From Australia: The latest in tech and innovation
In recent news, cybersecurity will take a seat in cabinet, the Treasury is considering major changes to the regulatory architecture of payments, and the NSW Government calls on experts to join the first-ever AI advisory committee.
Cybersecurity promoted to cabinet in rejig
Australia’s Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, will create a cybersecurity role in cabinet as part of a ministerial reshuffle this month. The special role will be added to the Home Affairs portfolio, which has oversight of cybersecurity legislation and the roll out of the decade-long Cyber Security Strategy.
Payment disruptors welcome Treasury review
The Treasury is considering whether Australia’s Reserve Bank should continue to have primary overnight of the payments system. This comes as the Government pushes for more coordination between regulators and places a greater focus on consumers and businesses.
Defence wants to become better at using data
Australia’s Department of Defence plans to unveil a dedicated data strategy in the first half of 2021 to assist all areas of the organisation to become more data-informed. The enterprise-wide data strategy represents a key deliverable under phase one of the Department’s two-year transformation strategy.
NSW govt calls on AI experts to join new committee
The NSW Government is calling on artificial intelligence (AI) experts to join a new committee aimed at advising on the appropriate use of the technology. The AI advisory will be the first of its kind and a key commitment in NSW’s inaugural AI strategy.
Ransomware hits ‘crazy’ levels as cloud booms in pandemic, says Trend Micro Security Chief
With cloud technology adoption surging in 2020, there has been a resurgence in ransomware with attackers taking advantage of poor cloud security, according to Trend Micro. With organisations scrambling to respond to remote working, many are leaving themselves open due to not fully utilising security tools.
Australians did 30 per cent of their shopping online in the last year
Nearly a third (30.5 per cent) of all Australian retail shopping in the last year has been conducted online, according to Roy Morgan. In September 2019, online shopping only accounted for 16.9 per cent of retail purchases – showing the pandemic has significantly altered the state of play for retail.