News

Gig Guide: ARC finds permanent CEO after year-long search

Renowned biochemist and Australian National University pro vice-chancellor Professor Ute Roessner has been named the new chief executive of the Australian Research Council. Ms Roessner, who will begin her...

DTA extends two IT mega-deals ahead of review

Two federal government technology mega-deals have been extended for another year, even as the Digital Transformation Agency prepares to review the single-sourcing arrangements. Microsoft and enterprise software support player...

CommBank to trial govt’s ID data-stopper

Banking customers in Canberra will be able to share their Medicare credentials with Australia’s largest bank to prove their identity in one of the first tests of the federal...

‘Poverty line’ PhD payments draining research

Australia’s universities will push the Albanese government for a $500 million funding commitment in the run up to the election to raise the living allowance for PhD candidates and...

Space agency looks for outside help as demand grows

Australia’s space agency is set to create an expanded panel arrangement to source external analysis and advice for launch permits and other space activity approvals, as it fights off...

DFAT hands BCG $90m for development assistance program

Boston Consulting Group has landed a $90 million contract to deliver a federal government development assistance program that aims to uplift Vietnam’s climate tech and digitalisation capabilities. The Aus4Growth...

Monash spinout raises $27.5m for cleaner lithium production

Monash University spinout ElectraLith has raised $27.5 million to advance a pilot plant for the production of an key lithium battery input, attracting investment from local and overseas deep...

Gallagher adds govt services beat in pre-election reshuffle

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a ministerial shake-up, handing Finance minister Katy Gallagher responsibility for the country’s welfare agencies through Services Australia. Senator Gallagher will take the position...

In-Q-Tel adds Quantum Brilliance to its portfolio

The California-based VC firm spawned from the US defence intelligence community In-Q-Tel has grabbed a share of Australian quantum computing startup Quantum Brilliance as a part of its US$20...

Canberra’s IBM deal nears $1.2bn after just two years

IBM’s whole-of-government sourcing deal with the federal government has shot past the $1 billion mark in less than two years, far exceeding the initial $725 million expectation with three...

DEI on the brink: Recognising we are at a crossroad

I have seen diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) move from the fringes of corporate consciousness to the mainstream, and worryingly, now risks being sidelined as just another ‘trend’. With...

WA manufacturers get $5m procurement fast lane

Western Australian government contracts up to $5 million can now be signed directly with local manufacturing companies without a competitive tender, following a procurement rule exemption that quietly came...

Historic space re-entry capsule lifts off on SpaceX rocket

A SpaceX rocket carrying a Varda Space Industries spacecraft that will attempt Australia’s first-ever commercial space re-entry next month has launched into low-Earth orbit. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying...

NRF building industry, not just scaling companies: Wilder

A $200 million investment in Arafura Rare Earths will build local industry and should not be conceived as a one-off payment to a mining company, according to National Reconstruction...