Where were you? Atlassian billionaire Scott Farquhar turns up THREE HOURS late to Albo’s economic roundtable meeting to reshape Australia… and then wears a T-shirt

He’s been busy campaigning to loosen Australian AI laws – but tech bro billionaire Scott Farquhar skipped the first session of Anthony Albanese’s economic roundtable in Canberra this week, according to sources in the room.

The Atlassian co-founder, who is also the founding member and chair of the Tech Council of Australia, was one of 24 core invitees to the Canberra talkfest aimed at turbocharging Australia’s economy.

The two dozen business bigwigs, union barons and civil service mandarins have all been sharing their big ideas for boosting the country’s faltering productivity over the course of the three-day talk-fest.

Farquhar, 45, has attracted criticism in recent days for his calls to allow AI companies free rein to use copyrighted material without compensating the original creators.

But Farquhar, who is Australia’s fourth richest person with an estimated personal fortune of $21.4 billion, was not there to hear Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ opening remarks on Tuesday morning.

Nor was he there for the opening address from Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock about some of the productivity challenges facing the economy.

He also missed the first session, which started at 9am, about the international risks, opportunities and trade led by National Farmers’ Federation president David Jochinke and Australian National University professor Shiro Armstrong.

Farquhar finally joined the oval table in the Cabinet room at 11.20am for the second session on ‘skills attraction, development and mobility’.

The Atlassian co-founder, who is also the founding member and chair of the Tech Council of Australia, is one of 24 core invitees to the Canberra talkfest aimed at turbocharging Australia’s economy. He was not present for the opening remarks and the first session on Tuesday

Farquhar finally joined the oval table at 11.20am for the second session on ‘skills attraction, development and mobility

It is unclear whether he had a prior engagement. The only other two core invitees not in attendance were representatives from the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

The Daily Mail approached the Tech Council of Australia for comment.

On Wednesday morning Farquhar turned up in a grey herringbone suit jacket over a black t-shirt to hear Chalmers thank attendees for the ‘spirit’ they brought to the discussion the day before.

‘I do think there are large swathes of what we need to do together where there is a consensus emerging, and that’s very welcome,’ the Treasurer said.

Farquhar was sat between Teal MP Allegra Spender and Bran Black, Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Australia.

Later in the day, he was sat beside the most senior public servant in the country, Steven Kennedy, Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Farquhar’s appearance at the productivity summit comes hot on the heels of another headline-grabbing trip to Canberra.

Last month, he addressed the National Press Club in his role as chair of the Tech Council of Australia.

Farquhar was sat between Teal MP Allegra Spender and Bran Black, Chief Executive Officer, Business Council of Australia

He made an impassioned plea for lawmakers to capitalise on the AI revolution – an opportunity that could boost the economy, he claimed, to the tune of $115billion per year by 2030.

‘The scoreboard of the AI era is blank,’ Mr Farquhar said.

‘The race is still on, and Australia has everything to play for.’

However, it was his call for the government to change copyright laws to give exceptions for AI text and data mining that provoked a firestorm of criticism.

This was later echoed in an interim report by the Productivity Commission, which suggested Australia’s tight regulations around copyright and intellectual property rights could stifle AI advancements.

But artists, writers, performers and media organisations united to oppose any change, arguing that it represented ‘wholesale theft’ of their creative work.

For example, the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance labelled it ‘a blueprint for the wholesale theft of Australia’s art, media, and cultural heritage that will do nothing more than further enrich the billionaires in Silicon Valley’.

Farquhar was taken to task on the issue by the ABC’s 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson last week.

Ferguson repeatedly pressed him on his call for the government to grant exemptions to AI companies to override copyright laws

Happier times: Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar pose together in San Francisco in 2016

She asked him how he would have felt if a business rival stole his intellectual property before he made his billions.

‘You would’ve been happy to yield your intellectual property for no reward?’, Ferguson asked.

Farquhar responded: ‘As a society, we say that everyone gets copyright.’

But Ferguson was not finished.

‘What about you Scott Farquhar, at that time?’, she asked.

‘With something that you had created through your own skill, blood, sweat and tears. If someone had come along and taken that from you and used it to benefit themselves with no benefit to you, you would’ve thought that was fair?’

He replied: ‘If it had been transformative, yes.’