SA premier announces royal commission into AI

That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage for today.

Before we go, let’s take a look at what made the top headlines:

\n Peter Malinauskas, the South Australian premier, has announced a royal commission into artificial intelligence.
\n Prue Car, the NSW deputy premier, has asked the NSW Education Standards Authority to impose a ban on unsupervised take-home assessments during a broad review of AI’s impact on student learning.
\n Catherine King, the federal transport minister, met with Air Services Australia to about a “pathway forward” after two aircraft were involved in a near-miss at Sydney airport on Sunday.
\n Anthony Albanese has confirmed Labor will agree to amend its gambling legislation, promising action on inducements, as well as the targeting of advertising and how children may be exposed to ads.
\n The federal government is trumpeting “big benefits” from its Medicare investments, announcing bulk billing rates across the country are up nearly five percentage points since last year.
\n Police said what appeared to be a body found in a suitcase near Goulburn was not human – and was in fact a lifelike doll with markings resembling bruises and grazes.
\n Australia’s blind faith in the Aukus submarine deal is “stark staring bonkers”, the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told a public inquiry, arguing the asymmetric deal with the US and UK will likely result in no submarines at all for Australia.
\n The Department of Defence has confirmed it is aware of reports that multiple drones were operating near RAAF Base Williamtown and Newcastle airport.
\n Sad news for music fans: Laneway festival is taking a “break” from Adelaide and Perth.
\n The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has defended Anthony Albanese’s comments on a podcast after the former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami described them as “appalling” and “insulting”.

Thanks for joining us, see you bright and early tomorrow morning!

Icac’s Operation Rosny has concluded hearings for today. Questioning of Jeremy Greenwood, who has been named in two of Icac’s allegations, focused on registered lobbying company Beckington, set up by Greenwood and Reformer Christian Ellis.

Beckington is alleged to have issued fake invoices for consulting advice for payments which in fact went to factional Liberal work.

Greenwood was asked about an arrangement under which Reformer Robert Assaf was paid a 10% finders fee for any new clients he brought to Beckington. The inquiry has previously heard that rather than being invoiced under Assaf’s name these were invoiced under Assaf’s wife name as being for education consultancy services.

Asked why Assaf had sought this arrangement, Greenwood said:

\n I just remember having a conversation and someone used the line, ‘Every tradie in Sydney has their wife as the director.’\n

Greenwood earlier told the commission that his wife was having contractions during the hearing today. There was no further update on this, and it is not known if it will have any impact on Greenwood’s expected appearance tomorrow.

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a royal commission into artificial intelligence (AI).

Malinauskas has just come back from a trip to the US, where he met AI leaders and signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI.

At a press conference on Monday, Malinauskas said the commission would examine the future impacts of AI and place South Australia at the forefront of the global debate about its use. He said the royal commission would start in October, report no later than 1 July 2027, and would look at the impacts, risks and opportunities of AI across education, industry, public health, arts and culture. He said AI’s rapid development could not occur “unchecked”.

\n The Labor government I lead has a record of stepping up and protecting young people when it comes to social media, and this is no different.\n We are looking to embrace the opportunity of AI, but not in a way that leaves us with regrets.\n

He said the discussion should focus on “how it will be deployed in our society, which is far more consequential than where a datacentre gets built”. He said:

\n Never before in human history have we contended with a world where there is something that’s smarter than us. Now we have it, and its intelligence is only going to increase at warp speed over the course of the next two years alone. That will change everything, and we need to make sure that what it changes is done on our terms for the interests of people.\n

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed Labor will agree to amend its gambling legislation, promising action on inducements, as well as the targeting of advertising and how children may be exposed to ads.

We’re still chasing the particular details of what the government is onboard with, after a meeting between Albanese and Angus Taylor which the Liberals described as “very positive”.

