New Rental Laws Are Fair. They Won't Fix the Crisis.
Australia's new rental law reforms are well-intentioned protections for renters. But they address tenant rights, not the real problem: we're not building enough homes to meet demand.
Darren Ong Articles by Darren Ong
Darren Ong 
Australian Crypto Platforms Face June 30 Licensing Crunch
Australian crypto platforms are facing a three-month window to secure licensing or risk enforcement action, as Parliament moves toward formally regulating digital asset trading for the first time.
Darren Ong Regional Property Markets Defy Capital Cities as Australians Trade High Rents for Lifestyle
Australia's regional property markets are significantly outpacing capital cities as affordability pressures and tight rental markets push younger Australians toward lifestyle migration. Regional prices are up 11.1% year-on-year.
Darren Ong 
Linear bets big on AI agents, writes off the era of issue tracking
Linear's CEO declares issue tracking dead as the platform launches AI agents. The move signals a seismic shift in software development tooling, but raises tough questions about whether the category can survive the transition.
Darren Ong 
Victoria ends rental application fees as consumer protection laws take hold
Victoria has banned real estate agents from charging rental application fees, part of sweeping reforms to curb rental market practices that impose costs on renters.
Darren Ong 
Backyard Housing Boom: Why Australians Are Building Small
From prefab granny flats to tiny homes, Australians are turning to compact backyard solutions as an affordable alternative to Australia's expensive housing market.
Darren Ong Australians Cut Goods but Keep Experiences: What the Spending Paradox Really Means
Australian retail sales hit $38.63 billion in January 2026, up 5.5%, even as consumer confidence sank to its second-lowest level on record. The divergence points to a fundamental change in how Australian families are spending money.
Darren Ong Car Insurance Premiums Hit 20-Year High as Repair Costs Spiral
Comprehensive car insurance costs have jumped 42% since 2019. In early 2026, major insurers pushed premiums higher still, with Tasmania hit hardest by 65% increases.
Darren Ong 
Sydney auctions stalling as rate rises cool buyer appetite
Sydney's auction clearance rate has plummeted in March, falling from February highs as consecutive RBA rate rises cool buyer enthusiasm and force vendors to abandon the block without achieving their asking prices.
Darren Ong 
Google's Lyria 3 Pro brings longer AI tracks to creators, but copyright questions remain
Google has released Lyria 3 Pro, its most advanced music generation model yet, allowing creators to compose tracks up to three minutes long with granular creative control.
Darren Ong 
Pearl Abyss bounces back as Crimson Desert hits 3 million sales
Pearl Abyss shares soared 23% today after the developer announced Crimson Desert had sold 3 million copies in five days, reversing an earlier market rout triggered by mixed critical reviews.
Darren Ong 
OpenAI Pulls Plug on Sora as Disney Deal Collapses
OpenAI has discontinued its Sora video generation app just six months after launch, with Disney simultaneously exiting a planned $1 billion investment. The shutdown reflects shifting priorities as the company prepares for public markets.
Darren Ong 
The $80 Billion Reckoning: Why Meta's Metaverse Failed and What It Reveals About Tech
Neal Stephenson, who invented the metaverse concept in 1992, has declared the technology creepy and unmarketable. Meta's $80 billion bet on his vision has ended in failure, offering hard lessons about capital, strategy, and listening to consumers.
Darren Ong 
Musk hit with $2.1 billion verdict over Twitter tweets as jury tests limits of billionaire power
A jury has found Elon Musk liable for misleading Twitter investors with tweets sent during his $44 billion acquisition attempt in 2022. The verdict signals that even powerful figures face consequences for statements that move markets.
Darren Ong 
SpaceX Takes Aim at Amazon's Satellite Datacenter Objection
SpaceX has fired back at Amazon's objections to its orbital datacenter plan, citing Blue Origin's own satellite application. The dispute underscores growing questions about whether space-based AI infrastructure is realistic.
Darren Ong Spring Property Market Stalls as RBA Rate Hikes Bite
Australia's spring property market is cooling fast. Auction clearance rates have fallen to their lowest level since December, with the RBA's second consecutive rate hike in March squeezing buyer confidence and pushing mortgage costs higher.
Darren Ong 
Pearl Abyss backtracks on Intel Arc after public pressure
Pearl Abyss initially rejected Intel's support for Arc GPUs in Crimson Desert, then reversed the decision within days after complaints from players.
Darren Ong 
Polymarket's 'Situation Room' opens in DC amid regulatory grey zone
Polymarket, a crypto-powered prediction market platform, has opened a bar in Washington DC featuring live news feeds and trading odds. The move comes as prediction markets face mounting legal challenges from states arguing they resemble unlicensed gambling.
Darren Ong 
Autonomous cars will need 300GB of RAM, Micron predicts. It could spark the next chip shortage.
Micron's CEO predicts autonomous vehicles will require 300GB of RAM, nearly 20 times current vehicles. The forecast highlights a pending supply crunch as memory manufacturers prioritise AI data centres over automotive demand.
Darren Ong 
Apple's Failed Halide Deal Unravels in Messy Lawsuit
A lawsuit between Halide camera app co-founders reveals Apple was close to acquiring the company to boost iPhone 18 Pro capabilities. The deal collapsed in September 2025, then one founder joined Apple anyway.
Darren Ong