How Hopeful Are You The Change At Telstra Health Will Have A Positive Outcome?

This release appeared last week:

Elizabeth Koff to become Managing Director of Telstra Health

14 February 2022

Telstra has today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Koff as Managing Director of Telstra Health, effective from 1 July 2022. 

Elizabeth will succeed Professor Mary Foley AM who has decided to retire from full-time executive roles. Mary will join the Telstra Health Board as a Non-Executive Director and serve as a Special Adviser to the business. 

Elizabeth is currently Secretary for NSW Health, a position she has held since May 2016. NSW Health is Australia’s largest health system with 228 hospitals and 127,000 staff with an operating budget of $30 billion.  In her time as Secretary, Elizabeth has overseen a number of key initiatives and changes across the NSW Health system including:

•  Leadership and management of NSW Health system through the COVID-19 pandemic
• Development of Value-Based Healthcare at scale across the NSW health system
• eHealth transformation with data and analytics reform to drive clinical care improvements and business intelligence
• Transformation of NSW Ministry of Health to agile and flexible work practices

Prior to her role as Secretary for NSW Health, Elizabeth was the Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Resources at NSW Health, and Chief Executive of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. 

Telstra CEO, Andrew Penn said Elizabeth was an outstanding health executive and he was delighted she was joining the team.

“Elizabeth possesses a deep understanding of the nation’s health system and the need for it to be further digitised and integrated. She is well connected within the health sector at a critical time for the continued growth of Telstra Health. Our recent acquisitions and new contract wins have provided real momentum for the business as we work towards achieving our ambitious T25 goal to grow our Health business to $500 million in size and be Australia’s leading digital health business,” said Mr Penn.

“I would also like to pay tribute to Mary in her role as Managing Director over the last five years.  Mary, with her impressive team, has built and grown an industry leading digital health business for Australia and with an expanding international footprint. I am incredibly proud of Mary’s achievements and of her foresight in preparing this period of transition of leadership in the business to ensure continuity and the realisation of our significant growth aspirations.”

Elizabeth will join Telstra on 19 April to facilitate a measured transition with Mary.

The press release is here:

https://www.telstrahealth.com/content/telstrahealth/en/home/media-and-events/Elizabeth-Koff-to-become-Managing-Director-of-Telstra-Health.html

This is clearly an important appointment and one that will change the organisation over time.

What worries me is the question of whether senior bureaucrats are the right people to fill this role, or whether both technical and industry expertise is needed.

Time will tell. What do you think?

David.

This Sort Of Thing Happens Way To Often No One Ever Seems To Suffer Any Consequences.

This appeared last week:

Massive QR breach from NSW Government exposes 500,000 addresses

More than 500,000 addresses were leaked in a NSW Government QR code bungle, with the Premier acknowledging it “shouldn’t have happened”.

Natalie Brown

February 15, 2022 - 6:54AM

More than 500,000 addresses – including those of defence sites, domestic violence shelters and a missile maintenance unit – in a massive NSW Government QR code bungle.

The hundreds of thousands of locations were collected by the NSW Customer Services Department through its QR code registration system, having registered as wanting to comply with Covid-Safe directions.

The dataset was then accidentally made public through a government website, 9News reports.

The NSW Government told the network it referred the matter to the Privacy Commissioner in October last year, and was told “the incident did not constitute a privacy breach”.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said he was advised of “an issue” on Monday morning and said the information had been “uploaded in error”.

“That was worked through [with the] Privacy Commissioner. My understanding is they were satisfied that the matter was resolved and that information was taken down,” Mr Perrottet told 9.

“It shouldn’t have happened.”

Less than one per cent of the 566,318 locations – which included places in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Western Australia – were classed as sensitive, the NSW Department of Customer Services said.

“These businesses were all contacted by telephone and letter. No issues of concern were raised by any recipients,” a department spokesperson said.

More here:

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/massive-qr-breach-from-nsw-government-exposes-500000-addresses/news-story/0df6ca6f36ce760d352030197ab53eaa

There is also coverage here:

Sensitive business addresses among 500,000 published in COVID data breach

By Jonathan Kearsley and Clair Weaver

February 14, 2022 — 7.00pm

The addresses of more than 500,000 organisations including defence sites, a missile maintenance unit and domestic violence shelters were inadvertently made public in the first major breach of the NSW government’s massive trove of QR code data.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the information was uploaded in error and the bungle, which has alarmed privacy advocates and women’s safety advocates, “shouldn’t have happened”.

Cybersecurity experts have long warned the huge amount of data being collected by governments through QR code systems was vulnerable to security breaches, data fraud and hacking.

The locations, collected by the NSW Department of Customer Service when businesses and organisations registered as COVID-safe to access a QR code for staff and customers to check in, were discovered on a NSW data website in September by technology specialist Skeeve Stevens.

He alerted cyber experts who raised the alarm with the NSW government. It referred the matter to the privacy commissioner the following month and a spokesman said it was told it “did not constitute a privacy breach”.

Mr Perrottet said he was advised of “an issue” on Monday morning.

“That was worked through [by the] privacy commissioner. My understanding is they were satisfied that the matter was resolved and that information was taken down. It shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Perrottet said.

The list of addresses included correctional facilities, critical infrastructure networks including power stations and tunnel entry sites as well as dozens of shelters and crisis accommodation centres for women across the state.

The NSW Department of Customer Service said it classed fewer than 1 per cent of the 566,318 locations as sensitive.

More here:

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sensitive-business-addresses-among-500-000-published-in-covid-data-breach-20220214-p59wal.html

Talk about a silly and unnecessary data leak that allowed the addresses of all sorts of sensitive organisations to be made accessible and potentially used for all sorts of nefarious purposes!

Just who would think putting this list on the web would be a good idea one wonders….

What other lists might some other neophyte think would be good to be made public.

Service NSW has a Privacy Policy which you can see here:

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/privacy-statement

The problem with what happened this time seems to be that the information was not clearly ‘personal information’ while in fact making such sensitive organisational addresses available could have direct personal consequences if discovered and used.

It was not obvious, from what I could see, if there was policy to cover such secondary issues. What is needed is a more general policy that says ‘you think through all the risks before data is published’ with a bias towards public safety if in any doubt!

Bottom line is that we need excellent stewardship of all data sets collected by Government and real consequences for those who let information wander that may be harmful. Another incidence of ‘common sense’ not being a common as we all might like. And let’s not even start of data protection, security and de-identification and the traps that exist there!

Must do better is the mantra I believe!

David.

 

Commentators and Journalists Weigh In On Digital Health And Related Privacy, Safety, Social Media And Security Matters. Lots Of Interesting Perspectives - February 22, 2022.

