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Articles by Dan Svantesson
The Nobel Peace Prize
Nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize closed on January 31. Now, the Norwegian Nobel Committee faces the difficult task of deciding on a worthy winner of this – perhaps the world’s most prestigious – prize. The criteria upon which they base that decision is a few brief lines in Alfred Nobel’s 1895 final will, originally written in Swedish. Yet the English translation of the will hardly fully captures Nobel’s intentions.
No small beer: how the famous drink affects law (and law affects beer)
Law affects beer, and beer affects law. The connection between the two is stronger than you might think, as we have illustrated in the recently published book Beer Law. So as you pour a nice cold one during the summer holidays, here are a few things to think about. 1. Beer was a trigger for civilisation It is common knowledge that humans transitioned from a “hunter-gatherer” type of life to civilisation and settling down to cultivate… Read complete article © The Conversation -
No small beer: how the famous drink affects law (and law affects beer)
Law affects beer, and beer affects law. The connection between the two is stronger than you might think, as we have illustrated in the recently published book Beer Law. So as you pour a nice cold one during the summer holidays, here are a few things to think about. 1. Beer was a trigger for civilisation It is common knowledge that humans transitioned from a “hunter-gatherer” type of life to civilisation and settling down to cultivate wild grains.
No small beer: how the famous drink affects law (and law affects beer)
Law affects beer, and beer affects law. The connection between the two is stronger than you might think, as we have illustrated in the recently published book Beer Law. So as you pour a nice cold one during the summer holidays, here are a few things to think about. 1. Beer was a trigger for civilisation It is common knowledge that humans transitioned from a “hunter-gatherer” type of life to civilisation and settling down to cultivate wild grains.
Are beer and law connected? Of course!
When you mix prized home-crafted beer brewed by a professor of law with long-suffering colleagues prepared to regularly be used as a tasting panel for new types of beer, you may get a lot of creative ideas and may even end up with a book entitled ‘Beer Law’. This book, Beer Law, is believed to be the first of its kind and should appeal to beer lovers everywhere who are interested in reading about the broader legal, economic, and social dynamics that connect beer and the law.
Dan Svantesson: Grey army could be Australia’s secret weapon on the cyber front line Original
Dan Svantesson: Grey army could be Australia’s secret weapon on the cyber front line
State emergency services are the model for Australia’s civilian cyber reserve
Australia should follow international examples and develop a civilian cyber reserve as part of a whole-of-society approach to national defence. By setting up such a reserve, the federal government can overcome a shortage of expertise in cybersecurity and increase national resilience to cyber threats. It could be modelled along the lines of state emergency services. In doing so, the government should consider the way state emergency services are formed and mobilised when needed.
Crowdsourcing an Australian cyber intelligence and information militia
Description Australia’s cyber environment is under constant attack. The threats are multi-faceted and growing. Beyond the well-known cybercrime and cybersecurity challenges, we face a barrage of online mis- and dis-information aimed at undermining our social cohesion. Despite increased emphasis on the cyber domain, our existing public and private capacity is likely insufficient to counter the full range of threats we face in cyberspace.
eSafety Commissioner v X Corp - The judgment of 14 May 2024
The hotly debated dispute about footage of the Sydney stabbing will likely go on for a while yet. However, at this stage, X Corp. (formerly Twitter) seems to have the upper hand. On 13 May 2024, Kennett J made an order refusing Australia’s eSafety Commissioner’s application for a further extension of the interim injunction against X Corp. originally granted on 22 April. The matter will return to Court for a case management hearing on 15 May, so this saga is set to carry on.
Bonza suspends flights, airline's future in doubt
Budget airline Bonza has unexpectedly cancelled flights amid talks about the future viability of the company. Chief executive Tim Jordan says flights have been temporarily suspended. “Discussions are currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business,” Mr Jordan said on Tuesday.
Cancer patient shares in $2 billion Powerball win
One of the winners of a $US1.3 billion ($A2.0 billion) US Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week. Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, 46, of Portland, told a news conference held by the Oregon Lottery on Monday that he and his 37-year-old wife, Duanpen, would split the prize evenly with a friend. Laiza Chao, 55, of the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, had chipped in to buy a batch of tickets with them.
Freed detainee accused of horrific grandmother assault
A federal minister has admitted the government is “deeply concerned” after a Perth grandmother was assaulted, allegedly by a recently freed immigration detainee during a violent home invasion. The man was one of three people arrested over the assault and robbery of 73-year-old Ninette Simmons earlier in April. Western Australian police allege the trio assaulted Ms Simmons’ husband Philip, 76, and tied his hands behind his back, before stealing $200,000 worth of jewellery.
