Microsoft ‘intentionally omitted’ AI-free choice in 365 worth rises, ACCC alleges
Josh Taylor
The Australian client watchdog has alleged Microsoft intentionally omitted an AI-free subscription choice for Microsoft 365 in communications to 2.7 million Australians when it suggested them of worth will increase because of Copilot being built-in into the software program bundle.
The Australian Competitors and Client Fee (ACCC) has launched federal court docket motion in opposition to Microsoft claiming the corporate has misled subscribers to Microsoft 365 private and household plans with auto-renew enabled that in the event that they wish to keep their subscription they have to settle for the mixing of Copilot AI into the software program and pay greater costs, or cancel their subscription.
The annual subscription worth of the Microsoft 365 Private plan elevated by 45% from $109 to $159 with Copilot included. The annual subscription worth for the Microsoft 365 Household plan elevated by 29% from $139 to $179.
The regulator alleged this info was false or deceptive as there was an undisclosed third choice of “traditional” plans which allowed subscribers to retain the options of current plans with out Copilot on the earlier cheaper price.
Shoppers had been solely introduced this feature when subscribers started cancelling their subscription, the ACCC alleges.
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Up to date at 19.14 EDT
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Sarah Basford Canales
The Coalition are calling for an inquiry into the CFMEU administration after the 9 newspapers reported its efforts have been hampered by a scarcity of investigative functionality.
This morning shadow industrial relations minister, Tim Wilson, was joined by Maria Kovacic, shadow assistant minister to the opposition chief, in publicly demanding the impartial administrator and related officers to return earlier than the parliament to reply plenty of questions.
Kovacic stated she would transfer for an inquiry within the Senate on Tuesday to look at the administration’s efforts to date.
In entrance of a handful of journalists at a press convention this morning, Wilson was requested about one other elephant within the room – the opposition’s timeline on finalising its vitality and emissions discount coverage.
Wilson answered:
My focus is on having web zero tolerance for corruption, on Australian corruption in building websites, and that’s the key distinction between us and the Labor Get together proper now.
We’re not fairly certain web zero tolerance for corruption is the excessive normal we must be aiming for.
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Former Pauline Hanson adviser Sean Bell sworn into Senate
You would possibly keep in mind not too way back, One Nation senator Warwick Stacey stop the get together, only a month or so after being sworn in to the Senate resulting from well being causes.
His substitute, Sean Bell, has simply sworn in now into the Senate. Bell is a former adviser to Pauline Hanson.
Within the Home this morning, pollies can be debating personal members’ payments (together with Monique Ryan’s invoice to crack down on ministers and public servants going to work for lobbyists of their portfolio areas.)
Additionally up for debate there may be Julian Leeser’s invoice to introduce obligatory minimal sentences for baby sexual abuse.
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Up to date at 19.20 EDT
Scientists name for motion on deforestation, as authorities negotiates on EPBC reforms
Graham Readfearn
Greater than 100 scientists and researchers have urged Anthony Albanese to deal with widespread deforestation that’s driving an extinction disaster throughout the nation when the federal government introduces laws to revamp atmosphere legal guidelines this week.
The atmosphere minister, Murray Watt, desires to get the long-promised reforms to the Surroundings Safety and Biodiversity Act handed earlier than Christmas however is dealing with a backlash from the Coalition and the Greens, who’ve each been essential of the adjustments.
In an open letter, coordinated by Greenpeace Australia Pacific, despatched to Albanese and Watt, the scientists stated:
With out significant reform, deforestation will proceed to drive huge biodiversity loss.
Huge quantities of habitat are bulldozed annually with clearing for livestock and pasture a significant wrongdoer, however a lot of it occurs outdoors the atmosphere legal guidelines. The letter factors to a loophole within the legal guidelines often called “steady use” that permits landholders to maintain clearing areas with out the necessity to get an environmental approval.
Prof James Watson, a number one conservation scientist from the College of Queensland, stated: “The big-scale destruction of Australia’s native woodlands, forests, wetlands and grasslands is the only largest menace to our biodiversity.”
It’s driving an extinction disaster in contrast to anyplace else on Earth – and it’s threatening the Nice Barrier Reef, one of many world’s seven pure wonders, proper earlier than our eyes.
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Up to date at 19.13 EDT
Josh Taylor
Persevering with from our final submit …
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb stated:
Following an in depth investigation, we’ll allege in court docket that Microsoft intentionally omitted reference to the traditional plans in its communications and hid their existence till after subscribers initiated the cancellation course of to extend the variety of shoppers on costlier Copilot-integrated plans.
