Commonwealth

Elon Musk is mad he’s been ordered to remove Sydney church stabbing videos from X. He’d be more furious if he saw our other laws

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has ordered social media platform “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to remove graphic videos of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney last week from the site.

Key Points:

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has ordered social media platform “X” (formerly known as Twitter) to remove graphic videos of the stabbing of Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney last week from the site.
In response to this order, X’s owner, Elon Musk, has branded the commissioner the “Australian censorship commissar”.
Read more:
Why is the Sydney church stabbing an act of terrorism, but the Bondi tragedy isn't?

Prompt political fallout

Labor minister Tanya Plibersek referred to Musk as an “egotistical billionaire”.
Of course such damning remarks directed towards a much-maligned website and its equally controversial owner are to be expected.

What do federal laws say?

The power she exercised under part nine of that act was to issue a “removal notice”.
The removal notice requires a social media platform to take down material that would be refused classification under the Classification Act.
While it’s these laws being applied in the case against X, there are other laws that can come into play.
It is a variation of this bill, reflecting the substantial range of views on the draft, that now has bipartisan support.

What else could be done?

Perhaps the gruesome images in the Wakeley videos might remind some of the Christchurch massacre. In that attack, Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone (now part of TPG), cut access to sites such as 4Chan, which were disseminating video of the attack. This was without any prompting from either the eSafety Commissioner or from law enforcement agencies.

She would need to be satisfied the material depicts abhorrent violent conduct and be satisfied the availability of the material online is likely to cause significant harm to the Australian community.
This means the commissioner could give a blocking notice to telcos which would have to block X for as long as the abhorrent material is available on the X platform.
This would be a breach of the terrorism prohibitions under the federal Criminal Code.

Rob Nicholls receives funding from the Australian Research Council for the International Digital Policy Observatory.

The Anglican Communion has deep differences over homosexuality – but a process of dialogue, known as ‘via media,’ has helped hold contradictory beliefs together

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

In the past six months, hundreds of congregations voted to leave the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage and whether LGBTQ+ people should be clergy.

Key Points:

In the past six months, hundreds of congregations voted to leave the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage and whether LGBTQ+ people should be clergy.
With over 80 million believers in 160 countries, the Anglican Communion has been grappling with LGBTQ+ issues since the 1970s.
It is a long-standing process for navigating disputes called the “via media,” or middle way, which has thus far succeeded in holding together people with contradictory beliefs.

Controversies in the Anglican Communion

For decades, diverging points of view over homosexuality and rumors of schism have both confused and polarized believers in the global Anglican Communion.
This is part of a larger struggle within the Anglican Communion to renegotiate imbalances of power and authority left over from the colonial era of the British Empire.
In the 21st century, these churches still have most of the money in the Anglican Communion, but congregational numbers are dwindling.
That is the orthodox Anglican position.” Views like these carry great weight in the Anglican Communion, even today.

But they remain within the Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has ordained openly gay bishops – most controversially Gene Robinson, former Bishop of New Hampshire, in 2003.
In 2016, the primates – the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion – voted to suspend the Episcopal Church from decision-making on Anglican governance and policy for three years.

The via media

Despite such heated conflicts, the Anglican Communion holds together through the via media.
Via media was first mentioned by English reformers who broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.
It is this Church of England that eventually spread globally with the British Empire to become the Anglican Communion.
In the 19th century, via media became a way of thinking about internal, rather than external, challenges, such as resolving debates over how to interpret scripture.

Holding together

It is this understanding of via media, I argue, that is holding the Anglican Communion together thus far.
Instead, it seeks to include people with deeply held but contrary beliefs within the same church through common worship and life.
The Church of England, for example, made plans for negotiations between people holding differing viewpoints before the Synod meets again in July 2024.

Lisa McClain is affiliated with her local Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Idaho. She is a professor of Gender Studies and a member of the international think tank The Inclusion Crowd as a gender expert.

We’re only using a fraction of health workers’ skills. This needs to change

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

That is, before the shift of education of nurses and other health professionals into universities in the 1980s.

Key Points:

That is, before the shift of education of nurses and other health professionals into universities in the 1980s.
But the recently released paper from an independent Commonwealth review on health workers’ “scope of practice” identifies the myriad of barriers preventing Australians from fully benefiting from health professionals’ skills.
But we now have a sensible pathway to improve access to care, using all health professionals appropriately.

