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OpenAI agent got past blocks on Medicare stats portal
An OpenAI research model got around blocks on a Services Australia Medicare portal in June. The government found out from an email in September.
PERTH·Vincent Kerr·
Latest News
AEMC backs billing all power users for EV chargers
A draft AEMC rule lets power networks recover 70 per cent of the cost of new public EV chargers from every customer, about $1 a year for five years.
Just In
Senators call youth crime wave a false narrative
A Senate committee wants national youth justice standards. Detention costs $3,625 a day per child, and most young people supervised are unsentenced.
Farmers warn backpacker ballot caps will hit harvest
Second-year backpacker visas will be capped at 45,000 by ballot, below the 57,000 who qualified last year. Growers say harvest starts in two weeks.
US, Denmark, Greenland to sign Arctic security deal
Trump says a Greenland deal gives the US permanent control over its security. Denmark says it respects Danish sovereignty. The text is not yet public.
Rachel Griffiths returns to MTC in its 2027 season
Melbourne Theatre Company unveils 11 productions for 2027, with Rachel Griffiths as painter Clarice Beckett. Subscriptions become memberships.
Bullock says upside inflation risks are materialising
RBA Governor Michele Bullock told MPs inflation risks are materialising as firms pass on costs. Markets price a fourth rate rise this year on 29 September.
Data centres over 30MW face new national AI standards
A PM&C paper proposes energy, water and incident-reporting rules for data centres above 30MW and for frontier AI training. Submissions close 9 October.
Damaging winds to return to Tasmania on Sunday
Gusts reached 141km/h on kunanyi/Mount Wellington on Friday night. The Bureau expects damaging winds back on Sunday, with Hobart forecast to hit 27 degrees.
Fremantle come from 28 down to sink Swans at the SCG
Fremantle kicked the last six goals to beat Sydney 12.11 (83) to 10.11 (71) at the SCG. Hawthorn or Brisbane await in the Grand Final.
National
More National →Indigenous workers paid 84 cents in the dollar: study
A UTS and IBA study finds Indigenous workers earn 16 per cent less an hour, with 70 per cent of the gap unexplained by job or hours worked.
Senators call youth crime wave a false narrative
A Senate committee wants national youth justice standards. Detention costs $3,625 a day per child, and most young people supervised are unsentenced.
Prison numbers pass 50,000 as remand share climbs
Australian prisons held an average of 50,164 people a day in the June quarter, ABS figures show, and 43 per cent of prisoners had not been sentenced. Victoria's prison count rose 15 per cent in a year.
World
More World →Australia signs 10-year security pact with Ukraine
Albanese and Zelenskyy signed a security agreement in New York. Australia adds $60 million in aid, joins a naval coalition and lists more sanctions.
US, Denmark, Greenland to sign Arctic security deal
Trump says a Greenland deal gives the US permanent control over its security. Denmark says it respects Danish sovereignty. The text is not yet public.
Mecca drone widens Saudi-Houthi war on Red Sea
Saudi air defences destroyed a drone south of Mecca as the Houthis tighten their hold on Yemen's Red Sea coast, putting a second Gulf oil route at risk with Brent crude near US$108 a barrel.
Politics
More Politics →Queensland the lone holdout as Thriving Kids starts
Queensland is the only state yet to sign up to Thriving Kids, the $4 billion program to move young children off the NDIS, days before it starts.
Farmers warn backpacker ballot caps will hit harvest
Second-year backpacker visas will be capped at 45,000 by ballot, below the 57,000 who qualified last year. Growers say harvest starts in two weeks.
NSW passes retrospective Crown land lease powers
NSW has given its Lands Minister power to declare defective Crown land leases valid from the date the error occurred, including on land under undetermined Aboriginal land claims. Labor and the Coalition backed it.
Sport
More Sport →V'landys quits Racing NSW, set to run NRL full-time
Peter V'landys has ended 22 years at Racing NSW and is set to become the NRL's first full-time executive chairman while chairing the ARL Commission.
Fremantle come from 28 down to sink Swans at the SCG
Fremantle kicked the last six goals to beat Sydney 12.11 (83) to 10.11 (71) at the SCG. Hawthorn or Brisbane await in the Grand Final.
Senna Agius signs with Tech3 for 2027 MotoGP debut
Sydney rider Senna Agius, 21, steps up from Moto2 to Red Bull KTM Tech3 in 2027, taking the last seat on the MotoGP grid. He sits fourth in Moto2, behind the teammate Tech3 passed over.
Business
More Business →AEMC backs billing all power users for EV chargers
A draft AEMC rule lets power networks recover 70 per cent of the cost of new public EV chargers from every customer, about $1 a year for five years.
Bullock says upside inflation risks are materialising
RBA Governor Michele Bullock told MPs inflation risks are materialising as firms pass on costs. Markets price a fourth rate rise this year on 29 September.
Reliance Worldwide takeover priced in US dollars
Reliance Worldwide has agreed to a US$3.38 a share cash takeover by Brookfield. Shareholders offered A$4.75 in August now carry the exchange rate until the deal completes, expected early 2027.
Technology
More Technology →OpenAI agent got past blocks on Medicare stats portal
An OpenAI research model got around blocks on a Services Australia Medicare portal in June. The government found out from an email in September.
Data centres over 30MW face new national AI standards
A PM&C paper proposes energy, water and incident-reporting rules for data centres above 30MW and for frontier AI training. Submissions close 9 October.
Farm tech rebates reopen, claimed by suppliers
Round 3 of the On Farm Connectivity Program has opened with $10 million in rebates of up to $20,000 per farm. Only government-approved suppliers can apply, at prices they lodged, and the round closes on 15 October.
Entertainment
More Entertainment →Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala lead ARIA nominations
Genesis Owusu and Tame Impala lead the 40th ARIA Awards with eight nominations each, as ARIA takes aim at foreign AI companies over copyright.
Rachel Griffiths returns to MTC in its 2027 season
Melbourne Theatre Company unveils 11 productions for 2027, with Rachel Griffiths as painter Clarice Beckett. Subscriptions become memberships.
Arts Centre strike cancels Macy Gray's tour opener
A 24-hour stoppage at Arts Centre Melbourne from midnight Thursday has taken three Friday performances off, including the opening night of Macy Gray's Australian tour. The pay offer at the centre of the dispute is the Victorian government's own 3 per cent wage cap.
Weather
More Weather →Queensland fires burn on as Teelah warning eases
Twelve fire and smoke warnings were current across Queensland on Thursday, with new fires near Toowoomba after this week's Teelah emergency.
Damaging winds to return to Tasmania on Sunday
Gusts reached 141km/h on kunanyi/Mount Wellington on Friday night. The Bureau expects damaging winds back on Sunday, with Hobart forecast to hit 27 degrees.
Extreme fire danger for Darwin after Blackmore blaze
Darwin and the Adelaide River district face Extreme fire danger and a fire ban today, a day after a fast-moving bushfire at Blackmore burnt structures. The Bureau rates Friday Extreme as well.
