Liberal MP misleads Parliament with NBN motion
Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis has moved a motion in the House of Representatives which appears to contain demonstrably false information about Labor's National Broadband Network policy, in a controversial move which caused instant uproar on the part of Labor figures focused on the NBN policy.
Labor “surprised” by ABC’s NBN coverage
Labor MP Ed Husic this morning told the Federal Parliament that he was "surprised" by the ABC's coverage of the National Broadband Network issue, following news that several of the broadcaster’s flagship current affairs shows have largely ignored the issue recently and that it delayed a pro-NBN article by Lateline host Emma Alberici until after the Federal Election.
ABC insists NBN coverage “adequate, appropriate”
The ABC has issued a statement insisting its coverage of the National Broadband Network debate has been "adequate and appropriate", despite several of the broadcaster's flagship current affairs shows largely ignoring the issue and revelations that it delayed a pro-NBN article by Lateline host Emma Alberici until after the Federal Election.
Report savages NT Govt’s ICT performance
The Northern Territory's parliament has published a landmark report into the management of ICT projects by its departments and agencies, finding a similar list of disasters as have been suffered by other state jurisdictions in Australia and recommending the immediate appointment of a whole of government chief information officer to help rectify the systemic issues.
RBA hasn’t been worried by “limited” Bitcoin risk
A research paper produced internally by the Reserve Bank of Australia 12 months ago has shown the nation's central bank was at that stage not concerned about the potential impact of the Bitcoin crypto-currency on Australia's financial system, due to what it saw as the "limited" impact of a "niche product".
Megaport wins access to TPG’s datacentres
Independent telco interconnection company Megaport appears to have emerged as the victor in a landmark legal decision about whether telcos such as TPG are compelled to allow independent operators to connect infrastructure to serve customers located in their datacentres.
Alice Springs tracks students with GPS
The latest privacy invasive technique comes courtesy of The Australian newspaper, which reports that a school in Alice Springs is using GPS tracking to ensure kids attends school.
ABC delayed Alberici’s pro-NBN article until after the election
The ABC delayed publishing an article by Lateline co-host Emma Alberici starkly critical of the Coalition's rival National Broadband Network policy until after the election, it has emerged, as questions continue to be raised about the public broadcaster's coverage of Australia's largest ever infrastructure project.
Turnbull insists MTM CBN not “old technology”
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a statement insisting that the Coalition's new "Multi-Technology Mix" approach to its Coalition's Broadband Network (CBN) project is "NOT" "old technology", despite that several of its constituent parts -- the existing copper and HFC cable networks -- 15 years to many decades old.
Australia’s economic future in high-tech, says Shadow Treasurer
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen has given a landmark speech in which he argues that much of the future for Australia's economy lies in high-tech jobs, innovation and entrepreneurship, in sentiments which run directly contrary to the thrust of the Coalition Government's first budget.
AFP arrests two alleged ‘Anonymous’ members
The Australian Federal Police this morning revealed it had arrested two Australian men who it alleged were members of the loose-knit confederation of Internet activists who self-organise under the banner "Anonymous", claiming that the pair were involved in "a campaign targeting Australian and international websites".
NSW Police trialling body cameras to record everything
US-based body camera vendor Reveal Media has announced that the New South Wales police force is trialling use of its body cameras, in a move that will likely have transparency and accountability benefits for both ordinary Australians and officers.
Surface Pro 3 lands locally in August
US technology giant Microsoft announced this morning that its Surface Pro 3 tablet -- unveiled in New York overnight -- would start shipping in Australia from the end of August, with Microsoft itself, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi to sell the unit for prices starting from AU$979.
ABC flagships ignore Coalition NBN controversy
Several of the ABC's flagship current affairs programs are largely ignoring the Coalition's radical reshaping of Labor's popular National Broadband Network project, analysis has revealed, as debate continues to swirl about the public broadcaster's coverage of an initiative which constitutes Australia's largest ever infrastructure project.
Fletcher contradicts Turnbull on NBN satellite sale
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher have, in the space of less than three months, given directly contradictory statements on whether the Federal Government may sell off NBN Co's nascent satellite infrastructure in the near future.
Vic Govt claims early wins from ICT strategy
The Victorian Government has published a list of accomplishments which it claims to have achieved off the back of its previous whole of government ICT strategy, as it releases a new vision for the 2014 and 2015 years.
Telstra creates giant national … Wi-Fi network??
The nation's largest telco Telstra has flagged plans to utilise its own and customers' infrastructure to create a giant national Wi-Fi network around Australia, in a move that comes just two years after the company shut down its existing Wi-Fi network with about 1,000 hotspots and goes against the clear Australian preference for 3G/4G mobile broadband access.
PCEHR review recommends NEHTA be ‘dissolved’
Following a protracted Freedom of Information battle, the Federal Government has finally released a report into the the troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) project, with one of the document's main recommendations being that the National e-Health Transition Authority be 'dissolved' due to governance issues.
‘Unacceptable’: Cisco’s Chambers tells Obama re NSA interceptions
Long-time Cisco Systems chief executive John Chambers has written a strongly worded letter to US President Barack Obama stating that the company "simply cannot operate" if the National Security Agency continues intercepting its routers and injecting spyware onto them before they are delivered to customers.
NBN Co renews Service Stream greenfields deal
National construction firm Service Stream this morning revealed the National Broadband Network Company had renewed its contract to design and deploy NBN Co's fibre network to greenfield developments (usually housing estates), in a deal which could eventually be worth some $140 million.
Amazon’s virtual desktop hits Australia
Cloud computing giant Amazon Web Services today announced that its WorkSpaces virtual desktop platform was available to be delivered from its Sydney datacentre, in a move which may accelerate the adoption of virtual desktop infrastructure in Australia in general.
Telstra hits 450Mbps speeds in 4G trial
Australia’s largest telco Telstra this week said it had achieved live network speeds of 450Mbps on its Next G mobile broadband network, using the LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation standard across a combination of the 1800MHz and 2600Mhz spectrum bands.
Optus lifts profits but loses customers … what is its long-term future?
The nation's number two telco Optus today reported a 15 percent jump in net profits for the year ended 31 March as cost-cutting initiatives take fat out of its operations, but the company is still facing a troubled future due to the fact that its overall revenues and customer numbers are still slumping.
St George trials Apple iBeacon in branches
Westpac subsidiary St George Bank has revealed plans to deploy a trial of Apple's iBeacon technology in three Sydney branches, in a move which will see customers' iPhones sent a welcome message and "tailored information" when they enter a branch.
Budget 2014: VCs demand long-term growth plan
An industry group representing venture capitalists and private equity firms has heavily criticised the Federal Government’s substantial cuts to supporting startup and venture capital resources as part of this year’s budget, backing startup industry commments that the Government must move quickly to fill the gap it has created.
Budget 2014: Not happy, Joe: Startups slam budget cuts
Australia's highest-profile organisation representing the technology startup sector has strongly criticised the Federal Government's substantial cuts to supporting resources as part of this year's budget, stating that the Government must move quickly to fill the gap it has created.
Budget 2014: Game devs ‘bewildered’ by fund cut
Australia's peak game developer's body has issued a statement noting that it is "disappointed and mystified" by the Federal Government's decision to cut $10 million of remaining funding to the Australian Interactive Games Fund, which had been established in 2012 to help game studios get off the ground in Australia.
Budget 2014: NICTA vows to soldier on
Australia's peak ICT research group, National ICT Australia, has revealed that it has known about the Federal Government's plans to completely cut its funding since late 2013, but has pledged to continue on and find alternative funding models regardless.
Coalition MTM model a ‘$40bn fraud’, says Conroy in epic Senate rant
Stephen Conroy has accused the Coalition of perpetuating an "absolute fraud" on the Australian public through its drastic reworking of Labor's NBN project, with the former Communications Minister pointing out that the Coalition could not guarantee speeds on its planned infrastructure, and that no other country globally was buying back its incumbent telco's copper network.
4G networks to match NBN, claims Liberal MP
A Queensland Liberal MP who has been described as a “Malcolm Turnbull lieutenant” and a long-time critic of Labor’s popular National Broadband Network has made a number of inaccurate statements in Federal Parliament about the project, claiming it could be matched by 4G and 5G mobile networks without spending "some $90 billion of taxpayers' money".
Turnbull taints Budget with NBN cost lie
Malcolm Turnbull late yesterday used the Federal Budget announcements process to again erroneously claim that the Coalition's technically inferior version of Labor's National Broadband Network project would be $32 billion cheaper, despite the fact that the Communications Minister is aware this claim is not true.
Budget 2014: PCEHR project continues, for now
The Federal Government has opted to continue to progress the previous Labor administration's troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project for now, allocating funding of $140.6 million to the project over the next 12 months while it decides its ultimate fate.
Budget 2014: Govt dumps game dev funding
The Federal Government tonight announced as part of this year's Budget that it would cut $10 million of remaining funding to the Australian Interactive Games Fund, in a move which at least one commentator has already said will "destroy" Australia's video games industry.
Budget 2014: Govt chops NICTA funds in two years
The Federal Government tonight revealed plans to totally stop funding the nation's peak ICT research group National ICT Australia (NICTA) after two more years, with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull stating that the organisation would then need to move to a "self-sustaining model".
Older IT workers ‘dumped’ for 457 visa staff
The Australian Computer Society has accused local technology employers of dumping older staff and failing to hire graduates, replacing both categories with "cheap" imported labor through the Federal Government's 457 Visa scheme, as debate continues as to how the nation will serve its growing need for technology skills.
NEC undergoes redundancy round
Diversified technology solutions group NEC has notified its Australian staff that it will shortly undertake a round of redundancies, just months after the company warned it was facing “immediate profitability challenges” despite having a “very healthy” pipeline of contracts.
NBN Co made FTTP architect Ferris redundant
NBN Co misled the Australian public about its treatment of Peter Ferris, it has emerged, with the company having made the highly experienced and respected network engineer who was responsible for the design of the company’s previous Fibre to the Premises network redundant rather than merely having demoted him, as it stated in April.
