As NBN visits, Verizon insists FTTP is “superior” to HFC
One of the US telcos visited by the NBN management this month, Verizon, has deployed a new advertising campaign with the aim of 'making it clear' to Americans that "there is a difference" between the dominant HFC cable broadband service and Verizon's own "superior" FTTP-based 'Fios' offering.
Turnbull opens “cutting-edge” UNSW quantum computing lab
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has officially opened a new "cutting-edge" quantum computing lab at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), airing the hope that it could ultimately lead to a commercial, "super-powerful" quantum computer.
Qld eHealth agency reportedly stands down CIO after just one month
In mid-December 2015, the Department promoted the fact that it had appointed a new chief executive and chief information officer of eHealth Queensland -- the agency within the Department which is responsible for resolving the state's ongoing eHealth mess. Less than one month later, the executive has reportedly been stood down as part of an internal investigation.
Brandis “alarmed” over Labor’s data retention review
Attorney-General, Senator George Brandis has raised the “alarm” over the Opposition’s decision to undertake a review of its support for the Government’s controversial Data Retention legislation, saying Labor must ‘stick to its word’ and continue to show support for the policy.
ACCC moves to regulate ‘superfast’ broadband networks
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released a draft decision proposing regulation via a Superfast Broadband Access Service (SBAS) in order to prevent local monopolies by service providers.
Qld Govt invests in open data, startups, STEM
The Queensland Government made a number of announcements yesterday revealing how the state is investing in a number of areas, including open data, innovative startups and STEM training for teachers.
Yes, Labor still wants to upgrade HFC to FTTP
Labor still has an interest in upgrading the NBN company's HFC cable networks to full Fibre to the Premises technology, Delimiter can confirm, with this issue to be considered as part of the Infrastructure Review outlined as part of Labor's new NBN policy today.
Senate Committee calls NBN Co for full day of hearings
The Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network has resolved to hold another full day of hearings in Canberra, with the date to be 15 March and the only witness to be called being the NBN company.
Budget 2016: Australian Computer Society welcomes digital Budget
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has welcomed Tuesday's Federal Budget announcement, saying it delivers "good news for jobs and skills in the digital sector".
They served the public interest
I have one message to the NBN whistleblowers: You're not alone. We're with you. I, many Delimiter readers, many of your fellow NBN employees (past and present) and many Australians in general, are with you. Because you have honour. You have integrity. In a time of great darkness, you stood up for what was right and good. So remember this, and stay strong. Hold your head up high.
nbn meets Turnbull’s June 30 rollout targets
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull today confirmed nbn would meet its rollout targets for the start of the 2015/2016 financial year, although the success appeared to be based almost entirely upon the continual deployment of Labor’s previous Fibre to the Premises model, and not the Coalition’s technically inferior multi-technology alternative.
AFP roadshow garnered #NatSecInquiry support
The Australian Federal Police has acknowledged that it sent one of its most senior officers to visit other law enforcement jurisdictions around Australia and encourage them to make submissions supporting the controversial data retention and surveillance proposal currently being discussed in Federal Parliament.
Turnbull allows Aussie TV stations to broadcast in HD
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has introduced a bill which would allow Australia’s free to air television stations to broadcast their primary channel in high definition, in a long-awaited move which will finally unlock the full potential of Australia’s huge fleet of HD-capable television screens.
Sensis to chop 50 percent of staff?
Telstra's online and directories business Sensis hasn't been a great place to work for a while now. Executive departures and job cuts have proven to be pretty much the norm at the once-great home of the White and Yellow Pages empire over the past several years. But according to The Australian, we may not have known quite how bad things were.
Australia Post plans blockchain-based e-voting system
Australia Post has aired plans to take voting into the digital era in a submission to the Victorian Parliament’s Electoral Matters Committee that would see it build a blockchain-based e-voting system for the state.
Europe says no to data retention, so why is it an option in Australia?
Last week the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) ruled that data retention regulations, as they currently stand, are not in accordance with EU law and the European Parliament voted in favour of introducing net neutrality into EU telecoms regulation the week before. As Australia is currently in the midst of a data retention inquiry – the second in three years – what effects will this ruling have on the debate?
iiNet pulls out of anti-piracy scheme
Remember how a coalition of most of Australia’s major ISPs proposed a scheme about a year ago which would see Australians issued with warning and educational notices if they were caught pirating content online? The one which could have seen users’ details handed over to the copyright lobby with a subpoena? Well, it’s looking increasingly like the scheme is dead in the water.
Foxtel locks up Game of Thrones: No more fast-tracked iTunes downloads
Pay TV giant Foxtel has confirmed reports that it will block the remaining seasons of HBO's popular Game of Thrones series from being offered in Australia hours after the show is released in the US, due to an exclusive deal with the show's producer HBO signed in October last year.
When depts disagree: AG ‘Blue Book’ censored
The Attorney-General's Department has declined to release under Freedom of Information laws the incoming ministerial briefing (known as the 'Blue Book') provided to new Attorney-General George Brandis, censoring the release of the entire document in a decision which appears to run directly contrary to a similar decision by the Department of Communications.
Kim Dotcom wants Mega servers in Australia
Kim Dotcom flags plans to host some servers for his new Mega venture in Australia.
Turnbull resigns as Communications Minister to challenge Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull has reportedly resigned his post as Communications Minister and from Federal Cabinet to challenge Tony Abbott for the Prime Ministership, in a move that has the potential to result in a dramatic shake-up of the way the National Broadband Network project is run.
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.
Stop the pirates? Behind Brandis’ copyright crusade
The lack of hard, unbiased research driving this debate on piracy, as well as the privileged access to the Attorney General that entertainment industry lobbyists seem to have, does not bode well for robust, evidence-based policy being adopted in the near future.
Conroy bushwhacks Fifield with NBN transparency reform
Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has blindsided the Government in the Senate, successfully passing an amendment to an otherwise innocuous piece of NBN legislation that will enforce a degree of radical transparency on the NBN company.
Govt open to NBN using skinny fibre, FTTdp, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has confirmed the Government is open to using 'skinny' fibre and Fibre to the Distribution Point models as part of the National Broadband Network, as speculation continues to mount the two technologies may form the basis of a new Coalition NBN policy to be released ahead of this year's Federal Election.
National Innovation and Science Agenda: Turnbull releases $1bn massive list of new policies
news Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning released a huge list of new policy initiatives relating to technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, as part of...
Australia’s Internet freedom being eroded, Greens warn
The Australian Greens have issued a broad statement warning Australians that their Internet freedom is being steadily 'eroded', with a wide swathe of government initiatives in areas ranging from surveillance to data retention, to the freedom of expression and privacy set to affect the nation over the coming years.
The need for speed: there’s still time to fix Australia’s NBN
A National Broadband Network (NBN) based on Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) was, and still is, the right answer for Australia’s broadband needs.
Carr: CSIRO still worse off than before election
An opposition minister has said that the CSIRO is still worse off than it was before the last election – despite funding announced in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Innovation Statement on 7 December.
Is the party over for Julian Assange and WikiLeaks?
With just over two weeks to go in the campaign, Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks Party has experienced some unsettling events that suggest it may be unravelling.
“No influence”: AFP denies NBN raids politically motivated
The Australian Federal Police today said there had been zero political influence on the seven month investigation into damaging leaks from the NBN company which yesterday culminated in raids on Labor Party offices, with the Government itself only being told about the investigation yesterday.
Has Anonymous hacked an Aussie ISP?
A number of technology media outlets yesterday reported they had spoken to a member of the Anonymous collective of Internet activists, who stated that they had broken into a major Australian ISP and were preparing to release a vast package of internal data to prove that the Federal Government's surveillance and data retention plans weren't secure.
We must determine how the $15bn NBN cost blow-out occurred
The full resources of the Federal Parliament and other Government accountability mechanisms must be deployed to determine how a cost blowout of between $5 billion and $15 billion was allowed to occur in the National Broadband Network, and how to stop a similar situation from occurring again in future.
Hope for Ludlam as WA recount confirmed
The electoral fate of Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam is likely to hang in the balance for some time yet, following confirmation yesterday by the Australian Electoral Commission that it would conduct a partial recount of the Western Australian Senate vote in the Federal Election.
NSW announces Opal app top ups, credit card “tap in” trial
The NSW Government has announced that customers using its Opal smartcard ticketing system for public transport services can now top up via its "new and improved" Opal Travel app. Also announced were 2017 trials of a scheme that would allow commuters to tap "contactless" credit and debit cards as an alternative to the Opal card.
Delimiter files FOI request for Govt ICT Audit
Technology media outlet Delimiter has filed a Freedom of Information request seeking to retrieve the unreleased comprehensive ICT Audit which the Federal Government presented to Finance Minister Mathias Cormann in January this year.
ISP and content industries ask Govt to place piracy code on ice
Remember that pesky Internet piracy industry code? The one that Attorney-General George Brandis and then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked the ISP and content industries to develop, on pain of having one developed for them? Well, it appears as though the code has more or less been permanently shelved at this point.
