MIL Email Publisher – Foreign Submissions

Source: Equinor

13 NOVEMBER 2025 – Camilla Salthe has been appointed executive vice president for Safety, Security, and Sustainability (SSU) with effect 1 January 2026.

Salthe come from the position as senior vice president for the UK and Ireland in Exploration and Production International (EPI) and succeeds Jannicke Nilsson who will assume the position of chief procurement officer and senior vice president procurement and supplier relations (PSR) in Projects Drilling and Procurement (PDP).

“I am very pleased to welcome Camilla to the corporate executive committee. She has a strong leadership background that no doubt will further shape and build our safety, security and sustainability area.Her broad experience will further bring valuable perspectives to the corporate executive committee. I also want to take the opportunity to thank Jannicke for her strong contributions to the CEC since 2016 and specifically for the valuable work done within safety, security and sustainability since 2021” says CEO Anders Opedal.

“I am highly motivated to contribute to further developing our strong safety culture, building an equally strong culture within security, and supporting a balanced approach to our energy transition” says Camilla Salthe.

Camilla Salthe has held several senior leadership positions across Equinor since she joined the company in 2003. She holds a master’s degree in reservoir engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Source: University of Sydney (UoS)

Liberal shadow ministers have opted to drop net zero by 2050 target.

Dr Niranjika Wijesooriya Gunarathne, School of Physics, Net Zero Institute – Expertise: net zero, climate finance, how private organisations, public institutions and developing nations finance their transition to net zero. She is currently building a new process to help organisations in developing nations access climate finance called Integrated NetZero Strategy valuation.

Dr Wijesooriya Gunarathne said:

“The Liberal Party’s decision to abandon Australia’s Net Zero commitment is not about removing an economic burden  it’s about walking away from one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. The world is moving toward a $12 trillion transition economy by 2030, driven by clean energy, low-carbon technologies, and green innovation. While other nations are investing to secure their place in this new economy, Australia risks being left behind, clinging to an outdated model built on coal and mining industries that are rapidly becoming stranded national economy.

“We have world-class research capabilities in renewables, green hydrogen, and sustainable systems, yet we continue to lease our mines and return minimal value to the Australian people. Instead of leveraging our scientific strength and natural advantages to build a resilient, competitive economy, we are choosing to retreat.

“The real risk is not the cost of transition, but the cost of inaction. By turning away from Net Zero, we are turning away from innovation, investment, and the prosperity of future generations.  This is a failure to understand strategy in the context of  policy decisions as a political movement.”

Associate Professor Michele Barnes, Associate Professor and Head of the Social Dynamics and Environmental Change Lab, School of Project Management & Sydney Environment Institute, University of Sydney – Expertise: Climate adaptation and transformation for frontline communities, systems-aware climate planning, equity and justice in climate resilience.

A/ Prof Barnes said:

“Australians are already feeling the impacts of climate change, from rising insurance premiums to food price shocks, and these pressures compound the cost-of-living crisis.

“We’ve seen this firsthand: families in the Northern Rivers still rebuilding after multiple catastrophic floods, and communities across Queensland and Victoria hit by back-to-back disasters.

“Climate related disasters are estimated to cost Australia up to $94 billion a year by 2060 and our National Climate Risk Assessment, just released, warns climate impacts will escalate, with millions of people at risk from coastal hazards by 2090.

“Weakening our climate commitments won’t ease household bills; it will make them worse by undermining investment in clean energy and resilience.”

Source: Flinders University

As South Australia continues to feel the effects of drought, more citizen scientists are being called on to help measure whether urban development and habitat loss are affecting outer metropolitan koala populations.  

Koala populations in South Australia are under increasing pressure from drought, disease (including chlamydia), habitat loss and the lingering effects of bushfires – and this year’s Great Koala Count census, being conducted between November 15-23, will help measure their effect.  

The Great Koala Count – part of a larger program called the National Koala Monitoring Program (NKMP) – aims to establish a robust, long-lasting monitoring capability to accurately monitor trends in koala populations.

In particular, citizen scientists and residents in the Adelaide Hills and Mount Lofty Ranges, Fleurieu Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, South-East, Riverland and Eyre Peninsula will be vital to collecting the latest numbers.  

