News

Andrews mulls R&D tax changes

Industry Minister Karen Andrews will seek improvements to the administration of the R&D tax incentive (RDTI) within AusIndustry to give companies greater certainty about the claims they make under...

Science and tech council meets again

The government’s peak advisory body on tech and science has turned its attention to the development of an artificial intelligence ethics framework and lifelong learning of STEM skills. The...

Attention turns to electricity CDR

The federal government has ramped up its efforts to apply the Consumer Data Right to the electricity sector from next year, with new consultations opened and the overall model...

Space funding is still ‘inadequate’

Funding earmarked by the Federal government to grow the local space sector and help Australian companies engage internationally remains “woefully inadequate” and at the “extreme low end” of what...

Dominello’s new reform agenda

Australia’s first minister for customer service – the NSW government’s Victor Dominello – has pulled back the curtain on the internal reforms driving the state’s digital obsession, revealing new...

High-value data is innovation driver

As the world has become increasingly digitised, data is playing a critical role in almost every aspect of society. Data has the power to provide invaluable insights and drive...

NBN maps trouble in corporate plan

The NBN is in trouble and the problems are highlighted in the NBN Co Corporate Plan 2020-23. Rollout delays, cost blowouts and an admission that it will not become...

ATO clawbacks on R&D tax reviewed

Small business ombudsman Kate Carnell has launched an investigation of the Australian Tax Office enforcement of the R&D Tax Incentive, and in particular the reported clawback of $200 million...

Vic privacy chief enters AI debate

The Victorian Information Commissioner has entered the national discussion on the future of artificial intelligence, and warned that the new technology has the potential to deliver a profound impact...

Hoffman report delivered to govt

The Martin Hoffman-led strategic plan for the federal government’s new Services Australia department has been completed, after consultants were handed nearly $1 million to assist with the six-week project....

Roger Taylor on innovation ethics

There is an “urgent imperative” for democratic governments to establish clear ethics and governance frameworks around emerging technologies to capitalise on the enormous opportunities on offer, according to the...

Crackdown puts research at risk

A potential federal government crackdown on open research and foreign collaboration in Australian universities could have a “cataclysmic” impact of emerging industries like quantum computing, Q-CTRL founder Michael Biercuk...

OAIC slims down data breach reports

Only two reports will be produced annually on the notifiable data breach scheme by the government’s privacy authority in future in the wake of ongoing resourcing issues hanging over...

Science heroes win Eureka fame

While the winners’ circle at the 2019 Australian Museum Eureka Prize ceremony on Wednesday was crowded with recipients from the life sciences, biomedical and environmental fields of study, two...