-----

This weekly blog is to explore the news around the larger issues around Digital Health, data security, data privacy, AI / ML. technology, social media and related matters.

I will also try to highlight ADHA Propaganda when I come upon it.

Just so we keep count, the latest Notes from the ADHA Board were dated 6 December, 2018 and we have seen none since! It’s pretty sad!

Note: Appearance here is not to suggest I see any credibility or value in what follows. I will leave it to the reader to decide what is worthwhile and what is not! The point is to let people know what is being said / published that I have come upon.

-----

https://www.dayhospitalsaustralia.net.au/my-health-record-sessions-for-hospital-staff/

My Health Record Sessions for Hospital Staff

• 17th February 2022 ADHA Propaganda

The Australian Digital Health Agency are conducting regular My Health Record Sessions for Hospital Staff. These 30 minute sessions will commence Thursday 17 February 2022 reoccurring fortnightly until Thursday 28 April 2022.

Content will include an overview on:

• pathology and diagnostic report viewing
• medicines information
• discharge summaries
• primary care shared health and event summaries
• advance care planning documents

These sessions will be held on the Agency’s Learning Management System to provide hospital staff access to relevant resources, as well as a recording of the session.

To participate in or view these sessions, register here: https://training.digitalhealth.gov.au/enrol/index.php?id=45

-----

https://www.innovationaus.com/like-a-one-armed-juggler-oaic-funding-constraints-in-the-spotlight-again/

‘Like a one-armed juggler’: OAIC funding constraints in the spotlight again

---

Denham Sadler
National Affairs Editor

16 February 2022

The funding and resourcing limitations of Australia’s privacy office has been thrown in the spotlight again, as the wait for the appointment of a standalone FOI Commissioner continues.

The federal government provided nearly $1 million per year for the appointment of a new Freedom of Information Commissioner within the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in last year’s budget.

Despite a job listing being posted in June last year, the government is still yet to appoint someone to this position, eight months later.

In this time, there has been a near-40 per cent increase in FOI review requests to the OAIC.

At a Senate Estimates hearing on Tuesday evening, Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said she expects an FOI Commissioner to be officially appointed within weeks.

------

https://www.zdnet.com/article/australian-encryption-laws-used-to-force-provider-to-help-in-homicide-case/

Australian encryption laws used to force provider to help in homicide case

NSW Police becomes the first interception agency to use a Technical Assistance Notice.

Written by Chris Duckett, APAC Editor

on February 16, 2022 | Topic: Security

When it comes to Australia's encryption laws, two out of the three arms can now be publicly said to have been used, following the release of the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 -- Annual Report 2020-21 this week.

In previous years, agencies had only used voluntary Technical Assistance Requests (TAR) to get service providers to help them, but the latest report shows NSW Police in the past year also turned to the first of the compulsory notices available.

That request, used in a homicide investigation, is the first use of a compulsory Technical Assistance Notice (TAN) to force a provider to use a capability they already possess. Assistance notices issued by state-level law enforcement are reviewed by the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

This leaves the compulsory Technical Capability Notice (TCN) as the only form of notice yet to be publicly disclosed as used. The TCN forces providers to build a new capability for agencies and requires sign-off from the federal Attorney-General and Minister for Communications. The report said no TCNs were sought across the reporting period.

-----

https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/19273

Australian Digital Health Agency

Service Designer Capability

Opportunity ID 19273

Deadline for asking questions Thursday 24 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Application closing date Monday 28 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Published Friday 18 February 2022

Panel category User research and Design

Overview

The Australian Digital Health Agency's, Experience & Service Design team seeks to engage with experienced sellers who can provide Service Designer capability to work with members of the Agency’s ESD team to deliver a priority project which requires additional expertise and delivery support. This will involve embedding into and working closely with a highly collaborative Service Design and Research team to deliver a digital health strategic project. The required skill sets, experience, and capabilities to be provided are as follows. Customer centred design activities including customer research, problem solving, stakeholder workshop facilitation and artefact creation, such as journey mapping and service blueprinting. A design thinking approach will be used to surface opportunities and ideate customer experiences, which will support the execution of digital health programs. Experience working in government and health related projects highly regarded. Suppliers are to provide daily rates (inclusive of GST) for nominated personnel. Over a period of 80 days Suppliers are to provide services daily rates (inclusive of GST) for nominated personnel.

-----

https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/19234

Australian Digital Health Agency

Project Coordinator x 3 (DH4011/DH4209/DH4210)

Opportunity ID 19234

Deadline for asking questions Thursday 24 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Application closing date Monday 28 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Published Friday 18 February 2022

Category Digital sourcing and ICT procurement

Overview

The Agency is seeking 3 x Project Coordinators. The Project Coordinator is accountable, under limited direction, to perform complex work that supports, coordinates and enables project activities across identified work areas within the Agency. The Project Coordinator exercises both initiative and judgment in the application of project and operations management practices and procedures in order to provide relevant technical, professional, and/or policy advice in relation to complex problems. Project, program and/or operations work may be internally focused or externally focused, as such the Project Coordinator applies strong stakeholder engagement skills and be responsible for working with key internal and external stakeholders to understand, negotiate and resolve complex, difficult or sensitive issues arising within a project/program. The Project Coordinator may require, and/or be able to develop, additional section-specific knowledge to be able to successful deliver outcomes; as such the ability to apply knowledge or quickly develop an understanding of business is key for these roles. Please refer to the Position description document for more details.

-----

https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/healthcare-providers/initiatives-and-programs/my-health-record/conformant-clinical-software-products

Conformant clinical software products

Initiatives and programs

·         Open/Close MenuElectronic prescribing

• Telehealth

·         Open/Close MenuCommunities of Excellence

·         Open/Close MenuWorkforce and education

• Secure messaging
• Interoperability and data quality
• Provider Connect Australia
• Healthcare Information Provider Service (HIPS)

·         Open/Close MenuNational Authentication Service for Health (NASH)

Register of conformity

The register of conformity lists software products and the versions that have been assessed for conformance with national digital health requirements. This includes the ability to view a My Health Record, upload a shared health summary, upload prescriptions, provide assisted registration, and more.

Software developers must declare the conformance of their products to be included in the Register.

My Health Record conformance register (PDF, 490.45 KB)

Last updated: 18 February 2022

Terms of use

The Agency publishes the Australian Register of Conformity as a service for third party vendors, health service providers, hospital or State and Territory health departments to declare the conformance of their systems to digital health specifications and standards. All organisations that wish to appear on the Australian Register of Conformity must certify that the information they provide is accurate, complete and up-to-date and are responsible for modifying or de-registering their entries if the software no longer meets relevant conformance requirements. The Agency takes no responsibility for the false or misleading representations of third parties entered on the Australian Register of Conformity.

