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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻

@its-tom-williams.bsky.social
480 followers 657 following 456 posts

Technology journalist at @information-age.bsky.social 💻 Formerly at ABC News. Got a tip-off?💡 tomwilliams.contact@protonmail.com

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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Apple announced its first-ever home hub smart display the HomeView on Wednesday, while also unveiling a line of home security devices which will not be available in Australia at launch. Details here: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Apple unveils HomeView smart hub and home security devices
But it's not all coming to Australia at launch.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
David Harrison @trawg.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
If there's anything I've learned from buying Chromebooks for the last ~5 years, there's basically no point buying these at RRP - if you wait a few weeks they will be on sale, often at massive discount. I assume the same will be true for Googlebooks. Just wait for the sales at retail.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 13/10/2026
Would be a real shame to lose one of our supercomputers, which supports a lot of research, incl. a lot of astronomy research. Setonix, along with ASKAP, were used to make beautiful images like this: www.spaceaustralia.com/news/setonix... 📸 W. Raja (CSIRO)/P. Elahi (Pawsey Supercomputing)
black and white radio image of a spherical bubble-like structure that is clumpy. This is a supernova remnant.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Australia's most powerful supercomputer Setonix could see "a winding down and a closure" if the nation's Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre does not receive a significant funding boost for a replacement as technology costs skyrocket, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
ia.acs.org.au
Australia's top supercomputer may see 'closure' if not replaced
Government faces 'critical decision' on Setonix, inquiry hears.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
New from me: Australians will be asked to pay twice as much as their American counterparts when Acer launches its new Googlebook laptop in Australia this November, in what a local technology analyst says is an "unprecedented" retail markup. ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australians to pay double for Acer's Googlebook laptop
Computing giant defends 'unprecedented' local pricing.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Both Amazon and Australian data centre company Firmus were expected to take part in today's hearing of the joint select committee into AI in Melbourne, but are no longer listed and are not appearing. Here are Thursday's original and updated hearing schedules:
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Here are the details on OpenAI, which said it "fell short" in its responses to internal AI agents accessing non-public data in Australian government websites:
ia.acs.org.au
OpenAI grilled over rogue agents by Australian inquiry
AI giant admits its initial responses 'fell short'.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
He did admit that Anthropic has "much less visibility into what is happening" with its enterprise customers, as the company doesn't keep copies of their AI interactions. "We've been working toward retaining more data, so that we can run investigations if we need to," he said.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Anthropic's safeguards chief Dave Orr has told Australia's joint select comittee on AI the company "have not found any cases where [its AI] interacted with Australian government systems in some sort of unauthorised way". "We haven't found anything like this, and we have looked." OpenAI is up next
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
@atlassian.bsky.social CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes says there is "logical sense" behind the Australian software giant's decision to shift its information technology teams under the direction of its human resources chief. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Atlassian's CEO on why his IT team now reports to HR
Mike Cannon-Brookes explains company's 'unusual' structure.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google are all set to appear before the joint select committee on AI in Sydney on Tuesday afternoon, with OpenAI expected to face a grilling. Here's the full day's schedule:
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New from me: The international boom in artificial intelligence and data centres is contributing to ongoing inflation in the Australian economy, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday after raising interest rates to a 15-year high.
ia.acs.org.au
How the AI boom is worsening Australia's inflation problem
Reserve Bank cites price increases in tech while hiking interest rates.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A Queensland government department responsible for leading the state's cybersecurity efforts has revealed it lost around $800,000 during a cyberattack in the last financial year. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
QLD cybersecurity department loses $800k in cyberattack
Third-party service was 'misused' for financial gain.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New from me: The international boom in artificial intelligence and data centres is contributing to ongoing inflation in the Australian economy, the Reserve Bank said on Tuesday after raising interest rates to a 15-year high.
ia.acs.org.au
How the AI boom is worsening Australia's inflation problem
Reserve Bank cites price increases in tech while hiking interest rates.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A controversial $1.2 billion data centre planned in Sydney's north just 20 metres from the nearest home has been formally withdrawn by developer Goodman Group, following pressure from the local community and a parliamentary inquiry. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Controversial Sydney data centre plan scrapped
Developer Goodman relents after community backlash.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
👀 PS. Are you a technology worker in Australia who's struggling to find a job? If you're interested in sharing your experience, or just want to vent, drop me a line by secure email: tomwilliams.contact@protonmail.com
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New from me: The recruitment rate of Australia's information technology (IT) industry fell "well below" the all-industry average in the last financial year, new government analysis shows. ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australian IT recruitment falls 'well below' other industries
Hiring slows and competition remains high, govt report finds.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
How long until we hear about an Anthropic version of this? 🤔🤔🤔🤔
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Australia's federal and state governments should enact moratoriums on data centre development until Canberra implements its planned national standards for such digital infrastructure, Sydney and Melbourne councils have told a parliamentary inquiry while citing "significant concerns" for residents.
