contributor post Archives

Australia released its long-awaited electric vehicle strategy but will it meet its emission-reduction targets?

Hussein Dia - April 20, 2023 4 MIN READ

Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, released today, details the government’s long-awaited plans to accelerate the adoption of these vehicles. Consultations on the strategy began last September. The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, then promised the strategy would make Australia a globally competitive market for electric vehicles. Households and businesses would have access… Read more »

Other

The electric vehicle revolution is a chance for Australia to revive its car industry

Timothy Minchin - April 19, 2023 4 MIN READ

Electric vehicle sales are surging. Australian sales doubled in 2022 to 3.8% of all new vehicle purchases, and were up 780% in the first two months of 2023 compared to a year ago. In the United States, Europe and China, the market share of electric vehicles is much higher, helped by greater government support. As… Read more »

Social Media

How Elon Musk crashed Twitter

Casey Tonkin, Information Age - April 19, 2023 3 MIN READ

When Elon Musk closed the deal to buy Twitter late last year, the company suddenly found itself facing a US$3 billion yearly deficit and was four months away from bankruptcy, the billionaire told the BBC in an interview last week. Why was Twitter in trouble? Because Musk bought it. “In rough numbers, in a normal… Read more »

Cyber security

The 5 simple questions every founder needs to ask to keep their startup cybersafe

Benjamin Chong - April 18, 2023 3 MIN READ

As a victim of data breaches from well-known Australian companies, I have come to realise the importance of cybersecurity. It is alarming to see that even after such data breaches, banks and utilities still ask for personal information that is publicly available and already compromised. This makes one wonder if these companies are doing enough… Read more »

Opinion

Italy is going to ban lab-grown meat – here’s why that’s a bad move for sustainability

Silvia Malagoli - April 18, 2023 4 MIN READ

Scientists recently created a meatball with the flesh of the long-extinct woolly mammoth. The meatball was the product of one of this century’s most promising technological advancements – cellular agriculture. Sometimes called “lab-grown meat,” the process involves growing animal products from animal cells in a controlled laboratory environment. The process eliminates many of the environmental,… Read more »

Advice

Business coach Hemi Hossain on how to grow business and make a difference at the same time

Hemi Hossain - April 17, 2023 2 MIN READ

In today’s world, businesses are not just about making money but also about making a difference. Customers are more aware of social and environmental issues than ever before, and they expect businesses to take responsibility for their actions. So, how you ensure growth and make a difference at the same time? First, let’s take a… Read more »

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Steve Martin & MIchael Caine

Cyber security

Scams are now costing Australians more than $3 billion a year

Cec Busby - April 17, 2023 3 MIN READ

Australians lost a record $3.1 billion to financial scammers in 2022. However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) suggests the real figure is likely much higher, with an estimated 30% of scams going unreported. The findings come from the watchdog’s Targeting Scams report, which combines data from Scamwatch, ReportCyber, the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange… Read more »

Business

MilkRun’s failure: was this just a startup fantasy in a country like Australia?

Mark Humphery-Jenner - April 17, 2023 3 MIN READ

Sydney-based startup MilkRun made a big splash with its promise to deliver groceries within ten minutes, raising more than A$85 million from some of the biggest names in Australian venture capital, including Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes. MilkRun’s co-founder and chief executive Dany Milham had already found success with fast-delivering mattress company Koala. Less than a… Read more »

Life hacks

Here’s the story you need to share with the office – a dishwasher expert on 5 things should never do (putting cups & plates in the sink is not one, but should be)

Startup Daily - April 14, 2023 4 MIN READ

Now that tech companies are cutting back on free breakfasts, acai and poke bowls, life in the work kitchen is getting much harder. In some startups you may even have to put your own plates, cutlery and cups in the dishwasher after a meal. And for those currently putting them in the sink, because unsure… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

A Victorian mayor is suing ChatGPT for defamation after it said he was a convicted criminal

Denham Sadler, Information Age - April 14, 2023 3 MIN READ

An Australian council mayor may become the first person in the world to sue AI platform ChatGPT for defamation over false claims he was imprisoned over a bribery scandal. The mayor of Hepburn Shire in Victoria, Brian Hood, discovered late last year that artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT was incorrectly claiming that he had pleaded guilty… Read more »

Cyber security

The Australian government’s TikTok ban is barking up the wrong cybersecurity tree

Lyria Bennett Moses - April 14, 2023 4 MIN READ

Australia has joined other countries in announcing a ban on the use of TikTok on government devices, with some states and territories following suit. The rationale was based on security fears and, in particular, the risk the platform will be used for foreign interference operations by China. TikTok is a video-sharing platform operated by ByteDance,… Read more »

Business strategy

MYOB CEO Greg Ellis explains how the OG fintech transformed to keep its customers at the digital edge

Greg Ellis - April 13, 2023 3 MIN READ

For over 30 years, MYOB has been shaping and shaking-up the small business sector. As one of Australia’s first tech unicorns, we led the charge in helping businesses digitise their processes and improve their finances. When we started, loading our software onto desktop computers – via CD-rom – helped many business owners take the first… Read more »

Climate Tech

Why thermal energy storage is the overlooked solution to Australia’s renewable energy problems

Dominic Zaal - April 12, 2023 3 MIN READ

Australia’s transition to renewables is gathering speed, but there’s a looming problem with storage. We will need much more long-duration storage to get us through the night, once coal and fossil gas exit the system. We also need to find new and better ways to create heat for industrial processes. Renewables can supply much of… Read more »

Cryptocurrency

Coporate cop ASIC cancels Binance Australia’s licence after it misclassified retail investors, leaving them without consumer protections

David Braue - April 11, 2023 3 MIN READ

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange can no longer legally operate within Australia after financial regulator ASIC cancelled the firm’s financial services license due to policy breaches that left consumers financially exposed. Although it was licensed to sell financial derivatives to wholesale customers, Binance Australia Derivatives – the trading name of Oztures Trading Pty Ltd –… Read more »

Opinion

Mammoth dreams: Why the future of lab-grown meat will more boring than exotic and wildly problematic

Hallam Stevens - April 11, 2023 3 MIN READ

Last week, an Australian “cultured meat” company called Vow made headlines with a meatball made from the flesh of a woolly mammoth – or something very much like it. Combining the technologies of lab-based cell culture and “de-extinction,” Vow scientists grew muscle proteins based on DNA sequences from the long-dead proboscideans. The meatball was not… Read more »

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