News

NSW eyes Israeli ecosystem to build on local R&D

The NSW government is aiming to boost R&D in the state via Parliamentary Secretary Gabrielle Upton’s new advisory council. But what’s the best way for the government to support...

Domestic spying needs probity and constraint

Australian Signals Directorate chief Rachel Noble says the spy agency’s cybersecurity focus and targeting of Australian citizens is nothing new. In the address at the Australian National University –...

Coding skills, a vocational gift beyond STEM

Australia will likely still fall short of meeting its near-term tech skills needs with its conservative approach to STEM and vocational education. Longer-term, this approach threatens to saddle graduates...

ANU’s shoddy treatment of academic freedom

The Australian National University has denied it was pressured by Boston Consulting Group to remove an academic from a panel discussion on the COVIDSafe app in an incident that...

Facebook threat to ban news content in Aust

After initially staying out of the fray and letting Google go on the offensive, social giant Facebook has now gone nuclear over the government plan to force it into...

Gilmour Space: New capital raise this year

Gilmour Space Technologies, the Australian rocket startup gunning for business from SpaceX and its Starlink satellite broadband constellation, will soon begin the search for more venture capital ahead of...

Labor calls for strategic tech industry policy

The federal government must develop a strategic technology industry policy to align R&D, procurement, defence spending and policies, according to shadow assistant minister for cybersecurity Tim Watts. Speaking in...

Elon Musk’s Neuralink is an ethics maze

Elon Musk’s Neuralink outfit is working towards developing an easy to implant brain to computer interface that could do everything from healing brain injuries to greatly enhancing our perceptions,...

Trust in digital govt may be the silver lining

It has been the most challenging period of our lives. But if the difficult health and economic response to the coronavirus pandemic has brought a silver lining, it is...

DTA Marketplace did not follow rules: Audit

The Digital Transformation Agency did not follow procurement rules when establishing its Digital Marketplace and the processes behind it are “still not robust”, according to the national audit office....

David Thodey to lead new Tech Central push

The New South Wales government has appointed CSIRO chair and former Telstra chief David Thodey to head a powerful new steering group to advise on the state’s ambitious Tech...

Govt blockchain working groups get to work

The government has formed two working groups to investigate the potential for blockchain technology in supply chains and credentialing. The working groups are one of the new initiatives announced...

Govt opens Moon to Mars space grants

Local companies looking to get involved with NASA’s Moon to Mars mission will have access to more than $25 million in grants as part of an Australian government effort...

Govt out of touch with small business needs

The federal government decision to lock out most companies from the latest round of its cooperative research funding has “gutted” local firms that had been working on applications and...