Politics

Labor wants to give 2000 uni students loans to learn how to launch their own startups

- May 14, 2021 2 MIN READ

A Labor government would offer 2000 university students and recent graduates loans of up to $11,300 through the HELP system to cover the cost of taking part in an accelerator program to launch their own startups.    Opposition leader Anthony Albanese announced the ‘Startup Year’ plan in his Budget reply speech on Thursday night. Labor said… Read more »

Politics

Some of the biggest names in tech and VC have penned an open letter to the government about climate change

- May 13, 2021 4 MIN READ

A coalition of business, technology, venture capital and social impact leaders, led by Canva co-founder Cameron Adams, have written an open letter to the Morrison government calling on Canberra to stop investing in fossil fuels and abandon its “gas-led recovery”. The letter seeks a renewable energy target of 100% by 2030, with Australia reaching net… Read more »

Politics

The budget is a dud for tech and startups

- May 12, 2021 4 MIN READ

Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott wrote: “The hour’s come and the man” and 180 years later, the phrase that launched a million memes could equally apply to the tech industry. Except in last night’s federal budget, in tech’s finest hour, it could barely be seen in treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s announcements. I’ll be blunt: when the… Read more »

pot of gold
Politics

36 things in the budget you need to know about, according to CommSec’s economist

- May 11, 2021 2 MIN READ

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg unveiled the full picture of the Morrison government’s 2021 budget tonight, following a series of headline announcements over recent weeks. Among the key details of a Coalition government that previously sought to hammer the Labor opposition over its deficit budgets during the GFC a decade earlier was the fact that the budget… Read more »

Josh Frydenberg
Politics

‘We want to see more innovation commercialised in Australia’: Josh Frydenberg’s 2021 Budget speech

- May 11, 2021 13 MIN READ

Australia is coming back. In the face of a once‑in‑a‑century pandemic, the Australian spirit has shone through. Doctors and nurses on the front line. Teachers and students in the virtual classroom. Businesses, big and small, keeping the economy moving. ‘Team Australia’ at its best. A nation to be proud of. We have come so far… Read more »

Gaming, gamer
Politics

The federal budget’s $1.2 billion digital strategy includes a 30% tax offset to boost the video games industry

- May 6, 2021 2 MIN READ

More than $500 million of a $1.2 billion digital economy strategy in Tuesday’s budget will be spent on overhauling the federal government’s myGov and My Health Record sites. The initiatives, to be announced by Scott Morrison on Thursday, include $200.1 million for myGov, which is the main portal for people to access government services online.… Read more »

Politics

NBN borrows $2.6 billion via US bonds

- April 28, 2021 < 1 MIN READ

The government-owned NBN Co has taken on a fresh $US2 billion (~$A2.6bn) in debt via a bond issue in the US as it seeks to wean itself off federal government funding. The issue was made up of a five-year bond of $US750m and a 10-year bond of $US1.25 billion. The five-year bond will mature in… Read more »

electric vehicle
Politics

Labor’s new energy policy will offer discounts on electric vehicles and ‘community batteries’ to store solar power

- March 31, 2021 2 MIN READ

Anthony Albanese will promise a Labor government would deliver a discount to cut the cost of electric cars and install community batteries, in modest initiatives costing $400 million over several years. The announcement, to be made Wednesday, comes as Labor debates its platform at a “virtual” national conference involving some 400 participants. At present only… Read more »

Politics

Facebook likes Australian media again after striking a deal with the Morrison government

- February 23, 2021 3 MIN READ

Facebook’s hostage standoff with Australian government and media will end in the next few days after the company struck a deal with the Morrison government over its controversial News Media Bargaining Code. Intense negotiations with the government in the wake of Facebook blocking hundreds of media sites on its platform last Thursday, saw the warring… Read more »