FTTN congestion often ‘user error’, says Turnbull
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has dismissed widespread complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node rollout model that the technology is slower than ADSL, attributing many of the issues to end users' home setups, including their computers and Wi-Fi routers.
Turnbull warns of growing cyber aggression
Australian public and private sector organisations and individuals are facing malicious cyber activity that is unprecedented in scale and reach, Malcolm Turnbull warns in the government’s new cyber security strategy, launched on Thursday.
Consumer group has piracy conflict of interest
A substantial conflict of interest issue has arisen regarding the participation by the sole consumer group invited to attend the Government's secret Internet piracy talks, with the group's chairman attending the meetings also currently leading the peak national organisation devoted to advocating copyright on behalf of creative professionals.
Govt censors NBN Co’s FTTP projection data
The Federal Government has taken steps to stop the public getting access to a key data set which details why the NBN company believes a full-Fibre to the Premises rollout would cost up to $38 billion more and take eight years longer to finalise than its currrent controversial Multi-Technology Mix plan.
Turnbull backs away from encryption reform
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have rejected the need to reform laws on telecommunications encryption technology in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, telling the Parliament today that human factors were more important than ever in the context of a different technological landscape.
NBN Co conducts XG.FAST trials with Nokia
NBN Co is to launch lab trials of a new broadband technology called XG.FAST, which it says has already delivered trial speeds in other countries of over 5Gbps on a pair of copper lines.
Our Prime Minister may have been factually inaccurate on 7:30 on NBN copper costs
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have made a statement on national television which may have been factually inaccurate regarding the National Broadband Network, claiming on 7:30 tonight that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network was not ten times the amount originally estimated, despite evidence to the contrary.
Trainwreck interview: Finance Minister can’t answer basic NBN questions
Mathias Cormann has proven unable to answer basic questions about the NBN project or the Coalition's NBN policy, in a trainwreck interview yesterday morning which highlighted the Finance Minister's fundamental lack of NBN knowledge about the project, despite being one of the two ministers in charge of it.
Turnbull announces digital boost for farming industry
The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced three new initiatives lead by the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) that are aimed to bring agriculture fully into the digital age.
Turnbull lobbies US Congress to pass TPP
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull overnight told business executives in the United States that he would be lobbying US Congress to pass the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty during his visit to Washington DC, despite recent reports claiming that the treaty will deliver very little benefit to Australia.
Snowden ‘shamefully betrayed’ USA: Bishop
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has heavily criticised NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden during a visit to the United States.
Would FYX’s global mode have breached copyright?
We should think carefully about the inevitable alarmist claims regarding FYX and be wary about movie industry calls for new laws that protect their interests at the expense of Australian consumers.
It’s just a “draft” document, NBN says on $641m FTTN blowout
The NBN company has attempted to cast doubt on the veracity of leaked internal documents showing that the cost of remediating Telstra's copper network has blown out by a factor of ten times to $641 million, pointing out that the document in question was a "draft" and "not endorsed" by its executive team.
Apple blames rights holders for Aussie price hikes
Technology giant Apple has blamed copyright owners such as film and music studios for Australian price hikes on content sold through its iTunes digital store, despite politicians at the Parliament's IT price hike inquiry pointing out to the company that its size as the world's largest company by capitalisation gave it substantial market power.
Snowden, Manning ‘not whistleblowers’, claims Australia’s Attorney-General
Australia's Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has made an extraordinary public statement that former CIA and NSA operative Edward Snowden and accused WikiLeaks collaborator Bradley Manning are not technically "whistleblowers", claiming that the information they had released publicly related to no wrongdoing by government agencies.
A thoughtful digital economy speech from Australia Post
Australia Post chief executive Ahmed Fahour gives a great speech about the Digital Economy and how it's impacting Australia Post.
Watch: 1800km of new copper ‘simply part of NBN architecture’, says Turnbull
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the NBN company’s purchase of 1800km of brand new copper from repeated attacks by the Opposition in Question Time, telling the Parliament yesterday that the copper cable was “simply part of the architecture” of the NBN company’s new Multi-Technology Mix approach.
Coalition, Labor support new surveillance laws
The Daily Telegraph reported this morning that the Coalition would shortly introduce a raft of new surveillance laws based on almost all of the recommendations handed down last year in a report by the the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security on potential reforms to Australia's National Security Legislation.
Labor demands TSSR bill revamp
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has reportedly demanded that the Government provide a revised draft of its planned telco national security bill, in the wake of loud complaints from Australia’s entire technology sector about the controversial legislation.
Watch: Angry Labor shouts down Fifield in Senate over NBN leaks
An outraged Opposition shouted down Mitch Fifield in Senate Question Time today over the latest set of National Broadband Network leaked documents, accusing the Communications Minister of not knowing that the Coalition's election costing on the NBN was a "lie".
Optus and TV Now: Will copyright law catch up to the cloud?
A legal decision which forced Optus to shut down its time shifting service TV Now may eventually lead to reform of existing copyright law to cater for cloud technology.
‘No worries’: Carr unconcerned about NSA spying
Australia's Foreign Minister Bob Carr said over the weekend that he "wouldn't think" Australians had anything to be concerned about in relation to the NSA Internet spy scandal which engulfed the United States last week, despite the fact that the issue appears to exclusively relate to NSA access to foreigners' data on US cloud computing servers.
Ruddock committee finds data retention may breach journalists’ rights
The Federal Parliament's human rights committee chaired by Liberal MP Philip Ruddock has found that the mechanisms in the recent data retention legislation for protecting journalists and their sources may be inadequate and may breach human rights covenants.
Australian agencies have NSA encryption access
Remember how international media outlets The Guardian, The New York Times and ProPublica revealed last week that the US National Security Agency had developed the ability to break some commonly used forms of Internet encryption? Scary, huh? Well, what you may not have realised is that Australia’s own intelligence agencies reportedly have access to the technology.
Watch Steve Baxter interview Wyatt Roy about #policyhack
By all accounts the innovation policy hackathon held by new Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy in Sydney over the weekend went quite well.
Not just metadata: ASIC wants content retained
Australia’s financial regulator has called for the content of online communications – not just the metadata associated with the communications – to be retained as part of the Federal Government’s data retention and Internet surveillance package being pushed by the Attorney-General’s Department, in a move which was immediately damned by critics of the proposed scheme.
Netflix figures back Coalition’s faster NBN rollout, says Fifield
Senator Mitch Fifield, Federal Minister for Communications, has claimed that Netflix's latest ISP Speed Index supports the faster rollout of the NBN under the Coalition Government.
Fifield refuses to accept NBN Co’s own evidence of FTTN delays
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has repeatedly refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of evidence contained in leaked internal documentation, in which the NBN company's chief network engineering explicitly states that its Fibre to the Node rollout is categorically behind target.
Greens make innovation key policy of election campaign
The Australian Greens party has announced it will make innovation a key policy of their campaign in the upcoming Federal Election, aiming to "reverse the government’s anti-innovative and climate-destroying policies".
NBN denies HFC launch in uber-marginal seat breaches Caretaker Conventions
The NBN company has denied that its launch yesterday of its new HFC cable network breaches the election campaign Caretaker Conventions, despite the company promoting the Coalition-backed technology in the uber-marginal seat of Petrie.
Pyne’s comments on fast Internet “just wrong”, says SAGE-AU
IT professionals advocacy group SAGE-AU has criticised recent comments by Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne that suggested Australians do not need fast Internet.
MTM NBN roadmap “tortuous”, says Budde
NBN Co is taking "tortuous route" towards building its network with "band aid solutions" being applied via its multi-technology mix approach, according to telecoms commentator Paul Budde.
NBN Co’s MTM choices “prudent and efficient”, finds Analysys Mason
Analyst firm Analysys Mason has found in a detailed report commissioned by the NBN company that the NBN company's initial design for its Fibre to the Node, Basement and HFC cable networks is "prudent and efficient".
“Hopeless, useless and a joke”: Labor MP sets Turnbull NBN policy on fire
Federal Parliament erupted into a fiery debate yesterday over Malcolm Turnbull's reshaping of the NBN project, with Labor MP Lisa Chesters stealing much of the show with a furious diatribe in which she labelled the PM's NBN plan as "incompetent, hopeless, useless and a joke".
Qld Govt to legalise ride-booking services like Uber
The Queensland Government has announced it will overhaul the state's personalised transport industry regulations to create a more "level playing field" for ride-booking services like Uber.
Quigley denies giving Labor free 1Gbps kick
NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley this afternoon denied his revelation today of National Broadband Network speeds up to 1Gbps had anything to do with supporting Labor’s election chances, in the face of a Coalition policy that would see his fledgling broadband company shut down.
Photos: NBN Co builds node on flooded riverbank
The NBN company has deployed a Fibre to the Node cabinet on the banks of the Tamar River in Tasmania, Delimiter can reveal, ignoring advice from local residents that the infrastructure would be sure to be breached by water during periods of excess rain.
Turnbull appoints new Communications Department secretary
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has appointed a new Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts.
