“Marvel of science”: First NBN satellite to launch 1 October this year
Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning revealed the first of two satellites planned for the National Broadband Network will launch on 1 October this year from French Guiana, describing the infrastructure as “literally a marvel of science”.
Labor slams data retention funding “uncertainties”
The Labor Opposition has hit out at the way the Government handled grant assistance for companies falling under the remit of new data retention regulation.
NBN satellite engineer wins Australia Day honours
One of the key engineers who helped guide the NBN company's first satellite into orders has been awarded Australia Day Honours.
“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.
“Burning ambition”: Brisbane launches digital economy strategy
It seems virtually everyone's getting on the whole "digital economy" bandwagon these days. The latest cab off the rank is Brisbane, which has appointed a chief digital officer and this week launched its new 'digita strategy'. Nice.
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.
Government to retain ownership of Canberra’s ICON network
The Federal Government has announced it will not sell off the Intra Government Communications Network (ICON) – a fibre network connecting public service buildings throughout Canberra.
Australia’s broadband ranking dive shows MTM right for NBN, says Fifield
A recent Akamai report showing that Australia has taken a deep slide downwards in global broadband rankings represents evidence that the Coalition's controversial Multi-Technology Mix approach is right for the National Broadband Network, Comms Minister Mitch Fifield said today.
Australian retailers online: Late to the party and much to do
Australian consumers are embracing digital commerce, but Australian retailers are failing to build long-term relationships with their customers online, according to new research.
Labor claims Turnbull’s innovation package may encourage tax rorts
Labor has claimed that the government's recently announced package of innovation measures is "rushed" and could have weaknesses that would lead to abuse of the taxation system.
Turnbull’s NBN “fundamentally unfair”, says Michelle Rowland
Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland has delivered a speech criticising the Coalition’s version of the National Broadband Network for not being “fair”, highlighting among other factors the fact that premises with inferior technologies such as Fibre to the Node will pay the same access charges as those on full fibre.
Digital Rights Watch group launches to fight for “free and open Internet”
A new advocacy organisation called Digital Rights Watch has launched with the aim of protecting the rights of Australian Internet users.
AFP monitoring phone data of MPs
When Greens Communications spokesperson Scott Ludlam said in January 2012 that he suspected law enforcement agencies of bugging his mobile phone, we criticised the Senator for making the claim without providing evidence of the claimed nefarious activity. But according to the ABC, the Australian Federal Police admitted in a Senate Estimates session this week that it had monitored various MPs’ communications.
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.
Victoria partners with Zendesk to boost Melbourne employment
Customer service platform provider Zendesk, Inc, has announced a new partnership with the Victorian Government that will create up to 175 new jobs in the state's developing tech industry.
The Inside Track: Behind the scenes of NBN Co’s Fibre on Demand program
So what's going on with the Technology Choice program? Is it still viable? Why are so few premises being connected? We'll try to present some answers to these questions in this article.
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.
CSIRO job cuts a ‘body blow to science’, says union
The Community and Public Sector Union has strongly criticised the federal government over the "mass axing" of 350 more scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
Pirate Party crowdfunds $10k for WA Senate
Yesterday digital rights-focused political party the Pirate Party Australia met its campaign funding target of $10,000 entirely through crowdfunding on local platform Pozible, in preparation for the WA Senate election on 5 April.
How to get around Australian geo-blocking
Frustrated that you can't watch Netflix because you've got an Australian IP address? Can't log into Hulu? It's a common problem, and one that many Australians find frustrating. However, due to the magic goodness of the Internet, there are ways around these kinds of headaches.
NSA spy scandal: Turnbull, Ludlam demand answers
Several of Australia's most high-profile politicians in the telecommunications portfolio have publicly demanded answers from the governments of the United States and Australia in the wake of news that the US National Security Agency had obtained open access to private data held by US technology giants such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft.
House Foxtel: Unbowed, Unbent and Unreasonable
The argument by pay television giant Foxtel that the launch of its new Play IPTV streaming video service will cause Australians' objections about the lack of legitimate access to popular shows such as Game of Thrones to "vanish" is nothing short of ridiculous and strongly indicates that the company still has no idea why the nation is so frustrated with it.
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.
Morrow predicts “NBN Generation” by 2020
By 2020, NBN Co expects Australia will be "the first country of our size" to make broadband access universal, according to Bill Morrow, the firm's CEO.
Rapper launches song slamming Turnbull’s FTTN network
A rapper called LLK recently released her first solo track, with lyrics that pull no punches in their criticism of the National Broadband Network's multi-mix technology policy.
Uber has paid out $600,000 in taxi fines in Victoria
To my mind, this action by Uber is something akin to corporate heroism. Its customers want to use its services, and so it is continuing to provide services that customers want, despite the fact that the Victorian Government is essentially trying to shut it down at the moment.
Assistant Minister Roy pitches innovation policy ‘hackathon’
If you follow Australia's technology startup scene at all, you are probably aware of the 'Startup Weekend' or 'hackathon' events that are regularly held across the country. It's a lot of fun and a great way to get involved in the tech startup community. So much fun, apparently, that the newly minted Assistant Minister for Innovation, Wyatt Roy, wants to bring the concept to the public policy debate over innovation.
Truth: A Labor Government will not roll back data retention
Those holding out hope that a Bill Shorten Labor administration would wind back the Orwellian Data Retention laws that Labor and the Coalition waved through Parliament last year should give up now: All indications are that Data Retention is here to stay.
Delimiter files FOI request for Data Retention agency ‘scope creep’ requests
Technology media outlet Delimiter today filed a Freedom of Information request for letters from public sector departments and agencies who are seeking to be added to the list of agencies authorised to access retained metadata under the Government's controversial Data Retention legislation.
Union slams job ads seeking Irish workers for NBN
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has strongly criticised employment advertisements for "copper jointers & copper gurus" that aim to bring individuals from Ireland to work on the NBN rollout.
NBN “exceeding targets”, says Government
The Federal Government has said that the National Broadband Network rollout is "exceeding its connection and financial targets", following the release of NBN Co’s latest full-year results.
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.
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.
Husic: Govt ‘ignoring’ concerns over equity crowdfunding bill
The Labor opposition has once again criticised the government's stance on its proposed equity crowdfunding legislation, which was introduced to Parliament in early December.
Greens get their surveillance inquiry
Following several unsuccessful attempts, the Greens have successfully moved a motion in the Senate to establish a formal inquiry into Internet surveillance, through a review that will take place into the controversial Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act.
Fifield knew about AFP NBN investigation from the start
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield today admitted he was told about the Australian Federal Police investigation launched in December into leaks from the NBN company, in a admission which directly contradicts a statement by the AFP Commissioner yesterday that the Government did not know of the investigation.