“This year’s Annual Great Koala Count in South Australia is providing more than just a census of a species — it’s a call to action, to assist the local koala population,” says Flinders University’s Professor Karen Burke da Silva, who leads the SA National Koala Monitoring Program.

“We’re particularly concerned about how this year’s drought may be influencing koala numbers, so this count will help us understand the environmental stressors affecting these animals and guide future conservation efforts.”

These critical factors include monitoring the continuing effects of chlamydia on koala health, and understanding how koalas are adapting to major changes on Kangaroo Island, where recent plantation removals and bushfire recovery efforts have altered the landscape.

Professor Burke da Silva is pleased that last year’s survey set a high benchmark with 367 data submissions from participants— but aims to attract even more volunteer koala counters, to help improve the accuracy of data.

She is encouraging the public to download the Koala Spotter mobile phone app and record sightings around the state between Saturday 15 November and Sunday 23 November.

By recording koala sightings on their Koala Spotter app, participants will help identify zones of koala abundance, which can be used to inform successful conservation strategies in other areas. “The end goal is to ensure that koalas not only survive, but thrive in South Australia.”

This important South Australian initiative has now gained national attention, with the Flinders University research team driving the South Australian National Koala Monitoring Program recently winning a Eureka Prize for Scientific Engagement through this important wildlife monitoring.

• Download the Koala Spotter app here: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/koala-spotter/id6450281064 – or the Google Play Store (Android), or visit the Great Koala Count Website www.nkmp.org.au

Source: Amnesty International

• First-of-its-kind mapping exercise, paired with multi-country qualitative research, reveals depth and scale of potential harm by industry
• 520 million children live within 5km of fossil fuel infrastructure – including potential ‘sacrifice zones’ 
• Pollution and cultural pillage by coercion, intimidation and delegitimization of land and environmental human rights defenders.

Fossil fuel infrastructure poses risks for the health and livelihoods of at least 2 billion people globally, roughly a quarter of the world’s population, Amnesty International and Better Planet Laboratory said in a new report on the fossil fuel industry’s harms to climate, people and ecosystems across the world.

The report, Extraction Extinction: Why the lifecycle of fossil fuels threatens life, nature, and human rights, demonstrates that the full lifecycle of fossil fuels destroys irreplaceable natural ecosystems and undermines human rights, particularly of those living near fossil fuel infrastructure. Proximity to coal, oil and gas infrastructure has been proven to elevate risks of cancer, cardiovascular illness, adverse reproductive outcomes and other negative health outcomes. Amnesty International partnered with Better Planet Laboratory (BPL), at the University of Colorado Boulder, for a first-of-its-kind mapping exercise to estimate the potential scale of global harm from existing and future sites for the production of fossil fuels.

“The ever-expanding fossil fuel industry is endangering billions of lives and irreversibly altering the climate system. Until now, there had been no global estimate of the number of people who live in close proximity to fossil fuel infrastructure. Our work together with BPL reveals the scale of the massive risks posed by fossil fuels throughout their lifespan. Coal, oil and gas projects are driving climate chaos, harming people and nature,” said Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

“This report provides yet more evidence of the imperative for states and corporate actors to ’defossilize’ the global economy to mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis on human rights. The age of fossil fuels must end now.”

Leading on research and global calculations, BPL mapped the scale of exposure to fossil fuel infrastructure, by overlaying data on the known locations of fossil fuel infrastructure sites with gridded population data, datasets that are indicators of critical ecosystems, data on global gridded daily emissions, and data on Indigenous Peoples’ land tenure. BPL’s findings are likely to underestimate the true global scales due to discrepancies in documentation of fossil fuel projects and limited census data across countries.

The report is also based on in-depth qualitative research conducted in partnership with Columbia Law School’s Smith Family Human Rights Clinic and consisting of interviews of more than 90 people, including directly affected individuals from artisanal fishing communities in Brazil (Guanabara Bay), Indigenous land defenders in Canada (Wet’suwet’en territory) and coastal communities in Senegal (Saloum Delta), academics, journalists, CSOs and government officials. It also uses open-source data and remote sensing to corroborate and visualize findings. These were complemented by the results and conclusions of Amnesty International’s past research and ongoing campaigns against oil and gas giants in Ecuador, Colombia and Nigeria.

