Latest news with #StandardsAustralia
ABC News
30-07-2025
- Science
- ABC News
NZ 'ULEB' wood heaters emit a fraction of the pollution of standard models. Why aren't they in Australia?
A new generation of low-emission wood heaters that can produce a fraction of the particulate pollution of current models could save lives by improving air quality, according to researchers. But while the heaters have been on sale in New Zealand for more than a decade, and Australian clean air groups have called for their widespread adoption, they might not be widely available here for many years. Updating pollution standards that would effectively make all new heaters sold in Australia low-emission would take up to 10 years, according to Tim Cannon, chair of a Standards Australia pollution committee. Mr Cannon is also head of the lobby group the Australian Home Heating Association — but he said decisions on pollution standards were voted on by all members of the committee, which includes a range of perspectives. He told the ABC he was unconvinced by recent peer-reviewed modelling that showed long-term exposure to wood-heater smoke was responsible for more than 700 premature deaths every year around the country. But, Mr Cannon said, the committee would consider tightening pollution standards, although he was concerned that doing this too rapidly could "decimate" the industry. "You can't just roll out changes [to wood heaters] overnight," he said. However, Australian researchers studying the effectiveness of low-emission burners said the introduction of new low-emission heaters "could be done very rapidly" based on the NZ experience. So what are ultra-low emission wood heaters and what impact have they had to pollution levels in New Zealand? Ultra-low emission burners (ULEBs) cost the same and look much like traditional wood heaters, but include various technologies to improve combustion, convert more of the fuel to heat, and ultimately reduce particulate emissions. They were introduced into New Zealand following the introduction of tougher standards, and are now undergoing testing at the University of Tasmania. Testing has shown ULEBs are the only kind of heater that could meet more stringent emissions standards. John Todd, a wood-heater expert taking part in the testing, said NZ wood-heater manufacturers were forced to innovate and develop ULEB designs after parts of the country introduced tight emissions controls a decade ago. "They said they could never build heaters that could meet [ULEB emission standards] and they now have 30‒40 models that do." The heaters have made a significant difference to the air quality of Christchurch, where the local council ran a phase-out scheme for traditional wood heaters. Dr Todd said testing of ULEB designs on Australian hardwoods showed the heaters could emit just 10 per cent of the particulate matter (specifically particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, known as PM2.5) generated by wood heaters complying with current Australian standards. Fay Johnston, director of the University of Tasmania's Centre for Safe Air, said Australia could follow NZ's lead with ULEBs, along with other measures such as a phase-out of wood heaters in general in urban and high-density areas. "There's really no reason not to adopt it and drive the same innovation and have far less-polluting heaters available for Australians," Professor Johnston, who led the testing, said. The decision around how dirty wood heaters sold in Australia may be is largely governed by wood-heater pollution standards set by Standards Australia's "CS-062" technical committee, a group of 20 members made up mostly from industry and government. Over the past 30 years, the committee has tightened its pollution standards, so heaters emit much less particulate matter (at least on paper) than previous designs. Despite the change, however, air quality in areas with high wood-heater use isn't falling. There are opposing arguments for why this is happening. Mr Cannon said most wood heaters being used were old and built before the current tight standards. But others, including wood-heater emissions experts such as Dr Todd, said the laboratory protocol used to test heater emissions for compliance with the Australian standards did not reflect how Australians actually used these heaters at home. As a result, Dr Todd said, new wood heaters were up to 10 times more polluting than the standards suggested. "No-one operates heaters the way they're being tested," he said. "The standard assumes everyone is going to operate their heater in the best way possible." Professor Johnston agreed. She and others have called on the Standards Australia wood heater committee to change its compliance testing protocol, which would effectively tighten pollution standards for wood heaters. Professor Johnston said a draft real-world testing protocol would be submitted to the standards committee by the end of the year. "In my view, it's a long overdue [change]. We know we can get better and we haven't done it." Mr Cannon told the ABC he was interested in the emissions research underway at the University of Tasmania, but was reluctant to tighten standards too fast. Committee decisions are made on the basis of consensus, through voting in a formal ballot. Mr Cannon told the ABC the industry was under attack from "health groups" such as the Centre for Safe Air. He said reducing wood-heater emissions was politically necessary "to keep … those types of clean air scientists at bay. The Australian Home Heating Association campaigns against local councils and state and territory governments phasing out wood-heaters via, for instance, newspaper ads and targeted social media campaigns. "It would take five years' worth of research and then it might be five years before [ULEBs] becomes mandated in certain areas," Mr Cannon said. "So it could be, at best, 10 years away." Mr Cannon also said that while he was not convinced by the modelled health impacts of wood-heater smoke, he wanted to accommodate critics in order to avoid a "blanket ban on wood heaters". "What I think and what [I do] representing our industry are not necessarily aligned," he said. "We want to see the longevity of our industry. We could just push back [against critics], but that's going to get us nowhere. "We have to try to be friends." Health groups are calling for a general wood heater ban in urban and high-density areas. Asthma Australia CEO Kate Miranda said the non-profit wanted a "phased transition away from wood-fire heaters in favour of cleaner and healthier heating alternatives" such as reverse-cycle air conditioners. "There is no safe level of exposure [to wood smoke] and even small amounts can cause health effects and trigger asthma symptoms." Professor Johnston said wood heaters had a role in "low-density rural areas" where the smoke could not affect large populations or neighbours, but should be banned in urban areas "where you have to buy firewood". "We live in a highly fire-prone country. We need to manage our fuel loads," she said. If you do have a wood heater, here are some tips to reduce, but not eliminate, smoke:
The Advertiser
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Advertiser
Sleep standards overhaul to prevent shock infant deaths
A world-first push to tighten safety standards around mattress firmness is hoped to prevent infants from dying in their sleep. Australia was the first nation to establish firmness ratings on mattresses in 2013 and they have since been adopted worldwide. But rates of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have not decreased. Some 212 deaths were reported in Australia in 2023. Leaders within the infant sleep safety community have now boosted standards on mattress firmness, beefed up the testing process and broadened what products must be assessed. A three-pronged approach, the firmness standards will soon be matched with 'breathability' testing, which respond to research that carbon dioxide build-up is a contributing factor to SIDS. Product safety communication designed to ease parent confusion around sleeping and remove misleading claims will also be introduced. Kellee Eriksson, an emergency nurse and linen manufacturer who contributed to the safety standards, said Australia was leading the charge on infant sleep. "We will be the first country to implement these enhanced firmness standards, to have information standards, and to have any standards around carbon dioxide when breathing," she told AAP. "The new standards will allow us to cover a far wider range of products, so that essentially, any product that is marketed for a baby to sleep in will need to comply with them." Baby loungers and comforters were not previously covered by firmness testing. Alex Hamilton, who lost her baby son River to SIDS when he was aged four months, said standards were needed to protect confused parents trying to give their child a safe environment. "It's so overwhelming for so many parents, trying to figure out what's actually safe or what the best thing to do is, and especially when you know when you first have a baby," Ms Hamilton told AAP. "I know what it's like to wake up to your child not breathing. "It changed my life in that moment, so (the new standards are) absolutely vital. "If we can intercept and save a child's life, these standards really are that life-or-death option." Firm sleep surfaces are crucial for infants in reducing suffocation risks and the rebreathing of carbon dioxide. The standards were developed through an expert coalition including Standards Australia, the Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia, Red Nose, KidSafe, industry and retailers. It builds on existing safe sleep education messaging such as placing babies on their back and avoiding loose blankets. A world-first push to tighten safety standards around mattress firmness is hoped to prevent infants from dying in their sleep. Australia was the first nation to establish firmness ratings on mattresses in 2013 and they have since been adopted worldwide. But rates of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have not decreased. Some 212 deaths were reported in Australia in 2023. Leaders within the infant sleep safety community have now boosted standards on mattress firmness, beefed up the testing process and broadened what products must be assessed. A three-pronged approach, the firmness standards will soon be matched with 'breathability' testing, which respond to research that carbon dioxide build-up is a contributing factor to SIDS. Product safety communication designed to ease parent confusion around sleeping and remove misleading claims will also be introduced. Kellee Eriksson, an emergency nurse and linen manufacturer who contributed to the safety standards, said Australia was leading the charge on infant sleep. "We will be the first country to implement these enhanced firmness standards, to have information standards, and to have any standards around carbon dioxide when breathing," she told AAP. "The new standards will allow us to cover a far wider range of products, so that essentially, any product that is marketed for a baby to sleep in will need to comply with them." Baby loungers and comforters were not previously covered by firmness testing. Alex Hamilton, who lost her baby son River to SIDS when he was aged four months, said standards were needed to protect confused parents trying to give their child a safe environment. "It's so overwhelming for so many parents, trying to figure out what's actually safe or what the best thing to do is, and