Coles releases sales results as customers feel squeeze
Coles will report its third-quarter results as the supermarket sector feels the heat over high prices amid a cost of living crisis. The results will be released to the ASX on Tuesday morning. Coles and fellow supermarket giant Woolworths have faced heavy scrutiny after the companies raked in billion-dollar profits while Australian consumers struggle with rising prices.
Women's murders were spiking even before recent surge
The number of women killed by an intimate partner was rising sharply even before the recent spate of deaths sparked outrage and protests across the country. The number of women murdered by former or current partners rose by 28 per cent in the year to June 2023, the latest Homicide in Australia report shows as the prime minister prepares to convene an urgent meeting of the nation’s leaders.
Non-essential spending on ice as budget pressures mount
Retailers in hospitality, fashion and other non-essentials likely posted another lacklustre month of sales as higher mortgage repayments, rents and cost of living pressures hoovered up more of the household budget. Yet with most people in jobs and some cohorts insulated from rising borrowing costs, the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ March retail sales update is not expected to be universally gloomy.
Credibility up in smoke on 'astounding' methane results
Unverified data is vastly underestimating methane emissions and damaging the nation’s credibility on climate change, economist Professor Rod Sims has warned. Australia may be emitting at least twice the level of methane emissions than reported under a national reporting framework, according to results released on Tuesday from a new monitoring tool.
Pauline Hanson to take stand in hate speech lawsuit
Pauline Hanson will step into the witness box and explain to a court why a tweet telling a female Muslim senator to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan was not racist. The federal One Nation leader is facing allegations of racial discrimination in the Federal Court by NSW Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi.
Resistance warrior wins international environment prize
Fighting billionaires and their proposals for coal mines may not be a typical way to spend your youth – but Murrawah Johnson comes from a long line of resistance warriors. Ms Johnson, a Wirdi woman of the Burra Gubba nation of central Queensland, has been recognised with the Goldman environmental award, a major international prize for grassroots activism which will be announced in a ceremony in San Francisco on Tuesday.
Greens senator sued Hanson to draw a 'line in the sand'
The federal Greens deputy leader has roundly rejected accusations she is using a hate-speech lawsuit against Pauline Hanson as a political soapbox to push her agenda. Senator Mehreen Faruqi is suing the One Nation leader in the Federal Court over alleged racist discrimination via a September 2022 tweet. The Greens deputy tweeted that she could not mourn the passing of Queen Elizabeth II as the leader of a “racist empire built on stolen lives, land and wealth of colonised peoples”.
Services urge long-term plan to tackle violence crisis
Community organisations dealing with violence against women have called for a sustained approach from governments to address the crisis amid calls for more funding to bolster support services. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet state and territory leaders on Wednesday at a national cabinet meeting focused on the issue.
Palmer cries poor and digs into his free Tucker
Times are seemingly tough for mining billionaire Clive Palmer who revealed on Monday that he is looking forward to reaping a profit from his national Freedom Conference tour starring right-wing journalist Tucker Carlson.
Japan's giants commit to Aussie nickel joint venture
Nickel explorer Ardea Resources will accelerate a “globally significant” $3 billion nickel project in Western Australia despite a glut in the battery metal. Ardea announced on Monday a co-operation agreement with Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Corporation to form a 50:50 joint venture to develop the project located in the Goldfields region of Western Australia.
Social media needs for a social licence to operate too
In the free-for-all between the Australian government and Big Tech boss Elon Musk last week, the government had to be on a winner. Most people would have little sympathy with Musk’s vociferous opposition to being told to take down from X (previously Twitter) the video of the stabbing of bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel at a Sydney Assyrian church.
Elon Musk vs Australia: global content take-down orders can harm the internet if adopted widely
Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask themselves whether they are equally happy for courts in China, Russia and Iran to determine what Australians can see and post online in Australia.
Pauline Hanson hate-speech trial set to open
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made a hateful tweet against a Greens senator because of her decades-long tendency to make similarly racist remarks, a Federal Court judge is expecting to be told. A five-day hate-speech trial is scheduled to begin in the Federal Court on Monday when Greens federal deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi will allege Senator Hanson engaged in racial discrimination through a September 2022 tweet.
Leaders to meet as thousands rally to end violence
An emergency meeting of Australian leaders will be convened to tackle the scourge of violence against women after tens of thousands of people marched throughout the nation. A crowd of thousands marched on Parliament House in Canberra on Sunday for the last of 17 weekend rallies following an estimated 15,000 people demonstrating in Melbourne and about 10,000 in Sydney.