Staggering magnitudes of at-risk population

At least 2 billion people live within 5km of more than 18,000 operating fossil fuel infrastructure sites distributed across 170 countries around the world. Of these, more than 520 million are estimated to be children and at least 463 million are living within 1km of the sites exposing them to much higher environmental and health risks.  

Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately exposed, with over 16% of global fossil fuel infrastructure sited on Indigenous territories. At least 32% of the existing fossil fuel sites mapped out overlapped with one or more ‘critical ecosystems.’*

The fossil fuel industry continues to expand, with more than 3,500 fossil fuel infrastructure sites either proposed, in development, or under construction globally. BPL figures suggest that such expansion could put at least 135 million additional people at risk. Notably, the number of oil and gas projects is set to increase across all continents while the number of coal plants and mines is increasing mostly in China and India.

“Governments have pledged to phase out fossil fuels, but we now have clear evidence showing new fossil fuel projects continue to expand preferentially in our most critical ecosystems globally. This is a direct contradiction with stated climate goals,” said Ginni Braich, a Senior Data Scientist at BPL who led the paper underpinning the report’s global findings.

The human cost of fossil fuel production

“We’re experiencing intergenerational battle fatigue… We physically won’t survive [this]. We were never the instigators but we have taken the brunt of all the violence,” said Wet’suwet’en land defender Tsakë ze’ Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), while describing the imminent construction of new compressors set to increase the profitability of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline in Canada.

Extracting, processing and transporting fossil fuels undermines the human rights of neighbouring communities and causes severe environmental degradation, health risks, and loss of culture and livelihood.

Some of the groups interviewed described extraction as a form of economic or cultural pillage, perpetrated by corporate actors through intimidation and coercion. “We are not after money; we only want what is ours. We just want to fish in Guanabara Bay, it's our right. And they are taking our rights,” said Bruno Alves de Vega, an urban artisanal fisher from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

All environmental human rights and Indigenous land defenders interviewed by Amnesty International faced severe safety and security risks, often stemming from disputes with companies whose activities threaten traditional ways of life and ecosystem integrity.

Beyond physical and online threats, states and corporate actors have relied on lawfare, abusing legal action, including criminal proceedings, to silence, delegitimize and intimidate defenders. “When we rise up to defend the Yin’tah (Wet’suwet’en territory), we are criminalized. Civil injunctions are a colonial legal weapon that has become a mechanism for the militarization of our community, criminalization of our People, and for companies to carry out destructive extraction without Indigenous consent,” said other Wet’suwet’en land defenders.

Members of communities living in close proximity to fossil fuel infrastructure condemned the lack of direct and meaningful consultation and transparency from corporate actors. Many reported not fully understanding the scope of operators’ ongoing activities or expansion plans and stated that they had not consented to projects affecting their territory.

People interviewed by Amnesty International in the Saloum Delta in Senegal raised concerns regarding the poor dissemination of accessible information about the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the Sangomar project by authorities and project operator Woodside, a major Australian fossil fuel company.

“These case studies are but a few examples of a globalized problem. Most affected groups condemned the power imbalance between their communities and corporate operators, as well as the lack of effective remedy. The fossil fuel era is inevitably coming to an end and states must stop criminalizing environmental human rights defenders fighting to protect their communities,” said Candy Ofime, Researcher and Legal Advisor on climate justice at Amnesty International.

“States must investigate physical and online threats defenders face and put in place robust protection programmes to ensure critical voices advocating for an urgent and equitable energy transition can safely and meaningfully shape climate action.”

Destruction of irreplaceable natural ecosystems

Most of the projects documented created pollution hotspots, turning nearby communities and critical ecosystems into ‘sacrifice zones’.** Exploration, processing, site development, transportation and decommissioning of fossil fuels caused or risked harm to people and wildlife, led to severe pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and damaged key biodiversity areas or carbon sinks.

Despite commitments made under international climate agreements and repeated calls by the UN to urgently phase out fossil fuels, government actions have been wholly inadequate. Fossil fuels still account for 80% of the global primary energy supply, while the industry is intensifying efforts to exert undue influence in climate policy forums to prevent their rapid phase out.

