James Riley and the InnovationAus team talks to corporate, academic and political leaders about what’s driving the transformation of Australia’s economy toward a 21st Century mindset. InnovationAus is an independent publication that reports on government policy as it affects technology-based innovation across the nation’s growth industries. From mining and agriculture to financial services, MedTech, cyber security and advanced manufacturing. The journalism focuses on the opportunities that align with Australia’s strategic priorities and connects government, institutional researchers, investors, entrepreneurs and the mainstream business community.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
In this episode of News Wrap, editorial director James Riley and editor Justin Hendry unpack new data showing Australia will miss its 1.2 million tech jobs target and is going backwards on digital competitiveness, why OpenAI could end up banned for young Australians, Ghost Sharks, the PM's Prize for Science and more.
5 days ago
5 days ago
In this episode, The Commercial Disco sits down with Minh Hoang, youth innovation leader and member of the eSafety Commissioner’s Advisory Council, to discuss how AI is reshaping culture, politics and identity. Hoang warns that “when you import technology, you import its politics,” calling for an Australian AI strategy that protects national values. From Gen Z’s “clanker” slang for robots to the global race for AI dominance, he explores how young people are balancing optimism, creativity and caution in the face of rapid technological change.
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
In this episode of News Wrap, editorial director James Riley and editor Justin Hendry dig into the proposed Technology Prosperity Deal with the US, planned copyright reforms to force AI giants to pay creators and all the latest on the national AI plan.
Friday Oct 24, 2025
Friday Oct 24, 2025
In this episode of News Wrap, InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry and editorial director James Riley explore the government's changes to procurement rules and whether they will level the playing field for local tech suppliers, the exit of the Tech Council CEO and much more.
Tuesday Oct 21, 2025
Tuesday Oct 21, 2025
The new US-Australia critical minerals agreement promises to unlock US $8.5 billion in investment for priority projects over the next six months. In this episode of Commercial Disco, Justin Hendry and Paul Myler -- former deputy chief of mission at Australia’s Washington embassy and founder of StratQ -- unpack what's in the deal and why it matters.
Friday Oct 17, 2025
Friday Oct 17, 2025
In this episode of NewsWrap, InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry explores the debate around what is a sovereign supplier and the behind the scenes work to change the definition for Defence and tech firms.
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
In this wrap-up tech and innovation policy news, InnovationAus.com editor Justin Hendry and senior reporter Joseph Brookes dive into the drama from Senate Estimates, unpack Treasury's bizarre AI report and break down why the government's long-awaited 'tell us once' laws actually matter.
Friday Oct 03, 2025
Friday Oct 03, 2025
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.
Wednesday Oct 01, 2025
Wednesday Oct 01, 2025
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.
Friday Sep 26, 2025
Friday Sep 26, 2025
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.