The Microsoft Workplace apps included in 365 subscriptions are important in many individuals’s lives and given there are restricted substitutes to the bundled bundle, cancelling the subscription is a choice many wouldn’t make evenly.
Cass-Gottlieb stated many purchasers would have opted for the traditional plan if that they had been conscious of all of the viable choices.
The ACCC is looking for orders together with penalties, injunctions, declarations, client redress and prices. The utmost penalty could be the better of $50m, thrice the whole advantages which were obtained and are moderately attributable, or 30% of the company’s adjusted turnover in the course of the breach turnover interval.
Microsoft was approached for remark.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb. {Photograph}: Mike Bowers/The GuardianShare
Up to date at 19.00 EDT
Microsoft ‘intentionally omitted’ AI-free choice in 365 worth rises, ACCC alleges
Josh Taylor
The Australian client watchdog has alleged Microsoft intentionally omitted an AI-free subscription choice for Microsoft 365 in communications to 2.7 million Australians when it suggested them of worth will increase because of Copilot being built-in into the software program bundle.
The Australian Competitors and Client Fee (ACCC) has launched federal court docket motion in opposition to Microsoft claiming the corporate has misled subscribers to Microsoft 365 private and household plans with auto-renew enabled that in the event that they wish to keep their subscription they have to settle for the mixing of Copilot AI into the software program and pay greater costs, or cancel their subscription.
The annual subscription worth of the Microsoft 365 Private plan elevated by 45% from $109 to $159 with Copilot included. The annual subscription worth for the Microsoft 365 Household plan elevated by 29% from $139 to $179.
The regulator alleged this info was false or deceptive as there was an undisclosed third choice of “traditional” plans which allowed subscribers to retain the options of current plans with out Copilot on the earlier cheaper price.
Shoppers had been solely introduced this feature when subscribers started cancelling their subscription, the ACCC alleges.
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Up to date at 19.14 EDT
Future frontbench spot unlikely for Joyce in Nationals
Sky Information host Laura Jayes tries to check Littleproud on whether or not Barnaby Joyce could be granted a shadow portfolio earlier than he quits.
Littleproud skirts the query and says the Nationals have “a really gifted frontbench”. Pushed once more on what would occur if Joyce determined to remain on with the Nats after the subsequent election, Littleproud says “that’ll be a choice for Barnaby”.
On the query of web zero, Littleproud says Nationals senators Matt Canavan and Ross Cadell will discuss to the get together room right now about their evaluation of the coverage – however wouldn’t give us a touch on how that dialog will go down.
Clearly it’s a fancy piece of coverage work, and whereas I might have favored it sorted out sooner. We have to get it proper, and we simply can’t rush it to the extent that we don’t have the precise place, the precise coverage setting … however there’s nonetheless some option to go, they usually’re [Canavan and Cadell] simply going to proceed to convey our get together room and guarantee that we perceive the ideas of the place they’re attending to from the evaluation that they discovered, and that can be up to date right now once more within the get together room.
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Up to date at 18.51 EDT
Littleproud says Nationals have to create ‘an atmosphere the place Barnaby feels welcome’
It’s not the primary time a Nationwide has sat outdoors the get together room, says David Littleproud, who’s dealing with a bit of harm management over Barnaby Joyce’s future.
Joyce stated this morning he’ll stay within the get together (for now) however gained’t sit in when the get together room meets this week. He gained’t be contesting the subsequent election for the Nationals within the NSW seat of New England (and had remained coy about whether or not he’ll run for a unique get together and for a unique home).
On Sky Information, Littleproud says his get together has to create an “atmosphere” the place Joyce feels welcome and needs to return again.
I‘ve been right here for almost a decade, I’ve seen this occur two or thrice, the place members really feel aggrieved they’ve sat outdoors the get together room, however clearly assist our aspect … what we’ve obtained to do is proceed to create an atmosphere the place Barnaby feels welcome and needs to return again and may contribute.
Nationals chief David Littleproud. {Photograph}: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Up to date at 18.38 EDT
Caitlin Cassidy
College leaders journey to China to herald ‘new period’ in Australian relations
Universities Australia (UA) is setting off on a delegation to China on Monday to strengthen training and analysis partnerships with the superpower amid a extra beneficial diplomatic local weather.
Described by the height physique as one of many “most important greater training missions in years”, the five-day go to is being attended by UA chair Prof Carolyn Evans, its CEO Luke Sheehy and virtually a dozen vice-chancellors and college representatives.
The delegation will go to Shenzhen and Beijing, the place they’ll attend the inaugural Australia-China Leaders Dialogue, held alongside the renewal of the UA-China Training Affiliation for Worldwide Alternate Memorandum of Understanding.
Evans stated training had been one of many “strongest and most steady bridges” between Australia and China.
