InnovationAus Podcast

InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry and senior reporter Joseph Brookes read the tea leaves on AI policy at the Labor national conference in Adelaide, discuss a revamp of a flagship federal startup program, and highlight a recasting of Australian Research Council grants.

In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, Cicada Innovations chief executive Liza Noonan says governments have a giant role to play as potential 'first customers' for innovative Australian deep tech companies.

Australia’s cyber security challenge has moved past the question of whether to adopt Zero Trust. The real test is now whether it actually works. In this episode of Commercial Disco(very), InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod sits down with Elastic’s area vice president of national security Sean MacKirdy to discuss why AI-powered threats are driving the need for real-time visibility, proactive response and mature Zero Trust architectures across government and critical infrastructure.

Australia wants electric trucks on its highway, but where do they charge? In this episode of Commercial Disco(very), eLumina chief executive Lisa Marsh explains why charging infrastructure, not vehicle technology, is the real barrier to freight electrification. 

A highly anticipated speech by the Prime Minister this week reset Australia's AI policy. But it lacked key details and any mention of how local startups and researchers will benefit. InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry was in the room and unpacks the detail, plus how the sector reacted.

National AI Centre executive director Lee Hickin spent a career in some of the largest tech companies in the world, from Microsoft to Amazon Web Services. He is now at the helm of a nationwide effort to drive the planning and adoption of AI across the economy. In this episode of the Commercial Disco, Mr Hickin says the nervousness among SMEs about AI is real, but so is the upside.

Some of the most consequential policy decisions of the Albanese government's current term are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, on data centres, AI and copyright. In this episode of NewsWrap, InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry looks at the policy development process, and unpacks some likely outcomes.

Australia's Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy delivered a new Defence industry development strategy (DIDS) to a packed house at the National Press Club this week. There were few surprises, with a focus on the minister's ongoing procurement reform. InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry unpacks the detail.

A 32-year veteran of the Australian Army, Lieutenant-General Michelle McGuinness CSC is Australia's National Cyber Security Coodinator, working as a senior uniformed officer inside the civilian Department of Home Affairs. In this episode of Delivery, she discusses how the tech industry, government and critical infrastructure providers are coming together to make the country more resilient.

In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod talks to Bradfield Development Authority chief executive Ken Morrison and a BDA board member Dr Cathy Foley about how Bradfield City is being built to help Australia turn world-class research into globally competitive industries. They discuss the role of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF), the importance of advanced manufacturing and semiconductor packaging, and why creating the right innovation ecosystem could enable more Australian companies to scale, manufacture and grow locally.

In this episode of NewsWrap, InnovationAus editor Justin Hendry digs into the looming policy showdown on AI copyright. The issue has been the subject of blushingly large lobbying campaigns in Canberra, with the policy debate happening largely behind closed doors. The PM says major announcements are scheduled for the middle of July.

Australia's public sector has no shortage of data. The problem is turning it into actionable intelligence. Elastic's A/NZ regional vice president of public sector and education Anna Mascarello steps through the challenge with InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod on the Commercial Disco(very) podcast.

Australian Federal Police chief technology officer Krissie Auld began her career as an environmental researcher studying water birds, an unusual starting point for a leader charged with operating cutting edge infrastructure for a key national security agency. In this episode, Ms Auld talks candidly about horizon scanning strategies, and how she engages with industry to keep across the best available tech.

In a big week for tech news, James Riley and Justin Hendry talk through Pauline Hanson's populist grab for AI job displacement unhappiness, the CGT changes and the Trump administration's Anthropic export control bombshell.

In this episode of Delivery, Digital Canberra deputy director-general Bettina Konti talks through the task of consolidating a fragmented government technology environment into a whole-of-government digital capability. 

In this weekly review of technology and innovation policy news, Senior Reporter Joseph Brookes discusses landmark speeches from Industry minister Tim Ayres and assistant minister for the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton on the federal government's data centre expectations. James Riley talks DefenceTech with Major-General Mick Ryan.

