INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY – AUSTRALIA

BHP enters NBN debate as data demand soars

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 2-Nov-17

BHP Billiton is embracing technology such as automation and telematics, which in turn is increasing the amount of data and bandwidth it uses, says chief technology officer Diane Jurgens. She adds that BHP uses both its own data networks and the national broadband network. Jurgens advocates using fibre-to-the-premises for the NBN, arguing that doing so is an investment for the long-term, as demand for bandwidth is set to increase exponentially. Meanwhile, BHP plans to deploy driverless trains on its Pilbara iron ore rail network, a process that Jurgens says will take at least 12 months.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Census meltdown to cost $30m

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Original article by Rosie Lewis
The Australian – Page: 2 : 20-Oct-16

The shutdown of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ census website on 9 August 2016 will cost up to $A30 million. Chief statistician David Kalisch has told the Senate estimates committee that $A20m has already been spent. He expects the ABS to spend another $A10m. IBM stated in a submission to the committee that the website was ready to be reactivated within three hours but the actions of other organisations extended the delay to 40 hours.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, IBM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, NEXTGEN PTY LTD

IT failures force NDIS to miss care target

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 2-Sep-16

The rollout of the IT system at the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been plagued by technical problems that caused delays in the preparation of care plans. The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which runs the scheme, conceded that only 970 care plans were approved in the past two months, while the target was more than 20,000. Federal and state disability ministers will be briefed on the matter by the NDIA at a meeting on 2 September 2016.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF SOCIAL SERVICES, AUSTRALIA. NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE AGENCY

Fallout over meltdown tests Turnbull government

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Original article by Laura Tingle
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 11-Aug-16

The causes and implications of the crash of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ census website on 9 August 2016 will be investigated by the Australian Signals Directorate. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has assured Australians that the crash did not compromise the security of census data. For Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, it was "the worst-run census in Australian history."

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS, AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, IBM AUSTRALIA LIMITED, REVOLUTION IT PTY LTD

Quantum computing could be worth billions to Australia

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Original article by Tim Dodd
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 11-Dec-15

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants technology to play a bigger role in the Australian economy. He told a Knowledge Society lunch in Sydney on 10 December 2015 that innovative computing technology is particularly important. The Government has provided $A26 million for research on silicon-based quantum computing at the University of New South Wales. Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank gave $A10 million each in additional funding for the project.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, TELSTRA CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX TLS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Atlassian prices IPO with record $US4.4b valuation

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Original article by John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 18 : 11-Dec-15

Atlassian Corporation debuted on the NASDAQ stock exchange on 10 December 2015. Investors paid a slightly higher than expected $US21 per share in the $US462m IPO, valuing the software developer at around $US6.1bn. Atlassian was founded by Australian entrepreneurs Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who will now rank among the nation’s 20 wealthiest individuals on the "BRW" Rich List.

CORPORATES
ATLASSIAN CORPORATION PLC, NASDAQ, UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, MYOB GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYO, DEALOGIC (AUSTRALIA) PTY LTD, T ROWE PRICE GROUP INCORPORATED, SQUARE INCORPORATED, THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, MORGAN STANLEY AND COMPANY INCORPORATED, GODADDY.COM INCORPORATED, PURE STORAGE, RENAISSANCE CAPITAL CORPORATION, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, UNITED STATES. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION, VISA INTERNATIONAL, NETFLIX INCORPORATED, EBAY INCORPORATED, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, NEWS CORPORATION – ASX NWS, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, ALIBABA.COM CORPORATION

Insurance jobs under threat from technology

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Original article by Ruth Liew
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 8-Dec-15

Suncorp Group executive Darren O’Connell notes that the growing use of automation in the insurance sector has resulted in the elimination of entry-level jobs in the underwriting industry. He says this will result in a dearth of underwriters with expertise across the industry as older staff retire and their skills and knowledge are lost. O’Connell argues in a research paper that technology can never completely replace people in the underwriting industry, and insurers should reconsider their recruitment procedures.

CORPORATES
SUNCORP GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUN, SWISS RE AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IBM CORPORATION

Westpac under fire over pay

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Original article by Adele Ferguson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 : 30-Nov-15

Westpac has refuted claims by Ownership Matters that its executive bonuses for 2013-14 and 2014-15 were inflated by a decision to exclude a software write-off from its cash earnings. Ownership Matters argues that Westpac’s ex-CEO Gail Kelly and other senior executives would not have received bonuses if the $A354m software write-down had been included in the bank’s cash earnings. The firm has advised Westpac shareholders to vote against the bank’s remuneration report at its 2015 annual meeting.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, OWNERSHIP MATTERS PTY LTD, DEUTSCHE BANK AG

EY warns of cyber threat to real estate

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Original article by Robert Harley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 40 : 25-Nov-15

Professional services firm EY has released a report which highlights the risks associated with the growing use of digital technologies in buildings. Richard Watson of EY notes that so-called SMART buildings are especially vulnerable to computer hackers. He says a building’s tenants would be the first to be impacted by a cyber attack on the property’s digital infrastructure, but landlords would ultimately have to compensate tenants for loss of revenue and damage to their reputation.

CORPORATES
ERNST AND YOUNG

Atlassian IPO to recharge tech scene

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Original article by Paul Smith, John Kehoe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 32 : 11-Nov-15

The prospectus for Atlassian Software’s IPO in the US shows that the group boasted net income of $US6.8m and revenue of $US319.5m in 2014-15. The Australian technology company has been profitable for the last 10 years, in contrast to many peers that are valued at more than $US1bn. The Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, Christopher Pyne, has welcomed confirmation of the IPO, and says the Federal Government’s innovation agenda statement could result in the creation of more companies like Atlassian.

CORPORATES
ATLASSIAN SOFTWARE SYSTEMS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE, XERO LIMITED – ASX XRO, UNLOCKD, CAMPAIGN MONITOR PTY LTD, BIGCOMMERCE PTY LTD