Most remaining Dick Smith stores to close

9
With the exception of airport locations, all remaining Dick Smith and Move stores across Australia and New Zealand are to close, according to the receiving company Ferrier Hodgson.

EFA ‘concerned’ about Nikolic Security appointment, Senate encryption motion

3
Electric Frontiers Australia (EFA) has said it is "concerned" about the recent appointment of Tasmanian MP Andrew Nikolic as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

Senate committee recommends ‘take down’ legislation over revenge porn

1
A new report from the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee has recommended that government be given powers to take down 'non-consensual sharing of intimate images', otherwise known as 'revenge porn'.

Not today, Conroy: House of Reps rejects NBN transparency reform

27
The Government has used its dominance of the House of Representatives to reject amendments successfully moved by Labor Senator Stephen Conroy in the Senate which would enforce a degree of radical transparency on the NBN company.

“A whole mess of garbage”: Ludlam blasts Turnbull’s “mongrel” NBN

167
Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has given a fiery speech to Parliament this week damning the Coalition's version of the National Broadband Network as instigated by Malcolm Turnbull, labelling it as a "whole mess of garbage" and as being held together with "gaffer tape and plastic bags".

ACMA outlines management strategy for mobile broadband spectrum

0
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has outlined its strategy for addressing growth in mobile broadband traffic and its latest work plan in a package released yesterday.

Turnbull establishes advisory panel to boost Australian FinTech

2
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has established an expert advisory group aimed at making Australia the leading FinTech market in the Asia-Pacific region.

Telstra chair Catherine Livingstone resigns

0
Telstra Chairman Catherine Livingstone has announced she is resigning from her position on the board of directors at Australia's largest telecommunications company.

Labor, Coalition vote against strong encryption in Senate

16
Both of Australia's major political parties have explicitly rejected a Senate motion calling on the Government to support public use of strong encryption technologies, in a move that comes in the wake of the US Government's demand that Apple provide it with a backdoor for open access to its iPhone handset.

NBN Co estimates up to $10.5k for 300m of fibre in Newcastle CBD

179
The NBN company has given a Newcastle business an estimate ranging up to $9,500 to extend fibre cables 300 metres from the local streetside 'node' through existing Telstra pipes to their facility in the Newcastle CBD, as signals continue to grow that the Coalition's election estimates on fibre on demand costs were inaccurate.

IBM, VMware sign strategic cloud partnership

0
IBM and VMware have agreed a strategic partnership aimed to make it easier for businesses to advantage of the cloud’s speed and economic factors.

Qantas to use NBN, ViaSat to deliver in-flight Wi-Fi from 2017

45
Qantas is set to introduce inflight Wi-Fi from next year under a partnership with international broadband services provider ViaSat and the NBN network.

Consumer group ACCAN outlines telecoms priorities at Parliament House

0
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) held its Meet the People Forum at Parliament House in Canberra yesterday to lay out its telecoms priorities for 2016.

Foxtel launches unlimited broadband plans

15
Pay TV giant Foxtel today launched a set of broadband plans offering unlimited download quota, although customers will need to be signed up to its subscription television offering to get the full benefits.

Tyreright chooses Rackspace for cloud and hosting services

2
Automotive e-commerce site Tyreright has moved to Rackspace for its cloud and hosting services.

Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge to hit Australia in early March

0
Samsung has announced that the latest additions to its Galaxy range – the S7 and S7 edge mobile phones – will be available in Australia from the middle of March.

Vodafone grows customer numbers by 135,000, revenue by 4.5 percent

0
Vodafone has announced its Australian growth figures for 2015, saying that its customer base increased by 135,000 customer – a 2.5% year-on-year increase to 5,437 million.

Telstra preparing mobile network for 1Gbps speeds ‘later in 2016’

1
Telstra has made a raft of announcements this week, including the launch of 1Gbps speeds on its mobile networks in certain areas.

Watch: Conroy’s NBN transparency reform a “legislative stunt”, says Fifield

6
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has labelled Stephen Conroy's successful amendments to force a radical degree of transparency on the NBN company as being a "legislative stunt" from the Labor Senator he said was still serving as the defacto Shadow Communications Minister.

Key commentators agree the NBN should be broken up, sold off

53
Several influential commentators on the National Broadband Network have publicly agreed over the past several days with Infrastructure Australia's recommendation that the NBN company should be broken up into chunks along technological lines and privatised.

Watch: TPP makes a “farce” of democracy, says Greens Senator

7
Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson has labelled the democratic process around the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty as being a "farce", with the Government having failed to conduct a detailed public interest analysis into the treaty, and Federal Parliament blocked from modifying the agreement at all.

NBN HFC trial achieves 84Mbps/33Mbps average speeds

68
The NBN company today revealed it had completed its HFC cable in the Queensland region of Redcliffe and was on track for a June commercial launch of the technology, with users on the trial achieving average downlaod speeds of 84Mbps and average upload speeds of 33Mbps.

Conroy bushwhacks Fifield with NBN transparency reform

48
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blindsided the Government in the Senate, successfully passing an amendment to an otherwise innocuous piece of NBN legislation that will enforce a degree of radical transparency on the NBN company.

NBN gridlock resolved: FTTN congestion fixed for some

92
Some of the early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model have now resolved their problems and are achieving the speeds they were promised on the service, following pressure on the issue from Delimiter and the Opposition.

Federal Parliament to hold first TPP hearing today

1
Federal Parliament is to commence its examination of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) at a public hearing on Monday in Canberra.

Govt launches San Fran ‘Landing Pad’ for tech startups

4
The government has launched a startup 'Landing Pad' at Rocketspace – a technology campus in San Francisco.

Optus, Huawei achieve 1.41Gbps speeds in 4.5G wireless trial

14
Optus and Huawei late last week said a live trial of 4.5G technology has produced mobile download speeds of 1.41Gbps.

Investigation finds WA Dept of Health botched Fujitsu core computing contract

4
Western Australia's Auditor General has released a damning report identifying weakness and inconsistencies in the management of the Centralised Computing Services contract at the Department of Health.

ISPs will take coordinated approach to site blocking

15
A number of internet service providers (ISPs) have agreed to take a coordinated response to orders requesting website blocking over copyright infringement.

Decrypt the iPhone, Brandis, eSafety Commissioner tell Apple

9
Attorney-General George Brandis has called for Apple to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's San Bernadino massacre.

Optus to transition Adelaide Festival Centre to Office 365 and Azure

0
Optus is to transition the existing IT infrastructure platform of the Adelaide Festival Centre to a hybrid cloud platform leveraging Microsoft Azure and Office 365.

NBN raises possibility of multi-gigabit symmetric HFC speeds

218
NBN could soon roll out symmetric multi-gigabit broadband via the HFC network following developments announced by CableLabs, the US consortium that sets standards for cable technology.

TEDx tech talk takes place on Qantas flight to Silicon Valley

0
Passengers on a Qantas flight from Sydney to San Francisco yesterday had the novel experience of a mid-flight TEDx lecture that the organisers have called "the world’s first tech talk in the sky".

Delimiter files FOI request seeking rationale for NBN sell-off

74
Technology media outlet Delimiter today filed a Freedom of Information request with Infrastructure Australia, seeking to determine the organisation's undisclosed rationale for its recommendation today that the Federal Government split up the NBN company into chunks and privatise the whole lot.

IT’S BEGUN: Split up the NBN and sell it off, says Infrastructure Australia

146
Australia's independent authority on infrastructure has recommended the Federal Government split the NBN company into pieces based on technology or geographical lines and sell it off to the private sector, but without publishing any justification at all for such a move.

Cisco launches Internet of Things innovation centre in Sydney

0
Cisco has launched a new innovation centre in Sydney that will focus on open Internet of Things (IoT) developments.

Rethink needed on Internet piracy strategies, says Internet Australia

2
Internet Australia, a non-profit body representing Internet users, has called for a rethink of current strategies used to deal with piracy of online content.

Australia, NZ revamp agreement to combat spam

1
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (NZDIA) have renewed and expanded an agreement aimed to fight unsolicited junk messages or spam.