‘No apologies’: ASIC pledges to block more sites
The chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission last week said the regulator would not "apologise" for using an obscure section of the Telecommunications Act to block websites suspected of fraud, and stated that the organisation would continue to use the controversial power to block more sites.
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.
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.
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.
“Get on with it”: Ludlam tells Govt on data breach notification bill
Greens Deputy Leader and Senator Scott Ludlam has filed a Senate motion demanding the Government "get on with" its plans to introduce mandatory data breach legislation, pointing out that the concept had multi-partisan support and would be likely to pass Federal Parliament in quick order.
Qld Govt airs plans to boost electric vehicle uptake
The Queensland Government is developing a strategy aimed to "encourage and facilitate" electric vehicle (EV) uptake, according to the state's Energy Minister, Mark Bailey.
Insight: Morrow is misleading us about America’s gigabit FTTP appetite
The evidence indicates that NBN chief executive Bill Morrow is likely deliberately attempting to deceive the Australian public about America's appetite for high-speed fibre broadband.
Government finally opens G-NAF address dataset
The government has inked a deal with PSMA Ltd to release the firm's geo-coded National Address File (G-NAF) and its Administrative Boundaries datasets.
Senate to force TPP publication
The Greens and Labor teamed up in the Senate yesterday to successfully move a motion which would force the Coalition Government to table the text of the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement before Australia signs the treaty.
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.
US Chinese military charges a smokescreen for its own spying
In a surprising move, a US District Court has charged five members of the Chinese military with hacking six US companies to obtain commercial secrets over the last eight years. The move has been denounced by the Chinese government and the US Ambassador has been called to Beijing as a result.
Government issues draft amendments to Copyright Act
The government has announced proposed changes that are designed to simplify and modernise Australia's copyright laws.
Why the drop in illegal movie downloads in Australia?
This article is by Marc C-Scott, Lecturer in Screen Media, Victoria University. It originally appeared on The Conversation.
analysis There has been a decline in...
Labor raises “glaring omissions” in mobile blackspot funding
The Labor opposition has said that, while it supports the Government's pledge to add a further $60 million to the Mobile Black Spot Programme if reelected, allocation of funding across Australia is missing out areas that need it most.
Wikileaks Party deregistered due to lack of members
The short-lived political party formed around Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been deregistered by the Australian Electoral Commission after it fell short of the requirement to have 500 registered members.
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.
The Inside Track: The Coalition is strongly hinting it won’t support a FTTdp NBN
Fifield and Turnbull are clearly aware that Labor is likely to announce a FTTdp-based NBN policy in the near future. What we are very likely seeing here is the advance start of an effort by the Coalition to lay the groundwork for a strategy of disparaging a FTTdp-based NBN policy issued by Labor.
Political “untruths” poisoning the NBN, says Budde
Subjective political "untruths" have subverted the debate over the National Broadband Network policy, veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde said late last week, with "factual technical information" becoming polluted by false rationality.
Victorian Govt outlines new IT strategy
The Victorian Government has launched a new four-year strategy aimed to harness new digital technologies to "deliver modern services for the community".
Palantir exposed: Crikey reveals surveillance giant’s Aussie operations
According to a wide-ranging expose on Palantir Technologies published by Crikey, it has become clear that the firm is rapidly growing its operations down under.
Fifield misleads Senate on Labor’s NBN policy history
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield appears to have this afternoon inadvertently misled the Senate regarding the history of the Labor Party's National Broadband Network policy, falsely alleging that the party had not considered re-using existing network infrastructure during the development of the policy.
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.
Labor avoids all comment on that bothersome massive metadata expansion
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has not responded to a request for basic information on whether Labor will support adding any of the 61 agencies who have applied to the bipartisan data retention scheme which passed Parliament in 2015.
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.
Fletcher praises Turnbull’s “very competent” NBN stewardship
Government frontbencher Paul Fletcher has praised Malcolm Turnbull's stewardship of the National Broadband Network project in response to sustained criticism from the Opposition, stating yesterday that the project was on track and that Turnbull had done a "very competent" job of reforming it.
Roxon has paused data retention plans, says SMH
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the current AG Nicola Roxon may have come to see the light on the unpopularity of her department's current wide-reaching surveillance package currently before the Federal Parliament's Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
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.
Govt seeks substantial boost to surveillance powers
The Federal Government today revealed a wide-reaching program to substantially reform its telecommunications interception and surveillance powers with the aim of bolstering the ability of law enforcement organisations to fight crime, including the introduction of a so-called "data retention" scheme that has attracted a great deal of controversy in Australia under the 'OzLog' banner.
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.
Three senior telco commentators agree: Ziggy must be sacked
Three of Australia's most senior telecommunications commentators have agreed that NBN chair Ziggy Switkowski must resign or be sacked in the wake of confirmation that he deliberately breached the Caretaker Conventions during this year's Federal Election campaign.
Anti-piracy laws will increase piracy, says Budde
It's no secret that a large percentage of the technology sector thinks that the current proposal by Federal Attorney-General George Brandis (pictured) to crack down on Internet piracy will have little impact, given that most such attempts in the fast have broadly failed, and the commonly held belief that commercial avenues represent the best way to handle the situation. However, some commentators feel things will go still further. Veteran telecommunications analyst Paul Budde wrote this morning on his blog that he expects the anti-piracy measures to actually increase piracy.
Debunking the “cyber-security” hype
Crikey correspondent Bernard Keane has published an extensive, highly referenced article debunking eleven recent “cyber” attacks, in response to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's spate of announcements in the area yesterday and today.
Govt invests in big data, surveillance systems for AFP, ACC
The Coalition Government has announced it is to invest $2.6 million in a big data and surveillance projects for the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission.
Abandon all hope: Turnbull’s win screws the NBN permanently
Rumour has it that a number of NBN staffers have given the company's HFC cable upgrade the nickname 'Operation Clusterfuck'. Over the next decade, I can confidently predict that we will need to extend this label to the whole NBN project.
Even Telstra is not complying with the Data Retention legislation
Given that the Government's Data Retention legislation passed the Parliament some seven months ago, you would expect that Attorney-General George Brandis and his merry band at the Attorney-General's Department would have at least gotten all their ducks in a row at the nation's biggest Telstra. I mean, it would be an embarassment of epic proportions if even Telstra -- a multi-billion-dollar telco giant with about a million IT professionals on hand to help it with the implementation -- couldn't get this thing done. Right? Right?
Truth: Turnbull’s MTM decision is coming home to roost … financially
This is the unfortunate logical consequence of abandoning a model which had provided well-defined certainty and benefits for all concerned.
NBN in Tasmania “58% complete”
NBN Co has announced that passing of a "major construction milestone", with over half of Tasmanian premises now being able to connect to broadband services over the NBN network.