After a decade, ATO finally launches Mac e-tax
Long-time Australian users of Apple's flagship Macintosh line will be rapt with the news that the Australian Taxation Office has finally launched a version of its e-tax electronic tax return lodgement software which works on Mac OS X.
DTO reveals progress on digital transformation projects
The Digital Transformation Office has revealed the state of progress on a number of Digital Delivery Hubs that were set up in October 2015.
FoI breach? Govt withholds #natsecinquiry docs
Evidence has emerged that the Federal Attorney-General’s Department may have breached Freedom of Information regulations in delaying the release of documents which will enhance the transparency of its discussions with the telecommunications industry over the controversial National Security Inquiry proposal.
Govt launches San Fran ‘Landing Pad’ for tech startups
The government has launched a startup 'Landing Pad' at Rocketspace – a technology campus in San Francisco.
Virgin wants in on Australian IPTV scene
It seems that no matter where you look, someone is trying to fix the Australian Internet television market. Attorney-General George Brandis, as his Labor predecessor Mark Dreyfus did before him, is trying to block Internet piracy. Quickflix and FetchTV are still trying to create viable competitors to Foxtel's pay TV operation. And Foxtel itself is obviously trying to make as much hay as possible while its sun still shines. Into this fraught situation comes Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
Truth: The MTM NBN business case is unravelling by the day
Senator Mitch Fifield has only been Communications Minister a matter of months. And yet, if his performance in the Senate this afternoon is any indication, he has already gotten to the point of attacking anyone who dares to even question the Government's controversial Multi-Technology Mix NBN model.
The election is over, and Fibre to the Node is here to stay
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has declared victory in the hard-fought Federal Election, in a move that ensures that the controversial Fibre to the Node technology which Turnbull personally favours is here to stay as a core part of the National Broadband Network.
UK Govt flies Aussie tech startups to London in open bid to nick Aussie...
So it's come to this. Other first-world countries are pushing so hard to attract lucrative technology startups to their shores to grow their own digital economies that they are actually paying to fly Australian entrepreneurs overseas to check out the local scene.
Turnbull pressured to ‘fix’ NBN for far north Queensland
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has come under pressure during a radio interview in far north Queensland, with the ABC's host relaying complaints from local residents that the Coalition had not done enough to bring the National Broadband Network to the region.
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.
Conroy re-commits to filter, slams Lundy amendments
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has reiterated the Government's support for its mandatory internet filter policy after the change in Prime Minister and has slammed proposed amendments by Senator Kate Lundy that would allow Australians to opt in or out of the technology.
The Inside Track: History repeating: How the Govt will privatise NBN Co
For a long time, the question regarding the Coalition's oft-denied plans to privatise the NBN company has not been "if", but "when and how". Yesterday Infrastructure Australia for the first time gave us a solid framework for how we might start to answer these questions.
NBN board, Govt blocking FTTdp despite FTTN-like cost
The NBN company yesterday revealed its board and the Federal Government were blocking a switch to a Fibre to the Distribution Point model, despite the fact that new revelations have shown the cost of the FTTdp option is coming very close to that of the technically inferior Fibre to the Node incumbent model.
MegaUpload user data soon to be destroyed
MegaUpload has received a letter from the US Attorney informing the company that data uploaded by its users may be destroyed before the end of the week.
Alston successor Mitch Fifield is Australia’s new Communications Minister
Malcolm Turnbull has appointed veteran Senator Mitch Fifield to be Australia’s new Communications Minister as part of his new Cabinet, with the new Prime Minister’s former Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher leaving the portfolio and current Attorney-General George Brandis to retain his role.
Telstra, NBN offshoring copper support to India
The NBN company and its partner Telstra appear to be offshoring support for Telstra's ageing copper network to India, with consultants in that country to be responsible for ensuring that broadband users can receive acceptable services over the copper that facilitates the Fibre to the Node model.
Turnbull starts his pitch: ‘The Prime Minister for Innovation’
Malcolm Turnbull has used his first brief comments as Australia’s 29th Prime Minister to emphasise that Australia is facing disruption driven by technology, and that the nation needs to work to take advantage of that trend rather than rejecting it.
“Political indecision” leaving Australia a broadband backwater: ex-NBN CTO
The NBN company's first chief technology officer this week said that the protracted disagreement between Australia's two major political parties on how to best upgrade broadband networks was leaving Australia languishing in global broadband rankings, despite several obvious ways forward.
Government responds to ACS report on gender inequality in ICT
Responding to a report from the ACS, Assistant Minister for Science Karen Andrews has said the government recognises the importance of bringing more women into the ICT workforce to ensure the country remains competitive.
“Fibre zealots”: The Australian backs Ziggy’s Caretaker breach
A senior columnist at The Australian newspaper has backed what he described as Ziggy Switkoski's "well-aimed" breach of the Caretaker Conventions, supporting the idea that the NBN chair's action was necessary to deal with "rumourtrage" about the project.
Coalition pledges to expand startup incubator support
The Coalition Government has pledged to invest an extra $15 million into boosting Australia’s startup scene if it is re-elected in July.
The marvellously destructive power of the Internet:A rant by Mark Newton
You might have noticed that at Delimiter we love an epic rant, and as we've previously written, former Internode network engineer Mark Newton has form in this area. Whether it be on the issue of the Internet filter, the National Broadband Network or other topics, Newton is wonderfully unafraid to tell it like it is, and that's one reason we love him (in a platonic sense, of course).
ACCC approves Telstra’s variation to NBN Migration Plan
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved Telstra’s variation to the Migration Plan, which is aimed to further protect customers and maintain services as the firm shifts to the national broadband network.
Telstra says it has 50 percent NBN market share, wants more
Telstra this week said it had already taken a 50 percent market share of National Broadband Network customers and wanted to push to achieve even more, in news set to call into question controversial NBN decisions made by the Government and the ACCC meant to advance broadband competition.
Rightscorp receives Australian patent for Internet piracy tracker
US-headquartered copyright enforcement company Rightscorp this week revealed it had received an Australian patent for its technique for identifying copyright infringement online, in a move that appears to signal the organisation’s plans to target Internet pirates down under.
Private telcos ‘most cost effective’ for public safety mobile broadband
Private telecommunications firms are the most cost-effective option for delivering mobile broadband to public safety agencies, according to a Productivity Commission report.
NBN Co confirms flooding kills FTTN nodes
The NBN company has confirmed that minor flooding as has been seen in Bowral this week is enough to stop its Fibre to the Node cabinets from functioning, although the nodes do feature circuit breakers to stop them leaking electricity directly into floodwaters around them.
Truth: The MTM NBN could have been so much better
Everyone knows that Malcolm Turnbull's Multi-Technology Mess is an absolute dog of a model for the NBN. But every dog has its day, and the truth is that even the MTM could have been implemented so much better than it has been.
Assange registers Wikileaks party; targets Victorian Senate seat
Crusading Internet activist Julian Assange has delivered on his promises to run for Australian political office in the upcoming Federal Election in September, reportedly registering the WikiLeaks Party in Australia yesterday and flagging his intention to become a Senator representing Victoria.
Labor’s NBN was a “fantasy model”, says Fifield, despite FTTP progress
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has described the previous Labor Government’s near-universal Fibre to the Premises approach to the National Broadband Network as a “fantasy model” and “unachievable”, despite the fact that almost all of the progress on the NBN thus far has been based on that model.
Labor slams Govt over personal data breach notifications
The Labor opposition has strongly criticised the federal government over its failure to pass legislation on personal data breach notifications, saying Australians currently have no recourse if their data is hacked.
Blackspot programme reopens to further boost mobile coverage
A second round of the Mobile Black Spot Programme (MBSP) has opened to help boost the consistency of mobile coverage across Australia.
“$40bn waste”: Coalition kicks off NBN smear campaign
The Coalition appears to have kicked off a campaign designed to discredit Labor's management of the National Broadband Network project, with at least one Liberal MP relying on party-supplied material to claim that "$40 billion was wasted" during its early days.
NBN reveals new FTTdp trials, but says FTTN not ‘dead’
The NBN company today revealed it would undertake a new set of trials in Sydney and Melbourne of the Fibre to the Distribution Point technology which some believe represents a viable path forward for ditching the company's Fibre to the Node rollout style once and for all.
NBN reaches 1 million customer milestone
The Government has announced that the National Broadband Network (NBN) has now passed the 1 million customer mark.
Gillard watches Game of Thrones legally
This day had to come. Ladies and gentlemen, the science fiction and fantasy worlds so beloved by IT geeks the world around have now gone mainstream. The Guardian's Australian edition reports this morning that Prime Minister Julia Gillard is a huge fan of Game of Thrones, the popular TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin's excellent A Song of Ice and Fire epic series. And what's even more interesting is that the Prime Minister is watching Game of Thrones completely legally.
Uber is blocking Qld Govt inspectors from using its service … because it can
According to the Brisbane Times, Uber is fighting back against regulation by ... blocking the Queensland Government's inspectors from booking its services and thus being able to fine its drivers.
