Leigh Kelson

A brilliant reflection on what we've learnt from the 2009 Heatwave, and how much there is still do. "It wasn’t just infrastructure breaking down. The human body can only withstand so much intense heat before it fails under the stress. Amid the heat, hundreds of people were dying" Fortunately we are better prepared for Heatwaves than in 2009, but it is still a silent killer that many of us ignore and aren't prepared for. City of Melbourne is cooling our streets by investing in our Urban Forest and water infrastructure, making more cool places and cool routes available. And we're supporting our community to prepare for heatwaves. Our cool places interactive map will help you find our free water fountains, cool places and trees providing shade https://lnkd.in/ghVBgp2S “We’re on a steep learning curve on how to get everyone onto the same page to understand heatwaves better. And it’s a problem that’s coming at us very quickly. We’ve got plenty more to do. There’s almost no-one that will fess up to being vulnerable to heat. That is a big problem.” Tiffany Crawford 🌏 Penny Ball Climate Resilience for All Candace Jordan Evan Counsel Sweltering Cities

40

It's exciting to see the imminent launch of JOSCAR in Australia. The system's outstanding success in the UK, where it has streamlined the supplier accreditation process and nurtured a flourishing community of 6,000 SMEs and 24 major Defence companies, provides a roadmap for what we can accomplish here in Australia. By implementing JOSCAR, we have the opportunity to diminish barriers to market entry for Defence and SMEs, enabling a more robust sovereign industry supply chain. This will allow SMEs like PappsPM to access opportunities, provide value to more clients across the Defence Industry, and ultimately enable greater focus on delivering for Defence rather than on never-ending compliance and administration needs. If implemented well, JOSCAR has the potential to create headwinds into Defence's strategic priorities now, rather than in 5-10 years when it may be too late. I am hopeful that JOSCAR AUS can replicate the UK's impressive statistics and successes in the Australian market, fostering a more level playing field for SMEs to showcase their capabilities and value to major primes such as #BAESystemsAustralia, #RaytheonAustralia, #BabcockAustralasia, #LockheedMartinAustralia, #BoeingDefenceAustralia, and #SaabAustralia. By embracing the JOSCAR framework, we can drive greater collaboration, innovation, and growth across the Australian Defence industry, ultimately fortifying our nation's Defence capabilities. I urge fellow SMEs and Primes to seize the opportunities that JOSCAR presents and to work together towards a more resilient, agile, and successful Defence sector. Bravo Zulu! #JOSCAR #AustralianDefence #SMEs #Collaboration #Innovation #PappsPM

42

2 Comments

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗦𝗮𝗺 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 🚀 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman envisions a future where artificial superintelligence (ASI) emerges within a 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴, potentially leading to breakthroughs like: • Climate change solutions • Space colonization • Abundant energy He emphasizes the need to “think bigger,” suggesting that the age of abundance is approaching. ♻️ Repost if you find this insightful and thought-provoking #ArtificialIntelligence #Superintelligence #FutureTech #Innovation #SamAltman #AgeOfAbundance #AITransformation #LimitlessPotential #TechVision

4

1 Comment

CAN WE? YOU BETCHA... ...If we don't starve in the meantime. "I see Australia’s strength in high-quality tertiary education to be our superpower." says Stephen Bartlett Damn right. We have the education system and we're not a poor nation. All we need now then is some proper commercialisation support. But, while I'm a huge fan of the quantum work, it feels like we're trying to land a whale, and who knows, perhaps we will. But we need to get fed while we're waiting and our thousands of burgeoning software businesses could do with a little help too, and they'll cost way less to support than anything to do with quantum. Follow SOFTWARE Australia today and help us build a software industry to take on the world. https://lnkd.in/d_3r844i

2

1 Comment

The election of #Misinformation. Really dumb #Deepfakes produced by governments and political parties who banned mobile phones in schools. A total disconnect. We might ask "What is real?" One thing that #AI cannot fool or change, is the cost of #Power bills. That for sure, we know is real. The cost is devastating for families. So my advice for political parties and politicians, is to leave the cheesy #AI gimmicks alone - because our power bills tell the truth. The political battle is the power bill. #Auspol #AndrewBarr https://lnkd.in/dY3QsW2V

2

1 Comment

Yesterday the Australian government passed historic legislation banning under-16s from social media. By November 2025 platforms allowing under-aged young adults and children having an account will face fines of $50 million Australian Dollars. It just so happens that a few weeks ago I recorded an interview with Rena Maycock, founder of Chirp, on *exactly* this subject. Rena put it to me that... 🤳 there is a child/technology gap where existing apps only exist at the application layer, meaning cyberbullying and grooming can't effectively be stopped. 🤳 child safety and privacy needed to be balanced with a privacy-conscious solution aimed to encourage collaboration between parents and their children. 🤳 that we need stronger regulation, with exactly the kind of legislation being put in place that we've seen from Australia. Just a month ago Rena didn't think that last point was likely. Just shows that a month is a very long time in technology! Have a listen and tell us if you agree with the policy-makers: https://spoti.fi/3B5lrLO Tech Talks Nash Squared Harvey Nash WOMEN IN TECH ® Global #OnlineSafety #GDPR #Privacy #Founder #Technology #Podcast

