Business

Financial crimes regulator AUSTRAC demands an external auditor for Airwallex over AML/CTF concerns

- January 22, 2026 3 MIN READ

The Australian government’s financial system anti-crimes regulator, AUSTRAC, has called in an external auditor at Airwallex over concerns that the fintech unicorn has failed to properly comply with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) laws. AUSTRAC CEO Brendan Thomas, said the external audits will assess serious compliance concerns by the regulator, which is charged with… Read more »

Catalan tower
Funding

The quiet unravelling of Australia’s startup culture: when a nation loses sight of the rewards from risk

- January 13, 2026 8 MIN READ

When the Victorian government announced plans to disband LaunchVic, and distribute some of its roles to other agencies, like Breakthrough Victoria, there’s a temptation to treat it as an administrative change: a reshuffle of functions, a rebadging of programs, a matter for insiders. That temptation is comforting – and profoundly wrong. I don’t want to… Read more »

Global tech

US tech is kicking up a stink about the Australian government’s plan for them to pay local media

- December 24, 2025 4 MIN READ

Reactions to the government’s consultation paper on the proposed news bargaining incentive have begun trickling in — and US tech lobby groups aren’t happy. Several Washington-based trade associations have warned the incentive is inconsistent with Australia’s free trade commitments with the US, and one lobby group has warned US President Donald Trump could be moved… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

If Australia can lead the world on social media protections, we can do it for AI too

- December 23, 2025 4 MIN READ

All too often, those of us living in the ‘remote colonies’ consider ourselves too small to make any real difference on the world stage. And yet, according to global media outlets, Australia’s grassroots campaign to ban social media for under-16s is the most important piece of legislation in the world right now. Jonathan Haidt, whose… Read more »

Business strategy

Lost in translation: why the issue with Australian science research isn’t funding

- December 22, 2025 3 MIN READ

When CSIRO announced it would shed hundreds of research positions, the narrative was predictable: another casualty of budget cuts, another blow to Australian science, another sign that we don’t value research. But perhaps the question shouldn’t be whether Australia invests enough in research, but whether we’re getting enough return from the research we already fund. Or have we been optimising for the wrong metric? The research scoreboard Australia’s research ecosystem has… Read more »

Treasurer Jim Chalmers
Funding

The government is increasing funding for cash-strapped CSIRO, but startups will pay for it with commercialisation cuts

- December 18, 2025 4 MIN READ

The federal government will tip an additional $233 million into the national science agency the CSIRO over two years in response to budget shortfalls that have forced it to cut hundreds of research jobs, but the startup sector will pay for it with further cuts to commercialisation funding programs. And CSIRO still plans to cut… Read more »

Battery, EV charger
Climate Tech

The federal government just tipped another $5 billion into its runaway home battery program, but its existing problems remain

- December 16, 2025 3 MIN READ

Over the weekend the federal government announced major changes to its A$2.3 billion home battery subsidy program. The changes include nearly $5 billion in extra funding and adjustments to the financial support provided for different-sized batteries. They follow recent reporting by The Conversation that the program is subsidising unnecessarily large home batteries and blowing out… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Albanese government scraps AI advisory board plan

- December 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

Australia will not proceed with a permanent AI advisory board, after the federal government confirmed it has abandoned the plan despite growing pressure for stronger oversight of the technology. As reported by InnovationAus, recent answers to Senate estimates questions on notice show the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) will not establish the AI advisory… Read more »

Annika Wells and Anthony Albanese
Life hacks

While the Australian government says the u16s social media ban is vital for mental health, experts and new research suggests otherwise

- December 10, 2025 4 MIN READ

Warning: this article contains mention of suicide. Ten months after Australia’s teen social media ban passed parliament, Communications Minister Anika Wells brought together 20 of the country’s top mental health groups to talk about the law at a roundtable. “Today was a useful step for mental health organisations, peaks and government to get together and… Read more »

Global tech

Australia’s social media ban is here – and the world is watching to see what happens next

- December 10, 2025 4 MIN READ

After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban is now in force. Young Australians under 16 must now come to grips with the new reality of being unable to have an account on some social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Only time will tell whether this bold, world-first experiment will succeed.… Read more »

Global tech

PsiQuantum’s Brisbane build is already running very late

- December 9, 2025 2 MIN READ

PsiQuantum, the US startup backed by Blackbird, and the Queensland and federal governments, is already running several months behind schedule on plans to build its Brisbane facility and deliver the world’s first quantum computer. Founded in Palo Alto in 2016 by four expat Australian professors, PsiQuantum was backed by $940 million in joint funding from… Read more »

People

Dr Ian Oppermann named ACCC commissioner, with open banking expert Scott Farrell replacing him as Digital ID and CDR chair

- December 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

The federal government has appointed data scientist Dr Ian Oppermann as a commissioner of the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC). Dr Oppermann, the keynote speaker at this year’s Startup Daily Best in Tech awards, was previously NSW Government’s inaugural Chief Data Scientist, a startup founder and CSIRO director and entrepreneur-in-residence, and a pioneer of… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Here’s who benefits from the Australian government’s National AI Plan

- December 3, 2025 4 MIN READ

On Tuesday, the Albanese Labor government released the long-awaited National AI Plan, “a whole-of-government framework that ensures technology works for people, not the other way around”. With this plan, the government promises an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) economy that protects workers, fills service gaps, and supports local AI development. In a major reversal, it also… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

The Australian government releases DIY National AI Plan, telling industry to figure it out for themselves on disclosure

- December 2, 2025 3 MIN READ

The Albanese government has unveiled Australia’s first National AI Plan, opting for voluntary transparency measures rather than mandatory rules on how businesses disclose their use of artificial intelligence. The 37-page plan sets out a broad roadmap for building what the government calls “an AI-enabled economy” while maintaining a “careful balance between innovation and protection from… Read more »