Albanese told his caucus that “further work and amendments” would be coming on gambling inducements, including “making sure that those issues are dealt with in a constructive way, making sure that we get the balance right between people who want to go along and have a punt on a Saturday at the races, but also that problem gambling is actually dealt with.”

Albanese didn’t provide specifics, but he said the legislation would be amended in the House of Representatives this week to include “some really practical amendments dealing with the targeting of advertising, dealing with reducing children’s exposure”.

More to come soon.

Returning to the NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny, the commission has resumed hearings a little late after the lunch break today.

The timing of breaks was an issue at an earlier hearing, with Reformers witness Robert Assaf, drawing the ire of presiding commissioner, Fabian Gleeson SC, after describing being “hangry” and asking for an early lunch break.

But today is more momentous. After Gleeson apologises for the late start to Jeremy Greenwood, who has been named in two of the allegations being investigated by the corruption watchdog, he proposes that today’s hearings finish a little later. Greenwood says he does not object, but adds that his wife is having contractions.

Gleeson says “If things change, you get your solicitor to let me know” and Greenwood thanks him. Counsel assisting, Peggy Dwyer SC, resumes her questioning.

Catherine King, the federal transport minister, said she is “confident” that Airservices Australia is doing “everything that they can to get on top of this” after a near miss at Sydney airport on Sunday.

She said that included better rostering, saying there was unplanned leave due to illness in Sydney over the weekend.

King just spoke to reporters, adding:

\n I’m confident on speaking to Airservices Australia that they doing everything that they can to get on top of this.\n I do want to give a shout out to the air traffic controllers, who are dealing with a really stressful and difficult job. They did a very good job over the weekend to try to manage the disruptions as best they could.\n We want to make sure that they’ve got as much support as possible to do that really complex job and that meeting today with Airservices Australia was an important step for me, assuring myself that what they are doing is the right thing by both the air traffic controllers but also the travelling public.\n

King said two workers were stood down temporarily after the incident, part of protocols for mandatory alcohol and drug testing. But it was only for a “short period of time”.

NSW police just released more information about the item found in a suitcase in Oallen, near Goulburn, they initially feared was a human body.

Initial investigations were undertaken by forensic officers at the scene, they said.

The item was retained in the bag and sent for forensic examination at the forensic medicine laboratory.

The object, they said, was actually a “life like doll, wearing clothing, with hair and a nose piercing”, adding it had markings “that resembled bruises and grazes”.

Investigations into the matter have now concluded.

They say all politics is local – and few issues are more local than what happens to your rubbish bin. The Victorian Liberals have announced that, if elected in November, they would require councils to collect general rubbish every week.

More than 30 councils across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria have cut back their general rubbish collection to fortnightly. Some councils blame this on the government’s landfill levy, which has increased dramatically in recent years, while others say it is part of their transition to the four-bin system, which will become mandatory in 2027.

The Liberals, however, say it’s “another example of how Victorians are paying more, but getting less”.

Opposition leader, Jess Wilson, says:

\n Under a government I lead, your red bin will be collected every single week. This is a commonsense change that makes life easier for families.\n Households shouldn’t have to wait a fortnight for their overflowing bin to be collected. Weekly rubbish collection is an essential service that shouldn’t depend on your postcode.\n

She announced that if elected, a Liberal and Nationals government would also review the landfill levy rate and apply the rates cap – currently set to 2.75% – to council waste charges.

The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has defended Anthony Albanese’s comments on a podcast after the former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami described them as “appalling” and “insulting”.

The comments were made during Albanese’s appearance on comedian Nikki Osborne’s Bush Deep podcast. The prime minister had previously faced criticism for taking part in a “shag, marry, date” game on the podcast, in which he nominated Kylie Minogue for all three categories.

During another section of the episode, Albanese said Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, had brought with her “a couple of melons”, referring to a gift that the PM brought from Japan.

Yamagami criticised the remarks in comments to The Australian.