-----

https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2022/02/smartwatch-medical-technology-features/

How Does the Medical Technology in Smartwatches Hold Up in the Real World?

Lauren Rouse

Published February 17, 2022 at 12:01 pm -

Smartwatches are a constant companion for many, but nowadays they do a lot more than just tell the time. Consumer tech companies like Apple, Samsung, Fitbit and Garmin have all worked hard to gain a competitive edge in the smartwatch arena and in recent years that has involved pushing into the medical space.

Now the question we ask when a new smartwatch is released isn’t ‘what does it look like?’ or ‘how well does it tell the time?’, it’s ‘what new features does it have?’.

Smartwatches can now do things like track your sleep, measure your body composition and take an electrocardiogram (ECG) reading. However, devices with these features have to go through lengthy approval processes before they can be activated for use.

This happened most memorably with the Apple Watch’s ECG features, which saw Aussies receive the nifty new feature years after our friends in the U.S..

Shortly after Apple had its ECG monitoring approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), a wave of similar approvals followed for both Samsung and Fitbit’s new devices.

-----

https://medicalrepublic.com.au/proda-ii-the-great-big-practice-reset/63310

18 February 2022

PRODA II: the great big practice reset

By Jeremy Knibbs

Last week’s PRODA story started zinging on doctors’ social media not long after being published, and has been zinging pretty much ever since. 

It floated the idea that having to register or re-register your practice or individual contractor business for PRODA was not quite as simple as the government moving its infrastructure to the cloud so everyone could get paid faster (as the government mostly describes it). 

It hit a nerve of some description, although it’s hard to determine what nerve precisely as, so far, the idea and the topic are still a little obscure. You have to join the dots on what is going on, then you have to believe that the dots have both been joined correctly and that there exists someone who has planned all the dots. 

As I work for an organisation mostly comprised of journalists (I’m not a journo’s little toe, to be clear), I’m not permitted to be a member of most of these doctor social media groups so I’m not able to listen in live on a lot of doctor social media. But I manage to live vicariously through some doctor friends who are members, and the odd other non-doctor professional whom they let on the sites for one reason or another.  

Responses to the idea that there’s a lot more to PRODA coming down the line than just a more efficient way to get your Medicare claim done seem to fall into four categories: 

• PRODA? I’ve had a PRODA account forever, there’s nothing to see there 

• I’ve joined the dots the wrong way and don’t understand how all this works 
• The government would never do that, would they, we’re doctors and we’ve worked this way forever? 
• Shiiiiiitttttt!! 

PRODA has been around forever. But the government is requiring that everyone re-register for PRODA to enable its new web services (cloud) functionality regime.  

-----

https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/australia-launch-new-covid-19-case-reporting-tool-aged-care

Australia to launch new COVID-19 case reporting tool for aged care

This comes amid the rise in COVID-19 deaths in residential aged care facilities.

By Adam Ang

February 17, 2022 04:17 AM

Australia's Department of Health is setting up a new reporting tool in which aged care service providers can report their COVID-19 cases.

The COVID-19 Support Portal on the My Aged Care provider website will allow aged care services to submit de-identified data about COVID-19 outbreaks or exposures at their facilities.

WHY IT MATTERS

Case reporting through the new online site will begin on 28 February. Before then, providers will still have to submit their counts to the government by email. 

"The information collected via the new COVID-19 Support Portal is the same as the existing information required to be reported by providers to the Department of Health. We are simply making it more streamlined and effective," the department said in a recent update. The portal, it added, will help "expedite the provision of support to providers when an outbreak occurs".

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/abc-iview-registration-is-back-and-so-are-privacy-concerns-576242

ABC iView registration is back, and so are privacy concerns

By Richard Chirgwin on Feb 18, 2022 11:15AM

Facebook, Google queue up for hashed user e-mail addresses.

The ABC has decided to press ahead with its unpopular iView registration requirement.

The public broadcaster had originally intended to require registrations from July 2021, but last year shelved the idea in response to concerns about privacy and legality.

Now, the requirement is back, with iVew slated to require an ABC account from 15 March.

The rationale is the same as it was last year: users will get personalised services like recommendations, watchlists and “continue viewing”.

And what the ABC wants also remains the same - it gets to track users, analyse their data, and exchange data with Facebook and Google.

-----

https://www.ausdoc.com.au/opinion/who-needs-telehealth-im-doing-consults-through-my-practice-window

Who needs telehealth - I'm doing consults through my practice window

Dr Pam Rachootin

Dr Rachootin is a GP in Adelaide, SA.

18th February 2022

Necessity is the mother of invention. And hasn’t COVID-19 been a mother in so many ways? 

I’ve always been intrigued by different models of doing business. As a young adult I was most impressed by the Red Light District of Amsterdam. 

I’m a little bit late for that run now, however, the lasting impressions that were made on that trip may have influenced my current practice.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. 

My surgery has gone through several iterations in attempts to be as risk-free as possible since the pandemic began.

Initially, I started consulting outside, in a lovely garden setting. 

-----

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/european-pollies-to-study-our-esafety/news-story/062495e062b30ae809b1d2d88859701b

European pollies to study our eSafety

Sarah Ison

6:48PM February 17, 2022

Members of the European parliament are flying to Australia next week for five days of high-level talks with government and the eSafety Commissioner to learn lessons from Australia’s world-leading approach to combating child exploitation online.

The visit comes at a critical moment, with the European Commission set to release new legislation to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation, which will shape the future of ­online regulation across the continent and the world.

Australia was the first country to create the role of eSafety Commissioner, filled by Julie Inman Grant who used to work for tech giants including Twitter.

“Australia has been leading the world in online safety regulation for the past six years and we now have a successful and ­replicable model that the rest of the world is closely looking at,” Ms Grant said. “This visit by representatives of the European parliament shows how important this work has been.”

Other countries are also considering creating eSafety commissioners and officers, ­in­cluding Ireland and Britain.

-----

https://www.anzca.edu.au/news/safety-and-advocacy-news/safety-and-quality-news/continued-access-to-my-health-record-and-electroni

Continued access to My Health Record and electronic prescribing

ADHA Propaganda

To maintain access to digital health tools such as electronic prescribing and My Health Record, organisations need to ensure that their National Authentication Service for Health (NASH) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate is renewed if it is expiring on or before 13 March 2022.

The Australian Digital Health Agency has developed a number of resources to support organisations during the renewal process:

• A short NASH PKI renewal animation to help the Organisation Maintenance Officer for your organisation understand the steps involved.
• Webinars - Register here
• A step-by-step guide to renew a NASH PKI certificate.
• Frequently asked questions.

 
Visit digitalhealth.gov.au/nash for more information and resources.

