InnovationAus Podcast

In this weekly wrap-up of Australia's tech and innovation policy news, InnovationAus.com senior reporter Joseph Brookes covers the latest discussion from the Strategic Examination of R&D review and the underspend of the Medical Research Future Fund, among other top stories.

In this episode of Commercial Disco, SeeMePlease founder Katie McDermott talks about building a user testing platform that puts accessibility first, the lessons she brought from her time as NSW’s chief digital officer, and the challenges startups face navigating government procurement.

With Anthony Albanese now penciled in for a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on October 20, expect to hear about sizeable investments in data centres and renewables. InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry talks through the week's innovation news with James Riley.

In this episode of Commercial Disco, China tech policy expert Phillippa Jones unpacks how Beijing’s long-term innovation strategy has been reshaped by the “Deep Seek moment” and what it signals for the global technology race. She traces the evolution from Made in China 2025 to new capital market models for funding science and technology, explains how the next five-year plan will set the direction...

InnovationAus editorial director James Riley speaks with Dawn Massa-Stancavish, CEO of US-based Massa Products Corporation, about the company’s legacy in sonar and its role in supplying the Virginia-class submarines. Dawn shares her perspective on AUKUS, stressing the need for Pillar II to move in parallel with submarine programs and calling for greater involvement of SMEs in defence innovation. S...

In this episode of NewsWrap, senior reporter Joseph Brookes heads to the Tech Council of Australia's summit in Sydney, covering contributions from Industry minister Tim Ayres, NSW Premier Chris Minns and federal assistant minister Andrew Charlton, among others.

In this episode of the Commercial Disco, Dr Andrew Charlton discusses Australia's opportunity to fully participate in the emerging global AI market, both as host to tens of billions of dollars worth of AI data centres, and for Australian companies building AI models and applications for global markets.

In this episode of The Commercial Disco, GBG’s head of data innovation Michael Harmer explains why the case for a national ID in Australia is “dead in the water,” arguing that the country’s existing identity infrastructure, anchored by government-verified documents and services like the DVS, already delivers world-class assurance. Harmer discusses how AI is both a threat and an opportunity for dig...

After three years of war in Europe, Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko says his country has become a real-time battlefield laboratory, producing vast troves of invaluable data. Successfully defending against the Russian invasion has produced an amazing ecosystem of innovators from all over the world. The Ambassador says there are lessons and opportunities for Australia.

Can Australia play an outsized role in the global regulation of Big Tech? Do we have the middle-power muscle to bring together a coalition of countries that would have the combined heft to push back on tech overreach? Tech Policy Design Institute co-founder and CEO Johanna Weaver digs deep into the global political and technological forces shaping the world right now.

In this episode of NewsWrap, InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry explores the $US$1 billion PsiQuantum Series E capital raise and looks at how the Australian and Queensland governments' US$250 million fits in.

In this episode of NewsWrap, InnovationAus senior reporter Joseph Brookes and James Riley dive into the latest issues papers published by the Robyn Denholm-led Strategic Examination of R&D.

The Strategic Review of R&D (SERD) has published its first issues paper as part of its consultation process - this one looking at national coordination and governance of R&D spending. And the Tech Council gets itself out of step with other groups with a call to boost R&D spending target to just 2 per cent.

In this episode of The Commercial Disco, chief executives of the Future Skills Organisation, Patrick Kidd, and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers, Amanda Linton, warn of a 250,000-worker shortfall across finance, tech, and business by 2030. Kidd highlights the 70 per cent gap of current skills will change in just three years, while Linton stresses that AI is enhancing, not replacing, professio...

The Productivity Commission sets out in detail the massive upside for Australia in introducing AI tools across the economy. But it also warns that the government financial support for building Australian large language models (LLMs) or the AI factories that train them is a terrible idea. In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, Productivity Commissioner Stephen King says simply that govern...

In this week's News Wrap, editorial director James Riley and editor Justin Hendry discuss what came out of the Economic Reform Roundtable, why the Productivity Commission is against industry support for sovereign AI and the latest R&D investment projections.

When former Cabinet minister Ed Husic announced in March that government had accepted all the recommendations of its STEM Diversity review, it came as a surprise to many – including his government colleagues. The announcement was made before the policy had been agreed. Join Justin Hendry and James Riley for the week's biggest stories.

Catherine Livingstone has one of the best business brains in the country, and ahead of the economic roundtable in Canberra next week she has called for a bold, system-level approach to the economic policy discussion. She joins James Riley on the Commercial Disco.

Professor Tanya Monro is six and half years into her role as Chief Defence Scientist and says the urgency of the work within the Defence Science and Technology Group is the biggest change over that time. In this interview, Professor Monro talks about the evolving structure of Defence’s technology and innovation infrastructure and gives a practical tutorial on the best ways that entrepreneurs and S...

Copyright has become a central issue in the national debate about driving productivity improvements, and on extracting the maximum value from AI The Productivity Commission had its say this week in the first interim report of its Five Pillars review. Justin Hendry and James Riley discuss the week.

In this episode of The Commercial Disco, CyberArk’s Head of Public Sector Derek Moir joins InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod to unpack why identity -- both human and machine -- has become the new frontline in cybersecurity. As government agencies rapidly shift to cloud and SaaS platforms, Mr Moir warns that many are still lagging in how they manage identity, leaving systems exposed to esca...

Just 24 hours after launching its historic Eris TestFlight 1 mission, Gilmour Space Technologies' CEO Adam Gilmour takes a deep dive into the technical circumstances of its first flight, and what the road toward a TestFlight 2 mission looks like.  

Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar's speech to the National Press Club attracted plenty of interest this week - and raised many eyebrows - as it explored opportunities for Australia in AI intelligence. And there was the maiden flight of Gilmour Space Technologies' orbital vehicle. Here's the latest from James Riley and Justin Hendry.

In this episode of The Commercial Disco, James Riley speaks with Dr Daniel Rossetto, a prominent voice in global environmental finance and adjunct professor at the University of Adelaide on Australia’s political mandate post-election and what it signals for national climate policy and net-zero ambitions. Dr Rossetto underscores the urgency for Australia to define post-2030 renewable energy targets...

In this episode of The Commercial Disco., editorial director James Riley talks to Luke Coleman, chief executive of the newly named Australian Telecommunications Alliance (formerly the Communications Alliance) about the expectations of the industry for the 48th Parliament of Australia.