News

Defence giant left $300m out of pocket after satellite decision

US defence and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin tipped more than $300 million into its bid for Defence’s military-grade satellite communications system before it was jettisoned, new documents show. Defence...

Robyn Denholm exits operating partner role at Blackbird

Tesla chair Robyn Denholm has moved out of her role as operating partner at Australia’s biggest venture capital fund Blackbird, people familiar with the situation said, while she remains...

PM steers innovation fund to metals manufacturing

Almost half of the $1.7 billion Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund will be directed to manufacturing metals, the Prime Minister announced on Friday, just days after Australia was...

BoM tech overhaul ‘rebadged’ as costs pass $900m

A new report has confirmed the Bureau of Meteorology’s mammoth tech upgrade is ongoing and will take at least a year and $36 million more than when the project...

Defence’s high energy laser prototype passes first test

A prototype high energy laser system being developed for the Australian Defence Force has been successfully demonstrated for the first time in Adelaide by multinational defence technology company QinetiQ....

$17m Swinburne hub opens to advance Australian manufacturing

Dozens of researchers and industry partners will work together to inject tools like artificial intelligence and IoT devices into Australian manufacturing operations through a new government-backed hub at Swinburne...

Scott Farquhar takes the chair at Tech Council of Australia

Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar has been named the new chair of the Tech Council of Australia, succeeding Tesla chair Robyn Denholm after three-and-a-half years. Mr Farquhar, one of the...

Deepfake detectors vulnerable ahead of election

Australian scientists and international research partners have discovered “major vulnerabilities” in technology used to detect deepfakes, finding none of the market leading detectors can reliably identify real-world use. The...

NDIA goes to ground on its ongoing Salesforce blowout

Costs for Salesforce software and services at the National Disability Insurance Agency have reached $143 million and may rise again within weeks despite serious concerns about the management of...

On local R&D, the real problem isn’t just spending

Australia has a proud history of invention. But we have repeatedly failed to capitalise on our breakthroughs. Despite Australia’s strong research impact, with 3.5 per cent of global publications...