Tech
Tech giants push back on Australia’s under-16 social media ban
Tech companies are raising concerns over the federal government’s lack of transparency in developing its under-16 social media ban, with Meta accusing communications minister Michelle Rowland of keeping platforms in the dark.
As Paul Sakkal reports in The Sydney Morning Herald, the backlash comes just weeks after former US President Donald Trump threatened penalties for nations targeting American digital firms.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, claims the government is crafting rules behind closed doors, shutting out key stakeholders. “This goes against commitments made to parents, safety groups, and tech companies that public consultation would take place,” the company said in a statement.
Apple speeds up iPad Air refresh as AI race heats up
Apple has unveiled a faster iPad Air, packing an M3 chip and AI-ready capabilities in a move to sustain momentum after a strong holiday sales boost. Available in 11-inch and 13-inch models, the tablets start at $US599 ($965) and $US799, with orders open now and shipments beginning March 12.
As Mark Gurman reports in The Australian Financial Review, with performance nearly doubling compared to M1-powered models, the refreshed iPad Air is designed to handle Apple’s AI-powered features, dubbed Apple Intelligence, up to 60% faster.
The update comes just 10 months after the last version, signalling Apple’s push for quicker hardware cycles to stay ahead in the AI-driven device market.
Television
ABC cracks down on political ad footage use
The ABC has ordered former Triple J host and teal candidate Alex Dyson to pull campaign ads featuring footage from its investigative program Four Corners, after he used the content without permission. The broadcaster maintains a strict policy against its material being repurposed for political messaging.
As James Madden writes in The Australian, Dyson’s ads included an interview with Peter Small, a former Liberal branch president, who criticised his party’s neglect of rural voters and called for Wannon to become a more contested seat. While Dyson credited the Four Corners footage in his ads, he did not seek ABC approval before repurposing it.
After being alerted by the media, the ABC swiftly contacted Dyson’s team, demanding the footage’s removal.
Wilkinson pushes back on court ruling over rape allegation broadcast
Lisa Wilkinson is challenging Justice Michael Lee’s conclusion that she acted unreasonably when airing rape allegations against Bruce Lehrmann, arguing in new legal filings that her reporting met the standards of responsible journalism.
As Amanda Meade reports in The Guardian, the move comes as Lehrmann prepares for his appeal after losing his high-profile defamation case last year.
Lehrmann, a former Liberal staffer, was found on the balance of probabilities to have raped Brittany Higgins in Parliament House in 2019. At the heart of the dispute is whether Wilkinson and Ten acted “reasonably” under section 30 of defamation law when The Project aired Higgins’ allegations in 2021.
Business
Macquarie Bank CEO calls out gender gap in executive pay
Macquarie Bank CEO Shemara Wikramanayake says the gender imbalance among the bank’s top earners “should have been fixed a long time ago,” after new data revealed that women make up just 37% of its highest-paid employees, despite an average salary of $601,000 at that level.
As Lucy Dean and Paul Karp write in The Australian Financial Review, the figures were released as part of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s latest report on pay gaps across businesses with more than 100 employees.
Wikramanayake also acknowledged that the bank’s gender pay gap stems from a lack of women in senior roles. “We’re still up for a heck of a lot of work attracting women applicants,” she said, pointing to the challenges of shifting long-standing industry dynamics.
Coalition vows to end work-from-home for public servants
Liberal senator Jane Hume has declared remote work “unsustainable” for federal public servants, arguing that taxpayer-funded roles should prioritiSe in-office productivity. If elected, the Coalition plans to mandate a full-time return to the office, with only limited exceptions.
As Cameron Carr writes for the SBS, Speaking at the Menzies Research Centre, Hume criticized Labor’s approach, which, she claimed, has turned work-from-home into an individual right rather than a practical arrangement. “This is about restoring a culture of public service that respects the funding it receives by ensuring maximum productivity,” she said.
With approximately 185,000 federal public service employees – including Australian Defence Force and Federal Police staff – the proposal would mark a major shift in workplace flexibility.
Publishing
Black Inc’s AI deal puts authors in the hot seat
Australian writers and literary agents are raising alarms after Melbourne publisher Black Inc Books asked its authors to agree to their work being used to train artificial intelligence. The publisher, known for The Quarterly Essay and a roster of high-profile Australian authors, gave writers until today to sign off on third-party agreements with an unnamed AI company.
As Kelly Burke reports in The Guardian, the proposal grants Black Inc the right to “use, adapt, and exploit” authors’ work for AI development, including training and deploying machine learning models.
In return, the publisher is offering a 50/50 split on net receipts – but industry groups are questioning whether creators are truly benefiting.