Servcorp deploys Dropbox Business for cloud storage

0
Following a consultation with staff members, Servcorp has moved to Dropbox Business to better fulfil its cloud storage requirements.

Insurance network deploys Microsoft business intelligence

0
Insurance Advisernet (IA) has deployed Microsoft's Business Intelligence data visualisation suite in order to bring greater efficiency and customer understanding network of independent advisers.

NBN calls for ‘experienced technicians’ to help with Tassie rollout

17
The NBN company has called for experienced telecoms technicians and workers to assist the network rollout in Tasmania during 2016 and beyond.

NEC ‘near completion’ of WA water management platform

0
Technology giant NEC Australia has announced it is nearing the completion of a new IT system that is aimed at improving the sustainable management of Western Australia’s water resources.

Parliament’s treaties committee chair admits he is strongly pro-TPP

4
The Liberal chair of the Federal Parliamentary committee overseeing treaties has given a speech strongly praising the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership, pre-empting the formal inquiry processes through which the Parliament examines treaties.

Satellite NBN a “great opportunity”, West Tasmanian MP claims

80
Tasmanian MP Brett Whiteley has told residents and businesses unhappy with the satellite broadband the NBN company is planning to deploy in his electorate in Western Tasmania that the infrastructure represents a "great opportunity" and they should stop pining for a Fibre to the Premise instead.

Turnbull’s Digital Transformation Office gets a new Minister

4
Malcolm Turnbull appears to have stripped responsibility for digital government policy from his Communications Minister Mitch Fifield and handed it to a neophye MP, in a move that appears set to give the Prime Minister's Digital Transformation Office a new overseer.

NBN blogger predicted FTTN congestion seven months ago

177
A prominent blogger about the National Broadband Network appears to have predicted significant congestion problems with the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology about seven months before early FTTN adopters started revealing them in the past week.

Redditor downloads 421GB on Telstra ‘free mobile data day’

35
Follow @renailemay !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s),p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); news A single individual Australian appears to have taken advantage of Telstra's 'free mobile data' day on Sunday to download...

New Nationals leadership slammed copper as “redundant” in 2005

15
The new federal leadership team of the Nationals unveiled late last week -- Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash -- personally criticised the use of copper for broadband services in 2005, it has emerged, telling the then-Howard Government to focus on the use of Fibre to the Premises technologies instead.

SAP sets up public, financial services business units

0
SAP, a multinational provider of enterprise software, has established a public services business unit in Australia, along with a financial services business unit covering both Australia and New Zealand – both have been set up to help the company scale in the region, the firm said.

Victorian Government sets up expert panel to boost innovation

0
The Victorian Government has set up an Innovation Expert Panel aimed to boost the state's position as an innovation and technology hub.

Law firm Macpherson Kelley deploys Commvault data platform, flash storage

1
Australia-based law firm Macpherson Kelley has deployed Commvault's data platform and Pure Storage FlashArray in order to improve information management and boost efficiency.

Husic: Govt ‘ignoring’ concerns over equity crowdfunding bill

4
The Labor opposition has once again criticised the government's stance on its proposed equity crowdfunding legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early December.

Labor MP tables anti-TPP petition with over 300,000 signatures

21
An anti-Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) petition with over 300,000 signatures has been has tabled before Parliament by Labor MP Melissa Parke.

“Hopeless, useless and a joke”: Labor MP sets Turnbull NBN policy on fire

99
Federal Parliament erupted into a fiery debate yesterday over Malcolm Turnbull's reshaping of the NBN project, with Labor MP Lisa Chesters stealing much of the show with a furious diatribe in which she labelled the PM's NBN plan as "incompetent, hopeless, useless and a joke".

Labor has 60 complaints from congested FTTN users who want their ADSL back

181
The Opposition said this week that it has received about 60 complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model, many of whom were receiving such poor service that they would prefer to have their original ADSL broadband back.

Campari replacing HP tablets with Microsoft Surface Pros

6
Specialist beverage company Campari has replaced HP tablets with Microsoft Surface Pros within its sales team, and is now rolling out the devices across the remainder of the business.

VMware introduces new desktop virtualisation platform

1
Virtualisation giant VMware has unveiled a new platform for delivering secure digital workspaces for flexible working on any device.

WA Govt to trial driverless electric bus

2
A staged trial of a driverless electric shuttle bus will take place in Western Australia later this year, according to the state government.

Federal Government introduces ‘Netflix’ tax bill

30
The Federal Government has introduced legislation to Parliament that will force foreign providers of digital content, such as Netflix, to pay goods and services tax (GST) in Australia.

NAB to roll out new personal banking platform this month

2
National Australia Bank (NAB) is to roll out a new personal banking platform in a move it calls "the biggest technology overhaul in the bank’s history".

Sex Party’s ride-sharing bill would legalise Uber in Victoria

0
Australian Sex Party Leader Fiona Patten will this week present a new bill to provide a legal framework for services like Uber in Victoria.

Telstra offers free data following mobile network outage

5
Telstra is offering free data for a day for all customers this Sunday following an outage in its national mobile network that affected voice and data services for some customers.

TPP National Interest Analysis a ‘farce’, say Greens

8
The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) National Interest Analysis tabled yesterday in Parliament has been been heavily criticised by Australian Greens spokesperson for Trade, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who labelled the document a "farce".

NBN gridlock: Peak hour congestion takes down FTTN for some

193
Some early adopter users of the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology on the National Broadband Network are seeing their broadband service slow to a crawl during peak hour periods, leading to questions about the fitness of model for permanent use on the NBN.

‘ABC did not gag Nick Ross’: MD Mark Scott tells Senate (full video)

17
The managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has categorically denied that the broadcaster "gagged" its former technology editor Nick Ross from reporting on the National Broadband Network, stating that it merely wanted the journalist to comply with its editorial policies in doing so.

Govt launches ‘government as an API’ through new CMS

2
The government has implemented a 'Government as an API' service that is aimed to provide more powerful and consistent use of digital content across multiple services.

EFA kicks off digital rights campaign for election year

3
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) has launched its digital rights campaign for 2016, which addresses issues such as privacy, censorship and net neutrality.

Fault brings month-long outage for PPC-1 international cable

2
A fault discovered on the 6,900km PPC-1 submarine cable connecting Australia to Guam is likely to take around 30 days to repair, according to TPG Telecom.

Analysis by ex-NBN CTO shows NBN activation rate is actually slowing

276
Analysis by the NBN company's first chief technology officer Gary McLaren appears to have shown that the activation rate of new NBN broadband connections is actually slowing, in a move that McLaren has speculated may be due to political reasons in an election year or merely the difficulty of dealing with copper and HFC technologies.

Most Australians now support MTM NBN, claims Morrow

125
The chief executive of the NBN company last week said that the debate over different technologies for the National Broadband Network was effectively over, with 'most' Australians having now accepted the rationale for the Coalition's technically inferior Multi-Technology Mix model for the network.

Telstra, Optus, TPG, Vodafone splurge on 1800MHz spectrum

2
Four major telcos have together splashed out over half a billion dollars on shares of the 1800 MHz spectrum band, according to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

CSIRO job cuts a ‘body blow to science’, says union

5
The Community and Public Sector Union has strongly criticised the federal government over the "mass axing" of 350 more scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

NEC Australia opens new HQ and Innovation Centre in Victoria

0
Japanese IT services and products giant NEC has opened a new Australian headquarters in Victoria.

NBN says customers just as happy with FTTN or FTTP

228
The NBN company today stated that customers using its Fibre to the Node service were just as satisfied with their broadband service as those using Fibre to the Premises services, on the basis of the industry standard Net Promoter Score rating.

Nine deploys Centrify to assist with Mac/Active Directory admin

3
Identification management and security vendor Centrify has revealed the Nine Network has deployed its solution to drastically simplify administration of its recently expanded fleet of Apple Mac desktops.

Watch: Turnbull implies he complained to ABC about “failed” NBN coverage

79
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have implied that he made the same complaint to ABC management that he has previously made in public before the 2013 Federal Election, stating that the broadcaster had "failed" to provide balanced coverage of the competing National Broadband Network policies.