Defying the Federal Police: iiNet refuses to implement Interpol filter
National broadband player iiNet today revealed it had not implemented the Federal Government’s limited mandatory ISP filtering scheme based on a list of offensive sites supplied by Interpol and had no immediate plans to do so, in a move which appears to represent a total reversal of the ISP's position on the matter and defiance of the Australian Federal Police's wishes.
Mass BitTorrent lawsuits return to the UK
Speculative invoicing might be returning to the UK, thanks to a High Court judgment Monday. The practice, all but abandoned in the UK in the wake of the ACS:Law fiasco, has restarted but with conditions. Meanwhile, over 9,000 people could get letters from the plaintiff, Ben Dover.
Now it gets interesting: Australia has its first digitally literate Prime Minister
Australia has never before in its history had a digitally literate Prime Minister of the likes of Malcolm Turnbull.
Coalition makes $60m election promise to fix mobile blackspots
The Coalition Government has announced that it will invest an additional $60 million in the Mobile Black Spot Programme if it is returned to power in July's federal election.
It’s on: Foxtel to meet IPTV challenge head-on
Most of Australia's younger generation of Internet-focused media consumers probably think Pay TV giant Foxtel is merely a blast from the past; a mouldering old dinosaur with no tricks left up its sleeve. But if revelations by the company last week are any indication, Foxtel 'gets' the Internet and has exactly the right moves planned to tackle it.
Melbourne IT knocked Twitter URLs offline
No doubt there are some red faces at Melbourne-based web hosting and IT services firm Melbourne IT this morning, after the company admitted a human error by one of its staff yesterday resulted in an outage which took down the URL shortening service used by global social networking company Twitter.
Michelle Rowland appointed Shadow Minister for Communications
Labor MP Michelle Rowland has been appointed to the Shadow Cabinet, taking on the role of Shadow Minister for Communications.
Bitcoin miner lists on ASX
If you needed any further indication that we now live in the science fiction future long ago mapped out for us by visionary authors, then look no further. News arrived this week that an Australian digital currency company and Bitcoin mining concern, digitalBTC, has listed on the Australian Stock Exchange through a backdoor listing.
US designates Assange ‘enemy of state’
Sydney Morning Herald correspondent Philip Dorling has uncovered the fact that the US has designated Wikileaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange an official target.
New Greens Leader holds firm on FTTP NBN policy
New Greens Leader Richard Di Natale has confirmed he will stand firm behind the original universal Fibre to the Premises version of the National Broadband Network, rejecting what he said was the “half-measures” being implemented by the Coalition Federal Government.
EU rules that Apple must pay €13 billion in back taxes
Following a lengthy investigation, the European Commission (EC) has ruled that Apple must pay back up to €13 billion plus interest after Ireland gave the tech firm "illegal tax benefits".
Paying a high price for embarrassing the government
This article is by Denis Muller, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne. It originally appeared on The Conversation....
Pirate Party announces election candidates
The Pirate Party has announced its candidates for the 2016 Federal Election, following a pre-selection process.
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.
Telstra “unable” to sell South Brisbane FTTP to NBN Co
Negotiations appear to have broken down over the planned sale of Telstra’s Fibre to the Premises network in South Brisbane to the NBN company, with the Government stating that Telstra has been “unable” to reach an agreement for the infrastructure to become part of the National Broadband Network.
SA Police want face recognition CCTV everywhere
I'd just like to be able to pop down to the shops quickly now and then for a packet of chips without some police system automatically scanning my face for matches with some massive crime database. Is that too much to ask?
Turnbull’s MTM NBN plan “in crisis” says Jason Clare
The Opposition today said the Multi-Technology Mix plan which Malcolm Turnbull imposed on the National Broadband Network project was "in crisis", following revelations published over the weekend that its Fibre to the Node centrepiece was substantially behind projections and suffering a litany of issues.
Farce: Apple Australia pays extra $4m of tax on $1.8bn revenue gain
US technology juggernaut Apple has revealed it only paid an extra $4.5 million worth of corporate tax in Australia in its 2015 financial year, despite the company making an extra $1.8 billion in local revenue, taking its local taxes to a paltry sum of $85 million off record Australian revenues of $7.8 billion.
DFAT blocks media from public TPP briefing
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has taken the extraordinary step of rescinding confirmations of attendance for journalists who had registered to attend a public briefing on the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in Sydney today, stating that the meeting is “off-the-record”, and that journalists are not welcome.”
My Health Record trial criticised over opt out, privacy
The new system is already under criticism for failing to explain how or why users would opt out, enabling automatic enrolment, and glossing over the potential for user information to be accessed by non-medical government agencies.
Education union wins landmark case for teachers over unlawful laptop scheme
More than 40,000 Victorian teachers and principals could receive millions of dollars in back payments following a victory by the Australian Education Union (AEU) in a landmark case against the state government.
Major tech firms, Australian startups back new innovation organisation TechSydney
A group of local startups and global tech giants, including Atlassian, Airbnb and LinkedIn, have offered support for a new not-for-profit organisation that aims to "turn Sydney into Australia’s Silicon Valley".
Could industrial pipe cleaning speed up the CBN?
A technique for more rapidly cleaning up Telstra's clogged pits and pipes infrastructure reportedly could offer the National Broadband Network Company a significantly faster deployment mechanism with respect to the fibre components of its network rollout.
Melbourne grabs key tech startup event from Sydney
Phillip Dalidakis, Victorian Minister for Small Business, Trade and Innovation, was in Sydney on 30th October to make an announcement along with Matt Barrie, CEO of Freelancer. Addressing an audience of over 2,000, the two announced the shifting of Australia’s largest startup tech conference, SydStart, from Sydney to Melbourne.
Outrage after TPP leak reveals piracy criminalisation
Australian political parties and digital rights lobby groups today erupted in outrage after a Wikileaks leak of the intellectual property rights chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement revealed Australians could be slugged with new draconian measures if caught infringing copyright online.
Government launches ad campaign to support Innovation Agenda
The government says it is launching a public information and community engagement campaign to support the National Innovation and Science Agenda and help boost Australia’s economy.
AFR claims on NBN sale just plain “wrong”, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today flatly rejected claims by the Financial Review newspaper that the Government was in talks to sell the bulk of the National Broadband Network to Telstra for as little as $20 billion, stating: "There are no plans to sell NBN".
Libraries, education sector, tech giants welcome proposed copyright reforms
The Australian Digital Alliance (ADA) has issued a statement welcoming the Productivity Commission’s "sensible and much needed" proposals for changes to Australia’s copyright law.
Tiger Airways joins growing list of spamming corporations
Tiger Airways is likely to face further damage to its reputation, after joining a growing list of big corporations being fined for breaching the Spam Act.
Fifield ignores evidence in angry NBN response
news Mitch Fifield has released a sharply worded response to detailed evidence showing Malcolm Turnbull's version of the NBN has fallen behind on its...
Secret data retention docs display gross technical ineptitude
A treasure trove of previously confidential documents pertaining to the Government's data retention policy and released this week under Freedom of Information laws display an astonishing technical ineptitude on the part of the Attorney-General's Department with respect to the controversial project.
Fifield denies Turnbull asked NBN Co to create “distorted” info to attack FTTP
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has rejected a claim by the Opposition that Malcolm Turnbull asked the NBN company to generate “distorted” information to help the Coalition attack Labor’s previous Fibre to the Premises approach to the NBN.
Rethink needed on Internet piracy strategies, says Internet Australia
Internet Australia, a non-profit body representing Internet users, has called for a rethink of current strategies used to deal with piracy of online content.
Fifield leaves door open for greater NBN FTTP rollout
Senator Mitch Fifield appears to have opened the door for the NBN company to change its percentage mix of broadband technologies, in his first interview since being sworn in as Malcolm Turnbull’s replacement Communications Minister on Monday this week.
TPG’s FTTB rollout still progressing extremely slowly
news Retail broadband provider AusBBS has released new statistics showing that the Fibre to the Basement network which Australia's third-largest telco TPG is deploying...
Twitter caves to Conroy’s troll pressure
news Global social networking site Twitter has agreed to closer cooperation with Australian law enforcement authorities, including handing over users’ IP addresses in certain...
ACCAN CEO wins Charles Todd Medal for championing consumers
Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) CEO Teresa Corbin has won this year's Charles Todd Medal for her efforts representing consumer interests throughout her almost 20 year career in the telecoms industry.
Quickflix lets users buy TV shows, including Game of Thrones
One of the disadvantages of an online IPTV service such as Quickflix is that up until now, you haven't been able to buy distinct television shows through the service to own permanently; users have only been able to get access to the shows they want if they're paying a monthly subscription. However, all this is set to change, according to a media release issued by Quickflix today.
Now Jason Clare writes to ABC over Nick Ross ‘gag’
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has stated that he is "very concerned" about claims that the ABC gagged its former technology editor from reporting on the NBN, and has joined his Victorian counterpart Philip Dalidakis in demanding answers from ABC managing director Mark.
Ziggy was forced to respond to false accusations, says NBN Co
The NBN Company has defended the actions of its chair Ziggy Switkowski in breaching the Caretaker Conventions, claiming that the executive's hand was forced by the need to defend the company's reputation.
