News

Can govt be the leader in digital empathy?

The massive surge in demand for government services due to the COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for government to adopt some private sector techniques to improve citizens’ online experience....

RDTI inquiry delayed again, again, again

It’s Groundhog Day again in Canberra, with the Senate inquiry into the government’s controversial reforms to the Research and Development Tax Incentive delayed for a third time and now...

Future jobs: Made by kids, gamers and old people

In 2007, Byron Reeves, Professor of Communications at Stanford University stated: “If you want to see what business leadership may look like in three to five years, look at...

Locals ‘shafted’ by CRC cuts and restrictions

The government decision to limit the latest grants round for research collaboration to only one sector has “shafted” hundreds of companies that have been preparing applications for months, with...

An open letter to the PM from Aussie tech

A group of Australia’s most successful homegrown technology companies have written an open letter to the Prime Minister demanding a greater level of engagement with government on the policy...

Rethinking regulation for the new cyber age

The time is right for a shake-up in global tech regulation regimes in this era of rapid technology evolution such as 5G, artificial intelligence and machine learning. While acknowledging...

US remains key to Aussie innovation

Australia should look towards the US to help address its innovation woes rather than just focusing on internal developments, a new United States Studies Centre (USSC) report urges. Authored...

Policy uncertainty hurts local R&D: Google

The federal government’s poorly implemented tech-focused legislation and lack of consultation with industry is damaging investment in local R&D, according to Google Australia public policy manager Alex Lynch. Speaking...

Deep tech is an ‘unprecedented opportunity’

Australia risks falling behind the rest of the world on deep tech at a time when it is most important, while renewed investment in the sector would present “unprecedented...

NSW sovereign capability taskforce named

The NSW government has named a 23-person ICT/Digital Sovereign Procurement Taskforce charged with making it easier for innovative local tech companies to get access to government contracts, using procurement...

Govt ‘head in the sand’ on copyright reform

Australia’s national startup body has slammed the government for its “head in the sand” approach to tech policy after it failed to act on a series of recommendations to...

Atlassian, Canva slam R&D tax changes

Two of Australia’s most successful tech companies have railed against the federal government’s planned changes to the research and development tax incentive, just days before a Senate committee is...

ACCC’s Google news plan will not work

Requiring global tech giants Google and Facebook to pay for content to news organisations is misguided and simply won’t work no matter how you slice and dice this ‘world-first’...

Cyber strategy needs user centric design

The federal government’s $1.7 billion 2020 Cyber Security Strategy document lacked the kind of strong organising principle to adequately address the cyber challenges of the less secure world, according...