Defying the Senate: NBN Co refuses to disclose brand new copper needs past 1800km

76
The NBN company has flatly refused to say how much brand new copper it need beyond its existing reserves of 1800km to make its Fibre to the Node broadband rollout model function correctly, in response to a question by one of the most powerful Senators overseeing its operations.

“Buzzwords”: Ludlam slams Turnbull’s new homelessness app

0
Scott Ludlam, Deputy Leader for the Australian Greens, has criticised Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's introduction of an app for the homelessness over poor financing of supporting services.

Heavyweight US investors meet Australian startups in Victoria

0
A delegation of US investors representing over a trillion dollars in investment capital met with representatives of Australian startups at the Victorian Parliament yesterday.

Solar firm formally warned over Do Not Call Register complaints

5
A solar company and a call centre firm have been issued formal warnings by The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for making telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Register.

“Get on with it”: Ludlam tells Govt on data breach notification bill

4
Greens Deputy Leader and Senator Scott Ludlam has filed a Senate motion demanding the Government "get on with" its plans to introduce mandatory data breach legislation, pointing out that the concept had multi-partisan support and would be likely to pass Federal Parliament in quick order.

“Political indecision” leaving Australia a broadband backwater: ex-NBN CTO

158
The NBN company's first chief technology officer this week said that the protracted disagreement between Australia's two major political parties on how to best upgrade broadband networks was leaving Australia languishing in global broadband rankings, despite several obvious ways forward.

Microsoft beating Google in cloud email race, says Gartner

10
A study by analyst firm Gartner has found that 8.5% of global public companies use cloud email from Microsoft's Office 365 service, with just 4.7% using Google Apps for Work.

Govt releases assurance policy for migration to NBN

9
The government has released a Migration Assurance Policy (MAP) that sets out its plans to limit disruption during the switch-over to the National Broadband Network.

Vodafone inks rewards deal with Qantas, opens NZ roaming

2
Vodafone has inked a deal with Qantas that will see the companies work together to deliver new ways to reward customers. Furthermore, the mobile provider is offering free roaming in New Zealand to its $5 roaming package users.

Political “untruths” poisoning the NBN, says Budde

107
Subjective political "untruths" have subverted the debate over the National Broadband Network policy, veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said late last week, with "factual technical information" becoming polluted by false rationality.

DHS hires pinch hitter NAB exec for billion-dollar Centrelink IT revamp

0
The Department of Human Services today confirmed it had hired senior National Australia Bank executive John Murphy to lead its billion-dollar Welfare Payment Infrastructure Transformation (WPIT) project, in a move which creates an immediate direct rival to existing DHS CIO Gary Sterrenberg.

Now Jason Clare writes to ABC over Nick Ross ‘gag’

24
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has stated that he is "very concerned" about claims that the ABC gagged its former technology editor from reporting on the NBN, and has joined his Victorian counterpart Philip Dalidakis in demanding answers from ABC managing director Mark.

AIIA announces new CEO

1
The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has announced that Rob Fitzpatrick – previously a director at Data61 and a long-term corporate executive and consultant – is to take over as its new CEO.

ABS to permanently store personal data from Australian census

13
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has announced that it will retain personal data collected in the 2016 census – a move that goes against the recommendation of a privacy impact assessment report that it commissioned 10 years ago.

Victoria reveals board members for startup booster LaunchVic

0
The Victorian Government has announced the board members of its new $60 million startup launch pad, LaunchVic, which is aimed to help accelerate startups, drive new ideas and create jobs in the state.

Apple recalls some Australian AC adapters over shock risk

2
Apple has announced a voluntary recall of AC wall plug adapters designed for use in Australia, as well as some other countries.

Vic IT Minister requests inquiry into “grave allegations” of ABC NBN gag

23
Victoria's Innovation Minister has written to the ABC's Managing Director requesting a meeting and internal investigation regarding what he described as "grave allegations" that the broadcaster had gagged its former technology editor Nick Ross from reporting on the National Broadband Network.

Labor pledges to go after Apple for “extraordinary” tax habits

39
The Federal Opposition this week pledged to force tech companies like Apple and Google to pay their "fair share of tax in Australia", with Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare describing Apple Australia's claim that it should only pay $85 million of tax on local revenues of almost $8 billion as "extraordinary".

Telstra not forced to deploy brand new copper, says Fifield

53
The office of Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has issued a statement denying that regulatory decisions by the Government were forcing Telstra to install brand new copper in new greenfields estates, adding that it was up to Telstra to decide what technology it wanted to install.

Turnbull’s Department seeks replacement CIO

3
The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) is looking for a new Chief Information Officer following the departure of Radi Kovacevic to the DTO.

Basslink cable repairs ‘on schedule’ for March repair

2
Basslink has said repairs to the failed cable linking to Tasmania and Victoria are on schedule and the faulty section has been located. However, the fault will likely take until mid-March to fix, according to the firm's timeline.

Govt signs deal to clamp down on multinational tax avoidance

12
The federal government has agreed to share Australian information with other nations as part of a plan to combat tax avoidance by multinationals.

ANZ CEO announces head of digital role in raft of executive changes

0
Along with a number of significant changes to the executive team at ANZ, the bank's new CEO Shayne Elliott has announced plans to create a role for a new head of digital banking.

Labor claims DHS telephone and IT systems ‘collapsing’

12
Labor has released a statement over what it calls a "collapse" in the standards of telecoms and IT services at Centrelink and Medicare.

Telstra doubles NBN/broadband data on new bundle deals

22
Telstra has announced limited-time bundle deals for new NBN or broadband customers, offering extra data, bonus calls, and access to Wi-Fi when away from the home.

Morrow hints at long-term FTTP upgrade for MTM NBN

175
The chief executive of the NBN company has stated in a radio interview that the National Broadband Network will eventually go to "the same place" as Labor's original Fibre to the Premises model through continual upgrades to the network over time, in a move which appears to offer long-term hope for those displeased by the Government's controversial multi-technology model.

Apple Australia insists it pays all its taxes

30
US technology juggernaut Apple has insisted that it pays all of its local taxes, despite the company having filed financial results this week that saw the company pay extra taxes of just $4.5 million last year off an extra $1.8 billion in local revenue.

NAB launches Android contactless payments service

8
National Australia Bank (NAB) has launched a new payment service that lets customers use their mobile phone to make purchases, without the need to carry a physical card.

ACT Liberals call for driverless vehicle trials

1
The ACT Liberals have released an exposure draft of legislation which would facilitate driverless vehicle trials in the Australian Capital Territory.

NBN satellite engineer wins Australia Day honours

4
One of the key engineers who helped guide the NBN company's first satellite into orders has been awarded Australia Day Honours.

NBN critic and historic Liberal supporter Henry Ergas wins Australia Day honours

26
One of the most strident critics of Labor's original National Broadband Network policy and open Liberal Party supporter Henry Ergas has received one of the highest honours in this year's Australia Day awards, and will now become an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Farce: Apple Australia pays extra $4m of tax on $1.8bn revenue gain

30
US technology juggernaut Apple has revealed it only paid an extra $4.5 million worth of corporate tax in Australia in its 2015 financial year, despite the company making an extra $1.8 billion in local revenue, taking its local taxes to a paltry sum of $85 million off record Australian revenues of $7.8 billion.

Microsoft recalls 285,000 Surface Pro power cords in Australia

5
Microsoft is recalling 285,000 Surface Pro power cord sets sold in Australia over a fault that can expose live wires and represents a risk to consumers.

Dick Smith administrator shuts David Jones stores, 181 staff affected

2
The administrator for Dick Smith Holdings has announced that it will shut down all the troubled retailer's outlets within David Jones department stores, leaving over 180 employees facing an uncertain future.

ASX plans blockchain solution for Australian equity market

1
The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has selected US firm Digital Asset Holdings to develop a blockchain post-trade solution for the Australian equity market.

Govt censors NBN Co’s FTTP projection data

115
The Federal Government has taken steps to stop the public getting access to a key data set which details why the NBN company believes a full-Fibre to the Premises rollout would cost up to $38 billion more and take eight years longer to finalise than its currrent controversial Multi-Technology Mix plan.

