Research Funding: Australia is weighing “targeted financial support” for academics applying directly to Horizon Europe, with formal access due next January and a discussion paper floating modest help at proposal-development or post-award stages to lift Australia’s historically low success rates. Digital Rights & Online Safety: Child Rights Network says Australia should not adopt a blanket social media ban for under-16s, arguing digital access must be shaped around children’s rights and safety rather than exclusion. Justice & Accountability: A group of Australians accused of Islamic State involvement is set to face trial in Iraq after interrogations of thousands of detainees transferred from Syria, with Perth-born paediatrician Tareq Kamleh among those potentially implicated. Justice System & Disability: A new Indigenous disability-led study finds First Nations people with disability are spending extended periods in remand without convictions and often struggle to access appropriate healthcare and supports. Identity & Services: The Northern Territory is moving ahead with an opt-in mobile driver’s licence, while the federal government is also pushing broader digital identity and access approaches. Public Sector Tech Regulation: Australia’s privacy and digital ID direction continues to sharpen, including work on stronger controls around data use and digital credentials. Pacific Security & Drugs: Australia is expected to announce $600m for a Pacific scheme to tackle drug smuggling, including more surveillance and policing coordination. Climate & Resilience: Pacific leaders at the Forum are confronting the reality of overshoot beyond 1.5°C, with calls for immediate emissions cuts and stronger regional resilience planning. Skills & Infrastructure: A PSO report warns AI-driven data centre growth will worsen Australia’s skilled-trades shortage, potentially requiring 72,000 more workers by 2030 as housing and energy priorities compete for the same labour.