Watch: Labor ‘fooling itself’ on NBN “copper” delays, claims Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull yesterday accused the Opposition of 'fooling itself' with relation to significant delays revealed in the rollout of the Prime Minister's preferred Fibre to the Node technology, in a fraught Question Time in which Labor pursued Turnbull relentlessly on the National Broadband Network issue.
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".
Truth: Turnbull’s new Communications Minister is … Malcolm Turnbull
Seven days ago Malcolm Turnbull formally resigned as Communications Minister to take the top role from Tony Abbott. But yesterday’s Cabinet reshuffle reveals that upgrade to be an illusion: Our new PM will, in fact, retain direct control of his former portfolio through several able lieutenants who will do exactly as he bids.
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.
Xenophon wants Senate inquiry into cyber attacks following BoM breach
Independent Senator for South Australia, Nick Xenophon, has called for an urgent inquiry into cyber security following recent revelations that the Bureau of Meteorology’s systems have been breached, along with those of other government agencies.
Cryptographers issue belated complaint about Defence Trade Controls fix
Australian and international cryptographers have published statements noting they remain “deeply concerned” about Australian legislation that places some controls on research involving sensitive technologies such as encryption, despite several years of consultation resulting in recent multi-partisan moves to rectify flawed legislation first introduced in 2012.
Hockey pays “tribute” to Labor’s NBN project in final speech
One of the Coalition’s most vocal critics of the National Broadband Network, former Treasurer Joe Hockey, has used his final speech to Federal Parliament to praise the previous Labor Government for initiating the project, which he described as “a very significant commitment”.
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".
NBN company re-writes blog post to clarify copper condition
The NBN company appears to have slightly reworked a blog post it published yesterday defending the state of the copper network it is buying from Telstra, in effect removing its claim that it had not had to replace any copper to ensure the Coalition’s Fibre to the Node technology functioned correctly.
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".
Danish police accidentally filter Google, Facebook, 8,000 other sites
A “human error” carried out by the police resulted in thousands of websites being completely blocked at the DNS level yesterday. Danish visitors to around 8,000 sites including Google and Facebook were informed that the sites were being blocked by the country’s High Tech Crime Unit due to them offering child pornography, a situation which persisted for several hours.
BT follows NBN with ‘skinny’ fibre trials in UK
British telco BT has reportedly followed the NBN company in Australia and conducted trials of so-called 'skinny' fibre technology that could allow the telco to substantially cut the cost of deploying fibre throughout its network.
Fifield says Shorten’s FTTP NBN promise is “flaky”, uncosted
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has labelled a pledge by Bill Shorten to bring a "greater role" for Fibre to the Premises technology in the NBN as "flaky", saying the Opposition Leader did not specify exactly what the promise would cost and what it meant.
Telstra reaches “significant” mobile black spot milestone
Telstra has activated its 60th mobile base station under the Mobile Black Spot Programme, 60 weeks since the first round of locations were announced – a milestone that Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce called a "significant achievement".
Telstra Health will hold Australians’ cancer details, so we need to ensure their privacy...
Clearly, the cancer screening registry contract is only the first of the potential outsourcing of health programs. It creates a precedent that needs to be right.
ACCC still concerned about NBN/Telstra relationship
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has aired concerns over potential competition issues raised by the commercial relationship between Telstra and NBN Co.
WA FTTN launch marred as NBN leaves ‘node’ open to the elements
The official launch of the Coalition’s preferred Fibre to the Node technology in Western Australia last week appears to have suffered a minor setback, with one of the NBN company’s neighbourhood ‘nodes’ appearing to have been left with its door open, endangering the provision of broadband in its area.
Tech can help Australians achieve life goals, says NBN report
NBN Co has released a new report that takes a look at Australia’s top life goals and how technology can help us achieve them.
Labor MP tables anti-TPP petition with over 300,000 signatures
An anti-Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) petition with over 300,000 signatures has been has tabled before Parliament by Labor MP Melissa Parke.
Drastic govt measures needed: IT price hike report pulls no punches
The Federal Parliament committee examining IT price hikes in Australia has published an extensive report recommending a raft of drastic measures to deal with current practices in the area, which, the report says, are seeing Australians unfairly slugged with price increases of up to 50 percent on key technology goods and services.
‘Gross abuse of power’: IPA columnist condemns ASIC filtering
It seems that the move by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to unilaterally decide to start blocking websites it deems to have illegal material has outraged basically everyone with any interest in the Internet in Australia. Perhaps one of the most outraged is Chris Berg, a research fellow with the Institute of Public Affairs, a long-time advocate for free speech, and, dare we say it, a thorn in the side of powerful government authorities exceeding their mandate.
“Welcome to the 1940s”: Labor lampoons NBN Co for deploying new copper
The Australian Labor Party has lampooned the NBN company for its willingness to deploy brand new copper cables in some areas to ensure the Government’s Fibre to the Node model will succeed, welcoming the company back to the “1940’s”, when copper cables were regarded as state of the art technology.
NBN exceeds one million active users
NBN Co has announced that has exceeded its "core" targets for financial year 2016 and said the rollout of the National Broadband Network is "very much on track".
NBN Co overbuilding Turnbull’s 100Mbps FTTN election case study
The NBN company appears to be deploying its own competitive infrastructure to a housing estate in Sydney which Malcolm Turnbull specifically used during the 2013 Federal Election to highlight the strengths of his chosen Fibre to the Node technology.
Foxtel is about to go after The Pirate Bay
Foxtel has indicated it will shortly take to the courts to use brand new legislation to have websites allegedly infringing copyright blocked, with analysis of the company’s public statements on the issue indicating that popular file-sharing site The Pirate Bay is likely to be one of the pay television giant’s first targets.
Politicians to attend Parliament House innovation ‘boot camp’
Federal MPs and senators will learn about coding and novel uses of technology at an innovation 'boot camp' today in Parliament House organised by tech giant Intel, along with students from five Canberra schools.
“The greatest information-sharing tool in history”: Ludlam’s epic Internet ode to Aaron Swartz
The untimely death of US-based Internet entrepreneur and activist Aaron Swartz passed most in the Federal Parliament by without a murmur, but the deep-thinking Ludlam, ever the advocate of the power of the Internet for good (clearly, he’ll never be Attorney-General), paid attention, and gave this landmark speech in the Senate late in the evening on 6 February. We commend it to you in its entirely.
Bell Canada plans 10Gbps speeds for ‘easier to maintain’ FTTP
Canadian telco Bell Canada has revealed it is planning to extend its Fibre to the Premises network to some 2.2 million premises by the end of 2015, hyping the technology as being far easier to maintain than Fibre to the Node and also being capable of delivering 10Gbps speeds to customers by 2017.
Labor colleagues pay tribute to “visionary” Conroy
Labor politicians from across Australia have paid tribute to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate and longtime Victorian Senator, Stephen Conroy who announced his retirement from politics on Thursday.
