Australia Unveils National Blockchain Roadmap and Boost to Government Funding

Australia Unveils National Blockchain Roadmap and Boost to Government Funding

Australia National Blockchain Roadmap

Australia has unveiled a national blockchain strategy and roadmap, with a boost of AU$100,000 (~$71,200) in further funding from the federal government.

Karen Andrews, the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology and Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham jointly stated that the new policy roadmap aims to make Australia’s nascent blockchain industry into a global leader.

The roadmap will encompass the development of blockchain “regulation, skills and capacity building, innovation, investment, and international competitiveness and collaboration.”

The press release says that previous blockchain investments from Australia’s liberal national government  under Prime Minister Scott Morrison have included AU$700,000 (~$500,000) to the country’s Digital Transformation Agency in 2018 – 2019 explore the benefits of using blockchain for government payments, as well as AU$350,000 (~$250,000) to Standards Australia to promote the development of standardized international blockchain standards.

This new funding will specifically enable the Ministry for Industry, Science and Technology to sponsor Australian companies to join the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade)’s mission to the Consensus blockchain conference in New York City later this year.

Minister Andrews outlined that they “will work closely with blockchain and technology experts from industry and academia […] as well as with CSIRO’s Data61 to incorporate findings from their forthcoming future scenarios report on blockchain.”

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