The Australian government has bulked up spending for cyber-security – with a four-year program being managed by a new advisory body at the Digital Transformation Agency. 

This funding is designed to deliver more reliable and robust digital services, while building a cyber-security culture and practice. This investment would build on the $230 million the government had already committed through Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy.

The Turnbull and McGowan governments have reached an agreement to spend $2.3 billion on transport, road and rail infrastructure for Western Australia. This spending program, being finalised under the May 2017 federal budget, is intended to boost the WA economy, with 6,000 jobs expected to be created as a result of 17 new projects.

Among the upgrades, the infrastructure funding would modernise core transport infrastructure, as well as bridges, collector roads, and highways. Funding is also earmarked to upgrade facilities at the Fiona Stanley Hospital.

An annual benchmarking of open data access initiatives has placed the Australian government as leading the pack in the international arena, together with the sharing information with constituents and the industry.

The Global Open Data Index (GODI), published by The Open Knowledge Institute, is an annual global benchmark that ranked how well nations publish open government data against 14 categories. In this ranking, Australia finished equal top alongside Taiwan on the index that had assessed 94 countries.

AUSTRAC has launched on online financial crime tracking tool that will enable financial planners to track the red flags around money laundering and financing for terrorism.

This online tracking tool, built around detailed poster, features the red flags to recognise and act on when tracking potential criminal activity.

AUSTRAC CEO, Paul Jevtovic, said financial planners were well-placed to detect possible criminal activity by customers. They were required to report suspicious matters to AUSTRAC under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006.

Cyber-security remains a top boardroom challenge for organisations – with proactive planning and risk management being catapulted to the top of the boardroom agenda. 

A recent “ASX 100 Cyber Health Check” report has confirmed that the industry and government are taking action to strengthen the resilience to cyber-attacks.

A broader alliance of industry, government and regulators highlighted the critical importance of strong national cyber-security planning. This planning was reinforced by the The “ASX 100 Cyber Health Check.”

Australian government minister for industry, innovation and science, Arthur Sinodinos, has reaffirmed a commitment to building the local science and technology sectors, against a backdrop of visa restrictions involving overseas workers.

Sinodinos noted that Australia continued to face a skills gap involving technical specialist roles. “Through the development of a strong STEM sector locally we can ensure our economy has the workers it needs for the future.”

The Australian government has moved to strengthen its cyber-security capability – with a new hub being launched in Canberra on 1st July. This launch coincides with the release a “Cyber Security Centre Competiveness Plan” to build local capability across domestic and international markets.

Victoria’s Police and Protective Service Officers are being armed with iPhones and iPads under a mobile policing strategy, enabling staff to be out in the field, rather than at desk-bound jobs.

The state’s futuristic Mobile Technology project is part of a $227 million investment in state-of-the-art policing technology.

South Australia’s science council will soon release a “Science Action Plan” that lays the foundations for innovation, industry engagement, and R&D commercialisation. 

The broader thrust of this plan was shared by Dr Leanna Read, chief scientist for South Australia. She was a keynote speaker at the inaugural FST Government South Australia conference held 30th March in Adelaide.

In the digital space, citizens are seeking a direct say in the co-design of government services, according to Sinéad O'Brien, executive director, Office for Customer, ICT and Digital Transformation, Department of Premier and Cabinet.  

The Australian government’s $35 billion Future Frigate project has reached a milestone with the release of a request for tender (RFT) to three shortlisted designers, BAE, Fincantieri and Navantia.

The high-tech Future Frigate project is currently the largest frigate shipbuilding program of its kind in the world, according to the minister for defence industry, Christopher Pyne.

The future of intelligent transport systems is under the spotlight under a $55 million grant awarded to higher education and research bodies by the federal government.

This latest funding supports the iMOVE Co-operative Research Centre (CRC). The program would run over 10 years, and incorporate R&D into 21st century transport, together with designing self-drive vehicles and automated transport.