Budde says Turnbull may announce FTTdp as NBN election policy
Veteran telco analyst Paul Budde this week said it was his view that the speed and cost advantages of the NBN's new Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp) model might lead Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to announce it as the Coalition's new NBN policy ahead of this year's Federal Election.
Turnbull has “no-one else to blame”, Labor says on NBN cost blow-outs
The Opposition has blamed the up to $15 billion National Broadband Network funding blow-out revealed this morning on “poor decisions” and “wrong assumptions” made by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull during his stewardship of the project, as the war of words between the major parties on the issue ramps up.
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.
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...
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.
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).
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.
Truth: The NBN’s two satellites will be nowhere near enough
The NBN company's radical overhaul of its satellite plans this week represents a very clear signal that even the 135Gbps of capacity that its two new birds will provide will not go anywhere near close enough to meeting the rapidly growing demand from rural and remote areas for high-speed broadband.
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.
NBN lowers peak funding prediction to $54bn
In its Corporate Plan 2017, released yesterday, NBN Co confirmed that it is still expecting to complete the broadband network on time, and predicted the peak cost of building the network would be $2bn lower than it expected last August.
FTTP NBN would cost $8.5bn more, claim ‘leaked’ Govt docs
A switch back to an all-fibre National Broadband Network would reportedly cost the Federal Government an extra $8.5 billion and potentially cause a wider Federal Budget black hole, according to a new set of documents which appear to have been leaked to the media late last week.
Labor open to surveillance discussion
The Australian Labor Party has given the first tentative sign that it may be open to working with the Greens on the terms of a wide-reaching parliamentary inquiry into electronic surveillance practices in Australia.
What now after the Dallas Buyers Club pirate claim is rejected as ‘surreal’?
Time and again, Australians have shown they are willing to pay for reasonably priced and accessible content. Copyright owners who try to extort money from downloaders are going about this the wrong way.
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.
First NBN FTTN services switched on in South Australia
Minister for Communications Mitch Fifield has jointly announced that the first NBN fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services have been switched-on in South Australia.
Attorney-General won’t confirm TSSR bill revamp
Attorney-General George Brandis has refused to confirm whether the Government will accede to the Opposition’s demand that it 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.
Aussie email provider FastMail says it is exempt from Data Retention law
Australian email provider FastMail has claimed it will not be subject to the Data Retention law which is shortly scheduled to come into force in Australia, due to the fact that it is not a telecommunications carrier and does not operate hosting infrastructure in Australia.
NBN HFC trial to start in November
The NBN company has revealed it will conduct a pilot trial of HFC cable technology on the National Broadband Network starting in November this year and lasting until March 2016, in a move which appears set to finally provide some hard data around the performance of the HFC networks the company is buying from Telstra and Optus.
Transfer pricing rules won’t affect Google tax
New legislation introduced by the Federal Government to stop multinationals such as Google from transferring profits out of Australia and evading local taxation won't have much effect on the search giant and similar Internet firms, it appears, despite statements by Communications Minister Stephen Conroy that they would.
“Breathtaking arrogance”: Labor slams Turnbull’s support for Ziggy breach
The Opposition has described Malcolm Turnbull's support for the decision by NBN chair Ziggy Switkowski to ignore the Caretaker Conventions as displaying "breathtaking arrogance", and having opened the door for public officials to display politically partisan behaviour during elections in future.
ASD goes rogue with Aussie metadata
Australia's peak electronic intelligence agency offered to share detailed information collected about ordinary Australian citizens with its major intelligence partners, the Guardian reported this morning, in moves that at least one high-profile lawyer says may have breached Australian law.
NBN reaches 1 million customer milestone
The Government has announced that the National Broadband Network (NBN) has now passed the 1 million customer mark.
Shorten says Govt has “bungled” the Census
While acknowledging that the Census "does a lot more good than harm", Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has said that the government has "bungled" 2016's official survey of the Australian population.
WA Govt to trial driverless electric bus
A staged trial of a driverless electric shuttle bus will take place in Western Australia later this year, according to the state government.
Most Australians now support MTM NBN, claims Morrow
The chief executive of the NBN company last week said that the debate over different technologies for the National Broadband Network was effectively over, with 'most' Australians having now accepted the rationale for the Coalition's technically inferior Multi-Technology Mix model for the network.
Smacking down online piracy; does New Zealand know best?
We know online piracy exists; we know governments want to stop it – but what are the options?
Fletcher praises Turnbull’s “fact-based” NBN approach
Malcolm Turnbull’s outgoing Parliamentary Secretary Paul Fletcher has publicly praised what he described as the new Prime Minister’s “fact-based” approach to revamping Labor’s National Broadband Network project over the past two years.
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.
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.
Delimiter files FOI request for ICON sale scoping study
Technology media outlet Delimiter today filed a Freedom of Information request for the 'scoping study' which has been carried out into the potential sale of the Federal Government's Intra Government Communications Network (ICON), a fibre network which connects public service buildings throughout Canberra.
Six more years: Ludlam on track for Senate win
Greens Communications Spokesperson Scott Ludlam looks set to be re-elected to the Senate for another six years in Western Australia's Senate by-election, with projections late on Saturday night showing the technology-focused politician had easily won a full Senate quota.
NBN changes mind again: Some HFC suburbs to get FTTN after all
The NBN company last week reportedly said it would deploy its Fibre to the Node rollout model to some areas already covered by HFC cable networks, in a move which appears to represent the second time the company has changes its policy on the issue.
NBN raids paint us as “Asian democratic backwater”, says Assange
The Australian Federal Police's NBN raids last night on Labor MPs and their staffers must not be tolerated and make Australia look like it has become an "Asian democratic backwater", WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in a statement this afternoon.
Snowden report calls out Australia’s inadequate privacy law
The revelations of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden have altered the way we think about accountability, transparency and the rule of law with regard to both the activities of security agencies and the value of privacy, according to a detailed report released this week. But this change in thinking has not led to practical reform, according to the report.
News Corp Australia vs the NBN: Is it really all about Foxtel?
In its arguments against the NBN, it would seem News Corp Australia’s campaign is less than wholly transparent in representing its own interests.
Truth: Yes, the Coalition will try to sell off the NBN
The truth about an eventual sale of the NBN is that, for a Coalition Government, it is truly only a matter of timing and political position. It is not a matter of if: Only a matter of when.
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.
Pirate Party to contest Rudd’s seat
The Pirate Party Australia has signalled it will contest the Griffith by-election for the seat of formr Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, in another sign that the party which has achieved electoral success in Europe on digital rights and civil liberties issues is increasingly serious about gaining a higher slice of the popular vote in Australia.
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.
The politics of unshackling the NBN from politics
A long-term industry has been shackled to three-year political terms for far too long. The only way to unshackle NBN from politics is to get government out of the marketplace where it exists. Of course, the legacy of sunk costs will make this difficult. But by the time we stop bickering about the latest lot of reports, it will be time to deal with the next communications technology problem.
