1. This week 10 years ago, a Security of Information Agreement on the exchange of classified information between Australia and Japan came into force.
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr said the agreement would build on Australia’s comprehensive security, strategic and economic partnership with Japan and strengthen the legal framework for the exchange of classified information between the two countries, ensuring the mutual protection of such information.
Senator Carr said Australia already had 12 treaties in force with other countries relating to mutual protection of classified information, including those with the United States, France, New Zealand and the European Union.
2. NSW Minister for Disability Services, Andrew Constance announced a new position of University Chair in Intellectual Disability and Behaviour Support at the University of NSW to lead research in the field of behaviour support and seek to increase the capacity of a wide range of disciplines working with people with an intellectual disability who have complex needs and challenging behaviours.
Mr Constance said practice in a broad range of disciplines such as special education, psychology, medicine, social work, health and law would benefit from the work of the new Chair.
“The primary goal of the new position will be to expand the body of knowledge in the field of intellectual and cognitive disability and improve the ability of the various professional disciplines to work effectively with this key group of people,” Mr Constance said.
3. Also in NSW, marine archaeologists from the Office of Environment and Heritage and NSW Police divers recovered a rare bronze cannon from a well-known shipwreck off Sydney’s Maroubra Beach.
Minister for Heritage, Robyn Parker said divers undertook the emergency salvage after heavy seas uncovered the wreck of the fully rigged iron sailing ship Hereward, which was lost in wild seas in 1898.
She said experts recovered a 1.17-metre cannon during a two-day archaeological operation after concerns it would be illegally removed from the wreck.
“Unfortunately, a small group of divers and snorkelers have been actively removing small artefacts from the site since it became public knowledge that the wreck was extensively exposed,” Ms Parker said.
4. The City of Melbourne was certified “carbon neutral” as part of its undertaking to become one of the world’s most sustainable cities.
Chair of the City’s Environment Portfolio, Councillor Arron Wood said certification by Low Carbon Australia against the National Carbon Offset Standard was a solid demonstration of the Council’s commitment to a more sustainable Melbourne.
Councillor Wood said the Council was delivering new waste management solutions, upgrading several council buildings by installing efficient heating, cooling and water systems and working with the city’s commercial building owners and high-rise apartment residents to reduce water and energy usage and better manage waste and recycling.
Chief Executive of Low Carbon Australia, Meg McDonald said the City’s carbon neutrality demonstrated a remarkable milestone in its journey towards sustainability.
5. In South Australia, Attorney-General, John Rau introduced into Parliament laws governing the regulation of the State’s legal profession, including appointment of a Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner and a public database to help reduce professional misconduct.
The changes provided a new procedure for the Supreme Court to deal with practitioners who posed an immediate risk to the public, and other measures dealing with trust accounts, incorporated legal practices and community legal centres.
Mr Rau said the changes would improve the level of confidence the community had in the legal profession.
“Likewise, it is important that the legal profession has clear, contemporary instructions regarding the sort of information that should be available to clients,” Mr Rau said.
6. An 18-strong team of Australian scientists, acousticians, engineers, whale-tagging experts and observers took part in a world-first project to successfully find, track and study the biggest creature on Earth, the Antarctic blue whale.
Minister for the Environment, Tony Burke said blue whales were rarely seen in the Southern Ocean but by using special technology scientists on the seven-week voyage were able to collect 57 photo identifications, 23 biopsy samples and attach satellite tags to two whales.
Mr Burke said the Antarctic blue whale barely escaped extinction during the industrial whaling era in the 1900s when about 340,000 were slaughtered.
Whale tagger Dr Virginia Andrews-Goff said the team’s new method of studying the whales was so successful, it would become the blueprint for other whale researchers across the world.
