AI/Machine Learning

AI is ‘taking money away’ from content creators, Senate committee told

- October 5, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australian creatives should be properly compensated when their copyrighted works are used to train artificial intelligence models, prominent musicians, writers, and industry groups told a Senate committee hearing last Tuesday. Artists fronted the inquiry as Australia’s Productivity Commission consults on whether a new “fair dealing” exception should be introduced to allow local companies to use Australians’ copyrighted… Read more »

money tree
Business

Why Australia’s $5 billion Net Zero Fund needs to be more than an incentive for mining billionaires to do better

- October 3, 2025 2 MIN READ

The new $5 billion Net Zero Fund, announced last week as part of the Federal government’s plan to meet a 61% -70% emissions reduction target, could be the most important lever Australia has to accelerate our transition to net zero. But unless it is designed to take risks and back first-of-a-kind climate innovations, we risk… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Hollywood’s latest AI copyright war: But is there a better way?

- October 3, 2025 4 MIN READ

Last week Disney, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Discovery jointly sued MiniMax, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company, over alleged copyright infringement. The three Hollywood media giants allege MiniMax (which operates Hailuo AI and is reportedly valued at US$4 billion) engaged in mass copyright infringement of characters such as Darth Vader and Mickey Mouse by… Read more »

Politics

Australia’s cutting a deal with the EU to get more locals into space

- October 2, 2025 2 MIN READ

Major pacts with Europe and the US set Australia’s space industry on course for expansion, with IAC 2025 showcasing the moment Australia and the European Union will sign cooperation agreements to cooperate on future space missions and extra-terrestrial business opportunities. The agreement between the Australian and European Space Agencies would offer businesses and researchers greater… Read more »

Funding

Australia’s new space institute says it’s time to back the local sector for sovereign capability

- September 30, 2025 4 MIN READ

Australia has launched the Australasian Space Innovation Institute to cut foreign reliance and speed up space commercialisation. A new not-for-profit space organisation has launched at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney. The Australasian Space Innovation Institute (ASII) aims to speed up the use of industry research, strengthen Australia’s own space capability, and deliver tangible benefits… Read more »

Atlassian, Mike Cannon-Brookes, Scott Farquhar.
Business

Atlassian made Australia’s biggest claim for the R&D tax incentive – more than $220 million

- September 29, 2025 3 MIN READ

The research and development tax incentive (R&DTI) is only growing in value and scope, with a new Australian Taxation Office (ATO) transparency report detailing $16.2 billion in claims recorded over the 2022-23 financial year. And for the second year in a row, software giant Atlassian is the nation’s top claimant, reporting more than $220 million in… Read more »

Business

Space Machines Company is setting up its satellite manufacturing in Western Sydney

- September 28, 2025 2 MIN READ

Bradfield, the site of the new Western Sydney airport, will become a manufacturing hub for space infrastructure such as satellites following a deal between the NSW government and local startup Space Machines Company. Space Machines Company will begin high-value manufacturing projects at the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility’s (AMRF) this year, developing production capability to produce… Read more »

Mark Zuckerberg
Opinion

Analysis of Facebook data reveals the damage caused by the spread of misinformation on Meta’s social media

- September 25, 2025 3 MIN READ

Twenty-one years after Facebook’s launch, Australia’s top 25 news outlets now have a combined 27.6 million followers on the platform. They rely on Facebook’s reach more than ever, posting far more stories there than in the past. With access to Meta’s Content Library (Meta is the owner of Facebook), our big data study analysed more… Read more »

Funding

Audit of the federal government’s $466 million PsiQuantum deal declares it ‘appropriate’

- September 24, 2025 3 MIN READ

The federal department tasked with evaluating American firm PsiQuantum’s unsolicited proposal to build a quantum computer in Australia carried out an “appropriate” process despite minor issues with record keeping and planning for market testing, an internal audit has found. PsiQuantum proposed the build in November 2022, and its ultimately successful Brisbane plan — backed by… Read more »

Leadership

‘Thoughts and prayers’ won’t get us there if tech wants more women in the mix

- September 19, 2025 2 MIN READ

Another week, another report highlighting the stark reality of women in technology. The Tech Council of Australia’s new “Women in Highly Technical Occupations” report tells a story we’ve heard many times before: Australia is facing a critical tech worker shortage, yet the pipeline for women is leaking at every joint. The report rightly points out… Read more »

A group of kids on mobile phones
Business

The Australian government’s guidance on the social media ban for under-16s is out – here’s what it says

- September 17, 2025 3 MIN READ

The Australian government today released regulatory guidance on the social media minimum age law, which comes into effect on December 10. The law will restrict individuals under 16 from holding accounts on many social media platforms. Reasonable steps for tech companies This guidance follows a self-assessment guide for technology companies recently released by the eSafety… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! AI! AI! AI!: Innovation minister Tim Ayres on the national potential of artificial intelligence

- September 16, 2025 5 MIN READ

Australia could bury its head in the sand while AI disrupts education and existing human capital – or Australia can enhance AI’s potential benefits by lifting the skills and preparedness of Australian workers and students. Australia could squander the enormous benefits of adopting early – or it can embrace AI to help advance the government’s… Read more »