Federal Labor To Boost Cancer Research
Source: Australian Labor Party. Media Release
"A Rudd Labor Government will invest an extra $15 million – over the next three years – in independent clinical trials of drugs and research into cancer treatment. This will double the amount of Commonwealth funding available annually and will be administered by Cancer Australia. Federal Labor’s Cancer Clinical Trials plan funding will provide extra resources for the outstanding work being carried out by Australia’s national co-operative clinical trials groups. "

Federal Labor's $42 Billion Minimum Schools Funding Commitment: Giving Schools Financial Certainty
Source: Australian Labor Party. Media Release
"Federal Labor outlined its minimum schools funding commitment ahead of both the Federal election and formal negotiations with the State, Territory, Catholic and Independent school systems. "

Federal Labor's New Direction For Wheat Marketing
Source: Australian Labor Party. Media Release
"A Rudd Labor Government will introduce major new reforms to wheat export marketing.Labor proposes a new model for exporting wheat which retains a single desk for the control of wheat exports and at the same time increases choice to growers by allowing a number of selling options."

Tough New Bail Laws Passed
Source: Northern Territory. Minister for Justice and Attorney General. Media Release
"Legislation to protect victims from intimidation and further violence has been passed in Territory Parliament. Amendments to the Bail Act will make it harder for alleged serious sexual offenders to be released on bail. "

New Police Operation To Tackle Violent Youth Behaviour
Source: Northern Territory. Chief Minister. Media Release
"Chief Minister and Police Minister Clare Martin announced the establishment of a new police operation to tackle youth violence. Speaking with Acting Police Commissioner, Bruce Wernham, Ms Martin said that a dedicated operation to target offenders had been put in place. There will be a strong police response and I am also moving to strengthen the legal tools that police have in dealing with repeat offenders and the parents of children found committing offences in the the streets."

Victorian Vision to Drive International Office Reform
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"The Victorian Government’s overseas business offices will undergo the most significant transformation since their inception, in line with the major recommendations of the Buckingham Review, Premier John Brumby announce. Mr Brumby said the Government would implement the major recommendations of the review into Victoria’s global networks and will have a stronger presence in Asia, with plans to establish a new international office in South East Asia. Our overseas offices have attracted more than $8.7billion in foreign investment, created thousands of Victorian jobs and attracted thousands of visitors to the state in the last seven years, but we want to extract even more out of our international networks, Mr Brumby said."

Community and Clubs to Benefit from More Transparent Process
Source: Victoria. Office of Gaming. Media Release
"Clubs directing electronic gaming machine revenue back into the community will do so in a more transparent way under the Brumby Government’s changes to Community Benefit Statements, announced. The Minister for Gaming, Tony Robinson, said clubs with electronic gaming machines needed to show on their Community Benefit Statements how they positively contribute to their local communities."

New Push to Attract Skilled Migrants to Victoria
Source: Victoria. Office of the Premier. Media Release
"Skilled migrants will be encouraged to move to Victoria, particularly to regional areas, under a new strategy to increase the state’s share of Australia’s skilled migrant intake to 28.5 per cent, from the current 26.8 per cent. The Premier, John Brumby, and the Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan, released the next stage of the Victorian Government’s skilled migration strategy, which targets skilled and business migrants.Mr Brumby said the new strategy, Global Skills for Victoria, aimed to increase Victoria’s share of the nation’s intake of skilled and business migrants to 28.5 per cent by 2011. "

Kosky, Pallas Launch Transport Legislation Review
Source: Victoria. Minister for Public Transport. Media Release
"The Brumby Government will review laws governing Victoria’s transport system and the community will be able to have their say, Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky and Minister for Roads and Ports, Tim Pallas, announced. Ms Kosky said a Transport Legislation Review would review the current Transport Act of 1983 to ensure it provided a co-ordinated framework to support and continue to implement the government’s 10-year, $10.5 billion transport blueprint, Meeting Our Transport Challenges."

Report Backs Focus on Schools Most in Need
Source: Victoria. Minister for Education. Media Release
"The Victorian Government has welcomed a report from the Auditor General released which highlights ways to improve Victoria’s schools and today also announced details of new teaching assistants to help Victorian school teachers. Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said the government would continue to find ways to help schools that need additional support, including an announcement to roll out the first 90 teacher assistants, with the largest allocations going to schools in Melbourne’s North and West."

Government Seeks Feedback on Community Engagement Plans
Source: Victoria. Minister for Energy and Resources. Media Release
"Members of the community are being asked to comment on draft regulations that will spell out how mining companies must engage with communities about projects, Minister for Energy and Resources Peter Batchelor announced. The proposed changes to the Mineral Resources Development Regulations 2002 aim to provide clarity for mining licensees on the required contents of community engagement plans, which are a new requirement under the Mineral Resources (Sustainable Development) Act 1990, Minister Batchelor said."

Brumby Government Tables Independent Review of Bail Act
Source: Victoria. Office of the Attorney General. Media Release
"The Brumby Government tabled in State Parliament the Victorian Law Reform Commission’s review of the Bail Act. This is an extensive review with 157 recommendations aimed at making bail decisions clearer and easier to understand, Parliamentary Secretary for Justice Brian Tee said. Bail decisions sometimes are misunderstood by the community and the Government believes that these decisions must be clear and transparent."

Mental Health law reform
Source: South Australia. Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Media Release
"South Australia’s mental health laws will soon undergo their most comprehensive reform in 14 years with a State Government Bill released today for public comment. Minister for Mental Health Gail Gago says The Rann Government is bringing mental health care into the 21st century, in line with its modernisation of public services and facilities. The new legislation transforms the requirements around treating people with mental illness."

