InnovationAus Podcast

The Australian Government’s goal to be a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) must be a diverse and inclusive effort if we’re to better benefit from varied approaches to problem solving.

This not only refers to the importance of supporting the next generation of women in STEM, but also including the voices of First Peoples as we negotiate the complexity around AI and machine learning.

This discussion will focus on what the creation of ethical AI looks like from an indigenous perspective and how responsible AI and science is being combined with Indigenous knowledge to solve complex problems, both in Australia and abroad.

Members of the academic field of science will play a vital role in building the 21st century enterprises that will create solutions and jobs critical to solving complex societal problems. However, we can only ever be successful with our scientific endeavours if we can get them out of the lab and into the business landscape. Dharmica Mistry, co-founder and former chief scientist for BCAL Diagnostics and Head of medtech and biotech for Cicada Innovations, and Alistair Gordon, CEO of HFL Leadership, discuss business as a counterpoint to science, the importance of business acumen to effectively communicate its applications, and the barriers encountered by women undertaking management and leadership activity in technical fields.

Streamlining the two-way trade and investment process between Australia and the US is essential to the COVID recovery of both countries. The value of this mutual investment currently accounts for 90% of the Australian share market, and is 10 times larger than the value of our relationship with China. So what has changed in how the two countries can work together? April Palmerlee, CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce In Australia (AmCham) and MJ Salier, Chief Legal Counsel at Verizon discuss how we can leverage the trust American businesses have in Australia’s transparent and accountable legal and regulatory systems, and what role 5G and IoT connected devices can play in this relationship.

5G is a pivotal feature of connectivity. In this InnovationAus The Age of Trust podcast, NSW Government Department of Customer Service’s Director Spatial Services, Wayne Patterson, and Verizon’s Head of Solution Architects, Tony Harb, discuss the importance of connectivity for important, and at times critical, digital twins of real-world entities. Leveraging digital twins could create value for enterprises in Industry 4.0, address the challenges of Australia’s COVID recovery to boost the economy, and support organisations in their digital transformation.

The Technology Council of Australia is the nation’s powerful new peak industry body, launched last month with ambitions as big as the sector it represents. Huge. In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, the Tech Council’s inaugural CEO Kate Pounder talks about the enormous job creation potential of the sector, and the role it will play in Australia’s economic recovery.

The impact of the recent amendment to Australia’s Security of Critical Infrastructure Act on smaller companies within the electricity, gas, water and maritime supply chains is yet to be fully realised. Fergus Hanson, Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre and Derek Fittler, ANZ Head of Verizon Business Group discuss that while businesses across most industries generally now understand the impact and risk of a cybersecurity breach and the role they play from a vulnerability point of view, do they have the skillsets and cyber requirements to take action.

Martin Duursma is a partner at Australia’s premier deep-tech focused venture capital outfit, Main Sequence Ventures, charged with overseeing the firm’s space industry investments. In this episode of the Commercial Disco, Martin talks about the massive opportunities that exist in the space industry – and the massive ambition that is being applied to securing Australia’s share of it.

With the shift from in-person, bricks and mortar shopping to online shopping surging, retailers must continue to invest in innovative customer experiences – to capture revenue and offset lost sales. Among key priorities are scaling up digital, improving the ecommerce customer experience and operating efficiency, futureproofing end-to-end operating models and progressing supply chain transformation. Brad Blyth, Chief Information Officer at Kmart and Target and Mathew Wells, Global Solutions and Strategy at Verizon Business Group discuss changing retail patterns and habits, and the use of next-gen tech to drive sales and improve customer interaction.

The disruption of the last 18 months has driven revolutionary change, and we in turn must be revolutionary innovators that ask questions and solve problems no one else has thought of. The issues of resilience against bushfires and cyber threats came together in an Age of Trust podcast with Rear Admiral Lee Goddard CSC, RAN, head of partnership ecosystem, government relations and operations at the Minderoo Foundation and Rob Le Busque, regional vice president, Asia Pacific at Verizon.

For years NSW Minister for Customer Service and Minister for Digital Victor Dominello has been the state’s chief advocate for building world-class digital government services. In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, Mr Dominello talks about how the maturity of the NSW digital infrastructure has helped deliver the health and economic response to the pandemic, and how the coronavirus has reshaped digital priorities. He also talks at length on using government procurement policy to build the NSW and Australian tech industry.