NSW breaks with federal Labor on gas in renewables scheme NSW is moving to allow renewable-energy subsidies to support new gas generation, arguing it’s needed to keep the grid reliable as coal exits. The shift sharpens a growing policy rift with federal Labor, which has been reluctant to underwrite new gas—setting up a high-stakes debate about energy security, emissions and power prices. Covered by: Australian Financial Review. Labor’s wage bill grows: $630m boost for care and health workers The Albanese government will spend an extra $630 million to help fund pay rises for hundreds of thousands of health, disability and community services workers, adding to earlier wage commitments. It’s a major cost-of-living and workforce-retention measure, but it also intensifies scrutiny on budget pressures and the long-term sustainability of government-funded wage deals. Covered by: The Australian. Property downturn bites: NSW stamp duty revenue plunges NSW stamp dut

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has released new guidelines for labelling synthetically generated content in advertising, placing greater emphasis on transparency and consumer protection as AI becomes more widely used in advertising. The guidelines require disclosure when synthetic content could materially influence consumer understanding or decision-making, while prohibiting misleading uses such as fabricated endorsements, deceptive product claims and unauthorised deepfakes. Sumit Singh, sub editor at OPEN Magazine, stressed that credibility must remain at the centre of AI adoption, particularly as synthetic content becomes harder to distinguish from genuine journalism. “We survive on credibility, and clear labelling is what builds trust. In India, the 2026 IT Rules require platforms to label synthetic media, and newsrooms that avoid doing so risk looking like the fakes flooding social media.” He pointed to the limitations of AI detection tools and

Delhi Police detained journalists covering the anti-CEC protests in New Delhi on October 10 and 11, according to journalists and press freedom organisations. The groups allege that reporters were physically manhandled and had their phones seized despite displaying press identification. One of those detained, BOOM Live journalist Jagriti Trisha, told Influencing that police took her phone when she began recording and drove her around for three to four hours before taking her to a detention site. Those reported detained or harassed include reporters from Reuters, the BBC, The Indian Express, Hindustan Times, Business Standard and Navbharat Times. Journalists from independent and digital outlets including Scroll, Newslaundry, The Wire, The Quint, Maktoob Media, Alt News and BOOM were also among them. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said at least 16 journalists were detained while covering demonstrations across India. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), DIGIPUB News India Foun

Monday, 12 October 2026 #1  ·  Times Business  ·  Investigative / Data story I-T dept estimates ₹25k cr tax evasion by restaurants By Sidhartha   ·   The Times of India, New Delhi  ·  Page Page 20 The income tax department has detected massive tax evasion by restaurants, estimated at over Rs 25,000 crore, based on TDS data pulled from Swiggy and Zomato. An analysis of four years of food delivery platform data found 8,000 restaurants that had TDS deducted against them but never filed returns. Authorities are preparing a targeted campaign using the data, building on a prior exercise last year that found restaurants under-reporting income by 30-35% on average. This is a clear scoop anchored in original data — the reporter has obtained specific figures from an internal income tax department analysis, including granular year-wise TDS collection numbers and the scale of non-compliance. The story goes beyond th

Fiona Fox has a blunt message for the AI companies pressing the Australian Government to water down copyright law: "Well, they can bugger off." The managing editor of Australian Rural & Regional News (ARR.News) used a recent update on the site's About page to announce that the platform will spend the rest of 2026 in "caretaker mode". From 2027, "all content will be behind a paywall, with AI blocked". Fox blames AI summaries and search tools from Google and the other big AI players, which she says are designed so users rarely need to click past the AI-generated summary to the original source of the information. Fox told Influencing she is considering cutting off search engines too. She urges her fellow publishers around the world to think about doing the same. "If you don't feed them the material, well… they'll have less to play with, won't they?" she says. "They'll just have a declining pool of the lesser

Following the departure of Australian Financial Review editor-in-chief James Chessell, his replacement, Cosima Marriner has now chosen her new lieutenants. Kylar Loussikian has been named editor, stepping up from her prior role as deputy editor of business. That role in turn will be filled by Chanticleer columnist Anthony Macdonald. Current managing editor Julie Feder and deputy editor Kate de Brito are swapping roles. Meanwhile, Phil Hudison will become the Fin’s Canberra bureau chief, moving to the paper from Joe Hockey’s advisory firm Bondi Partners. In a note to staff reported by The Fin over the weekend, Marriner praised Loussikian’s three and a half years as deputy editor of business. “Kylar has considerably sharpened our corporate coverage, driving breaking news on a daily basis while also ensuring his team regularly delivers in-depth narratives, profiles and investigations,” Marriner said. She said that, despite moving off the Chanticleer column, he would

Small business revolt targets Chalmers over tax and surcharge changes Small business groups are escalating a Canberra-focused campaign accusing the Albanese government and Treasurer Jim Chalmers of treating them like an “ATM”, citing proposed trust tax changes, card surcharge reforms and the compounding impact of higher interest rates. The pushback matters politically because it lands amid acute cost-of-living pressure and risks turning small business—often a swing constituency—into an organised, high-volume critic of Labor’s economic agenda. Covered by: Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail, Herald Sun. Victoria election fight heats up: Wilson’s surgery pledge and polling momentum Victorian Opposition Leader Jess Wilson is under scrutiny over a promise to fund 25,000 extra elective surgeries by winding up Breakthrough Victoria, with The Age reporting an $880m hole in the Coalition’s costings assumptions. At the same time, polling suggests the Coali