News

BCG gets $11.5m for Vic digital contact tracing

Boston Consulting Group was paid more than $11 million over three months to digitise the Victorian government’s paper-based COVID-19 contact tracing system late last year and implement Salesforce’s customer...

Deloitte paid $1.5m to run ATO social platforms

The federal government will pay consulting giant Deloitte more than $1.5 million for its off-the-shelf online forum platform and social media management tools for use by the tax office....

Retained Economic Benefit is the next new thing

Spending by Australian governments on information technology is expected to exceed $13 billion this year, according to global research outfit Gartner. That’s an extraordinary amount of money and a...

Aussie space startups to launch bushfire satellite

Three Australian space companies will unite to launch a bushfire detection satellite into orbit in a major milestone for building sovereignty capability in the local space sector. In-space transportation...

Govt backs off proposed Big Tech inquiry

A Liberal Senator has withdrawn his attempt to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the influence of Big Tech in Australia on the same day the federal government passed its...

Govt must help business tackle ransomware

Maksim Yakubets cuts quite the figure driving his custom fluoro camouflage Lamborghini through the streets of Moscow. According to indictments filed in the United States, Yakubet could live this...

Manufacturing fund opens for medical products

The federal government’s $1.3 billion modern manufacturing fund is now open for medical products, with a focus on research translation and sovereignty. The Modern Manufacturing Initiative is the centrepiece...

Big Tech media bargaining code passes

The federal government’s controversial Big Tech media bargaining code has passed Parliament with bipartisan support, despite a number of crossbench senators raising concerns that small and regional publishers will...

Manufacturing is a capability, not a sector

The assertion by The Australian newspaper for it to be ‘too late to save manufacturing’ is grounded in a lack of understanding. First, in what is manufacturing. Second, in...

New software R&D scheme better than RDTI tinker

An entirely new, standalone R&D scheme for software companies would be more effective than further tinkering with the existing tax incentive program, according to StartupAUS chief executive Alex McCauley....

Academy calls for manufacturing boost for vaccines

Without the ability to produce vaccines onshore, Australia and the region remain vulnerable to supply shocks and ‘vaccine nationalism’, the Academy of Science says in a pre-budget submission to...

Cyber CRC backs ‘extraordinary’ AFP hacking powers

The government-funded cybersecurity research centre has thrown its support behind the proposed “extraordinary” new hacking powers for the Australian Federal Police, its position that is at odds with human...

Facebook: Everyone happy but nothing is changed

After some turmoil, Facebook won the war with the Australian government as the necessary changes were made to the legislation that avoids them needing to make changes to their...

Vic govt funds ‘Australia first’ AI program

The Victorian government has a mission of positioning the state as a “world-leading innovation hub” with significant funding in the recent budget and a new $1.5 million investment in...