Bunnings CEO Michael Schneider, former Tech Council CEO Kate Pounder and ex-NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet turned BHP advisor are among a new board members of a new political think tank led by Square Peg’s Paul Bassat. Amplify is a non-partisan organisation, independent of political parties, and says it’s seeking to find the “uncommon ground” on… Read more »
The wildly ambitious SunCable renewable energy project, which plans to build Australia biggest solar farm in the Northern Territory, has been approved by the federal government. Officially known as the SunCable Australia-Asia PowerLink (AAPowerLink), the 12,000 hectare solar farm – that’s 3000x the MCG precinct – will be built on a pastoral station between Elliot… Read more »
Google has claimed it does not dominate search engine services in Australia after a judge earlier this month found the tech giant operated an illegal search monopoly in the United States. Representatives from Google responded to questions from Australian senators during a meeting of the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence on Friday, which also… Read more »
The federal government has unveiled a new science statement and accompanying priorities that include a focus on harnessing artificial intelligence for good and preparing for its impact. Minister for Industry Ed Husic released new versions of Australia’s National Science and Research Priorities, which will guide the nation’s public and private research focus and investment over… Read more »
The minister for government services, Bill Shorten, will unveil a new initiative that would allow people to have more control over the personal information they share. The scheme, called the Trust Exchange (TEx), would allow people to verify their identities and credentials based on official information already held by the federal government. The plan is… Read more »
The federal government says it will “reset” the Consumer Data Right (CDR) after three years to improve its uptake and make it cheaper to access. Assistant treasurer Stephen Jones is going back to the drawing board, opening a month-long consultation process, with Treasury releasing a paper on proposed changes to the consent and operational rules… Read more »
The federal government’s Boosting Female Founders (BFF) grant program was secretly killed off in the federal budget, with only two-thirds of the $52 million allocated spent. The program’s end with $17 million still in the kitty was reportedly the result of an internal review by the federal Department of Industry, Science, and Resources (DISR) that… Read more »
Social media is a problem for economists. They don’t know how to value it. It has long been argued that it ought to be in the national accounts as part of gross domestic product. One 2019 study estimated Facebook alone is worth US$40 to US$50 per month for consumers in the United States. But that’s… Read more »
It’s a new financial year and that means a new round of the NSW government’s MVP Ventures Program for startup founders has opened, offering grants worth between $25,000 and $50,000. The NSW Government is offering up to $3 million a year in MVP (minimum viable product) grants until 2027. The popular early-stage grants program was… 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 »
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 »
While ASX-listed Life360 has been a godsend to parents keen to keep an eye on the whereabouts of their children without having to stalk their TikTok accounts, a disturbing trend around GPS tracking devices has emerged in analysis of who’s buying them by the NSW Crime Commission. A large number of criminals and domestic violence… 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 »
The centrepiece of the NSW government’s business support in the 2024-25 Budget is the expansion of the Service NSW Business Bureau. However, the lack of substantial assistance to counter the rising cost of doing business has left business advocates scratching their heads. To further the reach of the Service NSW Business Bureau initiative, the government has… Read more »
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.
