From 19m agoKey events19m agoGood morningFilters BETAKey events (1)Australia (3)Labor (3)17 Mar 202416.50 EDT
Queensland is under federal scrutiny after state Labor’s worst byelection results in decades.
Surprising losses to LNP and Greens in Queensland elections serve as a warning for Labor ahead of October pollRead more
The upcoming general election in October is expected to favor LNP, potentially leading to its third Queensland government since 1989, according to the polls.
Share9m ago16.41 EDT
David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie will be holding an early morning press conference to discuss the PPL agreement they have made with the government (Sarah reported on it just a few posts down)
Share19m ago16.32 EDT
The impact of generative AI on the search industry will be put under the microscope in the competition regulator’s next digital platforms inquiry.
The next installment, announced on Monday, will look at how internet search is changing, and the state of competition between internet search services in Australia.
The review will consider whether choice screens – which allow users to choose which search site to use in their browser – have had an impact overseas, and whether generative AI is changing the way people search online.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said:
Significant changes have occurred since the ACCC last examined search services in 2021. We’ve seen new laws introduced overseas that place obligations on so-called gatekeeper search engines and the emergence of new technologies, like generative AI, that have changed the way consumers search for information online and may be impacting the quality of the service they are receiving.
The ACCC wants to understand the impact of these developments on general search
services and ultimately, how they affect competition and consumers.
The regulator had previously reviewed general search and browser competition in 2021. The government in-principle supported recommendations for a mandatory code for consumer choice in these products but the issue has not advanced further.
People can make submissions to the inquiry by 17 April, 2024.
Share19m ago16.32 EDT
Small business owners will get extra help with handing out Labor’s new paid parental leave arrangements after a deal was struck with independent senators, David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie.
The new paid parental leave scheme will add two extra weeks per year from this year until it reaches a total of six months by 2026. The leave can be accessed by either of the newborn’s parents.
But a parliamentary inquiry heard many small business owners weren’t equipped to handle the extra costs associated with handing out paid parental leave.
In response, the government agreed to pouring $10 million over the coming four years to help small businesses with the new arrangements.
Pocock said:
We need to be making it easier, not harder, to run a small business in Australia. I can’t see any…
2024-03-17 15:41:38
Source from www.theguardian.com