Welcome to our new column by Main Sequence Ventures partner Phil Morle. Every fortnight Morle will share his wisdom and insights with Startup Daily readers and also discuss it on the Startup Daily show. His first column is part of the Venture Capital Primer for Scientists series, based on hundreds of workshops he’s given during… Read more »
The government’s REDSPICE cyber security program – a $9.9 billion centrepiece to last week’s budget – has come at the cost of a $1.3 billion Sky Guardian drone project which has already set taxpayers back $10 million, senate estimates revealed on Friday. Despite the $9.9 billion headline figure championed by the Treasurer in his budget speech, a… Read more »
It’s not long since billionaires were competing to get to the “edge of space”. Now, the first set of private citizens are getting ready to take a SpaceX shuttle up to the International Space Station (ISS). Unlike the short “joyrides” of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, this mission will be reaching the roughly 400km altitude… Read more »
The federal government is investing $2.2 billion for university research commercialisation which would place “university innovation and industry collaboration front and centre of Australia’s economic recovery.” Part of this funding includes $1.6 billion over ten years for Australia’s Economic Accelerator – a new competitive funding program to help university projects bridge the so-called “valley of… Read more »
OK so I need to address it, and here are my thoughts on that slap! The slap that is the Climate Change crisis unfolding in front of our eyes. It’s shocking and it’s causing irreparable damage. The Great Barrier Reef is suffering its fourth mass bleaching since 2016 Antarctica recorded a new World Record for… Read more »
Quantum technology, which makes use of the surprising and often counterintuitive properties of the subatomic universe, is revolutionising the way information is gathered, stored, shared and analysed. The commercial and scientific potential of the quantum revolution is vast, but it is in national security that quantum technology is making the biggest waves. National governments are… Read more »
It’s a paradox. The Morrison government, in deep trouble, has produced a budget that’s shamelessly designed to try to buy votes. But Labor, censorious in its rhetoric, has found itself having to embrace the budget’s central measures. Anthony Albanese neatly summed up the situation in his Thursday night budget reply. “This government might as well… Read more »
In the 2022 federal budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg launched a range of vote-winning initiatives – one of which included a breathtaking A$9.9 billion for cyber security over ten years. Bundled under the acronym REDSPICE (which stands for resilience, effects, defence, space, intelligence, cyber and enablers), the program is expected to help build Australia’s intelligence and… Read more »
I looked for the cybersecurity line items in the budget so you don’t have to. Initial Thoughts I commented in my corresponding post when last year’s budget was released that: “This (2021) budget continues the historical trend of spending a significant amount on national security, which includes cybersecurity, but having most of the money directed towards the… Read more »
Federal Budgets are always fun. Throw in accusations of election year pork-barrelling, the need to repay a huge public sector debt pile, war in Europe, the spectre of rising living costs and massive labour market shortages, we suddenly get a very messy picture indeed. It’s hard to know where to look. Last year we rated… Read more »
With rising inflation, a war in Europe affecting global fuel costs, and ongoing supply strain issues, this year’s budget is shaped not just by the upcoming election but a growing cry in the community about the cost of living. But despite some significant multi-billion dollar spends within the next six months, the deficit is predicted… Read more »
When Josh Frydenberg says his key cost-of-living budget measures are “temporary” and “targeted”, he’s precisely right, though the reasons are more opportunistic than he’d spruik publicly. He says it’s all about giving help when it’s needed while not baking in long-term spending. But actually, and equally, the measures are aimed squarely at the imminent election,… Read more »
ANZ bank has minted its own stablecoin, A$DC, becoming the first Australian bank to create its own cryptocurrency with a value pegged to the Australian dollar. The ANZ stablecoin was created for the billionaire Smorgon family’s investment firm Victor Smorgon Group, which was issued with the 30 million A$DC in February. Unlike other popular stablecoins, A$DC… Read more »
Petrol prices are hitting eye-watering highs. As global affairs put pressure on the availability of commodities, we’re likely to continue seeing volatile petrol prices in the future. So there’s never been a better time to embrace alternative modes of transport such as e-bikes and e-scooters (also called “micromobility” devices). In Australia’s major cities, the average… Read more »
There’s no doubt that online dating and dating apps have transformed the way we initiate, form and end romantic relationships. We might also question whether the convenience of these apps has encouraged us to behave differently than we would in “real life”. More specifically, do mobile dating apps breed bad or antisocial behaviour? If you… Read more »
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