Mick Ryan is the author of The War for Ukraine: Strategy and adaptation under fire, a book that chronicles not only the war in Europe, but also the fast-evolving innovations that are driving battlefield progress, and the use of private companies and private capital to drive change. This is a fascinating discussion of innovation ecosystems.

In this episode of NewsWrap, senior reporter Joseph Brookes and James Riley unpack a lively week in Senate estimates as the federal government's Capital Gains Tax changes pass the Senate. Joe previews what next for the Senate inquiry into the changes.

Former Industry minister Kim Carr spent 30 years in the Senate and is best known for his years as Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research. He has been a champion of industry policy even away from the portfolio. In this episode of the Commercial Disco, he reflects on the fundamental responsibility of politicians to find way to lift the living standards of citizens.

Building sovereign industry capability should be the central organising principle of government, former industry minister Ed Husic says, calling for a renewed national effort geared toward economic resilience.

In this episode of Delivery: A GovTech Podcast, the Department of Home Affairs' deputy secretary responsible for Critical Infrastructure and Protective Security Brendan Dowling talks through the challenges of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and makes a point about trusted suppliers and black-box algorithms.

In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, SYPAQ Systems chief executive describes the 30-year journey that led to the company's "overnight success", as it captured the imagination of Australians with its flat-pack, cardboard drone sent to the frontlines of the war in Europe.

In this week's NewsWrap, InnovationAus.com's James Riley and Justin Hendry discuss PsiQuantum's surprise move to Moreton Bay, the federal government's pause on one of its most important commercialisation programs, and the latest with the CGT startup fight.

In this episode of Delivery: A GovTech Podcast, publisher Corrie McLeod speaks with Thales' APJ vice-president for cyber security specialists Matthew White about the gap between compliance-driven security and genuine operational resilience. 

In this episode of the Commercial Disco, Independent MP Allegra Spender discusses the 2026 federal budget and the impact of proposed changes to the capital gains tax discount on the startup sector. 

Sydney headquartered startup Q-CTRL was named by Time magazine as one of the 10 Most Influential New Frontier Companies in the world, an accolade it shared with companies like IBM Quantum and SpaceX. In this episode of Commercial Disco, CEO Michael Biercuk talks about the growth trajectory of its Ironside Opal quantum navigation system, as well as issues like ITAR and the proposed changes to the CGT discount.

As the dust settles on Jim Chalmers' fifth Budget, the Australian startup sector has reacted to the proposed changes to the Capital Gains Tax discount ... and they're not happy. In this episode of NewsWrap James Riley talks to InnovationAus.com editor Justin Hendry about this and other big stories for the week.

Fresh from lockup, the InnovationAus.com team digs into the Albanese government's 2026 budget to unpack the initial response to SERD, sweeping changes to R&D tax incentives and cuts to commercialisation grants to pay for science and research.

In this week's NewsWrap, InnovationAus.com's James Riley and Justin Hendry discuss upcoming changes to federal procurement rules to keep pace with AI, growing calls for stronger AI oversight and why the startup community is sounding the alarm over CGT reforms.

In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod talks to DigiCert chief trust officer Lakshmi Hanspal about the impact of artificial intelligence on the foundational trust systems that have helped protect the internet for decades.

In this episode of the DELIVERY: A GovTech Podcast, Services Australia general manager for Customer and Staff Digital Platforms Jordan Hatch discusses the evolution of digital, the opportunities for AI, and the challenge of chipping away at tech debt.

The biggest tech news stories of the past week are the two year anniversary of Australia's stake in PsiQuantum and Defence's new Secretary. In this episode of NewsWrap, we unpack both, plus Justin's trip to German manufacturing heartland and more.

For the past two years, the enterprise technology conversation has been about artificial intelligence. But the real transformation challenge is not about AI, it's about the core systems and data operating underneath. IBRS senior advisor Dr Joe Sweeney talks with InnovationAus publisher Corrie McLeod on the Commercial Disco podcast.

The Department of Parliamentary Services is responsible for one of the most geographically diverse technology operations in Australia, covering 246 electorate offices around the country, in addition to the specialist services it runs at Parliament House in Canberra. In this episode of Delivery: A GovTech Podcast, CIO Mike Webb talks about the information systems keeping the wheels of demoncracy turning.

