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Australia

The latest headlines from Australia.

Live Technology 🇦🇺 Australia

Anthropic will not appear at Senate inquiry into AI and datacentres amid fallout from OpenAI hack

Company behind Claude chatbot expected to attend separate Australian government hearing on AI next weekGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe chief executive of Anthropic will turn down an invitation to appear at a Senate committee hearing on AI this week, in the wake of the revelation that OpenAI agents had breached Australian government websites.However, the company will make an appearance before another committee early next week.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s Politic…

The Guardian World ·

Live World 🇦🇺 Australia

Victoria police apologise over death of injured man taken to cells instead of hospital

Inquest into 2023 death shown footage of John Makai struggling to stand after suffering serious head injury from being punched in head by sonFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastVictorian police have apologised to the family of a man who died after being held for five hours in a police cell without medical treatment for a significant head injury.John Makai, a 58-year-old father of 10, died in 2023 from serious head traum…

The Guardian World ·

Live World 🇦🇺 Australia

Beau Lamarre-Condon told friend if he killed anyone he’d dump belongings in bin and take bodies to bushland, court hears

Former police officer has pleaded not guilty to murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies in early 2024 – nine months after discussion with friend Georgia CookFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastA Sydney police officer told a friend he would hide the bodies of anyone he killed in bushland and put their belongings in a dumpster, months before allegedly murdering Jesse Baird and Luke Davies, a court has heard.Beau Lamarre-Con…

The Guardian World ·

Live World 🇦🇺 Australia

Free the Strip! Melburnians fight back against outlawing of much-loved picnic spot

A council ban on drinking on the median strip in Canning Street, Carlton, sparks a peaceful protest featuring punch bowls, chips and laughterGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt looked like a typical spring evening on Melbourne’s Canning Street when a few dozen picnickers gathered on the grassy median strip on Friday, with drinks in hand.People in one group who’d come with a full alfresco setting chattered as they ladled punch out of a glass bowl on a wooden table, set w…

The Guardian World ·

Live Environment 🇦🇺 Australia

‘Robust little’ vessel begins treacherous 22,000km journey around Antarctica in the name of climate science

Powered by sun and wind, the uncrewed vehicle will collect data to help Australian scientists better understand how oceans absorb emissionsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA small uncrewed vessel has embarked on a lap around Antarctica and may not return for months.The seven-metre craft, which looks like a large kayak in hi-vis orange, is expected to travel about 22,000km through inhospitable waters, propelled by powerful westerly winds and energy from the sun. The jour…

The Guardian World ·

Live World 🇦🇺 Australia

NSW crackdown on ‘AI-doctored’ real estate listings hits mural-covered wall

Apartment with strange view singled out in government’s fight against deceptive ads – but real estate agent says photo is no fakeGet our new political email, free app or daily news podcastThe New South Wales government’s crackdown on “AI-doctored” rental listings has hit a wall, after it made an example of a supposedly manipulated ad that turned out to be a genuine photograph of a $5,000 courtyard mural of Bondi beach.In a media release on Friday announcing protections against misleading rental…

The Guardian World ·

Business 🇦🇺 Australia

Pocock calls for AI safety act after Medicare breach – as it happened

This blog is now closedGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAI hack of Medicare exposes Australia’s vulnerabilitiesTechnology experts have warned revelations an artificial intelligence agent hacked Medicare’s internal systems will not be the only dangerous breach of government data and have called for Australia to boost its protections against the growing risk.Frontier AI now has capability to expose those vulnerabilities at a rate quicker than we can keep up, quicker than…

The Guardian World ·