Fiona Stanley Hospital IT gets $40m more
The Western Australian Government has allocated a further $40 million in funding to the troubled IT systems of the state's flagship Fiona Stanley Hospital, in a state budget which comes ahead of the similar, $187 million deployment of similar new IT systems at the upcoming Perth Children's Hospital.
Telstra testing in-flight 4G broadband
The nation's largest telco Telstra has built new mobile towers covering the airplane route between Sydney and Melbourne and tested mobile broadband speeds up to 15Mbps to planes in the air, in a pilot program which could one day see the telco finally solve the long-running problem of in-flight Internet access in Australia.
New Qld IT renewal chief lasted just a month
The Queensland Government appears to have suffered a further substantial blow to its attempts to reform its technology infrastructure, with an executive having been hand-picked to oversee its IT renewal program resigning after just one month in the role, and taking her deputy with her.
Sky News kills NBN topic with Shadow Minister
A host on pay TV channel Sky News last week defended the new Coalition Government's unpopular radical overhaul of Labor's NBN project and subsequently shut down discussion of it during a live interview with Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare, as controversy continues to swirl about the extent to which mainstream media is censoring coverage of the project.
Westpac renews Telstra, Optus contracts
Top-tier bank Westpac has renewed long-running contracts with both Telstra and, reportedly, Optus, as the bank continues to source services from both of Australia's two largest telcos.
Govt could shift 450 sites to Drupal cloud
The Federal Government has revealed long-range plans to migrate its public-facing websites to Drupal on a software as a service (cloud computing) basis, in a move which could end up seeing around a third of the government's 1,200 odd-sites migrated off commercial and other alternatives and onto the open source platform.
Tradie search site hipages.com.au takes $6m
Tradie search site hipages.com.au this week announced it had secured $6 million in venture capital from a range of investors to expand its operations connecting Australians with small service providers in their area.
Landmark report plots path for Australia’s startup sector
A landmark report published by Australia's largest startup industry representative group has outlined what is billed as the nation's first comprehensive plan to boost the local technology startup ecosystem, with a number of concrete steps listed which the Federal Government and other stakeholders can take to facilitate rapid growth.
Microsoft confirms shrunken TechEd Australia
Microsoft has confirmed it will radically overhaul its giant TechEd conference in Australia in a way that will essentially spell the end of the iconic conference in its traditional mega-format, with the company confirming it will hold smaller TechEd conferences in Sydney and Melbourne in October and additional dates and cities in planning for early 2015.
CenITex cuts another 60 staff
Troubled Victorian Government IT shared services group CenITex has flagged plans to cut another 60 staff from its roster, as wider plans progress to outsource the infrastructure and services currently being provided by the group to other Victorian Government departments and agencies.
Arch hypocrisy: Coalition continues NBN cost/benefit criticism
The Coalition has produced a controversial political pamphlet slamming, among other issues associated with "Labor's mess", the previous Government's move to go ahead with its National Broadband Network project without a cost/benefit analysis, just weeks after Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the Coalition would do the same.
NBN Co finds mild satellite delay, wireless shortfall
NBN Co has published an extensive report of the satellite and wireless aspects of its infrastructure rollout, finding that it will need to slightly delay its planned late 2015 satellite launch until early 2016 and that its current provisions for wireless broadband in outer metropolitan and regional areas is not quite adequate to serve its planned user base.
ING Direct shifts entire bank platform onto private cloud
Financial services group ING Direct this week revealed it had switched its entire production IT infrastructure onto a private cloud platform, in a move the company claimed was a first for any bank in Australia.
Whole of Govt CIO role abolished
The Federal Government this morning revealed it had abolished its whole of government chief information officer role in the wake of the departure of the last public servant to hold the position, Glenn Archer, with the position's responsibilities to devolve to a much lower profile role in the Department of Finance.
Telstra, Nokia jack up Aussie Lumia 2520 pricing
Nokia this week revealed that its flagship Lumia 2520 tablet would be sold in Australia principally through the nation's largest telco Telstra, but with a significant markup on the unit's price which will see Australians slugged with around 56 percent more for the exact same product than United States buyers will pay.
Optus supports Google Play billing
SingTel subsidiary Optus this week issued a statement noting that it had switched on a feature which would allow customers to buy apps and content from Google's Play Store on their Android mobile phone, and be billed directly through their Optus mobile connection.
Pirate Party launches anti-Brandis piracy petition
The Pirate Party Australia has launched a high-profile online petition inviting Australians to protest against two proposals reportedly set to be introduced by Attorney-General George Brandis to Federal Cabinet which could see Australians who pirate content online receive warnings and Internet service providers forced to block file-sharing sites such as the Pirate Bay.
Carosa’s Future Capital in US$30m Bitcoin fund
Experienced Australian investor Domenic Carosa has led the establishment of a US$30 million investment fund which will directly invest in companies that are leveraging services based in Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies.
“Fictitious”: Turnbull rejects every Senate NBN allegation
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has published an extensive, 33 page Coalition rebuttal of specific allegations raised by the Opposition in late March claiming that evidence shows NBN Co’s Strategic Review published last year is based on “flawed and unreliable” premises and was in fact designed by Turnbull to constitute a “pre-ordained political outcome”.
Delimiter appeals PCEHR review censorship
Technology media outlet Delimiter has appealed a Federal Department of Healths move to block the public release of a report reviewing the troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records (PCEHR) project, as news emerges that the Federal Government appears to have made a decision on how to proceed with the project.
Commission of Audit backs high-risk shared services schemes
The new Coalition Government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) has recommended the Federal Government investigate the same kind of whole of government shared corporate services scheme which have abjectly failed most Australian State Governments over the past half-decade and resulted in widespread IT service delivery problems.
Commission of Audit wants to abolish Commercialisation Australia, IIF fund
The new Coalition Government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) has recommended the Federal Government "abolish" key early stage technology industry support vehicles Commercialisation Australia and the Innovation Investment fund, in a move slammed by venture capitalists as simply getting it "wrong".
Commission of Audit recommends ‘cloud-first’ policy
The new Coalition Government’s Commission of Audit (CoA) has strongly recommended the Federal Government adopt a "cloud-first" IT infrastructure procurement policy, in a move which would clear up Canberra's often-confused approach to the issue and see it follow other jurisdictions such as Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.
Commission of Audit recommends “transformative” chief digital officer
The new Coalition Government's Commission of Audit (CoA) has strongly recommended the Federal Government adopt a "transformative" strategy to make all its interactions with Australians online by default, with a new chief digital officer to spearhead the strategy and report to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
NBN Co to deceive users on FTTN/FTTB speeds
The National Broadband Network Company has issued a product specification document in which it openly considers the possibility of allowing customers on its planned Fibre to the Node or Basement (FTTN/B) infrastructure to order speeds between 50Mbps and 100Mbps which their connections could not actually deliver.
End of an era: CIO Harte leaves CommBank
The Commonwealth Bank's long-serving and highly decorated chief information officer Michael Harte has announced he will shortly leave the bank to take up a senior role at UK-based Barclays Bank, in a move that signals the end of an era for CommBank's IT operations.
Back in the black, baby: Three more tech firms to list on ASX
Three more small technology firms have confirmed plans to follow the high-profile initial public offering of online talent marketplace Freelancer to list on the Australian Stock Exchange, as the nation's early stage technology sector as a whole shifts into hyperdrive and seeks capital from Australian investors to expand.
Once again, Google Australia pays almost no tax
Despite annual revenues estimated at north of $1 billion and increasing profits made from advertising and services sales to Australian customers, the Australian division of global search giant Google has revealed it paid almost no local tax in the 2013 calendar year, as outrage over the situation continues to grow in the local community.
Turnbull repeats Triple J lie to Alan Jones
Malcolm Turnbull earlier this week made several statements on Alan Jones' breakfast show on 2GB radio which the Communications Minister is aware are false, repeating incorrect information he had previously broadcast on the ABC's Triple J several weeks ago and failing to correct incorrect information broadcast by Jones himself.
Quickflix offers unlimited IPTV for $9.99 a month
Australian movie and TV streaming company Quickflix yesterday announced the beginning of what it believes to be "a new-era in affordable home entertainment" with the launch of its new subscription options to its IPTV service, including streaming of TV shows and movies for only $9.99 per month.
CBA deploys iOS, Android ATM access
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has taken a significant step in the gradual shift to allowing Australians to conduct all of their banking transactions via their mobile phones, announcing this morning that it would allow customers to withdraw money from ATM machines without their cards and only using iPhone and Android apps.
From 200 to 350: Optus sacks more
The nation's number two telco Optus today confirmed the size of a redundancy round first revealed yesterday, with the company now planning to offload around 350 staff over the next few weeks instead of the expected 200 which was reported earlier.
ABC denies any NBN censorship deal with Turnbull
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has denied it censored the National Broadband Network issue from being discussed on its flagship panel discussion program Q&A this week due to any arrangement with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, stating that it merely ran out of time to air a question on the topic.
Microsoft may can giant TechEd in Australia
Software giant Microsoft is considering a radical overhaul to its giant TechEd event in Australia that would essentially spell the end of the iconic conference in its traditional mega-format, with the company instead believed to be considering a series of smaller conferences around Australia in its place.
SMS shifts Vietnam staff to third-party
Australian technology services group SMS Management & Technology has shifted the staff in its development facility in Vietnam to a third-party it has signed a comprehensive partnership with, as part of the company's efforts to expand its offshore resources and reducing its fixed costs in the region.
Optus in yet another major redundancy round
The nation's number two telco Optus has confirmed it has kicked off its third major redundancy round in just two years, with around 200 jobs reportedly at risk.
“Billions”: Hockey greenlights Centrelink core replacement
Treasurer Joe Hockey has strongly hinted that the upcoming Federal Budget will include "billions" of dollars worth of funding for a core systems replacement at the Centrelink division of the Department of Human Services (DHS), in a move that represents one of the Federal Government's most long-awaited and largest IT project approvals.
ABC actively censors NBN issue on Q&A
The ABC's flagship panel discussion program Q&A last night appeared to actively censor the National Broadband Network issue from being discussed on an episode featuring Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull; ignoring a flood of questions from viewers prior to its filming, leaving the issue out of pre-show briefing documents and shutting down discussion on air.