-----

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/google-takes-aim-at-apple-privacy/news-story/8dae814de309fcc9f3393cd9bf1070c2

Google takes aim at Apple privacy

Chris Griffith

11:00PM February 16, 2022

Google has taken a swipe at Apple over its privacy practices while it attempts to improve its own. It wants to develop better privacy constraints for Android that will offer increased user privacy while still giving advertisers user data.

One of them is to let users zero out their advertising IDs, which apps use to identify users behaviours on their phones.

In a blog post today, Google announced a multi-year project to build an Android ‘privacy box’ where it will introduce new privacy solutions. It named Snap, Rovio and Duolingo as collaborating with it on the project.

However, it won’t be matching rival Apple which requires users to give explicit permission to apps before they can track general phone usage.

-----

https://www.economist.com/films/2022/02/15/the-future-of-medical-ai

The future of medical AI

Can artificial intelligence cure health care’s ills?

Feb 15th 2022

Health Care face huge problems, with growing numbers of patients and too few doctors to treat them. Artificial intelligence can help cure some of these ills, offering advances ranging from more efficient diagnoses to safer treatments. This film examines how AI can transform health care, and explores the difficulty of protecting the privacy of patients.

-----

https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/19105

Australian Digital Health Agency

DH4177 - 1 x Operations Team Support

Opportunity ID 19105

Deadline for asking questions Monday 21 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Application closing date Wednesday 23 February 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)

Published Tuesday 15 February 2022

Category Change and Transformation

Overview

Responsibilities • Rapidly work to understand the agency's goals, unique challenges, and current organisation • Develop ITSM capabilities with identified key stakeholders to build a modernisation team to lead the agency in maturing the ICT organisation • Support the modernisation team through continually improving the ITSM practices, defining value steams, and implementing contemporary ICT concepts and methods. • Assist in the implementation a Service Integration and Management (SIAM) model to ensure service partners are best able to collaborate with each other, and the agency • Communicate effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the agency, service partners, and vendors • Negotiate, and work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure outcomes are of benefit to the agency its service providers, and service consumers. Experience • Experience in applying Agile Methodologies such as DevOps, Agile Project Management is desirable • Broad experience in IT Operations, Service Management, and Service Delivery is highly desirable. • Experience in ITSM Service Design is desirable. Qualifications • ITIL 4 Foundations • ITIL 4 Specialist: 'Create, Deliver, Support' and/or 'High Velocity IT' is desirable NOTE: The proposed candidate must be an Australian Citizen with evidence sighted by yourself and the Australian citizenship certificate or birth certificate number provided with the CV. Referee checks will be required for the preferred candidate.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/regional-telecommunications-still-expensive-and-unreliable-review-finds-576056

Regional telecommunications still expensive and unreliable, review finds

By Richard Chirgwin on Feb 15, 2022 11:25AM

Fires, floods and plague highlight telcos' inadequacies.

A string of natural disasters since 2018 plus the Covid-19 pandemic have exposed the inadequacies in regional telecommunications networks and services, according to a report tabled in federal parliament yesterday.

The 2021 Regional Telecommunications Review: A step change in demand was tabled by the minister for regionalisation, regional communications and regional education, Senator Bridget McKenzie.

The report noted that in addition to the pandemic, which put a premium on connectivity for remote work, the 2019-2020 east coast bushfires and 2021 eastern Australia floods both highlight telecommunications networks' failings in the face of natural disaster.

During the bushfire emergency, mobile networks often failed because power cuts lasted longer than the batteries at base stations.

And, as noted in a submission from the Macdonald Valley Association, not even Telstra exchanges can be relied on.

-----

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/senate-repels-email-attacks/news-story/6eccba1e405f6678512d671495e34d3f

Senate repels email attacks

Sarah Ison

8:22PM February 14, 2022

Suspicious emails to parliamentarians have plummeted, Senate estimates reveal, but there are still about 40 emails a day considered “a threat” slipping through.

Email spoofing, phishing attacks and cybercrimes using the aph.gov.au email address has been a topic of concern for the Department of Parliamentary Services, according to Senate president Slade Brockman.

But since the implementation of a message authentication program over the past two months, DPS observed an 82 per cent reduction in email traffic attempting to impersonate the aph.gov.au domain.

Emails classified as threats were also dramatically cut from peaks of 240 a day, but Senator Brockman confirmed 40 emails were still getting through daily to parliamentarians and staff.

-----

https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/massive-qr-breach-from-nsw-government-exposes-500000-addresses/news-story/0df6ca6f36ce760d352030197ab53eaa

Massive QR breach from NSW Government exposes 500,000 addresses

More than 500,000 addresses were leaked in a NSW Government QR code bungle, with the Premier acknowledging it “shouldn’t have happened”.

Natalie Brown

February 15, 2022 - 6:54AM

More than 500,000 addresses – including those of defence sites, domestic violence shelters and a missile maintenance unit – in a massive NSW Government QR code bungle.

The hundreds of thousands of locations were collected by the NSW Customer Services Department through its QR code registration system, having registered as wanting to comply with Covid-Safe directions.

The dataset was then accidentally made public through a government website, 9News reports.

The NSW Government told the network it referred the matter to the Privacy Commissioner in October last year, and was told “the incident did not constitute a privacy breach”.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said he was advised of “an issue” on Monday morning and said the information had been “uploaded in error”.

-----

https://www.smh.com.au/technology/tech-giants-can-claim-they-re-everywhere-and-nowhere-but-it-s-not-smart-20220210-p59vep.html

Tech giants can claim they’re everywhere and nowhere, but it’s not smart

Nick Bonyhady

Technology Editor

February 14, 2022 — 12.30am

Last week three judges of the Federal Court of Australia looked at Facebook and came away unimpressed.

In critical legal proceedings, the social network’s US parent company Meta had tried to claim that it was not actually carrying out business in the country - despite it being used by an estimated 70 per cent of Australians.

Facebook made the claim in an attempt to argue it couldn’t even be served with legal documents from Australia for alleged privacy breaches from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which a shadowy political consultancy harvested Facebook data on millions of users to inform its strategies in 2014 and 2015.

According to the social media giant, its US-headquartered parent only conducted data processing services for Facebook Ireland Limited, which collects data from Australian citizens.

-----

https://medicalrepublic.com.au/paramedics-are-the-final-digital-frontier/62821

14 February 2022

Paramedics are the final digital frontier

By Fran Molloy

As the Omicron variant of covid surges around Australia and the world, ambulance ramping is commonplace, and paramedics can queue for hours in hot PPE while they wait to hand over an endless stream of inebriated, injured, sick and distressed people to hospital staff.

But despite the advent of paperless hospitals and the inexorable adoption of electronic medical records, patient handovers from ambulance to ED remain an analogue process, involving at best a printout of patient vital signs, treatment and trends, and the call details from 000 – but usually perhaps just a verbal summary to an admitting nurse or doctor.

