Stephen Pitt-Walker, JD, FGIA

We eagerly anticipate the Australian Government's forthcoming report on the Joint Inquiry into Social Media and its impact on Australian Society. A primary objective of this inquiry is to explore how algorithms, recommendation systems, and corporate decisions on digital platforms influence the content that Australians encounter and the subsequent effects on mental health. Considering that social media has been integrated into our lives for over two decades, one might expect to find significant evidence from these platforms demonstrating their beneficial impacts on our well-being. However, critics contend that comprehensive data regarding user well-being is not readily available and appears to be neglected in the reports issued by these companies. Much of the concern surrounding the connection between social media and mental health could be alleviated if these companies were to disclose their real-time data. This prompts the question: What is the reason for their reluctance to share this information with independent researchers or the public? An analysis of the submissions from leading social media companies to the Australian Government Joint Select Committee reveals a pronounced focus on safety, with three major companies referencing it 164 times. In contrast, user well-being is mentioned only 22 times. Meta discusses 'mental health' ten times, Snapchat twice, while TikTok does not address it at all. It will be intriguing to observe how the Australian government tackles the interplay between social media, user well-being, and mental health. There is a growing public call for social media companies to present clear and transparent evidence regarding the positive influences of social media on our lives, particularly in relation to user well-being, social connections, and mental health. https://lnkd.in/gsk7gDYW

6

If you are after a short listen for the weekend (or any time of course) then the latest episode of my #podcast has been posted. It's all about risk in communications. #publicaffairs #governmentaffairs #governmentrelations #risk #communications #reputation #reputationmanagement

25

🌐 Just returned from the annual summit of IFSWF (International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds) in the wonderful and hospitable Oman. - My takeaway from the 16th IFSWF was that Sovereign Wealth Funds are transitioning into Sovereign Development Funds.   - My read is that there will be a big focus on private markets in creating national champions from the R&D stage through to building the ecosystems to re-industrialise and commercialise new emerging infrastructure. - Our friends and partners at national innovation engines like National Science Foundation (NSF), King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) , National Technology Development Program Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Innovate UK, Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA) and SPRIND - Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen and many others are very much already on the path of creating national and regional innovation champions https://lnkd.in/e-YDfMt4.   - With Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 hosting the next meeting and their national champions like Masdar, ADIA, ADNOC and Mubadala, who have already been very active in creating an ecosystem for their own re-industrialisation, i am looking forward to continue to debate the theme of ‘Lab to commercialisation’ at the relevant forums.    - Our Deep Science Ventures expertise in Climate, Restorative agriculture, Pharma and Computation, maps perfectly with sectors of many of the sovereigns have as their national priority. - With this historic need to create advanced re-industrialisation movements in their own countries, the work we are doing with various national innovation engines via our Deep Science Ventures Venture Science Doctorate, we will engineer novel new IP, train 1000's of entrepreneurial scientists and create moonshot (earthsot) national champions from scratch to solve grand national challenges - faster and more efficiently - Downstream - we will develop these projects and commercialise new novel climate technologies via Mark1, in the process creating an ‘ecosystem akin to a village’ with partners like strategic corporates, EPC’s, insurers, financiers etc.) - Finally sizeable Emerging Infrastructure Funds for investing in, deploying and constructing platforms of commercial facilities for these novel technologies - these are all going to be very relevant themes to have on everyones agenda for 2025. Many thanks to Duncan Bonfield, Victoria Barbary, PhD, Obaid Amrane, the Oman Investment Authority, Nasser Sulaiman Al Harthy for being wonderful hosts I was delighted to have many engaging conversations with friends from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Qatar Investment Authority, Oman Investment Authority, GIC, COFIDES, Ethiopian Investment Holdings, Bpifrance, Mubadala Financial Investment, Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), Craig Thorburn cc Dr. Thane Campbell Barbara Diehl

40

Thanks so much for highlighting the science behind scaling ANU College of Business and Economics!

20

1 Comment

Can organisational strategies be intersectional? In our article in https://lnkd.in/gTT3Se7c Laurène Bounaud and I discuss some of the challenges organisations face in operationalising intersectionality in their strategies while keeping it political and rooted in analysis.