ia.acs.org.au
Councils push for data centre pause amid 'significant concerns'
Governments urged to halt developments ahead of national standards.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New from me: Google detailed its first Googlebook laptops on Tuesday, confirming the cheapest of the five models being manufactured by prominent computer brands will not be available in Australia. Details here: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australia won't get Google's cheapest Googlebook laptop
Lineup's local pricing and availability confirmed.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Australia should allow frontier AI firms such as America's Anthropic and OpenAI to train their models locally as "a matter of urgency" so the government can gain "access and influence" over leading AI systems and protect national security, federal departments and agencies say.
ia.acs.org.au
'Matter of urgency': Govt wants frontier AI training in Australia
Cyber chief pushes US firms Anthropic and OpenAI.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Got to try the iPhone Duo today. The engineering on the hinge and display is impressive, and it has a satisfying *clap* when you close it. But starting from $3,499 in Australia (in this economy?!), it’ll be interesting to see how many people actually part with their cash when it’s out in October.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The federal government is considering allowing AI companies to use copyrighted Australian material for training by default as it works to attract investment from American tech giants, according to confidential documents tabled in parliament this week. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Government's secret AI copyright proposals exposed
Labor considers allowing training on local content.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
New: Major artificial intelligence firms "want to pass cartel-like policy" to protect their own interests amid calls for AI development to be slowed to prevent potential harm, former OpenAI executive Zack Kass says. Story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
AI giants 'want cartel-like policy', former OpenAI exec says
Zack Kass calls coordinated safety efforts 'a very hard problem'.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New from me: Australians can expect to ask their own personal AI agents to complete tax returns and access government services for them in the future, officials from the Australian Taxation Office and Services Australia said on Monday. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
'Can you do my tax?': ATO, Services Australia prep for AI agents
Aussies will use agentic tech to access key services, officials say.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New: Australia "cannot meet" its needs for technology workers and skills without supporting skilled migration, science and technology industry bodies told a parliamentary inquiry on Friday. Read their comments here: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australia 'cannot meet' tech demand without skilled migration
Industry bodies issue warnings to parliamentary inquiry.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New: Apple raised prices across its new and existing iPhone models on Thursday, while unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo. The company's highly anticipated iPhone Duo will start at $3,499 for 256GB of storage in Australia.
ia.acs.org.au
Apple unveils foldable iPhone Duo, hikes prices across lineup
New flagship smartphone starts at $3,499 in Australia.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Australia's education minister says the increasing prevalence of technology is largely to blame for high school students' maths and reading scores falling to their lowest point on record, leading him to suggest local students need a "good digital detox". Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Govt blames technology as student scores hit record low
Education minister calls for a 'good digital detox'.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The upcoming Sam Altman / OpenAI movie from Luca Guadagnino looks so damn dark. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDZp...
youtube.com
Artificial - Official Teaser Trailer - In Theaters Christmas Day
YouTube video by NEON
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the government’s draft 'digital duty of care' legislation is “not about censorship” but “about giving people control themselves, over what they see”. Full story on @information-age.bsky.social: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
'Digital duty of care' to let Aussies opt out of social media algorithms
Government details long-awaited draft legislation.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
New from me: Australian AI experts @tobywalsh.bsky.social and Dr Rebecca Johnson have questioned the validity of OpenAI president Greg Brockman’s claim that "the AGI era" has begun with the American company’s latest state-of-the-art model, GPT‑6 Astra. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
OpenAI says 'the AGI era' is here. Experts disagree
Australian specialists respond to GPT-6 Astra's unveiling.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Corporate workers at Uber in Australia are among roughly 3,300 roles being cut by the rideshare giant, as it scales back its global workforce by around 10 per cent. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australian Uber staff cut as 3,300 jobs slashed
Rideshare giant trims 10% of global corporate workforce.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Apple’s new chief executive John Ternus says the technology giant has “incredible products” in the works as he takes over the top job from its longtime CEO, Tim Cook. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Apple's new CEO John Ternus teases 'incredible' devices
Chief executive officially takes over from Tim Cook.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
New from me: Sydney’s Macquarie University has denied replacing two in-person classes with an artificial intelligence chatbot, after a media report claimed the institution had done so. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Macquarie Uni denies swapping in-person classes with AI
Sydney institution says its chatbot 'does not' replace teaching.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The Australian government’s industry department is no longer measuring its performance towards a federal Labor goal of 1.2 million workers in technology-related jobs by 2030, as a sector slowdown continues. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
1.2m tech job target pulled from government KPIs
Department ditches reporting measure as sector slows.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
New: Australians will gain the right to have their personal information deleted from large online platforms such as search engines and social media apps, under draft privacy legislation released by the federal government on Monday. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Australians to gain 'right to erasure' under privacy reforms
Social media, search engines targeted in draft laws.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The federal government’s plan for national data centre energy rules will not force Queensland and the Northern Territory to mandate the use of renewable energy, after PM Anthony Albanese appeared to give up ground during what he called a “constructive” national cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
ia.acs.org.au
PM gives ground on data centre renewable energy plan
Queensland, NT claim victory in national cabinet showdown.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Actually Apple just released a new polishing cloth at a lower price, so it’s now around 2,200! www.apple.com/au/shop/prod...
