In other public sector ICT and digital news for the 27th of July
Federal Parliament returns
In his first speech to the full 103-member caucus (all Labor MPs and Senators), Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledged to “make sure there's less shouting and more delivery.” He reiterated the government plans to introduce 18 pieces of legislation, including to create Jobs and Skills Australia, and singled out Bill Shorten for expediting disaster relief payments through Services Australia after recent flooding.
Confirmation of the new backbench committee appointments, which will have significant influence over government policy, procurement, and accountability will not be available for a few days.
Victoria develops Chatbot in eight languages
A new chatbot, developed for the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH), can engage with users and share vital information in eight different languages (English, Hindi, Arabic, Vietnamese, Turkish, Punjabi, Spanish and Filipino). The AskVic WhatsApp tool was created by ThinkHQ to increase accessibility to reliable COVID-19 information and support among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. It uses the BotFront authoring platform and was built using open-source technology, including the Rasa Conversational AI.
Sheep and Goat electronic identification system
The NSW government is leading the charge for a national, industry-led mandatory sheep and goat electronic identification (eID) system. A national framework will be urgently developed by federal and state agricultural departments, and is likely to closely mirror the existing National Livestock Identification System (NLIS).
International
The UK is set to depart from the GDPR regime and develop an ‘independent’ data use framework, with the introduction of the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill to House of Commons. The many changes outlined include overhauling various data sharing regimes, moving to an electronic life event registry, getting rid of ‘irritating’ cookie banner pop ups (for low risk activity), and tougher penalties for nuisance calls.
Tens of thousands of Indonesian tech workers, government officials and students are being provided free, large scale digital skills training by Huawei and other Chinese companies, according to a paper released by ANU’s National Security College.
The FBI has bought a delegation of Ukrainian cybersecurity specialists to the USA to attend a conference in New York and meet with officials in Washington. The delegation includes representatives from Ukraine’s State Special Communication Service, Prosecutor General’s Office, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Cyber Police, and the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center.