Whole of Govt CIO Archer joins Gartner
Technology research and advisory firm Gartner has appointed former whole of Federal Government chief information officer Glenn Archer to the role of research vice president in its public sector research group, several months after the executive resigned from his post in early February.
Govt blocks PCEHR review release
The Federal Department of Health has moved to block the public release of a report reviewing the troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project, stating that there are not sufficient public interest reasons for the report to be released, despite the fact that Health Minister Peter Dutton has stated the document contains “a comprehensive plan for the future of electronic health records in Australia”.
Just months later, M2 to sack another 150
National telecommunications company M2 this morning revealed it had plans to make another 150 positions redundant, just five months after culling 100 staff from its operations.
Closed Govt: Coalition may walk away from transparency
The Coalition Federal Government has reportedly signalled it is reconsidering the previous Labor administration's commitment to join the multilateral Open Government Partnership aimed at increasing citizen engagement and government transparency, in a move which would place Australia alongside just one other nation to withdraw: Russia.
Tassie NBN “shambolic”, “farcical”, says TacICT
Tasmania's peak industry body of the information, communications and technology sector, TasICT, has published a strongly worded submission to the Federal Government slamming both sides of politics for the "shambolic" and "farcical" progress of NBN Co's network rollout in the state, stating that the project has become a "political tool".
Greens claim NSW LMBR project turning into a disaster
The NSW Greens late last week claimed to have obtained documents showing that the NSW Department of Education and Communities' wide-ranging Learning Management and Business Reform program, which involves a number of rolling upgrades of business administration software, was deployed before it was ready, with "appalling consequences for administrative staff, principals, teachers and students".
NSW Govt trials inter-truck safety devices
The New South Wales Government has inked a contract with connected vehicle technology supplier Cohda Wireless, as part of a trial of so-called Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) which allow heavy vehicles to communicate directly with each other about their position on the road to help reduce road accidents.
Victoria finally kills $180m Ultranet disaster
The Victorian Government has reportedly terminated its disastrous Ultranet schools portal, which ballooned in cost to $180 million over the past seven years but ended up being barely used by the education stakeholders it was supposed to serve.
AT&T to deploy Gigabit fibre to 100 US cities
US telco giant AT&T overnight revealed it would deploy Fibre to the Premises infrastructure in 100 major US cities in the United States, delivering gigabit broadband speeds in a model which directly contradicts statements by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the telco is focusing on the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node model.
NBN Co demotes master FTTP architect
NBN Co has removed network planning responsibilities from Peter Ferris, the highly experienced and respected network engineer who was responsible for the design of the company's previous Fibre to the Premises network, allocating the role to an executive who is qualified for the role but has not directly worked in the telecommunications sector since 2007.
‘Super-sized’ broadband survey targets MyBroadband
A community project dubbed '#MyBroadbandvReality' which aims to deliver a real-world examination of Australian broadband speeds through crowdsourced submissions has launched a massively expanded broadband survey and is taking submissions from Australians until the end of April.
NetSuite in whole of business TurboSmart deal
Business-focused software as a service giant NetSuite has unveiled yet another win with a mid-sized Australian company, revealing a deal with automotive performance products manufacturer Turbosmart that has seen the company deploy a comprehensive suite of NetSuite products across its business.
Anti-piracy lobbyist enjoys cozy email chats with AGD Secretary
A key lobbyist for the anti-piracy group originally known as the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft enjoys a congenial email relationship with the secretary of the Attorney-General's Department and other senior officials, a Freedom of Information request has revealed, with the lobbyist regularly using the channel to pass on anti-piracy propaganda.
Turnbull lies on NBN to Triple J listeners
Malcolm Turnbull yesterday made several statements on the ABC's Triple J radio station regarding financial projections for Labor's National Broadband Network project which the Communications Minister is aware are false, with the former investment banker inaccurately conflating investment capital and government expenses for the project as well as exaggerating financial figures.
Campaign Monitor takes US$250m from US VC
Australia-based software as a service email marketing platform Campaign Monitor announced overnight that it had taken a $250 million investment from US-based venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners, in one of the largest ever VC investments in an Australian technology startup.
WA Health told: Hire a goddamn CIO already
A state parliamentary committee has told Western Australia's Department of Health to end four years of acting appointments and hire a permanent CIO, in the wake of news that the lack of such an executive role in the department contributed directly to the fiasco at the state's new Fiona Stanley Hospital, much of which has revolved around poorly delivered IT systems.
Former whole of Qld Govt CIO Grant resigns
High-flying IT executive Peter Grant has left his senior position in the Queensland State Government, a year after the state demoted him from the whole of government chief information officer role he had held for the second time.
CBN FTTN test shows speeds of 105Mbps
The National Broadband Network Company today revealed it had successfully conducted early trials of the Fibre to the Node (FTTN) rollout model mandated by the Coalition Federal Government, with the trials delivering "raw" download speeds of 105Mbps over a distance of 100m from a local test 'node'.
“Labor mindset”: Turnbull denies cost/benefit hypocrisy
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has denied there is any hypocrisy in the Coalition Government not waiting for the same kind of cost/benefit analysis to be conducted into its broadband policy that it demanded from the previous Labor administration, accusing his critics of being 'stuck in a Labor mindset'.
Hackett takes 40 percent UltraServe stake
Internode founder Simon Hackett has made another major investment in an Australian technology company, with the beneficiary this time around being cloud computing and managed hosting services group UltraServe, which has been in operation since the year 2000.
Dropbox opens Sydney office
Cloud computing storage player Dropbox has announced it is opening an office in Sydney, as competition in the local enterprise cloud storage market accelerates.
Heartbleed, internal outages: CBA’s horror 24 hours
The Commonwealth Bank's IT division has suffered something of a nightmare 24 hours, with a catastrophic internal IT outage taking down multiple systems and resulting in physical branches being offline, and the bank separately suffering public opprobrium stemming from contradictory statements it made with respect to potential vulnerabilities stemming from the Heartbleed OpenSSL bug.
NBN Co to kill TPG rollout while Minister dithers
The National Broadband Network Company has decided to take action into its own hands to deal with TPG's plans to deploy competitive broadband infrastructure in Australia's cities, revealing plans this morning to accelerate its own rollout to compete with TPG ahead of any expected decision on the issue by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
What’s actually important for the NBN: Upload speeds
Shadow Assistant Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has published an opinionated article arguing strongly that upload speeds represent one of the key aspects of Australia's current and future broadband needs and that this issue has been almost completely overlooked under the Coalition's "dog's breakfast" Multi-Technology Mix model for NBN Co's rollout.
Seven months later, Turnbull still won’t talk TPG
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who has direct responsibility for setting and administering telecommunications law and regulation in Australia, has again refused to clarify whether national broadband company TPG is breaking the law by deploying its own Fibre to the Basement infrastructure in competition with NBN Co, seven months after the move was first revealed.
Qld Govt inks $26.5m deal for Office 365
The Queensland State Government yesterday announced it had signed a $26.5 million deal with Microsoft which will gain the state access to Microsoft's Office 365 software and services platform. However, with the deal not covering operating system licences and not being mandatory for departments and agencies, it remains unclear what its impact will be.
NBN Co turfs CTO, CFO, head of commercial
Incoming National Broadband Network Company chief executive Bill Morrow has turfed at least three key executives at the company after just one week on the job, with long-time and respected NBN Co head of corporate and commercial Kevin Brown, chief financial officer Robin Payne and chief technology officer Gary McLaren (pictured in order above) to leave NBN Co pronto.
Atlassian sells US$150m stock to US funds
Software group Atlassian, which was founded in Australia but has since formally shifted its headquarters to the UK, has sold $150 million worth of stock to United States investment firms T. Rowe Price and Dragoneer Investment Group, in what the company has stated is a move designed to reward the company's employees through buying their shares.
Hypocrisy: Turnbull approves MTM NBN without cost/benefit analysis
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered the National Broadband Network Company to go ahead with the controversial 'Multi-Technology Mix' option for its broadband rollout, despite the fact that the cost/benefit analysis being conducted into the project will not be completed until the middle of 2014.
Bailey quits Macquarie for non-profit COO role
Long-time Macquarie University chief information officer Marc Bailey has left the educational institution to join non-profit group Intersect, which focuses on applying advanced ICT technologies to the practice of research.
Victoria splurges $40m on train wireless
The Victorian Government this morning announced it would spend some $40 million setting up free Wi-Fi services and fixing mobile broadband blackspots on the Seymour line servicing Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Seymour and Traralgon.
IBM inks cloud ERP deal with Coca-Cola Amatil
Global technology giant IBM this morning revealed it had signed a five-year, multi-million-dollar deal with Coca-Cola Amatil which will see the beverage company's revamped enterprise resource planning operations hosted out of an IBM datacentre located in Sydney.
NSW Govt directly regulates taxi mobile apps
The NSW Government has formally embraced and started regulating the taxi smartphone apps which have been taking Sydney and other locations by storm, setting regulations to support the apps against the wishes of incumbent players in the taxi industry and capping surcharges at five per cent to stop overcharging.
Crackdown: ATO targets eight major tech giants paying little tax
The Australian Taxation Office has revealed plans to investigate eight major multinational technology companies, some of which which are paying "very low or no" tax in Australia, as scrutiny on so-called 'profit-shifting' activities by the local operations of technology giants such as Apple and Google continues to ramp up.
Further evidence Turnbull’s MyBroadband tracker overestimates speeds
The Australian Labor Party has published what it claims is further evidence that the MyBroadband broadband availability site launched by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull in February is significantly inaccurate, with average broadband speeds in the Federal electorate of Perth universally below the data produced by the site.
ANZ Bank CIO Weatherston quits
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group announced late last week that its chief information officer Anne Weatherston would "step down", with the executive's responsibilities to be assumed by the bank's chief operating officer while a global search is undertaken for her replacement.
Six more years: Ludlam on track for Senate win
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam looks set to be re-elected to the Senate for another six years in Western Australia's Senate by-election, with projections late on Saturday night showing the technology-focused politician had easily won a full Senate quota.