Further changes announced to controversial telecoms security bill
The government has announced a further round of consultation on changes to new legislation that will require telecoms providers to provide greater safeguards for their networks and to permit greater powers of oversight for government agencies.
I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore. Let’s fix...
For far too long, Australia's political sector has gotten technology policy completely wrong. I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore. Let's take Delimiter into the Canberra Press Gallery and literally write the book on tech policy while we're there.
ASD has open access to Indonesian telcos
I'm sure you've been wondering (as many people have) just how Australia's premiere electronic surveillance agency Australian Signals Directorate was able to gain access to the telephone data of high-ranking Indonesian officials in that country's government. Well, wonder no more. According to The Guardian, the agency has a massive level of access to Indonesia's telco networks.
Consumer group invited to secret piracy talks
The Federal Government has invited the nation's leading telecommunications consumer groups to participate in the latest round of the closed door talks it is holding on the issue of Internet piracy, reversing a previous ban on consumer representatives attending such talks.
Pirate Party registered for 2013 election
The Australian branch of digital freedom political group the Pirate Party today confirmed it had successfully registered as a political party to contest the upcoming 2013 Federal Election, overcoming registration issues which had prevented it from contesting the 2010 election as a party.
Critics flood Roxon with copies of Orwell’s ‘1984’
Half a dozen of Roxon’s fiercest critics have started mailing the Labor Senator copies of George Orwell’s iconic book 1984.
Greens will legislate to dismiss fines and preserve census ‘snapshot’
Following both protests over privacy and the failure of the Census website on 9 August, the Australian Greens have said they plan to introduce legislation aimed to ensure that people "acting to protect their privacy" and unable to complete the census will not be fined.
Analysis by ex-NBN CTO shows NBN activation rate is actually slowing
Analysis by the NBN company's first chief technology officer Gary McLaren appears to have shown that the activation rate of new NBN broadband connections is actually slowing, in a move that McLaren has speculated may be due to political reasons in an election year or merely the difficulty of dealing with copper and HFC technologies.
Tech MPs Ed Husic + Wyatt Roy are engaged in a bipartisan beard conspiracy
In their day jobs, Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Digital Innovation and Startups Ed Husic are supposed to be at each's necks, as they cover the same innovation portfolio from opposing sides of politics. But in practice the pair -- two of the most tech-focused MPs in Federal Parliament -- appear to be sometimes thinking along the same lines.
Turnbull’s DTO may take over governance of the Govt’s pathetic myGov site
Those of you who run your own business and thus have had the unfortunate experience of being forced to interact with the Government's myGov website will be aware that the site is, to put it rather bluntly, something of a piece of crap.
Two years later, NBN Co finally launches FTTN
The NBN company today took a major step towards its goal of implementing the Multi-Technology Mix approach which Malcolm Turnbull has brought to the project, formally launching its Fibre to the Node product as an option to retail broadband providers some two years after the 2013 Federal Election.
Palmer United Senator Wang stumps Govt with basic IT sector questions
Palmer United Party Senator Dio (Zhenya) Wang has taken the Government to task over its handling of Australia’s ICT research and tech startup sector, in a fraught Senate session which appeared to illustrate how little the Government’s Senate spokesperson on the issue appeared to understand about the sector’s basic dynamics.
“Shameful” AFP NBN raid may be illegal, says Conroy
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) raid on the Department of Parliamentary Services yesterday was possibly illegal, according to Senator Stephen Conroy, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and Shadow Special Minister Of State.
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.
NBN Co dumps FTTP plan for another half a million premises
The National Broadband Network Company this afternoon revealed up to 550,000 less Australian premises would receive the full Fibre to the Premises rollout than had been previously been planned under the Coalition’s Multi-Technology Mix, with the project’s funding requirement also blowing out by between $5 billion and $15 billion.
Labor, Coalition vote against strong encryption in Senate
Both of Australia's major political parties have explicitly rejected a Senate motion calling on the Government to support public use of strong encryption technologies, in a move that comes in the wake of the US Government's demand that Apple provide it with a backdoor for open access to its iPhone handset.
“Rational debate” needed around surveillance
In the wake of the news yesterday that the Coalition and Labor are supporting a raft of new electronic surveillance measures, the Pirate Party of Australia has called for a rational debate to be held over the issue, in the context of widespread opposition to increased surveillance by the Australian public.
Back off: Optus, TPG tell Govt on Telstra pricing
Major telcos Optus and TPG have joined the rest of Australia’s broadband sector and sharply warned Malcolm Turnbull’s Department to stop interfering in the competition regulator’s decision to cut Telstra’s wholesale pricing by 9.6 percent.
Govt considers abolishing capital gains tax on startups
If you've ever started your own business (hint: it isn't easy, but it's worth it), you're probably familiar with the fact that you suddenly have to pay a great deal more tax than you previously had to. Australian companies are taxed on their profits, they usually have to collect GST, and that's just the start. Well, now a backbench Coalition MP who has previously been involved with the national technology sector has put forth a proposal which appears to be gaining strength in Government ranks: Remove the annoying capital gains tax when applied to investors in early stage startups.
Telcos urge “regulatory restraint” on data retention compliance
Communications Alliance, Australia's primary telecoms industry body with membership drawn from across the industry, has urged the Federal Government to "exercise regulatory restraint" if some telecoms service providers are unable to comply fully with mandatory data retention rules by the April 2017 deadline.
Trolling our way to national security
Yesterday's Daily Telegraph features a call to action – an Internet petition to stop trolling (the media definition of any offensive or deliberately hurtful behaviour online, not the traditional definition). This is both terrible journalism and falling for a trap.
Truth: NBN results show Labor’s plan is still working
The NBN company's latest set of financial results released yesterday confirm a truth which has become almost taboo to mention in public: Labor's original strategy for the National Broadband Network is working very well -- in fact, it still represents almost all the NBN company has done in its existence so far.
Ludlam reveals catch-all “fair use” copyright bill
Greens Senator and Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam has introduced a wide-ranging amendment bill to Australia's copyright legislation which would see a range of "fair use" and "fair go" stipulations introduced, with the intention of delivering Australian consumers a fairer copyright situation than they currently enjoy.
Censored: Appeal for AG’s Blue Book fails
The Attorney-General's Department has rejected an appeal for a Freedom of Information request which would have seen the incoming ministerial briefing (known as the ‘Blue Book’) provided to new Attorney-General George Brandis, censoring the release of the entire document.
New Nationals leadership slammed copper as “redundant” in 2005
The new federal leadership team of the Nationals unveiled late last week -- Barnaby Joyce and Fiona Nash -- personally criticised the use of copper for broadband services in 2005, it has emerged, telling the then-Howard Government to focus on the use of Fibre to the Premises technologies instead.
How far should Australia go for Julian Assange?
Australians are constantly finding themselves in trouble overseas and turning to their government for assistance. But there is a limit to what Australia is legally required to do.
Scrimp now, pay later: CSIRO cuts could stifle long-term research
The moment we tie short-term political, economic or social goals to science is the moment we ensure we’ll slow down finding those momentous future breakthroughs that science has brought us. It is a paradox, but one that the government needs to understand before cutting big budgets out of long-term fundamental research programs at the CSIRO.
You talkin’ to me? Gerry Harvey’s one-man, online retail debate
Online retail promises or threatens to greatly change how Australians buy and sell over the next few years. However it works out, I hope that Gerry Harvey is around a fair bit longer, saying things to provoke and amuse us.
Labor introduces PJCIS reform bill
The Opposition has introduced a bill designed to significantly expand the powers of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security as well as freeing up its operations, in a move which could have a significant impact on the chief parliamentary oversight body of Australia’s national electronic surveillance regime.
More accessible content won’t stop piracy, says content industry
Creative Content Australia – a film and TV industry advocacy group – has aired concerns over a new draft report from the Productivity Commission that suggests making content more accessible will reduce online piracy.
Anti-piracy lobby still suffering from self-delusion
Most Australians understand that the only solution to the nation's record Internet piracy rates is for the film and TV industry to follow the music, book and gaming sectors and make their content available online in a timely, affordable and convenient manner. But that's a truth rights holders and their lobbyists seem unwilling to accept.
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.
Labor slams the FTTN its new policy may also support
The Opposition has backed comments by upstart Singaporean telco MyRepublic that the Coalition’s preferred Fibre to the Node technology is “shit”, despite acknowledging that its new National Broadband Network policy currently under development may feature the same technology.
WikiLeaks blockade based on Australia’s misinfo
VISA and Mastercard appear to still be relying on outdated comments by Australia's Federal Government to block the ability of Wikileaks to take donations.
Get your face onto NBN Co’s second satellite
To raise awareness of the launch of NBN Co’s second satellite, Sky Muster II, the company has announced it will give Australians the chance to "blast their face into space".
Geoblocking content must end, demands Choice
Consumer advocacy group Choice has backed recommendations by the Productivity Commission to make copyright more consumer friendly and called for an end to geoblocking of Internet content.
