News

WA innovation seed fund commits more than expected

The Western Australian government has announced 17 projects, ranging between MedTech, digital health, and BioTech, that will share $8 million in funding through the state’s Innovation Seed Fund for...

TikTok back in the Parliament’s firing line

TikTok’s data security is back under scrutiny in Australia after global executives confirmed Chinese employees had access to information on US users. Both the government and the Opposition are...

Industry policy must change to match net zero ambition: Grattan

Australia’s industrial policy must be overhauled to limit emissions and take full advantage of the decarbonising global economy, according to the Grattan Institute, which warns the current approach lacks...

Aussie AgTech champion given international honour

The chief scientist of the Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre and former University of New England Distinguished Professor has made history as the first Australian to receive a prestigious...

Digital passenger card shelved after scathing reviews

The Digital Passenger Declaration has been shelved, with new Home Affairs minister Clare O’Neil acknowledging it “needs a lot more work” even after more than $60 million has been...

Bunbury is WA’s fourth New Industries innovation hub

The Western Australian government has launched its fourth innovation hub, this one focused on creative technology which includes gaming, experiential and immersive technology, software, product design, advertising, film and...

Gig Guide: CSIRO Covid-19 lead jumps to WA govt

CSIRO Covid-19 science leader Professor Seshadri Vasan has joined the Western Australian government’s newly reformed Office of Medical Research and Innovation within the state’s Department of Health. Professor Vasan...

Defence, ServicesAus warned over contractor oversight issues

Some of the Public Service’s biggest users of outside contractors are not ensuring the outsourced workers are properly qualified, inducted or discharged, the national audit office has found, putting...

Labor doubles SME target share of $70b in govt contracts

The Commonwealth Procurement Rules have been changed to give small and medium sized businesses a bigger slice of the $70 billion the federal government spends annually on contracts and...

EMDG recipients mistakenly told they’d get no money

Recipients of federal government export grants were mistakenly told by the government they would not receive any second tranche payment before later being informed that they would get a...

The National Crime Authority bombing: A personal story

This week, South Australian drug trafficker Domenic Perre was found guilty of the 1994 National Crime Authority bombing in Adelaide. Following a seven-month trial, Justice Kevin Nicholson found Perre...

$37m for standalone power systems rollout in WA

The Western Australian government has announced that two local firms will share in $37 million for the rollout of 180 standalone power systems. The rollout will begin in 2023...

Tech Policy Design Kit gets a workshop test run

The Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University has unveiled a beta version of its online policy design kit, which aims to improve the quality of interactions...

Thailand woos Aussie investors on its innovation potential

Thai delegates have promised Australian investors a “totally different” Thailand within three years as the government looks to attract foreign capital to its reshaping economy, which is being built...