Apple has denied using "gimmicks" to dodge taxes and says it welcomes a review of US fiscal laws after a Senate investigation found it used offshore loopholes to save billions in taxes.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates will take part in a special version of the ABC's Q&A program during a visit to Australia later this month.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has dismissed claims the federal budget reveals the national broadband network (NBN) is failing.

Australia remains one of the top destinations for migrating professionals, but has slipped in a global rankings survey amid the high-value dollar putting pressure on exchange rates.

The government is saving $4.5 million by not proceeding with plans to filter the internet of objectionable material.

Malcolm Turnbull has branded Communications Minister Stephen Conroy a grub as a debate about the national broadband network turned into a slanging match.

Australian employers would be prevented from discriminating in favour of overseas applicants under a raft of changes flagged in a report on the nation's foreign worker visa program.

An explosion in the amount of personal data being collected online poses a growing threat to privacy, a marketing expert says.

The New Zealand government has struck a deal with Microsoft which, it says, will save $NZ119 million ($A99.21 million) over three years.