Rob Nicholls

ASIC's experiment using AI to understand public comments on corporate regulation has exposed limitations in AI's ability to grasp complex issues. While AI-generated summaries weren't misleading, they lacked the depth and nuance identified by human reviewers. This highlights the current gap between AI's capabilities and the need for human expertise, particularly in regulatory environments. ASIC Chair Joe Longo emphasised the need for regulations to keep pace with the evolving world of AI. While AI offers potential benefits, it also raises concerns about consumer harm, particularly from unexplained algorithmic decisions. Existing regulations may not be sufficient to address these new risks. The Australian government's current approach to AI regulation is cautious, focusing on high-risk areas like finance and healthcare. ASIC is actively monitoring how companies are using AI and advocating for a balanced approach that encourages innovation while mitigating risks.

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The Information Publication Scheme (IPS) requires Australian Government agencies to publish specified categories of information. Our review of the IPS found over 70% of agencies indicated they publish each of the required types of information on their website. The types of information least likely to be published were: - information in documents routinely released in response to freedom of information requests (73%) - consultation arrangements for the public to comment on agency policy proposals (75%). We encourage agencies to actively and regularly consider what information is of value to the public and publish that information. The community looks to government agencies for trustworthy information to guide them on important matters. Proactively publishing information is a key way to build trust.

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The “National Consumer Projection Framework Activity statements – VGCCC expectations document” (Expectations), is now publicly available following a formal review of activity statements. We recommend that licensees urgently review their current activity statements to confirm that they comply with both the Ministerial Direction and the Expectations. The National Consumer Protection Framework (NCPF) outlines the requirements for activity statements which are to be provided to active wagering customers of each wagering service provider in Australia. In Victoria, the requirements of the NCPF in relation to activity statements were implemented via the Ministerial Direction issued pursuant to section 4.8A.2 of the Gambling Regulation Act 2003 (Vic) (GRA) on 6 July 2022. The Ministerial Direction applies to any customers located in Victoria. The Expectations sets out the VGCCC requirements to ensure that activity statements are compliant with the Ministerial Direction and to ensure “account holders receive clear statements on their activity and spend that are easy to understand”. The Expectations took effect on 1 December 2023 however many operators were granted extensions until 31 March 2024. Importantly, an offence under section 4.8A of the GRA carries a maximum penalty of 60 penalty units (or $11,538.60) for each breach. The VGCCC has indicated in a public statement that this maximum penalty is for each non-compliant activity statement issued. #activitystatements #gamblinglaw #regulation #compliance #advisory Breearna Ryan Julian Hoskins Daniel Lovecek Alexandra Hoskins Kieran Goodall Alexander Norrish Adrian Hambleton Karen Barclay https://lnkd.in/gms_QT-w

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📢 New grant programme for quantum technologies The Australian Government’s $36 million-dollar Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP) will support local quantum technology businesses to develop innovative solutions addressing nationally-significant challenges. The Australian Government has opened applications for its CTCP to capture the power and potential of quantum technologies, as part of its Future Made in Australia agenda. The CTCP will support Australia’s world-class quantum technology businesses to work with researchers and end-users to develop innovative solutions to market-led challenges. The programme focusses on funding businesses aiming to address four nationally-significant challenges, which are: ➡️ Optimise the performance, sustainability, and security of energy networks to help the transition to Net Zero; ➡️ Improve medical imaging and medical sensors to support diagnosis, treatment of disease and monitoring activities inside the human body; ➡️ Enhance communication with autonomous systems in varying environments; and ➡️ Optimise efficiency and reduce the impact of resource exploration, extraction, and mineral processing. The programme will “accelerate the path to commercialisation for quantum technologies from early-stage when private capital is hard to secure, and drive greater awareness and uptake of quantum technologies in Australia.” The Department of Industry, Science and Resources says the programme has two funding stages. “Stage one will offer successful applicants up to.. https://lnkd.in/gc9bW_XU https://lnkd.in/gAk2nrg3

