Category: MIL-OSI

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Custom designed armoured vehicles handed over to NSW Police Force

Source:

Published: 17 March 2025

Released by: Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism

The NSW Government is today launching five new Tactical Armoured Vehicles, which will significantly strengthen the capability of the NSW Police Force (NSWPF) to respond to high-risk, tactical and counter-terrorism situations.

The armoured Lenco ‘Bearcat’ vehicles were custom designed and custom built for the specific needs of the NSWPF – at a total cost of $3.5 million.

All five Bearcats will be strategically positioned across NSW to support the work of Tactical Police and Police Negotiaters.

Key features include ballistically rated steel and glass with riot shield covers, rotating roof hatches, spotlights, external speakers, high-tech camera systems and advanced technical and communication capabilities.

In an Australian first, one of the new Bearcats is equipped with an extendable ramp to allow police to quickly and safely access multi-storey buildings and aircraft. This vehicle will be stationed in Sydney, the other four vehicles will be stationed in northern, western and southern regions – allowing the Tactical Operation Unit and Tactical Operations Regional Squads to quickly respond to high-risk situations.

The five new Bearcats bring the total number of specialised armoured vehicles in NSW to six and will further allow officers to swiftly and effectively respond to high-risk and counter-terrorism situations, ensuring the safety of the people of NSW.

Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism, Yasmin Catley said:

“These custom vehicles will greatly improve the capability of the Tactical Operations Unit to respond to and disrupt high-risk situations across the state.

“The NSW Police Force is world class so it’s only fitting it has modern resources and technology to fight crime and keep our community safe.

“Only a Labor Government backs our hardworking police 100% and ensures they have the capability they need.”

NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb APM said:

“These vehicles are deployed by the Tactical Operation Unit during high-risk situations.

“This is about protecting our specialist officers.

“All of these vehicles are bullet and blast resistant and have the capacity to transport hostages or injured personnel.”

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Gabon

Source:

Gabon will hold its first presidential elections on 12 April since a military takeover in 2023. Authorities continue to maintain a higher security alert level in Libreville and other areas, and protests and civil unrest may occur with little warning. During the election period, travel to, from and within the country may be impacted. Avoid polling booths, protests, and demonstrations and monitor the local media for updates (see ‘Safety’).

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Labor delivering a stronger and fairer NDIS

Source: Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science

The Albanese Labor Government’s significant reforms and investment have put the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) back on track.

Minister for Social Services and the NDIS, Amanda Rishworth, said the Government is making changes to ensure every dollar allocated to NDIS participants reaches them and is spent in a meaningful way that makes a difference in their lives.

“The Albanese Labor Government is absolutely committed to improving the lives of the more than 700,000 NDIS participants, ensuring people with disability can live independently and participate fully in the community,” Minister Rishworth said.

“We’re reforming the NDIS to deliver better outcomes for people with disability and to be more responsive to individual needs, as well as enabling more consistent, fair and transparent decision making so that it continues to provide the reasonable and necessary supports that people need.”

The latest NDIS monthly data for the end of February shows the scheme is tracking at approximately $700 million lower than initially forecast this financial year.

This puts the year-on-year growth rate at around 10 per cent, down from the 12 per cent growth forecast for this financial year – significantly down from 22 per cent in the 2021-22 financial year under the Liberal Party.

These results show scheme costs are stabilising and remain on track to reach National Cabinet’s eight per cent growth target by 1 July 2026.

Significant work to provide more clarity around what can be included in plans, and stopping fraud and exploitation of participants, has helped stabilise growth.

“A sustainable NDIS provides certainty for the Australian community and those who rely on it now and in the future,” Minister Rishworth said.

“The NDIS has broad support and is an integral part of our social infrastructure. While we are delivering a sustainable NDIS that can endure for generations, solely focusing on the finances fails to celebrate the scheme for what it is – a world leading social initiative.”

Minister Rishworth said the reduction in scheme growth was not coming at the expense of Australians living with disability.

“This reduction in growth is a direct result of our Government, along with the National Disability Insurance Agency, working with participants and the broader disability community to build a better NDIS,” Minister Rishworth said.

“We have had a strong focus on providing greater clarity on what NDIS funding can and cannot be spent on, on preventing fraud, and on improving planning to make it more consistent, transparent and fairer.

“We know there is more to be done, but these reforms are bringing us closer to the original intent of the scheme – to provide genuine choice and control, and provide reasonable and necessary supports, to people with a permanent and significant disability so they can participate in everyday activities.

“It is essential people with disability continue to have a voice in how any changes are implemented. We will continue to use co-design to amplify the voices of people with disability so that we get these improvements right.”

The latest data including monthly reports can be seen on the NDIS website.

