News

Jury still out on crowdfund laws

Australia’s planned equity crowdfunding regime is over-regulated and runs the risk of no company taking part, the founder of a New Zealand-based equity crowdfunding company said. Anna Guenther, founder...

Qld unveils first open data plan

The federal government along with a number of state governments already have an open data policy in place. Now, it’s Queensland’s turn. The Queensland government has released its first...

New drive for driverless cars

The Commonwealth should fund more trials of autonomous vehicles in Australia to address security and privacy concerns in order to hasten public acceptance of the new technology, a government...

SMEs to underpin Defence growth

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has spruiked a revival in Australia’s defence industry participation while aiming to squeeze more local involvement from foreign companies bidding on projects above $20...

Medcraft on ethics and algorithms

Businesses and government must be held accountable for their use of computer algorithms and big data and transparency should be the first priority, ASIC chairman Greg Medcraft said. Addressing...

Qld unveils govt digital strategy

The Queensland government calculates it could save about $400 million per year just by replacing paper-based transactions with over 400 new online services under its new whole-of-government digital-first approach....

Germany and the Industry 4.0 plan

Germany has a well-earned reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse. Even during times when the global economy is struggling, the country has managed to progress, or at least rebound back...

ASIC set to move on ICOs

Australian regulators are grappling to control the “Wild West” world of ICOs, a new blockchain-based funding method that is changing the way new tech companies raise money. ASIC is...

Multi-tech mess fleeces the nation

A decade ago when John Howard was swept from office, he left Australia a broadband backwater. A broken regulatory structure and clear market failure demanded government intervention. So Labor’s...

Subscription anyone? Tien Tzuo

It is nearly ten years since the Taiwan-born, Brooklyn-raised Tien Tzuo founded the ‘subscription economy’ startup Zuora. It has been a wild ride, with the company’s business focused on...

Process problems dog the big D

The transparency and process problems that have dogged Victorian innovation minister Philip Dalidakis and the grants body LaunchVic have put future support for the sector at risk. At best,...

LaunchVic changes at the edges

LaunchVic has confirmed a series of minor changes following the recent 500 Startups debacle, but the same assessment process that saw the controversy-plagued US company receive a now-retracted $3...

Cyber insurance gets a rocket

Mandatory data breach legislation comes into effect February and has already put a rocket under the local market in cyber security insurance as well as supporting legal services. Earlier...

Murray Hurps’ big new data gig

An inability to access large data sets is holding back the next generation of potentially huge Australian tech companies, former Fishburners CEO Murray Hurps said. Mr Hurps, who finished...