Selected CSIRO media mentions for the week commencing 13 July. If you encounter a paywall, request a text version by emailing the article title here.
CSIRO unveils National Energy Analysis Centre to drive net zero efforts – Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has launched the National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC), a new research facility aimed at accelerating and de-risking the country’s transition to net zero through data-driven energy system insights… Australian Manufacturing, 18 July 2025 (link, text below).
Australia’s Revolutionary Handheld Mine Detector Pinpoints Explosives by Molecular Signature – Almost 30 years after Princess Diana’s historic Angola minefield visit, Australia’s MRead has teamed with CSIRO to unveil the first handheld detector that uses low‑frequency radio waves to read explosive molecules – no more guessing anomalies. After successful HALO Trust trials in Angola, this device promises to speed up clearance by at least 30 per cent… APT, 16 July 2025 (video only).
Rethinking Aged Care: How CSIRO’s OADL Protocols Are Changing the Game – What if a simple change in daily habits could be your first warning sign? For older Australians and New Zealanders living independently, it often is. And now, there’s a smarter way to spot it early. Thanks to a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Talius Group, home care providers now have a powerful new way to track wellbeing in the home. It’s called Objective Activities of Daily Living… Talius, 16 July 2025 (link, text below).
Leaky and freezing: Why Australian homes are so hard to heat this winter – New insights from the national science agency CSIRO reveal that Australian homes are among the leakiest in the world, with older houses haemorrhaging warm air and driving energy bills up by as much as 20 per cent… Architecture and Design, 15 July 2025 (link, text below).
People power: How scientists built an accurate, catchment-wide flood model – It wasn’t just data from maps, machines and rainfall readings that led CSIRO scientists to build Australia’s most comprehensive and accurate flood model for the Richmond River catchment. Information from local residents who know their environment, have lived through devastating floods and observed the impact, is what helped the team ensure all data driving the hydrodynamic model was as localized, precise and as accurate as possible… Phys.Org, July 17 2025 (link, text below).
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Australian Manufacturing, 18 July 2025
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has launched the National Energy Analysis Centre (NEAC), a new research facility aimed at accelerating and de-risking the country’s transition to net zero through data-driven energy system insights.
Designed as an independent and collaborative hub, NEAC will integrate anonymised real-world energy data from households and businesses with advanced modelling, analysis and visualisation tools.
The initiative aims to provide decision-makers across government and industry with the tools needed to support informed and coordinated energy planning, the agency said in a news release.
“Transforming the energy system will impact every sector of the economy and every part of society,” said CSIRO Energy Director Dr Dietmar Tourbier. “A transition of this scale and complexity needs a coordinated, long-term perspective. NEAC will help Australia navigate this journey by providing the trusted insights planners and policymakers need to inform action and reduce risk.”
The Centre will be made up of several components, including a Living Lab with thousands of participating households and businesses across the country, a Systems Science Toolbox offering curated multi-energy datasets and modelling tools, and extensive networks of innovation collaborators.
The Living Lab enables researchers and planners to better understand how Australians use energy in everyday settings, supporting the development of targeted, low-cost infrastructure and programs. CSIRO said this inclusive approach will help ensure energy solutions are reliable, secure and affordable.
CSIRO is inviting residents aged 18 and over to join the Living Lab, which is already supporting a multi-institution residential research project. The Systems Science Toolbox, meanwhile, is being deployed in a separate study focused on optimising industrial energy systems.
Living Lab participant Heath Raftery is contributing anonymised circuit-level electricity use and indoor climate data.
“I joined NEAC because I’ve been following the energy transition and see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Australia to look at the electricity grid with the consumer in mind,” Raftery said.
“I’m a renter so there’s not much I can do infrastructure-wise, but having input via NEAC will help governments and providers to consider the third of the population that is renting, as they develop policies and products. I’m also hoping that the information I get about my family’s energy use habits can help us to reduce our bills.”