14

Robo-Debt Chronicles—that fine example of how to royally botch a #welfare program. Like a dystopian bedtime story about what happens when you let the government play with algorithms & call it "efficiency." Now, it seems, NDIS might be queuing up for the same treatment, if we can't learn from past blunders, maybe it's time we start asking some very uncomfortable questions. Remember when the rule of law meant something? Robo-debt basically turned it into a suggestion. Now, with NDIS, we're looking at a system where if you don't have the right #algorithmic handshake, you might be left out in the cold. Real kicker is that these systems are designed by the very same individuals, people who probably can’t spell ‘vulnerable,’ let alone understand what it means. Critique of accountability—or the lack thereof—sounds like a bingo card for #government failures. How many times are we going to see "transparency issues," "lack of independent review," & "unchecked power" before we realize we’re stuck in a Kafka novel? At what point does this all become negligence rather than mere oversight? #Administrative Guidelines? Ha! More like guide-lies when they’re selectively followed. With NDIS using data analytics & algorithms, we’re heading straight for the Robo-debt rabbit hole again. If we're not careful, we'll end up with decisions as arbitrary as a lottery, but with worse prizes. Can we talk about #ethics administration without laughing? Feels like expecting ethical behavior from these programs is like to expecting a shark not to bite. NDIS, in its worst moments, risks becoming just another cog in the bureaucracy that dehumanizes those it's meant to help. How long before “dignity” becomes just another line item on a budget to be slashed? We can’t keep pretending that slapping “Parliamentary oversight” on something makes it accountable. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig, except this pig has real #consequences for real people. Where’s the real scrutiny? Or is that just another illusion in this grand magic show of governance? Transparency in #Legal Proceedings, Imagine if it were a standard, not a special feature. Publishing selected rulings might be a start, but how about full transparency with a side of honesty? Let’s not kid ourselves—partial transparency is just selective opacity. Independence in Legal Aid & Advocacy. Conflict of interest? More like business as usual. #NDIS needs truly #independent legal aid & advocacy, but in a world where money talks, who’s listening to the people who actually need help? It’s the same old story—those with the gold make the rules, & those without are left playing catch-up. Graham Taylor Mark Sweeney Samantha Connor Dr George Taleporos (GAICD, PhD) Peter Gregory Jarrod Sandell-Hay Byron Stol Shirley Humphris Brendon Grail Annette A. Dr Rodney Jilek MAICD Amanda Challen👩‍🦼 Cat Walker Katy Gagliardi Uli Cartwright Skye Hayes Loma Naser Jacqui Grant Alan Hough Vern Hughes Erin McGrath Sarah Wilkinson Tara Hannon

12

2 Comments

The recent boost to NZDF funding is welcome, particularly since NZ has been cutting corners since 1990, taking advantage of the post-Cold War ‘peace dividend'. Defence’s latest 2023/24 budget seems a lot of dosh at $5.3B, but is only 1.2% GDP and whilst there has been some recapitalisation (P8, C130, army vehicles), the extra funding is not keeping up with inflation, obsolesence, personnel and infrastructure challenges. Arguably, the region is returning to more Cold War-like times, when Defence spending sat at over 2%. MINDEF and others have (rightly in my view) highlighted the need to increase defence spending. But here’s a contradiction. How to reconcile with Treasury reports that the country is running a serious fiscal deficit? As NZH cites, ‘the bottom is falling out of the economy’. NZ is in a very different position to Australia who just posted a $9.3B surplus and can afford to push defence spending to 2% GDP. So where does that leave NZDF? Govt recently talked about buying Toyotas rather than Ferraris. There’s a lot to unpack in that - what’s the use of leading edge capability (can I use the NH90 example?) that after 10 yrs struggles to achieve readiness rates of 70% (at what cost we don't know) - and recently fell back to 34% - representative of the global fleet. You have to question ROI. Of course, there’s something to be said for exclusive military kit, proven and capable - but that comes with a price tag, not just up front, but in lifelong sustainment - spares, labour, upgrades. Increasingly, militaries are fronting up to a ’total cost of ownership’ model which amortises operations over a 25 yr life cycle. No point an easy marriage if you can't afford to live together! Tim identifies another solution. Army are buying COTs vehicles. This used to be frowned upon - but militarisation of commercial equipment is a global trend. Look at all the helicopter OEMs now doing this. Because advanced dual-use technologies (sensors, radars, comms) able to rapidly incorporate AI, now match or exceed boutique military kit. Commercial airframes are cheaper and easier to operate and sustain, and deliver higher readiness. Often, these are open architecture systems - easily upgraded, unlike proprietary military systems. Yes, there are compromises. But if you can get a 90% solution at half the cost - is that a tradeoff worth considering? It’s one thing to say NZ must be interoperable (COTs technologies are no less interoperable), another to say NZ must buy what partners expect. But look at those partners’ economies. Partners expect an NZDF that can perform assigned tasks and be self supporting. They don’t generally dictate which widget to buy. NZDF could look harder at commercial platforms that have been successfully militarised, that demonstrate proven capability and high levels of readiness - at lower operating cost.

45

7 Comments

We live in an increasingly uncertain world. The article below from North Ridge Partners takes you through the massive allocation of capital to national security tech (Space, Cyber, Defense) that is occurring globally. https://lnkd.in/g2wZVdkc

15

2 Comments

Whether you like it or not... AI will be used extensively for key issues such as elections. This coming US election, despite being an Australian citizen with no right to vote in the US - I'll be using Perplexity for my election updates. As with any tool like that I'll apply critical thinking and triangulate my research. Check out the election information hub here: https://lnkd.in/gi5nSZ9n? #AI #USElection

8

1 Comment

In this episode of the Australian Defence Magazine's Podcast, AutogenAI Founder and CEO, Sean Williams, discusses how AI is revolutionizing the bid and proposal writing landscape globally. The episode includes highlights from the AutogenAI Executive Exchange luncheon in Canberra, where topics such as security, regulatory challenges, the role of humans in AI writing, and the future of AI in defense are discussed. Follow the link below to listen to the full episode. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/eeUYUQjK #artificialintelligence #bidwriting #proposalwriting #generativeai #ai

49