Politics and policy
With inflation sitting higher than the Reserve Bank would like, the risks of economic growth being too strong are front of mind once again.
Microsoft spent two years quietly coordinating major data centre operators, a push that has now formalised into a peak body aiming to shape Australia’s AI infrastructure.
Labor has ended a five-year stalemate on Australia’s environmental protections, sealing a deal with the Greens to overhaul national protections on the last sitting day of the year.
The former prime minister urged Labor to stand its ground on its new streaming laws to head off possible US retaliation as backlash grows.
The deal will secure extra funding for the ABC and delivers passage of Labor's heavily contested new streaming regulation amid mounting scrutiny from the Trump administration.
US lawmakers have urged Canada to rescind regulation on streaming services, while the Coalition is pushing for an inquiry into Labor's plans to impose quotas in Australia.
Opposition treasury spokesman Ted O’Brien used his Press Club address to tie the Coalition’s net zero backflip with an AI and energy pitch.
The work marks an escalation in tensions between Trump administration officials and the Albanese government over the proposed framework, as Labor races to pass the legislation.
Arts Minister Tony Burke is expected to turn to the Greens to secure a deal to push Labor’s streaming quotas through the Senate this week amid rising US scrutiny.
Labor is attempting to woo the business sector as it looks to establish itself as the natural party of government and secure lasting reform.
The US Embassy has directly raised concerns about the policy in Canberra, raising the stakes for the Albanese government as it pursues an aggressive tech reform agenda.