apple.com
Polishing Cloth
Made with soft, non-abrasive material, the Polishing Cloth cleans any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively. Buy now.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
In case you're wondering how much a fully spec'd version of Apple's new Mac Studio will cost in Australia - it's $28,699 😮 That's with an M5 Ultra, extra CPU/GPU cores, 256GB of RAM, and 16TB of storage. An even more expensive option is coming too, with a 512GB RAM option "coming late October".
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The “uncertainty” of the job market in Australia’s increasingly AI-driven economy has been factored into a worker’s personal injury claim, in reportedly the first case of its kind. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
AI jobs 'uncertainty' sees worker's injury payout rise
First known Australian case of disruption being priced in.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Keith Urban just wants to verify my Microsoft 365 account.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
New from me: Australia is losing skilled technology workers amid a slowing down of the federal government’s visa processing for migrants with IT qualifications, industry bodies told a parliamentary inquiry in Melbourne on Friday. Full story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Skilled migrant visas 'slowing down actively in IT'
Australian tech bodies raise concerns to parliamentary inquiry.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Apple appears to have accidentally confirmed the existence of an unreleased new model of its AirPods earphones with built-in cameras, with a video showing the long-rumoured device appearing in beta code released by the tech giant on Tuesday. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Apple video accidentally leaks AirPods with cameras
Other unreleased products also listed in beta code.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Breaking: Information Age understands more than 1.5 million total records were potentially involved in a Quest data breach involving a third-party provider. Details here: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Quest Apartment Hotels confirms data breach
More than 1.5 million records potentially involved.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
RMIT's @tjthomson.bsky.social tells me he doesn't believe AI text watermarks will change ordinary people's use of LLMs for basic tasks "at this early stage". But those with expertise may try to "cover their tracks and game the system" by editing text to weaken the mark, or they'll use other models.
ia.acs.org.au
Anthropic's Claude to watermark AI-generated text
OpenAI also agrees to transparency rules for ChatGPT.
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Reposted by Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻
Information Age @information-age.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Google unveiled its Pixel 11 line of smartphones on Thursday, increasing the starting cost of its latest devices in Australia and many other regions, and reducing RAM on some models as memory chip shortages continue to bite. Read more: ia.acs.org.au/article/2026...
ia.acs.org.au
Google hikes prices, trims RAM on Pixel 11 line
Memory chip shortage strikes again.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
New from me: Elon Musk's X has won a lawsuit it brought against Australia's eSafety Commissioner after the Federal Court found on Wednesday that the company does not need to follow a new safety standard for harmful online content. Details on @information-age.bsky.social:
ia.acs.org.au
X wins lawsuit against Australia's eSafety Commissioner
Musk's platform claims victory in content rules dispute.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New: Australia's technology workforce has shrunk for the very first time, according to the latest ACS 'Australia's Digital Pulse' report, released today. It calls for more workers to join the sector and for greater government investment in AI skills and training.
ia.acs.org.au
Australia's tech workforce shrinks for first time
More workers and AI skills needed, Digital Pulse report finds.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Quick reminder that this isn’t the only data breach we’ve seen from Origin Energy recently. An employee allegedly emailed customer card details to their personal email address last year, supposedly after they were sacked. Story: ia.acs.org.au/article/2025...
ia.acs.org.au
Origin Energy confirms data breach involving credit cards
Employee allegedly stole customer payment details.
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Tom Williams, tech journo 👨‍💻 @its-tom-williams.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
After the PM's big AI speech yesterday, I hassled a few experts in the room for their initial reactions. While they all welcomed the government's new 'Office of AI', they did have some concerns. 🤔 Thanks to UNSW's @suekeay.bsky.social, USyd's @kimweatherall.bsky.social, and ARM Hub's Cori Stewart.
ia.acs.org.au
Govt to introduce AI, data centre laws in policy pivot
Experts seek detail on Albanese's plan for national standards.
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