Proceeds of crime grants
Source. Western Australia. Attorney General. Media Release.
"More than $2million in money and assets seized from criminals is set to go back to the community with the latest round of ‘Robin Hood’ grants now up for grabs. Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General John Hyde is officially calling for not-for-profit community groups and local governments to apply for the $2.2million, which will be available in the fifth round of the Criminal Property Confiscation Grants."

Launch of State-wide campaign to improve jury system
Source. Western Australia. The Attorney General. Media Release.
"A continuing drop in the number of people turning up for jury duty across Western Australia has prompted the Attorney General Jim McGinty to launch an education campaign to reverse the trend. Mr McGinty said juries represented the values of the community as a whole and were critical in ensuring the justice system operated in a fair and balanced way. The central theme of the campaign, ‘BE PART OF THE BALANCE’, reinforces the need for individuals to participate in the jury process in order for justice to operate in a fair and balanced way.The communication strategy also aims to increase knowledge of a juror’s entitlements, including reimbursement for loss of income, and educate the community on the consequences of not responding to a juror summons."

Reforms for Better Dog Control
Source. Tasmania. Minister assisting the Premier on Local Government. Media Release.
" The Tasmanian Government will strengthen dog control by legislating to impose tighter guidelines on dangerous dogs and restrict breeds such as pit bull terriers. The Minister Assisting the Premier on Local Government, Michelle O’Byrne, announced a package of reforms to improve public safety through better control and more responsible ownership of dogs."

Launch of the Power Generation Training Package
Source. Tasmania. Minister for Education. Media Release.
" Hydro Tasmania and TAFE Tasmania have joined forces in an innovative training initiative for Hydro Tasmania’s power generation workers. Launched by the Minister for Education, David Bartlett, the Electricity Supply Industry Generation Training Package (GenTech) is a centralised, structured and efficient training package for developing the skills of Hydro Tasmania workers. Mr Bartlett says the agreement is a prime example of TAFE Tasmania’s flexible approach to tailoring training to the needs of employers. "

Getting Tough on Drink Drivers
Source. Tasmania. Minister for Police and Emergency Management. Media Release.
" The State Government is getting even tougher on drivers who break the law and risk lives by drink-driving. The Minister for Police and Emergency Management, David Llewellyn, introduced the Road Safety (Alcohol and Drugs) Amendment Bill 2007 to Parliament.
“The changes will create authority for police to serve an ‘excessive drink driving notice’ on drivers who commit certain offences, resulting in the driver being immediately disqualified from driving,” Mr Llewellyn said. “Drivers who commit offences not only put themselves at risk, but their passengers and every other road user. "

Government Supports Water Innovation
Source. Tasmania. The Treasurer. Media Release.
" The Treasurer, Michael Aird, re-launched the all new ‘rethinking tomorrow’ water infrastructure business of the Stornoway Group based in Relbia near Launceston.
Stornoway Water is part of the Stornoway Group and provides a range of cost effective and innovative waste-water treatment systems and water recycling stations. Mr Aird said that the development and adoption of new water related products and technology was vital to addressing the challenge of limited water resources in Tasmania, the rest of Australia and around the world."

$12 Million For Special Needs Students
Source. Tasmania. Minister for Education. Media Release.
" An additional $12 million over three years will be reallocated to special needs students in Tasmania. The Minister for Education, David Bartlett, said that a task force of principals from both special and neighbourhood schools across Tasmania had developed a plan to free up the funding. School clusters will be advised of their funding allocations this term and will determine the support allocations for all children on the Severe Disability Register. These allocations will go directly to schools, based on the advice from clusters.”

Rudd Labor Government To Retain Medicare Safety Net
Source. ALP Policy. Media Release
"A Rudd Labor Government will retain the Medicare safety net as Australian working families have come to rely on it for help with their family budgets. ...Federal Labor’s $220 million GP Super Clinics will be prioritised in locations where there is low take up of safety net benefits and under-utilisation of Medicare services driven by poor access to doctors and specialists. "

Federal Labor's Plan For Climate Change And Farming
Source. ALP Policy. Media Release
"A Rudd Labor Government will help Australia’s farming community get through the current drought and will invest $60 million – over three years – to help them respond to climate change. The $60 million for Climate Change Adaptation plan is part of Federal Labor’s Australia’s Farming Future. Federal Labor’s Climate Change Adaptation plan will help Australia’s farmers maximise climate change opportunities."