especially when you know when you first have a baby," Ms Hamilton told AAP. "I know what it's like to wake up to your child not breathing. "It changed my life in that moment, so (the new standards are) absolutely vital. "If we can intercept and save a child's life, these standards really are that life-or-death option." Firm sleep surfaces are crucial for infants in reducing suffocation risks and the rebreathing of carbon dioxide. The standards were developed through an expert coalition including Standards Australia, the Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia, Red Nose, KidSafe, industry and retailers. It builds on existing safe sleep education messaging such as placing babies on their back and avoiding loose blankets. A world-first push to tighten safety standards around mattress firmness is hoped to prevent infants from dying in their sleep. Australia was the first nation to establish firmness ratings on mattresses in 2013 and they have since been adopted worldwide. But rates of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have not decreased. Some 212 deaths were reported in Australia in 2023. Leaders within the infant sleep safety community have now boosted standards on mattress firmness, beefed up the testing process and broadened what products must be assessed. A three-pronged approach, the firmness standards will soon be matched with 'breathability' testing, which respond to research that carbon dioxide build-up is a contributing factor to SIDS. Product safety communication designed to ease parent confusion around sleeping and remove misleading claims will also be introduced. Kellee Eriksson, an emergency nurse and linen manufacturer who contributed to the safety standards, said Australia was leading the charge on infant sleep. "We will be the first country to implement these enhanced firmness standards, to have information standards, and to have any standards around carbon dioxide when breathing," she told AAP. "The new standards will allow us to cover a far wider range of products, so that essentially, any product that is marketed for a baby to sleep in will need to comply with them." Baby loungers and comforters were not previously covered by firmness testing. Alex Hamilton, who lost her baby son River to SIDS when he was aged four months, said standards were needed to protect confused parents trying to give their child a safe environment. "It's so overwhelming for so many parents, trying to figure out what's actually safe or what the best thing to do is, and especially when you know when you first have a baby," Ms Hamilton told AAP. "I know what it's like to wake up to your child not breathing. "It changed my life in that moment, so (the new standards are) absolutely vital. "If we can intercept and save a child's life, these standards really are that life-or-death option." Firm sleep surfaces are crucial for infants in reducing suffocation risks and the rebreathing of carbon dioxide. The standards were developed through an expert coalition including Standards Australia, the Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia, Red Nose, KidSafe, industry and retailers. It builds on existing safe sleep education messaging such as placing babies on their back and avoiding loose blankets. A world-first push to tighten safety standards around mattress firmness is hoped to prevent infants from dying in their sleep. Australia was the first nation to establish firmness ratings on mattresses in 2013 and they have since been adopted worldwide. But rates of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have not decreased. Some 212 deaths were reported in Australia in 2023. Leaders within the infant sleep safety community have now boosted standards on mattress firmness, beefed up the testing process and broadened what products must be assessed. A three-pronged approach, the firmness standards will soon be matched with 'breathability' testing, which respond to research that carbon dioxide build-up is a contributing factor to SIDS. Product safety communication designed to ease parent confusion around sleeping and remove misleading claims will also be introduced. Kellee Eriksson, an emergency nurse and linen manufacturer who contributed to the safety standards, said Australia was leading the charge on infant sleep. "We will be the first country to implement these enhanced firmness standards, to have information standards, and to have any standards around carbon dioxide when breathing," she told AAP. "The new standards will allow us to cover a far wider range of products, so that essentially, any product that is marketed for a baby to sleep in will need to comply with them." Baby loungers and comforters were not previously covered by firmness testing. Alex Hamilton, who lost her baby son River to SIDS when he was aged four months, said standards were needed to protect confused parents trying to give their child a safe environment. "It's so overwhelming for so many parents, trying to figure out what's actually safe or what the best thing to do is, and especially when you know when you first have a baby," Ms Hamilton told AAP. "I know what it's like to wake up to your child not breathing. "It changed my life in that moment, so (the new standards are) absolutely vital. "If we can intercept and save a child's life, these standards really are that life-or-death option." Firm sleep surfaces are crucial for infants in reducing suffocation risks and the rebreathing of carbon dioxide. The standards were developed through an expert coalition including Standards Australia, the Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia, Red Nose, KidSafe, industry and retailers. It builds on existing safe sleep education messaging such as placing babies on their back and avoiding loose blankets.