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.
MyNetFone blasts Labor, Coalition for ignoring NBN congestion
MyNetFone, the provider of hosted voice and data communications services, has hit out at both the Coalition Government and Labor, saying neither has addressed the "inadequacies" of the NBN’s commercial model in their election pledges.
Australia gets “deluge” of data from PRISM, claims Fairfax
For those of you wondering just how much access the Australian Government has access to from the US Government's controversial PRISM spying program? Wonder no more. According to The Age, it's bucketloads -- enough that the Government has had to build a new datacentre to contain it.
“No evidence” Aussie banks boycotting Apple Pay, claims RBA Governor
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Glenn Stevens has claimed in a letter to a Labor MP that he has not seen "any evidence" that Australia's major banks are actively boycotting the Apple Pay mobile payments service, despite the fact that only American Express has signed up to the service in Australia.
Senate committee recommends ‘take down’ legislation over revenge porn
A new report from the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee has recommended that government be given powers to take down 'non-consensual sharing of intimate images', otherwise known as 'revenge porn'.
Turnbull partners with Pollenizer on data startup plan
An open data initiative named DataStart has been brought about by the collaboration of Malcolm Turnbull's Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet with an established Australian incubator, Pollenizer, to support data-driven innovation in Australia.
Victoria partners with Oxford Uni on new cyber-security centre
The Victorian Government has inked a deal that will see Oxford University’s Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre (GCSCC) establish its first ever international office in Melbourne.
Truth: Google Fiber shows how great a FTTP NBN could be
Labor's original version of the NBN would have delivered the broadband capability which the global technology industry agrees will be needed for the future. It would have done so in the public interest, with the aim of delivering nation-building infrastructure, and it would have done so using a unified technology platform: The best technology platform.
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.
NBN calls for ‘experienced technicians’ to help with Tassie rollout
The NBN company has called for experienced telecoms technicians and workers to assist the network rollout in Tasmania during 2016 and beyond.
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.
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.
Digital Transformation Office adds Sydney digs as formal hiring campaign kicks off
The Federal Government’s Digital Transformation Office has revealed plans to locate a small office on-campus at the University of Technology Sydney, as well as embarking on a rapid hiring campaign in which it will seek the best Australian technologists to help deliver lasting changing in government IT service delivery.
Home truths: Baxter points out how ridiculous NBN speed tiers truly are
One of Australia's most successful and experienced technology entrepreneurs has published an extraordinary analysis of the NBN company's technical model, highlighting the sheer stupidity of speed tiers on a fiber network which offers essentially unlimited speeds, as well as a wide range of other obvious problems.
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.
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.
Truth: Turnbull’s NBN mess cost him dearly in the Election
The evidence shows that Malcolm Turnbull's tragic destruction of the National Broadband Network project was a key factor in the Member for Wentworth coming to the brink of losing what should have been an unlosable election for the Coalition.
Dallas Buyers Club won’t appeal piracy ruling, but may still seek large damages
In essence, what we’re seeing here is that Dallas Buyers Club and Marque Lawyers have decided to more or less accept Justice Perram’s ruling, but may be seeking to reword their approach to alleged copyright infringers to still target them for facilitating uploading of content online (as occurs in a BitTorrent situation, for example), rather than merely targeting them for downloading material.
Fibre speeds “amazing”, but Bernardi slams “hopeless” NBN installers
Conservative Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi has labelled the performance of his his new National Broadband Network fibre connection as “quite amazing”, but has slammed the NBN company for a bungled installation which required repeated visits to get the connection running.
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.
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.
Is the CSIRO a patent troll? US debate turns feral
An extremely harsh war of words between Australian and international technologists has erupted over a controversial new article published in the United States documenting evidence that Australia's peak research body's $430 million patent claim over 802.11 Wi-Fi technology might have been constructed on shaky ground.
iiNet’s Hollywood ending: what does its court victory mean for copyright law?
In what is being billed as iiNet versus Hollywood, the Australian internet service provider has come out an apparent winner after the High Court dismissed a copyright infringement case brought by industry movie studios. Nicolas Suzor, lecturer, Faculty of Law at Queensland University of Technology, explains the decision and what it means.
Abbott thinks coding is a waste of time but Wyatt Roy still dragged him...
In which Tony Abbott attends Startup Weekend Brisbane, flanked by LNP MPs Wyatt Roy and Teresa Gambaro.
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.
Australia not ready for driverless cars, says National Transport Commission
The National Transport Commission has released a discussion paper that cites a number of barriers to increased vehicle automation and concludes that Australia is not yet ready for driverless cars.
Australian court holds Google responsible for linking to defamatory websites
The South Australian Supreme Court this week found that Google is legally responsible when its search results link to defamatory content on the web.
Govt censors pre-prepared data retention bills
The Federal Attorney-General’s Department has rejected a request by the Pirate Party of Australia to release draft legislation associated with the Government’s controversial data retention and surveillance proposal, with the department stating that public interest factors did not outweigh the need to keep the material private as it was still being deliberated on.
NBN Sky Muster broadband will be “world leading”, says Ovum report
Telecoms research firm Ovum has announced that the NBN Sky Muster satellite broadband service will be a "world leader" in its market.
NBN Co delays FTTN rollout for further testing
The National Broadband Network company has acknowledged it is significantly delaying its rollout of Fibre to the Node technology in order to better test its own systems involved in the deployment, as debate continues to swirl around the controversial broadband rollout style.
Global hacker crackdown hits Aussies
Picked up a copy of the 'Blackshades' remote administration tool recently? You may be on the FBI's target list. The Wall Street Journal reports in the US over the weekend that US authorities have worked with law enforcement authorities in a range of countries to raid the homes of those who have been using the software.
Assange’s mum confirms he will run for Senate
Julian Assange's mum has confirmed he will run for the Australian Senate in this year's Federal Election, claiming that he will be "awesome".
Google ploughs $1m into Australian tech education
Good news from the Googleplex this morning. Google Australia has decided to take some of the hard-earned money that it's been piping through Singapore to avoid paying tax in Australia and decided to plough it back into directly funding the development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) skills in Australia.
Julie Bishop wants to store Australian passports in “the cloud”
With Malcolm Turnbull's ascension to the Prime Ministership, sometimes your writer feels as though the whole Federal Government has gone technology-mad. It's a good feeling -- so much is being discussed at high levels that the technology sector has been trying to get on the table for years -- but things are also getting deeply, deeply weird.
Mike Quigley to join NBN election debate
The founding chief executive of the NBN company, Mike Quigley will publicly discuss the history of the National Broadband Network as well as the various options for its future, in a major speech to be held just over a week before this year's Federal Election on 2 July.
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.
Why #NatSecInquiry is filling me with worry
This inquiry, and any proposals that stem from it, should be looked at very closely and any expansion of powers of the state put forward should be fought.
