“Never has it been more important for all policymakers of all disciplines to to understand how technology impacts on our society, our economy, and our security.”   The Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science

On 1 December 2022 the Honourable Ed Husic, Minister for Industry and Science launched the Tech Policy Design Kit. Developed in partnership between TPDC, the Government’s Digital Technology Taskforce, and the Tech Council of Australia, the Kit is a touchstone resource to assist policymakers of all disciplines to navigate best-practice tech policy design.

A first-of-its kind project led by The Australian National University (ANU) will holistically map the resilience of Australia’s telecommunications sector.   Funded by the Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA), the independent study will be conducted by the ANU Tech Policy Design Centre.

Following the recent spate of data breaches, much of the public conversation has focused on the need for regulatory reform to protect Australians’ privacy and “incentivise better behaviour” from companies that collect and store personal data.   The Albanese government has proposed legislation to increase penalties for companies subject to repeated or serious privacy breaches.

When Nancy Pelosi travelled to Taiwan in August, it made front page news around the world and raised the spectre of all-out war between the US and China.   Early in October, the Biden administration made a far more decisive move against China – but it barely made the news in Australia. Biden decided to unequivocally sever China’s access to high-end computer chips (aka semiconductors).

The ANU Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC), in partnership with ANU College of Law, and the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi (CCG-NLUD), are the successful recipients of a 3-year AUD$750,000 grant to spearhead international conversations on blockchain standards.

“Tech policy” is an increasingly important but difficult term to define as the influence of tech in our lives is constantly growing in depth and complexity.   Consequently, policymaking in the tech space is increasingly entangled with many other policy domains. In the last parliamentary term, the nuanced approaches to tech policy that this complexity requires have too often been lost in public policy debate. This has resulted in tech policies that are narrowly targeted at specific problems or technologies, without sufficient consideration of impacts beyond the trigger issue.

Competition among countries to develop, deploy and govern the next generations of technologies is intensifying. The countries that prevail will secure economic, social, environmental, and military advantages for decades to come.   However, too many western countries continue to operate as if the superiority of our brand — our technologies and our governance models that prioritise democracy, human rights, and freedom — is self-evident. This is no longer the case; our brand needs a refresh.

In a Keynote address at NATO CCDCOE’s CyCon22, Professor Weaver reflects on her role in United Nations negotiations that culminated with recognition of the application of International Humanitarian Law to state conduct in cyberspace, and what this means in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.   Professor Weaver shared hard truths about the rules-based international order, and dives into what should be done to make a more persuasive case for the order, especially in the context of NATO cyber operations. Her message is simple: the rules-based international order is ours to lose; and if we lose it, we won’t get it back.

Australia needs a new model to drive better technology regulation, according to a new report launched by The Australian National University’s Tech Policy Design Centre.   The report ‘Tending the Tech-Ecosystem: who should be the tech-regulator(s)?’ comes as governments the world over are stepping in to regulate technology, including measures to protect children online, address the proliferation of mis/disinformation, foster competition, drive innovation and strengthen cyber security.

The Australian National University’s Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) is set to develop a Tech Policy Design Kit, in collaboration with the Tech Council of Australia (TCA) and the Digital Technology Taskforce in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC).   The Design Kit will establish a baseline for best practice tech policy design. It will comprise tech policy design principles and processes, as well as modules for government, industry and civil society.

Johanna Weaver, Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at ANU, sits down with The Hon Paul Fletcher MP, (then) Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts.   The pair discuss the state of Aussie tech policy, including measures the Australian government has implemented ranging from online trolling and adult cyberbullying to encryption, the Media Bargaining Code, and knowledge gaps in the tech policymaking space.

Strengthening Australia’s democracy and positioning our economy to reap the full benefits of digital technology will be two of the key issues tackled by a new centre at The Australian National University (ANU).   The Tech Policy Design Centre will address some of the biggest challenges we face with the increasing integration of digital technology in our daily lives.   Reimagined, tech-policy can be a powerful tool that complements tech innovation and delivers positive social, economic and security outcomes.