DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Australia says PwC leak of government tax documents may be referred to police
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, May 22 (Reuters) - Australia said on Monday the government will take further steps in response to the leak of government tax plans by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and that the matter could be referred to the Australian Federal Police. PwC Australia's CEO stepped down this month and the firm has said it is "committed to learning for our mistakes". "I think the PwC experience has been deeply, deeply troubling and we've already taken some steps but we will be taking further steps," Treasurer Jim Chalmers also told ABC Radio in an interview on Monday. "I will have more to say about how we crack down on this behaviour, which is inexcusable, frankly," he said. PwC said this month that former Telstra and Optus CEO Ziggy Switkowski will lead an independent review into the leak and will report his findings and recommendations in September.

SYDNEY, May 15 (Reuters) - PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said the former CEO of its Australia business, who stepped down just last week, will retire from the firm, while the auditor also announced an independent review into a leak of confidential government tax information. Tom Seymour will retire as a partner at the firm on Sept. 30, PwC Australia said in a statement on Monday. According to recent local media reports, another former PwC partner had been banned by Australia's tax practitioners board for sharing government tax plans with other staff at the firm. PwC has confirmed the "unauthorised sharing of confidential tax policy information", but has not named the individuals involved. That includes if the report recommends "exiting" further people and partners from the firm, PwC added.

☆ Australia's TechnologyOne halts trading after being hit by cyber attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 10 (Reuters) - Australia's TechnologyOne Ltd (TNE.AX) said on Wednesday it had detected an unauthorised third-party access to its back-office systems, becoming the latest target in a series of cyber attacks that has bogged companies in the country since last year. "TechnologyOne's customer-facing SaaS platform is not connected to the Microsoft 365 system, and therefore, has not been impacted," the enterprise software maker reassured its customers in an exchange filing. The software maker immediately went on a trading halt after the announcement, and said it has isolated the affected systems and will contact the impacted customers after an investigation is conducted. Major firms such as top grocer Woolworths Ltd (WOW.AX), and telecoms Telstra (TLS.AX) and TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) have reported data breaches and unauthorised access, bringing to light corporate vulnerability to cyber attacks. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Hudson will be one of the few female executives leading a major company in Australia, although rival carrier Virgin Australia also has a woman as its CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka. "I come with an understanding of this organization that is very deep," Hudson told reporters in her first news conference as CEO designate. "Vanessa has been market-facing as CFO since October 2019, which will have prepared her well for the very public role as Qantas CEO," RBC Capital Markets analyst Owen Birrell said in a note. Though men still account for far more top executive roles in Australian-listed companies, a growing number of high-profile CEO roles are occupied by women, including at the No. Qantas said Hudson would continue in her current role until taking over as Qantas' 13th CEO at the 2023 annual general meeting.

☆ This fintech helps its users increase their future net worth by more than a $1 million through tax optimization. Here's the deck it used to raise its Series A.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Paige Hagy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Playbook used this 13-page pitch deck to raise a $7 million Series A. Playbook users create a personalized profile, and the startup calculates how much they could be saving. On average, the startup helps bump a user's future net worth by about $1.3 million, according to Hegarty. He's also appeared on Shark Tank with his app called Fixed, which helps users fight parking tickets. Read the 13-page pitch deck Playbook used to raise a $7 million Series A.

☆ Here's the 13-page pitch deck a fintech helping high-earning Gen Z and Millennials optimize their taxes used to raise a $7 million round
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Paige Hagy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Playbook is a personal finance app for high-earning Gen Z and Millennials. Playbook used this 13-page pitch deck to raise a $7 million Series A. Playbook is a personal finance app for high-earning Gen Z and Millennials, meaning 25- to 45-year-olds with salaries above $100,000 and high disposable incomes. On average, the startup helps bump a user's future net worth by about $1.3 million, according to Hegarty. He's also appeared on Shark Tank with his app called Fixed, which helps users fight parking tickets.

☆ Aussie start-up firm SafetyCulture appoints Tesla Chair as director
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 27 (Reuters) - Australian technology firm SafetyCulture on Monday said it has appointed Robyn Denholm, chair of electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc (TSLA.O), as a director to its board. Denholm, who has been an advisor to the Australian firm since late 2021, is replacing Rick Baker, co-founder of Blackbird Ventures, the company said in a statement. The collapse of U.S.-based technology-focused lender Silicon Valley Bank and the ensuing volatility in global financial markets in recent weeks has stoked concerns of higher funding costs for start-up businesses. Denholm's new role is in addition to her roles as Tesla Chair and Chair of The Technology Council of Australia, the company said. Denholm has been in various senior roles in the global technology industry, including former chief financial officer at Australian firm Telstra and is an operating partner at Blackbird Ventures.

