Calls at the United Nations for guardrails around artificial intelligence after Medicare hack; More details emerge on the officer who died in a Sydney police pursuit earlier today; South Australia to oppose a lawsuit over MotoGP in Adelaide.
TRANSCRIPT:
- Calls at the United Nations for guardrails around artificial intelligence after Medicare hack.
- More details emerge on the officer who died in a Sydney police pursuit earlier today.
- South Australia to oppose a lawsuit over MotoGP in Adelaide.
Australia's Prime Minister has called for guardrails around artificial intelligence during his speech to the United Nations, following the breach of the Medicare website by an AI agent.
The incident occurred on 18 June, when an OpenAI agent infiltrated the public-facing Medicare Statistics Reporting Service portal, which holds aggregate data about health spending and drug subsidies.
The government has already formed a taskforce to investigate the breach, and Cabinet Minister Murray Watt says the matter may be potentially referred to the Australian Federal Police, if it is possible.
In New York, Anthony Albanese has said in his speech that Australia is working on creating standards to ensure that AI will work and deliver for people — and not the other way around.
"We can't ignore AI or prevent it, and it's why we joined with other nations this week to call for action to shape artificial intelligence development, rather than be passively shaped by it."
.
Angus Taylor has criticised the PM as his New York visit continues, accusing Anthony Albanese of ignoring fuel prices at home.
The Opposition leader says the Coalition had earlier proposed a cut to the fuel excise tax whenever oil prices are sustained at more than $140 a barrel.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told the UN General Assembly that the broader conflict in the Middle East has had a devastating impact on the global economy.
Mr Taylor says the PM has his priorities out of order.
"What we see is a prime minister swanning around New York, getting his global citizen of the year award, hanging out with the United Nations, instead of looking at and seeing the pain that Australians are feeling at the bowser and struggling to make ends meet... Get real, mate. Get back here and cut the price of fuel."
.
France's new ambassador to Australia has spoken out on the diplomatic rift that developed when the federal government cancelled a key submarine contract five years ago.
Australia walked away from the multi-billion-dollar deal to join the AUKUS pact, prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to accuse then Prime Minister Scott Morrison of dishonesty.
Ambassador David Martinon says the submarine dispute is no longer an issue for France and was not raised during discussions this week between the two countries' defence ministers.
He has told SBS French that the relationship between Australia and France is a good one and is focused on the common priorities they share.
"The short answer would be, it’s strong, it’s getting stronger, and I’m here to make sure that it gets even stronger. And it is exactly as it should be between two neighbours of the Pacific and of the Indian Ocean."
.
Authorities say the police officer killed in Sydney earlier today when her patrol vehicle crashed into a tree during a pursuit had been in the force for just 16 months.
The officer has been identified as 20-year-old constable Mia Lay.
New South Wales Police say a probe is underway into the circumstances of the accident, and that support is being offered to Ms Lay's partner, understood to also be a serving officer.
Commissioner Mal Lanyon says her loss highlights the dangers of the job that police have to perform.
"As police officers, we understand the risk of what we do. We put our lives in the way for the safety of the community. To prevent crime and to make sure the community is safe. Terribly, on some of those days, police officers pay the ultimate sacrifice."
.
Google has announced plans to run the first test of AI chips in space.
The technology giant says it will launch a prototype satellite next week to test what is known as Project Suncatcher, in a bid to determine if space can potentially host large-scale AI computing infrastructure.
Companies including SpaceX and Starcloud are pursuing plans to deploy data centres in low Earth orbit, aiming to harness near-continuous sunlight to power energy-intensive AI computing.
The testing is seen as crucial because space radiation can disrupt or degrade electronics.
.
To sport, South Australia's government says it will oppose a lawsuit that's been filed over building works for the MotoGP in Adelaide.
The suit is seeking an injunction against construction of the track for the race, due to take place in Adelaide in 2027.
South Australia's Attorney General Kyam Maher has confirmed in a statement that the government will oppose the application, filed by Joshua Hogan on 18 September in the Queensland registry.
While Premier Peter Malinauskas has praised the MotoGP as an event that will be great socially and economically for the state, there's been significant opposition to the site in Adelaide, where hundreds of trees are expected to be cut down to make way for the event facilities.
