Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.39 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n NSW renter rights strengthened in latest tranche of Minns reforms<\/p>\n Renters in New South Wales will only need to provide their driver\u2019s licences and passports if they are about to sign a lease, instead of including them in every rental application, under new laws.<\/p>\n Agents and landlords will also be required to use one standardised rental application form, which will not request details such as photos, social media accounts, details about children \u2013 or tattoos.<\/p>\n The new rules also require landlords and agents to say if photographs of the property have been digitally altered or AI-generated to hide faults \u2013 including \u201cfake furniture that hides structural damage or misrepresents room proportions\u201d.<\/p>\n In addition, it will become mandatory for agents to tell renters if a property is locked in to an embedded utility network \u2013 like a private electricity or gas system \u2013 which stops them from shopping around for the best price.<\/p>\n Potential breaches will be up to $11,000 for individuals and $49,500 for corporations for privacy violations, and up to $22,000 for failure to disclose digitally altered photographs.<\/p>\n Anoulack Chanthivong, the minster for better regulation and fair trading, said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThis is a strong step forward to protect renters from false information in the rental market and is an important part of the Minns Labor government\u2019s commitment to supporting the ethical use of AI across the state.<\/p>\n These laws put an end to the practice of excessive and intrusive data collection in the rental process and make it fairer for renters and less stressful for landlords and agents. Whether you have a tattoo, or what school your kids go to, is not relevant to whether you\u2019ll be a good tenant.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.24 EDT<\/p>\n Australia has a new chicken factory, but will it improve animal welfare?<\/p>\n The sleek, rust-coloured saucer settles into the earth, mirroring the surrounding hills. It looks like an art gallery or a high-end conference centre \u2013 an architectural masterpiece designed to sit lightly on the land.<\/p>\n Until you see the shed behind it.<\/p>\n The new Baiada facility in Tamworth. Photograph: Baiada<\/p>\n The sweeping lines are the gateway to a $600m poultry processing plant that will, at full capacity, process 3 million chickens a week. Jed Goodfellow, the director of policy and government relations at the Australian Alliance for Animals, said while the Baiada building may be state of the art, he believes \u201cthe welfare model behind it is anything but\u201d.<\/p>\n Read more here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.08 EDT<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese posts a selfie with the Greek prime minister at the UN summit <\/p>\n Albanese is back on the selfie game: he\u2019s just posted a photo alongside the Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.<\/p>\n Allow Instagram content?<\/p>\n This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.<\/p>\n The post comes after another, much-talked about selfie with the US president, Donald Trump. You can read about that one here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.49 EDT<\/p>\n \u2018We can\u2019t ignore AI or prevent it\u2019, Albanese tells UN<\/p>\n Albanese again addressed the AI hack of Medicare during his address, saying the episode reflected the need for greater regulation of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markAI can improve lives, boost growth and productivity, provide revolutionary breakthroughs in healthcare and other fields \u2013 but leaders of AI companies themselves have warned of the potential risks to allow frontier AI to develop too fast without guardrails.<\/p>\n Recently, an artificial intelligence agent infiltrated an Australian government website. This is unacceptable. And it is why Australia has been leading the way in establishing Australian standards for AI. Standards to ensure that AI will work and deliver for people, not for other way around.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t ignore AI or prevent it. And it\u2019s why we joined with other nations this week to call for action to shape artificial intelligence development, rather than be passively shaped by it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Albanese pitches for Australia to join UN security council<\/p>\n Albanese is detailing Australia\u2019s bid for a temporary seat on the UN security council for 2029 to 2030.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe understand that the UN mission cannot be entrusted solely to the great powers or the biggest countries or even the loudest voices alone. Nor can it be subcontracted to the world\u2019s richest companies or dictated by the pace of technology.<\/p>\n The world faces tough times and Australia wants to respond, to partner, and to make a difference. Should our security council bid prove successful, our purpose and approach will be consistent with how we have always conducted ourselves at the UN. We will listen with respect, we will partner as equals, and we will protect what matters most.<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese addresses the 81st session of the United Nations general assembly. Photograph: Frank Franklin II\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.36 EDT<\/p>\n Albanese addresses UN general assembly<\/p>\n The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is addressing the UN general assembly in New York City.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll bring you some key moments from his address in a moment.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.45 EDT<\/p>\n Watt says government will do what it needs to after AI breach<\/p>\n Murray Watt, the environment minister, also spoke about the AI hack this morning.