☆ Starlink rival OneWeb aims for global satellite internet coverage after passing a key milestone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

OneWeb, a rival to Elon Musk's Starlink internet satellite venture, is aiming to roll out coverage globally after successfully launching the final batch of satellites needed for its broadband service over the weekend. While OneWeb has a few more satellites to deploy in May and June, it now has enough to deliver internet connectivity to any spot in the globe, according to company executives. OneWeb plans to launch 648 satellites in total, of which 588 satellites are required for global coverage. The rest will serve as spares that can step in, in case some other satellites on the network go rogue. Starlink, the space internet unit of Musk's SpaceX, has launched thousands of satellites to bring network connectivity to places with patchy internet.

☆ Our mobile service revenue continues to perform 'incredibly well,' says telecommunications firm
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOur mobile service revenue continues to perform 'incredibly well,' says telecommunications firmMichael Ackland of Telstra says that's thanks to an increase in international travel and international roaming.

☆ Stocks shrug off rates risk as U.S. consumers spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Tom Westbrook | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Equities - with the Nasdaq (.IXIC) up 15% so far this year - are clinging to the positives, while in interest rate markets investors are quickly ditching hopes for cuts later in 2023. Two-year Treasury yields , which also track short-term interest rate expectations, hit their highest since November at 4.703% overnight. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%. Elsewhere the repricing of the interest rates outlook is putting an end to a couple months of selling of the dollar in currency markets. The U.S. dollar index is eying a third weekly gain in a row - the longest streak since September, when the index was galloping towards a 20-year high.

☆ Thousands rally for 'Invasion Day' protests on Australia Day holiday
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Thousands of Australians marked the country's national holiday on Thursday with rallies in support of the nation's Indigenous people, many of whom describe the anniversary of the day a British fleet sailed into Sydney Harbour as "Invasion Day". An annual poll by market research company Roy Morgan released this week showed nearly two-thirds of Australians say Jan. 26 should be considered "Australia Day", largely unchanged from a year ago. The rest believe it should be "Invasion Day". Australia's largest telecoms company, Telstra Corp Ltd (TLS.AX), this year gave its staff the option to work on Jan. 26 and take another day off instead. The constitution, which came into effect in January 1901 and can't be amended without a referendum, does not refer to the country's Indigenous people.

To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors. Nearly 4,000 venture-backed startups hoping to be the next household-name company called LA home in 2022, according to Telstra Ventures. VCs closed 1,311 deals in LA worth $23 billion in 2022, trailing only the Bay Area and New York, according to PitchBook. To identify the most important VCs in LA, Insider surveyed more than 75 local investors and sought input from its editorial team. Here are 2023's most important VCs in LA, organized alphabetically by the investor's first name.

☆ Australia blocks Telstra-TPG wireless internet deal, sparking legal fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australia's antitrust regulator blocked an asset transfer deal between Telstra and TPG, the country's No.1 and No.2 wireless internet firms, citing competition concerns, setting the scene for a legal battle over access to four million customers. In a deal announced in May, Telstra Group (TLS.AX) was to buy spectrum - airwaves which carry wireless internet - and transmission towers from TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX), while TPG would keep selling 4G and 5G coverage using what would become Telstra's infrastructure. 3 wireless internet provider Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), opposed the deal saying it would build Telstra's market dominance. The decision sets up a second legal showdown between TPG and the ACCC in just over two years. "By knocking back this deal, the ACCC has helped ensure that our regional communities will continue to benefit from competition," said Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin in a statement.

☆ Australia rejects Telstra, TPG's network-sharing deal; firms to appeal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday rejected TPG Telecom's (TPG.AX) regional network-sharing agreement with Telstra Group (TLS.AX), and said the deal would significantly weaken overall competition in the country. TPG's shares tanked nearly 6% to a record low following the news, while Telstra slipped 0.1%. In February, the telecom giants signed a regional multi-operator core network agreement under which Telstra — the country's largest telecoms operator — would gain access to TPG's 4G and 5G spectrums. TPG and Telstra expressed disappointment with the competition regulator's decision, which the latter said it would appeal against, while rival telecoms firm Optus — owned by Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI) — welcomed it. ACCC noted the network-sharing arrangement is proposed at a time when all the three companies — TPG, Telstra and Optus — are competing in the roll-out of 5G infrastructure including in regional areas.

☆ Australia's competition watchdog rejects Telstra-TPG network sharing deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday rejected TPG Telecom's (TPG.AX) network sharing agreement with Telstra Corp (TLS.AX), saying the deal would significantly weaken competition in the country. 2 internet service provider - said it was "disappointed" with the Australian competition regulator's decision and is preparing an application for a review of the decision. In February, the companies signed a regional multi-operator core network agreement under which Telstra, the country's largest telecoms operator, would gain access to TPG's 4G and 5G spectrums. The deal was expected to deliver between A$1.6 bln ($1.07 bln) and A$1.8 billion of revenue to Telstra over the initial 10-year term. Reporting by Navya Mittal in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia's Telstra suffers privacy breach, 132,000 customers impacted
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Australia's largest telecoms firm Telstra Corp Ltd (TLS.AX) said on Sunday that 132,000 customers were impacted by an internal error that led to disclosure of customer details. The errant disclosure comes after the company in October suffered what it called a small data breach, attributing it to third-party intrusion that exposed some employee data back to 2017. A Telstra internal staff email put the number of affected current and former employees of that breach at 30,000, according to local media. "Protecting our customers’ privacy is absolutely paramount and this is an unacceptable breach of their trust," he added. "We are in the process of contacting every impacted customer to let them know what has occurred."