No plans for specific ASD intelligence inquiry, says Inspector-General
Australia's Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security has stated they have no plans to initiate a specific inquiry to examine allegations the Australian Signals Directorate had offered to share data about Australian citizens with foreign intelligence agencies, stating they believe current oversight of the ASD to be "sufficient".
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.
Governments undermining encryption will do more harm than good
Western governments, notably the UK and the US, are pushing the software industry to open “backdoors” into our encrypted communications.
Telstra still upgrading the HFC network it is selling to NBN Co
The nation's largest telco Telstra has revealed it will invest a significant amount of capital upgrading the HFC cable network it has contracted to sell to the NBN company, in a move which raises questions about the long-term future of the network.
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.
New policy: Labor would dump FTTN for FTTP, keep HFC
The Opposition today released a new National Broadband Network policy for the Federal Election, with Labor committing to dumping the Coalition's Fibre to the Node plans and supporting Fibre to the Premises instead, but keeping the other HFC cable, satellite and wireless aspects of the current plan.
Doubts remain about NBN Gigabit HFC upgrade
Questions have continued to arise about whether nbn’s planned Gigabit upgrade of the HFC cable networks it is acquiring from Telstra and Optus will be able to deliver on its speed promises, with a number of telecommunications industry sources pouring cold water on the long-term capacity of the ageing networks.
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.
Federal Parliament to hold first TPP hearing today
Federal Parliament is to commence its examination of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) at a public hearing on Monday in Canberra.
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.
AFP raids Parliament House over NBN leaks
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed a raid on Parliament House yesterday in relation to its investigation into the alleged unauthorised disclosure of Commonwealth information relating to NBN Co.
Turnbull establishes advisory panel to boost Australian FinTech
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has established an expert advisory group aimed at making Australia the leading FinTech market in the Asia-Pacific region.
Netflix’s House of Cards hits Foxtel; and Foxtel only
Netflix's remake of the popular British TV series House of Cards is set to debut in Australia on the on-demand platforms of local pay TV giant Foxtel, the company revealed this morning, as debate continues to swirl about the timeliness of US content releases in Australia.
Fifield attacks Labor NBN “deceit” in record short press conference
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this afternoon attacked what he said was the "deceit" inherent in Labor's new National Broadband Network policy, in a brief press conference in Melbourne which appeared to last less than ten minutes.
Budget 2016: StartupAUS says it’s a “disappointment”
StartupAUS, an advocacy group, has cautiously welcomed some announcements made in the Federal Government’s 2016 Budget, but said that overall it was a "disappointment for startups".
Truth: Turnbull’s innovation policy is the Hail Mary, slam dunk moment Australian technologists have...
Truly, the wind has changed in Canberra. It will be exhilarating to see just how far an unleashed Australian technology sector can go.
“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.
Poll: Support for Labor’s NBN dives as Turnbull seen as strong Minister
New polling data released over the past several weeks has shown that national support for Labor’s version of the National Broadband Network is weakening, in the context that Australians appear to strongly approve of the job that Malcolm Turnbull is doing as Communications Minister.
Photos: Nodes Behaving Badly (when FTTN placement goes wrong)
Today, Delimiter is proud to present a photo gallery entitled Nodes Behaving Badly, in which we highlight some of the worst Fibre to the Node infrastructure placement that Australia has to offer.
Labor unveils strong Digital Economy push with top political support
The Australian Labor Party has created a new internal policy group focused on building a “new economy” through fostering innovation, startups and entrepreneurs, in a move that appears to have support from the highest political levels within the party.
IT price hike inquiry will approach record labels
How seriously can we take Apple Australia managing director Anthony King's claim that Apple doesn't have anything to do with setting digital content prices in Australia through the company's iTunes store? I guess we're about to find out.
Ludlam to do Reddit AMA this Wednesday night
Just a very brief message to let y'all know that Greens Senator, Communications Spokesperson and William Gibson fan Scott Ludlam is planning to open up his world to all and sundry this Wednesday night -- 15 May, from 7:30 to 9PM, for a Reddit AMA ('Ask Me Anything') session.
“Extraordinary innovation” happening in copper broadband, says Nokia chief
A senior Nokia executive this week said that "extraordinary innovation" is happening in copper broadband technology, in comments that will likely boost the case for the Government's mixed technology policy on the NBN.
XG.FAST won’t obviate need for copper replacement, says Internet Australia
Following NBN Co's announcement that it is to commence trials of XG.FAST – a new technology said to deliver fibre-equivalent broadband speeds over copper – Internet Australia has said, even if the claims hold true, the network may still need updating to fibre in the future.
Assange to get asylum in Ecuador
Australian citizen and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will shortly be granted asylum in Ecuador, according to the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Choice wants geo-IP blocking abolished
One of Australia's peak consumer groups has recommended the Federal Government investigate whether region-coding and charging Australians higher prices for products based on Internet IP address should be banned, in the context of an investigation which has found little justification for average Australian price hikes of 50 percent on technology goods.
NBN FTTN kills off ADSL for metro customer, to be replaced with satellite
The NBN company has confirmed plans to terminate the ADSL connection of a customer living in metropolitan Adelaide and replace it with a high-latency satellite connection, due to the installation of Fibre to the Node services to neighbours in the same street.
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.
Labor has 60 complaints from congested FTTN users who want their ADSL back
The Opposition said this week that it has received about 60 complaints from early adopters of the Government's preferred Fibre to the Node NBN rollout model, many of whom were receiving such poor service that they would prefer to have their original ADSL broadband back.
Infrastructure Australia reveals almost no specific basis for NBN privatisation push
Infrastructure Australia has revealed it did not consult more than a handful of sources or organisations when making its recommendation in mid-February that the National Broadband Network be split up into pieces and sold off to the private sector.
With Bradley Manning convicted, what now for Julian Assange?
Bradley Manning’s conviction for espionage marks the closing stages in the US Army private’s personal battle. Yet for Julian Assange, founder of whistleblower website WikiLeaks and Australian Senate candidate, Manning is but a casualty in a much grander mission.
Wyatt Roy’s innovation policy hack day will be Saturday week in Sydney
Remember how Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy publicly discussed the possibility of holding an innovation policy ‘hackathon’ to generate new policy ideas to help develop Australia’s economy into an innovation powerhouse? Well it’s already organised, and it’ll be Saturday week in Sydney, with tech accelerator BlueChilli doing much of the organising.
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.
“Extortion”: Pirate Party slams piracy letters
The Pirate Party of Australia has described as "extortion as a business model" action by a Sydney-based law firm which has seen Australian ISPs issued with a series of letters requesting they hand over the details of users who have allegedly used peer to peer file sharing platforms to pirate content owned by the firm's clients.
