News

The tortured path of the STEM Diversity review

Six months after former Industry minister Ed Husic publicly accepted all 11 recommendations of the long-running Pathway to STEM Diversity Review, the federal government has walked back from those...

R&D carved out of ‘five pillars’ productivity inquiries

Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood has dashed hopes of early reforms to R&D settings through the productivity roundtable process, declaring it a matter for the Strategic Examination of R&D....

Qld’s mammoth govtech fund looks for agility

The Queensland government’s new $1 billion digital fund is prioritising Software-as-a-Service and common platforms under the watch of a handful of public servants and a highly paid consultant. The...

The Gig Guide: NRFC appoints risk chief with clear mandate

Nicholas Mant, the former chief investment risk and sustainability officer at the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, has joined the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation in the newly created role of...

Identity is the new perimeter in public sector

As public sector agencies accelerate their cloud migrations and adopt software-as-a-service platforms, their cybersecurity strategies must also evolve — and fast. According to CyberArk head of public sector Derek...

Melbourne low-cost parcel sorter claims robotics sprint

Melbourne robotic parcel sorting startup Nexobot has won the inaugural Propel-AIR accelerator competition, earning its founder Dominic Lindsay a residency at MassRobotics, a global robotics hub in Boston. Nexobot...

Privacy watchdog sues Optus over 2022 data beach

Australia’s privacy regulator is taking Optus to court over the telco’s 2022 data breach, alleging the company “seriously interfered” with the privacy of around 9.5 million Australians. The Office...

News Wrap: Productivity wars turn to copyright reform

Industry minister Tim Ayres and the Treasurer Jim Chalmers seemed to shut the door on calls to rewrite copyright laws in a way that would provide a ‘fair dealing’...

CSIRO researchers brace for hundreds of job cuts

The national science agency has confirmed it is “reshaping” its research portfolio to do “fewer things, better”, after the staff union warned hundreds of job will be cut later...

NSW moves to outlaw sexually explicit deepfakes

New South Wales has become the latest state to move to prohibit the creation and distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes in response to the significant increase in image-based abuse....

NRF takes $50m stake in WA lithium project

The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation has made its second investment in Australia’s critical minerals sector, committing $50 million to Liontown Resources’ flagship Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia....

Google commits US$1bn for AI training at US universities

Alphabet’s Google on Wednesday announced a three-year, $1 billion commitment to provide artificial intelligence training and tools to U.S. higher education institutions and nonprofits. More than 100 universities have...