☆ Australia sues Telstra for not informing customers of downgrade in internet speed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 6 (Reuters) - Australian competition regulator on Tuesday took the country's top telecom firm Telstra Corp (TLS.AX) to court for failing to inform some customers about downgrading the upload speed of its broadband plan. The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) initiated the lawsuit in the Federal Court, alleging it downgraded broadband upload speed for nearly 9,000 residential customers in October and November 2020 without informing them or lowering its charges. The regulator alleged that the affected customers had opted for Telstra's cheaper broadband offering, Belong, between May 2017 and October 2020. While around 2,500 customers were remediated with a one-off A$90 credit after Telstra acknowledged the error in early-2021, it is yet to inform more than 6,300 customers of the downgrade to their maximum upload speed, the ACCC alleged. Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Uttaresh.VOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australian telecom firms fined $22.1 mln for false internet speed claims
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Three Australian telecom firms have been ordered by a court to pay a collective A$33.5 million ($22.08 million) in penalties for making misleading claims about speeds of some NBN internet plans, the country's competition regulator said on Friday. The Australian Federal Court has ordered Telstra (TLS.AX) to pay A$15 million, a unit of TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) to cough up A$5 million, and imposed a fine of A$13.5 million on Optus, a unit of Singapore Telecommunications (STEL.SI), the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) said. All three telcos have admitted in court of making false or misleading statements, the regulator said, claiming nearly 120,000 customers were affected. According to the ACCC, the false or misleading statements were made for at least 12 months in 2019 and possibly extended until 2020, related to their 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) or 100Mbps fibre to the node plans. ($1 = 1.5175 Australian dollars)Reporting by Harshita Swaminathan; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. The data exposed included home addresses, drivers' licences and passport numbers. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TELSTRAAustralia's largest telecoms operator Telstra (TLS.AX) suffered what it called a small data breach, which exposed data of about 30,000 current and former employees dating back to 2017. Compiled by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks since late 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TPG TELECOMAustralia's No.2 internet service provider TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) said it had been notified of unauthorised access to a hosted exchange service that hosts email accounts of up to 15,000 business customers. CBACommonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX said its Indonesian unit, PT Bank Commonwealth (PTBC), had been hit by a cyber incident involving unauthorised access of a web-based software application used for project management. IPHAustralian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, compromising information including administrative documents and some client documents.

☆ Australia's No. 1 health insurer says hacker stole patient details
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SYDNEY, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Australia's biggest health insurer said on Thursday a criminal had apparently stolen customers' medical information as part of a massive breach of data, fuelling concern about a wave of high-profile cyber attacks. The company did not say how many of its 4 million customers were likely to have been affected but warned the number was likely to rise. 2 telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (STEL.SI), revealed a month ago that data of up to 10 million customers may have been stolen. read moreUntil now, most public commentary has focused on the risk that hackers would use stolen data to access bank accounts. Larger Optus rival Telstra Corp Ltd (TLS.AX) has disclosed a small breach of employee data, while No.

☆ Woolworths says data of online unit's 2.2 mln users breached
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 14 (Reuters) - Australia's Woolworths Group Ltd (WOW.AX) said on Friday its majority-owned online retailer MyDeal identified that a "compromised user credential" was used to access its systems that exposed data of nearly 2.2 million users. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterMyDeal's exposed customer data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, delivery addresses, and in some instances date of birth of the customers, the Sydney-based retailer said. It further clarified that MyDeal's website and application were not impacted, and none of the other platforms of Woolworths group were compromised. MyDeal, owned 80% by the top grocer, said it was contacting the affected customers and working with authorities to investigate the incident. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Dhanya Ann ThoppilOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia tells SingTel-owned Optus to pay cost of replacing hacked ID documents
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAn Optus representative was not immediately available to respond to Jones's comments. Optus has apologised for the breach and said it would pay for the most affected customers to receive credit monitoring for a year. Optus and law enforcement authorities have not verified the demand, although cybersecurity experts say it was most likely authentic. The stolen data included passport numbers, drivers licence numbers, government health insurance numbers, phone numbers and home addresses, prompting commentators and lawmakers to demand replacement documents. 3 internet provider TPG Telecom Ltd (TPG.AX), which has about 6 million customers.

Search resuls for: "Telstra"

23 mentions found