Labor pledges to go after Apple for “extraordinary” tax habits
The Federal Opposition this week pledged to force tech companies like Apple and Google to pay their "fair share of tax in Australia", with Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare describing Apple Australia's claim that it should only pay $85 million of tax on local revenues of almost $8 billion as "extraordinary".
Labor slams Turnbull’s record on tackling multinational tax avoidance
Shadow Assistant Treasurer Andrew Leigh has slammed Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's record on tackling multinational tax avoidance, following a massive leak of documents from a Panamanian legal firm.
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.
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.
Bill Ferris appointed chair of Innovation Australia
The founder of Australia's first venture capital company, Bill Ferris, AC, has been appointed Chair of Innovation Australia.
Digital Transformation Office announces ambitious work program
The Federal Government’s Digital Transformation Office has announced its work program over the initial period of its operation, listing a number of thorny problems that have been plaguing Australians for some time in terms of their interaction with the Federal Government.
What will the National Broadband Network really cost?
It’s worth looking more closely at cost difference between FTTP and FTTN to see if the claimed A$84 billion to A$56 billion maximum cost comparison stacks up, and see where Labor’s new half-way solution sits.
Turnbull concerned by Google, Amazon tax offshoring
International technology companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon may not be paying their fair share of Australian tax, Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull said this week, with local tax laws not having caught up yet with the challenges of the digital environment.
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.
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.
Govt’s MyHealth Record scheme a “privacy disaster”, warns Privacy Foundation
The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has warned that the Federal Government’s
MyHealth Record system is a "privacy disaster waiting to happen".
ACCC knocks back banks’ anti-Apple ‘cartel’ request … for now
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has said it has decided not to grant four of Australia's biggest banks interim authorisation to "collectively bargain" with Apple over the terms of any partnership involving the tech giant's Apple Pay product.
Union slams Telstra health records deal
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) has criticised the Coalition Government for its decision to put a private company in charge of the management of confidential and highly sensitive health records for thousands of Australians.
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.
Internet filter scope creep: Govt may censor offshore gambling sites
The Federal Government is considering extending its covert Internet filtering scheme to block offshore gambling websites, in a 'scope creep' move that has the telecommunications industry up in arms about the dangers of secretive Internet censorship.
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).
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...
Will Australia’s digital divide – fast for the city, slow in the country –...
As the Productivity Commission grapples with the question of what the USO should look like in 2016 it will really need to consider what it should look like in a decade or two. This question will challenge the Commission’s rationalist economic predilections.
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.
Fifield asks again: Which NBN policy do Australians have more confidence in?
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has again invited Australians to comment on whether they would prefer the Coalition or Labor versions of the National Broadband Network, defending the Coalition's Multi-Technology Mix from criticism by Labor and conservative commentator Andrew Bolt.
Labor backs Govt’s new Joint NBN Committee
The Federal Government has formed a joint standing committee that will oversee the rollout of the National Broadband Network until it is completed, likely in 2020.
NSW wants to ban smartphone, tablets, from courts
The New South Wales State Government has flagged plans to amend court security legislation to ban the use of devices such as smartphones and tablets to communicate events inside courtrooms to those outside, in a move that could squash see a trend towards using Twitter to report court events live.
NBN CEO won’t talk South Brisbane, TransACT
The chief executive of the NBN company has flatly refused to comment on contentious situations with relation to the company's rollout in the South Brisbane and Canberra areas, where it appears to be overbuilding existing open access high-speed broadband infrastructure.
Ludlam holds Senate seat in recount; But possible by-election looms
Greens Communications Spokesman Scott Ludlam has held his Senate seat in Western Australia following a controversial recount of the state's Senate vote in September's Federal Election, but the result is likely to be formally challenged by the rival Palmer United Party and may head to a by election because of the loss of 1,375 crucial votes.
Individuals not the priority in the Cyber Security Strategy
The Cyber Security Strategy announced today by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull clearly places a high priority on protecting Australian government systems from foreign powers. But when it comes to protecting citizens' personal information, it appears to be rather a mixed bag.
“Fantasy fibre”: Coalition explicitly rejects NBN FTTdp model
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has broken cover to openly slam a Fibre to the Distribution Point (FTTdp) model for the National Broadband Network, in the first explicit sign that the Coalition will not substantially modify its NBN model for the Federal Election.
Budget 2016: Major Police IT projects win funding
Commonwealth law enforcement agencies such as the Australian Federal Police and Crimtrac have won big in this year's Federal Budget in terms of their IT infrastructure programs, with the Government greenlighting a series of major initiatives.
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.
Roxon conflates cyber-bullies, protests, data retention
Nicola Roxon has publicly linked the religious protests held in Sydney last week over a YouTube video and the issue of cyber-bullying to the Federal Government's wide-ranging packaging of surveillance and data retention measures, in what the Federal Attorney-General stated was "a lot of different trends coming together".
Quickflix leadership decimated as losses mount
Online DVD rental and Internet media company Quickflix this week revealed a series of senior leadership losses including the representative of investor HBO, as the company continues to burn through cash and seek further funding to continue its operations.
How to fix NBN Fixed Wireless: Install a roof antenna extension
Having trouble with your NBN Fixed Wireless connection? The solution may be simple: Install a 'mast' on the roof of your premises that will boost your antenna higher than nearby trees. It sounds stupid, but it's done the trick for some -- and it may fix your connection too.
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.
Introducing Australia’s (eventual) game classification system
Those of you with a long memory will recall that Australia’s video game classification systems hasn’t precisely always been without controversy. Well, in what looks like a good move on the surface, Australia appears set to join a new international system for video game classification.
Fact Check: Is ridesharing no safer than hitchhiking?
The claim that ridesharing is no safer than hitchhiking is not supported by empirical data. Much of the data used by critics of Uber rely on anecdotal data and media reports to support their view ridesharing puts passengers at personal risk.
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.
Politicians flood launch of #fintech hub Stone & Chalk
blog Sydney-based financial technology startup hub Stone & Chalk launched last night to great fanfare, with a solid wedge of politicians from both major...
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.
Australian commentary on Aaron Swartz
Many of you will be aware that earlier this month one of the Internet's brightest young stars, Aaron Swartz, was tragically lost. And due to his global influence, a number of Australian writers have penned pieces discussing the themes of his life.
Turnbull wants whole Cabinet to use Slack
We knew that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was a technophile, but I suspect many of us didn't quite appreciate how focused on technology the Member for Wentworth truly is.
AFP FOI review keeps filter info secret
An internal review has backed a decision by the Australian Federal Police to prevent the public from ascertaining the identities of ISPs participating in the Federal Government’s voluntary filter scheme for child abuse materials, through supporting the redaction of the ISPs’ details from relevant documents released under Freedom of Information laws.
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.
NBN controversy mars Turnbull’s innovation launch
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was this morning forced to answer questions about the Coalition's controversial National Broadband Network policy, in the context that his much-hyped Innovation and Science Agenda released today barely mentions the foundational infrastructure it will rely on.
