News

TechCentral plan finally unveiled

The NSW Government is seeking feedback on its proposed 24-hectare Central Precinct development, and for the first time has made public its rezoning and development plans for what would become...

Anti-cancer team wins PM’s prize

A team from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research has taken the top innovation gong at the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science for its role in...

Data risk in visa privatisation

The federal government’s controversial plan to privatise parts of the visa processing system would lead to greater data security risks and could adversely impact the nation’s inflows of skilled...

Innovation patents are officially dead

The government’s controversial plan to abolish innovation patents has been approved by Parliament, in a move branded “very disappointing” and “ridiculous” by the nation’s peak IP body. Innovation patents...

Face recognition hearing cancelled

A public hearing into the federal government’s highly controversial facial recognition database plans has been cancelled at the last minute. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS)...

Dutton pledge to ‘call out’ China

The Australian government has a “right to call out” China on cybersecurity attacks and intellectual property theft, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has said. Mr Dutton launched a scathing...

Are govt grants stifling film sector?

There has been a tectonic shift in the $200 billion global film industry and it is not being talked about. Digitisation has created three waves of transformational change for...

Battle over ACS’ fortune begins

Proposed changes to the governance structure at the Australian Computer Society are headed for a rough ride as senior members launch a campaign against the corporatisation a professional society,...

Encryption laws a CLOUD deal risk

Australia’s recently passed encryption laws may undermine the federal government’s hopes of securing a data-sharing deal with the United States, a US House Committee has confirmed. Home Affairs Minister...

Calls to reinstate cyber minister role

The federal government must reinstate the position of Minister for Cybersecurity as part of the updated 2020 national Cyber Security Strategy, the Opposition and industry figures have said. The...

CSIRO to shutter ON startup program

Four years after it was unveiled as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda, the CSIRO is preparing to shutter its $20 million entrepreneur-focused science accelerator program known...

Aus-US talks begin on data sharing

The federal government has begun negotiating a new data-sharing agreement with the US,  amid concerns about whether the recently passed encryption laws will jeopardise these talks, and the impact...

Staff cap part of ‘war on science’

The government-imposed staffing cap at its primary science agency has put innovation “under threat”, according to the Opposition. The Coalition’s Average Staffing Level cap, introduced in 2015-16 with an...

Australia ramps up encryption fight

The Australian government has ramped up its fight against the big global tech companies and the various encryption services the offer as part of a push to pressure Facebook...