News

Privacy office to report on COVIDSafe in weeks

The country’s privacy regulator will release its first report on COVIDSafe within weeks, with the national audit office also considering scrutinising the federal government’s controversial contact tracing app. The...

Husic to bring his tech focus to shadow cabinet

The government needs to set its ambitions for tech and innovation much higher and encourage creation rather than just adoption, newly appointed shadow minister for agriculture and resources Ed...

Digital identity legislation open for consultation

The federal government has opened the consultation process on draft legislation expanding its digital identity scheme to state governments and the private sector, with plans to put current privacy...

Media, Big Tech code by the end of the year

The government still plans to introduce legislation imposing a bargaining code between tech giants and media companies, with Google outlining its conditions for agreeing to such a concept. The...

The Pivot: Lessons from the biotech frontline

“If plan A doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letters – 46 if you’re in Japan.” (Claire Cook, Seven Year Switch) In the late 1980s and early 1990s...

Cross-sector tech opportunities for manufacturing

Whilst 2020 has brought significant challenges, we have seen the manufacturing industry pivot quickly to address short-term needs, particularly around products like PPE. This kickstarted a renewed focus on...

Govt rejects most of 5G inquiry recommendations

The federal government has launched consultations on its new $22 million 5G Innovation Initiative, a day after rejecting many of the key recommendations from a Parliamentary inquiry into 5G....

Regional trade boost for cyber, digital and data

Australia’s new trade agreement with 14 Indo-Pacific countries comes with a focus on telecommunications, e-commerce, cybersecurity and the flow of data across borders. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)...

Ex-Virgin Galactic star to lead Space Agency

Virgin Galactic chief operating officer Enrico Palermo has been appointed as the new Australian Space Agency chief executive, taking over at a time when the local sector is “on...

Robodebt class action settled for $1.2 billion

The government will pay $112 million in compensation to 400,000 victims of its robodebt scheme as part of a $1.2 billion class action lawsuit settlement over its use of...

CSL to build $800m Melbourne vaccine facility

Biotechnology giant CSL will spend more than $800 million building a new vaccine manufacturing plant at the Melbourne Airport Business Park, with operations expected to start in 2026. The...

Govt struggle to build strong cyber practices

If you follow cybersecurity, you will know the news is rarely good, and that the digital environment is getting more challenging. Attack volumes have risen significantly since the onset...

Online voting: do it open source or not at all

With the 2020 US presidential election over and the result all but declared – and with the COVID-19 pandemic raging on across the world – online voting seems like...

The future of drones across Australian industry

There’s a huge potential for Australia’s drone industry because in many ways we are world leaders in drone regulation and usage, but one of the biggest challenges this nascent...