“Over the 20 years that I have been a paramedic, the information flow in this job has barely changed,” says Gary Wilson, secretary of the Australian Paramedics Association (NSW).

Wilson says that 000 call-takers record the call, sending details to the ambulance mobile data terminals (MDTs) – and the quality and quantity of that information varies widely.

“Sometimes there’s a lot of information, which can be overwhelming when you’re driving with lights and sirens responding to a scene – other times you have hardly anything to go on.”

-----

David.

 

Weekly Australian Health IT Links – 21 February, 2022.

Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.

General Comment

-----

PRODA and its ramifications for GP’s seems to be the big news this week and it is vital for billing! It needs software upgrades so that might be exciting etc!

The new CEO for Telstra Health is also in the news!

-----

https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/gps-must-sign-govt-online-system-next-month-claim-medicare

GPs 'must sign up' to govt online system by next month to claim Medicare

The change is supposed to offer GPs easier access to information online

16th February 2022

By Siobhan Calafiore

GPs and practices are being warned to register with the Federal Government’s PRODA system by next month or risk losing access to Medicare.

Services Australia is introducing its new web services system that changes the way doctors submit Medicare claims and how they access other online services, like the PBS, My Health Record and the Australian Immunisation Register.  

The change requires GP software vendors to upgrade their practice management software.

However, both practices and GPs will also need to be registered with the government’s online authentication system PRODA — officially Provider Digital Access — to use these services.

-----

https://www.telstrahealth.com/content/telstrahealth/en/home/media-and-events/Elizabeth-Koff-to-become-Managing-Director-of-Telstra-Health.html

Elizabeth Koff to become Managing Director of Telstra Health

14 February 2022

Telstra has today announced the appointment of Elizabeth Koff as Managing Director of Telstra Health, effective from 1 July 2022. 

Elizabeth will succeed Professor Mary Foley AM who has decided to retire from full-time executive roles. Mary will join the Telstra Health Board as a Non-Executive Director and serve as a Special Adviser to the business. 

Elizabeth is currently Secretary for NSW Health, a position she has held since May 2016. NSW Health is Australia’s largest health system with 228 hospitals and 127,000 staff with an operating budget of $30 billion.  In her time as Secretary, Elizabeth has overseen a number of key initiatives and changes across the NSW Health system including:

•  Leadership and management of NSW Health system through the COVID-19 pandemic
• Development of Value-Based Healthcare at scale across the NSW health system
• eHealth transformation with data and analytics reform to drive clinical care improvements and business intelligence
• Transformation of NSW Ministry of Health to agile and flexible work practices

Prior to her role as Secretary for NSW Health, Elizabeth was the Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Resources at NSW Health, and Chief Executive of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network. 

-----

NSW Health secretary stepping down to join Telstra Health

She will leave her present role on 4 March.

By Adam Ang

February 14, 2022 03:27 AM

Elizabeth Koff, secretary of NSW Health, is set to resign from her post to move to Telstra Health, the digital health arm of listed telecommunications firm Telstra corporation. 

Telstra Health announced today that Koff will succeed Mary Foley as their managing director effective from 1 July. Foley is retiring from her executive roles but will still serve as a special adviser and a non-executive director of the Telstra Health Board.

WHY IT MATTERS 

Koff has spent more than three decades in the state health department. Over the past six years, NSW Health, which manages 228 hospitals and around 127,000 staff, went through significant changes under her leadership, such as the system's digital transformation through data and analytics reform, development of value-based healthcare at scale, and the implementation of flexible work practices. 

She will be most noted for leading the health system through the COVID-19 pandemic. "She has led and supported the most outstanding executive health team and broader health teams at times of great pressure," said NSW Health Minister Bradley Ronald Hazzard in a separate statement.

-----

https://www.themandarin.com.au/181340-nsw-health-secretary-resigns-joins-digital-health-business/

NSW health secretary resigns, joins digital health business

---

By Jackson Graham

Monday February 14, 2022

The secretary of NSW Health has resigned after helping to shape the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is due to join Telstra Health.

Elizabeth Koff has spent more than 30 years at the department, which she led for the past six years, but will leave the post in early March. 

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said Koff had made an “enormous contribution” while leading the 170,000 public servants in the state’s health response. 

“She has led and supported the most outstanding executive health team and broader health teams at times of great pressure,” Hazzard said in a statement. 

-----

https://itwire.com/people-moves/elizabeth-koff-to-become-managing-director-of-telstra-health.html

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 11:28

Elizabeth Koff to become Managing Director of Telstra Health

By Chris Coughlan

Telstra announced the appointment of Elizabeth Koff as Managing Director of Telstra Health, effective from 1 July 2022.

Telstra said that Elizabeth Koff will succeed Professor Mary Foley AM who has decided to retire from full-time executive roles. Mary will join the Telstra Health Board as a Non-Executive Director and serve as a Special Adviser to the business.

Koff is currently Secretary for NSW Health, a position she has held since May 2016.

Telstra CEO Andrew Penn said Elizabeth was an outstanding health executive and he was delighted she was joining the team.

-----

https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/more-computerbased-exam-malfunctions-physician-trainees

More computer-based exam malfunctions for physician trainees

Around 100 registrars experienced glitches during the exam run on Monday

17th February 2022

By Antony Scholefield

Around 100 trainee physicians experienced IT glitches during their make-or-break divisional written exam, forcing some into resits next month.

It’s the same exam run by the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) that was aborted in 2018, affecting over 1200 registrars.

A college spokesperson said this time around 100 trainees faced  "logon delays or other IT issues" for one of the two examinations it ran on Monday.

It's unclear how many will have to resit the exam in full.

The exam — which costs $2031 to sit — was being held at 21 exam centres in Australia and New Zealand.

-----

https://developer.digitalhealth.gov.au/events/are-your-products-nash-sha-2-ready-25-february-2022

Are your products NASH SHA-2 ready? (25 February, 2022)

Friday, 25 February 2022 - 1:00pm to 1:30pm

Online Webinar

Register to attend

About this event

Healthcare organisations are currently renewing their NASH certificates before 13 March so they have continued access to digital health services like electronic prescribing and My Health Record.

To support your customers during this transition, please ensure your software is SHA-2 ready by following this step-by-step developer guide. We will then include it in the NASH SHA-2 readiness register, which is publicly available for all healthcare organisations who need to transition to SHA-2 ready software.

The Australian Digital Health Agency has developed additional resources to support you and your customers during the renewal process:

• Webinars – Invite your support teams and customers to attend a webinar and be guided through the renewal process. Register here (Times are AEST)
• FAQs – For healthcare organisations requesting or renewing their NASH PKI certificate. 