Perth Now
26-06-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Sleep standards overhaul to prevent shock infant deaths
A world-first push to tighten safety standards around mattress firmness is hoped to prevent infants from dying in their sleep. Australia was the first nation to establish firmness ratings on mattresses in 2013 and they have since been adopted worldwide. But rates of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) have not decreased. Some 212 deaths were reported in Australia in 2023. Leaders within the infant sleep safety community have now boosted standards on mattress firmness, beefed up the testing process and broadened what products must be assessed. A three-pronged approach, the firmness standards will soon be matched with 'breathability' testing, which respond to research that carbon dioxide build-up is a contributing factor to SIDS. Product safety communication designed to ease parent confusion around sleeping and remove misleading claims will also be introduced. Kellee Eriksson, an emergency nurse and linen manufacturer who contributed to the safety standards, said Australia was leading the charge on infant sleep. "We will be the first country to implement these enhanced firmness standards, to have information standards, and to have any standards around carbon dioxide when breathing," she told AAP. "The new standards will allow us to cover a far wider range of products, so that essentially, any product that is marketed for a baby to sleep in will need to comply with them." Baby loungers and comforters were not previously covered by firmness testing. Alex Hamilton, who lost her baby son River to SIDS when he was aged four months, said standards were needed to protect confused parents trying to give their child a safe environment. "It's so overwhelming for so many parents, trying to figure out what's actually safe or what the best thing to do is, and especially when you know when you first have a baby," Ms Hamilton told AAP. "I know what it's like to wake up to your child not breathing. "It changed my life in that moment, so (the new standards are) absolutely vital. "If we can intercept and save a child's life, these standards really are that life-or-death option." Firm sleep surfaces are crucial for infants in reducing suffocation risks and the rebreathing of carbon dioxide. The standards were developed through an expert coalition including Standards Australia, the Infant and Nursery Products Association of Australia, Red Nose, KidSafe, industry and retailers. It builds on existing safe sleep education messaging such as placing babies on their back and avoiding loose blankets.
AU Financial Review
18-06-2025
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Navigating Australia's evolving data landscape under new compliance pressures
In addition, fragmented systems create blind spots. This not only undermines compliance, but also makes it harder to detect security threats, innovate with confidence, or respond quickly to operational disruptions. 'Australian organisations are flooded with data. Data runs through every system [and] decision,' says Craig Bates, senior vice-president and general manager of Asia Pacific at Splunk, a leader in cybersecurity and observability. 'But the reality is, they're drowning in data but starving for insights.' Aurélie Jacquet, chair of the Standards Australia committee representing Australia at the International Standards on Artificial Intelligence, says many of these issues stem from a lack of continuous quality oversight. 'In the age of AI, ongoing data-quality management is inescapable,' she says. 'It is key for organisations [to] demonstrate how they manage data quality in a safe and responsible manner.' Governance gaps and regulatory pressure Poor enforcement of basic data policies remains a major vulnerability. According to the same Splunk report, many organisations still struggle to enforce key controls like where data should be stored, who should have access, and how long it should be retained. Bates says the pressure isn't just coming from local regulators. 'Global policies like the EU's General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR] are also shaping expectations, particularly for multinationals and any business working with customer data or deploying AI models.' Jacquet adds that regulatory pressure is accelerating a needed shift, pushing organisations to take a more deliberate, end-to-end approach to operational risk management, especially as AI becomes more deeply embedded in business operations. '[Organisations need to be asking:] What is good enough data quality that is appropriate to build data products or train AI systems safely and responsibly?' 'What are our data blind spots? How can we address them to ensure we deliver quality products and services?' Bates adds that leading organisations are finding ways to balance control and agility. 'They've put the right guardrails in place – and this includes clear policies, data quality standards, and visibility across environments.' Rising costs, slower decisions 'Today's biggest challenges – service disruptions, security incidents, flawed AI outputs – are all symptoms of poor data management,' says Bates. Disjointed data environments are costing Australian organisations in more ways than they realise. According to Splunk's report, 88 per cent of ANZ respondents say their data-management spend has increased in the past year. Bates says the cost burden goes beyond dollars and cents; it's also about speed and resilience. 'Compliance still matters, but it's not the full picture,' he says. 'More organisations are recognising that if they can't access reliable data quickly and securely, they're unable to respond effectively to threats, disruptions or even to change.' That's because fragmented systems obscure critical signals and force teams to work in silos. This slows down detection, delays recovery efforts, and makes it harder to launch or scale new initiatives. Practices like data federation — enabling organisations to access and analyse data without migrating — offers a path forward. Despite its benefits, only 20 per cent of ANZ respondents say they've fully implemented such capabilities. Those who have are seeing measurable gains including faster access to data. In fact, Australian organisations with a federated strategy have saved an average of AUD $1.9 million. Data governance in daily operations Clearly, navigating these fault lines successfully isn't just about technology. It's also about strategy and discipline. The organisations making real progress have moved beyond surface-level fixes. Governance is meaningfully embedded into daily operations. Visibility and data quality are also central. They prioritise trusted access to support confident decisions – and faster, more resilient responses. They also invest in modern data management practices like data reuse and tiering: global organisations that employ reuse are 46 per cent less likely to face hurdles with high data volumes, while 50 per cent of those using tiering report reduced storage costs. '[They've] made a clear decision to get their data house in order,' says Bates. 'Teams can get the right data at the right time, without delays or second-guessing.' Jacquet says positive progress is underpinned by intentionality and rigour. 'The more mature organisations have developed data-quality models,' she says. 'When they create or acquire datasets, these organisations set data-quality goals, data requirements and measurements that are specific to their use case.' From compliance to capability For leading organisations, compliance is only part of the puzzle. 'Make data your priority,' says Bates. 'If there's one thing to get right, it's building a trusted, usable data foundation that supports how your business actually runs. Without that, you can't scale AI responsibly, respond to data breaches quickly, or recover from downtime with confidence' he adds. 'Start small if you need to. But start.'
