minutillo to this significant role. Her extensive experience and qualifications make her well-placed to continue the important work of promoting and protecting the privacy rights of the NSW community.”