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Prepare to lodge your quarterly TBAR

Source:

Self-managed super funds (SMSFs) report certain events that affect members transfer balance account quarterly using transfer balance account reporting (TBAR). You must report these events even if the member’s total superannuation balance is less than $1 million.

TBARs for the March quarter are due on 28 April 2025. If you don’t report on time, you may be subject to compliance action and penalties and your member’s transfer balance account may be adversely affected. The member may need to commute any amounts more than their cap and pay more in excess transfer balance tax.

Refer to Event-based reporting for SMSFs and the TBAR instructions when preparing your TBAR.

The easiest way to lodge is through Online Services for Business.

You’re not required to lodge if there were no transfer balance account events during the quarter.

Looking for the latest news for SMSFs? – You can stay up to date by visiting our SMSF newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly SMSF newsletter.

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Top 3 questions before requesting lodgment deferrals

Source:

There may be circumstances where you need to request additional time to lodge your clients’ obligations. Ask yourself the following questions before you apply for lodgment deferrals.

1. Are the circumstances exceptional or unforeseen?

Lodgment deferrals can help if you or your clients experience exceptional or unforeseen circumstances that affect your ability to lodge by a due date. For example, a serious illness, unexpected staff absences, natural or other disasters.

You should not request lodgment deferrals if your clients simply haven’t provided information with enough time for you to prepare and lodge their return by the due date.

When applying for lodgment deferrals, you need to include full details of:

  • the exceptional or unforeseen circumstances you or your clients are experiencing
  • how those circumstances affect your ability to lodge by the due date
  • if applicable, why you’re submitting the request after the lodgment due date.

This allows us to take those circumstances into consideration when assessing your request. If you don’t include the information, we can’t consider it and your request may be declined.

2. Does your client have a 15 May due date?

You don’t need to request deferrals for tax returns due on 15 May if your clients are eligible for the 5 June concession date.

The concession allows individual, partnership and trust tax returns to be lodged by 5 June without penalty, provided that any payment required is also made by this date.

For companies and super funds (excluding large and medium taxpayers and head companies of consolidated groups), the concession applies where both the prior year and the current year return will be non-taxable or result in a refund.

3. Do you need tailored support?

If the problems you’re experiencing affect your whole practice, then requesting a supported lodgment program may be a better option than lodgment deferrals.

A supported lodgment program is available to practices of all sizes when you need additional time to lodge a large proportion of your clients’ obligations.

We’ll work with you to tailor solutions to help you get your lodgment program back on track. This may include applying lodgment deferrals, or in some instances, suspending compliance action.

We recommend you request a supported lodgment program as early as possible.

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There’s plenty of pork on Chinese forks, but the environment is paying a heavy price

Source:

17 March 2025

Pork accounts for at least 60% of all meat eaten in China, but its popularity exacts a heavy toll on the environment that has proven tricky to resolve until now.

A new study by Chinese and Australian researchers has identified a sustainable solution to mitigating excessive amounts of copper found in the 3.8 billion tons of pig manure turned into organic fertiliser to increase crop yields.

Although an essential nutrient in small doses, high concentrations of copper – added to pig feed to promote growth – is toxic to plants, soil, water and humans.

Researchers from China’s Fujian Normal University and the University of South Australia have demonstrated that adding green-synthesised iron nanoparticles (G-nFe) to pig manure neutralises the amount of bioavailable copper in piggery effluent, reducing the environmental risks.

China has regulations limiting the amount of copper allowed in pig feed, but the scale of livestock farming keeps increasing to feed a population of 1.4 billion people, making it difficult to control the huge amount of manure and sewage released into the environment.

Experiments undertaken by researchers showed that adding G-nFe to pig manure compost reduced exchangeable cooper by 66.8%, carbonate-bound copper by 47.5%, and iron-manganese oxide-bound copper by 15.4%.

“This process was able to convert free copper into a less bioavailable form, reducing the potential for uptake by plants,” according to UniSA environmental chemist, Associate Professor Gary Owens, who was part of the study.

Residual copper levels initially increased by a third in the first five days before declining by over 60.9% over the full composting period.

The study findings have recently been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

China processes approximately 628 million pigs annually, making it the world’s largest pork producer.

Nearly half of the 3.8 billion tons of the resulting pig manure is inadequately treated, researchers say, and the heavy metal and organic pollutants are causing widespread environmental contamination.

While pig manure has traditionally been valued s an inexpensive organic fertiliser for Chinese farmers, it is increasingly posing a serious problem due to the heavy metal contamination, posing a challenge for both government and researchers seeking economically viable solutions.

Green synthesised iron nanoparticles have been widely used to remediate water and soil contamination due to its cost-effectiveness, low toxicity, and strong absorption rates.

However, this is the first study to explore its use in organic compost to remediate heavy metal pollution.