There are no shortage of world-class innovations coming through the Australian MedTech sector. But too often these innovative companies have to find their first customers overseas - because Australia's health sector procurement teams have a blind-spot for local suppliers. Professor Ian Meredith is a veteran of the local MedTech sector and joins the Commercial Disco to discuss this paradox.

Australia's research supercomputers are the critical digital layer of national research infrastructure. They underpin industry-relevant research as varied as resources and energy, pharmaceuticals and human health, and the environment. Mark Stickells, CEO at the Pawsey Supercomputer Centre, talks through what it takes to build one of this massive systems.

The biggest tech news story of the past week is a new National Defence Strategy and investment plan. In this episode of NewsWrap, we unpack both and what it means for Australia's Defence and dual use tech ecosystem.

Kersti Eesmaa is the former Ambassador of Estonia to Australia, and a key driver behind efforts to build a Cyber Civilian Reserve. The civilian reserve force would provide a surge capacity of cyber professionals in the event of large-scale cyber attack, to help existing Defence and public sector cybersecutiry personnel.

As he approaches his fifth year as CEO at the Digital Transformation Agency, Chris Fechner talks through the biggest challenges facing government technology operations, and outlines the Commonwealth's approach to AI adoption. He also puts the case for local companies engaging with government buyers.

The biggest tech news story of the past week is the Artemis II mission. After more than 50 years, Humankind heads back to the moon. In this episode of NewsWrap, we talk about the echoes of the past - and in particular, the amazing flight of Apollo 8.

Modernising government systems is easier said than done. The journey from ambition to delivery means navigating legacy systems, security requirements, workforce capability gaps and the persistent challenge of scaling beyond pilots. In this episode of Delivery: A GovTech Podcast, Leidos Australia's Kate Parr unpacks the complexity.

The NSW government-funded RNA Research and Pilot Manufacturing Facility at Macquarie University will start producing its first product batches this year. The facility was borne out of a $100 million government commitment in 2021, as Covid was still playing havoc with supply chains. In this episode of the Commercial Disco, RNA Australia CEO Paul McDonald talks about the genesis of the program - and how it will help build generations of commercial treatments and therapeutics.

In this episode of Delivery, James Riley talks to Services Australia chief information and digital officer Charles McHardie on what it to build resilience and performance into a large-scale system as critical as the social security technology networks. From staffing to AI to engagement with the industry, this is a deep dive into one of GovTech's biggest challanges.

The Semiconductor Sector Service Bureau (SB3) has embarked on a project supported by the Rozetta Institute to develop a National Semiconductor Roadmap. Dr Cathy Foley, having previously worked on the National Quantum Roadmap while she was at CSIRO, talks to James Riley about where Australia has capability in semiconductors.

In this episode of Delivery: A GovTech Podcast, we talk to Finance department Chief AI Officer about the roll-out of artificial intelligence across the federal government, and the best ways to engage with government on AI projects. 

Rhys Kissell is an electrical engineer who focused on the electro-magnetic spectrum. He is ex-Navy and an electronic warfare specialist. In this episode of the Commercial Disco, Mr Kissell talks about a recent visit to a defence technology trade show in Ukraine, and how he is building a DefenceTech startup call Panop to help the war effort.

The long awaited Data Centre Principles landed this week (albeit re-branded as 'expectations') and the federal government announced that it would fast-track negotiations to join the $155 billion Horizon Europe research program. Justin Hendry and James Riley talk through the biggest stories in Australian tech policy.

In this episode of Commercial Disco, InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod speaks with Mandy Andress, chief information security officer at Elastic, about the evolving cyber landscape for government.

Science and Technology Australia CEO Ryan Winn joins editorial director James Riley on the Commercial Disco to pick through the entrails of the Strategic Examination of R&D (SERD review), outlining the highlights for science of its 20 recommendations.

In this episode of NewsWrap, James Riley and InnovationAus.com editor Justin Hendry unpick the many threads of the Strategic Examination of R&D and its many recommendations.