-----

https://www.chnact.org.au/for-health-professionals/digital-health/time-critical-changes-to-nash-and-online-claiming/

Time critical changes to NASH and Online Claiming

Did you know that your NASH certificates and your practice management or dispensing software needs to be upgraded BEFORE 13 March 2022? If it’s not, you will need to revert to manual claiming (e.g. Medicare, PBS Online, Aged Care services) and your digital health systems will cease functioning (e.g. MHR, Secure Messaging, Electronic Prescriptions).

From 13 March 2022, the way that medical professionals interact with online claims and the National Authentication Services for Health (NASH) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Certificates will be changed. Both of these changes will have implications in general practice, aged care, specialists and pharmacies.

NASH SHA-2 Certificate Upgrades

The National Authentication Service for Health (NASH) is updating on 13 March 2022 to NASH SHA-2. In order to continue to receive and publish information in the Digital Health services, all practices will need a NASH SHA-2 Certificate.

From 13 March 2022, you’ll need a NASH SHA-2 PKI certificate to authenticate to these channels:

• My Health Record
• Healthcare Identifiers (HI) Service
• Electronic Prescribing
• Secure Messaging

Services Australia will no longer be issuing NASH SHA-1 PKI Certificates.

What do you need to do next?

The Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) has provided a thorough explanation of the NASH SHA-2 PKI Certificates and next steps for practitioners and practices. Please visit their website here for a complete run down of the process and how to prepare for moving from SHA-1 to SHA-2. The page also includes a registry of software vendors who are ready to upgrade, which will be updated regularly. To ready your software and update your practice for the installation of the SHA-2, you will need to coordinate with your software vendors. Your software vendor will also tell you if additional files must be downloaded and installed when you renew or request for a new NASH certificate.

-----

https://themarketherald.com.au/beamtree-asxbmt-sees-91pc-boost-in-revenue-2022-02-15/

Beamtree (ASX:BMT) sees 91pc boost in revenue

ASX:BMT      MCAP $101.3M

Jessica De Freitas Markets Reporter 

jessica.defreitas@themarketherald.com.au

15 February 2022 14:49 (AEDT)

• Beamtree (BMT) has reported a 91 per cent boost in group revenue to $7.1 million for the first half of FY22
• The health data analytics company saw all of its customers renew their ongoing contracts which it says is a testament to their loyalty and the value of its products
• Importantly, Beamtree expanded its presence with new partnerships in South Africa and New Zealand as well as with Adelaide-based CALHN to implement new products
• Beamtree says it became Australia’s largest health data and AI decision support platform after acquiring and integrating two new companies to increase its capabilities
• Company shares are down 8.38 per cent to trade at 41 cents

Health data analytics company Beamtree (BMT) has reported a 91 per cent boost in group revenue to $7.1 million for the first half of FY22.

Of this, total recurring revenue accounted for over 85 per cent which the company said was a testament to customer loyalty. In line with this, 100 per cent of Beamtree’s customers renewed their contracts during the half-year.

-----

InterSystems Recognised As Best in KLAS for Interoperability Platforms and Acute Care EMRs (Asia / Oceania)

InterSystems HealthShare® Unified Care Record and TrakCare® garner continued recognition

SYDNEY, Australia & SINGAPORE, February 17, 2022 – InterSystems, a creative data technology provider dedicated to helping customers solve the most critical scalability, interoperability, and speed problems, today announced that KLAS Research has recognised two of its healthcare solutions in the 2022 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report.

As a direct result of feedback from healthcare providers, InterSystems HealthShare® Unified Care Record has been recognised a total of nine times across categories since 2006 and InterSystems TrakCare® unified healthcare information system is the 2022 Best in KLAS award winner in the Asia/Oceania Region for Acute Care EMR for their sixth time.

“Each year, thousands of healthcare professionals across the globe take the time to share their voice with KLAS,” said Adam Gale, CEO of KLAS. “They know that sharing their perspective helps vendors to improve and helps their peers make better decisions. These conversations are a constant reminder to me of how necessary accurate, honest, and impartial reporting is in the healthcare industry. The Best in KLAS report and the awards it contains set the standard of excellence for software and services firms. Vendors who win the title of Best in KLAS should celebrate and remember that providers now accept only the best from their products and services. The Best in KLAS award serves as a signal to provider and payer organisations that they should expect excellence from the winning vendors.”

According to a recent report from Sage Growth Partners, only 20 percent of healthcare organisation (HCO) executives fully trust the data they rely on to make decisions. This highlights the critical need for HCOs to be equipped with the technology and resources to collect, normalise, analyse, and apply data from disparate sources to make timely clinical and business decisions. InterSystems HealthShare Unified Care record enables HCOs to connect providers, patients, and payers with patient records and analytics. As a result, HCOs can capture information, share it in a meaningful way, aid understanding and, ultimately, drive transformative action across organisations and communities.

------

https://www.tenders.gov.au/Cn/Show/03b6765f-dd7e-4af9-ab2a-6eebb9168964

CN ID:  CN3822114

Agency:  Australian Digital Health Agency

Publish Date: 22-Oct-2021

Category:  Corporate objectives or policy development

Contract Period: 8-Oct-2021 to 30-Sep-2023

Contract Value (AUD):  $231,000.00

Description:  Corporate objectives or policy development

Procurement Method:  Limited tender

Limited Tender Condition:

10.3.d.ii. Supply by particular business: with no reasonable alternative or substitute: to protect exclusive rights or proprietary information.

ATM ID:  DH3656

Agency Reference ID:  4500145056

---

Supplier Details

Name:  SOUTH EASTERN MELBOURNE PRIMARY HEALTH NETWORK LTD.

-----

Software Developer Community Announcement

HIPS Mobile v2.0 Released

HIPS Mobile allows clinicians in the hospital setting to have mobile device access to patient My Health Record information while engaging with patients in ward and bed-side settings, or remotely off-site.

Clinicians in public and private hospitals already widely rely on mobile devices (smart phones and tablets) for accessing their patients’ clinical information, so HIPS Mobile will add My Health Record patient data access to their repertoire.

HIPS Mobile v2.0 is the next major release, featuring the following major improvements and defect fixes.

The new key features of the application are:

• Introduction of an emergency contact details view for displaying these details from a patient’s My Health Record.
• Introduction of ‘gain emergency access’ functionality to enable access to a patient’s My Health Record when the selected patient needs emergency care and is not capable of giving or communicating consent.
• Rebranded the application from HPA to HIPS Mobile.
• General improvements to user experience and usability of the application.
• Improved hardening of security posture.

Who will this affect?