Victoria launches new body to give startups a boost
The Victorian Government has unveiled a new body called LaunchVic that is aimed to accelerate startups, drive new ideas and create jobs in the state.
ABC unlocks 3G iview iPhone app, Android coming
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has modified its highly popular iview streaming video iPad app so that it will function on Apple iPhones, as well as unlocking the streaming ability for the app on 3G networks and revealing that it also has a separate version in the works for Google's rival Android platform.
Winning DataStart entry uses data to maximise healthcare efficiency
The winner of the DataStart incubator program has been named as CohortIQ – a startup that aims to use government and private data to maximise hospital and public health service efficiency.
1,375 votes lost in Western Australia: Ludlam recount stalled in bureaucracy
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has revealed it lost 1,375 votes during the recent Federal Election and will need to investigate the situation further before it can advise whether Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam will keep his Senate seat or be replaced by the Palmer United Party.
Turnbull involves NBN contractor in Canning by-election
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have called in National Broadband Network contractor Fulton Hogan to assist with a political photo opportunity associated with the by-election campaign in the Canning electorate in South-East Perth and Mandurah.
Doctor Who? One small step towards innovation
Following the ABC’s announcement that they will be streaming timely content from the new series of Dr Who, I applaud the broadcaster for moving with public demand and technological advancements.
Australia recommits to Open Government Partnership
The Australian Government says it has restarted the process of joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) – a global initiative that aims to get commitments from governments to increase transparency, empower citizens, reduce corruption, and use new technologies to strengthen governance.
Audit finds “weaknesses” in Turnbull’s Mobile Blackspot Programme
The Australian National Audit Office has released a report criticising aspects of the Federal Government’s handling of the Mobile Black Spot Programme.
Rumours of Aussie Netflix launch
Despite a successful launch in other major first-world nations such as the UK, as well as throughout Latin America, US IPTV giant Netflix has constantly signalled over the past few years its lack of interest in launching its service in Australia. However, all that may be about to change.
Up to 45 agencies are seeking data retention powers
As many as 45 separate departments and agencies around Australia have petitioned the Attorney-General's Department to gain unwarranted access to Australians' metadata under the Government's Data Retention scheme, Delimiter can reveal.
Why tax breaks are not the answer to encourage Australian startups
Using the tax system in an attempt to foster innovation may not be the sensible policy choice.
Government releases privacy impact assessment for face-matching scheme
The government has released a preliminary Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the National Facial Biometric Matching Capability – a face-matching scheme that is aimed to help government agencies combat identity crime, organised crime and terrorism.
“Click Frenzy” was a marketing/PR hypno-orgy right from the start
Confused about what the hell this whole "Click Frenzy" online retail phenomenon thing that we've all been reading about over the past several weeks was all about? Join the club: I'm a paid-up member. Maybe I didn't get the original press release. Thankfully, local IT geek and Delimiter reader Dawnstar (not his real name) has posted several epic rants and deconstructions of legendary proportions on his blog to explain it to y'all, complete with SPAM Act illegality, journalist/public relations/marketing love-ins and a health dose of sarcasm.
AT&T, Google launch new 1Gbps FTTP networks in US
US technology giants AT&T and Google this week launched new Fibre to the Premises networks in several US cities, with the flagship feature of the networks being their ability to offer gigabit speeds (1Gbps) to residents and businesses in the areas they cover.
NRL, AFL win appeal in Optus TV Now case
The full bench of the Federal Court has ruled that Optus's TV Now online television recording service is in breach of the Copyright Act, in the next stage of a closely watched lawsuit seeing the National Rugby League (and eventually the AFL and Telstra) pitted against the telco for its attempt to make TV broadcasts more readily available to customers online.
Ads not misleading: Google wins High Court case
Search giant Google has won a High Court case against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in which the regulator had alleged that Google breached the law by displaying misleading or deceptive advertisements on its search results pages.
StartupAUS report: Australian big business must collaborate with startup community
StartupAUS, a group that advocates for Australia's startups, has published a report highlighting the importance of the relationship between big business and startups in cultivating a "vibrant and energetic" environment for innovation.
Fifield invites Australians to comment: Who has the better NBN?
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has invited the Australian public to comment on whether it has more confidence in Labor's near universal Fibre to the Premises version of the National Broadband Network, or the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix, in a fraught parliamentary session yesterday in which tempers again became heated over the NBN topic.
Devil’s Advocate: What if the MTM NBN actually turns out to be great?
I've spent most of the past three years on Malcolm Turnbull's Multi-Technology Mess, and it's actually been kind of great. Will the complaints about the MTM die away as it's rolled out Australia-wide?
Satellite NBN a “great opportunity”, West Tasmanian MP claims
Tasmanian MP Brett Whiteley has told residents and businesses unhappy with the satellite broadband the NBN company is planning to deploy in his electorate in Western Tasmania that the infrastructure represents a "great opportunity" and they should stop pining for a Fibre to the Premise instead.
Budget 2016: Major Child Care, Veterans’ IT reform projects approved
The Federal Government has approved several hundred million dollars' worth of funding to reform key IT platforms in the Department of Human Services and Veterans' Affairs, in moves that will unlock substantial IT transformation packages of work.
Telecoms industry raises concerns over latest TSSR draft
A coalition of industry groups has raised concerns over new national security legislation for the telco sector – the draft Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015.
Fixing the hole: Labor pledges FTTP for Tasmanian West Coast
The Opposition today promised to deliver Fibre to the Premises to most of the West Coast of Tasmania if it wins the upcoming Federal Election, in a move squarely aimed at resolving the complaints of residents and businesses in the area over being relegated to satellite broadband access under the Coalition.
“Extraordinary”: Telcos slam Turnbull’s Dept for backing Telstra over consumers
A group of major Australian telcos have issued a fiery statement damning Malcolm Turnbull’s Department of Communications for its “extraordinary” attempt to support Telstra’s profitability and keep telecommunications prices from dropping.
FTTP NBN “wacko”, claims Mad Monk PM
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described the previous Labor Federal Government’s attempt to extend fibre broadband to most Australian homes and businesses as “wacko”, despite the fact that Labor’s Fibre to the Premises model is seen as the long-term future of most fixed telecommunications networks globally.
Whinge: Telstra wants to stop NBN Co helping smaller ISPs at all
The nation's biggest telco Telstra has told the Federal Government that the NBN company must not be allowed to assist smaller ISPs to better compete for customers on the National Broadband Network, despite the fact that Telstra itself already has a 50 percent NBN market share.
Google’s Ingress creates Aussie online turf war
Don’t read technology blogs? Then a new innovation in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMPORGs) may be passing you by. Perhaps, like me, such games have never been of much interest to you. Or perhaps they haven’t been able to hold your sustained attention. So why should you care now?
Q&A panellists agree: Politicians have completely screwed up the NBN
A trio of independent technology experts on the ABC's Q and A program last night heavily criticised Australia's political sector for politicising, lying about, and ultimately destroying the all-fibre National Broadband Network they agreed the country needed to progress its innovative future.
Megaupload founder denied bail again
Following a hearing today at the High Court in New Zealand, Kim Dotcom was again denied bail. The Megaupload founder, who authorities insist will likely flee should he be released, told the court that he’d been kicked and punched by police during his arrest.
Shorten confirms Labor will shift to a “hybrid” NBN policy
news Bill Shorten appears to have confirmed Labor will retain elements of the Coalition's controversial Multi-Technology Mix policy if it won power in the...
Data retention secrecy: AFP unable to disclose journo, MP metadata requests
The Australian Federal Police has refused to answer questions from a Federal Senator about whether it has recently accessed the metadata of journalists, politicians or political staffers, on the basis that doing so would be illegal under new Data Retention legislation.
Legal basis shaky for Interpol filter, says IPA
Australian free market thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs has accused the Federal Government of relying on an “obscure” section of telecommunications law in a way that was never intended to implement its new limited Internet filtering scheme, and warned of the potential for scope creep under the scheme.
Federal Parliament is in furious agreement about how wonderful tech startups are
The House of Representatives erupted in an unusual display of bipartisanship yesterday, with both Liberal and Labor MP waxing lyrical about the virtues of technology startups and how the tech startup community must be further supported in order to secure Australia's future as an innovative nation.
Web blocking technically impossible: iiNet reminds Govt of undisputed fact
National broadband provider iiNet has published a blog post reminding politicians of the fact undisputed by the global technology sector that the nature of the Internet makes it technically impossible to 'block' websites as currently being proposed by the Federal Government.
Labor releases national open data policy to fuel digital innovation
The Opposition has released a plan for data reform that it said will "fuel digital innovation and productivity growth across Australia".
Fifield keeps pressure on Labor for ‘lack of NBN policy’
Mitch Fifeld, Minister for Communications, has once again hit out at Labor over what he called its lack of policy on the NBN and the technology that best supports it.
‘ABC did not gag Nick Ross’: MD Mark Scott tells Senate (full video)
The managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has categorically denied that the broadcaster "gagged" its former technology editor Nick Ross from reporting on the National Broadband Network, stating that it merely wanted the journalist to comply with its editorial policies in doing so.