A new vision for general practice

To do this, I logged onto my general practice’s website, answered the question about what I wanted, booked an appointment with the practice nurse that afternoon, got jabbed, was bulk-billed, sat down for a while, and then went home.
The Commonwealth government has allowed the practice to be paid by Medicare for the nurse’s work.
The venture capitalist practice owner has done the sums and decided allocating a room to a practice nurse is economically rational.
It would be good if my general practice also had a physiotherapist, who I could see if I had back pain without seeing the GP, but there is no Medicare rebate for this.

How about pharmacists?

Pharmacy owners especially have argued that pharmacists should be able to practise independently of GPs, prescribing a limited range of medications and dispensing them.
This will inevitably reduce continuity of care and potentially create risks if the GP is not aware of what other medications a patient is using.

Paying pharmacists independent prescribing may be part of the next agreement, the details of which are currently being negotiated.
So their organisations highlight the risks of these changes, reopening centuries old turf wars dressed up as concerns about safety and risk.

Who pays for all this?

Clearly the government must increase its support for comprehensive general practice.
This should be the principal direction of primary care reform, and the final report of the scope of practice review should make that clear.
In parallel, governments – state and federal – must ensure all health professionals are used to their best of their abilities.
Read more:
Pharmacists should be able to work with GPs to prescribe medicines for long-term conditions

Stephen Duckett was a member of the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce and is a member of the Commonwealth Department of Health's Expert Advisory Panel for the Review of General Practice Incentives

Information commissioners and ombudsmen look to the future&colon; embracing innovation and strengthening independence

Retrieved on:

Thursday, April 18, 2024

ACT, Public sector, Private sector, Privacy, Artificial intelligence, Government, Commonwealth, Melbourne Law School

Published: 9 April 2024

Key Points:

Published: 9 April 2024
On 15 March 2024, information commissioners and ombudsmen from around Australia and New Zealand met in Melbourne as the Association of Information Access Commissioners (AIAC).
These complex issues are being grappled with in a rapidly evolving convergence of private sector innovation and public sector investment.
Members acknowledged the importance of considering whether keeping a ‘human in the loop’ could ensure that information, privacy and human rights are preserved and protected.
Forming part of the independent integrity systems within our jurisdictions, it is imperative that information commissioners and ombudsmen are funded to fulfil their statutory functions in oversighting the public’s right to lawful and fair access to government information.

Jeton Ranks #75 on the Financial Times List of Europe's 1,000 Fastest-Growing Companies

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Online, VISA, Sigma, Financial Times, FT, Premier League, Apple Pay, Commonwealth

The FT 1000 acknowledges companies from 31 European countries that have experienced the highest revenue growth.

Key Points:

The FT 1000 acknowledges companies from 31 European countries that have experienced the highest revenue growth.
Global payment provider Jeton found its place among the top 1000 largest growing companies in Europe, ranked by Financial Times (FT) and compiled in collaboration with data provider Statista.
It placed #75 on the FT1000 list, showing some of Europe's rapidly expanding businesses, many of which are now global industry leaders.
This recognition comes after years of diligent work and expansion for Jeton, which has grown significantly since its establishment in 2018.

EQS-News: EcoGraf: Product Qualification Facility Commissioning Commenced

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Facility, Government, PQF, ASX, Mineral, OTCQX, EGR, FMK, Engineering, Commonwealth

EcoGraf Limited (EcoGraf or the Company) (ASX: EGR; FSE: FMK; OTCQX: ECGFF) is pleased to announce an update on construction and commissioning activities for the Product Qualification Facility (‘PQF’ or ‘Facility’) in Western Australia with operations to commence in April 2024.

Key Points:

EcoGraf Limited (EcoGraf or the Company) (ASX: EGR; FSE: FMK; OTCQX: ECGFF) is pleased to announce an update on construction and commissioning activities for the Product Qualification Facility (‘PQF’ or ‘Facility’) in Western Australia with operations to commence in April 2024.
The PQF will undertake a number of product campaigns which is scheduled over the remainder of the year, the plant will operate at 5-10kg/hr with the first 5 tonnes of product in place for processing.
The Facility will complement the Company’s product testing activities, while the PQF campaigns will benefit from recent flowsheet improvements that is expected to support further reduction in costs while increasing the purity of the material above customers specifications.
The Facility is jointly funded through the Commonwealth Government’s A$48.9m Critical Minerals Development Program, which is supporting Australian battery minerals processing capability.