“States should be embarking on a full, fast, fair and funded phase out of fossil fuels, and a just transition to renewable energy produced in a manner consistent with human rights. Amnesty International urgently calls for the adoption and implementation of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said Agnès Callamard.

“The climate crisis is a manifestation and catalyst of deep-rooted injustices. This report responds to the host nation Brazil’s vision for this year’s COP30 to be a forum for the meaningful participation of forest peoples, including Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities and civil society. Our report exposes the magnitude of climate and human rights harms associated with fossil fuel production across the world, illustrating the industry’s disparate impact on Indigenous Peoples and traditional communities and highlighting the resistance they are mounting.

“The fossil fuel industry and its state sponsors have argued for decades that human development requires fossil fuels. But we know that under the guise of economic growth, they have served instead greed and profits without red lines, violated rights with near-complete impunity and destroyed the atmosphere, biosphere and oceans. Against these continuing patterns, against the global fossil fuel political economy of repression, we must resist collectively and demand that world leaders deliver on their obligations and commitments. Humanity must win.”

*Critical ecosystems: natural environments that are rich in biodiversity, critical for carbon sequestration and/or where continued environmental degradation or disasters would trigger cascading ecosystem collapse.  

** Sacrifice zone: a heavily contaminated area where low-income and marginalized groups bear the disproportionate burden of exposure to pollution and toxic substances

Source: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

One month into a fragile ceasefire that has taken effect in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians continue to face tremendous hardship, says Caroline Seguin, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Gaza.

“One month into this fragile ceasefire, the situation in Gaza remains desperate. Palestinians are still being killed and injured by Israeli forces almost every day in the areas close to the yellow line, behind which Israel maintains control. Palestinians often risk their lives by going back to look for their houses – as this line is still not always clearly marked. To make matters worse, some main hospitals are in areas controlled by Israeli forces, which means safe access to healthcare is reduced.

The Israeli authorities continue to impose significant restrictions on the entry of aid into Gaza. MSF and other organisations are struggling to bring vital aid into Gaza, especially medical equipment, shelters, hygiene items, and spare parts for vital infrastructure.

The needs are tremendous; people are suffering and it’s entirely avoidable.

Living conditions in Gaza remain appalling. After being forcibly displaced repeatedly, many Palestinians are still living in makeshift tents and without access to running water and electricity, next to piles of rubbish and overflowing sewage. We see people’s health affected by these dire conditions, causing respiratory, skin and gastrointestinal infections. Winter is coming soon, with temperatures dropping and heavy rains and wind expected.

The Israeli authorities must immediately allow a massive scale up of unimpeded humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”

MSF is an international, medical, humanitarian organisation that delivers medical care to people in need, regardless of their origin, religion, or political affiliation.  MSF Australia was established in 1995 and is one of 24 international MSF sections committed to delivering medical humanitarian assistance to people in crisis. Every year more than 120 Australians and New Zealanders go on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières  working as: doctors, midwives, psychologists, laboratory technicians, human resource/finance coordinators, pharmacists, mental health specialists and logisticians. MSF delivers medical care based on need alone and operates independently of government, religion or economic influence and irrespective of race, religion or gender. For more information visit msf.org.au  

Source: deVere Group

November 12 2025 – A reported leadership rift at the heart of the UK government has left the pound holding its ground for now, but investors are starting to question how long that calm can last, warns the CEO of one of the world's largest independent financial advisory organizations.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has denied claims that he is positioning himself to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but the speculation has reignited talk of internal tension at a politically delicate moment. It comes ahead of a critical Budget on 26 November, with unease growing over potential tax rises to fill a £30 billion fiscal gap.

Nigel Green of deVere Group says: “Markets are watching Westminster closely.

“Government leadership rumors surfacing before a crucial Budget reinforce the sense that the government is under strain.

“Investors aren't yet pricing in political instability, but they're alert to the risk that this story could return in the new year.”

He continues: “We believe there's unlikely to be an immediate leadership challenge after the Budget — the priority will be getting through it cleanly, but this will be extremely tough after it looks like income tax rises are now almost inevitable.

“The greater risk in terms of a leadership threat comes in May, after the local elections.

