Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has rejected suggestions the government greatly under-estimated the cost of its computers in schools program.
Opposition Communications spokesperson, Bruce Billson, has misfired in an attack on the Federal government over the use of the AU$2.4 billion Communications Fund to back the national fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network.
The first round of funding for Labor's plan to put a laptop on every desk — AU$116 million — is winging its way to 896 schools for over 100,000 computers.
The recently published 2020 summit Final Report has recommended that the government looks seriously into the separation of its national fibre-to-the-node provider, echoing repeated calls by rival telcos to break up Telstra if it wins the national broadband network tender.
The NSW state government handed down its 2008-09 Budget last night, with a surprise spend on video conferencing for schools, a boost to health tech outlay, and a pledge to tighten ICT capital expenditure.
See what you missed at CeBIT 2008 in our round-up featuring NICTA, the CSIRO, Google, the OLPC XO, Netgear and a whole lot of technology.
The Commonwealth Auditor-General has responded to accusations by Opposition communications spokesperson Bruce Billson that the tender process for the national fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) network has so far been unfair and anti-competitive.
David Skellern, CEO of NICTA, said the Federal government's decision to ditch the AU$707 million Commercial Ready scheme — a SME grants program that subsidised the costs of innovative projects — will be a significant blow to innovation in Australia.
Communications Minister Senator Stephen Conroy has issued a new set of guidelines for ISPs servicing rural and regional Australia, on the back of the Federal government's decision to extend the Australian Broadband Guarantee as part of last Tuesday's budget.
Abolishing the previous government's national identity card — dubbed the Access Card — means Labor will save over AU$1 billion, according to the Federal budget.
Ahead of the election, with promises for nationwide broadband networks and digital revolutions in schools, the ICT industry could hope the government was on their side. But now the glamour of a sparkling new government has worn off, how ICT-friendly is the Rudd government really?
Security researchers worked overtime in 2007, which turned out to be a nightmare for software vendors from day one.
An analysis by representatives of Australia's two largest IT industry groups shows that neither political party in the federal election has come up with a comprehensive policy around technology.
With only weeks to go to the election, how are the main parties shaping up on their tech promises?
If the world's homes are to enjoy the same high speed connectivity as its offices, the current thinking goes, then fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) will soon become necessary. However, not all Internet economies were created equal.
The biggest loser in this week's budget was broadband -- not one cent was allocated to improve infrastructure works. However, security was the winner with funding confirmed to fight intellectual property crime and cyber-terrorist attacks.
Can a national ID card protect Australians against terrorist attacks? And can citizens' details be protected by Public Key Infrastructure? We look at the types of hardware and software employed to combat terrorism, and how ports and other critical infrastructure are protected.
The Linux vs. Windows security debate is a contest of examples, which stand in place of the concepts that comprise a larger, more fundamental question of what the security benefits and detriments are for the open source and closed source development models.
The Australian Labor Party's ICT shadow minister wants a national fibre broadband network and enough skilled people to exploit it.
Mashups involving digital maps are bridging the gap between the virtual and physical worlds, with uses ranging from local shopping and traffic reports to online dating and community organising.
Upgraded to Windows Vista, the Dell XPS M1210 is a pricey but powerful system for those who want a smaller laptop with few compromises.
It doesn't have many bells and whistles, but a powerful dual-core AMD processor lends the Dell Dimension E521 unexpected performance and strong bang for the buck.
You think spam techniques are driving you mad now... just take a look at what's in store.
Does wireless technology provide freedom to work wherever and whenever, or deprive you of your freedom from work?
With so many monitors to choose from, before you buy, it pays to figure out which specs and features will be most important to you.
The latest rendition of the LifeBook 61xx series notebook offers enhanced security features and faster Ethernet connectivity.
This LCD is great for Power Mac G4 owners and publishing professionals, but consumers can save a tasty chunk of change by going with the older 17-inch Apple Studio Display.
Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta made more notebooks than any other PC maker worldwide last year, as the trend for technology companies to outsource work continued.
So, you've made the plunge into the world of digital photography. Pictures not coming out the way you want them to? Our Tech Guide will take you through what you need to know for perfect photos every time.
What sort of computer makes the most sense for you? Self-assembled, a branded system or a white box assembled by a parts shop?
Sometimes, a well-placed and well-timed letter can make all the difference. Other times, it can make no difference at all — and even hurt your case. This week's missive by the Competitive Carriers' Coalition, I would suggest, falls into the latter category.
For no particular reason that I can discern, a 1979 Kenny Rogers song popped into my head as I was considering the ever more complex morass that is the national broadband network tender — which Senator Stephen Conroy defended in his CeBIT keynote speech.
Say what you will about Senator Stephen Conroy, but he is clearly not a man afraid of confrontation. Well, he'd better not be, because by killing off the OPEL WiMax project he has just set himself up for a battle with Telstra of Biblical proportions — or a big meal of crow washed down with a $4.7 billion gift to SingTel Optus.
I have never been to Sweden. In fact, I have no real, hard evidence that Sweden really exists as anything more than a collective, Utopian vision where things just work, and life is better.
Much has been made of Telstra's decision to finally stop holding Australia to ransom, and to actually turn on the ADSL2+ equipment it has installed in what is apparently over 900 of its exchanges around the country.
What a difference a decade makes.
South Australia's Yorke Peninsula with just 11,780 people spread across 5,834 square kilometres, is known more for its rugged natural beauty than its technological prowess. But now that Internode has brought broadband to the entire peninsula, the area has become a very important part of Australia's telegeography.
The council rubbish truck didn't pick up my bin last week. Instead, the garbage contractor left a big yellow sticker highlighting exactly why my old egg shells, rancid fruit, microwave pizza boxes, an ancient and smelly pair of sneakers, and the odd brick had been left to rot on my property.
Hopefully, you've been spending your end-of-year break better than the executives at Optus, who seem to have taken advantage of the annual industry-wide lull to get onetime WiMax aspirant Austar United Telecommunications to the negotiating table.
It has been a busy year in telecoms, whether because of the increasingly bitter relationship between Telstra and the government; the awarding of the contentious but (finally) progressive broadband contract to OPEL; the pivotal election that led to a change of government; or the move of 3G mobile technology into the mainstream at last.
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Adobe Systems has announced it's partnering with search giants Google and Yahoo to increase the quality of sea… Watch it now
In the second part of his interview, Defence CIO Greg Farr talks about outsourcing, the skills crisis and reveals his most urgent IT priority.
HP & Intel Business Technology Power Center
I'm a celebrity, don't back me up
Lies, damned lies and telco stupidity 
Dear carriers: More walking, less talking
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The ZDNet.com.au iPhone resource guide contains everything you need to know about Apple's highly anticipated mobile device.
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Making predictions about the storage market isn't difficult. Suggest that capacities will go up and costs will go down and you shouldn't go too far wrong.
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