Terror label leaves multicultural communities 'on edge'
Authorities need to consult multicultural communities to ensure labelling violent crimes a terror act does not alienate people, an independent MP says. Dai Le, who represents the western Sydney electorate of Fowler where a bishop was stabbed during a sermon, called for police to be culturally aware of what declaring a terrorism incident could do to a community. It could stoke fear and increase Islamophobia, Ms Le warned.
Spending habits under a microscope ahead of budget
The wellbeing of the Australian consumer will be on display as fresh retail trading data is released in the coming week. The Tuesday dataset from the Australian Bureau of Statistics will cover the month of March and follow a lacklustre 0.3 per cent increase in February, in part supported by Taylor Swift concerts. The Eras tour drove spending on clothing, merchandise, accessories and dining out while sales contracted across other categories.
Drought could be 'nail in the coffin' for some farmers
Record-breaking drought conditions, soaring feed costs and plummeting confidence in the livestock export industry could be the “nail in the coffin” for many Western Australian farmers. Large parts of the state’s fertile southwest have recorded their lowest rainfall in more than 50 years over the past eight months, depleting dams and ground feed at a time when grain and fodder supplies were already down. WA Farmers livestock president Geoff Pearson says the situation is “critical”.
PM joins weekend of rallies against gendered violence
The prime minister will join thousands of demonstrators as they march for a third day throughout Australia to demand action to end violence against women. A dozen rallies will be held in major cities and regional towns on Sunday as part of a series of national events calling for a break in the cycle of violence that has claimed the lives of at least 26 women so far in 2024, according to Destroy the Joint.
Australia flags $100m military boost for Ukraine war
Australia will send unmanned drones, air defence systems and safety equipment to Ukraine as part of a renewed $100 million push to aid the nation in its war against Russia. The package includes $50 million for short-range air defence systems, $30 million for unmanned drones and $15 million for “high priority” equipment such as combat helmets, inflatable boats, boots, fire masks and generators. Ukraine will also receive air-to-ground precision munitions.
Google chief scientist backs research search platform's $750,000 pre-Seed raise
An AI-powered research and insights discovery platform for research papers has raised $750,000 in a pre-Seed round. The raise for Outread was backed by the Techstars Accelerator and Google chief scientist Jeff Dean, as well as Google VP of finance Fiona Bones. The research and insights platform was founded in 2023 by siblings Janhvi and Dhruv Sirohi and Anshika Singh. Janhvi, the CEO said they were seeking $500,000, but investor demand saw them take on an additional $250,000.
Rallies highlight 'horrible fear' of gendered violence
Thousands of Australians will gather at rallies across the nation to demand “no more” to gendered violence following a surge of killings of women at the hands of men. About 15 rallies will be held across states and territories over the weekend as women and their allies call for concrete action to break the cycle of violence which has claimed the lives of at least 26 women so far in 2024, according to Destroy the Joint.
Alice Anderson fund backs AI-based legaltech startup in $1 million pre-Seed round
A legal tech startup cofounded by two lawyers has raised $1 million in pre-Seed funding, backed by LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson fund for female founders. Deeligence, founded by Elena Tsalanidis and Justin Hansky, is using artificial intelligence to tackle legal due diligence. They conceived the idea for the startup after realising that most law firms are still project managing due diligence on multi-billion dollar deals using Excel spreadsheets.
Treasurer faces 'hard truths' in global industrial race
Australia’s emerging miners, refiners and battery suppliers fear they’re losing out to foreign rivals and uncapped tax breaks in the clean energy race. Warren Pearce, head of the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies which represents more than 500 businesses, says there are “hard truths” that need to be recognised in the upcoming federal budget.
Rebel Sport CEO accused of secret affair with HR chief
Staff at Rebel Sport and Supercheap Auto owner Super Retail Group intend to sue the company over an alleged secret affair between its CEO and former head of HR. Two current employees, represented by Harmers Workplace Lawyers, are expected to allege chief executive Anthony Heraghty had an undisclosed relationship with the company’s former chief human resources officer, Super Retail Group said in a statement to the ASX on Friday.
Renting families, overseas students not in competition
International students are not competing directly with families in the rental market as they typically prefer inner-city apartments over standalone homes in the suburbs, new research suggests. Australian renters have experienced eye-watering rental increases over the past few years and stiff competition for available properties, with vacancy rates hovering around record lows.
Community alliance calls for employment service rebuild
Half a million people looking for employment are at risk of “serious harm” from “broken” government services for the unemployed, the Australian Council of Social Service says, as it calls for an overhaul in the budget. The council said it had written a letter signed by 23 health organisations, First Nations services, unions and others calling for the government to “commit to wholesale reform of employment services”.
