Government IT

 

NBN rolls out to dozens of NSW suburbs

NBN fibre-optic cables.

Esther Han   Wynyard, Castle Hill and St Leonards are among 44 suburbs in New South Wales slated for National Broadband Network construction work next year.

Comments 34

ICON sale a step closer

Slow internet connection speeds have been blamed on Telstra's use of copper, something that will be alleviated when the network is upgraded to fibre optic connections.

Noel Towell   Government fibre system pioneer "flabbergasted" that a sell-off back on the agenda.

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NBN

'This level of secrecy is unacceptable': Senate committee slams NBN roll out

NBN Co is still too 'uncertain' to reveal how much technology will cost or how long it will take to build, report says.

A parliamentary committee has accused NBN Co of secrecy over future costs of rolling out the broadband network.

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Brisbane homes switch over

More than 3000 Brisbane homes will be disconnected from the old copper wire phone network on Friday.

Tobi Loftus   Some Brisbane suburbs are switching to the NBN today.

NBN – 200 homes in danger of disconnection

Spokesman Darren Rudd says the NBN will close the gap between Australia and countries with well-developed digital economies.

Esther Han   About 200 Sydney households are being urged to switch to NBN-linked phone and internet plans or risk losing the services this month, as their connections to the old copper network are cut.

'Truly awful': Centrelink, Medicare apps slammed

The Medicare Express Plus app has been panned by some users of it.

Noel Towell   Apps are so bad they are getting claimants kicked off benefits, users have complained.

Procurement

Outsourcers on notice as Labor takes back IT reins

New Queensland Minister for Housing, Public Works, Science and Innovation, Leeanne Enoch was elected on a "No Asset Sales" platform.

Sylvia Pennington   The technology industry can expect less talk of outsourcing and a greater focus on local jobs and innovation as the Labor party takes the reins in Queensland.

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Government moves quickly to adopt metadata retention law review recommendations

Greens senator Scott Ludlam.

Andrew Colley   The federal government is moving quickly to accept all the recommendations of a parliamentary committee reviewing its controversial data retention bill.

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Queanbeyan homes and businesses connect to NBN

NBN roll out in Queanbeyan

More than 2800 Queanbeyan homes and businesses will be able to connect to the National Broadband Network from Wednesday.

Digital services

'Walkman era' tech powering Centrelink

Generic Centrelink sign.

Lisa Martin   New to the portfolio, Social Services Minister Scott Morrison is not happy with Centrelink's technology capabilities.

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Broadband

NBN Co selects US contractor Arris for HFC network upgrade

Pay TV cable networks have not been upgraded since planning for an all-out fibre NBN started years ago.

Stuart Corner   Malcolm Turnbull is a step closer to seeing his plan for existing Telstra and Optus pay TV cables integrated into the NBN.

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Government

NSW Police goes high-tech ... with mobile phones

Sure, it's pretty, but my real-life notebook works better with leather gloves.

Hannah Francis   In what it has dubbed "new era" and a "significant step forward" in "real-time" policing, NSW Police will roll out 500 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phablets to select members of the force.

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Metadata

Data retention costs: 'they are treating us like mugs'

Prime Minister Tony Abbott: The figure he has quoted for the scheme has been queried.

Andrew Colley   The federal government's estimated cost to establish its data retention scheme has been "plucked from the air" and could be "many multiples" higher, telecommunications experts warn.

Copper phone lines cut to thousands of homes

Options: NBN Co says it remains technology-agnostic.

Emma Kelly and Henry Belot   Copper telephone lines in up to 2800 Canberra properties will be disconnected on Friday as part of the NBN roll out.

Cyber security

Australian government's cyber security review delayed

Prime Minister Tony Abbott opened the Australian Cyber Security Centre with General Stephen Day, in Canberra, on  November 27, 2014.

Matthew Hall   He may have announced a tougher stance on national security and foreshadowed a wide-ranging package of tougher measures, but Tony Abbott's key review of Australia's cyber security is not one of them.

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Foreign multinationals circle Medicare

Medicare, generic.

Noel Towell   International outsourcing giants jostling for $29 billion payment contract

Procurement

Lockheed Martin on a new mission

Lockheed Martin wants to be known for its IT capability too.

Lia Timson   Lockheed Martin, missile maker, aerospace giant and defence contractor wants to be known for something else.

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'Glaring hole' in Australia's cyber security policy

Prime Minister Tony Abbott opened the Australian Cyber Security Centre in Canberra in November.

Matthew Hall   Australia's cyber security policy lacks direction, crucial funding and strength, say leading experts and analysts.

Broadband

How might the NBN look under Prime Minister Turnbull?

If Turnbull rolls Abbott, could it change the NBN rollout?

Adam Turner   Abbott lives to fight another day, but if Turnbull gets the numbers what might it mean for Australian broadband?

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NBN

Broadband's $2 billion woman

Launch of broadband satellites will be "nerve-wracking": Satellite architect Julia Dickinson, head of NBN Co.

Nicky Phillips   The head of NBN Co's satellite project says it will launch at least one of its highly anticipated broadband satellites this year now that the construction of NBN Co's 10 satellite ground stations is complete.