Labor, Greens slam Turnbull hypocrisy: PM pumps innovation but ‘trashes’ NBN

158
Labor and Greens politicians have this week labelled Malcolm Turnbull a hypocrite for pushing Australia's innovation credentials in the United States while simultaneously having "trashed" the National Broadband Network, as debate grows about the infrastructure's significant to the Prime Minister's innovation vision.

ICT Audit largely clears Federal Govt of problems

5
A comprehensive ICT audit of the Federal Government's ICT operations has largely found they are sound and performing to required standards, with expenditure within appropriate levels and only a small proportion of major ICT projects at risk.

iiNet offers 50% discount on terabyte HFC cable plans

5
iiNet is offering a 50 percent discount for a limited period on HFC cable plans in some parts of Victoria where it owns its own infrastructure.

Telstra tests high-speed encryption on its carrier network

4
Telstra has trialled high-speed optical encryption in its production network between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney claiming it as a "world first" in data safety.

Telstra buys Kloud, invests in Instart Logic

0
Telstra has entered an agreement to acquire Kloud, a firm that helps governments and companies seeking to transition their workloads and applications to the cloud. Additionally, the telco indicates it has made a strategic investment in Instart Logic, a provider of next-gen application delivery services.

Telstra says Govt policy forcing it to deploy brand new copper instead of fibre

68
The nation's largest telco Telstra today said regulatory decisions made by the Government were forcing it to install brand new copper in new greenfields estates, rather than the next-generation fibre-optic cables which many Australians would expect in new developments.

NSW will force pawnbrokers to record MAC addresses

13
The NSW Government is set to alter legislation for secondhand dealers that will give people who have had a wifi-enabled mobile device stolen a better chance of getting it back.

VMware appoints new Australia and New Zealand chief

0
VMware, a provider of cloud and virtualization software and services, has appointed Alister Dias as Vice President and Managing Director for Australia & New Zealand.

Australia’s first Tesla Powerwall goes live in Queensland

0
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has launched a battery storage trial that sees the first use of Tesla's PowerWall system in Australia.

Turnbull lobbies US Congress to pass TPP

10
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull overnight told business executives in the United States that he would be lobbying US Congress to pass the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty during his visit to Washington DC, despite recent reports claiming that the treaty will deliver very little benefit to Australia.

Telstra may be deploying brand new greenfields copper

73
The Department of Communications has published statistics which appear to show that incumbent telco Telstra has deployed brand new copper to hundreds of new development premises around Australia, as a direct result of the Turnbull Government's new greenfields NBN policy.

How to fix NBN Fixed Wireless: Install a roof antenna extension

34
Having trouble with your NBN Fixed Wireless connection? The solution may be simple: Install a 'mast' on the roof of your premises that will boost your antenna higher than nearby trees. It sounds stupid, but it's done the trick for some -- and it may fix your connection too.

Sharing economy an opportunity for NSW, says Govt paper

0
The NSW Government has released a position paper suggesting that the burgeoning collaborative or sharing economy offers opportunities for the state.

Telecoms industry raises concerns over latest TSSR draft

2
A coalition of industry groups has raised concerns over new national security legislation for the telco sector – the draft Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015.

Winning DataStart entry uses data to maximise healthcare efficiency

0
The winner of the DataStart incubator program has been named as CohortIQ – a startup that aims to use government and private data to maximise hospital and public health service efficiency.

Labor avoids all comment on that bothersome massive metadata expansion

10
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has not responded to a request for basic information on whether Labor will support adding any of the 61 agencies who have applied to the bipartisan data retention scheme which passed Parliament in 2015.

Exetel to compensate heavy downloaders over ‘unfair’ contracts

7
Internet service provider Exetel is to compensate consumers over residential broadband contracts that were deemed "unfair" by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

ACMA seeks consumer representatives for advisory forum

3
The Australian Communications and Media Authority is seeking to appoint up to seven consumer representatives to the Consumer Consultative Forum.

Kogan fined $32k for dodgy Father’s Day ads

8
Online retailer Kogan.com has been fined for "false or misleading" claims in its Father's Day advertisements last August.

Govt creates new digital agency to fix e-health issues

5
The government is seeking a CEO to head the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) – a newly created body set up to revamp the underachieving My Health Record initiative.

61 agencies apply for metadata access

13
61 separate departments and agencies around Australia have petitioned the Attorney-General's Department to gain unwarranted access to Australians' metadata under the Government's Data Retention scheme, including minor organisations such as Bankstown City Council and the National Measurement Institute.

Whinge: Telstra wants to stop NBN Co helping smaller ISPs at all

42
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has told the Federal Government that the NBN company must not be allowed to assist smaller ISPs to better compete for customers on the National Broadband Network, despite the fact that Telstra itself already has a 50 percent NBN market share.

Choice calls for help to defeat Netflix geo-blockade

16
Following Netflix's announcement that it will prevent users accessing its international content via location-masking tools, consumer advocacy group Choice is calling on Australian Internet users to help others find ways around the blockade.

Global Health inks e-health deals with SA, ACT govts

0
Global Health has inked a deal with SA and ACT governments to roll-out its proprietary electronic medical record (EMR) system across the Adelaide Primary Health Network and in the ACT.

‘Appalling treatment’: Vic IT minister to take Ross’s cause to ABC MD

57
Victoria's Innovation Minister has described the ABC's treatment of its former technology editor Nick Ross as "appalling" and has expressed a desire to meet with the journalist and take his case directly to the managing director of the broadcaster.

Xenophon announces plan to save Dick Smith gift card holders

3
Independent Senator Nick Xenophon has announced a possible solution for Dick Smith gift card holders following the electronics retailer's collapse.

Copper rapidly losing ground to fibre in global broadband figures

20
IT market intelligence provider Point Topic has released new figures revealing that the numbers of people using fixed broadband globally climbed in the third quarter of 2015, with the numbers using copper-based technologies to connect taking a sharp downturn and fibre rapidly on the way up.

ACCC sues firm for alleged fake iPad sales to Aboriginal communities

1
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has started Federal Court proceedings against a company alleged to have sold counterfeit iPads to Aboriginal communities.

ABC tech editor claims broadcaster “gagged” his NBN coverage

88
The ABC's outgoing technology editor today claimed he had been "gagged" by the broadcaster from publishing further articles about the National Broadband Network, after several initial articles heavily criticised the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix model.

Government finally opens G-NAF address dataset

0
The government has inked a deal with PSMA Ltd to release the firm's geo-coded National Address File (G-NAF) and its Administrative Boundaries datasets.

DHS issues show Turnbull’s innovation talk just ‘spam’, says Labor

5
Labor has criticised the Turnbull government over recent IT and other issues at the Department of Human Services (DHS), saying they reveal that the Prime Minster's talk of Innovation is just "spam".

Ruckus to deploy Wi-Fi network at Western Sydney University

0
Ruckus Wireless has been selected to roll out 'smart Wi-Fi' across all Western Sydney University (WSU) campuses.

Telstra says it has 50 percent NBN market share, wants more

41
Telstra this week said it had already taken a 50 percent market share of National Broadband Network customers and wanted to push to achieve even more, in news set to call into question controversial NBN decisions made by the Government and the ACCC meant to advance broadband competition.

Govt again refuses to release Attorney-General’s metadata

7
The Federal Government has again refused to release the telecommunications metadata of Attorney-General George Brandis, stating that to do so would require "substantial consultation with IT experts" and that it would prevent the Liberal Senator from doing his job.

ASG to provide Windows 10 desktop as a service for Finance Dept

0
IT services player ASG Group has inked a four-year agreement with government to provide a 'desktop as a service' solution for the Department of Finance.

Immigration Dept creates innovation division to drive digital transformation

2
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has formed an innovation division to help accelerate the pace of its digital transformation.

Private telcos ‘most cost effective’ for public safety mobile broadband

9
Private telecommunications firms are the most cost-effective option for delivering mobile broadband to public safety agencies, according to a Productivity Commission report.

DHS issues due to ‘chronic’ IT underfunding, says union

17
Computer malfunctions and other issues at the Department of Human Services are due to "chronic and prolonged underfunding" according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).

