01 / Regulation
Canberra is setting up an Office of AI. Here is what matters.
On 14 July, Reuters reported that the federal government will establish an “Office of AI” inside the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, announced by the Prime Minister in a Sydney speech this week. The stated aim: stop handling AI “issue-by-issue, sector by sector” and coordinate standards, approvals and compliance across government. Australia still has no dedicated AI law - we run on privacy law, consumer law and a voluntary ethics framework - and this announcement does not change that.
What it signals is that future rules will come through one door rather than ten, which for small businesses is mostly good news: clearer guidance and fewer conflicting signals. The government is also plainly trying to attract AI investment, which points to a rules-light approach rather than heavy European-style regulation. This is worth watching, not rushing. Nothing here requires action this week, but the standards this office sets will eventually reach the software you buy and the data you hold.
Owner takeaway: Nothing to do this week. Put “AI rules” on your quarterly review list rather than your to-do list - and make sure your basic data handling is documented, because that is what every future rule will assume you already have.
Original source: Reuters via The Spokesman-Review
02 / Google Workspace
Google's free ride on Sheets AI ended yesterday
Back in April, Google launched Fill with Gemini and the AI() function in Google Sheets - type a plain-English instruction and Gemini fills a column, categorises feedback or drafts responses. Google's own launch note said the free promotional limits would run “through July 15, 2026”. That date has now passed, and per-user monthly caps apply, with a paid “AI Expanded Access” add-on to lift them.
The exact numbers matter less than the pattern: AI features launch free, get quietly built into daily workflows, then get metered. If someone in your office built a quoting sheet, a lead categoriser or a feedback tagger on these features over winter, it can now stop working partway through the month. Do not find out from an error message on the 22nd.
Owner takeaway: Ask whoever runs your spreadsheets whether anything uses Fill with Gemini or the AI() function. If yes, check your Workspace plan's usage limits before month-end and decide deliberately: pay for the add-on, or move the workflow somewhere with predictable pricing.
Original source: Google Workspace Updates
03 / AI adoption
NAB: 42% of Australian small businesses are now using AI
NAB Economics' July Business Pulse puts AI use at 42% of Australian small and medium businesses, with another 14% planning to adopt. The industries furthest ahead handle a lot of data: property services (69%), finance and insurance (64%), business services (61%). Automation is the most-cited opportunity at 35%, ahead of marketing and sales at 31%.
Two observations in the NAB piece ring true from our own client work. First, the businesses getting the most value are not the biggest spenders - they start with a real customer problem, not a tool. Second, the trip hazards NAB names are the ones we see constantly: data leakage, hallucinations, and staff quietly using unapproved tools. For most small businesses, the useful bit is the benchmark. If you are doing nothing, you are now in the minority - and the experimentation phase around you is ending.
Owner takeaway: Run a 30-minute staff survey this week: who uses which AI tools, for what, with what data? You cannot set a policy for tools you do not know about. The first practical test would be one measurable, low-risk task - not a platform rollout.
Original source: NAB Business Pulse: July 2026
04 / Microsoft 365
Copilot is now baked into Microsoft 365 Business plans - and your renewal
From 1 July, Microsoft made “Business Standard with Copilot” and “Business Premium with Copilot” permanent plans for up to 300 seats. On Microsoft's Australian price list, Business Standard with Copilot sits at AU$50.10 per user per month - currently promoted at AU$32.90 - and Business Premium with Copilot at AU$64.40, currently AU$47.93. Both are paid yearly and exclude GST. Existing customers move across at renewal, with at least 30 days' notice inside the Microsoft 365 admin centre; if your renewal falls in the next few months, that notice may already be sitting there.
Bundling is genuinely simpler than juggling add-ons, but simpler and cheaper are different words - an extra twenty-odd dollars per user across 10-20 staff compounds quickly, and promotional prices are exactly that: promotional. Do not automate the mess. Map it first: Copilot earns its keep in offices with tidy SharePoint and consistent processes, and mostly does not in offices without them.
Owner takeaway: Find your Microsoft 365 renewal date and ask your IT provider for your exact per-user cost after it - pricing through a provider differs from Microsoft's retail list. If Copilot is coming in your bundle, pick two or three roles to trial it properly for a month rather than paying for shelfware.
Original source: Microsoft 365 Blog | Microsoft 365 Business plans with Copilot - Australian pricing
What I would do first
The staff AI survey
If I ran a 15-person SEQ business today, I would do the cheapest thing on this list: the staff AI survey. The NAB numbers say adoption is happening inside your office whether you have a policy or not. Once you know what is actually in use, the Google Sheets question and the Copilot renewal question largely answer themselves - you will know what people rely on and what they merely clicked once.
Running a business that needs someone accountable for technology decisions, not just automations? See the fractional CIO seat.