News

Push to force social media giants to maintain local teams

Twitter’s decision to axe all its Australian staff is “frustrating” the efforts of the online safety regulator to prevent child exploitation material, leading to calls for tech giants to...

‘Patient progress’ on NRF crossbench negotiations  

Industry minister Ed Husic won’t publicly rule anything in or out of his negotiations with the Greens and crossbench, whose support he needs to pass the National Reconstruction Fund...

CSIRO backs US partnership with $9m step up on AI, climate

The Australian and US national science agencies have deepened ties by joint-funding AI and sustainability research projects, and pledging to run more interdisciplinary international collaborations that focus on challenges...

NSW Labor’s $1bn promise for a state-owned CEFC

NSW Labor will create a $1 billion state-owned Energy Security Corporation modelled on the federal Clean Energy Finance Corporation if it is elected next month. Announced on Sunday, the...

Australian science still crying out for more R&D funding

Australia’s peak research bodies are ramping up pressure on the federal government to deliver on its commitment to push R&D expenditure towards three per cent of GDP. Calls for greater...

Accenture-built vetting system issues force manual workarounds

The rollout of a $130 million Accenture-built security vetting system has faced “substantial challenges”, with some staff redeployed to manually process clearances to meet the growing backlog. The ongoing...

Industry funding model firms for privacy watchdog

The federal government should explore industry funding models for the country’s privacy watchdog to give it sufficient resourcing to carry out its growing responsibilities, according to the Privacy Act...

ARC bombarded with FOIs for research application scores

Australia’s university research funding agency has received hundreds of Freedom of Information requests from unsuccessful grant applicants for the scores and feedback on their rejected proposals. Responses will be...

NRF: Intervention needed to halt slide on economic complexity

Achieving the objectives of federal industrial policy is fundamental to the government also achieving its emissions reduction and lower-cost energy commitments, the assistant minister for manufacturing Tim Ayres says....

Sweden is the exemplar for Australia’s innovation roadmap

The official visit of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden to Australia, accompanied by Sweden’s Foreign Trade minister Johan Forssell, could not have been better timed as...

Concerns raised over draft online safety codes several times

Draft online safety codes developed by industry were rejected by the eSafety Commissioner due to shortcomings that had already been flagged, firming the prospect that the government will develop...

Digital rights, industry groups respond to privacy review

Digital rights groups have broadly embraced reforms to Commonwealth privacy laws put forward after a two-year review but say the proposals could still be “watered down“ by lobbyists in...

Review calls for bigger Export Market grants

Changes to the Export Market Development Grants program aimed at increasing the value of individual grants will be considered following the release of the program’s operational review on Thursday....

Another committee to probe $15bn NRF

With debate intensifying around the government’s planned $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, Industry minister Ed Husic on Wednesday referred a committee to inquire into how to develop advanced manufacturing...