NBN kicks off FTTN roll out in new areas of Tasmania

53
The NBN has commenced construction work in Tasmania that will use fibre to the node (FTTN) technology to connect several new communities.

Turnbull appoints new Communications Department secretary

0
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has appointed a new Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts.

Fixed Wireless NBN turns out worse than ADSL for some

104
It was supposed to be next-generation infrastructure which would make their old broadband connection obsolete. But for some connected to the NBN company's Fixed Wireless infrastructure, the performance of the platform is leading them to question whether their old ADSL broadband was actually a better option.

NSW education board seeks Chief Digital Officer to drive innovation

0
The New South Wales Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards (BOSTES) is seeking a Chief Digital Officer to drive innovation across schools in the state.

Insurer IAG uses drones to assess fire damage in Australian ‘first’

1
In what it claims is a first in Australia, Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has used drones to examine damage caused by devastating bushfires and fast-track the assessment process for customer claims.

Fifield redacts large chunks of NBN info in ‘Blue Book’ release

56
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today released a version of the 'Blue Book' incoming ministerial briefing he received from his department when he became Communications Minister, with the sections relating to the National Broadband Network having been heavily redacted.

Specsavers outsources key IT services to Accenture

1
Global optical chain Specsavers has partnered with professional services company Accenture to help manage its IT services as it focuses on increasing the digital side of its business.

Govt outlines guidelines for data retention grants

1
The government has initiated a grants program that will provide up to $128.4 million to assist the telecommunications industry with the upfront costs of meeting their data retention obligations.

Western Sydney Uni deploys 5,000 Microsoft Surface tablets

2
Western Sydney University is to deploy 5,000 Microsoft Surface 3 devices in order to boost flexible learning within its courses.

Government launches ad campaign to support Innovation Agenda

8
The government says it is launching a public information and community engagement campaign to support the National Innovation and Science Agenda and help boost Australia’s economy.

Microsoft Surface 3 4G hits Australia this month

4
Microsoft Australia says the Surface 3 4G LTE will soon be on sale at select outlets in Australia, while the Microsoft Band and Surface Book will soon be more widely available.

NBN Co rejects FOI request for basic FTTN modem details

94
The NBN company has flatly rejected a seemingly innocuous Freedom of Information request which sought to establish the specifications which Australians would need to meet in order to connect their end user hardware to its Fibre to the Node and Basement networks.

DTO reveals progress on digital transformation projects

0
The Digital Transformation Office has revealed the state of progress on a number of Digital Delivery Hubs that were set up in October 2015.

Retailer Dick Smith enters administration

10
Dick Smith Holdings Ltd, the Australian electrical retail group, has entered receivership, according to a statement.

NBN rejects analysis: FTTP rollout to take “significantly longer”

55
The NBN company has called into question the validity of a detailed value analysis by a Monash University researcher, stating that a full Fibre to the Premises rollout would take significantly longer to achieve in Australia than its current Multi-Technology Mix model.

NBN FTTN kills off ADSL for metro customer, to be replaced with satellite

187
The NBN company has confirmed plans to terminate the ADSL connection of a customer living in metropolitan Adelaide and replace it with a high-latency satellite connection, due to the installation of Fibre to the Node services to neighbours in the same street.

eHealth NSW hiring for yet another CIO

1
New South Wales' peak electronic health agency NSW eHealth has yet again advertised for a new chief information and chief executive officer, as the latest swing in a revolving door of senior executives.

Delimiter files FOI application for Fifield’s Blue Book briefing

10
Technology media outlet Delimiter has filed a Freedom of Information request for the 'Blue Book' incoming ministerial briefing provided to new Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, following recent decisions which have seen similar documents released by a number of other Federal Government departments.

Detailed analysis of NBN Co’s finances shows FTTP better value than FTTN

149
A researcher from Monash University has published a detailed analysis of the NBN company's costs which appears to show that Labor's technically superior Fibre to the Premises model represents better financial value than the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology only a scant few years after FTTP was deployed.

NBN goes to market for FTTdp hardware

37
The NBN company has gone to market to purchase 'Fibre to the Distribution Point' (FTTdp) hardware that will allow it to deploy fibre further out into its growing Fibre to the Node network, as speculation increases that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will formalise a widespread FTTdp rollout ahead of this year's Federal Election.

amaysim buys fellow mobile telco Vaya

2
Mobile telco amaysim this morning announced it had bought privately owned Vaya for $70 million, in a move that will add some 140,000 subscribers to amaysim's customer database and further consolidate the already tight mobile market.

Electronic Frontiers Australia outlines 2016 priorities

20
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) has spelled out its priorities for the coming year, addressing a host of areas including data retention, intelligence gathering and copyright issues.

DTO immigration project passes first test

0
A new booking service being developed by the Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for people about to take their citizenship test has passed its first assessment.

Govt admits staff lost IT equipment valued at over $100k

5
Government employees have cost the taxpayer may thousands of dollars-worth in lost or stolen IT equipment, it has been revealed.

Comcast runs successful real-world test of gigabit HFC

18
In what it is calling a "world first", Comcast has switched on gigabit hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) broadband at a home in the US.

Government issues draft amendments to Copyright Act

2
The government has announced proposed changes that are designed to simplify and modernise Australia's copyright laws.

Foxtel hiring anti-piracy investigator

11
Australian pay television company Foxtel is hiring an anti-fraud investigator to drive the firm's efforts to cut down on piracy and other criminal activities.

Mobile blackspot nominations deadline extended

3
The government has announced that the deadline for public nominations for Round 2 of the Mobile Black Spot Programme has been extended from 31 December 2015 to 15 January 2016.

DTO seeks top execs to lead gov.au, Digital Marketplace

2
The Digital Transformation Office (DTO) is seeking a top level executive to lead the new Digital Marketplace announced in the government's Innovation and Science Agenda just two weeks ago. A head is also being sought for the transformation of the gov.au web platform that is aimed to make it quicker and easier to access government services online.

ACMA proposes changes to spectrum rules to open up Internet of Things

0
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is proposing changes to spectrum rules in order to allow Internet of Things (IoT) devices to 'talk' to each other.

Telstra meets CWU over alleged issues with redundancy procedures

0
Telstra has met with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) over claimed procedural discrepancies as the telco seeks to reduce staff numbers via voluntary redundancies.

Labor claims Turnbull’s innovation package may encourage tax rorts

3
Labor has claimed that the government's recently announced package of innovation measures is "rushed" and could have weaknesses that would lead to abuse of the taxation system.

NBN Co to pay Telstra to fix its own copper network

59
The NBN company today announced it had signed or was working on deals with Telstra and Optus that would see the pair continue to fix, maintain and operate the legacy copper and HFC cable networks which they have already sold to the NBN company.

WA taxi reforms to ‘level playing field’ with firms like Uber

3
The Western Australian Government has announced plans to transform the state's highly regulated taxi industry to increase flexibility, safety and affordability in the face of disruptive competition such as Uber.

Telstra fixes first blackspots under government program

3
Telstra has made the first improvements to regions with poor mobile coverage as part of the government's Mobile Black Spot Programme.

Spectrum re-farming in NSW, ACT boosts Vodafone 4G coverage

0
Vodafone has completed re-farming the low-frequency 850MHz mobile spectrum in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to bring about stronger 4G coverage and extra capacity.

Optus pays $51k fine over false claims broadband speeds are ‘NBN-like’

14
Optus has paid fines of $51,000 for making false claims about its broadband services, saying they were "NBN-like" in their speeds.

Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog targets Ultranet schools IT project

1
Victoria's Department of Education and Training’s $180 million Ultranet IT project is to be the focus of public hearings held by the state's anti-corruption commission next year.

Greens take aim at Government’s national facial recognition database

2
The Australian Greens have raised privacy concerns over the government's plans to introduce a national facial recognition scheme next year.

Treasury switches to virtual desktop platform from Nutanix

1
The Commonwealth Treasury has deployed a virtual desktop platform from Nutanix with the aim of facilitating the delivery of Australia’s economic framework, the Federal Budget.

Australian Electoral Commission moves website to Amazon Web Services

7
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has switched to Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the hosting of digital services across all its public-facing websites.