Liberals back Musk line on Australia policing internet
The opposition has backed Elon Musk’s argument that Australia has no business policing the internet for the world as a war of words and legal arguments rumbled on over graphic videos circulating on X. Musk’s company, formerly known as Twitter, is locked in a legal battle with the eSafety commissioner to be able to keep graphic videos on its site showing the stabbing of a bishop in Sydney.
BHP plugs $60b power play for global electrification
Australian resources giant BHP has launched a $60 billion power play for the lion’s share of energy transition supplies as the world electrifies. Shares in BHP fell 4.6 per cent or $2.09 to $43.14 in morning trade on Friday after it made the all-share offer worth almost $60 billion for London-headquartered rival Anglo American. BHP said the proposed deal would increase shareholders’ exposure to “future-facing commodities” through Anglo American’s copper assets.
Scott Farquhar steps down as Atlassian co-CEO
Australian tech billionaire Scott Farquhar has announced he will step down as head of Atlassian, 23 years after he founded the software start-up alongside university classmate Mike Cannon-Brookes. Mr Cannon-Brookes will continue as the company’s sole chief executive, Atlassian announced in a letter to shareholders early on Friday morning AEST. Mr Farquhar will take up a special advisor role and remain a member of the company’s board.
Google parent Alphabet's first dividend boosts shares
Alphabet has announced its first dividend and a $US70 billion ($A107 billion) stock buybuck, cheering investors who sent the stock surging nearly 16 per cent after the bell. The Google parent is returning capital while spending billions of dollars on data centres to catch up with rivals on generative artificial intelligence. The dividend will be 20 cents per share.
Atlassian cofounder Scott Farquhar steps down as co-CEO
Scott Farquhar, the kid from Sydney’s Western suburbs who became a billionaire after responding to an email from fellow uni student Mike Cannon-Brookes about starting a tech company, will step down as co-CEO role at the end of August The father of three sons called time on role after 23 years as Atlassian posted a profit in its quarterly results, posting net income of US$12.8 million, a major turnaround on a US$209 million net loss 12 months ago.
Shannon vs Commbank - The West Report
Will Matt Comyn take the stand? Story of the longest running stoush in Australian banking. Commonwealth Bank faces an historic lawsuit from Unhappy Banking’s Geoff Shannon.
Elon Musk vs Australia: global content take-down orders can harm the internet if adopted widely
Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask themselves whether they are equally happy for courts in China, Russia and Iran to determine what Australians can see and post online in Australia.
Nation commemorates Anzac Day to remember the fallen
Veterans marched around Australia as citizens commemorated across the world in sombre remembrance and pride for the fallen in the epoch-changing wars of the last century and other conflicts. More than 1000 veterans started their march at the top of Anzac Parade against the backdrop of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, after 32,000 people attended the dawn service in front of the national landmark.
Bishop backs stabbing video staying online
The Sydney bishop stabbed in an alleged terrorist attack has backed keeping graphic videos of his assault online, defending the “god-given right” to free speech. In a video uploaded to YouTube, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel made a public statement after he was stabbed several times during a live-streamed church service in Sydney’s southwest on April 15. “I do acknowledge the Australian government’s desire to have the videos removed because of their graphic nature,” he said.
Venice begins trial of ticketing system for tourists
Tourists wishing to visit the Italian city of Venice will have to pay a fee for the first time as part of a trial to deter daytrippers at peak times. Day visitors will pay an $A8 access fee from 8.30am to 4pm (0630-1400 GMT) from Thursday unless they have an exemption. Residents of the Veneto region, people who work, study or were born in Venice, children younger than 14 and anyone who has booked accommodation in the city will be exempt from the ticket requirement.
Startmate Demo Day: Everbility is transforming work for allied health professionals with AI
Ahead of Startmate Demo Day on May 2 in Sydney at Blackbird’s Sunrise, Startup Daily is profiling the 10 startups involved. Today it’s Everbility, which is using AI to cut the admin for allied health workers. When Angela Mariani and Mani Batra went on their first date in 2020, their shared passion for startups had them seeing sparks everywhere. Little did they know that they’d soon be saying “I do” not just to each other, but also to taking on the healthcare sector together.
Elon Musk vs Australia: global content take-down orders can harm the internet if adopted widely
Do Australian courts have the right to decide what foreign citizens, located overseas, view online on a foreign-owned platform? Anyone inclined to answer “yes” to this question should perhaps also ask themselves whether they are equally happy for courts in China, Russia and Iran to determine what Australians can see and post online in Australia.
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