Australian stories
Shoppers walk away within minutes when card systems fail, with outages now threatening AUD $3.1 billion in annual retail and hospitality sales.
Shoppers will see fewer checkout fees on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa payments, though public holiday and weekend surcharges still apply.
The gathering underscored rising demand for integrated security as Queensland and Papua New Guinea organisations reassess risk and infrastructure protection.
Borrowing power has fallen by nearly AUD $90,000 for a median-income household, leaving sales and prices under renewed pressure.
Public interest in Victoria's AI scene was on show as more than 400 visitors packed Melbourne Connect for rare robot demos and startup pitches.
Fuel and other essentials kept Australian consumers under pressure in August, with flat spending and weaker non-fuel outlays pointing to caution.
Only 9% of Australian organisations can fully trace AI behaviour in production, leaving boards exposed as systems move into live use.
Granular fleet data could give Australian businesses better ESG reporting, while helping cut emissions, accidents and worker stress.
A separate state lead is still to be named as Gallagher reshapes its Australian structure to give Victoria and Tasmania dedicated market support.
Most Australian accounting firms expect AI to reshape hiring and services, rather than reduce headcount, the Xero survey found.
Ambience Air Airconditioning emerged as the top winner as the rebranded air-conditioning group used its first annual awards to reward sales and service.
Incomplete customer data can undermine overseas sales, delaying deliveries, returns and marketing even when Australian fulfilment is strong.
Nearly all surveyed organisations in Australia had an AI tool accessing sensitive data beyond its remit, exposing weak real-time controls.
A dozen staff will join Robert Swan's Antarctic voyage as the firm tries to turn climate pledges into action on vulnerable ecosystems.
Enterprises face new controls as the partnership aims to stop autonomous AI agents from accessing data, credentials and tools unchecked.
Workforce readiness is becoming the main obstacle as industrial firms in Asia Pacific race to use AI without losing vital site expertise.
University support could become easier as TechnologyOne rolls out a conversational AI agent linking students to enrolment, resources and tasks.
Dozens of organisations worldwide face renewed compromise risk after attackers used an encoded path to slip past defences and hit Oracle PeopleSoft.
Rising logistics, property and construction costs are leaving Australian companies wary of expansion as Christmas trading prospects soften.
Banks face growing pressure to monitor financial crime risks continuously as most compliance teams still rely on manual reviews.