Government releases privacy impact assessment for face-matching scheme

0
The government has released a preliminary Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the National Facial Biometric Matching Capability – a face-matching scheme that is aimed to help government agencies combat identity crime, organised crime and terrorism.

Optus replaces Telstra as official Olympics telecoms partner

0
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has inked a 10-year agreement that sees Optus become the official telecommunications partner of the Australian Olympic team.

Google trumps Apple with banking partners for Android Pay launch

4
Google has announced that it will be be bringing its digital wallet Android Pay to Australia in the first half of 2016 with a number of financial partners.

FTTN rollout hits 50,000 homes in record time

158
The NBN company today revealed its Fibre to the Node infrastructure was ready to be used at some 50,000 homes, a milestone that it reached just 51 days after formally launching the infrastructure in September.

Telstra offers free Wi-Fi to customers over summer season

2
Telstra has announced it is giving millions of customers "unlimited free access" to its Wi-Fi network, Telstra Air.

Consumer commission sues LG Electronics for ‘misleading’ consumers

3
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has commenced court proceedings against LG Electronics Australia, saying that the tech giant made "false or misleading" representations to consumers over their rights regarding faulty products.

Victoria partners with Oxford Uni on new cyber-security centre

0
The Victorian Government has inked a deal that will see Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) establish its first ever international office in Melbourne.

Fifield ignores evidence in angry NBN response

163
news Mitch Fifield has released a sharply worded response to detailed evidence showing Malcolm Turnbull's version of the NBN has fallen behind on its...

Lawyer says Craig Wright “existed within his own fantasy world”

6
Wright and Nakamoto appear, so far, to be polar opposites. Whether the Sydneysider was involved in creating Bitcoin or not, it appears certain that others must also have been.

“No evidence” Aussie banks boycotting Apple Pay, claims RBA Governor

9
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens has claimed in a letter to a Labor MP that he has not seen "any evidence" that Australia's major banks are actively boycotting the Apple Pay mobile payments service, despite the fact that only American Express has signed up to the service in Australia.

Labor issues detailed evidence for Turnbull’s MTM delays, cost blowouts

46
The Opposition has published a detailed and referenced comparison table which appears to conclusively show that Malcolm Turnbull's version of the National Broadband Network project is behind on almost every measure by its own measurements, as well as having blown out in costs substantially.

Poor form: Fifield ignores direct questions about $641m NBN FTTN blowout, FTTP costs

19
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has refused to answer a direct question from a journalist about why the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network has blown out by a factor of ten times to $641 million, saying that leaked internal NBN documents showing the figures had been "inappropriately obtained".

NBN Co shifts 40k premises to fixed wireless to free up satellite capacity

11
The NBN company today revealed it planned to deploy its fixed wireless network to an additional 40,000 premises previously slated to receive satellite broadband, as part of an effort to free up capacity on the satellite network to meet its aim of a 150GB monthly download quota.

NBN rejects claims it puts medical alarm services at risk

14
The National Broadband Network has rejected as "inaccurate" claims that its next-generation infrastructure rollout is placing medical alarm services at risk.

Turnbull announces digital boost for farming industry

4
The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced three new initiatives lead by the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) that are aimed to bring agriculture fully into the digital age.

Disruptive tech companies killing off workers’ rights, says union

7
The 'disruptive economy' being brought about by companies such as Uber is "driving down" workers’ rights, the Transport Workers Union has warned.

WA Government to complete delayed school IT upgrades

0
The Western Australian Government has announced an IT investment at the state's schools that will allow students and teachers to use wireless devices around campuses and bring greater mobility to classrooms.

Apple reseller Next Byte to close following revenue decline

8
Vita Group has announced it will close the remaining eight stores of its subsidiary Next Byte – an Apple product reseller – over three months starting from January 2016.

Parliament announces yet another inquiry into Australian innovation

0
The Australian Parliament’s Trade and Investment Growth Committee has announced a new innovation inquiry, despite a similar and rather delayed inquiry being due to report just next week.

Natural Solar, Origin to be first Australian resellers of Tesla Powerwall

13
Solar power company Natural Solar and power giant Origin are to be the first resellers of Tesla Energy's Powerwall battery system to the Australian market.

IAG creates next-gen IT leadership structure as the IT dept starts to break down

2
Insurer IAG has created a sophisticated new IT leadership structure reflecting the fact that digital disruption is sweeping through its business and it needs to have multiple divisions focused on different aspects of technology -- from operations to testing out new and innovative ideas.

Turnbull knows the MTM NBN won’t cut it, says Budde

66
Malcolm Turnbull deliberately kept the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix from being mentioned in this week's National Innovation and Science Agenda because the Prime Minister knows the model won't meet Australia's innovation needs, veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said this week.

Blackspot programme reopens to further boost mobile coverage

1
A second round of the Mobile Black Spot Programme (MBSP) has opened to help boost the consistency of mobile coverage across Australia.

Google Fiber considers expansion to Chicago and Los Angeles

3
Google Fiber may soon come to Chicago and Los Angeles, following a call from the tech and search giant for the two cities to explore the feasibility of a rollout there.

Turnbull will abandon FTTN copper for FTTdp, says Clare

147
Malcolm Turnbull's Coalition Government will "ditch" its plans to deploy Fibre to the Node infrastructure over Telstra's copper network prior to the 2016 Election and instead focus on deploying fibre to the 'distribution point' or driveway of premises on the National Broadband Network, the Opposition said yesterday.

Seeing Machines replaces Salesforce.com, MYOB, Excel and Outlook with NetSuite OneWorld

0
Seeing Machines, an Australia-based developer of driver fatigue and distraction detection technology, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld across its global operations.

CommBank, Telstra invest $20m in quantum computing technology

1
Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank have both announced plans to invest $10 million and in-kind support to help develop silicon quantum computing technology in Australia.

Labor releases national open data policy to fuel digital innovation

0
The Opposition has released a plan for data reform that it said will "fuel digital innovation and productivity growth across Australia".

Jason Clare says Turnbull ‘lied’ on copper NBN costs

35
The Opposition has accused Malcolm Turnbull of telling a "lie" with respect to the cost of upgrading Telstra's copper network to support Fibre to the Node technology on the National Broadband Network, at the time when the Prime Minister was the Shadow Communications Minister.

Labor: Turnbull’s Innovation Statement ‘does not go far enough’

3
Labor has criticised the government's $1 billion Innovation Statement, saying that "it does not go far enough".

Carr: CSIRO still worse off than before election

3
An opposition minister has said that the CSIRO is still worse off than it was before the last election – despite funding announced in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Innovation Statement on 7 December.

Planned NBN cyber security centre will bring new jobs to Melbourne

5
The Victorian Government has announced that a new cyber security centre to be built as part of the National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure will help create 700 new high-skilled jobs in Melbourne over the next four years.

Our Prime Minister may have been factually inaccurate on 7:30 on NBN copper costs

48
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have made a statement on national television which may have been factually inaccurate regarding the National Broadband Network, claiming on 7:30 tonight that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network was not ten times the amount originally estimated, despite evidence to the contrary.

NBN controversy mars Turnbull’s innovation launch

31
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was this morning forced to answer questions about the Coalition's controversial National Broadband Network policy, in the context that his much-hyped Innovation and Science Agenda released today barely mentions the foundational infrastructure it will rely on.

NBN offers 50Mbps/20Mbps fixed wireless product

12
The NBN company this morning announced it had launched a fixed wireless broadband service offering download speeds of 50Mbps and upload speeds of 20Mbps -- double the speeds currently available on the company's wireless platform.

National Innovation and Science Agenda: Turnbull releases $1bn massive list of new policies

8
news Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning released a huge list of new policy initiatives relating to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, as part of...

Xenophon wants Senate inquiry into cyber attacks following BoM breach

4
Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, has called for an urgent inquiry into cyber security following recent revelations that the Bureau of Meteorology’s systems have been breached, along with those of other government agencies.

Senate passes bill to block tax avoidance by multinationals

9
The Senate has passed new legislation aimed to ensure tax is paid by major international companies that operate in Australia but book profits offshore.

