logo
Dialogue, diplomacy, and literature: Ghazanfar Hashemi, CEO of World Dialogue Forum America, on global issues

Dialogue, diplomacy, and literature: Ghazanfar Hashemi, CEO of World Dialogue Forum America, on global issues

SBS Australia26-06-2025
LISTEN TO
SBS Urdu
25/06/2025 15:04 Urdu Mr. Ghazanfar Hashmi, based in the United States, serves as the head of the World Dialogue Forum America and the International Academy of Letters, America. A renowned poet, columnist, and translator, he actively promotes cultural diplomacy and international dialogue.
Ghazanfar Hashemi emphasises an accountable dialogue on the role of global forces based on moral, democratic and human rights.
Instead of following world powers Australia should adopt a separate foreign policy according to its priorities on moral grounds. Ghazanfar Hashemi
Hashmi's latest book is titled "A Nation Imprisoned in Myths: American Exceptionalism"
Mr Ghazanfar Hashmi at SBS during his Australian visit. (Source SBS Urdu)
Listen to the podcast from the link above to learn more.
Mr Ghazanfar Hashmi at SBS. (Source SBS Urdu) Listen Wednesday and Friday program at this link. SBS Urdu is on Instagram , Facebook and YouTube. Our SBS Audio app is available for Apple and Android devices. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bill to criminalise AI child abuse apps to be introduced to parliament
Bill to criminalise AI child abuse apps to be introduced to parliament

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Bill to criminalise AI child abuse apps to be introduced to parliament

A bill to criminalise the use of AI tools purpose-built to create child sexual abuse material is set to be introduced to parliament. Independent MP Kate Chaney, who will introduce the bill, says the urgent issue cannot wait for the government's wider response to artificial intelligence. While it is an offence to possess or share child abuse material, there is no criminal prohibition on downloading or distributing the wave of emerging AI generators designed to create the illegal material. The tools are becoming easier to access online, with some of the most popular visited millions of times. Their spread is diverting police resources and allowing material to be created offline, where it is harder to track. A roundtable convened last week to address the issue recommended swift action to make the tools illegal, prompting Ms Chaney's bill. "[This] clearly needs to be done urgently and I can't see why we need to wait to respond to this really significant and quite alarming issue," Ms Chaney said. "I recognise the challenges of regulating AI — the technology is changing so fast it's hard to even come up with a workable definition of AI — but while we are working on that holistic approach, there are gaps in our existing legislation we can plug to address the highest-risk-use cases like this, so we can continue to build trust in AI." Ms Chaney said she had met with Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, who she said recognised there was a gap in the law. The MP for Curtin's bill would create a new offence for using a carriage service to download, access, supply or facilitate technologies that are designed to create child abuse material. A new offence for scraping or distributing data with the intention of training or creating those tools would also be created. The offences would carry a maximum 15-year term of imprisonment. A public defence would be available for law enforcement, intelligence agencies and others with express authorisation to be able to investigate child abuse cases. "There are a few reasons we need this," Ms Chaney said. "These tools enable the on-demand, unlimited creation of this type of material, which means perpetrators can train AI tools with images of a particular child, delete the offending material so they can't be detected, and then still be able to generate material with word prompts. "It also makes police work more challenging. It is [getting] harder to identify real children who are victims. "And every AI abuse image starts with photos of a real child, so a child is harmed somewhere in the process." The federal government continues to develop its response to the explosion in the use of AI tools, including by enabling the tools where they are productive and useful. It is yet to respond to a major review of the Online Safety Act handed to the government last year, which also recommended that so-called "nudify" apps be criminalised. Members of last week's roundtable said there was no public benefit to consider in the case of these child abuse generators, and there was no reason to wait for a whole-of-economy response to criminalise them. Former police detective inspector Jon Rouse, who participated in that roundtable, said Ms Chaney's bill addressed an urgent legislative gap. "While existing Australian legislation provides for the prosecution of child sexual abuse material production, it does not yet address the use of AI in generating such material," Professor Rouse said. Colm Gannon, Australian chief of the International Centre for Mission and Exploited Children, said there was a strong consensus that the AI tools had no place in society and Ms Chaney's bill was a "clear and targeted step to close an urgent gap". In a statement, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the foremost priority of any government was "to keep our most vulnerable safe". "As Attorney-General, I am fully committed to combating child sexual exploitation and abuse in all settings, including online, and the government has a robust legislative framework in place to support this," Ms Rowland said. "Keeping young people safe from emerging harms is above politics, and the government will carefully consider any proposal that aims to strengthen our responses to child sexual exploitation and abuse." Ms Chaney said regulating AI must become a priority for the government this term. "This is going to have to be an urgent focus for this government, regulating the AI space," she said. "Existing laws do apply to AI, and so we need to plug the gaps in those so they continue to be fit-for-purpose. "We do also need a coordinated approach and a holistic approach so we can balance individual rights with productivity, global governance and trust in information and institutions. "The challenge is the technology moves fast and government does not move fast, so we need to get it right but we also need to plug these gaps as they appear. An inquiry established by former industry minister Ed Husic last year recommended the government take the strongest option in regulating AI by creating standalone laws that could adapt to the rapidly shifting technology.