Asked whether she agreed the comments were disrespectful while speaking on Sunrise, Plibersek said:

\n No, I completely disagree with that interpretation of what the prime minister was saying.\n I completely disagree that he was in any way making the suggestion that you’re proposing or that the former ambassador is proposing now.\n

The Department of Defence has confirmed it is aware of reports that multiple drones were operating near RAAF Base Williamtown and Newcastle airport.

The unidentified drones were reportedly flown in restricted airspace above the Williamtown base between 11 and 13 July, with personnel instructed to close blinds to protect sensitive information.

In a statement, a defence spokesperson said:

\n Defence employs robust, layered security measures to protect its personnel, establishments and capability.\n For operational security reasons, Defence does not comment on specific arrangements or measures in place at its establishments.\n

Sad news for music fans: Laneway festival is taking a “break” from Adelaide and Perth.

The festival wrote on Instagram this morning that while the festival had spent two decades touring around Australia and New Zealand, logistics had always been difficult.

\n Running so many shows, so close together, across so much ground is a logistical feat we are proud of, but it also asks a lot of our lineup and crew.\n Taking a pause allows us to focus on making the festival the best it can be, while freeing up time for more artists to bring headline shows to cities beyond our festival stops.\n

Laneway said the festival “loves” the two cities, and is “incredibly grateful to every single person who has shown up for us over the years”.

\n This isn’t goodbye, just see you soon.\n

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Laneway Festival (@lanewayfest)

Australia’s blind faith in the Aukus submarine deal is “stark staring bonkers,” the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told a public inquiry, arguing the asymmetric deal with the US and UK will likely result in no submarines at all for Australia:

\n There is a cargo-cult mentality in Canberra about these Virginia-class submarines where people clearly feel that if they acknowledge that there is a real risk that they won’t arrive, that will prevent them arriving: so you have to keep on believing.\n

Turnbull – the prime minister whose deal to buy submarines from the French group Naval was torn up by Scott Morrison in favour of Aukus – has long argued the Aukus agreement has always been irretrievably lopsided in the US’s favour.

Giving evidence to a public inquiry into Aukus in Sydney, Turnbull focused on the three second-hand Virginia Class submarines the US is proposing to sell to Australia from 2031 (the first tranche of Aukus’ Pillar One).

Turnbull said the US’s capacity for building submarines has remained stubbornly laggard and that its navy would not have enough boats to sell to Australia.

The US is prevented by its own legislation from selling any submarines to Australia if that would “degrade” its own fleet. It currently needs to nearly double its submarine production rate, from 1.2 to 2.3 a year.

Police say the remains found in a suitcase near Goulburn are not human.

Supt Linda Bradbury with NSW police said:

\n Some good news here that we don’t have a suspicious death of a human on our hands. … We are still undertaking more forensic work to identify what they are. But we can identify that they’re not human.\n

She said the idea is to not disturb crime scenes when they are discovered, which is why it took some time to determine the remains were not human. Bradbury did describe them as “very realistic in the terms of looking like human remains”.

\n But we’ve confirmed by other means that they are not.\n

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says the government is examining introducing a minimum age of 12 to ride ebikes in the state, the strongest indication yet of where the government will land following an independent expert review.

Minns appeared this morning to cut a gold ribbon on the debut of Kyle Sandilands Live, the new digital radio show hosted by the former Kiis FM host after the cancellation of the Kyle and Jackie O Show in March.

The premier told Sandilands “I was worried for you” following the show’s cancellation, while the pair joked about running into each other recently at an ice-cream shop in the Blue Mountains. Sandilands said:

\n I thought you were a meth head because you had had the beanie on, you were you all rugged up.\n

But the conversation did turn towards policy, after Sandilands said he had bought his 11-year-old godson an ebike. The premier said the government is “examining an … age limit of 12” for ebikes.

“We haven’t finalised the details yet,” he said.