• Public and private hospital organizations
• Diagnostic service provider organizations
• System integrators
• Software vendors

-----

https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/roundup-royal-melbourne-hospital-enables-remote-heart-device-interrogations-mater-adopts

Roundup: Royal Melbourne Hospital enables remote heart device interrogations, Mater adopts QuestManager, and more briefs

Also, the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital is upgrading its radiotherapy systems to serve more cancer patients.

By Adam Ang

February 18, 2022 12:21 AM

Royal Melbourne Hospital introduces remote heart device interrogation amid lockdowns

The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), a public hospital in Victoria has turned to remote interrogations of cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIED) to continue checking up on patients amid COVID-19 lockdowns.

Remote device interrogation kiosks have been set up at local pharmacies where patients can show up and connect their devices. Data from devices such as pacemakers and defibrillators are then sent to the Cardiology CIED team at RMH for review. 

These device interrogations can take up to five minutes with prompt feedback from RMH cardiologists expected to come soon afterwards. Shannon Watt, RMH's chief cardiac physiologist, shared that since deploying the technology, their colleagues from other states have inquired about their latest care model. 

"I think we feel that this has a real potential to change the model of care, not just for our institution, but for others," she said.

-----

https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/anz/dexcom-g6-added-australias-cgm-subsidy

Dexcom G6 added to Australia's CGM subsidy

It will replace the previous version of the CGM device which is being phased out due to supply issues.

By Adam Ang

February 14, 2022 01:27 AM

The Australian government has expanded the subsidised access to the latest generation of Dexcom's continuous glucose monitoring device, Dexcom G6, for diabetic Australians.

This comes as the previous version of the CGM device, Dexcom G5, is being phased out in the country by local distributor AMSL Diabetes due to international supply chain issues.

Dexcom G6 features a one-touch applicator; a touch screen receiver that displays real-time glucose data; and a sensor and a transmitter that is different to the G5  – its transmitter has the same three-month lifespan but the G6 sensor lasts for 10 days.

WHY IT MATTERS

In Australia last year, more than 120,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes, bringing the country's total diabetic population to about 1.8 million.

The CGM initiative started in 2017 to provide people with type 1 diabetes with fully subsidised access to CGM products. It is part of the National Diabetes Services Scheme operated by Diabetes Australia.

-----

https://medicalrepublic.com.au/no-relief-from-12-month-telehealth-rule/63056

15 February 2022

No relief from 12-month telehealth rule

By Holly Payne

No dice: the RACGP’s call for exemptions to the 12-month face-to-face telehealth rule will go unanswered, with the Department of Health confirming that no such plans are on the cards. 

Last week, the college published an open letter to the DoH seeking changes to the existing relationship rule so that immunocompromised GPs could continue to bill Medicare for telehealth consults even if they have not seen a particular patient face to face in over 12 months. 

This would allow vulnerable GPs to continue self-isolating as the pandemic drags into its third year. 

Telehealth represents about 30% of GP services delivered so far in 2022, up from 23% of services in all of 2021.

“While telehealth services have increased in response to the emerging challenges of the Omicron variant, the majority of GP services continue to be provided in person, which remains the preferred standard of care,” a spokesperson for the department told The Medical Republic. 

------

https://itwire.com/strategy/breastscreen-victoria-picks-rimini-street-to-manage-its-database-software.html

Wednesday, 16 February 2022 10:47

BreastScreen Victoria picks Rimini Street to manage its database software

By Kenn Anthony Mendoza

Breast cancer organisation BreastScreen Victoria has switched to Rimini Street Support for its Oracle Database software, liberating additional capacity within its internal IT team, limiting costs for expanding staff, and reducing annual enterprise software support fees.

By selecting Rimini Street, BreastScreen Victoria’s IT team can now focus on more initiatives such as data centre migration project.

BreastScreen Victoria provides free mammograms to eligible women in Victoria. The government funds the organisation and has performed more than 230,000 breast screens in the last financial year from its 43 permanent screening clinics and two mobile service units across Victoria.

The organisation runs its operations centrally leveraging a system largely built on Oracle Database software.

-----

https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/595742/Shared-care-record-for-Covid-patients.htm

Shared care record for Covid patients

Tuesday, 15 February 2022  

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

A new shared care record has gone live across the country for clinicians involved in the care of Covid patients in the community.

The Border Clinical Management System was developed for use in Managed Isolation and Quarantine Facilities and is a modified version of the indici practice management system.

It has been adapted for the community and renamed the Covid Clinical Coordination Module (CCCM).

President of the Royal NZ College of GPs Samantha Murton says, “CCCM is a coordinated system that holds information about patients who have Covid and how they are managing. It’s a shared care record that’s nationally consistent and can be accessed by clinicians involved in that person’s care.”

Often this will be their GP during the day, but may be Whakarongorau – National Telehealth Service, or an out of hours service at other times.
-----

https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/595747/Digital-tool-to-identify-low-and-high-risk-Covid-patients.htm

Digital tool to identify low and high-risk Covid patients

Tuesday, 15 February 2022  

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth

Positive Covid-19 cases will be notified by text message and asked to fill in an online form to assess whether they can self-manage safely at home, or will need some monitoring and support.

The Ministry of Health’s new self-reporting tool, developed by Abletech, is being used more widely as part of phase two of the government’s Omicron response.

Any positive Covid-19 cases will receive a text notification with an access code and link to the Covid-19 contact tracing form which takes around 30 minutes to fill out and asks about symptoms, household contacts and high-risk locations.

Director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said at a media briefing on February 16 that positive cases were previously notified via a phone call, but the large number of daily cases (which have hit more than 1000) necessitates digital tools being used to reduce pressure on the health system.
-----

https://www.zdnet.com/article/accc-chair-says-nbn-should-be-treated-as-sunk-cost-in-any-effort-to-recoup-costs/

ACCC chair says NBN should be treated as sunk cost in any efforts to recoup spend

ACCC maintains the 25-50Mbps down and 5-20Mbps up Fixed Wireless Plus plan is sufficient for most households.

Written by Campbell Kwan, Journalist

on February 18, 2022 | Topic: NBN

Australia's competition watchdog chair Rod Sims has given his two cents on how the NBN should approach recovering its costs, saying that the NBN should be viewed as a sunk cost and decisions should flow from that starting point.

"Now that [the NBN's] built, I think it's appropriate to treat its cost as sunk and therefore, what matters for Australia is getting the best use out of the NBN," Sims told Senate Estimates yesterday.

The ACCC chair was speaking to the NBN's efforts to recoup costs, wherein the company responsible for running the network has previously said it needs to eventually have an average revenue per user of AU$51 to avoid a potential write-down. 

In NBN's FY22 first-half results posted last week, the company said its average revenue per user finally shifted from AU$45 to AU$46.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-ceo-says-nbn-customer-migration-nearly-complete-576191

Telstra CEO says NBN customer migration nearly complete

By Richard Chirgwin on Feb 17, 2022 12:54PM

Looks ahead to restructure of NBN Co's pricing.