WikiLeaks Party demands investigation into Telstra’s secret FBI deal
The WikiLeaks Party has written to Australia’s Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim formally complaining about the recently revealed news that the telco signed a secret agreement a decade ago with US Government agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Justice that provided American law enforcement with access to all of the telco’s traffic passing in and out of the US.
Why Pirate Party members are not ‘whiny brats’
There appears to be an assumption within the broader intellectual property industries that members of Pirate Parties are just whiny brats who “want everything for free.” They consider us uneducated idiots who have not really given any thought into what we advocate. I find this odd.
ACT Govt launches review into civil surveillance
The ACT government has announced a review of the use and conduct of civil surveillance in the territory that could lead to Australia’s first law to allow victims to sue over privacy intrusions.
Finally, Foxtel launches full IPTV service
Pay TV giant Foxtel has launched an Internet streaming version of its service that will allow those with certain smart TVs, gaming consoles or generic personal computers connected to their TVs to access a large chunk of the company's content through the public Internet, without the normal requirement to have a Foxtel cable or satellite connection.
Leave Google’s tax alone, Victoria tells Federal Govt
Today Victoria's’s Technology Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips has gone into bat for technology giants such as Google, defending the search giant against the Federal Government’s attempts to make it pay a fair level of tax in Australia.
US doesn’t want Assange, says ambassador
Remember those high-handed statements and protests which erupted last week in Australia about the possibility of Australian citizen Julian Assange being extradited from Sweden to the US? Well, it turns out the US actually has no interest in extraditing the Wikileaks founder.
NBN election: Labor polling voters on Coalition’s NBN performance
The Australian Labor Party has started directly calling voters to ask whether the Abbott/Turnbull Government's handling of the National Broadband Network will influence how they vote at the upcoming Federal Election, in a sign Labor sees it as a key election issue.
Bronny Copter is here to save us from Bishop’s Choppergate
Tired of reading article after article about how Speaker of the House of Representatives Bronwyn Bishop should resign? Bored at work on a Thursday afternoon and need some diversion while the boss isn’t looking at your screen? Bronny Copter — an online game in the style of Flappy Bird from Melbourne developer Ricky Sullivan — is here to save you.
Labor deputy Plibersek backs data retention
Wondering how the MP widely considered likely to become the eventual next leader of the Australian Labor Party views the controversial data retention and surveillance issue? Wonder no more. Deputy Leader of the Opposition and former Health, Human Services and Housing Minister Tanya Plibersek is all for it.
Budde says he warned Turnbull about Optus HFC cable issue
Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde late last week said he publicly warned Malcolm Turnbull that the HFC cable network which the NBN company bought from Optus for $800 million was not suitable for use as part of the National Broadband Network, but that the Prime Minister had ignored the analysis, surrounding himself instead with "yes men".
The Senate NBN Committee should interview MyRepublic
The interjection by Singapore’s MyRepublic into Australia’s broadband debate this morning may have been inflammatory and used mildly offensive adult language. But there are some fundamentally good points being made by the upstart telco. The next step should be for the Senate’s NBN Committee to interview its chief executive in person.
Foxtel to launch first Internet piracy blocking attempt in early 2016
National pay TV operator Foxtel has reportedly confirmed plans to launch an attempt early in the near year to have a specific website allegedly hosting pirated film and TV content blocked, in what is expected to be the first test of new legislation designed to tackle Internet piracy.
Great example of how politics can destroy necessary IT projects
To my mind, this situation reflects the perfect example of politics interfering with sensible IT project delivery.
NBN overbuild based on “fairer competition”, says Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has issued a statement to the effect that the NBN company’s alleged “overbuilding” activities were based on regulatory decisions to ensure “fairer” competition in the broadband market that would allow the NBN company to compete with commercial providers.
Turnbull blames IBM, ABS for Census website failure
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has put some the blame for the failure of the Census website on the shoulders of IBM, saying the measures the firm put in place for the functioning of the site were "inadequate". However, the ABS also came in for some flak.
Holy cow: The Frustrated State was funded in only a week and I’m still...
This book will be a major step taken by Australia's technology community as we reboot our politicians' understanding of technology policy. It will not be the only step, but it will be one of the first. I look forward to taking it together with all of you.
“Aussies treated like second-class citizens”: Choice blasts US TV giants
Consumer watchdog Choice has issued a fiery statement accusing US content giants of giving Australians "a raw deal" when it comes to making television shows and films available in Australia, pointing out that Australians pay substantially more to access the same content and encouraging locals to use technical mechanisms to get around so-called "geo-blocking".
Turnbull NBN advisor leaves key facts out of MTM defence
An influential advisor to Malcolm Turnbull has published a spirited defence of the Coalition's controversial Multi-Technology Mix approach to the NBN, but without including key facts which show a stark difference between the MTM model and similar policies in comparable countries.
NBN staff nickname for HFC upgrade is “Operation Clusterfuck”, says Conroy
According to Labor Senator Stephen Conroy, even the NBN company's own staff have their doubts about the upgrade project.
The Inside Track: DataStart is much older and smarter than it looks
The truth is that those criticising DataStart as a lightweight program are off the mark. I like Stilgherrian, but in this case he's wrong. Behind the scenes, this initiative involves a great deal more than it appears to on the surface, and it wasn't put together overnight. It may never set the world on fire. But for a few Prime Minister keen to get some wins, DataStart may eventually turn out to be the little engine that could.
The iPhone 15 is (almost) unimaginable
With half the worlds population now connected by mobile phone and even short periods of time disconnected from the global network leaving many with withdrawal symptoms, the next stage of human evolution is approaching fast and if you're having trouble keeping up, look to nature.
NBN Co sets 150GB cap on long-term satellite access
The NBN company has proposed setting a series of caps on usage of its two satellites, with entry-level plans featuring a cap of 75GB per month and higher level plans offering between 100GB and 150GB per month.
Lucy Turnbull backs scheme to turn kids into entrepreneurs
Lucy Turnbull AO, wife of the Prime Minister, has become patron of an organisation called DICE Kids, which aims to turn Australia's kids into entrepreneurs.
Fact check: Turnbull misleads Q&A audience on NBN
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to have misled the ABC's Q&A program about key facts regarding the National Broadband Network project, repeating a set of common misconceptions about the initiative in response to a question on air last night.
‘War’ on tax avoidance overlooks some obvious legal fixes
This article is by Antony Ting, Associate Professor, University of Sydney. It originally appeared on The Conversation.
opinion/analysis The war on tax avoidance by multinational...
Australia’s Internet services slower in 2012 than 2011: Akamai
Australia’s average Internet speeds have decreased by 23% compared with a year ago, according to the latest quarterly figures from global content distribution network (CDN) giant Akamai.
Ministerial request: Conroy wants Section 313 transparency options
According to Computerworld, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has asked his department what can be done to provide more transparency around the government use of Section 313 notices under the Telecommunications Act (you know, the ones which financial regulator ASIC recently used to unilaterally block a cluster of websites).
Detailed analysis of NBN Co’s finances shows FTTP better value than FTTN
A researcher from Monash University has published a detailed analysis of the NBN company's costs which appears to show that Labor's technically superior Fibre to the Premises model represents better financial value than the Coalition's preferred Fibre to the Node technology only a scant few years after FTTP was deployed.
Amazon puts Aussie face on global Kindle store
Online retailer Amazon this morning revealed it had formally launched an Australian version of its popular online bookstore, putting a formal face on a service which millions of Australians have already been accessing for years and further supporting Australian authors to sell their books online locally.
Huawei thaws Coalition’s Chinese freeze
Huawei appears to have become increasingly successful at collaborating with senior figures in the Coalition, as the party gradually warms up to the Chinese manufacturer’s advances.
Shanghai to host latest tech startup ‘landing pad’
The Federal Government had announced that the host city for the latest startup 'landing pad' will be Shanghai, China's largest city
DHS issues due to ‘chronic’ IT underfunding, says union
Computer malfunctions and other issues at the Department of Human Services are due to "chronic and prolonged underfunding" according to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU).
Senate backs Greens motion for ‘refocus’ on electric cars in SA
The Senate has backed a motion from the Australian Greens calling on the government to "refocus" South Australia's car manufacturing industry on electric vehicles.
Attorney-General releases data retention grants list
The Federal Government has revealed the details of grants aimed to assist companies with the cost burden of compliance with data-retention legislation.
Watch: Conroy’s NBN transparency reform a “legislative stunt”, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has labelled Stephen Conroy's successful amendments to force a radical degree of transparency on the NBN company as being a "legislative stunt" from the Labor Senator he said was still serving as the defacto Shadow Communications Minister.
Govt reintroduces media reform legislation
The Federal Government has reintroduced its media reform bill to parliament, a move aimed to support the Australian media organisations in the face of increasing competition from less regulated services.
Government issues draft amendments to Copyright Act
The government has announced proposed changes that are designed to simplify and modernise Australia's copyright laws.