$2m in grants to reduce waste going to landfill
Source: South Australia. Minister for Environment and Conservation. Media Release
"More than $2 million in State Government funding is available for infrastructure projects that recover materials for reprocessing and reduce waste going to landfill. Environment and Conservation Minister, Gail Gago said applications were now being called for the Regional Implementation Program, the Metropolitan Reuse and Recycling Infrastructure Program and the Social Enterprise Program."

Scholarships to boost Government school teacher numbers
Source: Western Australia. Minister for Education and Training. Media Release
"The State Government has today unveiled a multi-million dollar initiative to offer lucrative scholarships to more than 1,300 university students and existing teachers. Under the scheme, individual students signing up to a Government teaching career for at least four years could receive $60,000. Education and Training Minister Mark McGowan said the scheme, worth more than $19million, would secure teaching graduates for regional postings and for the key shortage areas of maths, science, design and technology and home economics."

Kids benefit from $1.64million funding for injury prevention
Source: Western Australia. Minister for Communities. Media Release
"Western Australian children will benefit from a State Government commitment of $1.64million to fund child safety and injury prevention programs until 2010. Each year around 50 Western Australian children die, 8,000 are admitted to hospital and more than 25,000 young people aged 14 years and younger present to a metropolitan emergency department as a result of an injury."

Top End Secret 2: Orestruck
Source. Northern Territory. Minister for Mines and Energy. Media Release.
"The Northern Territory’s huge mineral and energy potential is set to be further realised in the form of a multi-million dollar Northern Territory Government initiative. Northern Territory Mines and Energy Minister Chris Natt unveiled Top End Secret 2: Orestruck, to assist Australian and international companies tap into one of Australia’s last great exploration frontiers. Mr Natt said as part of Top End Secret 2: Orestruck, the Northern Territory Government has committed $12 million over the next four years to assist explorers to make the next major energy or mineral discovery in the Territory."

Australia to join with United States in defence global satellite communications capability
Source. Australia. Minister for Defence. Media Release.
"Australian Government will enter into a $927 million partnership with the United States to access a world-leading communications capability provided by the new Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) constellation. Under our partnership arrangement, Australia will fund one satellite plus associated ground infrastructure to extend the constellation to six satellites and the US will fund the remaining five. This new partnership will further strengthen the Australia-US alliance. It will enhance the close ties and high level of cooperation that already exists between Australian and US defence force personnel. "

World-leading computer program to protect critical infrastructure
Source. Australia. The Attorney-General. Media Release.
"Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said a computer program to better prepare Australian businesses and communities for natural or manmade disasters is now ‘open for business’.
The world-leading Critical Infrastructure Protection Modelling and Analysis (CIPMA) program identifies any areas of vulnerability within our critical infrastructure and gauges the flow-on effects if one part of it is compromised. ‘The CIPMA capability is a unique collaboration between government and industry, and is initially concentrating on four sectors: communications, energy, water, and banking and finance,’ Mr Ruddock said. Today’s announcement means that these sectors can now ‘task’ the program to examine a scenario or potential disaster, and advise on the flow-on effects across the sectors."

Australia's new Citizenship Test commences today
Source. Australia. Minister for Immigration and Citizenship. Media release.
"From today persons wishing to become Australian citizens will need to successfully pass Australia's new Citizenship Test. The computer-based test comprises 20 multiple choice questions drawn from information in the Citizenship Test Resource Book, Becoming an Australian Citizen."

Establishment of a Third Newcastle Coal Loading Terminal
Source. Australia. The Treasurer. Media Release.
"Today the Australian Government approved, under the Australian Government’s foreign investment policy, the establishment of a major new coal terminal for the Port of Newcastle.
The new coal terminal and shiploading facilities to be built near Kooragang, will include new rail infrastructure, stockyards and a deepening of the Hunter River. The consortium building the terminal facilities – the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) – has estimated the project will create up to 1,000 extra jobs in the Hunter, boosting coal exports by $1 billion and generating up to 5,000 jobs across New South Wales. "

$165 million for Drug Diversion Initiative
Source. Australia. Minister for Ageing. Media Release.
"New funding of more than $165 million would ensure that the National Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative (IDDI) continued until 2010-11. Today’s funding announcement reflects the Australian Government’s commitment to ensuring people with drug problems are given every opportunity to get help."

Australia Pledges Support to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Source. Australia. Minister for Foreign Affairs. Media Release
"Australia has made a major new commitment to combat AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the Asia-Pacific region, and to assist sufferers of the diseases. Australia's new pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a specific allocation under the government's existing $1 billion commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and will be funded from the future increases in overseas aid announced in the 2007-08 budget."

$300 million to strengthen Australia's innovation system
Source. Australia. Minister for Education, Science and Training. Media release.
"Innovation and research received a major boost when the Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, announced that 878 new projects would receive more than $300 million over the next five years under the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects scheme. Minister Bishop said the projects would include collaborations with researchers in 75 countries, including the USA, UK, Germany, Canada, France, China, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, India, Indonesia, South Africa and Russia."

Australian Government Strengthens Drought Support
Source. Australia. The Prime Minister. Media release.
"The Australian Government will provide a further $714 million in drought assistance measures to support farmers through the worst drought in our nation's history. Today's funding is in addition to the $430 million announced last week to extend the 38 areas of agricultural production currently receiving Exceptional Circumstances (EC) assistance until September 2008. These new measures will make it easier for farmers and small business to access EC assistance, provide direct grants to irrigators and help with social pressures facing farming families across rural and regional Australia."