Scholarships secure 70 country teachers for 2008
Source: South Australia. Minister for Education and Children's Services. Media Release
"More than 70 new teachers, including 18 maths and science teachers, will be working in country schools next year, thanks to the Rann Government’s Country Teaching Scholarships program. Education Minister Jane Lomax-Smith says the graduate teachers will finish their teaching degrees this year and take up a post in a country school for 2008."

Student nurses take on part-time work in hospitals
Source: Western Australia. Minister for Health. Media Release
"A new program will boost the number of nurses in Western Australia’s health system and allow some nursing students to work part-time in hospitals while progressing toward their chosen career. Health Minister Jim McGinty said the initiative would mean that some undergraduate students training at university to become registered nurses could qualify as enrolled nurses while continuing their studies."

Gas Is The Future - Helium Leads The Way
Source. Northern Territory. Chief Minister. Media Release.
"The Northern Territory Government has welcomed the signing of a contract to build the first helium plant in Australia. Chief Minister Clare Martin said the deal between BOC and Darwin LNG was a significant step forward for the Territory."

New mental health web site launched
Source. Australia. Minister for Health and Ageing
" The Australian Government has launched a comprehensive web site that provides up-to-date information on mental health and wellbeing, including information on the Government’s mental health programs. The new site, http://www.mentalhealth.gov.au/, is a one-stop shop of all Government programs aimed at reforming and improving our mental health care system."

Australia in the running for ambitious astronomy project
Source. Australia. Minister for Education, Science and Training. Media Release.
"A high level inter-governmental committee to oversee Australia’s Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project was announced. The Australian SKA Coordination Committee will manage the Australian SKA project, our contribution to an international project to develop a $2 billion next-generation radio telescope capable of exploring the origins of the universe. Scientists and research organisations from 17 countries are collaborating on this mega-science project, with Australia one of two short listed potential sites. The Australian Government is working with the West Australian Government to position Australia for selection as host country for the SKA by providing a superb site and supporting leading astronomy and technology through the new Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope."

Robinson announces $4M for Problem Gambling Research Centre
Source. Victoria. Minister for Gambling. Media Release.
"The Brumby Government is investing $4 million to set up a new problem gambling research centre, which will make a difference in the lives of Victorians affected by problem gambling. The Problem Gambling Research and Treatment Centre – a partnership with Melbourne and Monash Universities – is a pivotal part of the Brumby Government’s Taking Action on Problem Gambling statement.The Centre will be the hub for leading experts in the field of problem gambling, who will drive cutting-edge research and the creation of new clinical practices."

‘Goodbye graffiti’ - just a phone call away
Source. Western Australia. The Premier and Police Minister. Media Release.
"The State Government has stepped up the war against graffiti vandalism with the launch of a new graffiti reporting hotline which will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 1800 GG CALL will enable quicker response times to graffiti crime, resulting in faster clean-up and removal. The Government’s Graffiti strategy, designed to achieve ‘clean streets’ in WA’s cities and towns, also includes additional use of CCTVs in high-risk areas, local grants for anti-graffiti projects, extra resources for clean-up orders that ensure offenders are made to remove graffiti and school education programs."

Government shopfronts to help distribute internet safety information
Source. Australia. The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, and the Special Minister of State. Media Release.
"[The Ministers] welcomed a partnership with the Family Assistance Office network to help Australian families make their children’s internet experience safer. Part of the Australian Government’s $189 million NetAlert—Protecting Australian Families Online programme is to inform parents and carers of children practical ways in which to protect their families, whether from online scams, cyber bullying or online stalking. Medicare, Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office, through the Family Assistance Office shopfronts, along with the Child Support Agency shopfronts, will distribute information to parents, carers and grandparents. This initiative combines services and education, regulation and policing to ensure that Australian families can get the best of the internet, while minimising potential harm."

