Digital Regulation Research, Forecasts & Analysis

6 Nov 2026 · Digital Regulation · Brief· NEW

New Zealand's LEO and Hyperscaler Regulatory Gap: The Case for Reform

: New Zealand's telecommunications regulatory challenge differs structurally from Australia's. The primary risk is operational, not fiscal. Chorus is publicly listed, and the UFB network covers approximately 87% of the population with gigabit-capable fibre. The exposure lies elsewhere: a civil defenc…

12 Oct 2026 · Media · Brief

Duty of Care: Australia's Plan to Re-Engineer the Rules of Online Engagement

: This report examines the Australian Government's proposed Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026. It sets out the Bill's legislative strategy, the design-feature restrictions and algorithmic-choice mandates it would introduce, and the enforcement regime available to the eSafety Co…

6 Aug 2026 · Media · Brief

Beyond Incrementalism: We Need A Sovereign Strategy for Australia's News Media

: The Albanese Government's finalised News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) introduces targeted structural adjustments to digital advertising levies, platform scopes, and distribution mechanisms. However, the framework remains overly cautious and reactive. This brief critiques the proposal's strategic limi…

6 July 2026 · Media · Brief

Nine/Microsoft news deal points to the alternative to News Media Bargaining conflict

: This landmark deal allows Copilot to utilise full-text articles from Nine's mastheads, including paywalled content, to inform and 'ground' its AI search. The agreement facilitates the generation of summaries and headlines with direct attribution and click-through links, establishing a new commercia…

11 June 2026 · Digital Infrastructure · Brief

Australia's AI Bargain: Capital Without Control

: Australia is absorbing large-scale AI infrastructure investment — led by Anthropic and Microsoft — under a policy framework that is deliberately non-binding. The National AI Plan (2026) positions Australia as a destination for foreign AI capital but imposes no mandatory guardrails on frontier AI de…

12 Dec 2025 · Media · Brief

Netflix/Warner takeover will squeeze local media

: In early December 2025, Netflix entered a definitive agreement to acquire the film and TV studio assets of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), including Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO, and HBO Max. This reflects an SVOD industry that has matured and now seeks profitability through consolidation. If successfu…

27 Nov 2025 · Telecom · Brief

Time to Abolish the Regional Broadband Scheme?

: News has emerged today that the Minister for Communications has approved an ACCC recommendation to reduce the Regional Broadband Levy from $8.46 to only $2.17 per month per broadband line for 2025-26. Despite its name, the Levy is actually paid by nbn Co’s urban fibre infrastructure competitors. In…

5 Sept 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Consumerisation brings regulation risk for the AI industry

: While early analysis focused on AI's impact on business, the landscape has rapidly "consumerised." Personal preferences are now shaping how users engage with AI, both at work and at home, fostering deep connections that go well beyond professional utility. This emotional entanglement opens up a vas…

5 Sept 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Consumerisation brings regulation risk for the AI industry

: This report analyses the rapid consumerisation of AI tools, which have amassed an estimated 1.8 billion users in just 2.5 years. As engagement shifts from professional utility to emotional companionship, the industry faces significant psychological and regulatory risks. With ChatGPT projected to re…

5 June 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Social media age restrictions can work, but need an education strategy

: Growing evidence of harms to young people from social media has ignited public concern. In response, Australia passed the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, a groundbreaking piece of legislation that bans children under 16 from using certain social media platforms, includi…

9 May 2025 · Digital Platforms · Brief

Time for a Digital Services Tariff?

: Analysis from Venture Insights reveals that the five largest U.S. tech companies operating in Australia — including Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta (Facebook), and Amazon — are collectively paying only around a quarter of the corporate tax they would be expected to contribute if taxed fully under Au…

11 Apr 2025 · Media · Brief

Action needed against digital dominance of Australia’s media

: New analysis by Venture Insights shows that Netflix, Google, and Facebook (Meta) each have larger Australian enterprise values than any domestic media company, with Netflix’s implied local EV approaching $11.8 billion, Google at $10.0 billion, and Facebook at $9.4 billion. By comparison, Nine Enter…