Chris McLaren

It is an absolute pleasure to be part of PMB Defence, which Defence Connect has named "Export Business of the Year" for the second year in a row. From an industry perspective, I understand how challenging exporting can be. Navigating time zones, language barriers, and the complexities of establishing sustainable and maintainable capabilities within foreign nations' sovereign frameworks make defence exports one of the most intricate markets to operate. In the Australian context, I've observed that we often focus on complex commercial frameworks (ASDEFCON) with convoluted risk assessments to justify procurement value for money. This approach aims to satisfy government expectations of a system's deliverables but does little in terms of measuring sovereign capability. The ADF needs to focus on defining sovereign requirements derived from strategic analysis at the start of projects, ensuring the Australian Defence Force is equipped to defend our nation above the commercial mechanisms defined in the current set of commercial documents; this needs to include a greater focus on the role of Australian industry across the duration of the capability.

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🔔 ADROITA Webinar Alert! 🔔 Business Leaders - get ready to explore the future of the Australian defence sector with our upcoming webinar: Beyond AUKUS: The 2024/2025 Outlook for the Australian Defence Sector and What it Means for Your Business And why this matters to YOU...🫵 In an era of rapid change and strategic realignments, staying ahead of the curve and looking beyond AUKUS is crucial. This webinar will provide you with valuable insights and practical strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of Australia's defence industry. What you'll gain: 🔸 Exclusive Industry Insights – Bringing Together Priorities, Policy, Budget, and the impact of AUKUS and emerging trends 🔸 Strategic Foresight - Prepare for 2024/2025 with expert analysis 🔸 Actionable Takeaways - Real-world strategies for your business (And much more... but you'll need to register to find out!) 🚀 Don't miss this opportunity to position your organisation for success in the coming years. 📅 Date: Friday 19th July 12:00PM AEST 📍 Where: Online (Register to receive the link) 🎟️ Secure your spot now: https://hubs.li/Q02FLwP00 If you are curious about the possibilities that the defence sector presents, or you want to expand your current offering, then join us for a session that promises to be both insightful and impactful. See you there! #WeAreAdroit #Webinar #Defence #AustralianBusiness

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🚨🚨🚨🚨 Officeworks Strikes Again: Another Recall for button/coin batteries. **Product Description**: An LED illuminated dry-erase board featuring a remote control. **Model**: QTLED46 (450x600mm) **Brand**: Quartet **Identifying features**: SKU QTLED46 #### Recall Details **Reason for Recall**: Officeworks, we've got to talk. Yet again, you've forgotten that button/coin batteries are not just shiny trinkets but serious hazards. The Quartet LED Writing Board lacks the mandatory warning information for its remote control's button battery. **Hazards**: Let’s spell it out: young children + button batteries = a big no-no. These tiny batteries can cause severe internal burns, choking, or worse if swallowed or inserted. And it happens faster than you can say "product recall"—in just two hours or less. #### What Consumers Should Do 1. **Immediately stop using the remote control**. Seriously, put it down. 2. **Keep the remote control out of reach of children**. Like, on a high shelf. A very high shelf. 🙏🙏 Officeworks, it’s time to get your act together. This isn’t your first rodeo with button/coin battery recalls. Maybe it’s time to take a good look at your product lineup and ensure everything meets safety standards. Until then, consumers, keep those remote controls away from little hands, and let’s hope Officeworks steps up their game soon. Stay safe, stay informed, and remember: no more shiny hazards within reach of children! Kidsafe Victoria #recalls #accc #buttonbatteries #childsafety #retailindustry #marketplaces #ecommerce #kidsafevic #acl #consumerlaws #consumersafety https://lnkd.in/gU96Pmdw

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The Australian Government recently released the 'Voluntary AI Safety Standard', which provides practical guidance to help organizations deploy artificial intelligence responsibly. It is part of Australia’s broader Safe and Responsible AI agenda. The standard features 10 voluntary guardrails, emphasizing transparency, testing, human oversight, and accountability across the AI supply chain. This framework aims to mitigate AI risks while enabling organizations to maximize AI benefits. These guidelines also set expectations for future legislation, as the government explores mandatory regulations for high-risk AI applications. Link to the report below. #ai #policy

