In a bold move to stop international students from treating Australian education like a buffet where you can swap the lobster for a stale bread roll, the government is cracking down on "course hopping." Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill announced this morning that students will now need a separate visa to transfer courses, making it significantly harder to jump from a bachelor's degree to a vocational course just to extend their stay. Because nothing says "world-class education" like forcing students to commit to a path they might regret.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had already laid the groundwork last month, declaring that transfers could only be to courses of equal or higher value. So no, you can't start a master's and then pivot to a six-month certificate in barista skills. The goal? Curb the rise of "permanently temporary" migrants - people who hop from visa to visa, spend most of their adult lives in Australia, have kids who are Australian citizens, but never quite make the cut for skilled migration. It's a bit like being stuck in an airport lounge for decades, except the lounge is a continent.
Hill also promised to crack down on migration lawyers and agents who "game" the system by profiting off people with baseless visa claims. Because if there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that exploiting desperate people for money is bad - unless you're a consultant charging by the hour, in which case it's just business.
In other news, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant has announced she's stepping down after 10 years, saying "it's probably time for new leadership." She noted the office has grown tenfold and that she'll be actively shaping the new digital duty of care before she goes. "This is not an easy gig from a personal perspective," she said, which is a polite way of saying "I've spent a decade herding cats while the cats built casinos for children."
Speaking of which, Inman-Grant had some choice words about online gaming platforms. She said the "threat environment is getting more serious" and that she expected better protections for kids by now. While Roblox is showing improvement and Minecraft has education-based games that are safer than the online version, Fortnite is lagging. And Steam and Valve? They're the outliers, still relying on self-declaration for age assurance - because nothing says "child safety" like asking a 10-year-old to check a box that says "I am 18."
Inman-Grant also noted that gaming platforms are starting to act like social media platforms, trying to keep kids on longer, introducing dating services and shopping malls where the primary demographic is 8 to 13, and allowing adults to intermingle. "I mean, what could possibly go wrong there?" she said, with the dry resignation of someone who has seen exactly what could go wrong.
A new eSafety report into online game service providers found that "left unchecked or unmoderated, there is a risk that these games could contain unlawful material or serve as high-risk environments for child sexual exploitation and abuse or activity which promotes, incites or instructs in matters of crime or violence." Most providers had tools to detect harmful material, but the quality varied. Some took longer to respond to reports, leaving users exposed to serious harms for longer. The report drew from Fortnite's developer Epic Games, Roblox, Minecraft, and Valve's Steam, and found "disparities and shortcomings." Inman-Grant said that while there have been some safety improvements, including court-enforceable undertakings from Roblox, "there is still significant work to be done across the board."
In a refreshingly non-digital story, a Sydney man has been charged after allegedly restraining, choking, and sexually assaulting a young woman in a park. The 23-year-old woman was walking from Flemington Station through Airey Park in Homebush around 11.15pm on Friday 18 September when she was stopped by a man not known to her. Police allege the 27-year-old restrained her, dragged her into nearby bushland, and assaulted her. He was arrested at a Padstow property on Thursday and charged with aggravated sex assault, intentionally choking without consent, taking a person with intent to commit a serious indictable offence, and stalk/intimidating with intent to cause fear of physical harm. He's due in Bankstown local court on Friday. Because some stories don't need a punchline.
On the AI front, Industry Minister Tim Ayres was asked why the government's rhetoric on artificial intelligence had softened after an initially stern tone on the OpenAI breach. Ayres said the government had been direct with OpenAI but that Australia and tech giants must work in tandem. "It reinforces the government's approach here, which is about making sure that artificial intelligence investment here supports Australia's national interest, happens on Australia's terms," he said. He noted that Albanese had given a firm message to OpenAI's founder, followed by "extensive, enhanced cooperation." Because nothing says "national interest" like negotiating with the company you just scolded.
The Minns government has pledged to regulate labour hire in New South Wales if reelected, aiming to protect workers and businesses from dodgy providers. An independent report earlier this year found a number of labour supply companies incorporated within days of each other at the same address, with the same director and secretary, during the Western Sydney Airport Metro project. The investigation found suspected underpayment, insurance fraud, tax fraud, and unaccounted invoices worth more than $10m. The contractor was terminated. Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis said the government has "zero-tolerance for the exploitation of workers" and that a labour hire licencing scheme is an important step. Because nothing says "fair pay" like a licensing scheme that might actually enforce it.
In sports news, former Wallaby hooker Nathan Charles, who became the first cystic fibrosis sufferer in the world to play a contact sport professionally, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 37. Charles played four Test matches for Australia and revealed his diagnosis during a Stan Sport interview with Justin Harrison. He has the same disease as retired South Sydney NRL star Jai Arrow. Sometimes the only appropriate response is silence.
Finally, Atlassian has entered a 10-year solar energy deal with a community co-op to power its Sydney HQ. The virtual power purchase agreement with the Goulburn Community Energy Co-operative will fund almost 70% of the project's output over the next decade. The solar farm, located on 2.2 hectares in Goulburn, features 2,300 solar panels and a four megawatt-hour battery, owned by about 288 local investors who contributed a minimum of $400. It connected to the grid in March 2026, 12 years after it was proposed. The deal follows a $2.3m NSW government grant. Andrew Bray, chair of the co-op, said having a "blue-chip Australian company like Atlassian" on board is a "huge vote of confidence." Because if there's one thing tech companies love, it's renewable energy - especially when it powers their 39-storey headquarters near Central station, opening in 2028. The debate over whether tech companies should invest in renewable energy for data centres and AI operations rages on, but at least Atlassian is doing something. For now.