☕️ Australia's proposed new AI standards

For those who have been up since 5am watching the England v Argentina World Cup semi-final, I hope your nails are ok.

If anyone is in the mood for something with a little more action (am I allowed to say that, football fans?) Christopher Nolan’s new film, Odyssey, is released today in Australian cinemas. Despite its 2 hours and 52 minutes watch time, all reviews say every single frame is spectacular. Get the extra large, extra buttery, popcorn ready!

The quote: “We’ve been behaving as if we have to choose between dignity and fiscal responsibility. As if independence, meaning and connection in older age, in our homes, in our communities, is somehow in tension with economic outcomes.” Outgoing Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown speaking to the National Press Club on Wednesday, calling for changes to boost the efficiency of the current system.

The stat: 534kg. The amount of cocaine found hidden inside a Sydney shipping container earlier this week. The Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force have asked the public for any information relating to the drugs.

The big question:

Yesterday’s results: 61% of you told TDA you are currently saving up for a holiday, while 39% of you aren’t. Thanks for voting - your responses inform TDA's journalism and research. [1,734 votes].

Together with AAP.

Got an original song? Entries for the ACMF National Songwriting Competition are now open - with $30,000 up for grabs!

Since 2002, the Australian Children's Music Foundation has delivered over 260,000 free music lessons to disadvantaged kids, and now every Australian school student, Kindy to Year 12, can enter. Prizes include a $10,000 SongMakers workshop and studio time at AIM. Entries are free - get yours in before midnight on Monday September 21.

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

The highest-paid CEO among Australia’s 200 biggest listed companies earned almost 450 times more than the median Australian worker last financial year.

A report comparing CEO pay across the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) 200 found Life360 CEO Chris Hulls topped the list, taking home $47.7 million in the past financial year.

Meanwhile, the average ASX 100 CEO earned more than $6 million, an increase of around 10% from the previous year.

Annually, the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) publishes a report on the pay of CEOs of the ASX200 companies.

They look at realised pay, which is the total value an employee receives before tax, including salary and bonuses.

To compare these wages with the average person, using the median salary is the most accurate measure. The median is the middle value of a set of numbers, while averages can be skewed by the highest and lowest numbers in the set.

In the 2025 financial year, CEOs of U.S-based companies took five of the top 10 spots.

“It’s the first time in the history of this study that we’ve seen ‘outsiders’ take half of the top ten spots,” ACSI CEO Louise Davidson said.

However, this does not necessarily mean the CEOs themselves are American. For example, News Corp CEO Robert Thomson is Australian.

Reporting by Emily Donohoe.

🎧 On today’s TDA podcast, co-founder Zara and editor-in-chief Billi talk about the four women and girls killed in a week. Listen or watch on Apple here, Spotify here, or YouTube here.

🎬 Is Disney’s “live-action” remake era over? Sign up to TDA Culture here to find out more at 5pm today.

🎂 Moonpig's new survey found 1 in 3 Aussies have been on the receiving end of a regifted candle, a dodgy Insta tag or a last-minute cancellation. Do it better - 50% off personalised cards and gifts with code BDAY50, ends 31 August.

^{Transparency: This is a sponsored part of the newsletter - the best way to keep the newsletter free for you.}

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new set of “Australian standards” for AI, and a dedicated “Office of AI” in his own Government department.

The new standards would need to be legislated, and if they pass Parliament, it would require AI data centres to generate as much power as they use, and minimise water usage.

The Government has also promised the strongest possible copyright protections for Australian artists.

It comes days after Anthropic (the company behind Claude) said its $21.6 billion investment plan in Australia depends on getting clarity on copyright.

Until now, Australia’s approach to AI has been split across the Government, with different ministers handling different parts: energy, copyright, productivity, workplaces, schools, defence.

Albanese said AI “touches on the work of every minister and department,” so the Government’s response had so far been “issue by issue, sector by sector”.

Now, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) will have an Office of AI to “bring together the work that Ministers across Government are undertaking”. It will work with ministers to design the new standards.

The Government announced expectations for data centres in March, which it is now incorporating into the standards.

Albanese said the next generation of large data centres will have to be “net generators, not net users” of energy, funding their own grid connection so “no costs are passed on to homes or businesses.” They’ll also have to minimise their water use and pay for any extra water infrastructure needed.

Australian artists have long raised concerns about whether foreign companies who invest in AI data centres here might get an exemption from copyright law to train their systems.

On Wednesday, Albanese said: “No company should use Australian creative works to train AI without the artist’s control.” He emphasised that artists should have control of “the price and value of their work,” and that Australia would work to have “the strongest copyright protections” in this area.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge called the Office of AI “another door inside the PM’s office for tech lobbyists to knock on,” rather than an “independent regulator with strong statutory powers”.

On the other hand, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said he was concerned Australia can’t “make the most of AI” through “more bureaucracy”.

A spokesperson for Anthropic said the company takes its “responsibility to meet the terms set out by the Australian Government” seriously.

Albanese will seek agreement on the new standards from premiers and chief ministers at next month’s National Cabinet meeting.

The Government aims to bring legislation to Parliament “early next year”.

Until then, the detail of exactly how the standards will work, including how artists get paid, is still being worked out.

Reporting by Elliot Lawry.

Want to get more out of your internet connection? Your in-home set-up might just need a quick check.

Before you assume it’s your connection, it helps to know that a lot of everyday frustration can come down to your in-home setup - from your Wi-Fi router’s age to where it’s placed. 

A few simple changes could help things run more smoothly. nbn is here to help you get more from your internet, with practical tips to improve your setup. 

It’s a career best for the 27-year-old and the first time since Lleyton Hewitt in 2009 that an Australian man has been ranked in the top five. De Minaur’s change in rankings was confirmed this week following the conclusion of Wimbledon, where he was beaten in the round of 16 - a result he described as “gut-wrenching”. De Minaur is the seventh Australian man to have held a top five ranking. (Also, he got married this week!)

Reporting by George Finlayson.

Goldfish in Argentina have been officially recognised as sentient beings with rights, rather than objects.

According to local media and CNN, a Buenos Aires court ruled that two goldfish, Fede and Magui, were being kept in unsuitable conditions in a restaurant display tank and ordered they be moved to a proper home.

The decision means goldfish can now be treated as victims of mistreatment under the law. Fede and Magui are now thriving in their new tank.

Reporting by Pavitra Ravi.