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All over the globe, governments recognize the AI arms race is on. Specifically there's a growing conversation about the long term economic and security importance of developing "sovereign artificial intelligence (AI)". In Australia there is a lag in AI research and development. Here's a thought-provoking question: Should Australia invest taxpayer dollars into solar panel manufacturing, or should we focus on cultivating an industry capable of powering the manufacturing of intelligence for the 4th Industrial Revolution? A report from the CSIRO highlights that Australia is behind in creating foundational AI models, such as those used by OpenAI's ChatGPT, with the majority being developed overseas. This gap could affect Australia's ability to use AI to boost productivity and strengthen the economy. Professor Anton van den Hengel from the University of Adelaide points out that AI could significantly enhance efficiency in industries, a process that could span the next two decades. He emphasizes the importance of sovereign AI in capitalizing on economic opportunities that AI can provide, including applications not yet imagined. The issue also extends to education and infrastructure. For instance, using AI models developed abroad might compromise Australian values or priorities and could pose security and cultural risks. Van den Hengel argues that Australia needs to focus on training more AI experts domestically to build a strong AI-enabled workforce. #ai #sovereignai #knowledgeeconomy #whereaithrives NEXTDC Marty McCarthy Australian Institute for Machine Learning (AIML)

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The Australian Digital Defence Industry Matrix is live! With the Defence Strategy and budget released, now is the time for Defence Industry to be getting on with building the capability we need. ADDIM is going to supercharge that effort. #defence #defenceindustry #supplychain #sourcing #procurement #workforce #innovation #datainsights

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Read the full chapter here: https://lnkd.in/gCU-QZGH Gartner projects a whopping $19 billion in IT spending for Australian federal departments in 2024—a 9.3% increase from last year. With this substantial budget, federal agencies are steering through a tech revolution, focusing on adaptive security, digital identity, and AI for decision intelligence. Yet, there’s a twist: 20-40% of these funds are allocated to maintaining outdated systems. Chris Fechner from the Digital Transformation Agency highlights the balancing act of modernising legacy tech while facing tight budgets. Discover how Australia’s federal government is navigating these challenges and shaping the future of public service in the latest Public Sector Tech Report, written by iTnews. Chapter sponsored by: NRI (Nomura Research Institute) Salesforce Curious about the details? Read more now! https://lnkd.in/gCU-QZGH #PublicSector #TechTransformation #FederalGovernment #AI #Cloud

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The New Zealand Draft Customer and Product Data Bill is set to transform how businesses are required to handle customer data by establishing a Consumer Data Right (CDR). Key highlights: - Data sharing: Empowering customers to share their data with accredited third-party providers. - Security and privacy: Robust safeguards and criteria for data protection. - Penalties and compliance: Significant penalties for non-compliance, ensuring strict adherence to the new regulations. This Bill isn't just about improved compliance and process; for customers, it's about leveraging customer data for better service, increased transparency, and competitive advantage. Whether you're in the designated sectors or not, understanding these changes can help you stay ahead of the curve. Curious about how this could impact your business? Dive into our article to get all the details and insights you need. Read the full article below. https://lnkd.in/g4f99si9

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Herein lies the importance of good governance around managing change.  Automated governance allows for an agile approach whilst ensuring all governing steps are followed - including change approvals, test and test result approvals, delivery to production approvals, and so on. Customers, employees, or business partners shouldn't be testing changes.  For those running SAP, you are in luck.  Automated change governance solutions have been available for decades and maturing year on year. #sap #automation #changecontrol

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Are you ready to align with the new AI Transparency Statements from the Commonwealth? Our AI and data specialists at escient can help you navigate these new standards. Please reach out directly if you’d like to discuss.