“If Labour performs badly, the internal pressure will intensify, and at that point we would expect a full-on leadership contest.”

Nigel Green adds that the issue extends beyond Starmer personally.

“Prime Minister Starmer and [Finance Minister] Reeves are politically intertwined. Investors see them as one fiscal partnership, the team that restored a sense of economic discipline after years of turbulence. If one of them goes, both could fall, we believe. This scenario would unsettle markets instantly.”

Sterling trades around $1.315 against the dollar, slightly firmer against the euro, with gilt yields stable. “The pound is resilient for now,” says Nigel Green, “but this calm depends on confidence that the government will deliver a credible Budget and remain politically unified afterwards in the run up to next year's local election.

“If investors begin to get a whiff of a leadership shift in the middle of next year, that stability will fade.”

He notes that global investors have a short fuse for renewed uncertainty.

“Bond traders, in particular, remember the 2022 gilt turmoil vividly,” he says. “Any sign that the government's fiscal direction could change would push yields higher as markets demand a premium for political risk.

“The pound would soften as international investors move capital elsewhere.”

The months ahead will test whether the government can preserve stability while pursuing fiscal restraint.

“The Budget will be about numbers, but the market focus is credibility and continuity,” he says.

“They will not tolerate leadership upheaval.”

He continues: “If the Budget lands badly, and the party's polling deteriorates through spring, the leadership story will gather momentum.

“That's when you start to see the political risk premium widen — first in gilts, then in sterling. It can happen very quickly once confidence in leadership continuity is gone.”

Nigel Green concludes: “The pound's steadiness today could be temporary — it reflects hope that leadership rumours will stay quiet.

“Investors are watching carefully, aware that the calm can break without warning, especially in light of the upcoming critical Budget and nervousness around the local elections next year.”

deVere Group is one of the world's largest independent advisors of specialist global financial solutions to international, local mass affluent, and high-net-worth clients.  It has a network of offices around the world, more than 80,000 clients, and $14bn under advisement.

Source: Government of the Solomon Islands

The East Central Guadalcanal (ECGC) Constituency Office has launched a major initiative aimed at boosting access to information, communication and technology (ICT) services in rural areas with the provision of Starlink systems to eight (8) Community High Schools.

The support is part of the constituency office’s effort and commitment under the leadership of Member of Parliament, Honorable Lazarus Alfred Rinah to ensure students from rural schools are not left behind in the digital age and communication technology which can enhance learning opportunities in isolated rural and maritime communities.

The project cost SBD$58,400 and was funded under the ECGC CDF 2025 allocation for the Essential Services Sector which includes support for the education sector.

Constituency Accountant Officer Edson Ramoifanua said that this initiative fulfils a key component of the constituency's annual work plan and development plan.

“The constituency, in its development strategy, prioritises the development of our human resources. Therefore, education is the top priority in our four-year development plan,” Mr. Ramoifanua said.

“This is to ensure that the human resources of our constituency and Guadalcanal Province as a whole are improved through enhanced educational opportunities.”

The eight schools supported by this project were:

Longgu Kaoka CHS
Bolale CHS
Sanalumu CHS
Tolunatete CHS
Kobito CHS
Bubukolo CHS
Bubunuhu CHS
Ghombu CHS

Mr Ramoifanua emphasised the transformative power of internet access in modern education.

“The way students learn has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. Traditional textbooks and chalkboards are now complemented, and in some cases, replaced by digital resources.

“Internet access levels the playing field between rural and urban students. Without it, rural students are at a significant disadvantage. Reliable internet ensures that every student, regardless of location, has an equal opportunity for success,” he highlighted.

The initiative has received praise from provincial education leaders.

The Guadalcanal Provincial Assembly Minister for Education, Honourable John Botsi, acknowledged MP Hon. Rinah's leadership and investment.

“As the education provider in the province, this is the first of its kind, and we greatly appreciate your initiative,” Hon. Botsi said.

“I call on all school principals and their administrations to utilize this resource and look after the equipment for the betterment of our students. This equipment is costly and funded by public funds, it must be used wisely and maintained properly.”

Echoing this sentiment, Mr. Fredrick Watson Vava, Principal of Bubunuhu CHS, thanked the ECGC office on behalf of the recipient schools.

