AU Engine

Source: Australian National Party

Source: Australian National Party

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Jim Chalmers:

Australia’s interests are best served by more trade, not more trade barriers. And that’s the approach that we take to this. Yes, we have the lowest tariffs from the US around the world, and that’s good for Australia in comparative terms. And most of our trade goes elsewhere.

But we are concerned, we have raised our concern over the course of recent months about the impact on the global economy. The global economy is obviously going through a period of great uncertainty. The tariffs are part of that, but not the only source of that uncertainty. The job for Australia is to make sure that we continue to be the beneficiary of well‑functioning, open global markets for our amazing goods and services.

Karen Tso:

Are you worried that the United States and China are looking to escalate again before any negotiation?

Chalmers:

Obviously, the whole global economy is watching very closely what’s happening between the US and China. And again, it’s our view that nobody wins from a trade war, that tariffs are ultimately self‑defeating. But clearly we’re monitoring what’s happening. And I think it’s noteworthy that in a week where we saw a very substantial de‑escalation in the Middle East, we saw an escalation of trade tensions between the US and China. And that’s obviously of great concern to everyone gathered here in D.C.

Tso:

Australia is a commodities heavyweight. Recently, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that China risked becoming an unreliable partner by throttling rare earths and critical minerals to the rest of the world. Is that a reality when most of the world has been looking at the United States as an unreliable partner now, after Liberation Day trade tariffs?

Chalmers:

I think our American friends have been making a similar point for some time now. From an Australian point of view, we see critical minerals as an extraordinary opportunity for Australia. We’ve got so much to offer the world when it comes to critical minerals. And in order for us to make the most of it, we need to make sure that those markets for critical minerals are robust and reliable and diverse. And that hasn’t always been the case.

And so we will work closely with our partners to make sure we build those more reliable, more robust markets for our critical minerals. That has been a subject of conversations between us and the Americans for some time. And I suspect it will be a matter of conversation when Prime Minister Albanese meets President Trump next week here in Washington D.C..

Tso:

The global economy is being rewired because of trade routes. Does Australia need fresh partnerships? Fresh alliances?

Chalmers:

As we’ve seen these escalating trade tensions, Australia has gone for resilience and relationships, not retaliation. And that’s been a deliberate strategy. Because, as a middle‑sized, trade‑exposed economy, we’ve got a lot to gain from free and open markets; we’ve got a lot to lose from escalating trade tensions. And that has driven our approach throughout.

We’ve got great trading relationships throughout our region and around the world and that has been such an important part of our economic growth to here. It’ll be an important part of our economic growth from here as well. And that’s why all of us, Treasurer, Prime Minister, Trade Minister, Foreign Minister and others put so much effort into nourishing, nurturing those relationships. Because at the end of the day, having those great relationships with trading partners around the world is good for our workers, our businesses and our investors back home.

Source: Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry

Jim Chalmers:

I’m here today in New York City to talk about Australia as an attractive investment destination.

This is a time of great global economic uncertainty and Australia has a big opportunity to be a beneficiary of all of this churn and change. So today I’ve been speaking with some of the world’s biggest investors, representing around $25 trillion of funds under management and I have a very simple message for the investors of the world and the investors here in New York City.

Australia is an island of reliability and opportunity in a sea of global economic uncertainty. And we have so much of what the world needs. We are a very attractive destination as investors around the world consider the best place to invest their capital. Australia has a huge opportunity and we want to make the most of that opportunity. And that’s why we’re here in New York City. That’s why we’re engaging with counterparts in Washington D.C. yesterday, engaging with counterparts at APEC next week.

We’re in New York City because we want more of the world’s investors to get a slice of the action when it comes to Australia. And that’s what these engagements are all about – $25 trillion in capital under management, telling the investors of the world, the investors of New York City, that Australia is a place of great opportunity and great reliability. And our pitch is that Australia can be a hub, a digital hub in Asia, that we can be an indispensable part of the net zero transformation, that our geography, the stability of our institutions, our solid macroeconomic foundations and fundamentals, these are all things that we have going for us.

So there’s a lot coming at us from around the world, but we have a lot going for us here in Australia and that’s been my message to investors representing tens of trillions of dollars here in New York City.

Journalist:

What’s your reaction to the Coalition’s reform plans in The Australian today?

Chalmers:

Oh look, my focus has been on meeting with investors here in New York City. I’m broadly aware that Angus Taylor is out there trailing his coat and I’m told that Barnaby Joyce is considering leaving the Coalition.

You know the Coalition is bad if not even Barnaby Joyce wants to be part of it. And I think what all of this internal disunity shows is that the Coalition hasn’t changed a bit, they haven’t learned a thing, they are more divisive and more divided than ever and you see that reflected in those stories.

Thanks very much.