NEAC is supported by the Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF), with CSIRO encouraging organisations to learn more about the centre through a webinar scheduled for 11 August.
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Talius, 16 July 2025
What if a simple change in daily habits could be your first warning sign?
For older Australians and New Zealanders living independently, it often is. And now, there’s a smarter way to spot it early.
Thanks to a collaboration between the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Talius Group, home care providers now have a powerful new way to track wellbeing in the home. It’s called Objective Activities of Daily Living (OADL).
Rather than waiting for something to go wrong, OADL uses discreet in-home sensors to monitor how someone is moving, eating, dressing and more — all without cameras or wearable devices. The system then analyses this data to detect any major changes in routine that might signal a potential health issue.
Why OADL Matters
Many older Australians and New Zealanders prefer to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. But as health conditions develop, the earliest signs are often small changes in daily routines. Skipping meals, sleeping more than usual, spending more time on the toilet, or moving around less can be early signs of concern.
OADL daily and weekly reports flag these changes early, prompting timely support.
Here’s how it works:
Providers can check the dashboard and follow up with the client, adjust services or alert a family member or GP if needed.
What the System Tracks
OADL focuses on five essential daily activities:
Each of these areas is monitored and scored based on how closely the person’s behaviour matches their usual (baselined) pattern.
Spotting Health Issues Early
Imagine this situation.
Mae, a 79-year-old living alone, usually has a score of 8 out of 9. But over a few days, the system notices she’s staying in bed longer, visiting the toilet more often, and not going near the kitchen.
Her daily score drops to 2.
Thanks to the alert, her care provider checks in. It turns out Mae has a urinary tract infection. Left unnoticed, it could have led to confusion, a fall, or hospitalisation. But because of the early signal, she gets help quickly and avoids serious complications.
Who Is It For?
The Talius OADL system is ideal for people who may not always be able to speak up when something changes in their health. It’s especially useful for:
Better Data. Smarter Care.
OADL isn’t about replacing human care. It’s about giving carers better information so they can make faster, more informed decisions. It helps providers:
The Care@Home alarm is also backed by a 24/7 emergency response monitoring service, so help in an emergency is always just a call away.
With aged care services under pressure, tools like OADL provide real-time visibility and peace of mind — for providers, families and most importantly, for the people receiving care.
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Architecture and Design, 15 July 2025
New insights from the national science agency CSIRO reveal that Australian homes are among the leakiest in the world, with older houses haemorrhaging warm air and driving energy bills up by as much as 20%.
Former architect and Senior Experimental Scientist Michael Ambrose says the problem is widespread, particularly in homes built before 2001, which were constructed before modern energy efficiency standards applied.
“The older the home, the leakier it is,” Ambrose says. “Old weatherboard houses from the 1950s, especially those on stumps, are some of the worst offenders. On a windy day, you can even hear doors rattling and feel the breeze inside.”
Data from the Australian Housing Data Portal shows existing homes average just 2.2 stars out of 10 for energy efficiency—leaving residents shivering through winter. But there are simple, affordable fixes that can make a big difference.
One of the most effective strategies is sealing your windows. Uncovered glass can lose up to 40% of heat during winter. Installing heavy, lined curtains that hang below the sill helps trap warmth inside, while pelmets above the curtain rod prevent warm air from escaping.
Checking for cracks and sealing them with insulation strips or caulk is a cheap but effective way to reduce drafts. For a longer-term solution, replacing old panes with double glazing or applying insulating films can significantly cut heat loss.
Doors are another common culprit. For internal doors, a simple fabric door snake can stop cold air sneaking through. On external doors, plastic or metal seals fitted with wipers are recommended, and adhesive weather stripping can help block gaps around door edges.
Many older brick houses have fixed wall vents and old fireplaces that leak air into living spaces. Blocking unused vents during winter, fitting dampers in chimneys, and sealing gaps around hot water systems or built-in appliances with expanding foam can make rooms noticeably warmer.
