The course will be offered through Swinburne’s Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE) as part of the Master of Digital Business Management (MDBM) degree.

Swinburne expects between 35 to 50 students to enrol in the new unit throughout 2018.

Course director Dr Paul Scifleet said the course will focus on creating "data literate" managers rather than merely a production line for data scientists.

In an on-stage interview with UNSW Scientia Professor Toby Walsh, Cerf expressed growing unease over a looming “digital dark age”, urging a global effort to help curate, preserve, and ensure open access to data assets for future generations.

“We have a big problem – I call it the digital dark age – in that we don’t curate our digital content with much care until we realise it’s too late,” Cerf said.

Three local manufacturers will be contracted to deliver specialist military hardware to the Australian Defence Forces: Aerospace and Mechanical Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd, Unmanned Aerial Systems Pty Ltd, and Defence Materials Technology Centre Limited, with a combined contract value of $1.24 million.

Three local manufacturers will be contracted to deliver specialist military hardware to the Australian Defence Forces: Aerospace and Mechanical Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd, Unmanned Aerial Systems Pty Ltd, and Defence Materials Technology Centre Limited, with a combined contract value of $1.24 million.

Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matt Canavan announced  the package will include a $160.9 million investment in a new Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) which will improve the reliability and the accuracy of positioning data by a factor of 50 (from five metres to 10 centimetres) across Australia and its maritime zone.

In light of its findings, the Taskforce has recommended the establishment of an independent body to assist Australia’s 2.1 million small businesses in fast-tracking the adoption of digital.

According to Mark Bouris, chairman of the Small Business Taskforce, too many small businesses are dragging their feet on digital adoption.

“Many small businesses are delaying, ignoring or simply are unaware of the opportunities that digital technologies may offer them,” Bouris said.

Minister for Jobs and Innovation and Senator for Western Australia Michaelia Cash outlined the Government’s plan to boost the technological capability and competitiveness of Australian businesses and upskill the local workforce for a “transitioning economy”.

“We need our small and medium enterprises to be fast adopters of technology in order to stay globally competitive and grow,” Cash said in a statement.

Treasurer Scott Morrison will head the development of the CDR with consideration of the Government’s response to recommendations from the Open Banking Review.

Proposed by the Government in late 2017, the open banking regime will allow customers to direct their bank to send data to another provider, promising to reduce the inconvenience and costs associated with account switching.

Morrison said the CDR will give small businesses and households “more control, more choice, and better deals”.

The Innovation Lab aims to facilitate joint venture projects with banks, corporate entities and governments, focusing on three key areas of development: fintech, blockchain and artificial Intelligence (AI).

‘Smart cities’ are loosely defined as urban municipalities that actively collect and utilise data insights to enhance the quality, delivery, and interactivity of local services, as well as reducing overall costs to citizens and their resource consumption.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has announced it will build a new identity proofing and credential security platform to replace its existing AUSkey security system.

AUSkey will be completely reinvented? (word choice – ‘superseded’/ ‘reconfigured’/’revamped’ maybe?) by the AUSid system, which will also align with the Federal Government’s national identity system, Govpass, which it states will providing more accessibility and convenience to the Australian public.

Speaking at the FST Government Queensland 2018 conference in Brisbane, Potts said the emergence of the distributed ledger technology (DLT) will not only supersede all existing ledger technologies, but also fundamentally reshape global economies, extending its influence well beyond the cryptocurrency sphere.

The emergence of blockchain could radically upend existing economic models, he argued, superseding functions that have long been served by traditional institutions of authority.

Nearly 40 per cent of surveyed delegates rated ‘data science’ the most sought-after technology skillset for government sector technology specialists, significantly higher than coding (8 per cent) and user/customer experience (UX/CX) design (20 per cent).

Data scientists analyse and interpret complex datasets to distil vital information that can help organisations in improving service delivery and making more informed decisions.

Nunis previously served as WA's deputy director general of the Department of State Development. The department has since merged with the Department of Commerce to become the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation.

Among key projects worked on by Nunis during his tenure include the GovNext program, tasked with overhauling IT product and service procurement across state agencies.

Nunis' departure follows a review late last year that called for functions within the CIO office to be separated and moved within WA state’s central agencies. 

TRAILS currently manages $2.8 billion in revenue and conducts 4.6 million vehicle registrations each year, according to the department.

A replacement system was first mooted in November 2014; however, the plan was subsequently shelved for two years in order to divert funds – around $60 million – for public transport ticketing subsidies.

DXC Technology has announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with The University of Queensland (UQ) for the launch of a new hub designed for students in Queensland.

The hub will focus on improving the employability of neurodiverse students whilst creating opportunities by helping them gain work experience with DXC and its partner organisations.

“It is a privilege to work with like-minded organisations that want to promote inclusiveness for students who are neurodiverse” said Seelan Nayagam, managing director of DXC Technology Australia & New Zealand.