After a surge in injuries and an incident in which 40 or so e-bikes swarmed the Sydney Harbour Bridge in February, an expert review was asked to recommend an age limit of between 12 and 16, and was due to report back to the government in June.

The NSW government is rolling out a new scheme of smart rental bonds, which will allow some renters to transfer their bonds from one rental to the next when they move house.

The scheme will end the need to save up thousands of dollars for a new bond before the old one is returned, and will begin with a phased rollout for renters in Parramatta, the Central Coast or Penrith local government areas.

The scheme will ultimately be rolled out across the state by the end of the year.

Renters will be notified when a new landlord or agent lodges a bond request online. They can then choose to pay their new bond upfront or use a smart rental bond to move it to the new rental for a $25 fee.

Any difference in bond is either paid by the renter, or refunded if it is cheaper and there is no agreed claim on the bond. If the landlord at an original property makes a claim, the NSW government will pay the landlord directly and the renter will then pay the government.

The premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement:

\n Over two million people in New South Wales are renters – one of the highest proportions of the population ever living in rental accommodation.\n For a lot of renters, moving home can mean finding another $3,000 or $4,000 before you’ve even had your old bond returned. That’s a huge financial hurdle for families already doing it tough.\n Smart Rental Bonds removes that barrier by letting renters transfer their bond instead of paying for two at once.\n

The federal government is trumpeting “big benefits” from its Medicare investments, announcing bulk billing rates across the country are up nearly five percentage points since last year.

The health minister, Mark Butler, said the national bulk billing rate for the June quarter had increased to 84.1%, announcing increases in every state and territory.

Bulk billing was up 5.7% in Victoria (to 85.7%), up 6% in South Australia (82.5%), up 4.1% in NSW (87.5%) and up 13% in the Northern Territory to 90.8%.

Other states saw smaller increases, with the ACT coming in last, with bulk billing still lagging at 59.3% – by far the lowest rate nationally.

Butler said the Labor government’s Medicare investments had helped raise that rate.

“Across the country more and more GP practices are becoming fully bulk billing clinics meaning all patients need is their Medicare card, not their credit card,” he said.

Catherine King, the federal transport minister, has asked Air Services Australia to speak with her today about a “pathway forward” after two aircraft were involved in a near-miss at Sydney airport on Sunday.

The two planes, owned by Jetstar and Qatar Airways, almost collided at Sydney airport, the nation’s busiest, on Sunday morning. A Jetstar spokesperson said its plane was following instructions from air traffic control when the pilots were forced to break “firmly” when another aircraft came within “close proximity”.

Inquiries suggest a tug vehicle pulling the Qatar jet may not have followed instructions.

The incident came after delays to more than 150 flights passing through Sydney on Saturday as the airport struggled with staffing shortages.

Airservices Australia, which oversees air traffic control, was managing reduced air traffic movements and had been unable to roster enough staff for three consecutive days, the Airlines for Australia and New Zealand chief executive, Stephen Beckett, told the ABC this weekend.

King told 7 News yesterday:

\n We’re not happy. No one wants to see passengers disrupted in the way they have been.\n

That meeting is expected to happen in Canberra today, the ABC reports.

Prue Car, the NSW deputy premier, has asked the NSW Education Standards Authority (Nesa) to impose a ban on unsupervised take-home assessments during a broad review of AI’s impact on student learning.

Car said she has asked Nesa to “urgently” examine artificial intelligence and move to protect student learning amid growing evidence the technology is affecting student’s cognitive development. Half of students’ HSC result is based on school-based assessments, some of which is finished outside the classroom.

She said in a statement:

\n Artificial intelligence has enormous potential to support teaching and learning, but it should never replace the thinking, creativity, and hard work that education is designed to develop.\n The purpose of schooling extends beyond producing an assessment task. It is to build knowledge, judgment, resilience, and critical thinking over time. If students rely on AI to bypass that learning process, we risk undermining both their education and the integrity of the HSC.\n

Subject to Nesa’s advice, any interim changes would be applied from the beginning of term 4.