Even evaporative cooling outlets can be a problem. Winter covers and magnetic strips around ceiling vent receivers can help stop drafts pouring through.
Lighting fittings can also compromise insulation. Older downlights often leave uninsulated gaps in ceilings that let heat escape. Replacing them with Insulated Cover (IC) rated LED downlights means they can be safely covered with ceiling insulation.
In timber homes raised above the ground, cold air can sweep through floorboards and chill the entire house. Laying rugs and carpets creates an extra layer of insulation underfoot. During daylight hours, opening blinds or curtains in north- and west-facing rooms lets natural sunlight warm your home for free.
For homeowners planning bigger renovations, CSIRO recommends including insulation upgrades and other retrofitting measures to improve long-term comfort and energy savings.
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Phys.Org, July 17 2025
It wasn’t just data from maps, machines and rainfall readings that led CSIRO scientists to build Australia’s most comprehensive and accurate flood model for the Richmond River catchment.
Information from local residents who know their environment, have lived through devastating floods and observed the impact, is what helped the team ensure all data driving the hydrodynamic model was as localized, precise and as accurate as possible.
Building the model
The catchment is large—more than 7000 km²—and covers complex and varied terrain.
Dr. Jai Vaze, the hydrologist leading CSIRO’s flood mitigation work for the National Emergency Management Agency’s Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative, described it as “intricate.”
The first phase of CSIRO’s work was a rapid review and assessment in the six months following the 2022 floods. This phase identified and prioritized existing project proposals and analyzed the most effective intervention options.
The team also characterized the catchment and climate conditions which led to the floods.
The second phase of work was much more involved using planes to gather Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to inform spatial analysis for the entire Northern Rivers region and boats to collect river bathymetry.
The design of the hydrodynamic model is based on detailed spatial representation of the catchment’s biophysical characteristics such as soils (infiltration rates, soil storage capacity, etc.) and landscapes (roughness, flow paths, flow direction, structures, vegetation, etc.).
This high-quality data built the foundations of a detailed hydrodynamic model for the Richmond River catchment—the first time a catchment model of this scale and complexity has been built for the region.
Months on the ground
Jai has become a familiar face in the Northern Rivers region since the 2022 floods hit with devastating impact to local communities, and spent months at a time from Casino to Lismore to Ballina and many places in between.
He said the key to building the groundbreaking flood model released in June has been the proactive local communities and councils who have not only experienced the floods but taken observations and gathered information not always captured by existing measures and processes by government.
Locals have taken Jai and his team to their properties and spent days showing them areas hit by the floods. He’s learned from what they know of the local terrain and infrastructure and what they saw.
Refining the model
Given the large area covered by the modeling domain and the very complex sections of steep and flat terrain, it was not possible to represent all small streams and channels.
Jai said every attempt has been made to make sure that all important streams, levees, flow control structures such as bridges, culverts and pipes across the entire catchment were represented in the model.
That included all levee details from the local councils and all data from the recent survey of the major levees undertaken after the 2022 floods.
But for all the data collected through instrumentation and from council and government mapping and monitoring, human observation was also needed to get it right, said Jai.
One resident took Jai to inspect a single culvert near their property which had long been blocked. But that one culvert meant he could make sure it was also blocked in the model which would also affect the flow of water in the model.
“Data will give you a picture,” said Jai.
“But to understand the catchment, that local knowledge which is there where people have seen floods for the last 70–80 years, is critical when you build a model.”
Beth Trevan from the Lismore Citizens Flood Review Group told the ABC that Jai was “totally committed to the region and solving the problem.”
“He has given his life to it for the past three years, seven days a week—he never stops working on it,” she said. “What is being developed is international best practice; it’s not only going to be a template for Australia; it’s going to be a template internationally.
“The level of detail is beyond comprehension; there’s millions of items of data within it, that’s its absolute strength.”