Crowd-funding legislation reaches parliament

0
New laws aimed to provide a framework for crowd-sourced equity funding (CSEF) have been introduced into Parliament.

Labor proposes measures to boost Australian startups

0
The Labor opposition has announced a tranche of proposals to drive innovation across Australia – a move that is likely aimed to take the wind out of the government's sails with a big innovation announcement due on Monday.

AFR claims on NBN sale just plain “wrong”, says Fifield

123
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today flatly rejected claims by the Financial Review newspaper that the Government was in talks to sell the bulk of the National Broadband Network to Telstra for as little as $20 billion, stating: "There are no plans to sell NBN".

Telstra partially backtracks on international roaming charge hike

2
In the face of an upset customer base, Telstra has backtracked on its recently announced decision to more than triple excess data fees incurred when roaming internationally.

Government closes in on legislation over serious data breaches

2
The government has released an exposure draft of a bill that will define what it considers a 'serious' data breach and place notification requirements on some businesses or organisations should they suffer from such an attack.

Government to further deregulate telecoms sector

9
The government has announced further measures aimed to cut red tape and costs to benefit both the communications sector and the general public.

Fifield rejects concerns about $641m NBN FTTN blowout

38
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this afternoon refused to substantially answer questions in the Senate about leaked internal NBN documents showing that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network has blown out by a factor of ten times to $641 million, instead attacking Labor for its performance with respect to the project.

Telstra deploys eHealth record solution for St John of God

0
Telstra Health has announced it has deployed an electronic medical record (EMR) system at St John of God Midland public and private hospitals in Perth.

Government responds to ACS report on gender inequality in ICT

1
Responding to a report from the ACS, Assistant Minister for Science Karen Andrews has said the government recognises the importance of bringing more women into the ICT workforce to ensure the country remains competitive.

Ed Husic calls for regulation following banks’ ‘boycott’ of Apple Pay

9
Ed Husic MP has said that Australian consumers are being denied payment choices over the banks' apparent "boycott" of Apple Pay and called for "technology neutral" regulation to avoid consumers suffering from the possibly "anti-competitive" actions of some financial institutions.

It’s just a “draft” document, NBN says on $641m FTTN blowout

86
The NBN company has attempted to cast doubt on the veracity of leaked internal documents showing that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network has blown out by a factor of ten times to $641 million, pointing out that the document in question was a "draft" and "not endorsed" by its executive team.

Disaster in the making? Govt embarks on mammoth IT shared services scheme

13
The Federal Government has issued a landmark discussion paper seeking industry and other stakeholder opinions on how it can best implement a strategic shared services scheme to serve the needs of its departments and agencies, despite the fact that this very same model has abjectly failed several Australian State Governments over the past half-decade and been abandoned.

Ruddock committee finds data retention may breach journalists’ rights

1
The Federal Parliament's human rights committee chaired by Liberal MP Philip Ruddock has found that the mechanisms in the recent data retention legislation for protecting journalists and their sources may be inadequate and may breach human rights covenants.

Foxtel to launch first Internet piracy blocking attempt in early 2016

13
National pay TV operator Foxtel has reportedly confirmed plans to launch an attempt early in the near year to have a specific website allegedly hosting pirated film and TV content blocked, in what is expected to be the first test of new legislation designed to tackle Internet piracy.

StartupAUS report: Australian big business must collaborate with startup community

1
StartupAUS, a group that advocates for Australia's startups, has published a report highlighting the importance of the relationship between big business and startups in cultivating a "vibrant and energetic" environment for innovation.

Microsoft report: Australia can learn from innovation hotspot Massachusetts

2
Microsoft has released its latest Joined-Up Innovation report, which highlights the key lessons learned from a fact-finding expedition to see how the US state of Massachusetts is rapidly becoming a notable hotspot for innovation.

Logicalis buys Australian IT infrastructure specialist Thomas Duryea

0
Logicalis, an international IT solutions and managed services provider, has announced the acquisition of Australian cloud and datacentre Services firm Thomas Duryea Consulting.

ACCC letting NBN descend into retail “market failure”, says Macquarie

69
Top-tier business telco Macquarie Telecom has accused the ACCC of having little idea of what is going on in the competitive NBN market, in the wake of comments made by the competition regulator that it was not planning re-examine its controversial decision to set the number of points of interconnect with the NBN at 121.

CIO exits Toll as IT outsourcing plan falls in a heap

4
Toll Group chief information officer John Ansley has resigned from the group just a year and a half after taking up the role, in the wake of the failure of an ambitious IT outsourcing plan.

ACT NBN rollout highly unfair, says Labor MP

18
Federal Labor Gai Brodtmann has strongly criticised the NBN company in Federal Parliament this week for its internal decision-making processes in relation to the Australian Capital Territory, which are seeing the company ignore broadband-starved areas in favour of overbuilding existing high-speed broadband networks.

NBN may be delayed by Alcatel-Lucent strike

3
Employees at Alcatel-Lucent Australia have threatened to commence industrial action to defend wages and entitlements, in a move that could see the rollout of the National Broadband Network delayed.

ShoreTel deploys unified communications for Brimbank City Council

0
ShoreTel, a California-based provider of phone systems and unified communications (UC) solutions, has announced it has deployed a unified communications solution for Brimbank City Council in Victoria.

Industry group lists digital policies to boost Australia’s economic prospects

0
The Australian Industry (Ai) Group has released a report outlining seven priority policies that it believes are essential to strengthen pro-digital reforms and lift Australia's prospects in the digital economy.

Biteable attracts $1.1m seed round to grow online video tool

0
Tasmania-based video startup, Biteable, has announced a $1.1-million seed funding round from a group of Australian investors including Tank Stream Ventures and BridgeLane Capital.

Delimiter files FOI request for Govt ICT Audit

3
Technology media outlet Delimiter has filed a Freedom of Information request seeking to retrieve the unreleased comprehensive ICT Audit which the Federal Government presented to Finance Minister Mathias Cormann in January this year.

Budde says he warned Turnbull about Optus HFC cable issue

60
Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde late last week said he publicly warned Malcolm Turnbull that the HFC cable network which the NBN company bought from Optus for $800 million was not suitable for use as part of the National Broadband Network, but that the Prime Minister had ignored the analysis, surrounding himself instead with "yes men".

Critics “mistaken”, says NBN Co: We’re not going to “scrap” Optus HFC

34
The NBN company today said those who believed it was going to "scrap" Optus' HFC cable network were "mistaken", and that leaked documents published last week showing the network was not fit for use as part of the National Broadband Network were only a "hypothetical exercise".

Labor targets Turnbull’s NBN record with election mailout

27
The Opposition has directly targeted the record of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the National Broadband Network project, in what appears to be the first of a new wave of mailouts to voters designed to influence its electoral results, mimicking its approach during the last Federal Election in mid-2013.

Further changes announced to controversial telecoms security bill

0
The government has announced a further round of consultation on changes to new legislation that will require telecoms providers to provide greater safeguards for their networks and to permit greater powers of oversight for government agencies.

ACCAN CEO wins Charles Todd Medal for championing consumers

0
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Teresa Corbin has won this year's Charles Todd Medal for her efforts representing consumer interests throughout her almost 20 year career in the telecoms industry.

Victoria launches new body to give startups a boost

1
The Victorian Government has unveiled a new body called LaunchVic that is aimed to accelerate startups, drive new ideas and create jobs in the state.

Government to retain ownership of Canberra’s ICON network

3
The Federal Government has announced it will not sell off the Intra Government Communications Network (ICON) – a fibre network connecting public service buildings throughout Canberra.

Moula Money banks on Rackspace

1
US-based cloud computing firm Rackspace has released a case study spelling out how its services have helped online lending startup Moula Money scale its systems to keep pace with its rapid growth.

‘Improved’ telco consumer protection code released

0
The Communications Alliance has released a series of proposed revisions to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code 2012 that are aimed to improve the code's provisions and reduce complaints to the industry ombudsman, CommCom.

Lucy Turnbull backs scheme to turn kids into entrepreneurs

1
Lucy Turnbull AO, wife of the Prime Minister, has become patron of an organisation called DICE Kids, which aims to turn Australia's kids into entrepreneurs.