After years of disruption brought on by the pandemic and broader geopolitical points, this go to marks the beginning of a brand new period – one targeted on innovation, collaboration and fixing shared challenges.
China continues to be the main supply nation for worldwide college students in Australia, making up 23% of all enrolments. The federal authorities has not too long ago signalled that universities should diversify their worldwide pupil cohort if they’re to take pleasure in greater enrolment numbers, with a specific give attention to college students from south-east Asia.
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Up to date at 18.21 EDT
Monique Ryan pushes for code of conduct for lobbyists
Impartial MP Monique Ryan will introduce a invoice right now to cease bureaucrats and politicians working as lobbyists as quickly as they depart politics.
Parliament will begin sitting at 10am right now and Mondays are at all times allotted to non-public members’ payments (which additionally means the federal government has carved out a while for debate on Barnaby Joyce’s repeal web zero invoice as a result of it’s politically handy for Labor).
Ryan advised RN Breakfast this morning her invoice will introduce a code of conduct for lobbyists, will strengthen the lobbying code, publish ministerial diaries so the general public can see who ministers are assembly with, and cease ministers and public servants going to work for lobbyists.
Member for the seat of Kooyong, Monique Ryan. {Photograph}: Diego Fedele/EPA
She namechecks the previous Liberal defence minister Christopher Pyne going to work as a lobbyist within the defence business inside “9 days of leaving parliament” in addition to former overseas affairs minister Julie Bishop.
Ryan says beneath the present framework, ministers can’t work in an business the place they’ve had a discipline of curiosity for 12 months, “but it surely’s unenforced”. She says it’s the identical with the lobbying code of conduct, and motion of public servants into industries the place they’ve had decision-making powers “inside weeks or months of leaving authorities” – each are unenforced.
The potential for battle of curiosity in decision-making and for folks utilizing the context that they’ve made whereas they’re in parliament to additional their very own careers in a method that offers them a business benefit, should you like, or for choices to be made earlier than they depart authorities with the expectation that there’s some type of golden handshake after they depart authorities is corrosive of individuals’s belief within the integrity and transparency of presidency.
It’s unlikely Ryan’s invoice will go anyplace although – personal members’ payments are not often supported by authorities.
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Up to date at 18.00 EDT
Greens say atmosphere legal guidelines skew too far in favour of companies and want to guard native forests
Whereas the Coalition is looking for the EPBC Act to be cut up, the Greens have another key calls for for Murray Watt.
On ABC Information Breakfast a bit earlier, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Younger stated the legal guidelines skew an excessive amount of in favour of companies – “these are supposed to be atmosphere safety legal guidelines not enterprise approval legal guidelines.”
The Greens wish to see stronger protections for forests, which she says already aren’t coated.
We wish to be sure these legal guidelines defend our forests and defend our local weather … our current environmental legal guidelines don’t even cowl native forests. So you may go right into a native forest, it may possibly get logged even when there are endangered species there.
We wish to repair that, we wish to guarantee that can’t occur.
The minor get together has additionally been calling for a “local weather set off” which might drive tasks to be assessed on their emissions and local weather impacts. The federal government has refused to incorporate a set off in its invoice.
Either side haven’t shut down additional negotiations with the federal government on the laws – to date neither the Greens nor the Coalition have seen the complete invoice – however Hanson-Younger stated she has some main considerations.
What we’re seeing so removed from the federal government is that they’re making an attempt to have it each methods and discuss out of either side of their mouth.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Younger. {Photograph}: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Up to date at 17.44 EDT
Butler publicizes value cuts for contraceptives
Maybe considerably beneath the radar whereas the very vocal atmosphere debate takes place, there are some adjustments occurring within the well being area this week.
Mark Butler has introduced a contraceptive vaginal ring and different long-acting contraceptives like IUDs can be added to the pharmaceutical advantages scheme (making them method cheaper) from 1 November. Earlier this yr the federal government additionally introduced the itemizing of some contraceptive drugs and menopausal hormone therapies.
1 November may even see new bulk-billing incentives kick in for GPs – which Butler advised RN Breakfast a bit earlier, ought to make three-quarters of normal practices “financially higher off”.
Already now we have had a whole lot and a whole lot of practices inform us that this week they’re charging a niche price, subsequent week they’ll transfer to totally bulk billing, and people numbers are altering each single day. So, we count on a extremely important change in bulk-billing follow from this week to subsequent week. It’ll construct over time.
The federal government has dedicated to 90% of GP visits being bulk-billed over the subsequent decade.
An IUD contraception coil system. {Photograph}: flocu/Getty Photographs/iStockphotoShare
Up to date at 18.38 EDT