Good morning, and happy Monday. Here’s what’s on deck:

Catherine King, the federal minister for transport, said she has asked Air Services Australia to come and talk to her today about a “pathway forward” after two aircraft were involved in a near-miss at Sydney airport on Sunday.

And the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and former foreign minister Bob Carr will speak before a public inquiry into the Aukus submarine deal today. Stick with us.

Key events

17h agoWhat we learned today, Monday 10 August
18h ago‘Every tradie in Sydney has their wife as the director’: Icac witness questioned over fake invoices
19h agoSA premier announces royal commission into AI
20h agoAlbanese confirms amendments to gambling laws, including inducements and ads
20h agoIcac witness says his wife is having contractions
21h agoTransport minister ‘confident’ after meeting with Airservices Australia following near miss in Sydney
22h agoNSW police confirm item in suitcase a ‘life like doll’ with ‘hair and a nose piercing’
22h agoVictorian Liberals promise weekly bin collection
23h agoTanya Plibersek defends PM’s comments during podcast appearance
23h agoDrones breach restricted airspace above RAAF base near Newcastle
24h agoLaneway festival to skip Adelaide and Perth next year
1d agoAustralian faith in Aukus ‘stark staring bonkers’: Turnbull
1d agoRemains found in suitcase not human, police say
1d agoNSW premier says government is examining minimum age of 12 for ebikes
1d agoNSW begins roll out of smart rental bonds, allowing transfer of bond from one rental to the next
1d agoHealth minister says bulk billing rate has increased to 84%
1d agoFederal transport minister ‘not happy’ after near-miss between two planes at Sydney airport
1d agoNSW deputy premier asks for moratorium on take-home assessments for students amid AI review
1d agoGood morning

What we learned today, Monday 10 August

That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage for today.

Before we go, let’s take a look at what made the top headlines:

Peter Malinauskas, the South Australian premier, has announced a royal commission into artificial intelligence.
Prue Car, the NSW deputy premier, has asked the NSW Education Standards Authority to impose a ban on unsupervised take-home assessments during a broad review of AI’s impact on student learning.
Catherine King, the federal transport minister, met with Air Services Australia to about a “pathway forward” after two aircraft were involved in a near-miss at Sydney airport on Sunday.
Anthony Albanese has confirmed Labor will agree to amend its gambling legislation, promising action on inducements, as well as the targeting of advertising and how children may be exposed to ads.
The federal government is trumpeting “big benefits” from its Medicare investments, announcing bulk billing rates across the country are up nearly five percentage points since last year.
Police said what appeared to be a body found in a suitcase near Goulburn was not human – and was in fact a lifelike doll with markings resembling bruises and grazes.
Australia’s blind faith in the Aukus submarine deal is “stark staring bonkers”, the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told a public inquiry, arguing the asymmetric deal with the US and UK will likely result in no submarines at all for Australia.
The Department of Defence has confirmed it is aware of reports that multiple drones were operating near RAAF Base Williamtown and Newcastle airport.
Sad news for music fans: Laneway festival is taking a “break” from Adelaide and Perth.
The social services minister, Tanya Plibersek, has defended Anthony Albanese’s comments on a podcast after the former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami described them as “appalling” and “insulting”.

Thanks for joining us, see you bright and early tomorrow morning!

Jonathan Barrett

News Corp loses paid subscribers

News Corp’s stable of Australian newspapers has suffered a difficult 12 months, with four out of its five main mastheads losing paid subscribers, according to new company accounts.

Total paid subscribers for print and digital fell from 151,335 to 140,808 at the Daily Telegraph and 153,983 to 148,753 at the Herald Sun, according to analysis of annual figures.

Paid subscriber numbers also fell at the Courier Mail and the Advertiser.

