Anthony Albanese has told the UN general assembly that “retaining sovereignty must have a digital dimension” as he spruiked his teen social media ban, opt out algorithm and AI statement.
asserted
he → tell → statement
In a speech to the coalition for children’s rights and protections in the age of AI, in New York, the prime minister said Australian parents were legally empowered by the digital safety reform.
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parents → say → reform
The conversations they have had together confirm the common concerns they have about their children, that social media is robbing them of their childhood, addicting them to algorithms [and] encouraging anxieties, eating disorders and other harms.
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media → have → anxieties
Albanese said he wanted Australian children to “be playing football or netball, making music or reading books, finding friends face to face”.
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children → say → face
Put simply, we must give children back their childhood.
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we → put → childhood
Albanese also spoke of AI risks, including the “exploitation of children, the potential to enable biological weapons, or even the loss of control of AI systems themselves”.
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Albanese → speak → systems
In this digital age, retaining sovereignty must have a digital dimension.
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retaining → retain → dimension
It comes after the prime minister signed a declaration with 20 other world leaders urging safeguards over AI, including maintaining human control over the rapidly evolving technology.
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minister → come → technology
Donald Trump has lashed out at countries seeking to rein in artificial intelligence, even suggesting the technology’s name should be changed to lessen anxieties, Australian Associated Press reports.
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Press → lash → anxieties
Trump’s broadside came at an awkward moment for Anthony Albanese after he urged further safeguards against AI the day before, and as his government was warned about “censorship” by the Trump administration over plans to curb the algorithms of big tech.
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government → come → tech
In an address to the UN general Assembly overnight, the US president said AI should be renamed as “super intelligence”, rejecting calls for further protections for it.
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AI → say → it
He said AI had a potential to be bigger than the Industrial Revolution or the internet.
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AI → say → Revolution
The use of the world artificial makes intelligence sound fake.
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intelligence → make → world
It is not fake, it’s actually amazing,
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it → ’ → ?
The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of.
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States → reject → intelligence
He said the use of the technology should be actively encouraged, instead of being curtailed.
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use → say → technology
Trump has previously expressed concerns about AI were a hoax and limiting its growth would cause America to cede ground to China.
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America → express → China
The comments come a day after Albanese joined more than 20 other countries urging greater oversight for AI.
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Albanese → come → AI
'Culture of secrecy' at Four Corners criticised by watchdog
A culture of secrecy and inadequate factchecking at the ABC’s leading investigative program has been criticised by an independent watchdog, Australian Associated Press reports.
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Press → criticise → watchdog
The ABC ombudsman yesterday found two episodes of the Four Corners program led by a bikie turned journalist had breached editorial standards.
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episodes → find → standards
Mahmood Fazal was sacked in May and has denied any wrongdoing after questions were raised regarding the anonymous sources used in the Cocaine Nation and Meth Highway episodes aired during 2023 and 2024.
uncertain
questions → sack → 2023
Both were removed by the ABC due to accuracy concerns.
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Both → remove → concerns
ABC chair Kim Williams elevated the allegations to ombudsman Fiona Cameron who found the national broadcaster had failed to meet its own editorial standards for accuracy, fair and honest dealing, and independence and integrity.
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broadcaster → elevate → accuracy
Audiences were given a misleading impression of who key contributors were, alleges the report from Cameron.
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report → give → Cameron
In both episodes, a masked figure who purportedly dealt cocaine to Sydney’s elite was featured.
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who → deal → elite
Media Watch later reported Sydney-based rapper Charissa Habkouk played the role as a favour to Fazal.
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Habkouk → report → Fazal
Cameron confirmed this was “materially misleading” to the audience recommended a full investigation in the use of anonymous and confidential sources.
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this → confirm → sources
Crackdown on big money donations to parties, Grattan Institute says
Krishani Dhanji
Major parties should get less money to spend at elections, and new independents should get drastically more, says the Grattan Institute, urging a rethink of donation caps to prevent an election spending “arms race”.
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Institute → say → race
Labor and the Coalition negotiated a new set of donation laws that independents called a “stitch up”, giving major parties a cap of $90 million each to spend, and placing a per-electorate cap of $800,000.
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independents → negotiate → 800,000
A new Grattan Institute report says the major party cap should be more than halved, to to $40 million.
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cap → say → million
It argues the $800,000 seat cap should remain for incumbents and established-party candidates, but new entrants should get an extra 50% to spend.
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entrants → argue → %
Grattan says the Australian Electoral Commission and Australian Bureau of Statistics spend around $30m on big campaigns such as getting Australians to enrol to vote – so they argue $40m for big parties is pretty generous.
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m → say → parties
And to give you a sense of what $90m buys - Clive Palmer spent $89m during the 2019 election.
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Palmer → give → election
The report says:
Big-money elections mean politicians spend more time and effort on fundraising, and political parties become reliant on major donors to fund their campaigns.
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parties → say → campaigns
This creates fertile conditions for wealthy interests to have undue influence over policy making.
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interests → create → making
Capping electoral expenditure puts a ceiling on money in politics.
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Capping → cap → politics
Political parties collectively declared almost half a billion dollars in expenditure in the year leading up to the 2025 federal election.
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parties → declare → election
They declared expenditure of more than $400 million in the lead-up to both the 2022 and 2019 federal elections as well.
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They → declare → elections
Under the government’s newly legislated rules, the tax payer funding for parties increased from $3.38 for every first preference vote for parties and independents that achieved at least 4% of votes, to $5 - which Grattan argues won’t be necessary if the overall spending cap was reduced, saving public money.
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cap → legislate → money
I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.
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it → ’m → action
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