“This research presents a significant step forward in addressing heavy metal contamination in agricultural waste,” according to Assoc Prof Owens.

“By using green-synthesised iron nanoparticles, we can not only improve the safety of composted pig manure, but also contribute to more sustainable farming practices.”

The researchers plan to test G-nFe’s efficiency in larger composting systems using fresh pig manure, hoping to encourage stakeholders in the livestock and composting sectors to adopt the process.

A video explaining the research is available at https://youtu.be/CoEz82qlSq8

Notes for editors

“Enhanced Copper Passivation in Pig Manure Composting through Iron Nanoparticle Amendment” is authored by researchers from Fujian Polytechnic Normal University, Fujian Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, and the University of South Australia. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.177950

The University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide are joining forces to become Australia’s new major university – Adelaide University. Building on the strengths, legacies and resources of two leading universities, Adelaide University will deliver globally relevant research at scale, innovative, industry-informed teaching and an outstanding student experience. Adelaide University will open its doors in January 2026. Find out more on the Adelaide University website.

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

Media contact: Candy Gibson M: +61 434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au
Researcher contact: Associate Professor Gary Owens E: gary.owens@unisa.edu.au

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Executive Leadership Team changes

Source: Premier of Victoria

NAB Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andrew Irvine today announced changes to the bank’s Executive Leadership Team.

  • Andrew Auerbach, an experienced business and wealth banker from Canada, will join NAB as Group Executive, Business & Private Banking (B&PB) on 16 June;
  • Rachel Slade, currently Group Executive B&PB, will leave NAB on 1 July, allowing for a transition period and to work with Mr Irvine as a senior adviser; and
  • Nathan Goonan has resigned as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will leave NAB later this year after meeting his contractual obligations.

Mr Irvine said transition arrangements from Tuesday 18 March would be:

  • Michael Saadie, currently Executive, Private Wealth and CEO of JB Were, acting as Group Executive B&PB until Mr Auerbach starts at NAB;
  • Shaun Dooley, currently Group Chief Risk Officer (CRO), acting as Group CFO while NAB recruits a new Group CFO; and
  • Peter Whitelaw, currently Executive, Chief Resilience Risk Officer, acting as Group CRO.

“NAB has good business momentum and is executing a clear strategy based on being better for customers and our colleagues. We have great talent and leadership across the bank and I’m confident we will maintain momentum while we embed these changes,” Mr Irvine said.

Mr Auerbach spent more than 21 years in senior executive roles with the Bank of Montreal (BMO) in Canada, including alongside Mr Irvine.  During his career he has worked closely with business owners and entrepreneurs delivering strong customer and commercial outcomes. On leaving BMO, in 2023 he co-founded and is CEO of Canadian wealth management firm Delisle Advisory Group. He will end his involvement with Delisle before joining NAB.

“Andrew will be a tremendous addition to the NAB team and a strong leader for our leading business bank as we continue to execute our strategy and drive performance in a competitive environment. In particular, he brings a strong track record of improving both customer experiences and financial performance,” Mr Irvine said.

Ms Slade joined NAB in 2017 and was appointed to the Executive Leadership Team in 2018 as Chief Customer Experience Officer, then Group Executive, Personal Banking in 2020. Ms Slade became Group Executive, B&PB last year when Mr Irvine became NAB Group CEO.

Mr Goonan has been with NAB for a total of 15 years in two periods, holding various executive roles. He joined the Executive Leadership Team in 2020 as Group Executive, Strategy & Innovation and was appointed Group CFO in 2023.

“Rachel and Nathan have been dedicated to NAB, very supportive of successive Group CEOs and focused on customers every day. I have appreciated their support in our time together and wish them well for the future,” Mr Irvine said.

Mr Auerbach’s appointment is subject to regulatory approvals.

Read the announcement on the ASX. 

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Media Enquiries

For all media enquiries, please contact the NAB Media Line on 03 7035 5015

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New Emergency Services Station for Acton

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

Work is underway on the site of a new, modern emergency services station for central Canberra.

Work is set to begin on the site of the new Acton Emergency Services Station, following a traditional smoking ceremony to mark the beginning of construction.

Canberrans will begin to see the new station take shape in the heart of the city, on the corner of Parkes Way and Clunies Ross Street in Acton.

The station is expected to be completed in 2024. Its central location will reduce response times and ensure the ACT’s growing population has appropriate access to emergency services.

The station’s modern facilities will provide emergency services staff with the most up-to-date infrastructure to support their work and wellbeing.

Once completed, the new facility will provide accommodation for fire fighters and paramedics. This will help guarantee they have the resources and support required to manage the growing demands on their services.

The ACT Government announced the investment of a new fire and ambulance station to service central Canberra in 2020.

To read more about the new Acton Emergency Services Station is at builtforcbr.act.gov.au

An aerial render of the new facility.

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