Jamie Pride

StatsNZ reports that over half of Māori and Pacific peoples are employed in lower-skill level occupations. The AI at Work: The Role of AI in the Global Workforce report, conducted by IDC and commissioned by payroll and HR platform provider Deel, reveals that 34 percent of New Zealand companies have already slowed their entry-level hiring, with 88 percent anticipating further reductions within the next three years. These trends indicate that AI is beginning to disproportionately affect Māori employment rates.

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The Department of Home Affairs has launched its new Australian Citizenship Ceremony Portal, powered by Pegasystems. The portal aims to streamline the administrative processes for councils and departmental staff, addressing key challenges presented by running and coordinating large-scale events across Australia.  Read more in GovTech Review: https://lnkd.in/gfs-H-Cq

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Yesterday’s panel at the Tech Council of Australia’s National Tech Summit 2025 was a powerful reminder: Australia is at an inflection point - one as significant as the industrial revolution.   With the rise of #AI and next-gen technologies, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape a future for Australia that is productive, inclusive, and globally competitive. But to seize it, we must move fast, and move together.   As Vicki Brady said in her National Press Club address last week, connectivity is the foundation of Australia’s digital future. It’s not just about data centres or algorithms, it’s also about the fibre in the ground, the spectrum in the air, and the cables under our seas. Connectivity is what will connect the opportunity - and the opportunity is for Australia, our people and our industries.   Driven by our purpose, we’re building the infrastructure to power this future: ✨Telstra’s connected ecosystem of assets run 'wet to dry to sky' - from subsea cables to fibre networks, and all the way to mobile towers and satellite ground stations across Australia.  🏎️ Our new Intercity Fibre Network - an almost 14,000km digital superhighway - will deliver transmission rates of up to 650Gbps, over 6x today’s common rate of 100Gbps. 📱 We continue to make long-term investments in spectrum - the superhighway in the air - and as I shared yesterday, certainty of access is important for innovation and continued big bets and investments. (For example, over the past seven years, we have invested $12.4 billion in mobiles nationally.)   But this isn’t a solo journey. As Vicki shared last week, a national digital infrastructure plan will help guide bold moves by industry, government, and partners alike. Yesterday’s panel - featuring voices from government, telco, and data centres - was a great example of the united approach we need to build Australia’s digital highway. Thanks to my fellow panellists, Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Guy Danskine, Tim Rosenfield, Telstra InfraCo for coordinating, and to Madeleine Houghton and the Tech Council of Australia for facilitating such an important conversation. Let’s keep the momentum going 🚀 The time to act is now. #NationalTechSummit25 #DigitalInfrastructure #AI #Connectivity #Telstra #Australia2030 #TechForGood Madeleine Houghton, Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Guy Danskine, Tim Rosenfield, Telstra InfraCo Steven Worrall Kathryn Jones Dino Georgiou Roary Stasko

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We talk a lot about protecting data, as we should. But there's a huge economic opportunity in using it - safely, confidently, transparently and for public good. The recommendations from the Productivity Commission’s interim report on Harnessing Data and Digital Technology make a powerful point to support Australian innovation: data has value when it’s appropriately shared – not hoarded. When individuals and businesses can access and use their own data, they make better choices. Farmers can optimise their operations. Tenants can prove their rental history. Families can track spending in real time. The Commission estimates that a mature data-sharing system could add up to $10 billion a year to Australia’s economy. But it also calls out what’s holding us back. Privacy rules that have become box-ticking rather than real protection, and systems that are too complex for most sectors to use. The interim report gives leaders clear recommendations: 💡 Get AI settings right – regulate for outcomes, not technology. 💡 Open up data access – start with simple, low-cost pathways. 💡 Modernise privacy – focus on genuine protection, not process. 💡 Make digital reporting the default – transparency drives trust and efficiency. The consultation period closed in mid-September, so look forward to seeing the final report. Attention now turns to how these ideas will translate into action. At Jude, we’re helping leaders turn these data ambitions into real, trusted outcomes. Let’s make data work better for people.

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AI-first. Bigger budgets. Skills gaps. Surveying 100+ Australian business and technology leaders, PwC's 2026 Digital Trust Insights report found AI is reshaping cyber priorities and risks. Five signals shaping priorities in Australia: 📱 AI the main focus ⛔️ Skills are the bottleneck 📈 Budgets rising 🏛 Prioritising data governance and protection 🔎 Quantum computing on the radar PwC Australia Cybersecurity & Privacy Partner, @Robert Di Pietro said: “AI is transforming cybersecurity across the world. The integration of AI into cybersecurity is a double-edged sword with adversaries experimenting with AI-powered cyberattacks, while Australian organisations are leaning in and investing in skills and responsible AI." Explore the Australian findings here: https://lnkd.in/g-_tiJ_8

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The cause of lifting digital capability in Australia's boardrooms is having a moment. Digital Directors Australia is leading the charge - its free to join and they are doing great work supporting aspiring and existing directors to have an impact on how Australia's organisations navigate the digital age.

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Today I worked with the AI Steering Committee of a major Australian manufacturer - and the shift from where we started is striking. Last year: "What should we do with AI? Where is this going?" When we started last year, we explored what does co-intelligence mean, how do we use co-pilot. The best part -- it started at the top. CEO, CTO, CMO, CFO, HR, IT, Legal etc and then go with the next top 50 leaders in the organisations. In 2026, we have 16 use cases from the leaders on a variety of areas (marketing, sales, HR, IT, safety, audit etc) and I had the opportunity to explore that with them. The big change is the mindset. Going from what should we do with AI and where it is going to the leaders working hard on the AI use cases. The difference isn't the tools. It's ownership. This is a great way to build a roadmap but more importantly change culture. As I wrote in the last Helix Loop article " AI Adoption is a function of organisational Absorption". This is what building absorption looks like - step by step, use case by use case, leader by leader. https://lnkd.in/gd2Y96ag

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