On The Call

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On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia’s centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down each week with our journalists to dissect what we’re watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers, live.

  1. 4d ago

    Firmus' IPO in jeopardy; Tech giants at the AI inquiry.

    Firmus's ASX IPO hangs in the balance as institutional investors grow increasingly sceptic before the book build was due to close. Meanwhile, the Joint Select Committee on AI wraps a big week of hearings, with tech giants including OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and Google facing questions on their responsibilities and the AI opportunity in Australia. We discuss: Firmus' IPO unravelling in real time - a possible repricing or second pull, and why offshore funds are raising their eyebrows.The high debt load bearing down on Firmus.Mass Group's exposure as both an equity holder and construction partner, and why its stock cratered this morning.Why Australian VCs are watching the Firmus float nervously, and the fear of "vaporware" contagion spreading to local tech sector espectations.OpenAI chief strategy officer Jason Kwon fronting the Joint Select Committee on AI and responding to the Services Australia breachAnthropic's Jeff Bleich, Microsoft, Google and the big banks all appearing before the committeeMatt Comyn's pitch for Australia as a "high capability AI nation" — and what that means in practiceHeidi Health's compute-for-equity deal as a blueprint for Australian AI businesses that don't build foundation models On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEDT: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  2. Oct 1

    The data centre debate gets real: Goodman's setback and Firmus' nearing IPO.

    Goodman Group has abandoned its $1.2 billion Lane Cove data centre after a fierce community and political backlash, raising questions on if Australia's AI infrastructure boom is hitting its first real  bump. Meanwhile, Firmus confirms its long-rumoured deal with Meta — worth up to USD750 million in annual earnings. Plus Wall Street heavyweight Millennium emerges as a surprise appearance at Firmus’ IPO presentation, as the hedge fund expands its Australian presence. We discuss: Why Goodman Group pulled the plug on its Project Mars data centreWhether Lane Cove is a one-off or the first sign of deeper distaste towards data centres among AustraliansThe role of red tape and bureaucratic hurdles in Goodman’s withdrawal.Firmus' confirmed Meta deal and what it means for its ASX debutThe bull and bear case for Firmus' massive ASX listingWhy Millennium, one of Wall Street's most secretive hedge funds, is building a presence in SydneyWhich Australian stocks Millennium has already bet on On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  3. Sep 24

    Tech and AI dominate Albanese's US visit

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in the United States earlier this week pushing for global guardrails on AI — signing a 22-nation statement on frontier AI regulation, launching Australia's bid for a UN Security Council seat and meeting with Apple chair Tim Cook on child safety. Then, an OpenAI breach into government portals is announced, which may give  Albanese some ammunition for his AI regulation push. Senior political correspondent Katina Curtis reports live from New York on a week that's shed light on where Australia and other global powers sit in the fight to control or not control AI. We discuss: The OpenAI breach of four government systems, including Medicare stats and NSW crime data.Why it took OpenAI months to disclose the hack and Albanese's blunt message to Sam Altman.Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles' presser confirming no personal data was leaked, and the new taskforce set up to investigate.Whether the timing of the PM's press conference was a coincidence or politically strategic.Apple's extraordinarily tight media rules around Tim Cook's child safety meeting with Albanese.Global leaders like Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron praising Australia's social media ban for under 16s.The 22-nation joint statement on frontier AI regulation, and how it clashes with Trump's "super intelligence" doctrine. • • Australia's formal bid for a UN Security Council seat as Albanese formally launches his campaign.

  4. Sep 17

    Australia's AI copyright clash fires up

    Australia's AI copyright fight reignites as leaked documents reveal the Albanese government's reform plans. Meanwhile, just hours later, Anthropic signs its first Australian data centre lease: a $32 billion project in regional Queensland. We discuss: The two copyright reform proposals in the leaked documents, and the creative sector's response.Why the AI labs want copyright reform, and the risk of Australia becoming a venue for international legal action.The difference between training and inference, and why training is the bigger economic prize.Anthropic's $32 billion Queensland data centre lease.How the data centre build-out will be powered, and Labor's retreat on renewables.The Coalition's mixed messaging on copyright and AI.Firmus' Tasmanian sports sponsorships and the social licence playbook.The AI existential risk debate. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEDT: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  5. Sep 10