The Rupert Murdoch-backed company did record an increase in paid subscribers at The Australian, rising from 335,903 to 341,975.

Last week, News Corp reported a slide across digital subscriptions at its Australian mastheads, erasing momentum gained in recent years.

The news division had been growing digital subscriptions in recent years amid a transition away from its reliance on a traditional newspaper base.

Andrew Hastie calls for federal parliamentary committee into AI instead of SA’s royal commission

The shadow industry minister, Andrew Hastie, has called for a federal parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence, rather than the South Australian royal commission announced today.

Hastie said he welcomed the SA premier Peter Malinauskas’ decision but believed the issue “sits within the realm of the national parliament”. Hastie said:

double quotation markI do think artificial intelligence has strategic, moral and economic implications for the Australian people. And it’s really important that we look at this from a national perspective. I think it should be a tripartisan committee that should examine the issues. Take as long as they need to ask the hard questions, take as many public submissions as possible, and see what comes of that.

Shadow minister Andrew Hastie. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

‘Every tradie in Sydney has their wife as the director’: Icac witness questioned over fake invoices

Penry Buckley

Beckington is alleged to have issued fake invoices for consulting advice for payments which in fact went to factional Liberal work.

Asked why Assaf had sought this arrangement, Greenwood said:

double quotation markI just remember having a conversation and someone used the line, ‘Every tradie in Sydney has their wife as the director.’

‘Effectively double capacity soon’: Minns hopes second airport eases travel demand

New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says he is cautiously optimistic about the opening of the state’s second airport, after days of chaos at Sydney airport.

Speaking to ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, Minns said Western Sydney international airport would increase the city’s aviation capacity when it opens to passengers in October.

double quotation markWe’ve got another airport opening soon, Western Sydney international airport, which will massively increase capacity in Sydney. I have to say, we are a little concerned if we are already stretched in our single airport or our major airport, because we are about to effectively double capacity soon.

The disruption has been attributed to air traffic controller staff shortages. Minns said the situation had highlighted the need to recruit and train more controllers at the new airport.

double quotation markI didn’t realise it was a particular concern until this weekend when so many flights were cancelled and there were revelations about these two aircraft nearly colliding. Obviously we will need to skill up and recruit a whole bunch of air traffic controllers to increase capacity in Sydney, which is going to be a huge boom for our economy and make life a lot easier for Sydney-based travellers.

NSW premier Chris Minns. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Benita Kolovos

Victorian education minister puts forward revised teachers pay offer

The Victorian education minister, Gabrielle Williams, held a press conference this afternoon after putting a revised pay offer on the table to resolve the ongoing pay dispute with public school teachers.

The new offer builds on the previous offer of a 28.3% pay increase over four years by adding a $2,000 good faith payment for all teachers, enshrining workload management protections in the EBA and expanding a 1% increase for top of the range teachers to also cover education support staff.

Victorian education minister Gabrielle Williams speaks to media on Monday, 10 August, 2026. Photograph: Christopher Hopkins/AAP

She says its an “incredibly attractive offer” and would make the state’s teachers the “best paid” in the nation. Williams went on:

double quotation markWe of course hope that our teachers and education support staff will have a close look at this offer and understand that we come to this in a good place and wanting to genuinely ensure that we respect the incredibly important work they do in setting our children up for career pathways that are fulfilling and that ultimately also bolster our economy and our community. I just want to thank all of those teachers and education support staff for being along with us on this journey as we work together to try and get a fair deal. I know there is still a process to run, and we don’t want to preempt that process. It’s important that as a government we respect the process that now has to take place.

Members will vote on the new offer early next week. They had planned to strike on 19 August.

Krishani Dhanji

No imminent Labor conscience vote on telehealth for voluntary assisted dying

Labor MPs won’t get a conscience vote when the Greens and independent MP Kate Chaney introduce a bill to allow Australians to access voluntary assisted dying through telehealth services.

