esafety – Stilgherrian

12 April 202617 April 2026

The 9pm Cornucopia of Tech Policy Pleasures with Johanna Weaver and Zoe Jay Hawkins

Two women stand looking into the camera. Both are wearing white t-shirts. Both have their arms folded. On the left is Johanna Weaver, with brushed-up greying hair, bright pink earrings, and glasses. On the right is Zoe Hawkins, with long straight black hair worn loose. Both are trying to look more serious than they actually are. — *Johanna Weaver (left) and Zoe Jay Hawkins from the Tech Policy Design Institute. (Photos: Supplied)*

From Australia’s teen social media ban to AI safety, there’s so many tech policy matters these days! So to wrap up the summer series — finally! — I decided to chat with Johanna Weaver and Zoe Jay Hawkins from the Tech Policy Design Institute in Canberra.

31 August 202431 August 2024

The 9pm War on Social Media with Professor Axel Bruns

*Professor Axel Bruns analyses all of your thoughts online. (Photo: Queensland University of Technology*)

With so much news about social media in Australia right now, I thought I’d wrap up the winter series by speaking with Professor Axel Bruns from the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology.

08 June 202410 March 2026

The 9pm Devilish Deepfakes of Democracy with Zoe Hawkins

The last couple of weeks have been full of online safety news, from eSafety Commissioner v X Corp in the Federal Court to AI to deepfakes. So my guest this time is. Zoe Jay Hawkins, head of policy design at ANU‘s Tech Policy Design Centre.

26 May 202426 May 2024

The 9pm Dream Cheese of Digital Tyranny with Justin Warren

In recent weeks the Australian government has opened multiple fronts in its war against the social media giants. So who better to speak with than Justin Warren, “consultant, freedom of information tragic, hexagon enthusiast, and creator of the CyberRating™ labelling scheme”?

28 April 202401 May 2024

Weekly Wrap 726: Evidence of progress in Croydon and hints of progress in my own world

Abandoned Shop, Croydon. On a bright sunny day, a view of a typical early 20th century corner shop with maroon tiles on the lower part of the walls, and terrible peeled white plaster above. The windows are boarded up, and the doors sprayed with graffiti. And yet on one side wall there's still a bright mural of bird of paradise flowers.

My week of Monday 22 to Sunday 28 April 2024 was busy with social things clustered around the Anzac Day holiday, but I still managed to clock up some billable hours. Indeed, I seem to have broken through whatever psychological barrier was limiting my work. That said, this Weekly Wrap is still mostly links to other things. Enjoy them, OK?

21 April 202426 April 2024

Weekly Wrap 725: Choose a direction, but make sure it’s the correct one

A steel post with street signs. Across the back one reads RAILWAY PDE. Below that, pointing to the right, HSE NOS 20-26. Below that, at 90 degrees to those two, are two more, reading TAYLOR AVE and TO RAILWAY PDE.

My week of Monday 15 to Sunday 21 April 2024 was a relatively easy one, deliberately, before what I know will be a hectic few weeks. That said, I actually managed to get some client work done, which is magical. And apart from that, here’s some interesting links.