Fifield misleads Senate on Labor’s NBN policy history

74
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield appears to have this afternoon inadvertently misled the Senate regarding the history of the Labor Party's National Broadband Network policy, falsely alleging that the party had not considered re-using existing network infrastructure during the development of the policy.

Salesforce a winner as NSW’s ChildStory project announces vendors

7
The NSW Department of Family & Community Services' ChildStory project has announced the winning vendors for a $100-million IT platform that is aimed to boost child safety in the state.

Telstra reveals plans for another 200 job cuts

4
Telstra has announced a plan to cut staffing numbers via voluntary redundancies in its Global Contact Centre (GCC) group.

CSC announces revised UXC acquisition agreement

0
Global IT services provider CSC has now entered a binding Scheme of Implementation agreement to acquire UXC, an Australian IT services company with headquarters in Melbourne.

‘We’re fixing Labor’s NBN mess,’ says Turnbull

40
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has avoided directly answering the question of whether he still stands behind the NBN company's existing cost estimates with respect to its use of HFC cable and copper technologies, instead claiming that the Coalition Government was cleaning up the NBN "mess" which he said Labor had created.

“Political hacks”: Conroy says NBN board responsible for Optus HFC disaster

18
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has accused the board of the NBN company of being "incompetent political hacks" who abrogated their responsibility in allowing the purchase of unfit networks such as Optus' HFC cable infrastructure in an ill-fated attempt to ensure the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix model could be delivered.

Minister Fifield appears ignorant of NBN Optus HFC disaster

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Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has publicly reaffirmed his confidence in the fitness of Optus' HFC cable network for use as part of the National Broadband Network, in comments which appear to show that he has no knowledge of deep concerns by the NBN company itself that the network is unusable.

Internet filter scope creep: Govt may censor offshore gambling sites

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The Federal Government is considering extending its covert Internet filtering scheme to block offshore gambling websites, in a 'scope creep' move that has the telecommunications industry up in arms about the dangers of secretive Internet censorship.

50Mbps “only a milestone” as Germany targets “gigabit society”

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Germany's top technology minister Alexander Dobrindt and the heads of its telcos have reportedly described 50Mbps broadband speeds as only a "milestone" on the country's broadband roadmap, which will ultimately culminate in a "gigabit society".

Bronwyn Bishop to chair new House of Reps tech Committee

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The Federal House of Representatives has reformed its internal committee dealing with matters pertaining to telecommunications, setting up a new structure which has seen tech-savvy Liberal MP Jane Prentice replaced as chair with veteran MP Bronwyn Bishop.

Politicians to attend Parliament House innovation ‘boot camp’

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Federal MPs and senators will learn about coding and novel uses of technology at an innovation 'boot camp' today in Parliament House organised by tech giant Intel, along with students from five Canberra schools.

ACS elects Anthony Wong as new President

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The ACS, the professional body for Australia's ICT industry, has announced that Anthony Wong has been elected as its President for a two year term commencing 1 January.

Empired eclipses Fujitsu in Horizon Power IT deal

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IT services group Empired has just clinched a deal to manage the ICT infrastructure of electricity provider Horizon Power – a state government-owned company providing electricity to Western Australia.

Turnbull backs away from encryption reform

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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have rejected the need to reform laws on telecommunications encryption technology in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, telling the Parliament today that human factors were more important than ever in the context of a different technological landscape.

Delimiter files FOI request for ICON sale scoping study

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Technology media outlet Delimiter today filed a Freedom of Information request for the 'scoping study' which has been carried out into the potential sale of the Federal Government's Intra Government Communications Network (ICON), a fibre network which connects public service buildings throughout Canberra.

Federal Parliament is in furious agreement about how wonderful tech startups are

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The House of Representatives erupted in an unusual display of bipartisanship yesterday, with both Liberal and Labor MP waxing lyrical about the virtues of technology startups and how the tech startup community must be further supported in order to secure Australia's future as an innovative nation.

Fifield praises Coalition’s “spectacular” NBN turnaround

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Communications Minister Mitch Fifield yesterday praised the Coalition Government he is part of for what he described as its "spectacular" turnaround in the progress of Labor's National Broadband Network project, labelling the project's founder Stephen Conroy as its greatest "threat".

NextDC confirms second Melbourne data centre will follow equity raising

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Australian firm NextDC has announced it plans to raise equity to fund the building of two new data centres, including a second facility in Melbourne.

Dimension Data to fit out flagship Queensland Government skyscraper

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Global ICT services provider Dimension Data has won the bid to fit out and support the networking infrastructure for the Queensland Government’s new flagship offices at 1 William Street, Brisbane.

Insurer IAG hires Deloitte exec as digital ‘disrupter’

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Multinational insurance company IAG has appointed Deloitte's Peter Bonney to a newly established 'Disruptive Technology and Architecture' role within its IAG Labs division.

Up to 45 agencies are seeking data retention powers

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As many as 45 separate departments and agencies around Australia have petitioned the Attorney-General's Department to gain unwarranted access to Australians' metadata under the Government's Data Retention scheme, Delimiter can reveal.

30 startups receive $16m boost from Entrepreneurs’ Programme

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In a bid to see more Australian products in the global marketplace, the last month has seen a number of startups receiving funding from the Australian Government’s Entrepreneurs' Programme.

CommBank backs blockchain technology with Sydney conference

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An international line-up of experts will speak at Sydney Blockchain Workshops in December – an event organised by Commonwealth Bank and COALA, a blockchain advocacy group.

Western Australia announces major cloud push

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The Western Australian state government has announced a cloud computing initiative that is aimed to boost services while cutting back on overall spending.

iiNet launches $109.99 100Mbps terabyte NBN plans

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National broadband player iiNet has revamped its National Broadband Network plans to match its newly minted ADSL and VDSL broadband plans, with the headline offering seeing customers offered a terabyte of download quota coupled with 100Mbps speeds and local and national telephone calls included, for $109.99 per month.

University of Newcastle to roll out Windows 10 to 10,000 devices

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The University of Newcastle (UON) this week said it would roll out Microsoft Windows 10 to around 10,000 devices across its campuses by the end of 2016.

Construction giant trials ‘smart’ hardhats to track employee health

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Multinational construction company Laing O'Rourke has come up with a novel way to monitor and protect employee health – an interactive 'smart' hardhat.

Knight Frank rolls out Skype for Business to get staff talking

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Real-estate consultancy Knight Frank is to roll out Skype for Business across its Australian offices in a push for a more "agile and collaborative" working environment.

Apple Pay partners with American Express for Australia launch

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American Express card members in Australia can now use Apple Pay to purchase products and services at participating merchants across the country.

Google takes on Microsoft with ‘free’ Apps offer

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As part of its ongoing attempt to help itself to a big slice of Microsoft's pie, Google is offering companies 'free' use its online suite of apps for enterprise. There are conditions, however.

STM Bags dumps MYOB and SugarCRM for NetSuite

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STM Bags, an international designer and distributor of laptop bags, tablet and phone cases, has deployed NetSuite OneWorld to manage its business operations as the company continues to expand worldwide.

Microsoft’s Dynamics Online wins ASD certification

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, a customer relationship management software package, has passed Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) certification to host unclassified but sensitive government data.

iiNet launches $69.99 terabyte naked DSL, VDSL plans

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National broadband company iiNet has launched a new range of naked DSL broadband plans -- simplifying its plan structure by offering customers a single download quota of one terabyte for the cost of $69.99 per month -- as well as revamping its VDSL plan structure on TransACT's FTTN network in Canberra.

NSW Office of Environment and Heritage boosts mobility with shift to Office 365

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The New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) says it has rolled out Office 365 in order to boost mobility for its many employees.

Bill Ferris appointed chair of Innovation Australia

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The founder of Australia's first venture capital company, Bill Ferris, AC, has been appointed Chair of Innovation Australia.

Australia recommits to Open Government Partnership

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The Australian Government says it has restarted the process of joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) – a global initiative that aims to get commitments from governments to increase transparency, empower citizens, reduce corruption, and use new technologies to strengthen governance.