AFP questions Attorney-General for not switching off phone on plane
Oh, dear. It appears as though Australia's new Federal Attorney-General is at least as arrogant as the previous two. An article in the Daily Telegraph published late last week tells us that Mark Dreyfus, who replaced Nicola Roxon in the portfolio in February, refused to turn off his mobile phone in a recent flight and was subsequently met by the AFP when the plane landed.
NBN to hold HFC launch days before Election
The NBN company has revealed plans to hold a product launch just days before the upcoming Federal Election, in a move which has the potential to be interpreted as a breach of the Caretaker Conventions that govern the pre-election behaviour of public sector organisations.
Ludlam tables anti-data retention petition
Greens Communications spokesperson Scott Ludlam has tabled a petition in the Senate compiled by the Pirate Party which contains almost 1,500 signatures opposing proposed changes to national security legislation collectively known as the ‘National Security Inquiry’.
ABC embroiled in copyright debate over iview
The ABC has found itself caught up in a copyright debate after it forced the removal of an application that enabled people to download and watch programs offered on its iview service.
Unprecedented: Whole ICT sector combines to blockade TSSR bill
Four of Australia’s most important industry groups have joined forces to deliver an unprecedented and comprehensive rejection of the Government’s planned national security telco legislation, labelling the bill ineffective and adding burdensome regulation and costs on the private sector.
Parliament announces yet another inquiry into Australian innovation
The Australian Parliament’s Trade and Investment Growth Committee has announced a new innovation inquiry, despite a similar and rather delayed inquiry being due to report just next week.
Despite quick, cheap, legal option, Australia still top Games of Thrones pirating nation
Analysis by file-sharing news site TorrentFreak has shown that Australia continues to be the world's most enthusiastic nation globally in terms of illegally downloading HBO's hit TV series Game of Thrones, despite the fact that the series was made available legally, cheaply and in high quality in Australia shortly after it was broadcast in the US.
Turnbull rips copyright portfolio from Attorney-General’s Dept
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has ripped responsibility for copyright (including Internet piracy), classification and censorship matters out of the portfolio of Attorney-General George Brandis and allocated them to Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, in what appears to be a damning indictment of Brandis’ handling of the issues.
AUSTRAC tracks every AUD-Bitcoin conversion
The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) admitted in a Senate Estimates session in Canberra this week that it is literally tracking every conversion between Bitcoins and Australian dollars. Wow. Talk about privacy-invasive.
NBN Co rolling out “kilometres” of brand new copper to ensure FTTN actually works
The NBN company is deploying many “kilometres” of brand new copper in some areas to ensure that the Coalition’s Fibre to the Node model functions correctly, the Opposition said today, with Telstra’s copper network in such bad condition that up to “90 percent” of the copper needed to be repaired or replaced in some areas.
Fifield’s website goes down on first day as Comms Minister
Spare a thought for Senator Mitch Fifield. Just as the new Communications Minister was being sworn in at Government House in Canberra this morning, his web developer was apparently knocking his website offline for maintenance.
Defence graduate allegedly leaked secret info to 4chan
If you're a regular user of 4chan, then you're probably aware that the Internet board is notorious for the number of Internet subcultures and memes it has created. What you probably wouldn't expect to find on 4chan is classified Department of Defence documents.
iiNet, Internode implement Conroy’s new filter
National broadband provider iiNet and its subsidiary Internode have pledged to implement the limited child abuse Internet filtering scheme adopted as policy last week by the Federal Government, noting they had received independent legal advice advising them to comply with a new "compulsory" request by police to do so.
Google protecting pirates, says film giant
Film and entertainment giant Village Roadshow is decidedly unhappy with Google Australia for taking what the search giant believes is a realistic approach to dealing with Internet piracy. Go figure.
The Inside Track: New CVC model is NBN’s attempt to fix congestion issues
The new CVC pricing model announced by the NBN company this morning is at least partially an attempt to fix the peak hour congestion issues being experienced by early Fibre to the Node users. But only time will tell whether the attempt will succeed.
250,000 sites blocked: ASIC’s massive crackdown
Australia’s corporate regulator - ASIC - has admitted to another incident in which a website blocking request has lead to the inadvertent blocking of thousands of websites.
FTTN still causing massive outages in Newcastle, says Labor
The Coalition's Fibre to the Node technology is still causing substantial problems for the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Labor said today, with issues such as speeds slower than ADSL and substantial outages, even for residents who are not yet connected to the NBN.
61 agencies apply for metadata access
61 separate departments and agencies around Australia have petitioned the Attorney-General's Department to gain unwarranted access to Australians' metadata under the Government's Data Retention scheme, including minor organisations such as Bankstown City Council and the National Measurement Institute.
Telcos and Govt in TSSR “unity ticket”, claims Turnbull
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has claimed that the telecommunications industry and the Government are on a “unity ticket” with respect to the new tranche of national security-related telco reforms, despite sharp disagreement from the industry and a recent history of the Government ignoring industry concern on such issues.
Xenophon boycotts name details in census protest
Nick Xenophon, Independent Senator for South Australia, has said he will fight for the right to privacy by refusing to provide his name in the 2016 census, despite the risk of prosecution the protest will bring.
Labor targets Turnbull’s NBN record with election mailout
The Opposition has directly targeted the record of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the National Broadband Network project, in what appears to be the first of a new wave of mailouts to voters designed to influence its electoral results, mimicking its approach during the last Federal Election in mid-2013.
More Internet regulation unnecessary: Turnbull
Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a major speech arguing that government regulation is not the solution to societal challenges posed by the onset of new technology such as the Internet, in contrast to what he said was the Federal Government’s “command and control” approach to the medium.
Fixed Wireless NBN turns out worse than ADSL for some
It was supposed to be next-generation infrastructure which would make their old broadband connection obsolete. But for some connected to the NBN company's Fixed Wireless infrastructure, the performance of the platform is leading them to question whether their old ADSL broadband was actually a better option.
Global privacy group files formal ASD complaint
Global privacy organisation Privacy International has filed a formal complaint with Australia's Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security over a report that the Australian Signals Directorate had offered to hand over data on Australian citizens to foreign intelligence agencies.
ACT NBN rollout highly unfair, says Labor MP
Federal Labor Gai Brodtmann has strongly criticised the NBN company in Federal Parliament this week for its internal decision-making processes in relation to the Australian Capital Territory, which are seeing the company ignore broadband-starved areas in favour of overbuilding existing high-speed broadband networks.
Consumer advocacy group calls for independent assessment of TPP
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has called for an independent assessment of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement after the full text was released last week – months after the Australian government already agreed to its terms.
Immigration Dept creates innovation division to drive digital transformation
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has formed an innovation division to help accelerate the pace of its digital transformation.
High Court doesn’t feel the Optus vibe
The High Court has knocked back Optus' request to appeal its lost case against sporting groups the NRL, AFL and rival telco Telstra over Optus' TV Now cloud TV recording service, spelling the end of the ongoing legal action on the issue.
Analysts expect ‘unchained’ Turnbull to return NBN to FTTP model
Several of Australia’s telecommunications analysts have published statements noting they expect Malcolm Turnbull to reveal his ‘real’ views about the National Broadband Network project after taking the Prime Ministership and perhaps even return the project to a footing more based on its previous Fibre to the Premises technology.
Telstra calls for USO to be maintained
Telstra has said that the universal service obligation (USO), which guarantees that every Australian has reasonable access to a phone, should not be abandoned.
Truth: The Greens’ video game policy is a landmark strategy with a good chance...
The Greens' video game industry policy released this week represents the kind of landmark policy launch that the local industry has needed for the past decade. What's more, it has an excellent chance of actually becoming reality.
Rod Tucker’s right: Turnbull’s MTM model will leave Australia behind
University of Melbourne academic Rod Tucker attracted strident criticism this week for his claim that Malcolm Turnbull’s Multi-Technology Mix approach to the National Broadband Network will result in Australia remaining an “Internet backwater”. However, the unfortunate reality is that Tucker’s comments are all too accurate.
Iranian refugee goes from a ‘boat’ to working for Google Australia
Michael Ascharsobi arrived by boat in Australia as an asylum seeker. Now he works for Google and teaches at the University of Technology, Sydney. Not a bad effort -- not bad indeed.
ACT Govt to legalise ride-sharing
news The ACT Government this morning announced it would legalise and regulate ride-sharing services such as UberX, in the wake of a wide-ranging review...
GetUp! rejects Roxon’s “partisan spin”
Citizen lobbying organisation GetUp! has published a strongly worded rejection of a YouTube video published by Federal Attorney-General Nicola Roxon yesterday relating to the Government’s current data retention and surveillance proposal, describing Roxon’s video as “partisan spin” and highlighting what it said were inaccuracies in it.
“Victoria will decide”: Conroy on ‘Senator’ Julian Assange
In this brief video filmed at a doorstop press conference last week, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy -- a Senator for Victoria -- gives his reaction to the news that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has made an application to register the Wikileaks Party in Australia and will seek election in September as a Senator for Victoria.
Comms Minister skips Internet Australia meeting in home town
Internet Australia, the peak body representing Internet users, has expressed its disappointment that Communications Minister Mitch Fifield "missed an opportunity" to meet with his local digital and ICT community last week.