CSC loses Australian chief Larkings
IT services giant CSC has issued a carefully worded statement noting that the long-time managing director of its Australian division, Gavin Larkings, has "left" the business and been replaced by a 15-year-veteran of IBM.
Optus inks $19.5m satellite deal with Defence
SingTel subsidiary Optus this morning revealed it had inked a $19.5 million contract with the Department of Defence, extending its current relationship in delivering managed professional satellite services to the Department for four years until mid-2018.
Turnbull brings back Australian Broadband Guarantee
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has reinstituted a direct consumer subsidy scheme very similar to the Australian Broadband Guarantee program initiated under the Howard administration, in a move which will directly fund some 9,000 premises to access satellite services from commercial providers that are not NBN Co.
HP opens new Sydney security ops centre
Global technology giant HP yesterday announced it had created a new dedicated Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Sydney that will support the company's managed security services platform and deal with customers located around the globe.
Unlimited 100Mbps for $89.99: TPG equals top NBN plan
TPG has launched a new plan on the National Broadband Network fibre infrastructure which appears to match the existing best option on the market from rival Exetel, with the national broadband provider also now offering an unlimited option at speeds of 100Mbps for just $89.99 per month.
Turnbull, NBN Co won’t discuss Strategic Review
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NBN Co have declined to formally respond to specific and ongoing allegations raised by the Opposition and other commentators that evidence shows NBN Co’s Strategic Review published last year is based on “flawed and unreliable” premises that undercut the Coalition's case for radically overhauling Labor's NBN project.
iiNet opposes data retention, web blocking plans
One of Australia's largest telcos, iiNet, has sent the Australian Senate committee examining reform of national telecommunications interception legislation an extremely strongly worded statement warning of the dangers of extending or even maintaining current data retention and website blocking practices.
Unis trial Box cloud computing with AARNet
Education sector telco AARNet today announced that it would provide Box’s cloud content and collaboration management platform to Australian universities and other AARNet customers, in a move which has already spurred trials at half a dozen educational institutions located around Australia.
Qld Police buys 1,250 more iPads, iPhones
The Queensland Police Service has committed to buying another 1,250 Apple iPads and iPhones to better deliver information to front-line police officers, following a successful trial of the devices from mid-2013 and the recent announcement that live CCTV footage would be piped to officers using the technology.
Plibersek data retention support “shameful”: Ludlam
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has labelled the revelation this week of relatively unqualified support for data retention and mass surveillance by Tanya Plibersek as "shameful", accusing the Deputy Labor Leader of being naive or manipulative in public statements made on the issue.
Bloodbath: Qld Govt sacks one quarter of IT staff
The Queensland Government has cut its information technology workforce by about a quarter in just a year, the state's Public Service Commission has revealed, in startling figures that come as the state is grappling with substantial problems with fundamental IT project and service delivery.
SAP offers HANA, apps from Sydney facility
Germany software giant SAP today revealed it would offer its HANA real-time business intelligence package on a cloud basis from a Sydney datacentre, in a move which calls into question a local hosting HANA relationship launched with HP in Australia just nine months ago.
SP AusNet insources IT services
Listed Victorian energy utility SP AusNet has signalled plans to insource its IT services needs, following a decision to terminate a wider management deal under which a variety of corporate services were being provided by a subsidiary of its part-owner Singapore Power.
“No public interest” in PCEHR review release
The Department of Health has stated it does not believe there is a public interest case for the Federal Government's review of the troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project to be released publicly, despite the fact that Health Minister Peter Dutton has stated the document contains "a comprehensive plan for the future of electronic health records in Australia".
Poor Victorian IT system affecting child safety
The Victorian Auditor-General has told the state's Department of Human Services to treat the need for a better client information system as a "priority", with revelations that the department's existing system was difficult to use and not being used correctly, as well as the fact that staff are still using cumbersome fax-based technology to report abuse.
Samsung Galaxy S5 hits Australia 11 April
South Korean electronics giant Samsung this week revealed its latest flagship model, the Galaxy S5, would launch in Australia from 11 April, as well as supporting mobile payments for customers of top-tier banks Westpac and CommBank.
Turnbull, NBN Co invited to respond to Strategic Review criticism
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NBN Co have been invited to formally respond to specific allegations raised by the Opposition yesterday that evidence shows NBN Co's Strategic Review published last year is based on "flawed and unreliable” premises and was in fact designed by Turnbull to constitute a “pre-ordained political outcome”.
NBN Review designed for “pre-ordained political outcome”
Senior figures in the Federal Labor Party have teamed up to deliver a broad swathe of evidence that they believe shows NBN Co's Strategic Review is based on "flawed and unreliable" premises and was in fact designed by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to constitute a "pre-ordained political outcome".
NBN Co mandates satellite “fair use” policy
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday announced the National Broadband Network Company had instituted a "fair use" policy and deployed additional capacity to allow its interim satellite service to function more effectively, amid reports users were seeing the broadband service on the platform slow to a crawl.
NT dumps failed Fujitsu/SAP project
The Northern Territory Government has decided to dump its broken Asset Management System (AMS) developed by Fujitsu and based on SAP software, after receiving independent advice that it would cost an additional $120 million and five years to fix.
HTC One (M8) lands in Australia
Taiwanese consumer electronics giant HTC this morning revealed its latest flagship Android handset, the HTC One (M8) will be available in Australia from 1 April through all three of the nation's major mobile carriers, with a bevy of enhancements to the popular model. But will the company's latest phone be able to take on the Apple and Samsung juggernauts?
IIA hands baton to Comms Alliance
Australia's Internet Industry Association is to to shut down and transfer its operations to the Communications Alliance, in the second major termination of an Australian telecommunications representative group in under three years.
“Destructive forces” unravelling NBN, says Budde
"Destructive forces" at work in a "highly polarised political environment" are starting to "unravel" Labor's National Broadband Network project, veteran analyst Paul Budde said yesterday, with the new Coalition Government having boxed itself into a corner on the issue and end users set to suffer from a nightmarish situation akin to a "Pandora's Box" of problems.
Airline CIO legend Stephen Tame quits Jetstar
The long-time chief information officer of Qantas subsidiary Jetstar, Stephen Tame, has resigned from his role, leaving a legacy of innovative IT implementations and practices behind him that will not easily be forgotten in Australia's IT industry.
Screw you, Turnbull: TPG starts FTTB deployment
National broadband company TPG today revealed it had started deploying its planned Fibre to the Basement rollout in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, in a move which directly challenges a statement by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the legality of such deployments would be examined by a panel within the next six months.
Turnbull slams Twitter’s NBN “craziness”
Malcolm Turnbull has accused users of social networking site Twitter of misrepresenting his position on the Coalition's broadband policy during a stoush with a small business operator unable to get broadband in a rural area, with the Communications Minister claiming the episode could be a case study "of the volatile and sometimes distorting character of social media".
Impolite Turnbull tweet sparks NBN backlash
A flippant response by Malcolm Turnbull to broadband problems being suffered by a high-flying small business owner and executive has backfired on the Communications Minister, with a plethora of responses being published on the social networking site slamming the new Coalition Government's controversial revision of Labor's popular National Broadband Network policy.
Vodafone turns on 4G in Tasmania
Vodafone has switched on its 4G (LTE) network in Tasmania, following successful live trials in recent weeks in West Moonah, Cambridge, New Norfolk, Warrane and Hobart Airport, and has confirmed plans to expand its coverage across the state in the coming months.
End of an era: Godfather Malone quits iiNet
The long-time chief executive of top-tier national broadband provider iiNet, Michael Malone, this morning revealed plans to completely resign from the company he founded twenty years ago in his garage, in a move that will signal the end of an era for Australia's broadband industry.
Top-shelf FRITZ!Box 7490 hits Australia
Australian distributor PCRange this week revealed it had started distributing a new top-end model in the popular FRITZ!Box range of high-end ADSL routers, with the model supporting the long-awaited 802.11ac standard.
Treasury to develop next-generation desktop
The Commonwealth Treasury has flagged plans to take a significant new step in the ongoing renewal of its internal IT infrastructure through a project that will focus on the delivery of virtual desktop PCs, virtualised applications, secure corporate data to mobile devices and the creation of a corporate "app store".
Queenslander arrested on hacking offences
A 21-year-old man from the rural Queensland town of Kingaroy has been charged with hacking and fraud offences following the alleged hacking of a US based online gaming developer’s computer network, the Queensland Police today.
NewSat offers to buy NBN Co satellites
Pure play satellite company NewSat has made an offer to the buy the National Broadband Network Company's two satellites before they are even launched, as speculation continues to swirl around the potential privatisation of chunks of NBN Co's infrastructure under the new Coalition Federal Government.
AGD ASIO’s “puppet”, claims Pirate Party
Digital rights political party the Pirate Party Australia this week claimed that a parliamentary submission made by the Attorney-General's Department (AGD) arguing for substantially increased government electronic surveillance powers indicated that the Department was little more than a "puppet" and "lobbyist for law enforcement and intelligence agencies".
Fire + Rescue NSW deploys real-time SAP
NSW emergency services agency Fire and Rescue NSW this month revealed it has implemented SAP's Business Suite and HANA products, in an effort to support a move towards real-time reporting and access to information across its entire emergency services network.
TPG, iiNet, ACCC support competitive FTTB rollouts
National broadband companies TPG and iiNet, as well as the competition regulator, have published extensive submissions to the Federal Government supporting the right for commercial telcos to deploy their own Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) infrastructure throughout Australia in competition with the Coalition's Broadband Network (CBN) project, rejecting the idea that such planned investments should be blocked or otherwise regulated to support NBN Co's finances.
NSW Govt releases new ICT investment policy
news The New South Wales State Government has released a public policy document which it intends will help NSW Government agencies make better investment...
NBN Co updates rollout maps with new premises
The National Broadband Network Company has updated its dynamic rollout map with details of thousands of new premises where construction contracts have been signed, giving Australians a great deal more certainty about whether their premise will be included in the company's next round of Fibre to the Premises broadband deployment.