Australian Law Reform Commission to examine FOI laws
Source: Australia. Attorney-General. Media Release.
"Attorney-General Philip Ruddock will ask the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) to examine Freedom of Information (FOI) laws and practice across Australia. The ALRC will examine existing Commonwealth, State and Territory access laws and practices, with a view to providing advice on how to harmonise those laws and practices. The Commission will undertake widespread consultation with the public and key stakeholders. The ALRC is to complete its work by 31 December 2008. "

A Wellbeing Plan for Australian Children
Source: Australia. The Prime Minister and Cabinet. Media Release.
"The Australian Government has implemented a number of measures to help combat childhood obesity and I am pleased to endorse the first stage of another; the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's Wellbeing Plan for Aussie Kids. The CSIRO plan will be rolled out in two stages, with the first involving a mail out to schools of 1.9 million fridge magnets for every Australian primary school child, and the second a book and other resources which will be released over the next two years. To complement the fridge magnet, a website has also been developed to provide practical advice for Australian parents. http://www.csiro.au/WellbeingPlanForKids "

National Clean Energy Target
Source: Australia. Prime Minister and Cabinet. Media Releases.
"The Australian Government will introduce a new national Clean Energy Target, requiring that 30,000 gigawatt hours each year come from low emissions sources by 2020. Introduction of the CET is intended to replace existing and proposed state and territory schemes with a single national scheme. The CET is sufficient to absorb those schemes. The new CET is an integral part of the Australian Government's comprehensive $3.5 billion climate change strategy, keeping Australia at the forefront of international efforts to address global warming."

$10.5 Million Boost for Groundwater Management
Source: Australia. Minister for Environment and Water Resources. Media Release
"Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, announced that the
Australian Government will invest $10.5 million from the Raising National Water Standards
Programme to fund five important groundwater projects."

New $52 Million Groundwater Action Plan
Source: Australia. Minister for Environment and Water Resources. Media Release
"The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Malcolm Turnbull, released details
of a new $52 million Australian Government Groundwater Action Plan. It is clear that if we continue to extract groundwater at ever-increasing rates, we will hurt the sustainability not just of our groundwater supply but also our rivers and groundwater-dependent ecosystems, said Mr Turnbull."

$78.2 million jobs package for communities in the Northern Territory
Source: Australia. Minister for Workforce Participation. Media Release
" An announcement of a $78.2 million jobs package confirms the Australian Government’s commitment to help Indigenous Territorians move into real jobs, Minister for Workforce Participation Dr Sharman Stone said. The Australian Government funding package announced by the Hon Mal Brough MP, Minister for Families and Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Hon Tony Abbott MP, Minister for Health, will help around 1600 people delivering Australian Government services off CDEP and into real work, Dr Stone said. “We are also contributing $30 million over three years, to be matched dollar for dollar by the NT Government, to convert NT Government CDEP jobs into real jobs. "

New Projects Target Regional Skills Needs
Source: Australia. Minister for Vocational and Further Education. Media Release
"A range of key, expanding industries including manufacturing, construction, energy utilities, meat processing, energy and mining, health, technology and agricultural industries will benefit from a new Howard Government programme designed to address skills shortages in regional areas. The Federal Minister for Vocational and Further Education, the Hon Andrew Robb AO MP, announced funding of over $4 million for the Targeting Skills Needs in Regions Programme aimed at addressing skills needs across thirteen sectors from the meat industry in Victoria to the allied health industry in South Australia."

CDMA safeguard for regional Australia
Source: Australia. Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Media Release
"I am advised that the Attorney-General Philip Ruddock has made a decision to vary conditions on Telstra’s carrier licence to protect users in the transition from CDMA to Next G,” the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator the Hon Coonan said. Under the condition made by the Attorney-General, Telstra will be required to keep the CDMA network open until the Next G network provides equivalent or better coverage and services."