23

The Australian ACCC is joining the club of competition authorities studying #GenAI. It will focus on the impact of general search services in its 9th report, as I recommended in my first paper on GenAI (link below). The ACCC will also address other competition issues, including those related to cloud computing, in its final 10th report. This investigation could lead to legislative changes in #Australia. Additionally, the European Commission, the Competition and Markets Authority, the Federal Trade Commission, and the U.S. Department of Justice have issued a joint statement on Generative AI. They have confirmed my prediction that they will intervene before harm occurs, shifting from ex-post enforcement to ex-ante enforcement. They also invite stakeholders to adhere to competition principles, as we recommended with Miguel Perez Guerra in our paper published by Competition Policy International (link below).

36

5 Comments

A fascinating read from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. ASPI tracked leadership in critical technologies for the past 20 years, showing how research in cutting edge technologies has moved to China, with a good position for India and a handful of #emergingmarkets. In the recent period 2019-2023 China leads in 57 of of 64 critical technologies; the US leads in 7. In 2003-2007 the US led in 60 out of 64. In eight of the manufacturing and advanced materials fields, and in some technologies in sensing, biotech and communications with China in the lead, the report sees a "monopoly risk". Only China or the US lead a specific field of research. Looking at the top five rankings, India ranks in the top five countries for 45 technologies, a solid increase from 2003-2007, where it only figured in the top-five list for 4 technologies. Still looking at the top five, the UK holds on to 36 technologies, against 47 in the 2003-2007. Considered as a block, the EU would currently be the lead country in two technologies out of 64. Germany is in the top five countries for 27 technologies; Italy for 15 technologies and France for 3 technologies. France is the country showing the steepest decline, going down from leadership in 32 technologies in 2003-2007 to only 3 in 2019-2023. This, in my view, is partially contrasted by France's good performance in attracting capital for applied research. Italy is the European country that contrasted the old continent's decline, increasing its rank in the top five countries for critical technologies (yes, I am Italian ...). Italy went up from leadership in 10 technologies in the period 2003-2007 to 15 in the period 2019-2023. Excellent result. However, my own research shows that Italy should do better in attracting venture tech. If I am not wrong, in the 2019-2023, Italy raised 1/10 of the VC funds raised by the City of Paris. There is massive potential for venture tech in Italy, and food for thought. The report also speculates on the weight of the security/technology alliance #AUKUS, concluding that, even if combined with Korea and Japan efforts, it would not contrast China's scientific leadership in the short term. Tech (Microsoft IBM Google..) and public research in China, US, but also India, Saudi Arabia and Iran, drive performance. Encouraged by the growth of China and India in the last 20 years, and Italy's ability to rebound, a future proof model of development could position other #emergingmarkets as players in the R&D field. We can discuss methodology, approach, data etc. but the report is a must read. Stefano Buono Massimo Di Carlo Francesco Profumo Maurizio Miozza Silvio Micali Luca Verre Stefano Caselli Emilio Hirsch Andrea Tessitore Dario Calogero Pietro Labriola Giulio Busulini Matteo Scolari Maurizio Molinari Gianluca Dettori Riccardo Rossotto Matteo Cascinari Sergio Campodall'Orto Angelo Dell'Atti Lorenzo Cassi Simonetta Di Pippo Fabio Scacciavillani Paolo Mauro Davide Calonico Davide Rossotto

19

1 Comment

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has formed a new working group with regulators in the Asia Pacific to address Australia’s $2.7 billion losses to #scammers and online harm.  #ASIC will lead strategies to engage with #techplatforms to mitigate harm, while the Monetary Authority of Singapore will create an information-sharing network to better identify #scams. New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority will spearhead global initiatives to enhance the #investoralerts portal for #IOSCO. The authorities will share information on mitigating scams, analysing #scamtrends and understanding tactics used by scammers, victim profiles and behavioural insights. ASIC Chairman Joe Longo highlighted that Australia lost $2.74 billion to scams in 2023, mainly through #investmentscams and #romancefraud. More at #Proactive #ProactiveInvestors http://ow.ly/r7hZ105v2TK

1

📝 DT Global is excited to launch the Tracking Adaptative Management Initiative (TAMI), a real-time research project involving the tracking of #adaptive #management approaches being implemented in several large-scale DFAT programs in the Asia-Pacific region. 🚦Adaptive Management specialists Duncan Green, Jane Lonsdale and Mark Pruden, will monitor adaptive management frameworks currently being applied in DT Global projects in #PapuaNewGuinea, #Samoa and #TimorLeste, to determine what is working, what is not, and what needs to change. 👨🏽‍🏫 It is hoped that the longitudinal study will help inform the causes of system blockages and provide cross-program learning on opportunities to improve program effectiveness in the development sector. 🔗 For more: https://ow.ly/Bj8t30sGci4 #IWork4DTGlobal #WeAreDTGlobal #AdaptiveManagement #InternationalDevelopment #Framework #Strategy #ProgramManagement #BCEP #PROSIVU #TAUTAI