Too late? WA wants central Fiona Stanley PMO
The Western Australian Government has gone to market for a provider to establish a project management office (PMO) to will coordinate development activities between its problematic Fiona Stanley Hospital build and its wider health department, just weeks after it admitted that the IT systems associated with the hospital had blown out in cost by an amount expected to be between $25 million and $50 million.
Aussie IT depts lost on how to handle BYO apps
Australian IT departments are "ill-prepared" to handle the massive influx of employee-sourced applications such as Dropbox, Skype and Evernote that are "storming" into their operations and being used by staff to improve their personal productivity, according to a new report produced by analyst firm Telsyte.
Pandora’s Box: Inquiry opens universal surveillance floodgates
A move by the Greens to set up a Senate inquiry into the potential reform of Australia's surveillance laws appears to have opened a giant Pandora's Box of debate about the issue, with Australian law enforcement agencies using the process to demand massively increased electronic surveillance rights, including data retention of users' communications.
Simon Hackett funds electric race car
Simon Hackett has teamed up with another senior former senior Internode executive and two early executives from electric car pioneer to found a new startup focused on building a new type of electric car specifically designed for high-speed performance racing.
Switkowski in 2009: Fibre to make copper “obsolescent”
NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski appears to have radically changed his views on the different merits of fibre and copper broadband technologies over the past few years, it has emerged, with a video interview having surfaced over the past few days showing the executive praising Labor's all-fibre NBN strategy and adding that it would make copper infrastructure "obsolescent".
Dental network builds Azure data extraction tool
Microsoft revealed this week that Australian dental network Dental Corporation had built a tool using its Windows Azure platform which allowed it to extract data stored in dental practices around Australia, in what the software giant is billing as a case study of its 'hybrid' cloud computing concept in action.
Qld Police get remote CCTV access on iPads
The Queensland Government has unveiled plans to deploy new technology that will allow Brisbane police officers to view live CCTV footage from cameras in public areas on their iPads or smartphones while working their beat, in a move being billed as helping to keep those of the city's residents 'who are doing the right thing' safe.
Turnbull may remove Telstra foreign owner rules
No sooner does Telstra ask, than Malcolm Turnbull delivers. The Communications Minister has told The Financial Review newspaper that the Coalition Federal Government may look into removing Telstra’s foreign ownership rules, as it has already tried to do with Australia’s national carrier, Qantas.
Reversal: Switkowski admits Tassie NBN contracts specified FTTP
NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski has been forced to retract a statement he made earlier this month regarding the company's network rollout contracts in Tasmania, admitting yesterday that the contracts did specify Labor's preferred Fibre to the Premises network model was to be used in the state.
NBN technology choice doesn’t matter, says Switkowski
NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski has declared that the specific technology chosen by the company in its network rollout "does not matter", as long as that technology can deliver the "speeds" that Australians need today and that it can be upgraded as demand required, in a controversial statement which appears to fly against conventional wisdom in the telecommunications sector.
Melbourne CBD to get free Wi-Fi
The Victorian Government and the City of Melbourne today announced plans to source a provider from the private sector to provide free Wi-Fi access in the city's central business district, despite the fact that Australia's existing mobile broadband networks are already providing reliable wireless access, and despite the fact that similar projects have failed in other states.
BlackBerry rises to knees with several local wins
Ailing smartphone and mobile device management company BlackBerry has announced several minor smartphone and software wins in the Australian market, as it continues its push to maintain relevance in the face of the continued onslaught of rival platforms such as iOS, Android and Windows Phone.
Victoria Police takes first step to address IT failures
The Victorian Government has allocated a small investment of $2.5 million to Victoria Police to start addressing the failures of IT systems which the force has said partially lay behind the death of an 11-year-old boy and his father in the state last month.
ISPs, consumers sign up for NBN Co’s FTTB pilot
The National Broadband Network Company has signed up four of Australia's major Internet service providers for its trial of Fibre to the Basement (FTTB) technology in its rollout, with ordinary consumers to be given a chance to test the technology and provide feedback on their experiences.
NSW to outsource ServiceFirst functions
The New South Wales State Government has followed through on its proposal to outsource key functions of state shared services agency ServiceFirst, inviting the private sector to provide options for the group's future in a move reminiscent of a similar approach taken by the Victorian Government to its IT shared services agency CenITex.
Pirate Party crowdfunds $10k for WA Senate
Yesterday digital rights-focused political party the Pirate Party Australia met its campaign funding target of $10,000 entirely through crowdfunding on local platform Pozible, in preparation for the WA Senate election on 5 April.
After 16 years, ANAO picks Unisys again for IT
The Australian National Audit Office this morning revealed it had renewed its extremely long-running relationship with US-headquartered IT outsourcer Unisys, in a move which will push the pair's partnership close to the 20 year mark and raise questions about the degree to which the agency is engaging in competitive tendering.
NZ Govt rejects Turnbull’s HFC cable approach
The New Zealand Government has reportedly explicitly rejected a proposal by Vodafone NZ which would have seen the country take a similar approach to the re-use of existing HFC cable assets in its own national broadband network rollout as the new Coalition Government is proposing to take in Australia.
Vendors poach another Qld central Govt CIO
Queensland-based software vendor Technology One has poached the executive in charge of the state government's IT renewal program to become a business development executive, in a move that will further stimulate ongoing questions about the close relationship between the state's public sector and its IT vendors.
Coalition front bench “technically illiterate”, says Ludlam
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has described the Coalition's new front bench as "technically illiterate", in a wide-ranging speech in the Senate last week kicking off his campaign to be re-elected in the upcoming Senate by-election in Western Australia and attacking Prime Minister Tony Abbott over various tech-related issues, from Internet piracy to the National Broadband Network.
Microsoft criticises AG Dept’s cloud rules
Global technology giant Microsoft has asked the Federal Government to review a controversial policy enacted by the Attorney-General's Department last year which which require departments and agencies to explicitly acquire the approval of the Attorney-General and the relevant portfolio minister before government data containing private information can be stored in offshore facilities.
“Witch hunt”? Turnbull opens Labor NBN policy review
Malcolm Turnbull has appointed seasoned executive and public figure Bill Scales to conduct what the Communications Minister today described as an "independent audit" of the policy development process which led to the previous Government's National Broadband Network project, in an effort which is already being described as a "witch hunt" against Labor.
Telstra publishes four page “transparency” report
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has published an extremely brief four page "Transparency Report" detailing a small amount of information about its interactions with law enforcement agencies, including the fact that it responded to over 40,000 requests for information over the six months to the end of 2013 alone.
NSW Trade + Investment wants to go full cloud
The NSW Department of Trade and Investment has signalled plans to continue shifting more of its IT assets to cloud computing platforms as part of a "journey" away from managing and owning its own infrastructure, in the wake of the successful deployment of a wide-ranging ERP platform based on a SAP software as a service solution.
First-time Labor MP backs fair use copyright reform
The Australian Labor Party's silence on the Australian Law Reform Commission's propsed reforms to the Copyright Act has been broken by Tim Watts, a first-time MP who told Parliament late last month that he supported the US-style "fair use" doctrine supported by the commission, which the Coalition has not yet indicated it will support.
Sony Vaio line exits Australia, local jobs cut
After a decade and a half of only modest success with its VAIO PC and laptop line-up, technology giant Sony has finally confirmed the plans to remove the brand from the Australian market congruent with its sale to a Japanese investment giant, in a move that comes along with local job losses.
Hyde quit NEC to run HP’s Enterprise division
Seasoned Australian technology executive Alan Hyde left his managing director role at NEC to lead the South Pacific division of HP's Enterprise Group, it has been revealed.
Madness? Govt considers ERP shared services scheme that failed states
The Federal Government has started discussing the possibility of setting up a shared services function that would provide centralised Enterprise Resource Planning services to various 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.
News Corp Australia dumps Exchange for Gmail
The new chief technology officer of publishing giant News Corp Australia has wasted no time making big changes to the organisation's IT infrastructure model, announcing a huge formal move to Google's mail and calendaring suite just months after taking on the position.
Connecting to Australia’s first digital technology curriculum
Australia finally has its first digital technology curriculum which is mandatory for all Australian children from Foundation, the name replacing kindergarten, to Year 8.
MyBroadband stoush: Turnbull attacks “foolish” IT academic
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has taken a pick axe to an article published by electrical and computer engineering academic Mark Gregory, claiming that the RMIT senior lecturer's criticism of the Government's new MyBroadband broadband tracker site constitutes a "confused and illogical" attack, and that Gregory had misunderstood the site's rating scale.
Optus pumps 2.3Gbps total through 4G towers
Optus last week announced it had achieved what it described as "a massive world first", generating a total of 2.3 gigabits per second (Gbps) site throughput on one of its custom-built mobile phone towers.
Loft Group deploys on IBM SoftLayer cloud
IBM's June 2013 acquisition of cloud computing company SoftLayer has started to pay off for Big Blue in Australia, with the company announcing last week that local creative digital agency The Loft Group had deployed its e-learning business platform on its Infrastructure as a Service infrastructure.
Up to $50m more for Fiona Stanley hospital IT
The Western Australian State Government has been forced to admit that the IT systems associated with the new Fiona Stanley Hospital being built in the state had blown out in cost by an amount expected to be between $25 million and $50 million, as delays continue to affect the opening of the new flagship facility.
Future of PCEHR review still unclear: Will it be released?
The Department of Health has confirmed that it now has a copy of the review of the Federal Government's troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project, although it still cannot confirm whether the document, which will be key to the development of e-health systems in Australia, will be released publicly.
Turnbull forces all Dept staff to re-apply for jobs
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ordered all 550 staff at his Department of Communications to re-apply for their jobs, according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), as part of a sizable cull that could see up to 125 jobs cut from the department.
Real speeds 25 percent slower than Turnbull MyBroadband tracker
The final analysis of a crowdsourced comparison of real-world broadband speeds has shown that the MyBroadband broadband availability site launched by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last month is significantly inaccurate, with most Australians receiving speeds more than 25 percent slower than those listed.
Now Telstra threatens to do its own FTTB
The nation's largest telco Telstra has become the latest private sector player to threaten to deploy its own Fibre to the Basement solution in apartment blocks around Australia, in a move designed to both head off rivals and capitalise on delays suffered in Labor's National Broadband Network project.