<\/p>\n He told Sunrise the timeline behind OpenAI\u2019s notification was \u201ccompletely unacceptable\u201d, and that the sending of an \u201cemail to a generic inbox that isn\u2019t monitored all the time\u201d wouldn\u2019t stand going forward.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe have commissioned a task force to do an investigation of this event, and if it is possible to press criminal charges, that will happen. But what it also highlights is that we do need to ensure that Australian laws are keeping pace with this new and emerging technology.<\/p>\n But if we need to update our laws to improve the requirements for notification of these kind of events, then that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do. And of course, if there\u2019s further safeguards that need to be put in place, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do as well.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> AI hack of Medicare exposes Australia\u2019s vulnerabilities<\/p>\n Technology experts have warned revelations an artificial intelligence agent hacked Medicare\u2019s internal systems will not be the only dangerous breach of government data and have called for Australia to boost its protections against the growing risk.<\/p>\n The Australian Council on AI Strategy chief executive, Anna-Maria Arabia, said the case was unlikely to be an isolated incident.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of the evidence shows that our operating systems are vulnerable,\u201d she told Guardian Australia.<\/p>\n double quotation markFrontier AI now has capability to expose those vulnerabilities at a rate quicker than we can keep up, quicker than we can patch them.<\/p>\n Read more here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Jane Hume says AI breach shows we need more AI in Australia<\/p>\n Jane Hume, the deputy leader of the opposition, was on Sunrise this morning talking about the AI breach.<\/p>\n She questioned security on government websites and wondered what would have happened if the breach were more serious:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhat if it was a less benign breach? What if it was a less benign actor? Let\u2019s face it, clearly, Services Australia\u2019s cybersecurity is woefully inadequate.<\/p>\n I mean the irony here is that you actually need AI to fight AI. This should hasten, if anything, our move over in the US to less finger wagging and Trump one-upmanship, and more about embracing these AI companies and bringing them here so that we can have frontier models providing sovereign capability to Australia. Because AI is going to happen.<\/p>\n Hume said the incident should be a \u201cwarning bell\u201d to make sure we \u201cget on with the job of making sure that we have that capability here\u201d.<\/p>\n Senator Jane Hume says \u2018you actually need AI to fight AI\u2019. Photograph: Hilary Wardhaugh\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.37 EDT<\/p>\n AI government website hack a \u2018wake-up call\u2019, Albanese says<\/p>\n The first reported artificial intelligence agent hack into an Australian government website is a \u201cwake-up call\u201d of the dangers of the technology, Anthony Albanese says.<\/p>\n AAP reports the prime minister spoke to a predecessor, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who now heads up the Asia Society, in New York. Albanese said the hack was cause for concern about whether \u201chumans remain in charge\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markThis was an AI agent acting independently of its instructions, that is learning by itself. So it\u2019s a bit of a wake-up call \u2026 about the risks.<\/p>\n This technology is moving very very fast, and we need to make sure that we have a responsibility to keep on top of it.<\/p>\n Albanese and Kevin Rudd. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/EPAShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.43 EDT<\/p>\n Charlton says AI incidents likely to become \u2018more and more prevalent\u2019<\/p>\n Andrew Charlton, the assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, said yesterday\u2019s reported hack of Medicare by an OpenAI agent was a \u201cnovel\u201d moment for cybersecurity, but was likely to become \u201cmore and more prevalent in the future\u201d.<\/p>\n Charlton spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the government wanted to tell the Australian public \u201cas quickly as possible\u201d about the breach. When pressed why it took Services Australia five days to notify the Australian Signals Directorate about the episode, Charlton said the true blame laid on OpenAI\u2019s slow and \u201ccompletely inadequate\u201d response:<\/p>\n double quotation markIn this type of situation, you know, you would expect for an incident which is as serious as this, you would expect that disclosure to be delivered in a very serious way. It was not delivered in a very serious way, it was delivered via an email to a public inbox.<\/p>\n He said the government is still looking at any legal action and there were questions about liability as an AI agent was \u201cnot a legal person\u201d.<\/p>\n Assistant minister Andrew Charlton. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.57 EDT<\/p>\n Falling meth prices help drive deaths to record levels<\/p>\n Falling methamphetamine prices have helped push overdose deaths to record levels, new data shows.<\/p>\n AAP reports increased global supply and strong local demand are among the factors driving a surge in use of the illicit drug, according to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre.<\/p>\n \u201cUse and harms remain substantial and appear to have continued the upward trajectory that we saw before the Covid-19 pandemic,\u201d University of NSW Sydney medical researcher Amy Peacock told AAP.<\/p>\n double quotation markIn fact, several of the indicators are now at the highest observed levels that we\u2019ve seen, including wastewater, consumption, methamphetamine-related hospitalisations, and death.<\/p>\n There were more than 750 overdose deaths involving amphetamine-type stimulants \u2013 primarily methamphetamine \u2013 in 2024.