    Xero's culture clash; Albo's war on big tech

    Xero's aggressive AI pivot has sent morale inside the accounting software company into freefall, with engineers fearing they're building their own replacements. Meanwhile, the Albanese government's battle against big tech has a new target: the algorithms, with a digital duty of care proposal that would let users opt out of algorithmic feeds. We discuss: Sinking morale at Xero and the forced-ranking performance measurement behind it.Why engineers fear they're training their own replacement.The culture clash between Xero's US-based executive team and its Australian and New Zealand staff.Shareholder anger over Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy's $25 million pay packet.An influencer ad and an automated email mishap that has turned off a core segment of Xero’s user base, accountants.Why Atlassian and Salesforce have bounced back from the SaaSpocalypse and Xero hasn’t.What's  in the digital duty of care, and the "My Feed, My Way" campaign.The Coalition and One Nation’s opposition to the proposal.Albanese's algorithm theory of One Nation's rise and whether this policy is the answer to it.The needle Labor has to thread: regulating big tech while courting billions in AI data centre investment On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  6. Sep 3

    Autonomous agents, real money: The risks of AI in banking and finance

    Agentic AI in banking has moved from drafting documents to moving money — and there’s an unanswered question on who's liable when bots are actioning transactions. Recorded live at Fintech Australia's Intersekt conference, the Capital Brief newsroom digs into the RBA's fintech regulation review, and where the big banks and the startup ecosystem sit not he agentic AI opportunity. We discuss: The disintermediation threat: what happens to the big banks when your money moves itself to the best providerThe RBA submissions divide — CBA, ANZ and Westpac urge for fast regulation, while NAB, Fintech Australia and the Tech Council say it's too earlyWho's liable when a bot makes a decision its human owner never authorised?Payment authority vs payment execution, and why that distinction is essential to answer the liability question.Why scam education built around human manipulation doesn't translate to agentsWhether public discomfort with handing over financial agency reduces over time. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  7. Aug 27

    Pauline Hanson’s support drops; Data centre angst rises.

    Support for Pauline Hanson slides in the latest Capital Brief–Demos AU poll, with the sharpest drop among women — positive views falling 13 points since June while negative views jumped 15 points. Meanwhile, less than a quarter of Australians would support a data centre being built in their area, and 44% oppose the idea outright. We discuss: One Nation's five-point primary vote collapse and whether the Pauline Hanson bubble is bursting.The stark gender split driving the plunge and he facors contributing to the shift including Hanson's Press Club appearance, Sicily trip with Gina Rinehart, and commentary on reproductive rights and domestic violence.Angus Taylor's four-point climb and his efforts to rehabilitate the Coalition’s image.One Nation's migration blow-up and the two very different constituencies Hanson now has to keep happy.Australia's favourite PMs: Bob Hawke in first place and Scott Morrison in last and the gender split on Julia Gillard.Data centre scepticism and whether opposition to data centres is ordinary NIMBYism or an early political backlash against AI. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEDT: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

  8. Aug 20

    Canva under the microscope, BHP cashes in on copper

    Canva is facing AI token fraudsters who are exploiting loopholes to access AI credits beyond normal limits, with some later sold on grey markets. This comes as two of Canva’s earliest backers, Blackbird and Airtree, wrote down its valuation by 17% to USD34.9 billion. Meanwhile, BHP posted a blockbuster USD9.8 billion profit — and for the first time, copper contributes more than half of the miner's earnings as the AI data centre boom rewrites Australia's mining story. We discuss: How token fraud works and why Canva's AI product made it a target for organised scammers.How this scam plays out across Claude, ChatGPT, and other subsidised AI subscriptions.Blackbird and AirTree's 17% valuation cut and what it signals about the lag between public and private market pricing.Canva's revenue growth slowdown and the unit. economics of running an AI business versus a classic SaaS model.Whether the $12 billion valuation floated by 20VC is defensible.How SaaS companies are repositioning their data as a moat.BHP's copper boom.Australia's familiar role in the AI era — digging things up and sending them overseas. On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia's centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down with Capital Brief's best journalists to dissect what we're watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers live. Subscribe to join our weekly live discussion on Thursdays at 12pm AEST: https://www.capitalbrief.com/on-the-call/ Sign up to our free weekly newsletter, The Edition: https://www.capitalbrief.com/newsletters/the-edition/

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On The Call is a weekly live conversation with the Capital Brief newsroom on the stories driving the agenda in Australia’s centres of power. Host Harshdeep Kaur sits down each week with our journalists to dissect what we’re watching and why it matters, and answer questions from our subscribers, live.

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  • Creator
    Capital Brief
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Capital Brief
  • Show Website
    On The Call

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