Source: New South Wales – News

About 2.20am on Monday 20 October, police and ambulance crews were called to a business on The Parade, Seaford after reports that a man had attempted to force his way into the workshop.

A fight then occurred between two men at the property.

A 46-year-old Aldinga Beach man was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

A 45-year-old Seaford man was not injured.  He was arrested and charged with assault cause serious harm.  He is expected to appear in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court tomorrow, Tuesday 20 October.

Police believe this was not a random incident.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any dashcam or CCTV that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at www.crimestopperssa.com.au

270081

Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Victorians can soon trial a new way of accessing specialist healthcare, through the state’s first virtual hospital – designed to deliver care remotely and improve access to specialist care across the state.

Following a competitive tender process, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Austin Health are the successful applicants to pilot the new service.

The service, when operational, will be capable of providing acute and subacute virtual care services for more than 250 patients, and is part of the Victorian Government’s plan to connect people to the right care, free up hospital beds and support patients to receive high-quality care at home.

The pilot will include virtual wards, with an initial focus on heart failure and post cardiac patients across both metropolitan and regional Victoria, to support patients to recover at home faster.

The service will also provide virtual ward rounds and monitoring, partnering with rural and regional health services to provide regional and rural patients access to tertiary specialist expertise.

A virtual foetal monitoring service to remotely monitor the health of babies is also included, with scans then sent to the Royal Women’s Hospital for a virtual consultation, saving regional mothers a trip into Melbourne.

The scope will also include ambulance and health service capacity and demand coordination, to make meaningful use of data and help ambulances get back on the road faster.

Both hospitals are currently designing how care will be delivered and finalising which services will be offered. Patients will begin accessing care through a phased rollout commencing in December, with the pilot set to be evaluated in June 2026.

Importantly, the success of the pilot will be evaluated with consideration to a range of outcomes, including positive patient experience and outcomes, the usability of virtual technology, and equitable access to care.

The design and delivery of the virtual hospital pilot is supported by a $3 million investment through the Victorian Budget 25/26.

This builds on existing virtual care options like the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, which saw an investment of $437 million in this year’s budget to massively expand and make the service permanent.

Source: Mental Health Australia

Motorists will soon experience safer journeys between Jindera and Table Top, with reduced speed limits to come into effect next month on Dights Forest Road. 

Source: Airservices Australia

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Source: Australian Capital Territory Policing

Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) has released its regulatory priorities for 2025–26. These outline the key risks and market issues it will target to better protect Victorian consumers and renters.

The priorities reflect emerging concerns, ongoing issues and the increasing pressures faced by many Victorians, particularly in the context of the rising cost of living, natural disasters and post-emergency recovery.

CAV will concentrate its efforts and resources on tackling harmful conduct in sectors that pose the greatest risk, including:

• unsafe and unfair housing for renters and rooming house residents
• high-pressure or exploitative sales, home-building and tradesperson services
• underquoting and trust account breaches by real estate professionals
• unfair practices in motor car trading
• scams and misconduct following disasters and emergencies, such as fake tradies, unregistered fundraisers, and the need for increased access to financial counselling.

While many priorities continue from previous years, CAV has introduced new areas of focus in response to emerging risks, including:

• a zero-tolerance approach to unsafe products, especially those that pose a risk to children
• ensuring fuel retailers provide accurate and timely fuel pricing and reporting
• protecting residents of retirement villages and residential parks from unfair practices.

CAV Director Nicole Rich says the regulatory priorities are aimed at focusing regulatory efforts where they are most needed.

‘Our regulatory priorities ensure Victorians understand what we are seeing in the marketplace and where we will focus our proactive efforts.

‘This does not stop us from responding to new or emerging issues during the year. CAV will always take appropriate action to address harmful conduct or breaches of the laws we administer.

‘Our priorities are informed by reports we’ve received from the public, feedback from stakeholders, market analysis and the experience and intelligence our investigators have gained on the ground.’

To learn more: Regulatory priorities 2025–26

Source: Mental Health Australia

The Minns Labor Government is helping motorcyclists make smarter, safer choices before hitting the road, today releasing new motorcycle helmet safety ratings that show the best protection doesn’t have to come with the biggest price tag.

The latest CRASH helmet safety results reveal the Nitro MX780 UNO, retailing for around $200, has scored a four-star safety rating, performing on par with helmets costing more than six times as much.

The Kabuto F17 GP MIPS was named Best Safety Helmet, while the Nitro MX780 UNO took out Best Value Helmet in the 2025 Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets (CRASH) program.

CRASH, a consortium of government agencies and the Australian Motorcycle Council, independently and rigorously tests around 30 helmets annually against a range of criteria.

Tests include measuring impact protection, noise, ventilation, field of view and resistance to fogging.

All helmets sold in NSW must meet minimum standards, but CRASH has an additional series of more rigorous tests that compare their performance against each other.

Read the full media release here (PDF, 142.96 KB).