“Today is a historic day for us. We are receiving a modern network system that will boost our students' learning capacity and improve our administrative capabilities to connect with our headquarters, the Ministry of Education,” he said.

Mr Ramoifanua also acknowledged the Solomon Islands Government for its continued support to the CDF program and assured the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) that ECGC will continue to collaborate to implement the 2025 CDF Program in accordance with the CDF Act 2023.

The ECGC Constituency Office is dedicated to the sustainable development of East Central Guadalcanal, with a strategic focus on education, health, and infrastructure to improve the livelihoods of its constituents.

Source: Flinders University

Organic agriculture is an increasingly popular management approach, embraced by growers and consumers alike for its potential to reduce environmental impacts.

However, a new Flinders University study of Adelaide Hills apple orchards suggests that soil health is more complex than management labels alone, with conventional and organic orchards showing surprisingly similar results.

“This study challenges the idea that differences between conventional and organic apple orchard management create large changes in soil health, as we found high similarity in key soil health indicators,” says Flinders University PhD candidate Kate Matthews, lead author of a new paper inApplied Soil Ecology.

“Many studies have shown that organic management can enhance soil biodiversity, however, our study did not support these results,” she says.

Conducted in 2023, the study explored the soils of apple organic and conventional orchards in the Adelaide Hills, comparing them to native bushland nearby.

“Interestingly, soil biology in the organic sites shared a higher similarity to the conventional sites than to the native bushland.”

Organic agriculture is a type of agricultural management which uses natural inputs and ecological processes to enhance food production. These types of production systems face many challenges, including the tension between environmental sustainability and profitability.

Although the organic and conventionally managed orchards differed in the use of synthetic inputs and pesticides as expected, they shared a lot of similarities in other aspects of orchard management.

“We found many similarities in the management practices between organic and conventional orchards, with many conventional growers using methods typically associated with organic or regenerative systems, such as green manuring and mulching. This may explain why did not detect strong differences in key soil health indicators between the organic and conventional management,” Ms Matthews says.

 “These minimal differences are most likely due to the variability of management practices across different orchards, including within both orchard types. This highlights the need for a more nuanced approach that moves beyond broad management labels and considers individual practices or combination of practices”, researchers conclude.

The latest article, ‘Comparing apples and apples; evaluating the impact of conventional and organic management on the soil microbial communities of apple orchards’ (2025) by Kate E Matthews, Martin F Breed, Erinne Stirling, Lynne M Macdonald and Timothy R Cavagnaro has been published in Applied Soil Ecology – DOI: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106470.

Acknowledgement: This work was supported by funding from the CSIRO Valuing Sustainability Future Science Platform, and a Flinders University scholarship to KM.

Source: Equinor

12 NOVEMBER 2025 – Equinor has closed the sale of a 40% operated interest in the Peregrino field in Brazil to PRIO. Following this transaction, PRIO assumes full operatorship of the field.

Equinor has received a total payment of USD 2.33 billion for its 40% operated interest. After adjustment for a deposit paid by PRIO and cashflow received by Equinor after the effective date of the transaction, Equinor has received USD 1.55 billion at closing. The deposit of USD 335 million paid by PRIO at signing relates to both the 40% and 20% transactions.

“With the closing of this part of the transaction we are handing over operatorship of Peregrino to PRIO and realising significant value for Equinor. The deal is part of our ongoing effort to high-grade our international portfolio, by divesting more mature assets to redeploy capital to assets with greater robustness and more long-term value potential. Brazil remains a core area for Equinor and just last month we started production from Bacalhau, our largest international offshore field, and acquired two exciting exploration blocks in the Campos basin,” says Philippe Mathieu, executive vice president for Exploration and Production International at Equinor.

The Peregrino field, located in the Campos Basin east of Rio de Janeiro, has been a cornerstone of Equinor’s international portfolio since production began in 2011. Over the years, the field has produced approximately 300 million barrels of oil and has been a significant contributor to Equinor’s growth in Brazil.