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?
FoI activists mock Conroy’s big red button
Some of the more high-profile members of Australia’s Internet community are currently waging something of a war against Stephen Conroy's big red cybersafety button through filing Freedom of Information requests about it, presumably to demonstrate the Government’s ineptitude in implementing the project.
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.
‘Presto’: Foxtel launches movies on demand
National pay TV giant Foxtel has launched a new online service dubbed 'Presto', which will see consumers charged $24.99 per month to access "a regularly updating collection of great films", all streamed through the Internet, as opposed to its existing pay TV platform.
Govt creates new digital agency to fix e-health issues
The government is seeking a CEO to head the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) – a newly created body set up to revamp the underachieving My Health Record initiative.
Attorney-General rejects metadata warrants: ‘Law enforcement would grind to a halt’
Australia's Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has made the extraordinary declaration that Australian law enforcement in Australia "would grind to a halt" if police officers and other law enforcement agents were forced to apply for a warrant every time they wanted to access Australians' telecommunications data.
Snowden ‘shamefully betrayed’ USA: Bishop
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has heavily criticised NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden during a visit to the United States.
“Fibre witch-hunt”: Budde says MTM defenders getting “desperate”
Independent telecommunications consultant Paul Budde has said that defenders of multi-technology mix (MTM) are getting "more and more desperate" in their defence of the fibre to the node (FTTN) model used for the NBN.
WikiLeaks Party implodes, candidates quit
WikiLeaks Senate candidate Leslie Cannold quits the party, alleging impropriety in its internal processes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“No debate”: Australia needs “gigabit” fibre, says Atlassian co-founder
Billionaire software mogul Mike Cannon-Brookes last night stated that there was "no debate" about Australia's need for "gigabit fiber", in comments that come in direct contrast to controversial statements made on the topic last week by the chief executive of the National Broadband Network.
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.
NAB’s Bitcoin ban a symptom of the digital currency threat
Virtual currency Bitcoin is not a subject that ever draws neutral reactions. Against those who see the radical possibilities of a frictionless payment system designed for the internet, there is a growing resistance to the currencies that threaten existing business models and the perceived traceability of our current currency systems.
Fifield hits out at Labor over AFP raid comments
Mitch Fifield, Federal Minister for Communications, has hit out at the Labor Opposition following comments made by Senator Stephen Conroy following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) search at Parliament House on 23 August.
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.
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.
Privacy Foundation outlines ‘major concerns’ with opt-out e-Health scheme
The Australian Privacy Foundation (APF) has aired “major concerns” with the Personally Controlled eHealth Record (PCEHR) system and the government's proposals to make it an ‘opt-out’ scheme.
‘Appalling treatment’: Vic IT minister to take Ross’s cause to ABC MD
Victoria's Innovation Minister has described the ABC's treatment of its former technology editor Nick Ross as "appalling" and has expressed a desire to meet with the journalist and take his case directly to the managing director of the broadcaster.
It’s time to future-proof Australia’s copyright laws for the 21st century
The proposed reforms will enhance consumer rights, competition policy, access to knowledge and Australia’s ambitious National Innovation and Science Agenda and “ideas boom”.
Time to kill paper ballots? First, let’s look at the alternatives
The loss of the West Australian ballots is a serious breach of electoral integrity, and one that must be thoroughly investigated to identify what went wrong. But amidst all the party-driven hysteria, it’s important to remember that no system is entirely fail-safe, and the risks posed by electronic or internet voting are potentially far more serious than this isolated incident.
NBN rejects analysis: FTTP rollout to take “significantly longer”
The NBN company has called into question the validity of a detailed value analysis by a Monash University researcher, stating that a full Fibre to the Premises rollout would take significantly longer to achieve in Australia than its current Multi-Technology Mix model.
Sexism and douche-baggery in the hackersphere
Australian online technology activist Asher Wolf slams elements of the hackersphere which she says have been demonstrating sexism.
Government closes in on legislation over serious data breaches
The government has released an exposure draft of a bill that will define what it considers a 'serious' data breach and place notification requirements on some businesses or organisations should they suffer from such an attack.
Europe’s data retention story not clear cut
Over the past several weeks Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has publicly compared the Federal Government’s controversial data retention proposal to a similar system enacted in Europe. But the truth is that Europe’s data protection bureaucrat has heavily criticised the scheme, and a number of countries have struck it down as being unconstitutional.
Australia falls in global digital competitiveness rankings
Australia has slipped from 16th to 18th place in the global digital competitiveness rankings, according to the latest annual report from the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Internet Australia raises concerns over ‘hidden consequences’ of TPP
Internet Australia, an organisation that represents Internet users, has called for "widespread debate" on all the provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, especially those that could have “hidden consequences”.
Turnbull’s NBN “hardly on target”, says Labor
The Australian Labor Party has criticised a Government statement saying NBN Co has "exceeded" its targets for the financial year 2016, suggesting that the national broadband network is actually "hardly on target".
ACS releases ICT election “manifesto”
The Australian Computer Society (ACS), an advocacy group for Australia’s ICT professionals, has released what it is calling its "Federal Election Manifesto", setting out five key policy areas it says must be addressed if Australia is to "secure its economic future in the information age".
“Desperate” Labor misrepresenting FTTP cost, says Fifield
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield this morning said an increasingly "desperate" Opposition was "misrepresenting" the cost of the NBN company deploying Labor's preferred Fibre to the Premises model, in response to new documents leaked from the NBN company this morning.
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.
Australia woefully unprepared for “digital revolution”, says Westpac CIO
Westpac’s top technologist has issued a sharp warning to the nation’s corporate, educational and political sectors, placing them on notice that Australia is not prepared for the ongoing digital revolution that will see many workplaces completely shaken up and jobs taken by computers.
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.
eBay Australia hands seller details to Govt
Online auction house eBay has reportedly handed over the details of thousands of its Australian sellers, as part of an initiative by the Federal Government's Human Services Department (which houses welfare agency Centrelink) to target those it suspects of cheating the welfare system.
Pirate Party ACT registration not a failure
Pirate Party Australia failed a recent attempt to register their Australian Capital Territory branch. But media reports about the issue don't tell the whole story.
Data Retention requests almost tripled in 2015
Well, we knew Australia's law enforcement and government agencies were keen on accessing Australians' metadata, but until this week we didn't know quite how keen they were.
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.
Labor needs “a good explanation” to change NBN, says Morrow
The chief executive of the NBN company has made an extraordinary intervention into the pre-election national political debate over the National Broadband Network, warning Labor that it would need "a good explanation" to change the NBN model imposed by the Coalition.
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.
Music industry moves to block KickassTorrents over piracy concerns
Members of Australia's music industry have teamed up to block peer-to-peer file-sharing site KickassTorrents over piracy concerns.
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.
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.
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.