Queensland's State of the Sector report shows almost 30 per cent of public service earning at least $120,000
Queensland's State of the Sector report shows almost 30 per cent of public service earning at least $120,000

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Queensland's State of the Sector report shows almost 30 per cent of public service earning at least $120,000

The headcount of Queensland's public service has swelled to over 320,000 workers, with almost 30 per cent of state government employees now earning at least $120,000. A new report to be released today reveals the Queensland government's workforce consisted of about 270,883 full-time equivalent (FTE) roles as of March this year. It represents a 5 per cent uptick from 258,012 FTEs in March 2024, with the majority of the growth attributed to an increase in health workers. When this is converted to a total headcount, which takes into account part-time workers, employee numbers climbed from 308,033 to 322,600 over this period. The details are contained in the annual State of the Sector report, which is the first snapshot of the public service since the new LNP government came to power last year. When looking at the total headcount, about 64,500 workers were earning between $120,000 and $149,999 per year as of March — equating to about one in five employees. This is up 38 per cent from the 46,753 workers in this wage bracket the same time last year, when they made up 15.2 per cent of the public service. Another 19,001 employees — or 5.89 per cent of the total headcount — were earning between $150,000 and $179,999 as of March this year. This reflected a 66.7 per cent increase from a year earlier when there were 11,397 workers in this income category. Workers earning more than $180,000 per year made up 2.3 per cent of the headcount — or a total of 7,439 workers, compared to 5,880 employees 12 months prior. Overall, the number of workers making at least $100,000 per year made up 44.7 per cent of the public service and those earning at least $120,000 accounted for 28.2 per cent. In the latest state budget, the government forecast it would spend almost $38 billion on public services wages in 2025-26, with this set to reach about $42 billion by 2028-29. The Queensland government is the state's biggest employer. The State of the Sector report reveals FTE corporate roles — which includes legal services, marketing, and human resources — increased 3.45 per cent in the past year. In comparison, FTE key frontline roles, which includes positions such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers, grew 4.02 per cent. Frontline and frontline support roles, which consist of jobs like security officers, policy analysts, general clerks, and gardeners, climbed 7.56 per cent. Overall, corporate roles make up about one tenth of FTE public service jobs. Health workers make up the largest portion of FTEs — accounting for 42.36 per cent of the public service, followed by education workers who make up 30.16 per cent. The report says the number of FTE police roles increased 3.26 per cent in the 12 months to March following drops in the prior two years. It attributes the growth to a "significant recruitment drive". There was also a 6.04 per cent increase in FTE nurses and midwives, an 8.42 per cent jump in doctors, and a 5.19 per cent rise in ambulance officers. FTE teacher positions increased by 0.23 per cent and child safety case workers ticked up by 0.68 per cent, while correction officer numbers grew 13.88 per cent. The number of FTE TAFE teachers and tutors fell by more than 2 per cent. So too did the number of disability support workers. The report notes the TAFE workforce is designed to "expand and contract" to meet the demand for qualifications and skill sets. The reporting period of between March last year and March this year includes roughly the last six months of the former Labor government and the first six months of the new LNP administration.

Youth crime crackdown: CLP to ‘overhaul' NT Youth Justice Act
Youth crime crackdown: CLP to ‘overhaul' NT Youth Justice Act

News.com.au

timean hour ago

  • News.com.au

Youth crime crackdown: CLP to ‘overhaul' NT Youth Justice Act

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro has vowed to toughen the Youth Justice Act following the alleged stabbing of a teenage boy at the Royal Darwin Show, with the Chief Minister saying legislation will be 'introduced on urgency' this week in Parliament. At the Royal Darwin Show on Saturday evening, a knife was allegedly plunged into a 15 year-old boy during an altercation, triggering panic. The alleged victim was rushed to hospital in a serious condition. On Sunday morning, Ms Finocchiaro, who enjoyed the show's festivities the day before the stabbing, took aim at the 'apologists' who 'have come out against' her government's crime package. 'Let's be clear, our current reality is the result of years of Labor's soft, offender-first policies,' she said. ' Yesterday at the Royal Darwin Show, a 15-year-old allegedly stabbed another child in front of Territorians who were simply trying to enjoy the event. 'This is not normal. It is not acceptable. And under my Government, it will not be tolerated.' Ms Finocchiaro then doubled down on 'replacing Labor's broken system', 'This week in Parliament, we will be changing the Youth Justice Act to end Labor's failed catch-and-release scheme,' she said. 'We expect the usual offender apologists to criticise our efforts, but they should look Territorians in the eye and say that kids witnessing senseless violence at a family show is okay. 'Legislation will be introduced on urgency to overhaul the Youth Justice Act 2005 and Youth Justice Regulations 2006.' The changes follow months of youth related crime that has seen carjackings, home invasions, ram raids, edged weapons incidents, bashings and riotous behaviour. The key changes which will be tabled include: For courts to now consider a youth's full criminal history when sentencing for adult offences; Removing 'detention as a last resort'; Stronger powers for Youth Justice Officers to use spit-guards and 'reasonable force' to maintain safety and prevent escapes; Expanded powers for the Commissioner to manage emergencies, aligning with the Correctional Services Act. Further, the CLP say additional effects will materialise through the changes, including the definition of 'escape', the strengthening of victim engagement and aligning chief executive powers with the Corrections Services Act. In early July, Ms Finocchiaro announced she would expand the list of serious offences that are ineligible for youth diversion. The 13 'prescribed offences' included riot related charges, violent act causing death, recklessly endangering serious harm, negligently causing serious harm, hit-and-run, dangerous driving during pursuit, assaults on workers, police or with the intent to steal, robbery, burglary, using a stolen motor vehicle and making off without payment. The NT Parliament will meet between July 29 - July 31. The reforms respond to repeated community concerns and real cases where young offenders reoffended while on bail, putting the community at further risk. Minister for Corrections Gerard Maley said the reforms respond to repeated community concerns and real cases where young offenders reoffended while on bail, putting the community at further risk. 'Territorians have a right to safe streets and communities, victims have a right to a responsible justice system, and serious offenders have the right to remain silent,' said Mr Maley.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store