It’s despite Labor’s national conference in July deciding its members would get a conscience vote on the issue.

One MP used Monday’s meeting of the Labor caucus at Parliament House to ask the health minister, Mark Butler, how MPs would be able to vote on private member’s bills on the issue.

Butler told the caucus that procedural votes – for example, on whether a non-government bill should be progressed and brought forward for a vote – would be a binding party position.

Only when Labor introduces its own bill will the caucus be allowed to vote with their conscience. Butler said that move will not be imminent.

Penry Buckley

‘We have waited four years for this’: clashes over Icac witness’s memory of invoice

Returning to the Icac’s Operation Rosny, questioning of Jeremy Greenwood has focused on Catholic Schools NSW, which is under investigation for prohibited donations allegedly arranged and approved by CEO, Dallas McInerney, including through lobbying firm Beckington, set up by Reformer Christian Ellis and Greenwood in 2019.

Asked about proposals and a $16,000 invoice for work sent by Beckington to the schools governing body for work for July 2019, before the lobbying company was formally established, Greenwood repeatedly said he could not recall what work was done.

At one point, Dwyer asked: “Who can brief this commission, given your absence of memory, as to what work was actually done … ?”

Greenwood suggested asking Ellis, or former Catholic Schools NSW communications manager, James Tudehope, who is not named in Icac’s allegations but has declined a request to give evidence after moving to New Zealand this year. Ellis has moved to the UK and is not expected to give evidence.

After Greenwood said it was “inconvenient” for him that both men were overseas, Dwyer suggested it was “inconvenient for the commission … and inconvenient for the public trying to work out why this money was being committed on a monthly basis”.

Greenwood responds: “We have waited four years for this.”

‘Fork in the road’: SA royal commission to examine how AI is used in schools and government

Following our previous post on the announcement of a royal commission into AI in South Australia, the premier, Peter Malinauskas, said the inquiry would examine “how the technology is used and deployed in our society”.

The commission will look into how AI is implemented and deployed in workplaces, government services and other sectors. Malinauskas said:

double quotation markI genuinely believe we are at a really important fork in the road where we can choose to allow this industry to come to our country and evolve in a way that is unregulated and unchecked, and we will be subject to the determinations it makes, rather than the other way around, or we can choose to set the agenda.

The commission will also focus on how young people use AI at school and across all levels of education. Malinauskas said:

double quotation markClearly we cannot afford a situation where a child comes out of school not knowing how to use AI. That would render them potentially redundant in a new modern labour market. But simultaneously we can’t have children leaving school not knowing how to do calculations for themselves without AI and getting the balance right about how AI is used in schools and how it isn’t allowed to be used in schools.

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has announced a royal commission into artificial intelligence (AI).

Malinauskas has just come back from a trip to the US, where he met AI leaders and signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI.

double quotation markThe Labor government I lead has a record of stepping up and protecting young people when it comes to social media, and this is no different. We are looking to embrace the opportunity of AI, but not in a way that leaves us with regrets.

He said the discussion should focus on “how it will be deployed in our society, which is far more consequential than where a datacentre gets built”. He said:

double quotation markNever before in human history have we contended with a world where there is something that’s smarter than us. Now we have it, and its intelligence is only going to increase at warp speed over the course of the next two years alone. That will change everything, and we need to make sure that what it changes is done on our terms for the interests of people.

Albanese confirms amendments to gambling laws, including inducements and ads

Josh Butler

We’re still chasing the particular details of what the government is onboard with, after a meeting between Albanese and Angus Taylor which the Liberals described as “very positive”.

More to come soon.

Source note

First published by The Guardian Technology

This article was supplied by The Guardian Technology through its RSS feed and formatted for Crooli Signal. The reporting remains with the original publisher.

Read the original at The Guardian Technology

What we learned today, Monday 10 August

‘Every tradie in Sydney has their wife as the director’: Icac witness questioned over fake invoices