UNSW, GoGet working on self-driving car
Researchers at the University of New South Wales have taken the first step towards creating a self-driving car by fitting sensors and other technology to a vehicle owned by car sharing service GoGet.
NBN bitchslap: IT hero schools ignorant radio host
A senior IT professional specialising in regional telecommunications in Victoria yesterday afternoon delivered an extraordinarily erudite and pointed education to a 3AW radio host who had gone on an extended and inaccurate rant live on air, rebutting claims that the National Broadband Network project would cost $233 billion but deliver speeds no different to ADSL broadband.
Bloodbath: Qantas to cut $200m in IT costs, jobs
Embattled airline Qantas has flagged plans to cut $200 million out of its technology budget over the next three years and undertake reviews of its major technology supplier contracts, as part of a company-wide cost-cutting initiative that will see a total 5,000 staff leave the company and some $2 billion in total costs cut.
Optus, AAPT lose CEOs; Huawei Australia gains one
In a flurry of leadership announcements this week, telcos Optus and AAPT have revealed that they have lost their local chief executives, while the Australian division of Chinese manufacturer Huawei has gained a new one.
Monopoly? Melbourne IT buys rival Netregistry
Hosting and domain name specialist Melbourne IT announced today that it had entered into an agreement to acquire its biggest rival, Netregistry for $50.4 million, in a move that will ensure the fortunes of the company's founder Larry Bloch but also potentially create a giant with close to monopoly powers over the Australian domain name space.
Turnbull’s MyBroadband tracker overestimates broadband speeds
A crowdsourced comparison of real-world broadband speeds has appeared to show that the MyBroadband broadband availability site launched by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull last week is significantly inaccurate, with speeds being almost universally below the data produced by the site.
Vic Govt opens IT offshoring door
The Victorian Department of Human Services has reportedly investigated handing the re-development of its troubled client and case management system to an offshore provider in the popular IT outsourcing country of India, in one of the first signals that the state recognises the unsustainable nature of its current onshored resources.
Foxtel launches movies on demand, cheaper Game of Thrones
National pay TV operator Foxtel has revealed it will launch its upcoming Presto movies on demand service on 13 March, as well as temporarily cutting prices on the fees which subscribers using its IPTV service Play will be able to watch the latest season of the popular HBO TV series Game of Thrones.
All Australian telcos to offer Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 handset revealed overnight at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona is set to be offered by all three of Australia's major mobile telcos, although the Korean manufacturer has not yet confirmed any pricing or availability details for the device's Australian launch.
Abbott’s Tassie CBN fumble “embarassing”, says Labor
Labor's communications spokespeople have labelled Prime Minister Tony Abbott's failure to directly answer repeated questions about the rollout of the Coalition's Broadband Network in Tasmania an "embarassing spectacle", as the issue continues to be a major issue for the upcoming state election in March.
IBM works on predictive analytics for Thiess
Technology giant IBM last week revealed it had embarked on a new contract with construction and mining giant Thiess which is seeing Big Blue use so-called 'Big Data' techniques to improve the availability and operational productivity of Thiess' mining equipment, initially focusing on the company's mining haul trucks and excavators.
Brandis threatens ISPs with “mandatory” piracy scheme
Attorney-General George Brandis has threatened to introduce legislation to deal with the issue of Internet piracy in Australia unless the ISP and content industries can agree on a voluntary industry code to deal with the issue.
Accenture parlays CBA skills into Child Support win
The Federal Department of Human Services today announced a deal with IT services giant Accenture that will see the company help replace the ageing Child Support payments system, using the SAP technology which Accenture developed extensive skills with during the Commonwealth Bank's core banking placement project.
NBN: An electoral house divided
The Tasmanian State Election has shown Australia's politicians just how critical broadband can be as a hot button political issue. But the complete failure of the issue to register in the simultaneous poll being held in South Australia provides a balancing view for the informed observer, showing that broadband will not always be front of mind in every decision the Australian electorate makes; at least not yet.
Abbott dodges repeated Tassie FTTP questions
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has repeatedly declined to directly address questions about whether the Coalition deceived Tasmanian voters with respect to its support for an all-fibre broadband rollout in the state, in a tense press conference over the weekend in which journalists couldn't stop asking about the topic.
Pressured Turnbull agrees to aerial FTTP trials in Tasmania
Under siege from all sides of politics over the Federal Coalition's reluctance to pursue a full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband rollout in Tasmania, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has spoken to NBN Co about the possibility of conducting FTTP trials in the state that would test Labor's plan to deploy fibre on aerial electricity poles.
NBN commences real-world FTTN, FTTB trials
The National Broadband Network Company today confirmed it would shortly kick off real-world trials in several locations in major Australian cities of the Fibre to the Node and Fibre to the Basement technologies which the Coalition plans to use as key parts of its own Broadband Network project, which is seeing Labor's all-fibre NBN vision heavily modified.
Revamped Telstra plans bundle yearly handset upgrade
The nation's largest telco Telstra has launched two new ranges of mobile phone plans, in addition to offering customers the option to pay $10 a month extra for the ability to trade in their smartphone once a year for a new model.
NSW Police tackles ballooning data with dropbox
The New South Wales Police Force has revealed plans to deploy a low level document management system somewhat akin to the easy access storage solutions offered by vendors like Dropbox and Box, as its existing systems continually struggle to deal with massively growing data volumes of files being used by its staff.
Qld goes cloud for emergency services payroll
The Queensland Government has committed to replacing the ageing payroll systems used to support its emergency services (police, fire and ambulance) workers with a cloud computing platform, in the second major planned deployment of a cloud payroll application in the state following its billion-dollar on-premises payroll disaster at Queensland Health.
Turnbull insists Coalition’s NBN still “national”
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit out at critics of the Coalition's broadband policy, describing them as "ignorant" and insisting that the project still constitutes a "National" Broadband Network, despite the fact that the new Government is taking a multi-technology approach to the broadband rollout described by one senior analyst as a "dog's breakfast".
“Extreme”: Privacy Foundation slams SA fingerprint plan
news The Australian Privacy Foundation has written to the South Australian Premier and Leader of the Opposition expressing strong concern about what it said...
Sensis to cut 800 staff
Telstra's advertising and directories business Sensis has revealed plans to cut about 800 jobs Australia-wide, in a move that one of the telco's main unions has immediately stated will "irreparably harm local economies and erode the nation’s skills base".
Google Fiber takes 1Gbps to 34 new US cities
US technology giant Google has announced that it will work with a further 34 cities in the US on deploying its high-speed Fibre to the Premises broadband infrastructure, in a move that further solidifies the long-term case for the FTTP deployment model globally.
Giddings offers NBN Co free access to power poles
Tasmanian Labor Premier Lara Giddings has offered the National Broadband Network Company free access to the overhead power poles of state-owned energy utility Aurora to incentivise a full rollout of Fibre to the Premises broadband in the state, as part of a package of technology policy promises associated with the State Election.
TechOne’s software goes into 486 Catholic schools
Queensland-headquartered software company TechnologyOne has inked a landmark $15 million deal with the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) which will see it deliver enterprise software to 486 schools across the state.
80 percent of Australians oppose warrantless e-surveillance
A new poll conducted by Essential Media has shown that 80 percent of Australians disapprove of the Government being able to access Australians' phone and Internet records without a warrant, in research which is already being hailed as "vindication" for campaigns against government intrusion into private residents' telecommunications.
Labor demands tax action on transfer pricing
The Federal Labor Party has demanded the Government bring Australia's international taxation regulations into line to deal with multinationals such as Apple and Google, which are siphoning billions of dollars of revenue out of Australia while paying only small amounts of local tax.
56 IT jobs to stay in Hobart DHS
Federal Human Services Minister Marise Payne has backed away from the Government's plans to shift some 56 IT jobs to the mainland and away from the Hobart office of the Department of Human Services, as the Liberal Party faces an increasingly difficult state election in the Apple Isle.
Ludlam’s future in doubt as WA Senate re-election likely
The parliamentary future of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is once again in doubt, following a decision by the High Court today that will likely mean a fresh election should be held for the Western Australian Senate, following mistakes made during last year's Federal Election.
Liberals admit: Turnbull CBN plan could lose Tasmanian election
Tasmanian Liberal Leader Will Hodgman has made the extraordinary admission that the Federal Coalition's unpopular broadband policy could cost the party the upcoming Tasmanian State Election, in the latest in a series of ongoing signs that the policy is not going down well in the island state.
Ansell turns to SAP as Oracle ERP project lags
Australian condom and medical protection giant Ansell this week revealed it had chosen to extend an existing SAP-based business systems platform from its acquisition of French protective equipment company Comasec to other areas of its business, instead of further extending its new Oracle ERP rollout, which has suffered significant problems.
Google Fiber will go to 10Gbps
Search giant Google has revealed it is planning to upgrade its residential-grade Google Fiber broadband network in the United States to 10Gbps; news that comes as Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has stated that it is "difficult, if not impossible" to find uses for a broadband service with speeds up to 1Gbps -- ten times less.
Cashed-up Telstra abandoning Aussie workforce, says union
One of Telstra's main unions has heavily criticised the company for a reported plan to send as many as 1,000 jobs offshore in yet another round of offshoring at the telco, stating that Telstra isn't treating its Australian workforce fairly in the context of its ongoing profit growth.
Tassie FTTN decision Visionstream’s fault, says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has explicitly blamed construction contractor Visionstream for the Federal Government's decision not to fully deploy the Fibre to the Premises model for the Coalition's Broadband Network in Tasmania, claiming the company was not able to deliver the infrastructure at the cost it agreed to.
Aussie firms deploy corporate social network tibbr
Software giant Tibco has revealed that two sizable Australian companies, accounting group HLB Mann Judd and real estate agency Compton Green, have deployed its internal corporate social networking platform tibbr to streamline their internal communications.
Brandis cautiously backs ISPs’ piracy warning scheme
Attorney-General George Brandis today appeared to back a scheme proposed by a coalition of most of Australia's major ISPs which would see the issue of online copyright infringement handled through Australians being issued with warning notices after content holders provided evidence that they had breached their copyright online — and the door opened for ISPs to hand over user details to the content industry if the behaviour continued.