“I want to express gratitude to our employees, partners and suppliers for their contribution to the success of Peregrino over the years. Equinor’s journey in Brazil continues with full momentum with Bacalhau, our Raia gas project, our partnership with Petrobras in Roncador and our growing exploration and renewables portfolio,” says Veronica Coelho, senior vice president and country manager for Equinor Brazil.

In May 2025, Equinor also signed a contract for the sale of the remaining 20%, which is subject to certain conditions precedent. Equinor will continue as a non-operated partner until the closing of the remaining 20% share is completed. A further payment is expected at closing of that transaction.

Source: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA)

The RBA is closely watching the impact of price rises ahead of upcoming interest rate decisions.

12 November 2025 – Key highlights

• The CommBank Household Spending Insights (HSI) Index rose 0.6% in October.
• Transport, Motor Vehicles and Hospitality were the top spending categories in the month.
• Persistent spending likely to keep the RBA watching closely as rate decisions loom.

Australian households kept up their spending streak in October, with the CommBank Household Spending Insights (HSI) Index climbing 0.6 per cent, matching September’s lift and marking the thirteenth straight month of growth.

Spending rose in 11 of 12 categories, led by Transport (+1.2 per cent ), Motor Vehicle (1.0 per cent) and Hospitality (+1.0 per cent) categories, as Australians continued to spend on filling up the car, looking after their car, eating at restaurants, and ordering take away and food delivery.

Is inflation driving the boost in spending?

While household spending appears better, inflation is likely distorting the picture.

“The recent strength in spending is likely being driven partially by price increases rather than purely higher consumption volumes,” said Belinda Allen, Head of Australian Economics at CBA.

“That’s important because it complicates how we interpret household resilience and how the Reserve Bank of Australia reads the economy as it weighs future interest rate decisions.”

Categories seeing the sharpest annual gains – Utilities (+13.8%), Communications and Digital (+10.1%), and Hospitality (9.1%), are also among those most affected by inflation and the scaling back of government support on energy costs.

Where are Australians spending more this year?

Changes to energy rebates have boosted utility spending over the year, while higher prices and evolving consumer habits are driving growth in digital categories, such as streaming services, online gaming, and mobile data.

While these patterns suggest households are adjusting to inflation by prioritising essential and at-home entertainment spending, Hospitality has also witnessed strong spending growth driven by food delivery and eating out.

Which states and groups are leading the way?

Spending growth has varied across regions, as Queensland (+7.9 per cent) and Western Australia (+7.5 per cent) posted the strongest annual gains, while Tasmania has seen the weakest growth at +3.1 per cent.

What does this mean for the months ahead?

Despite steady spending, inflation and interest rate uncertainty remain major headwinds for the outlook for household spending.

CBA economists forecast that there will be no further rate cuts in this cycle, and the cash rate will be held at 3.60 per cent. However, consumers could soon rein in discretionary spending if real income growth fails to keep up with prices and savings ratios are wanted to be maintained. (ref. https://www.commbank.com.au/articles/newsroom/2025/11/rba-november-rates-call.html )

“Household resilience has been remarkable,” Allen said. “But sustained inflationary pressure could impact consumer choices going forward.”

Selected categories: October data

Food & beverage: annual growth rate ▲ to 3.6%.

▲ Convenience stores, bakeries, butchers, supermarkets, liquor stores.

▼ Weight loss services, vending machines, health food stores, food box subscriptions, international cuisine supermarkets.

Hospitality: annual growth rate ▲ to 9.1%.

▲ Food delivery services, restaurants, fast food outlets, pubs, taverns & bars, takeaway food.

▼ Event hire & planning, function centres, breweries & wineries, cafes.

Household goods: annual growth ▲ to 5.2%.

▲ Online marketplaces, clothing stores, discount department stores, hardware stores.

▼ Online deals, tobacconists, novelty stores, fashion accessories, floor coverings.

Recreation: annual growth ▼ to 5.4%.

▲ Online travel bookings, tourist attractions, gyms, sporting goods stores, accommodation.

▼ Circuses (-87.9%), ticketing services (-23.8%), performing arts venues, cruise lines, airlines.

Motor vehicles: annual growth ▼ to 6.2%.

▲ Car washes, windscreen repairs, detailing services. Modest growth: battery services, tyre retailing, car dealers.

▼ Smash repairs.