On The Call

Goodman Group has abandoned its $1.2 billion Lane Cove data centre after a fierce community and political backlash, raising questions on if Australia's AI infrastructure boom is hitting its first real bump. Meanwhile, Firmus confirms its long-rumoured deal with Meta — worth up to USD750 million in annual earnings. Plus Wall Street heavyweight Millennium emerges as a surprise appearance at Firmus’ IPO presentation, as the hedge fund expands its Australian presence. We discuss: Why Goodman Group pulled the plug on its Project Mars data centre Whether Lane Cove is a one-off or the first sign of deeper distaste towards data centres among Australians The role of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles in Goodman’s withdrawal. Firmus' confirmed Meta deal and what it means for its ASX debut The bull and bear case for Firmus' massive ASX listing Why Millennium, one of Wall Street's most secretive hedge funds, is building a presence in Sydney Which Australian stocks Millennium has already bet on On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in the United States earlier this week pushing for global guardrails on AI — signing a 22-nation statement on frontier AI regulation, launching Australia's bid for a UN Security Council seat and meeting with Apple chair Tim Cook on child safety. Then, an OpenAI breach into government portals is announced, which may give Albanese some ammunition for his AI regulation push. Senior political correspondent Katina Curtis reports live from New York on a week that's shed light on where Australia and other global powers sit in the fight to control or not control AI. We discuss: The OpenAI breach of four government systems, including Medicare stats and NSW crime data. Why it took OpenAI months to disclose the hack and Albanese's blunt message to Sam Altman. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles' presser confirming no personal data was leaked, and the new taskforce set up to investigate. Whether the timing of the PM's press conference was a coincidence or politically strategic. Apple's extraordinarily tight media rules around Tim Cook's child safety meeting with Albanese. Global leaders like Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron praising Australia's social media ban for under 16s. The 22-nation joint statement on frontier AI regulation, and how it clashes with Trump's "super intelligence" doctrine. • • Australia's formal bid for a UN Security Council seat as Albanese formally launches his campaign.

Australia's AI copyright fight reignites as leaked documents reveal the Albanese government's reform plans. Meanwhile, just hours later, Anthropic signs its first Australian data centre lease: a $32 billion project in regional Queensland. We discuss: The two copyright reform proposals in the leaked documents, and the creative sector's response. Why the AI labs want copyright reform, and the risk of Australia becoming a venue for international legal action. The difference between training and inference, and why training is the bigger economic prize. Anthropic's $32 billion Queensland data centre lease. How the data centre build-out will be powered, and Labor's retreat on renewables. The Coalition's mixed messaging on copyright and AI. Firmus' Tasmanian sports sponsorships and the social licence playbook. The AI existential risk debate. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEDT: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

Xero's aggressive AI pivot has sent morale inside the accounting software company into freefall, with engineers fearing they're building their own replacements. Meanwhile, the Albanese government's battle against big tech has a new target: the algorithms, with a digital duty of care proposal that would let users opt out of algorithmic feeds. We discuss: Sinking morale at Xero and the forced-ranking performance measurement behind it. Why engineers fear they're training their own replacement. The culture clash between Xero's US-based executive team and its Australian and New Zealand staff. Shareholder anger over Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy's $25 million pay packet. An influencer ad and an automated email mishap that has turned off a core segment of Xero’s user base, accountants. Why Atlassian and Salesforce have bounced back from the SaaSpocalypse and Xero hasn’t. What's in the digital duty of care, and the "My Feed, My Way" campaign. The Coalition and One Nation’s opposition to the proposal. Albanese's algorithm theory of One Nation's rise and whether this policy is the answer to it. The needle Labor has to thread: regulating big tech while courting billions in AI data centre investment On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

Agentic AI in banking has moved from drafting documents to moving money — and there’s an unanswered question on who's liable when bots are actioning transactions. Recorded live at Fintech Australia's Intersekt conference, the Capital Brief newsroom digs into the RBA's fintech regulation review, and where the big banks and the startup ecosystem sit not he agentic AI opportunity. We discuss: The disintermediation threat: what happens to the big banks when your money moves itself to the best provider The RBA submissions divide — CBA, ANZ and Westpac urge for fast regulation, while NAB, Fintech Australia and the Tech Council say it's too early Who's liable when a bot makes a decision its human owner never authorised? Payment authority vs payment execution, and why that distinction is essential to answer the liability question. Why scam education built around human manipulation doesn't translate to agents Whether public discomfort with handing over financial agency reduces over time. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/