25

In the hyper-vigilant thrall of witch-hunting "Pretendians", people are failing to pay attention to the bigger issues: https://lnkd.in/gZteQ5et Reconciliation IS supposed to be about Healing -through establishing right relations and accountabilities with the First Peoples. Throwing money at anything and anyone waving an "indigenous" flag is not the way. In fact, it only serves to muddy the waters AND to create competition, confusion and strife for everyone concerned. The colonial strategy of "divide and conquer" is still in operation. And people who fail to learn from this history, only perpetuate "Reconciliation as Re-Colonization". The absence of Traditionally-taught First Peoples on every level-of decision making, I believe, is highly problematic. Firstly, because there are so few left of the bona fide Traditional Elders. Secondly, because there is zero trust between bona fide Elders and representatives of the Formal System (FS). Thirdly, because the very mechanisms for influencing decisions and outcomes of the FS are THEMSELVES constructs of coloniality. The machinations of the system itself STILL require us to ASSIMILATE sufficiently in order to gain audience and influence at the levels that matter (e.g., through language, anglicizing, urban proximity, adoption of colonial methodologies in communication, decision-making, contracted timelines, and results expectations, etc.). Genuine Reconciliation cannot happen without a long overdue SHIFT both at the PERSONAL and at the PARADIGMATIC levels. Yes that's right, I am naming it. The structures we have inherited in Canada, within which we are presumed to necessarily operate, are COLONIAL CONSTRUCTS. Traditional Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing - as I know them - are completely precedent and altern to these constructs. How then can we rely on these colonial constructs - from Governance to Health, Education Social Services, Business and Economics- to be even permeable to, much less comprehensive of, Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being? Particularly when these colonial constructs are designed to only reproduce replicants of itself? Surprisingly, I do not advocate for a complete dismantling of 'The System'. I actually believe it is possible to steer many of these colonial machinations towards proper Reconciliatory ends. This must start with the People - it cannot be from 'Top Down'. And it must be through Skills Learning and Practice - not through catechism, rote and formulae. Also surprisingly, I am not going to promote my workshop/teachings here. I am wary, critically cognizant and inherently resistant to leveraging social and professional contacts in civic discourse for 'marketing' purposes. And i resent the expectation that i must commodify myself in order to discover a community of similar minds. I DO however have to say a few things in a few directions. (TBC in following post due to character limitations).

1

Government releases new Funding and Financing Framework https://lnkd.in/gzAf8YGp The Government announced on Monday 2 December a new “Funding and Financing Framework”. This is a significant further step in re-evaluating and opening up funding and financing tools to assist in addressing New Zealand’s critical infrastructure deficit. This Framework is aimed at broadening the funding base for investments and applying a more commercial discipline to how Crown funding is deployed to optimise its reach.   The new Framework is intended as a key tool to support management of the Crown’s balance sheet and sets out the intention of the Government to focus on exploring ways to fund projects through private capital and user and beneficiary pays funding models, rather than defaulting to the use of grants. In circumstances where it has been necessary for Crown funding to be deployed, there needs to be active management of opportunities to partner with the private sector on existing public assets in order to recycle Crown investment back into the system and make it available for new projects.   We welcome the clarity provided by the Framework in this fast-changing landscape, and support this and the other recent initiatives to help shape the future of New Zealand’s infrastructure, including the establishment this week of the new National Infrastructure Funding and Financing agency and new guidelines for market-led proposals also released on Monday. Angela Harford, Partner Sarah Anderson-Butler, Partner Ian Becke, Partner Natasha Garvan, Partner David Chisnall, Partner Zachary Kedgley-Foot, Partner

7

“We need investment in a global and coherent approach to data”, UNU-CPR Director Dr David Passarelli shared during the UN Science Summit session, co-hosted by UNU-CPR, the Datasphere Initiative and partners, to discuss data governance approaches that build on the Global Digital Compact.   The multiple references to data in both the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact underscore its central role in development and crisis response. Now is the time to translate high-level policy debates into action.   One key proposal raised during the session was the call for an International Decade for Data, a central recommendation from the High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB): https://lnkd.in/eKTDUJ_z   The proposal was further developed in this G20/T20 policy brief: https://lnkd.in/dSBzC6ki   For more insights from the discussion, visit: https://lnkd.in/e8vRzfMx

14