Justin Hendry

A research network that provides universities and industry with a direct link to Defence has become national with the addition of the Northern Territory’s Charles Darwin University. Charles Darwin University joined the Australian Defence Science and Universities Network (ADSUN) on Tuesday, giving the top end representation on the network for the first time. ADSUN connects Defence with the wider innovation and research community across Australia to ensure it has visibility of the technologies being developed at the country’s universities.

Australia’s two biggest telcos have delayed the shutdown of their 3G networks by a further two months, heeding the call of a parliamentary committee less than two weeks ago. Telstra and Optus announced the decision on Wednesday, setting 28 October as the new date for the start of 3G network closure that has been on the cards for almost five years. Both company's plan to use the extra time to conduct a public safety awareness campaign, described as “one last push” to notify the last impacted customers of the network closure.

A new register designed to block SMS messages from scammers that spoof legitimate senders will be rolled out across the economy after enabling legislation passed through federal Parliament. But the federal government remains undecided on whether the SMS Sender ID Register will be mandatory despite widespread in principle support from industry during a consultation earlier this year. The Telecommunications Amendment (SMS ID Register) Bill sailed through the Senate without amendment late on Thursday, having passed the House of Representatives early last week.

NSW’s slow-moving Innovation Blueprint is creating uncertainty in the startup capital, according to the opposition, which is calling for direction for the community of entrepreneurs and investors. Industry and Innovation minister Anoulack Chanthivong has been criticised for letting NSW “fall behind” Victoria and Queensland in innovation policy, with few details on the blueprint revealed during Budget Estimates last week. Mr Chanthivong told the hearing that “good policy takes time” but largely skirted questions on the status of the strategy intended to reset the state’s relationship with innovators after recent cuts.

The Queensland government has delivered a $53 million boost to the research and commercialisation of quantum technologies in support of PsiQuantum's endeavor to build the world’s first fault-tolerant, error-corrected quantum computer. Seven universities and the national science agency have secured funding in the state's largest-ever grants program for quantum computing, with a photonics chip fab and industry-accessible cryogenic facility among the research infrastructure to be set up. A national testbed will also be established, offering researchers and industry access to “small-scale quantum processors” to develop and optimise hardware, controls, error correction, novel computing designs and modes.

The New South Wales government will make all of its digital services accessible and inclusive by 2030 as part of a new strategy that also places a focus on building public trust amid the artificial intelligence boom. The strategy, to be released on Thursday, is the first from the Minns government and comes almost five years after the last ‘Beyond Digital’ strategy was launched by the former Coalition government. Customer Services and Digital Government minister Jihad Dib said the strategy “sets the direction” for world-class digital services that both strengthen communities and support economic growth amid a productivity slump.

Defence has deferred the cutover to its new enterprise resources planning system, further dragging out the mammoth SAP build amid the department’s latest push to eradicate legacy IT systems.InnovationAus.com can reveal Defence called the main release, described as the “backbone” of the entire ERP system, just days before a system freeze was due to take place. The 11-th hour decision on a go-live that has been a year in the making will further complicate an already complex project that is already expected to take another six years to complete and cost around $1.5 billion more than originally anticipated.

Breakthrough Victoria has invested $5 million in Conflux Technology, a Gelong-based startup 3D printing heat exchangers for the aerospace, defence and automotive industries. The investment, part of a wider $11 million Series B funding round announced on Tuesday, will see the Gelong-based company take on 39 new full-time staff as it pushes ahead in what is already a US$17.7 billion market.Existing Conflux investors Acorn Capital, a Victorian investment firm focused on emerging and microcap companies, and specialist German 3D printing venture capital firm AM Ventures also took part in the round.

Superannuation funds are facing growing calls to stump up more of their fast-growing $3.9 trillion wealth funds into early-stage tech, as local venture capital continues to lag behind that of the United States. But the longest serving director of AustralianSuper, the country's largest superannuation fund and one of the sector's biggest startup investors, says the super funds are not well structured for this kind of activity, nor is the sector any good at it. At the first Semiconductor Australia conference in Sydney on Thursday, deep tech companies, tech industry associations and leading brokerage firms all made the case for superannuation firms to play a bigger role in deep tech financing.

NSW public servants have been given the all clear to look past off-the-shelf technology and innovative new solutions in new guidance that makes it easier for agencies to try before they buy. The guidance intends to help public servants focus on finding a solution to a defined problem, unlocking more of the state’s more than $2.5 billion yearly tech spend to cutting-edge solutions. The ‘Test and Buy Innovation' approach, which lowers the bar to entry in procurement system otherwise dominated by rigid existing tender pathways, also stands to benefit small and medium-sized enterprises.