News

Advanced Fibre Cluster taps AI for materials tests

The Advanced Fibre Cluster Geelong has been awarded a Defence Science Institute (DSI) Smart Ideas Grant to help develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for composite materials integrity testing. The...

Have your say: Selling tech to government

Governments are by far the largest buyers of information and communications technology in Australia. The federal government alone spends about $8 billion to $9 billion on ICT products and...

Robodebt victims ‘shafted’ by settlement

The settlement of the class action lawsuit against robodebt for $112 million in compensation minus legal fees has “shafted” the victims of the unlawful debt recovery scheme, according to...

Andrew Bragg on the next wave of FinTech

The Coalition senator leading a government review of the FinTech sector is expected to outline early thinking on the next phase of policy reform aimed at boosting the startup...

NSW budget underpins a tech-led recovery plan

The New South Wales government has set aside $240 million to improve cybersecurity in the state’s public sector in this year’s budget, which also revealed that a security breach...

Cyber espionage; the unwanted growth industry

According to Verizon, state-based actors are responsible for the great majority – 82 per cent – of cyber espionage, with attacks aimed at stealing sensitive data from government or...

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)...