Newsletter Volume 30 Issue 9, Sep 2018
From The Editor
“the initial challenge is focused on food provenance and supply chain traceability with the NSW Department of Primary Industries as the first partner. The aim is to ensure product integrity and minimise food fraud specifically for cherries, rock lobsters, abalone and citrus. This quote comes from a September 19, 2018 article in The Mandarin, reporting on a speech about the Digital Innovation report (prepared before September strawberry tampering scare.) See below, Data61 sizes the digital prize: Australia’s $315 billion opportunity.
Some good news for ICT workers comes in an August 30, 2018 . ScienceDaily article from University of British Columbia. “Jobs in information technology — like computer software, big data, and cybersecurity — are providing American workers with long-lasting financial stability, suggests a new study.” See below, Information technology jobs outpace most other jobs in productivity and growth since 2004.
“If the ABS continues to be subject to efficiency dividends over the next decade, at the same trajectory as it has for the past decade, some of the core information currently taken for granted by governments, business and the community may no longer be available.” This quote is from a speech by the Australian Statistician at the Australian Market and Social Research Society Conference in Melbourne on August 10, 2018. See below, Australian Statistician slams resources. Go Figure!
“Most credit card fraud takes place online or over the phone. It’s not the cards that are stolen, but the details. The Australian Payments Network finds they are used to amass 85% of the money stolen using Australian credit cards, without the need to steal the cards themselves.” This quote is from a September 5, 2018 article in The Conversation, which discusses the effects of the New Payments Platform, owned by both the banks and Reserve Bank, which will “allow any financial institution to transfer money from any of its accounts to any other account near instantaneously.” The article explains why these transactions will become “magnets for fraud” , and why “we’re going to have to become more suspicious.” See below, The new and more efficient payments system means new and more efficient payments fraud. Here’s how to prepare.
(Talking about credit card scams, check out the “exploding credit card” in the Blog below.)
Current Issue
Articles in the current Issue cover:
Data61 sizes the digital prize: Australia’s $315 billion opportunity
“The issue was identified in the Digital Innovation report as a critical problem and threat to Australia’s economic growth and development with food fraud alone costing Australia $65 billion per year due to counterfeiting produce.”
Information technology jobs outpace most other jobs in productivity and growth since 2004
“The study reveals the well documented slow-down in employment and wage gains associated with skills and education that has been recorded after the year 2000 is in fact not occurring at all for jobs that involve IT. The share of these jobs has increased substantially over the past two decades, with IT-intensive occupations growing by 19.5 per cent between 2004 and 2017. Less IT-intensive occupations only grew by 2.4 per cent over the same period. The growth in IT jobs is more than eight times the growth rate than for other jobs over the past decade..”
Australian Statistician slams resources. Go Figure!
“I see data integration as the new frontier for statistical organisations. The ABS, alongside many other statistical agencies around the world, is focused on making better use of existing data, irrespective of whether the data has been collected by the statistics office or by other public and private organisations. Data is also being combined or integrated to provide new insights to inform the development of new policy; and to evaluate existing policies.”
The new and more efficient payments system means new and more efficient payments fraud. Here’s how to prepare
“The United Kingdom Faster Payments System was launched ten years ago. In 2010, the transaction limit was lifted to £100,000. In 2015, it was lifted to £250,000.
Among the most lucrative frauds involves conveyancing, known as “Friday afternoon fraud”, as in the UK this is the day that many property sales are due for settlement and funds are transferred from payer to payee.”
QESP Blog
Look out for your credit card exploding, see
Liar, liar, pants on fire! Barclays phish claims cards explode
Events
Consensus Celebrates 20 Years of Recognition
Date: TBC November 2018
Location: TBC, Sydney CBD Hotel
Celebrating 20 years of operation, Consensus (www.consensus.com.au) was started in 1999 and runs a series of Awards Programs that identify the most innovative technology designed and developed in Australia (and some in New Zealand). Over 1000 evaluations of innovation have been conducted by more than 160 independent Judges since the Awards were started. Independent analysis of the Winners of the Awards shows that 9 out of 10 of the Winners of Consensus Awards have gone on to perform exceptionally well internationally. The same research showed that across the board, the companies have enjoyed over 1300% increase in sales or value since they have won Awards, which includes Atlassian and WiseTech Global
Based upon these achievements, Consensus can truly claim to be the World’s Most Successful Awards Program. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been invited to attend and present the 2018 Consensus Awards at a Gala Dinner in November 2018 (the date is to be confirmed.) For further information: contact@consensus.com.au
ACOSM18
Some new options are being explored for the ACOSM18 Australian Conference on Software due to the move of the ACS NSW office to Barangaroo. The plan is still for a joint QESP/ACS evening event, 5.30 for 6.00, keynote, 2 speakers and Forum till 7.30, drinks & fingerfood till 8.00. Watch this space.
Quotes
Quote of the Day
“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” Richard Branson
Quote from Yesteryear
“A new, a vast, and a powerful language is developed for the future use of analysis, in which to wield its truths so that these may become of more speedy and accurate practical application for the purposes of mankind than the means hitherto in our possession have rendered possible.” Countess of Lovelace Augusta Ada King (10 Dec 1815 – 29 Nov 1852)
Ted Smillie
QESP Chair