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
New 'ute and SUV tax' proposed to sting drivers in Australia
By Experts are calling for owners of large SUVs and utes to pay higher registration fees to make up for the damage they do to the environment and roads. SUVs and light commercial vehicles comprise nearly four in every five new vehicles sold in Australia and account for the vast majority of emissions, road wear and take up more space . As recently as 2014, small cars and family sedans dominated the ten most popular cars bought by Australian consumers. Ten years later, large cars comprised nine of the top ten most purchased vehicles in 2024. Milad Haghani (pictured), an associate professor in urban resilience at the University of Melbourne, says it's time for Australia to consider vehicle registration fees based on weight - meaning SUV and ute owners would pay more. 'Bigger cars mean bigger costs for everyone else - it's only fair those costs are reflected in how we price their use of public roads,' he wrote in The Conversation. 'Larger vehicles – no matter how they are powered – generally impose bigger costs on society than smaller cars. 'Large SUVs and utes (if powered by fossil fuels) have a far greater climate impact. On average, a small car emits 2,040 kilograms less carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year than a pickup truck. 'Bigger vehicles also need more space. Standards Australia has proposed making car-parking spaces larger to accommodate the trend to larger cars. Cities such as Paris have introduced higher parking fees for SUVs on these grounds.' He also said larger vehicles slow overall traffic flow. 'For example, they have longer braking distances and other motorists tend to drive further behind them than smaller cars. And at signalised intersections, a large SUV's impact on traffic flows is equal to 1.41 passenger cars,' he said. He also claimed that larger vehicles cause more road wear, which leads to higher road maintenance costs. 'Let's compare a vehicle with an axle weight of 500kg and a vehicle with an axle weight of 1,000kg. The second vehicle doesn't produce double the road damage – it produces 16 times the damage. This phenomenon is known as the fourth power rule .' Mr Haghani believes state-based registration fees have failed to keep up with the trend towards bigger and heavier vehicles. Vehicle registration is calculated in different ways between states and territories. In Victoria, for example, it is calculated primarily based on whether the vehicle was registered in a rural or metropolitan area while, in the ACT, it is derived from the vehicle's emissions. 'I absolutely cannot fathom why registration fee calculations should be so vastly different across states,' Dr Haghani told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's as though we collectively know what the contributing factors are; the reasons we pay rego in the first place, the costs it's meant to offset; but each state has cherry-picked just one of those elements to focus on. Emissions alone don't tell the whole story. Neither does your postcode.' Dr Haghani said a fair vehicle registration model would account not only for the size and weight of the vehicle, but how often it is driven in order to offset road surface damage, emissions and congestion impacts. Adjunct professor in Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney Robin Smit agreed but added a fair change would go beyond a review of the registration system. 'There are several aspects to consider (e.g. safety, parking space, road damage), but from an emissions perspective it is important to look at the impacts over the whole vehicle lifecycle to ensure a fair comparison is made,' he said. Research suggests Australians are buying bigger cars for multiple reasons including tax incentives, a perception of greater safety and lifestyle. Dr Haghani revived calls to put an end to a luxury car tax loophole that critics claim incentivises roadusers to buy big. Research published last year by the Australia Institute found the Luxury Car Tax, introduced in 2000 to protect the domestic car industry, has the effect of subsiding luxury utes. In 2023 alone, the tax break cost Australians over $250 million in foregone revenue according to the think tank. The tax puts a 33 per cent tax on the value of any imported car over a certain threshold - this financial year it applies to vehicles valued at more than $80,576. However that tax does not apply to commercial vehicles, making it cheaper to buy an imported ute than a similarly priced sedan or small vehicle. 'With this current system, why wouldn't consumer go for a bigger, heavier option?' Dr Haghani said. 'They have already been subject to the commercials that have depicted them as "cool" and "family friendly" and all that, so of course there is every incentive (financial and psychological) to go big (and also match the size of the big cars around you and not feel vulnerable).'
