AU Engine

Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

26 November 2025

Who does this notice affect?

Stakeholders in the import and shipping industries—including vessel masters, freight forwarders, offshore treatment providers, Biosecurity Industry Participants, importers, customs brokers, principal agents and master consolidators.

What has changed?

Following identification of critical non-compliance, we have listed Cosmic Maritime Services and Trading Limited (AEI: BD0010TP) as ‘…

Source: Australia Government Statements – Agriculture

26 November 2025

Who does this notice affect?

All importers and customs brokers who will be required to lodge imported cargo documentation to the department for biosecurity assessment during this planned maintenance period (e.g. clients required to use the Cargo Online Lodgement System (COLS) and COLS Business to Government (COLSB2G) system)).

All importers of plants, cats and/or dogs who will be required to use the Post Entry Biosecurity System (PEBS) during this planned…

Source: Government of Western Australia

The City of Wanneroo is making library access easier and more inclusive, with more than $740,000 in historical fees wiped and administration charges removed across all libraries.

Source: Australian Mines and Metals Association – AMMA

The Australian Resources and Energy Employers Association (AREEA) strongly welcomes Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited’s Final Investment Decision (FID) to proceed with the Eva Copper Project in North-West Queensland – a major shot in the arm for Queensland’s resources sector and a clear signal of investor confidence in the state’s project pipeline.

This landmark decision marks a significant milestone for the Queensland resources sector and underscores the strength of Australia’s mining industry in delivering major projects. The Eva Copper Project, located near Cloncurry and Mount Isa, is anticipated to become Queensland’s largest new mine and one of Australia’s leading copper operations.

According to AREEA’s latest Resources & Energy Workforce Forecast: 2025–2030, Queensland’s resources and energy industries are poised for growth, with FID approval of the Eva Copper Project adding further momentum to this outlook.

The project is one of the 17 major projects identified in AREEA’s Workforce Forecast for Queensland and expected to generate around 450 new operational-phase jobs by 2028, contributing significantly to the more than 4,400 new workers Queensland will require by 2030 to deliver its growing slate of resources developments.

For the local region and the broader Queensland economy the benefits are real and tangible. This development presents substantial employment opportunities during both construction and operation phases, and promises to stimulate local supply-chains, service providers and regional businesses. Harmony has committed to prioritising local employment and supplier engagement in Cloncurry and Mount Isa.

AREEA Deputy Chief Executive Tara Diamond said Harmony’s decision demonstrates what is possible when industry commitment meets favourable investment conditions, but stressed the Queensland Government must ensure projects like Eva Copper continue to move from concept to construction to production without unnecessary regulatory delay.

“Eva Copper is exactly the type of major development Queensland needs to secure long-term regional employment, local business growth and state economic strength,” Ms Diamond said.

“With thousands of new workers required across the sector before 2030, Queensland cannot afford to stall or defer viable, job-creating resources projects.”

The full 2025–2030 Workforce Forecast report is available here. 

Click here for a PDF copy of this release, including media contact details.

Source: South Australia County Fire Service

PETERSVILLE

Issued on
26 Nov 2025 14:02

Petersville

The SA Country Fire Service (CFS) is responding to a crop fire approximately 2kms West of Petersville near Ardrossan on the Yorke Valley, South Australia.

The fire is currently contained in crop and scrub between Johnson Road and Ardrossan Road.

Approximately 25 CFS volunteers on 5 trucks supported by 30 Farm Fire Units are working to completely extinguish the fire.

Roads are currently open around this incident however this may change at short notice. Continue to monitor road closures at: traffic.sa.gov.au

Smoke may be impacting roads in the area, and visibility may be reduced. To ensure your safety and that of firefighters and other emergency personnel who are working in the area, please do not enter the area unless necessary…

Message ID 0008735

Source: Airservices Australia

At its meeting today, the Payments System Board discussed a number of issues, including:

• Financial market infrastructure regulatory reforms and resolution planning. The Board welcomed progress in operationalising powers to prevent or resolve a crisis at an Australian clearing and settlement facility. The Board discussed stakeholder feedback on draft guidance on the RBA’s crisis resolution powers. The guidance is expected to be published in December 2025.
• Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging. Members discussed the stakeholder feedback and evidence received in response to the Consultation Paper published in July. In particular, the Board considered the relative merits of the various options on payment card surcharging. Members also discussed the extent to which interchange caps should be reduced, and whether commercial credit cards should attract higher interchange caps than consumer credit cards. Members noted feedback that there is a risk that a portion of the proposed interchange reductions would not be passed through to merchants in the short term without further regulatory intervention. As such, members discussed various options to promote competition and transparency in the acquiring market. After giving due consideration to the substantial body of information received during the consultation, the Board expects to publish its conclusions and an implementation timeline for any regulatory action by March 2026. The Board agreed that it was not in the public interest to further delay this review given the importance of the reforms being considered.
• Payment Systems (Regulation) Act 1998: Members welcomed the recent amendments to the PSRA. There will be a public consultation in mid 2026 on the Board’s regulatory priorities, taking into account these amendments, technology development and innovation in the payments industry, and payments regulatory issues that extend beyond the Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging. The consultation would include efficiency, competitiveness and safety issues with mobile wallets, three party schemes, buy-now-pay-later providers and e-commerce platforms.
• Assessment of the New Payments Platform. The Board reviewed the RBA’s 2025 assessment of the New Payments Platform (NPP) under the Prominent Payment Systems oversight regime. Efforts to promote effective governance and risk management remain a priority in light of industry’s intended migration of account-to-account payments to the NPP in the medium term.
• The safety and resilience of Australia’s real-time gross settlement system. The Board received an update on progress against the recommendations from the March 2024 Assessment of the Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System (RITS). The update covered initiatives to strengthen the operational reliability of the RITS ecosystem and key areas of oversight focus including change management and cyber resilience. The Board acknowledged the continued progress and noted that the forthcoming full assessment in June 2026 will provide a comprehensive view of RITS’s observance of the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures.
• Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).The Board received an update on industry progress to enable the transition to AES for card payments in Australia. Members reiterated their strong support for industry efforts to ensure encryption standards continue to meet the high safety standards for card payments expected by the Australian public. The Board expects industry to progress migration with sufficient urgency to enable the readiness of AES for use by December 2030. The Board agreed to consult on using the RBA’s standard-setting powers under the PSRA to support the migration.
• The annual review of compliance with card payments regulation. Members reviewed the compliance of card issuers and acquirers, and the designated card schemes, with the RBA’s interchange and surcharging standards and access regimes in 2024/25. There was assessed to be a high level of compliance with the RBA’s regulations.
• Enhancing cross-border payments. Members discussed Australia’s progress towards achieving cheaper, faster, more transparent and more accessible cross-border payments under the G20 Roadmap. The Board recognised the payments industry’s ongoing efforts to transition to richer ISO 20022 payments messaging and adopt internationally harmonised requirements in the High Value Clearing System and the NPP by the end of 2027. It also observed growing use of the NPP’s International Payments Service, which enables incoming cross-border payments to be processed on a 24/7 basis. The Board will continue to monitor the industry’s implementation of these initiatives.

  The RBA is currently participating in the second phase of the Bank for International Settlement’s Project Mandala, which is investigating the automation of cross-border compliance processes.¹ The RBA will also be examining options for enhancing wholesale cross-border payments in 2026, including through upgrades to RITS and further research on digital money innovations.

Source: Australia Government Statements 2

Today, I will travel to Solomon Islands to represent Australia at the PACER Plus Ministerial Meeting (PPMM).

The PPMM marks five years since the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus began and is the region’s most modern framework for rules-based trade, driving regional economic integration.

As the region’s largest economic partner, Australia is proud to be a member.

This meeting will be an opportunity for PACER Plus Members to reinforce our commitment to rules-based trade and vision for free trade and investment across the region at a time of global uncertainty.

This will be my first visit to Solomon Islands as Assistant Minister for Pacific Island Affairs and follows my meeting with Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele last week to launch the $104 million Adamasia Cable.

Australia is Solomon Islands’ economic, trade, and development partner of choice. I look forward to engaging on skills and job growth, and, in the context of the 16 Days of Activism, highlighting our partnership to combat gender-based violence.

Australia is a partner that Solomon Islands can count on. We work hand in hand because we are a family who share an ocean and a future.

Source: South Australia County Fire Service

Homes that have been built to withstand a bushfire, and are prepared to the highest level, may provide safety.

You may lose power, water, phone and data connections.

Fire crews are responding but you should not expect a firefighter at your door.