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a rate of 2.9 deaths per 100,000 people, substantially higher than in 2021 to 2023, when it was closer to two deaths.<\/p>\n Evidence suggests Australia continues to have one of the highest recorded rates of methamphetamine use in the world.<\/p>\n A person holds a bag of crystal methamphetamine. Photograph: Matt Hunt\/NurPhoto\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.56 EDT<\/p>\n Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to take over the blog. Let\u2019s get to that weekend, shall we?<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Police officer killed in crash in Sydney<\/p>\n A crime scene has been established after a police officer was killed in a crash in Sydney\u2019s inner west.<\/p>\n At 1.30am, a police car was travelling on Gibbons Street in Redfern with lights and sirens on when it crashed into a tree.<\/p>\n Police say the passenger \u2013 a female constable \u2013 died \u201cinstantly\u201d, while the driver \u2013 a male constable \u2013 was taken to the Royal Prince Alfred hospital in a stable condition.<\/p>\n The female constable was killed \u2018instantly\u2019 in the Sydney crash, police said. Photograph: Nsw Police\/PR HANDOUT<\/p>\n The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said the entire NSW policing community would be grieving the \u201cdevastating\u201d news.<\/p>\n double quotation markI\u2019m also thinking of the officer injured in the crash and everyone who responded to this terrible scene.<\/p>\n NSW\u2019s opposition leader Kellie Sloane said she was \u201cheartbroken\u201d, saying the woman was \u201cout working while most of us were asleep, protecting the community\u201d.<\/p>\n double quotation markOur police put themselves in harm\u2019s way every day to protect us. Today, we stand with them as they mourn one of their own.<\/p>\n Anyone with information about the incident \u2013 including dashcam footage \u2013 is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.33 EDT<\/p>\n Gen Z going without for a house<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s gen Z are the generation most willing to cut their spending way back to afford a home, according to Cotality data reported by AAP.<\/p>\n The figures show more than 75% of all Australians were curbing their outgoings in pursuit of property, meaning we are more likely to do so than our Canadian, US and UK peers (for whom the figures sat below 70%).<\/p>\n Levels of discretionary spending, like eating out, owning a car, and even moving from the family home into a share house, have dropped among young adults in recent years.<\/p>\n But it wasn\u2019t just first-time buyers making significant financial sacrifices to climb the ladder. Millennials \u2013 the largest buyer cohort in the world \u2013 are readily forgoing small luxuries to afford homes large enough for their families.<\/p>\n Prospective buyers were selling their second car or putting off holidays while their children were young, Capital Buyers Agency owner Claire Corby said.<\/p>\n double quotation markFor many, it\u2019s around delaying things like going away, or reducing things like dinners out. People are leaving where they want to live and buying in cheaper markets.<\/p>\n Most Australians would not be persuaded to participate in the housing market until mortgage interest rates hit a 4.9% average, the data revealed.<\/p>\n The average rate for an owner-occupier in August 2026 was 6.3%, meaning the market is likely to stay quiet for some time and allowing bold buyers to swoop in.<\/p>\n double quotation markPeople are being conservative and cautious.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.03 EDT<\/p>\n Opposition defence spokesperson says PM\u2019s AI hack timing not a coincidence The opposition\u2019s defence spokesperson, James Paterson, has questioned the timing of the prime minister\u2019s announcement that an AI agent hacked Medicare.<\/p>\n Paterson made the claim on the ABC\u2019s 7.30 program last night after Anthony Albanese publicly disclosed that an AI agent developed by OpenAI hacked Medicare in June and that the tech giant only notified the government earlier this month using an email sent to a \u201cpublic mailbox\u201d.<\/p>\n Paterson told 7.30 he believed Albanese had chosen to make the announcement at the UN summit in New York, as part of his effort to stand up to \u201cbig tech\u201d on AI.<\/p>\n The senator said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe government has questions to answer about when they knew and \u2026 why the prime minister decided to disclose it in the way he did in the place he did at the time he did. But in terms of the nature of the potential of actual security breach this is the bottom end of the spectrum of seriousness.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think it was a coincidence. I think it neatly dove-tailed with the political agenda the prime minister has in New York City.<\/p>\n Paterson said he didn\u2019t consider the breach to be overly serious because the data the AI agent accessed was made freely available to researchers and academics studying the health system, and was not personal or private in nature.<\/p>\n He said the breach was cause for \u201cbeing alert but not alarmed\u201d.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, he said Australians were \u201centitled to demand explanations and contrition\u201d and to want high levels of confidence when entering into agreements with big tech companies such as OpenAI.<\/p>\n Shadow minister for defence, James Paterson. Photograph: Mick Tsikas\/AAPShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.05 EDT<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I\u2019m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it\u2019ll be Nick Visser with the main action.<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790302453_365_Tom_McIlroy.png\")
Tom McIlroy<\/p>\n![\"Catie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1790302454_829_Caite_McLeod.png\")
Catie McLeod<\/p>\n