Anthony Albanese is set to announce the creation of a new office of AI within his department. Anthony Albanese is set to announce the creation of a new office of AI within his department. Anthony Albanese says the federal government will introduce faster approval processes for AI projects, including datacentres, across Australia, seeking to shore up investor certainty and maintain community confidence in the rapidly advancing technology . Announcing the creation of a new office of AI to be established within his department in a major speech on Wednesday, the prime minister will declare Australia is set to become the first country in the world to bring the economic, social, national security and environmental issues stemming from AI into a single, national framework. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email "Getting this right will enhance our appeal to international investors, by delivering greater clarity and speed for approvals, and a streamlined process for verifying compliance," Albanese will tell an event .

Labor MP says'a fair day's pay for a fair day's work' was a founding principle of the ALP as media union calls for tougher new rules on AI use of creative work Husic also urged his colleagues to place stricter rules on the big tech firms or be "doomed to failure". Husic, who has long advocated for a more interventionist approach on AI policy, said big firms like OpenAI and Anthropic should not be left to self-regulate, and that the federal government should be setting strong rules. "If we were to wait for social licence with industry, we wouldn't get emissions reduction. Governments sometimes have to step in," Husic told Sky News on Tuesday. Going down the path of social licence with tech is a path that's sadly doomed to failure, because we tried self-regulation for a couple of decades and found out that it didn't work." The prime minister will deliver a highly anticipated speech in Sydney on Wednesday to address growing concerns around social licence and the necessary policy guardrails for AI, datacentres and Australian intellectual property. We've grown up with the notion of a fair day's pay for a fair day's work - that people should be remunerated fairly for the labour, the effort that they provide. Asked whether he thought his colleagues were doing that, Husic replied: "Obviously, there's a debate that's going on behind the scenes.

The actor, who died at age 78 on Monday, embodied a passionate approach to research and positive masculinity in his role as paleontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster . Sam Neill, the New Zealand actor who died at age 78 in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, had a long and varied résumé. He played everyone from an international spy () and a detective chief inspector () to a legendary wizard (). He even played the literal spawn of the devil (). But throughout his career, Neill was also known for scientist roles in films like and, with none more celebrated than Dr. Alan Grant, the rugged paleontologist and undisputed hero of .

When Anna Funder stood before a pack of journalists at Parliament House this month, she presented herself not just as a writer but also a "victim of crime". The Stasiland author was using the analogy to illustrate how technology companies have flagrantly "hoovered up" her literary works for their own profit. Authors, artists, musicians and media organisations were last year assured those laws wouldn't be watered down when the federal government ruled out granting a legal exemption for artificial intelligence companies to mine content to train their large language models, which include ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude. But continual lobbying from tech giants and a whistleblower's tipoff to the independent senator David Pocock have ignited fears that the Albanese government might go back on its word - even as it continues to insist that it won't. The stoush has exposed splits within Labor about how to respond to AI and raised questions about how far the government should bend - if at all - to big tech to capture the supposed riches of the datacentre boom.

Software programmers, accountants, receptionists and advertising and marketing professionals are among the most at risk of losing their jobs to AI, according to a government report. Software programmers, accountants, receptionists and advertising and marketing professionals are among the most at risk of losing their jobs to AI, according to a government report. Artificial intelligence has yet to cause widespread job losses but the federal government has warned that telemarketers, advertising staff and accountants are among the occupations "most exposed" to being replaced by the technology. According to a first-of-its-kind national report, people in the more exposed occupations are more likely to be women and have university qualifications. They include clerks, retail managers, software programmers, accountants, receptionists and advertising and marketing professionals, according to data from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) contained in the AI and Employment in Australia report. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email Jobs deemed as the "least exposed" to AI displacement are filled by those with the lowest level of university qualifications and the highest level of vocational training, including tradespeople and aged care workers.

Image caption, Port giant DP World handles around 40% of Australia's container shipments Australian dock workers are demanding a 28-hour work week with no loss of pay as the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation expands across the country's ports. The AI push is being led by port logistics giant DP World, which the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said has put workers' jobs in the crosshairs. The union said: If DP World wants AI and automation, then they must pay the social dividend. The new technology doesn't have to cost our members their jobs or put their livelihoods at risk just so a terminal operator can boost profits. The BBC has contacted DP World for comment and the MUA for more details.

Bees seem to show when they are pleased and like something, rather than just needing it, in one of the strongest signs yet that insects have subjective experiences. In recent decades, it has become clear that bees are capable of more complex behaviours than we previously thought, such as counting and demonstrating a sense of rhythm . But discerning whether they have inner states akin to our emotions is more difficult. For one thing, insects don't have the flexible facial musculature of mammals, which we use to communicate our feelings. "How can we get any behavioural readout of these insects with a hard body and their mask of a face," asks Andrew Barron at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

The second day's play at RoboCup 2026 has drawn to a close with another bumper set of matches. Teams have come from far and wide to take part in the humanoid soccer competition this year, with 17 different countries represented. China is the most represented country, boasting 15 teams across the three divisions. Other countries taking part are geographically widespread, ranging from Colombia to Malaysia, from Germany to Australia. In advance of the competition, all applying teams provided a video, team description paper, and information about the robots and software that they use.

The second day's play at RoboCup 2026 has drawn to a close with another bumper set of matches. Teams have come from far and wide to take part in the humanoid soccer competition this year, with 17 different countries represented. China is the most represented country, boasting 15 teams across the three divisions. Other countries taking part are geographically widespread, ranging from Colombia to Malaysia, from Germany to Australia. In advance of the competition, all applying teams provided a video, team description paper, and information about the robots and software that they use.

OpenAI has partnered with datacentre operator NextDC to build a multibillion dollar computing cluster in Sydney. The NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, says the city is'a highly desirable location'. OpenAI has partnered with datacentre operator NextDC to build a multibillion dollar computing cluster in Sydney. The NSW environment minister, Penny Sharpe, says the city is'a highly desirable location'. NSW government'absolutely thrilled' to welcome OpenAI ... until someone mentioned the Terminator films Emails sent between MP Anoulak Chanthivong's staff take cautious approach to AI giant arriving in Sydney - despite the government's encouragement The NSW technology minister's office removed a reference to being "absolutely thrilled" about OpenAI opening a Sydney office after staffers joked a dystopian Skynet could be headed for the city within five years.