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Last month GovTech Australia's submission to the 'Inquiry into supporting the development of sovereign capability in the Australian tech sector' was accepted and can be found here (No. 39): https://lnkd.in/g7QM8u8G TL:DR summary: GovTech Australia proposed 3 key solutions: 1. Count-us-in: acknowledge the APS staff augmentation GovTech workers provide as the government’s shadow workforce. Recognise the valuable role SMEs play in delivering the core work of government and compensate us appropriately for the IP, knowledge and experience we bring to government department’s tech capabilities. 2. Back local SME efforts to band together: prioritise consortium bids, pairing arrangements, and buddy-up mechanisms, through collaboration, just-in-time delivery methods and shared resourcing models. Acknowledge our efforts to mitigate risk, exposure and find efficiencies. Allow us opportunities to test interoperability in simulated environments before, during and after procurement takes place. 3. Scrap junk procurement practices: open panels and procurements rounds to sovereign businesses instead of limiting opportunities to the easiest options or smokescreens presented by the MBB, Big 4, Defence Primes and other prestigious tier-1 consultancy firms. Pre-validate SMEs, carve up opportunities into manageable chunks, acknowledge the vendor partnership scams, body-shop and land-and-expand practices. Recognise the costs borne by SMEs to become tender ready and complaint and act to improve processes to reduce these costs. The committee is required to report by 30 June 2024, and the report will be available via the committee’s inquiry webpage at that time. The submissions were vast, varied and insightful, and we urge everyone to see what the sector thinks is important and how we can collectively support this vibrant tech sector, and work toward maturity, growth and successfully build sovereign capability together. If you'd like to discuss GovTech Australia's submission, or anything we are doing to support the Australian Tech Sector and SMEs, reach out to Samantha Maher #Sovereign #GovTechAu #GovTech #TechSector #CapabilityAdoption #StrategicCommunications #TechFixing #BackSMEs #CountUsIn #ScrapJunkProcurement

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Recent press coverage and events in Australia have sparked widespread discussions about online safety, highlighting the way technology has increasingly integrated into our daily lives, particularly for children. At ICMEC Australia, we recognise the pressing need for comprehensive online safety measures to protect individuals, especially children from online threats. With sextortion increasing along with the prevalence of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), there's an urgency for us to act. We support the unrelenting efforts of the eSafety Commissioner in online child protection and in setting a global standard for responding to this crime. ICMEC Australia is committed to prioritising child protection, and we encourage you to join us in ensuring it remains a top priority. You can contribute by submitting your input here:  https://lnkd.in/gkAtFSeT Together, we can work towards creating a safer and more secure online world for children.

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Last week, the head of Australia’s election regulator warned the organisation “does not possess the legislative tools or internal technical capability to deter, detect or adequately deal with false AI-generated content concerning the election process”. This remark, made to a senate committee on adopting artificial intelligence (AI), is not an isolated comment. The relationship between AI and democracy is the topic of many, increasingly urgent conversations taking place around the world. More than 60 countries will head to the polls in 2024, in what has been dubbed “the biggest election year in history”. Australia is expecting to hold elections in the Northern Territory and Queensland this year, with a federal election due by May 2025. At the same time, the explosion of generative AI tools for text, images, audio and video is dramatically shifting the way Australians create and engage with information. How can we maintain the integrity and trust of elections in the age of generative AI? https://lnkd.in/gmU3wdjD

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Recently, I had the opportunity to share my insights on the challenges of quantifying #cyberrisk and its implications on businesses, irrespective of their industry and size on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The episode also sheds light on the recommended steps by the Australian Signals Directorate for businesses targeted by cyber attacks and offers best practices to mitigate cyber risks similar to those recommended by TNK. Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/gc3Vgr-H #CyberRisk #CyberInsurance #AustralianSignalsDirectorate #ABC #TheMoney #Hackenomics #TNK

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On 22 May 2024, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) filed civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court against a major Australian Telco following a significant data breach in September 2022. ACMA released a concise statement detailing the events surrounding the breach. The statement highlights critical data security failures by the Telco. In this short post, we will delve into these failures and discuss pertinent best practices that could have prevented the breach. What were the key failures? ❌ The Telco’s Target Domain remained internet-facing from 20 April 2017, despite being dormant and unused since late 2017. It was not decommissioned until after the data breach. ❌ In September 2018, a coding error in one of the access controls rendered it ineffective for both the Target Domain and the Main Domain. ❌ Although the Telco addressed a similar vulnerability in the Main Domain in August 2021, they failed to detect or rectify the same issue affecting the Target Domain. What are the best practices that could have prevented the data breach? ✅ Decommission Unused Systems: Establish and enforce a rigorous policy and process for managing IT inventory assets, including a procedure for decommissioning systems that are no longer in use. Promptly decommissioning the Target Domain once it became inactive could have mitigated the risk of the data breach. ✅ Adopt "Shift Left" Security Approach in Application Development: It is highly recommended to involve info security architects and engineers early in the application development cycle like planning and creation stage before coding, also known as “shift left” best practice. In terms of implementation, there are few key steps: define the policies ->apply security fixes during coding ->provide ample visibility-> leverage automation. This process helps to identify and eliminate code security vulnerabilities before production. In conclusion, the recent ACMA civil penalty proceedings against the Australian Telco underscores the critical importance of robust data security practices. By promptly decommissioning unused systems and adopting proactive measures like the "Shift Left" Security approach in application development, organisations can significantly reduce the risk of data breaches. These incidents serve as a stark reminder of the ongoing need for vigilance and adherence to best practices to safeguard sensitive information and maintain trust with stakeholders. #data #datasecurity #databreach

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The new Australian framework for AI in government is now out. And good to see all of those 1am ISO meetings on 42001 bearing fruit :-).

