Allegra Spender

@spenderallegra "broke into" its crawling public files ffs. this is transparent attempt at grabing funding 100 views · 11 likes · 0 reposts · 1 replies Open on X →

As my crossbench colleague Kate Chaney has said, we need to strengthen the Safety Institute by increasing funding urgently. I've also backed her call for a mandatory incident reporting scheme. No company should be able to sit on a breach like this for three months. 451 views · 2 likes · 0 reposts · 3 replies Open on X →

It's genuinely hard to understand how an institute with $8m a year in recurrent funding is meant to keep Australians safe from this. People are concerned, and they have every right to be. 626 views · 4 likes · 0 reposts · 1 replies Open on X →

Last week, the PM said the AI Safety Institute didn't need more funding. This week we learn an OpenAI agent broke into a Medicare statistics portal, and OpenAI took three months to tell the government. They did it by emailing a public inbox. 3.5K views · 27 likes · 0 reposts · 33 replies Open on X →

@spenderallegra Support for Israel actually means genocide 929 views · 252 likes · 5 reposts · 0 replies Open on X →

@spenderallegra One of our Jewish friends told us over dinner that all Palestinian babies are born animals, and when we objected we were called called antisemitic. I’m choosing friends with better ethical standards from now on. 1.4K views · 231 likes · 9 reposts · 6 replies Open on X →

@spenderallegra How is it at all 'intimidating' to Jewish students? Let alone 'extremely intimidating'? What rubbish. 1.3K views · 250 likes · 6 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Support for Palestinian rights does not mean support for violence. I understand people want to express their care for Palestinians but there are ways to do this without being incendiary and extremely intimidating to Jewish students. 33.2K views · 74 likes · 2 reposts · 237 replies Open on X →

I am appalled that a group of students should choose Globalise the Intifada as an SRC election slogan. Words matter. People should know that globalise the intifada can be a call to spread violence. 255.7K views · 412 likes · 31 reposts · 849 replies Open on X →

Allegra Spender@spenderallegra11 Sep

We need to drive innovation and entrepreneurial risk-taking. Given the challenges of the indexation model I believe it’s important the government goes as broad as possible in defining and supporting active innovative businesses. https://t.co/UhjDlCfGaT 920 views · 7 likes · 3 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

@spenderallegra Your disgraceful push for lowering the capital gains discount is part of what gave Labor the political capital to double the capital gains rate, even on startups and growth investors Its genuinely repulsive watching you pretend give a shit about productivity in A 271 views · 24 likes · 1 reposts · 0 replies Open on X →

But this is more than just data centres – currently less than 10% of Aus companies are reporting significant adoption. Diffusing AI will ensure we remain competitive and able to concentrate our uniquely human skills on the highest-value tasks. That includes Govt. 590 views · 2 likes · 0 reposts · 4 replies Open on X →

Australia is well-placed and has natural advantages – abundant space, renewable energy and political stability. If we want to be a renewable energy superpower then exporting “green compute” is a natural opportunity for Australia to cement itself in the chain. 1K views · 5 likes · 1 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Angst around loss of skills, redundancies and the resources required to power data centres is real and understandable. But the shift is underway. Australia must decide whether to participate or spectate. Managing those risks and seizing the opportunity don’t have to be in tension 849 views · 4 likes · 1 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Treasury analysis confirms that AI represents a genuine and credible opportunity to lift Australia’s lacklustre productivity – the best and only sustainable way to grow Australians’ wages overtime. 7.8K views · 63 likes · 7 reposts · 77 replies Open on X →

@spenderallegra 💯 But the lesson should extend beyond tobacco. When taxation and prohibition become so punitive that organised crime can offer a cheaper, easier product, policy has lost the balance. Look overseas. Switzerland shifted addiction toward treatment and harm reductio 273 views · 10 likes · 1 reposts · 0 replies Open on X →

Finally, we need a renewed national health campaign to ensure this policy failure and response do not establish a new generation of smokers – legal or illegal. 683 views · 5 likes · 1 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Acknowledging the Feds have provided support to the states, we need better incentives. Until this is resolved, we should consider directing excise from tobacco products towards the states to align incentives and support enforcement and closure of shops selling illegal products. 730 views · 5 likes · 1 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Equally, any drop in excise must be paired with a reduction in availability of illegal products - Australians are marketed tobacco products on nearly every street corner. We should further restrict the sale of legal tobacco to those with greater social license and reputation. 994 views · 9 likes · 0 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

Cutting excise alone won’t solve an entrenched black market. But the rate of cigarette excise no longer supports any of the objectives related to public revenue, public health or public safety and should be reduced. The rate should be set based on evidence, not a gut feel. 1.1K views · 19 likes · 1 reposts · 6 replies Open on X →