Scraping copyrighted material from internet could ‘potentially’ amount to acquisition of property by government, Anne Twomey says

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Altering copyright law to allow AI companies to scrape music, books and journalism could trigger a constitutional breach, Coalition senators and the recording industry have warned, as they raise new fears it could open Australia to massive legal action and compensation claims from rights holders worldwide.

The attorney general’s department admitted it was “extremely alive” to the issue, and Australia’s leading constitutional expert, Anne Twomey, agreed there was “potentially” a concern – depending how legislation was drafted – that granting AI companies permission to scrape copyrighted material from the internet could amount to an acquisition of property by the government.

NSW police say charges include child rape and relate to 23 alleged victims aged between one and five at a Sydney childcare centre

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One of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles is facing hundreds more child abuse charges, including for the alleged rape of children as young as one.

Days after being extradited from Queensland to New South Wales, Ashley Paul Griffith was hit with 202 charges dating from between 2014 and 2017, with police labelling the allegations “deeply disturbing”.

Patterson watched on, clad in prison-issued blue, as Victoria’s highest court rejected her appeal against her murder convictions

• Erin Patterson to die in prison after losing bid to overturn mushroom murder convictions

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Erin Patterson raised her chin and stared out on the brilliant blue promise of a mid-spring morning.

To the east, Victoria’s grandest court room was filled with people she had brought together, yet she was there only on a screen.

The invasive species has increased in spread and numbers and is costing farmers millions of dollars

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An unpublished government report on feral deer shows Australia is failing in its efforts to stop the spread of what one advocate warns could become “Australia’s next feral pig”.

The five years from 2020-2025 over which the national feral deer action plan was assessed covers a period in which the famously elusive species has increasingly encroached upon major cities, leading to more frequent encounters – including a memorable occasion in which two men in various degrees of undress were fined after becoming lost in the bush when they were spooked by deer while nude sunbathing.

Former Bachelor star and wellness influencer stands accused of choking and assaulting wife at Noosa in Queensland

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Former Bachelor star Sam Wood will remain in custody while he awaits trial on domestic violence charges, after he was refused bail for a second time.

Wood, 46, from Melbourne, has been held in custody since his arrest on 4 October at Noosa.

On Friday supreme court justice Patrick McCafferty said Wood posed “an unacceptable risk” of further offending, meaning he will remain in the high-security Wolston correctional centre until his trial, which the court heard might not take place until 2028.

NSW police say charges include child rape and relate to 23 alleged victims aged between one and five at a Sydney childcare centre

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

One of Australia’s most notorious paedophiles is facing hundreds more child abuse charges, including for the alleged rape of children as young as one.

Days after being extradited from Queensland to New South Wales, Ashley Paul Griffith was hit with 202 charges dating from between 2014 and 2017, with police labelling the allegations “deeply disturbing”.

Jillian Segal says perception of link between coverage of conflicts and hostility towards Jewish Australians ‘is itself a matter of public importance’

• George Newhouse: We must protect Jewish Australians without casting suspicion on legitimate concern for Palestinians

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The federal government’s antisemitism envoy has proposed an “external independent ombudsman” to monitor ABC and SBS coverage of the war in Gaza, and a requirement that all visa applicants be screened for “the risk of holding antisemitic views”.

In an updated plan released on Friday, Jillian Segal said Australia’s two public broadcasters should be subjected to greater oversight.

Research finds 55% of lawyers are using AI in legal practices, up from 37% last year, though efficiency gains aren’t as high as expected

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More than half of Victoria’s lawyers have reported using AI in their work, according to a new study, but just over a quarter say they have reduced fees as a result of efficiency gains.

They also say clients seeking advice from chatbots have added to their workload, forcing them to correct errors made by AI.

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• Erin Patterson loses appeal as harsher sentence imposed

Patterson showed no emotion on the video feed as McLeish outlined why her appeal had failed, and how the director of public prosecutions had succeeded in seeking a longer sentence.

Patterson’s actions mean it is ‘inappropriate’ to fix non-parole period, justice says

The applicant’s murderous intent dated back to the invitations to lunch, it persisted through the lunch that the poison was administered …

We have concluded that the case involved such calculated criminality that it is inappropriate to fix a non-parole period.

Court of appeal ruling on the two appeals from 10am in the high profile Australian mushroom triple-murder case

• Erin Patterson loses appeal as harsher sentence imposed

Patterson showed no emotion on the video feed as McLeish outlined why her appeal had failed, and how the director of public prosecutions had succeeded in seeking a longer sentence.

Patterson’s actions mean it is ‘inappropriate’ to fix non-parole period, justice says

The applicant’s murderous intent dated back to the invitations to lunch, it persisted through the lunch that the poison was administered …

We have concluded that the case involved such calculated criminality that it is inappropriate to fix a non-parole period.