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🔬 Quantum Technology Opportunity Alert – Webinar 5 June 🔬 💡 The Commonwealth Government have opened applications for the Critical Technologies Challenge Program (CTCP) Round 1. The Program is aimed at fostering joint collaborations to tackle market-led challenges of national significance across #energy, #medicine, #autonomous systems and #minerals using quantum technologies. NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer, Hugh Durrant-Whyte and his ACT Government counterpart Hugh Maclachlan will host the webinar to explore the challenge areas and outline where support and potential collaborators may be found. 📆 If you are a NSW or ACT researcher or business interested in this program please register here https://lnkd.in/gATVEbPV for the webinar Wednesday 5th June 1.30 – 2.30 pm. 🌟 Overview of the CTCP Stage 1 Feasibility: Test and demonstrate technical viability. Grants ranging from $100,000 to $500,000. Maximum 6-month project duration. Stage 2 Demonstrator: Build working prototypes or demonstrations. Potential funding of up to $5 million upon successful completion of Stage 1. 🎯 Who should apply? Consortia comprising at least one Australian industry-based partner and one Australian research organisation. 🌐 This program invites consortia to develop quantum technology solutions or components addressing challenges such as optimising energy networks, enhancing medical imaging, improving communication with autonomous systems, and refining resource exploration and processing. 🔍 Challenges: 1️⃣ Optimising energy network performance, sustainability, and security. 2️⃣ Enhancing medical imaging and sensors for disease diagnosis and treatment. 3️⃣ Improving communication with autonomous systems in diverse environments. 4️⃣ Optimising resource exploration, extraction, and mineral processing. 📆 Applications close 5pm Tuesday 2 July 2024 AEST Ready to innovate and tackle national challenges with cutting-edge quantum technologies? Don't miss out on this opportunity! Learn more and apply https://lnkd.in/gAk2nrg3. #QuantumTechnologies #Innovation #NationalChallenges #CriticalTechChallengeProgram

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Cooperative Research Australia recently released the report from their National Innovation Policy Forum, which was held in Canberra late last year. The forum brought together Australian innovation leaders from business, research and boundary-spanning entities that foster industry-research collaboration with policymakers and parliamentarians to tackle common challenges. A number of discussions centred around the importance of collaboration between industry and university research. Several of the key themes covered on the day we think about at CAA, like how companies can scale in Australia and how we can build efficient frameworks for innovation so companies want to stay here as well as move here. A common sentiment amongst participants was that universities tend not operate in ways that work for industry. This is often driven by slower university timeframes, and differing KPIs compared to industry. It was emphasised that these differences must be bridged if industry and academia are going to be able to best collaborate for innovation going forward. It’s pleasing to see that changes are happening, albeit slowly, as this is of great importance to the cell ag sector in Australia—for the sector to thrive, all parts of the innovation ecosystem, including academia and industry, must work together. This is something we focus on at CAA, specifically aiming to foster these collaborations by regularly bringing all parts of the sector together. 🤝 You can read the full report here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gmpu73KN #Innovation #cellag #cellularagriculture #AusInnovation

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Data and Digital Ministers have agreed on a set of nationally consistent approaches to the safe and ethical use of AI in government projects and programs https://lnkd.in/gSnmV8au #AI #gov #Aus

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Jumped on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) this afternoon to discuss the LNP’s housing plan, released today. Also, considered points of convergence between the Labor and LNP plans, both in focus this state budget week. Check it out, hopefully it offers some interesting analysis. https://lnkd.in/gPiqp-RE #StateBudget #BudgetReply #Queensland #HomeMatters #BetterTogether

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An excellent piece from Dileepa Fonseka at BusinessDesk NZ on the $33m cloud computing project at New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade – a must read for anyone in government IT and procurement.  One the big issues it underlines is the poor scoping of project work. Migrating to the cloud is a much bigger deal than a lot of people realise and plenty of people have underestimated how much work is needed to be ready to make the shift… it’s not simply a matter of plugging in a few bits of code and flicking a switch. If anything, it’s another reminder of how important transparent pricing is when it comes to procurement and it seems like there’s far too much underbidding to win contracts, with margin built into variations. Mfat won’t be the only organisation to find itself in this situation – if we expect to get a better bang for our buck when it comes to government spending, it seems like we need much more realistic expectations of the true cost of projects.  https://lnkd.in/gyzAEAp3

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