Digital rights bodies back ALRC’s Fair Use call
A cluster of Australia's most high-profile digital rights organisations, including Electronic Frontiers Australia, CHOICE and the Pirate Party have backed the Australian Law Reform Commission's strong call for so-called "Fair Use" provisions to be introduced into the Copyright Act.
Victoria Police links IT failure to tragic death
The sustained inability of Victoria Police to deliver major IT projects appears to have come home to roost at the organisation, with the force this morning laying part of the blame for an 11-year-old boy's death this week at the doorstep of its ailing IT systems, which failed to provide officers with sufficient information to apprehend an offender in a timely manner.
ALRC Copyright Review backs Fair Use provision
The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) has strongly recommended a new "fair use" provision for re-use of copyrighted works be introduced into the Copyright Act, as one of the key recommendations contained in an extremely wide-ranging review of the nation's copyright laws which was tabled this week in Federal parliament.
Tasmanian Liberal Leader demands FTTP NBN
Tasmanian Liberal Leader Will Hodgman has reportedly spoken directly to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull arguing "strongly" that Tasmania needs a full rollout of Fibre to the Premises broadband technology, as opposed to the partial FTTP and partial Fibre to the Node rollout outlined by NBN Co executive chairman Ziggy Switkowski this week.
Clare tables NBN petition in Parliament
Shadow Minister for Communications Jason Clare yesterday presented to Federal Parliament the signatures of 272,000 Australians who want the new Coalition Government to build Labor’s all-fibre version of the National Broadband Network instead of the technically inferior version which is currently being proposed.
SA Police deploy Android fingerprint scanners
South Australia's police force has committed to deploying a fleet of fingerprint scanners coupled with Android-based smartphones that will allow officers in the field to conduct identity checks in the field instead of taking suspects back to police stations.
Deloitte proposes concrete startup employee share changes
Corporate and technology consulting firm Deloitte has proposed a set of concrete definitions and rules that would substantially change the way the Australian Taxation Office deals with the contentious issue of employee share schemes for Australian startup companies.
Telstra kills mobile market; Optus, Vodafone wilt
The nation's largest telco Telstra has continued its incredibly strong drive to take back a huge slice of Australia's mobile market, adding 739,000 customers in a period in which both Optus and Vodafone appeared to go slightly backwards.
The NBN’s new kingpin plan: Exetel offers unlimited 100Mbps for $89.99
National broadband provider Exetel has unveiled a raft of new ADSL and Fibre-based broadband packages that appear to be extremely competitive compared with rival options on the market, including a headline option which offers early customers on the National Broadband Network unlimited downloads and 100Mbps speeds for $89.99 a month.
Defence inks research deal with IBM
Assistant Minister for Defence Stuart Robert yesterday announced a new alliance between the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and IBM to conduct research in a range of what the pair described as "high-end defence technologies".
$170m: Defence extends Fujitsu contract again
The Department of Defence has again renewed an extremely long-running IT services contract with Japanese technology giant Fujitsu which has been in place since 2005, when it was originally won by KAZ, as the pace of change within the department appears to be slowing down.
Switkowski confirms FTTN for Tasmania
NBN Co executive chairman has confirmed the Coalition's Broadband Network model will see a Fibre to the Node deployment through at least part of Tasmania, in a move that the Opposition has branded as yet another example of "Liberal lies".
“Infantile display”: Ludlam on Brandis’ surveillance arrogance
Greens Senator and Communications Spokesman Scott Ludlam has has accused Attorney-General George Brandis of delivering an "embarassing and borderline hysterical" and "infantile" display in Federal Parliament, due to the Liberal Senator's continued refusal to answer basic questions about the surveillance powers used by Australian intelligence agencies.
Vodafone launches 4G network in ACT
Vodafone yesterday officially launched its high-speed 4G network in the ACT, as the first stage of what it described as its "comprehensive LTE rollout in Canberra".
Another NBN Co head of construction resigns
The National Broadband Network Company has confirmed that it has lost its third head of construction in three years, with the company's executive general manager of construction Richard Thorpe having resigned and set to leave the company shortly.
Pirate Party comes fourth in Griffith
The Australian division of digital rights group the Pirate Party has taken fourth place in the Griffith by-election held in Brisbane over the weekend, in a result that placed the party ahead of other minor parties such as the Katter Australian Party and Family First.
A little late, Apple brings iTunes Radio to Australia
Iconic technology giant Apple this morning announced its music streaming service iTunes Radio is available in Australia, some eight months after it announced the service and five months after it launched in the US.
Farce: Minister has PCEHR report … but Dept can’t find a copy
The Department of Health has rejected a Freedom of Information request for a report reviewing the Federal Government’s troubled Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records project, claiming that it does not have a copy of the document, despite the fact that Health Minister Peter Dutton announced in December that he had received it.
HP, SA Govt, UniSA to create 430 Adelaide IT jobs
Global technology giant Hewlett Packard yesterday announced it would significantly expand its presence in Adelaide, creating about 430 high-end technology jobs over the next four years with the assistance of the University of South Australia and the South Australian State Government.
NEC Australia suffering “profitability challenges”
The new managing director of diversified technology solutions group NEC has warned its Australian employees the group is facing "immediate profitability challenges" despite having a "very healthy" pipeline of contracts.
NBN enjoys massive public support despite “overwhelmingly negative” print coverage
A new comprehensive study of public attitudes towards Labor's National Broadband Network project has found the initiative still enjoys very high levels of widespread public support from ordinary Australians, despite what the study described as an "overwhelmingly negative" approach to the project by print media such as newspapers.
Turnbull Blue Book access application fails
An attempt by technology media outlet Delimiter to retrieve the 'Blue Book' incoming ministerial briefing of Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull under Freedom of Information laws has failed, with the Federal Government as a whole appearing to standardise around interpreting its rights as blocking such documents wholesale.
DHS CIO Coles takes central Vic Govt role
Well-regarded IT executive Grahame Coles has resigned from his role as chief information officer at Victoria's massive Department of Human Services to take up a key position in the state's newly created central Office of the Chief Technology Advocate, with the department to conduct a national search for his replacement.
“The NBN is dead,” says Jason Clare
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare yesterday said he believed Labor's National Broadband Network project was "dead" and that all that was left was "a bunch of different technologies rolling out in different parts of the country", despite the fact that most Australians still want the project to go ahead.
Westpac CIO Whincup to lead Woolworths’ IT
Westpac chief information officer Clive Whincup is set to leave his position just weeks after it was revealed the bank had dramatically shaken up its senior IT executive team, with retail giant Woolworths having reportedly confirmed the executive as its new CIO to replace outgoing IT chief Daniel Beecham.
‘I have never misstated facts,’ says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has told radio listeners in Brisbane that he has never personally been guilty of deliberately misstating facts, despite the fact that a number of the Liberal MP's statements over the past several years with respect to national broadband policy have been highly contested by commentators.
HP Chromebook 11″ lands in Australia
Technology giant Google this morning announced it had started selling HP's Chrome OS-based Chromebook 11 laptop in Australia through its Play Store as well as select JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stores, with the low-priced laptop going for a recommended retail price of $399.
Turnbull sends TPG share price into tailspin
A statement made yesterday by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull which appeared to have undercut the stability of Australia's telecommunications regulatory environment has had a dramatic impact on the share price of national broadband provider TPG, with the company's stock taking a steep dive yesterday.
Uni of Sydney deploys ThinkPad Tablet 2 studios
The University of Sydney has successfully completed a trial of Windows 8-based Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 devices in dedicated student spaces on several of its campuses and is seeking to deploy the devices more widely to assist in generating better learning outcomes.
Turnbull destabilises broadband regulatory environment
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made a public statement which appears to have significantly undercut the stability of Australia's telecommunications regulatory environment, winding back the potential for telcos such as TPG and Optus to invest in their own broadband infrastructure ahead of the rollout of the Coalition's Broadband Network.
EZTV stands “ready” to help Australians with Game of Thrones torrents
BitTorrent-based TV content distribution group EZTV stated overnight that it stood "ready" to help out cash-strapped Australians with unauthorised downloading of episodes of the popular TV series Game of Thrones, in the wake of the news that the next season of the show will be available in Australia only through subscriptions to pay TV provider Foxtel.
NBN Co director Milne has Netcomm conflict of interest
New NBN Co board director Justin Milne has a second significant conflict of interest which he does not appear to have resolved, it has emerged, as questions continue to swirl around the appointment process for NBN Co's new board and executive team under the Coalition.
Optus to operate CBN satellites
NBN Co announced over the weekend that it had signed a deal with Optus which will see the SingTel subsidiary provide tracking, telemetry and control services regarding NBN Co's two satellites planned to be launched in 2015.
Screw you, Australia: Game of Thrones goes Foxtel-only
Want to watch HBO's Game of Thrones show in Australia without signing up to a pricey Foxtel subscription? Bad luck: As of this week you're out of legal options. Foxtel has reportedly signed a deal with HBO which will block the show from airing through any other medium -- at all -- apart from DVD release, in a move which appears set to drive more Australians to downloading the show via file-sharing protocols such as BitTorrent.
Archer quits as whole of government CIO
Seasoned public servant Glenn Archer has resigned from his role as whole of government chief information officer and from the Federal Government, just a year after taking it up as part of the split of the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO).
“Enormous damage”: Turnbull changes tune on Snowden
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have completely changed his view on the revelations by Edward Snowden about US spying activities, telling the ABC yesterday that the NSA whistleblower had caused "enormous damage", despite having only six months ago described some of Snowden's revelations as having "very significant" implications.
BT hikes FTTP on demand prices
UK wholesale telco BT Openreach has substantially increased the prices it is charging customers for extending fibre broadband from local neighbourhood 'nodes' all the way to premises, in a move which calls into question the Coalition Federal Government's plan to use the service in its Coalition Broadband Network plan.
Apple Australia’s revenues flat in 2013
The revenues of Apple's Australian division have finally stopped their massive annual growth initiated in 2009, as the company's lack of new product lines over the past year have stalled its onwards financial march.