What you should do

• Check and follow your Bushfire Survival Plan.
• Protect yourself from the fire’s heat – put on protective clothing.
• Tell family or friends of your plans.

If you are leaving

• Leave now, don’t delay.
• Roads may become blocked or access may change. Smoke will reduce visibility.
• Secure your pets for travel.
• If you become stuck in your car, park away from bushes, cover yourself, get onto the floor as the windows may break from the intense heat.

If you are not leaving – prepare to defend

• Identify a safe place inside, with more than one exit, before the fire arrives. Keep moving away from the heat of the fire.
• Bring pets inside and restrain them.
• Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins and outdoor furniture away from your house.
• Close doors and windows to keep smoke out.
• If you have sprinklers, turn them on to wet the areas.
• If the building catches fire, go to an area already burnt. Check around you for anything burning.

Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority

CFA is welcoming more than $22.6 million in grants for brigades and groups to share to purchase new equipment, helping to further protect their local communities.

The Victorian Government’s 2025/26 Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) funding was announced today, with dignitaries including CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and local brigades.

The announcement took place at CFA’s District 15 Headquarters (HQ) in Wendouree who received VESEP funding in this year’s grants to purchase a new Breathing Apparatus (BA) support vehicle.

District 15 HQ brigade Captain Fabian McHoul said the new BA support vehicle would be a new addition to the brigade’s existing support vehicle.

“We’re a support brigade attending more than 50 support call-outs per year, particularly to fires where the need to refill and replace BA cylinders is required,” Fabian said.

“BA is important for maintaining firefighter safety when working in hazardous and toxic smoke conditions. With the urban spread growth in this area, the need for BA has increased.

“It will be a great to have this new asset for the brigade, and we welcome this announcement today.”

The new BA support vehicle cost around $104,000.[AS1] [LE2] 

The VESEP funding announced today has been spread across 168 projects which included a range of facility upgrades and replacement vehicles for brigades including 14 Medium tankers, 12 Ultralight tankers and 31 Field Command Vehicles (FCV).

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said VESEP grants help provide brigades with significant funding for vital equipment and facility improvements.

“This program provides $2 for every $1 of funding from the brigade thanks to the brigades’ incredible fundraising efforts and generosity of their local communities,” Jason said.

“The contribution from the government towards equipment means brigades have a great incentive to fundraise in their communities and apply for a VESEP grant.

“There are also Special Access Grants available to provide a further financial boost for brigades that face challenges with fundraising.”

The full list of successful applicants has been published on the Emergency Management Victoria website.

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed prices were steady in October but ticked up in annual terms.

Today’s annual result is higher than we would like but still much lower than what we inherited from our predecessors.

The flat monthly result in October was driven by falls in electricity and fuel prices, and a moderation in housing costs.

The tick up in annual terms in part reflects temporary factors such as the timing of state energy rebates and volatile items such as travel prices.

We know that households are still under pressure and that’s why our responsible cost of living relief is so important.

Headline inflation was 0.0 per cent in the month of October but up 3.8 per cent in through the year terms.

Underlying inflation was 3.3 per cent in the 12 months to October.

When we came to office, headline inflation was 6.1 per cent and climbing – but it has now moderated substantially, which has given the RBA confidence to cut interest rates three times this year.

Underlying inflation was hovering around five per cent but is now much lower.

Today marks the first time the ABS has released complete monthly CPI figures.

It’s an important change that will help inform decision‑making into the future.

Inflation remains persistent in many advanced economies, and there have been recent increases in inflation in the United States, New Zealand and Japan.

The global economy remains uncertain and people are still doing it tough, but Australia is well placed and well prepared to confront the challenges coming at us.

When we came to office, real wages were going badly backwards and had fallen for five quarters.

Last week’s wages data showed annual real wages have grown for eight consecutive quarters – the longest run of real wages growth in almost a decade.

Since Labor was elected, inflation is down, debt is down, real wages are growing, unemployment is low, and interest rates have fallen three times this year.

While we’ve made good progress on the economy together, we recognise the job is far from over because people are still under pressure, which is why we’re continuing to roll out responsible cost of living relief including tax cuts for every taxpayer, slashing student debt, cheaper medicines and more bulk billing.

Labor’s economic plan is all about helping with the cost of living at the same time as we modernise Australia’s economy to boost living standards.

We know the best way to improve living standards is to make our economy more productive and resilient and our budget more sustainable and that’s our focus.