The federal government’s flagship $392 million Industry Growth Program has been officially launched, with grants of up to $5 million available for startups and small businesses. The $392.4 million program was unveiled in the May budget, replacing the former Coalition government’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme, which was embroiled in controversy due to bungled procurement processes. The aim of the… Read more »
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has become the first tertiary institution to implement the federal government’s accredited Startup Year program for recent university graduates. Federal industry and science minister Ed Husic confirmed plans for the HECS-style loans program, an election promise designed to back university students to launch their own startups ideas, late… Read more »
After lengthy deliberation, the Australian government has released its 2023–2030 Cyber Security Strategy, which aims to make Australia one of the most cyber-secure nations in the world by 2030. It’s a worthy goal, considering Australia was ranked as the fifth-most powerful cyber nation in a 2022 report by Harvard University’s Kennedy School. The strategy outlines… Read more »
Australian industry and science minister Ed Husic and the UK secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, Michelle Donelan, have agreed to cooperate on quantum technologies, signing a joint statement on collaboration between the two nations during the AI Safety Summit in England. Husic said the arrangement will open channels for more investment between UK… Read more »
Microsoft is looking to sure up its position in its battle against AWS, partnering with the Australian government to improve cybersecurity as part of $5 billion spend over the next two years on cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure. The capital expenditure was announced by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Australian Embassy in… Read more »
A new cross-party group of politicians is getting behind the local tech sector to understand the issues it faces has launched in Canberra. The Parliamentary Friendship Group on Tech and Innovation is being co-chaired by Labor member for Bennelong Jerome Laxale, the Liberal member for Casey, Aaron Violi MP and Wentworth independent Allegra Spender, and has… Read more »
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Grant, has found X (formerly Twitter) guilty of serious non-compliance to a transparency notice on child sex abuse material. The commissioner has issued X with an infringement notice for A$610,500. The commissioner first issued transparency notices to Google, X (then Twitter), Twitch, TikTok and Discord in February under the Online Safety… Read more »
Silicon Quantum Computing founder Professor Michelle Simmons has won the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science for her pioneering work in the cutting edge sector. The awards were announced by prime minister Anthony Albanese, with scientists working in biotechnology and teaching also recognised. It’s a lucrative win for Simmons, who receives $250,000 as part of the… Read more »
Cryptocurrency exchanges will need to need to hold an Australian financial services licence (AFSL) under plans to regulate the sector from the federal government. A proposal paper on regulating the sector has been released by Treasury for feedback by December 1. The government wants to use existing financial services laws with threshold triggers, including an… Read more »
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would be given expanded regulatory powers over bring digital wallets, buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) companies, and crypto assets under proposed reforms to national payments systems legislation published this week. In a statement, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the reforms “[address] the risks posed by new digital payments services, which are currently unregulated, to… Read more »
Scams ads are now a $3 billion problem in Australia and research from consumer lobby group CHOICE has found that 2 out of 3 people (66%) think digital platforms, such as Google and Meta, aren’t doing enough to protect people from them. Even more alarmingly, we don’t have a lot of faith in those around… Read more »
The founders of online design platform Canva, as well as the Tech Council of Australia and several prominent tech founders and VC investors have thrown their support behind a “Yes” vote for Indigenous recognition in the Constitution at October 14’s national referendum on the issue. Canva cofounders Melanie Perkins, Cliff Obrecht, and Cameron Adams have… Read more »
In 2018-19, identity crime directly and indirectly cost Australia an estimated A$3.1 billion. To address such costs, the federal government is proposing a national digital identity scheme that will let people prove their identity without having to share documents such as their passport, drivers licence or Medicare card. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher opened consultations for the… Read more »
The Australian government will continue to authorise a one-to-many facial recognition system connected to the national ID database but is limiting its use to helping identify “shielded persons” like undercover police and protected witnesses. Once referred to as ‘the Capability’, the Department of Home Affairs built a system for the public and private sector to verify people’s… Read more »
Regulation of Australia’s cryptocurrency sector remains a distant possibility, despite a catastrophic 12 months for the industry, after a government-dominated committee preferred to kick the can further down the road rather than embrace a private senator’s bill on the issue from opposition senator Andrew Bragg. The Senate Economics Legislative Committee, chaired by Labor’s Jess Walsh,… Read more »
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