Lessons for Australia? UK outlaws IT contracts larger than £100m
The UK Government has taken a startling new stance on major IT contracts, outlawing new deals larger than £100 million (AU$190m) and declaring that it's time the country moved past traditional arrangements with "legacy technology giants", in a move which appears to mirror similar State Government initiatives in Australia.
Greens want to “maximise” FTTP, says Ludlam
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has accused the Coalition Government of 'pulling the plug' on Labor's National Broadband Network project and leaving Australians "stranded" on legacy copper infrastructure. In comparison, Ludlam said, the Greens were focused on "maximising the amount of optic fiber laid directly to premises".
Smart Grid program largely successful
The Federal Government's Auditor-General has published an extensive report on a trial of smart grid and other innovative technologies which was funded in the 2009 Federal Budget at a cost of $100 million, finding that quite a few components of the overall trial were delivered successfully, although some aspects did not quite deliver up to spec.
Optus kicks off 2600MHz 4G trials
The nation's number two telco Optus this morning revealed it had kicked off trials of 4G mobile services using the 2600MHz frequency, as the nation's three major telcos continue to battle for mindshare in the next generation of mobile broadband services.
“Policy vacuum”: iiNet slams politicians’ NBN ‘fail’
Australia's third-largest broadband player iiNet has opened a broadside on the nation's political class over the "policy vacuum" the ISP says exists in telecommunications policy, agreeing with veteran analyst Paul Budde that further discussion is needed around the actual uses of upgraded broadband infrastructure and less discussion of entry level broadband speeds.
NSW Health seeks CIOs in restructure
NSW Health has advertised two high-profile chief information officer roles, as the State Government's plan to ramp up improvements in healthcare through the use of technology impacts the organisation and it's eHealth NSW sub-division.
Think big, Hackett tells Australians on eve of Internode departure
Internode founder Simon Hackett has exhorted Australians to think about their legacy and how they can "leave a good result behind", in a heartfelt speech given on the eve of his departure from the Internet service provider he founded and arrival as a board director at the National Broadband Network Company.
No back door, Microsoft tells Parliament
Global technology giant Microsoft has definitively told Australia's Federal Parliament that it does not have a back door in its software that would allow the company to provide access to the IT infrastructure of the Parliament, which would include private files and emails held by Members of Parliament, Senators and their staff.
58% of Australians oppose privatising NBN
A new survey taken by respected analysis house Essential has shown that a total of 58 percent of Australians oppose privatising the National Broadband Network Company, around the same level as those opposing government-owned media groups the ABC and SBS.
Telstra tests 700MHz 4g on “advanced HTC smartphone”
The nation's biggest telco Telstra late last week revealed it had started testing the use of the 700MHz spectrum in its 4G mobile network, using equipment from Ericsson and "an advanced smartphone from HTC that will launch later this year".
Vodafone wallops Telstra, Optus in 4G speeds
A new series of independent tests has shown the 4G network of ailing mobile telco Vodafone can easily beat the rival networks of Telstra and Optus, at least in capital cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, with the telco claiming the results show it is the best option for streaming content and general Internet surfing.
Hyde quits NEC
NEC Australia managing director Alan Hyde has unexpectedly resigned from his role leading the local operations of the Japanese company, with the chief planning officer of NEC Australia, Tetsuro Akagi, to take his place.
Vodafone replaces Morrow with Romanian exec
Ailing national mobile telco Vodafone today revealed it would bring in Inaki Berroeta, chief executive of Vodafone Romania to replace its outgoing local leader Bill Morrow, who is set to take the reins of the National Broadband Network Company from March.
Coalition “conned” Tasmania on the CBN, says Premier
Labor Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has accused the Coalition Federal Government of having "conned the Tasmanian public" with respect to its plans for the Coalition's Broadband Network project in the state, having failed to commit to a full Fibre to the Premises rollout despite the State Government's willingness to work with Canberra on the issue.
“A disgrace”: Palmer slams Tassie IT jobs cull
Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer has strongly criticised a decision to shift the roles of some 56 Tasmanian IT workers employed by the Department of Human Services onto the mainland, describing the decision by the Federal Government as "a disgrace and a betrayal" by the Coalition.
Unlimited 76Mbps for $38: BT’s awesome FTTN prices
British telco BT has temporarily drastically cut the price of accessing its Fibre to the Node-style network, delivering speeds and data quotes unheard of in Australia, in another demonstration of the national consequences of the failure of the Australian Government's telecommunications policies over the past decade.
BT, Alcatel-Lucent show 1.4Tbps fibre speeds
British telco BT and French networking equipment supplier Alcatel-Lucent have teamed up for a trial which has demonstrated speeds of up to 1.4Tbps over BT's core fibre network, in what is believed to be the fastest data speeds ever achieved using commercial-grade hardware in a real-world telco environment.
Snowden ‘shamefully betrayed’ USA: Bishop
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has heavily criticised NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden during a visit to the United States.
Optus inks $30m IT services, telco deal with UGL
The business division of Singtel subsidiary Optus today announced that it had signed a five year, $30 million contract for managed ICT and mobility services with Australian engineering and property services group UGL that will affect more than 8,000 UGL staff around Australia and throughout Asia.
Govt social media policy “counterproductive”, say Web 2.0 giants
The Australian divisions of the world's largest social networking companies have criticised the new Coalition administration's approach to dealing with the issue of children's safety on the Internet as "counterproductive", in a move which signals the start of opposition to ongoing attempts by successive Australian Governments to regulate the Internet.
Australian standard published for IT governance
Australia's peak standards-setting body in late December claimed to have published what it described as "a significant new standard" that would support in successfully governing major information technology projects.
Govt opens debate on children’s online safety
The Federal Government has issued a detailed discussion paper canvassing various options through which it can deal with the issue of children's safety on the Internet, including the potential establishment of a children's e-safety commissioner, developing an effective complaints system to deal with offensive material on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, and even the potential establishment of a new cyber-bullying offence.
Crowdsourced NBN think tank launches Senate submission
A loose-knit collective of Australian technologists has formed what it has dubbed an online crowdsourced think tank focused around the National Broadband Network project and has started putting together a submission to the NBN Senate Select Committee which will argue for a network built on the best available 'fit for purpose' technology - not on political ideology.
Victoria follows NSW, Qld into ‘cloud-first’
The Victorian State Government has flagged plans to follow other states such as New South Wales and Queensland and shift to a 'cloud-first' procurement model for IT infrastructure, in a move flagged in the first major update to its detailed whole of government ICT strategy first published in February 2013.
Nokia’s 6″ Lumia 1320 hits Australia
Finnish smartphone vendor Nokia this week revealed it would in February launch its new Lumia 1320 handset in Australia, which it is billing as introducing many of the high-end features and bold colours Lumia has become known for in an affordable six inch large-screen smartphone.
Union protests against Tassie losing 56 IT jobs
The Community and Public Sector Union has gone on the attack over a proposal to shift the roles of some 56 Tasmanian IT workers employed by the Department of Human Services onto the mainland, presenting Employment Minister and Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz with a 1,000-strong petition against the move.
Foxtel’s IPTV launch delayed already
In late September last year, national pay TV giant Foxtel announced a new online service dubbed ‘Presto’, which was to see consumers charged $24.99 per month to access “a regularly updating collection of great films”, all streamed through the Internet, as opposed to its existing pay TV platform. However, according to the Financial Review, the launch of the service has already been delayed.
Vodafone launches 4G dongle, Wi-Fi unit
National mobile operator Vodafone has launched two new mobile broadband devices -- a USB dongle and a Wi-Fi unit -- that will allow customers to access its new 4G mobile network at theoretical speeds up to 150Mbps, due to their support of the so-called 'Category 4' standard for mobile broadband.
Most ISPs sign NBN Co wholesale contract
The National Broadband Network Company this morning revealed some 27 wholesale customers -- generally retail Internet service providers, including major market players Telstra and Optus -- had signed its permanent Wholesale Broadband Agreement that will shape the way they work with the company. However, at least one major ISP -- iiNet, has reportedly refused to sign.
Pirate Party to contest Rudd’s seat
The Pirate Party Australia has signalled it will contest the Griffith by-election for the seat of formr Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in another sign that the party which has achieved electoral success in Europe on digital rights and civil liberties issues is increasingly serious about gaining a higher slice of the popular vote in Australia.
ING Direct appoints new head of IT
Financial services group ING Direct this week revealed it had appointed a new local head of its information technology division, importing the chief information officer of the company's Italian division for the role.
US VC firm pumps $30m into Aussie software vendor
US-based venture capital firm Technology Crossover Ventures has invested $30 million into Australia-based company SiteMinder, which develops software that allows hotels to better monetise their inventory themselves and via more easily connecting to online platforms.
Turnbull Facebook Q+A backfires with NBN rage
An attempt by Malcolm Turnbull to leverage a visit to Facebook's headquarters in the US to communicate with Australians about the future of the digital economy via social media has backfired, with the Communications Minister's official Facebook filling up with hundreds of comments slamming the Coalition's inferior broadband policy.
Telstra and NBN Co haven’t started talks yet
Telstra yesterday confirmed it had not yet kicked off renewed negotiations with NBN Co over access to its HFC cable and copper networks, as concerns continue to grow that the Coalition's Broadband Network Project, which has several components highly dependent on the talks succeeding, is likely to be significantly delayed.
SA politicians debate upgrade of 24-year-old IT platform
South Australia's two major sides of politics have engaged in a war of words over the past week over various pledges to upgrading a 24-year-old IT platform underpinning the state's courts system, which its chief justice says is close to collapse and which needs tens of millions of dollars to replace.
New FRITZ!Box 7272 hits Australia
Australian distributor PCRange this week revealed it had started distributing a new model in the popular FRITZ!Box range of high-end ADSL routers, with the 7272 model to launch locally this year, replacing the entry level 7270 model and adding two gigabit Ethernet ports into the mix.
Copyright Review will be published by March
The Attorney-General's Department has stated that it believes the Government has an obligation to publish by the end of February the full report which the Australian Law Reform Commission has painstakingly generated over the past several years into whether the Copyright Act is adequate to handle the new digital environment.