Strategy

New South Wales has announced a permanent pill testing service at music festivals, marking a significant policy shift from its previous enforcement-first approach to drug use. The service will operate at up to 15 festivals annually, offering free and anonymous drug checking backed by $4.3 million in funding. While the initiative follows a promising 12-month trial that showed reduced hospital presentations and meaningful behavioral changes, the program operates within a narrow framework that leaves criminal

The New South Wales Government has released a comprehensive policy framework for data centre investment, establishing six core principles that developments must address while promising streamlined planning approvals. The framework introduces significant new compliance obligations around energy procurement, cost recovery contributions, and demand flexibility, including a $200,000/MW Major Network Upgrade Fee and requirements for renewable energy agreements with minimum 40% wind component.

The Australian Department of Home Affairs has implemented Ministerial Direction 119, fundamentally restructuring how skilled visa applications are prioritised based on occupation type and applicant location. This five-tier priority system now places offshore applicants in the lowest category unless they work in law enforcement or defence, creating processing delays measured in months for temporary visas and years for permanent residency.

APRA and ASIC have called on regulated entities to demonstrate that their governance, cyber controls, operational resilience and third-party risk arrangements can operate at frontier-AI speed.

Bartier Perry's leadership reflects on the firm's approach to balancing professional legal practice with strategic business management, highlighting recent partner appointments, regulatory changes in AML/CTF compliance, and housing reform initiatives. How does dedicated executive leadership alongside practising partners create a platform for sustainable growth while maintaining focus on exceptional client service?

Australia's Tranche 2 AML/CTF reforms are forcing professional service firms to confront a critical strategic question: should they continue offering services that now fall under regulatory oversight?

Space-related assets are becoming investable for infrastructure investors, with opportunities in ground stations, mission control assets, data-processing facilities and dual-use platforms. However, investors must carefully evaluate technology refresh risks, regulatory complexities including spectrum and orbital rights, and revenue bankability through counterparty quality rather than relying solely on sector growth projections.

Once the domain of government agencies, today the global space landscape is increasingly driven by private organisations pursuing a more entrepreneurial and commercial utilisation of space. We have come to depend on space-enabled technologies, such as satellite-based services, for everyday activities including navigation, telecommunications, weather forecasting, emergency management, banking, mining, agriculture and transportation.

Cathro and Partners' expanded Cathro Clarity dashboard reveals diverging trends in Australian insolvency: corporate appointments have nearly tripled since FY22 while personal bankruptcies rose only 15%, with debt agreements now accounting for 43% of personal insolvencies. The data exposes striking industry patterns, particularly healthcare's disproportionate representation in personal bankruptcies compared to corporate failures, and construction's dominance across both categories.

Pick up any financial publication these days and you’ll read that we are entering an age where Artificial Intelligence will increasingly replace human interaction.

Business growth expert Mark Calleja joins The Cut to discuss why many SME owners remain trapped at the seven-figure plateau despite working harder than ever. Drawing from practical experience, he reveals the operational blind spots, cashflow mistakes, and mindset barriers that prevent businesses from scaling beyond their current limitations.

Teamwork generally brings better results than individuals who fail to collaborate. How do you build these teams?