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Useful article on the value of Boards and CEOs taking time out to refresh - renew - perhaps make better decisions? #ceoadvisoryboard #leadyourindustry

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🥼 Performance engineering is crucial for ensuring efficient, cost-effective, and fast software, especially in mission-critical systems, and it involves anticipating and addressing system performance issues throughout the software development lifecycle. Andre Bondi discusses performance engineering and the content in his book, "Foundations of Software and System Performance Engineering: Process, Performance Modeling, Requirements, Testing, Scalability, and Practice" With Scott Moore.  Video Insights About Performance Engineering 💡 Performance engineering forces you to think about the performance requirements at each layer of a system and how each outer layer drives the load at an inner layer. 📊 You can't look at the average statistics from end to end, you have to look at the ramp up time and whether the system is reaching a steady state. 🎸 Performance engineers should be the rock stars of the company, as they want the same things as the C-level and ensure efficient, cost-effective, and fast software. 🚨 Performance engineering is crucial in mission-critical systems, especially in scenarios like fire alarm systems where quick interventions are necessary. 📊 Many Computer Science graduates lack basic performance engineering knowledge, but it's crucial to being able to identify bottlenecks, understand performance requirements, and equip developers with performance hooks to optimize software systems early on. 💡Find out the different types of scalability and why each are important.  https://lnkd.in/e2veTUfr #softwareengineering #performanceengineering #loadtesting #performance #quality

The importance of a data governance strategy cannot be overstated - and the necessity for this to align with the cyber strategy is fundamental to ensure a solid cyber foundation is in place. If a cyber crisis hits, the need to understand what data is at risk must be addressed. #informationassets #datagovernance #cyber

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🥼 Performance engineering is crucial for ensuring efficient, cost-effective, and fast software, especially in mission-critical systems, and it involves anticipating and addressing system performance issues throughout the software development lifecycle. Andre Bondi discusses performance engineering and the content in his book, "Foundations of Software and System Performance Engineering: Process, Performance Modeling, Requirements, Testing, Scalability, and Practice" With Scott Moore.  Video Insights About Performance Engineering 💡 Performance engineering forces you to think about the performance requirements at each layer of a system and how each outer layer drives the load at an inner layer. 📊 You can't look at the average statistics from end to end, you have to look at the ramp up time and whether the system is reaching a steady state. 🎸 Performance engineers should be the rock stars of the company, as they want the same things as the C-level and ensure efficient, cost-effective, and fast software. 🚨 Performance engineering is crucial in mission-critical systems, especially in scenarios like fire alarm systems where quick interventions are necessary. 📊 Many Computer Science graduates lack basic performance engineering knowledge, but it's crucial to being able to identify bottlenecks, understand performance requirements, and equip developers with performance hooks to optimize software systems early on. 💡Find out the different types of scalability and why each are important.  https://lnkd.in/e2veTUfr #softwareengineering #performanceengineering #loadtesting #performance #quality

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🙌 I fully support the "Towards 3% R&D - Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort" campaign by @AuManufacturing news and media. This ebook is an insightful read that highlights a critical issue—our fragmented innovation ecosystem lacks the strategic direction needed to thrive, calling for a cohesive national innovation and industry policy. Key themes include the necessity of making R&D a core component of business strategy and the importance of fostering stronger collaboration between government, industry, and academia. 📝 Top Reflections: Kris Gale emphasises the R&D Tax Incentive, reassuring businesses wary of perceived risks. Recent changes have made accessing the RDTI more secure, leaving no excuse for eligible companies. Danny Samson advises that businesses need a systematic innovation process for evaluating early-stage ideas and a balanced approach that aligns R&D with customer needs. Dr John H Howard stresses the importance of investing in education and skills to prepare for future industries, advocating for a new R&D Skills Development and Talent Retention Program. 📥 I strongly encourage all business owners and industry professionals to download the eBook and take action toward driving innovation and securing our future. It offers a wealth of expert opinions: Ryan Pollett, Nicola Purser, Xavier Orr, Dig Howitt, Dr Katherine Woodthorpe, Jefferson Harcourt, Cori Stewart, David K Martin, Matthew Young, Elliot Duff, Dan Splatt, Michael Edwards, Mahesh Venkataraman, Serena Ross, Geoffrey Bell, Pat Conroy, Allen Roberts #Leadership #Innovation #Future #Research #Development #Technology #Business #Tax #Industry #Government #Politics

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