Telstra is celebrating the approaching end of its NBN customer migration.

While announcing strong first-half 2022 financial results, the telco said the cost of migrating customers (and their associated fixed lines) to the NBN fell by $190 million, and that cost will fall again in the second half with fewer customers left to migrate.

The carrier reported total revenue decline of 4.4 percent to $10.5 billion, with profit down 34 percent year-on-year to $743 billion.

Part of the revenue decline also related to the NBN, as CEO Andrew Penn said.

“Our reported total income includes declines of around $450 million in one off NBN receipts and $200m in NBN commercial works”, Penn said.

------

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/telstra-s-earnings-slide-as-nbn-payments-hit-bottom-line-20220216-p59x1z.html

Telstra’s earnings slide as NBN payments hit bottom line

By Zoe Samios

February 17, 2022 — 9.25am

Telstra’s operating earnings have slid almost 15 per cent in the December half, with chief executive Andy Penn blaming the fall on a one-off reduction in payments from the national broadband network (NBN).

Earnings before interest, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) declined by 14.8 per cent to $3.47 billion in the six months through December, the nation’s biggest telecommunications company said in a statement to the ASX on Thursday mo. Net income slumped 34 per cent to $743 million and total income excluding financial gains fell by $1.1 billion to $10.9 billion in the period.

The results were below analyst estimates of $11.4 billion in total income and EBITDA of $3.57 billion for the first half. But Telstra reaffirmed its fiscal year 2022 profit forecasts, saying the earnings fall in the December half was due to expected declines in significant one-off items.

Underlying EBITDA - the metric Telstra prefers to use to measure its performance - climbed 5.1 per cent to $3.5 billion, driven by strong growth in its mobile business, the company said.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-wants-to-test-how-much-extra-users-will-pay-for-100mbps-576126

NBN Co wants to test how much extra users will pay for 100Mbps

By Ry Crozier on Feb 16, 2022 10:52AM

Over an initial two-year period.

NBN Co is hoping to use a proposed new pricing model to test how much more it can acceptably charge users for a 100Mbps service.

The company is proposing to introduce flat-rate wholesale prices on its 100Mbps tiers and above.

This would mean it does away with the unpopular connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) bandwidth charge on these tiers, but in doing so it removes a variable cost that brought in additional revenue.

To compensate for the loss of revenue, NBN Co has proposed to increase the cost of flat-priced plans once a year, using a new construct of “CPI plus three percent”. 

With CPI at current levels, that could mean a 6.5 percent a year price rise - which at least one retailer believes is “not going to fly” and could result in repercussions at a government level.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-thinks-a-micrometeorite-knocked-its-satellite-off-orbit-in-december-576105

NBN Co thinks a micrometeorite knocked its satellite off-orbit in December

By Ry Crozier on Feb 15, 2022 10:42PM

Also reveals why 573 users couldn't reconnect for weeks after.

NBN Co believes an outage on December 21 that knocked about 40 percent of Sky Muster users offline for about seven hours was caused by a micrometeorite colliding with one of its two satellites.

The network operator was hit by a pair of outages to parts of its Sky Muster satellite network through December and early January. 

The first outage started at 8.30am on December 21 when Optus - which “effectively flies our satellites”, NBN Co’s chief development officer for regional and remote Gavin Williams said - “confirmed an off-orbit condition of our second satellite, which we call our 1B satellite.”

Maxar Technologies, which owns SSL, the builder of the Sky Muster satellites, delivered its own post-incident report which Williams said pointed to a brush with a micrometeorite.

He said the satellite is equipped with optical recognition technology “that saw some meteorite activity”, which appeared to confirm Maxar’s theory.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-reveals-just-20-fttn-premises-upgraded-to-full-fibre-in-trial-576107

NBN Co reveals just 20 FTTN premises upgraded to full fibre in trial

By Ry Crozier on Feb 16, 2022 12:05AM

With 31 more waiting, out of hundreds of possible trial spots.

NBN Co has upgraded just 20 premises from copper connections to full fibre as part of a trial, filling less than five percent of the available places.

The number was revealed at senate estimates on Tuesday night and came after the company had repeatedly avoided disclosing the trial take-up numbers.

The trial upgrades, from either fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) or fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) to full fibre, have been shrouded in secrecy since they were announced late last year.

Initially, NBN Co said that 10,000 FTTN premises would be involved in the trial, but this was later revised down to 500 FTTN premises, and an additional 25 FTTC premises.

While there’s been feverish interest in participation in the trial among users, it’s been unclear how to do so, or even which retail service providers (RSPs) are participating.

-----

https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-faces-calls-to-expand-fixed-wireless-network-576063

NBN Co faces calls to expand fixed wireless network

By Ry Crozier on Feb 15, 2022 11:14AM

Into areas currently served by satellite.

NBN Co is being urged to make “holistic upgrades” to its fixed wireless network, including to extend the reach of the network into areas currently mapped for Sky Muster.

The recommendation is the latest regional telecommunications review [pdf], a process that is undertaken every three years.

At the heart of its NBN-related findings is a desire to see rural and remote users benefit from billions of dollars of upgrades that NBN Co is making to its fixed-line network.

-----

https://itwire.com/telecoms-and-nbn/nbn-co-s-financial-worries-far-from-over,-says-telco-expert-budde.html

Friday, 11 February 2022 13:45

NBN Co's financial worries far from over, says telco expert Budde

By Sam Varghese

The NBN Co's continuing bid to placate regulators, retailers and consumer organisations means its financial worries are far from over, independent telecommunications consultant Paul Budde says.

His comments came following the company's release on Thursday of its results for the six months from June to December 2021, showing an increase of $1 in its average revenue per user to $46, though red ink still remains on its balance sheet, with a loss of $857 million for the six-month period.

Budde pointed out that in the search for more subscriber s to increase its income, the company had announced it would start rolling out its latest rebate campaigns in April under the names Step Up and Light Up.

These rebates only apply for six months and then the full price cuts in and are provided to the retail service providers who can then make offers to their customers.

The offers in question are:

• Upgrade from 12Mbps to 25Mbps and receive an $8 rebate;
• Upgrade from 12Mbps to 50Mbps, or the 25-50 tier for FttN/FttB and get a $10 rebate;
• Upgrade from 25Mbps to 50Mbps or from fixed wireless to Wireless Plus and get a $2 rebate; and
• In May, a second package will be made available for upgrades to 100/40 services.

Outlining the issues faced by NBN Co, Budde said: "The company has been plagued by ongoing requests from its regulators, retailers and consumer organisations to come up with better pricing schemes.

-----

Enjoy!

David.