
James Riley and the InnovationAus team talks to corporate, academic and political leaders about what’s driving the transformation of Australia’s economy toward a 21st Century mindset. InnovationAus is an independent publication that reports on government policy as it affects technology-based innovation across the nation’s growth industries. From mining and agriculture to financial services, MedTech, cyber security and advanced manufacturing. The journalism focuses on the opportunities that align with Australia’s strategic priorities and connects government, institutional researchers, investors, entrepreneurs and the mainstream business community.
Episodes

Wednesday May 21, 2025
David Elliot, chief executive of Agile Digital
Wednesday May 21, 2025
Wednesday May 21, 2025
Government procurement is not always straight-forward or inclusive of the home-grown tech sector. In this episode of The Commercial Disco, James Riley talks to David Elliot in his new role as chair of the Australian Information Industry Association’s Domestic Capabilities policy advisory network (PAN) about procurement, FMiA, the definition of an Australian company, and what's on the new minister's to-do lists for the early months of their tenure. Mr Elliot is also chief executive of Canberra-based tech delivery company Agile Digital.

Tuesday May 20, 2025
David Elliot, Chief Executive Officer, Agile Digital
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Tuesday May 20, 2025
Improving federal government technology procurement outcomes. In this episode of The Commercial Disco, James Riley talks to David Elliot, chief executive at Canberra-based software engineering firm Agile Digital and a local industry leader in policy discussions about fostering domestic capability in the technology sector.

Monday May 19, 2025
Launch update: Adam Gilmour on the scrubbed missions
Monday May 19, 2025
Monday May 19, 2025
It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the Gilmour Space Technologies crew after two scrubbed launch attempts in the past week. In this episode, co-founder Adam Gilmour talks through the technical issues, and provides an update on how the company will fix the issues.

Tuesday May 13, 2025
News Wrap: Tuesday 13 May 2025
Tuesday May 13, 2025
Tuesday May 13, 2025
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled his new ministry on Monday. In this episode of the Commercial Disco podcast, James Riley and Justin Hendry discuss the key appointees who will help drive key tech policy levers for Labor's second term - including AI, cybersecurity, digital and telecommunications – and the implications for the tech sector.

Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Securing AI. Ep3: GenAI in mainstream Australian business
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
Tuesday Oct 29, 2024
In this episode of Verizon's Securing AI podcast, Robert Le Busque, regional vice president for Asia Pacific at Verizon, and Dr Huon Curtis from the Tech Policy Design Centre discuss the growing importance of Large Language Model firewalls for Australian businesses. They highlight the risks generative AI poses to sensitive enterprise data and how LLM firewalls can safeguard it by controlling data flow and ensuring compliance. These safeguards are particularly crucial in sectors like telecommunications and anti-money laundering. They also explore how Centres of Excellence provide teams with tools to securely innovate with AI technologies.

Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Securing AI. Ep2: The importance of securing AI
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
If we spend an extra million dollars on cybersecurity, are we a million dollars safer? This is a question Louise McGrath, Head of Industry Development and Policy at Australian Industry (Ai) Group, often hears from her members as they battle to keep costs down while securing their future with innovation. She discussed these issues with Chris Novak, Head of Cybersecurity Consulting at Verizon, in the latest episode of Verizon’s Securing AI podcast series. Moderated by InnovationAus.com publisher Corrie McLeod, this conversation explores the challenge of quantifying cybersecurity risks in dollars and cents, and the transformative impact of generative AI on managing these investments.

Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Strategic implementation and responsible usage are at the core of the impact of generative AI on businesses. In the first episode of a two-part podcast series, Advancing Business in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Sunil Senan, Global Head of Data, Analytics, and AI at Infosys discusses the shift from digital-first to AI-first strategies. Following the success of large language models like ChatGPT, businesses of all shapes and sizes are experimenting with the potential application of similar technologies. As genAI truly hits the mainstream, Mr Senan explores early AI use cases in industries like healthcare and finance, highlighting how to adopt a responsible-by-design approach to mitigate the associated risks.

Friday Jul 26, 2024
Securing AI. Ep1: AI Democratisation
Friday Jul 26, 2024
Friday Jul 26, 2024
As the AI arms race heats up across APAC, the technology is cementing itself as a disinformation tool and a shield against cyber threats. In this episode of Verizon’s Securing AI podcast series, Corrie McLeod talks to Mike Bareja, former deputy director of Cyber, Technology and Security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), and John Hines, head of cybersecurity APAC at Verizon Business, about the democratisation of AI. This hard-hitting conversation explores the dangerous potential of AI disinformation to subtly undermine societal trust, as it floods digital channels with fake content generation and new reports of identity hijacking.

Thursday Jun 13, 2024
Granicus Ep4: Bundaberg’s One Million Trees project
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
Thursday Jun 13, 2024
This podcast is the latest episode in The Loop series, produced by InnovationAus.com in partnership with Granicus. In Bundaberg Qld, data meets nature's challenge in the quest for Net Zero and planting a million trees by the end of 2024. With her finger on the data pulse, Carmen Bracken joins publisher Corrie McLeod to discuss the struggle as she strives for civic action, precisely mapping every tree's journey. As trees bloom, data and people shape new narratives around building world-class digital engagement platforms while boosting tree survival rates.

Friday May 17, 2024
Granicus Ep3: The DNA of respectful debate
Friday May 17, 2024
Friday May 17, 2024
This podcast is the latest episode in The Loop series, produced by InnovationAus.com in partnership with Granicus. In a vast country like Australia, ensuring citizens who live in sparsely populated regions are heard is a real challenge for government and decision makers. Wicked infrastructure problems add up to $30 billion in bottlenecks, but there's a path forward. Marion Short from IAP2 and Mel Hagedorn from Granicus tackle these challenges head-on, exploring how empathy, dialogue, and a quest for "truth" are reshaping public participation. They join publisher Corrie McLeod to discuss how public servants can transform their approach to engage communities affected by infrastructural decisions in a world gone digital. Listen to discover how these strategies are unlocking new avenues for collaboration and consensus.