Amazon has secured a A$2 billion contract with the Australian Signals Directorate – the agency responsible for foreign signals intelligence and information security. A local subsidiary of Amazon Web Services will build a Top Secret Cloud to provide secure data storage for military intelligence. The deal will securely manage top secret data vital to Australia’s… Read more »
Ridesharing giant Uber will cut the pay of its contract drivers next month as it discounts fares. Despite having the lion’s share of the market, Uber emailed drivers late last week flagging the cuts, arguing that it will lead to more demand. But the change will squeeze margins for drivers already struggling with rising fuel… Read more »
Amazon Web Services will build a bespoke cloud environment to handle top secret Defence and intelligence data as part of a $2 billion deal with the federal government. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the partnership between the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Thursday morning. The… Read more »
Australia’s Consumer Data Right (CDR) turned four this week, and as the fintech sector gathered at a sold out event to discuss and debate its progress and possibilities, industry lobby group the Australian Banking Association (ABA) released a massive whinge on the issue. The ABA commissioned a strategic review of open banking from consultancy giant… Read more »
The national watchdog will investigate the federal government’s contract with a major law firm to provide legal advice on its near-$1 billion PsiQuantum deal after it increased by more than 10 times in just nine months. The federal and Queensland governments earlier this year announced a $940 million investment in US firm PsiQuantum that will… Read more »
The creative destruction to workplaces wrought by artificial intelligence (AI) could create up to 200,000 jobs to replace those it also takes, according to a new report from the Tech Council of Australia (TCA). While AI has many fearful that they’ll be made redundant, the report, produced in partnership with Microsoft, LinkedIn and Workday, argues… Read more »
The federal and Queensland governments have officially signed the near-$1 billion contract with US firm PsiQuantum, as newly released documents shed some light on the process leading up to the major deal. It was announced earlier this year that the federal and Queensland governments would be inking a $940 million deal with PsiQuantum for the American firm… Read more »
You might think government debt is bad, but it actually plays a crucial role in modern finance. Back when he was treasurer, Peter Costello famously declared that April 21 2006 would be known as Australia’s “Debt Free Day”. On this day, he proclaimed, the Commonwealth would eliminate its net debt and “pay off the mortgage”.… Read more »
Consultation is underway on whether a range of cyber security-related jobs should be added to Australia’s skilled migration visa list, as the sector faces a widening talent gap. The federal government’s Migration Strategy, unveiled late last year, handed Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) a formal role in developing the core skills occupations list, which will… Read more »
Last week, Science and Industry Minister Ed Husic announced with little fanfare that the position of Australia’s Women in STEM Ambassador would be discontinued, effective three days later. The role was created in October 2018 “to encourage girls and women to study and work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields”. Astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith… Read more »
There’s an old adage in the acting business that you can’t become a household name back home, without first cracking Hollywood. In the wake of PsiQuantum’s success, and another underwhelming Federal Budget, that could be extended to the startup sector too, with growing unease in the local ecosystem that the government doesn’t fully understand or… Read more »
What do reducing domestic violence associated with pornography use and data breaches by local clubs across NSW have in common? The commonality is in part of the solution. It is solving the digital identity problem. It is being able to overcome the downsides of existing digitally, which is an unregulated free-for-all for kids, and currently… Read more »
Nearly four months after the landmark Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review, handed its final recommendations to industry and science minister Ed Husic and his department, the sector is still waiting for a formal response from the government. But this week, Husic implemented the first change in the wake of the report, calling time on the… Read more »
Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) is liable for hate speech posted on its platform and is subject to local Australian law despite being based in the US, a Queensland Tribunal has found, in a judgement that potentially sets a significant precedent. The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) ruled last week that X is subject… Read more »
Applications for a $36 million federal government program enlisting quantum have opened as part of its flagship Future Made in Australia policy. The Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP) offers funding for quantum tech companies to work with researchers and end-users to develop solutions to market-led challenges that accelerate the path to commercialisation for quantum. The funding… Read more »
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