Verizon powers digital government for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Organization, Verizon Communications, Public, Government, Private, Pressure, Education, Communication, Partnership, Public sector, Cisco, Workload, Commonwealth, Cryptocurrency

This milestone accomplishment is a result of the partnership between Verizon and the Commonwealth, where the focus is on further enabling digital government through enhanced network performance.

Key Points:

This milestone accomplishment is a result of the partnership between Verizon and the Commonwealth, where the focus is on further enabling digital government through enhanced network performance.
Supported by Verizon's team of managed service experts, this solution eases the workload of government agencies and enhances business growth.
Enhanced network performance: The implementation of Managed SD WAN improves network performance, allowing government agencies to operate more efficiently and securely.
“We are thrilled to partner with the Commonwealth of Virginia, and applaud them for prioritizing modernization efforts,” said Patty Roze, Vice President for Public Sector (State, Local and Education) at Verizon.

Pressure BioSciences’ Uncle Bud’s Subsidiary Reports Significant Demand for New UltraShear CBD Body Revive Spray – First Product in New “Premium Collection”

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Absorption, Açaí palm, Hemp, D3, UST, Business development, CBD, Human, Collection, Marketing, Plant, Commonwealth, Wellness, OTCQB, Animal, Agriculture, Pharmaceutical industry

CANTON, Mass., April 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pressure BioSciences, Inc. (OTCQB: PBIO) (“PBIO” or the “Company”), a leading innovator in high-pressure nanotechnology and a pioneer in the development of novel, broadly-enabling, pressure-based instruments and nanoemulsion products and services for the health & wellness, food & beverage, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and other industries, today announced that its wholly-owned Uncle Bud’s Health & Wellness consumer packaged goods subsidiary (“Uncle Bud’s”) has experienced significant sales activity in its revolutionary nanoemulsified CBD product offered in the initial launch of its highly touted “Premium Collection” of UltraShear™ processed nanoemulsion products. Click here for more info on Uncle Bud's Premium Collection.

Key Points:

Click here for more info on Uncle Bud's Premium Collection.
The Premium Collection was an immediate success, highlighted by the unprecedented response to its initial product in the Collection - the CBD Body Revive Spray with 1200mg of Nano-CBD.
“Uncle Bud’s newly launched Nano-CBD Body Revive Spray, an innovative, all plant-based, organic, highly bioavailable flagship product processed using PBIO’s UltraShear platform, captured an impressive 30% conversion of Uncle Bud’s total CBD Revive Spray product revenue in March alone,” commented John Hollister, PBIO’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
This achievement enables PBIO to develop, manufacture, market, and sell UST-processed products into the rapidly expanding CBD marketplace.

William & Mary Campus Mass Notification Drill Using ATI Systems’ Mass Notiﬁcation Solution

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Public security, Partnership, Faculty, Student, W&M, Commonwealth, Nursing

This alerting system consists of ATI Systems’ high-powered outdoor speaker units that can be activated in seconds when an emergency occurs.

Key Points:

This alerting system consists of ATI Systems’ high-powered outdoor speaker units that can be activated in seconds when an emergency occurs.
The test took several minutes to perform, and the ATI Systems speaker solution performed flawlessly.
These personnel have been with W&M for many years, and they run the mass notification testing several times a year.
William & Mary and ATI Systems look forward to continuing their partnership.

S & P Global Market Intelligence Ranks German American Bank as a Top Community Bank in the Nation for the Second Consecutive Year

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

S&P Global, Commonwealth

JASPER, Ind., March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- German American Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: GABC) has earned the number 27 spot out of 200 U.S. community banks assessed by S&P Global Market Intelligence with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion.

Key Points:

JASPER, Ind., March 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- German American Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: GABC) has earned the number 27 spot out of 200 U.S. community banks assessed by S&P Global Market Intelligence with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion.
The ranking is based on 2023 performance in which German American Bank ranks the highest of banks serving southern Indiana and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
“We are honored to once again be recognized by S&P Global Market Intelligence as one of the top performing community banks in the nation.
2023 was a volatile year for the banking industry marked by many challenges.