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News Report

KJR Meets with ACT Senator David Pocock on Developing Sovereign Capability

News Report

KJR General Managers Andrew Hammond and Aaron Bell met with Senator David Pocock, former Wallaby, now incumbent Senator for the ACT, in Canberra on the back of KJR’s submission to the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee on ‘Supporting the development of sovereign capability in the Australian tech sector’.

The discussions with Senator Pocock were wide-ranging, from the Government’s minimal investment (Budget 24/25) into Industry based AI advancement, the definition of what a “Sovereign” Australian business is, and how the prevailing Federal Government procurement conditions are affecting the Small and Medium Enterprises disproportionality. Senator Pocock was very much aware of, and up to speed on all of these issues, with a great empathy and respect for the SME’s on whose back our economy rides. 

Andrew Hammond says:

I was impressed with Senator Pocock's knowledge of the challenges that SMEs are facing providing services to the Federal Government, along with the opportunities, missed opportunities and opportunity costs the current procurement conditions present. His passion for the benefits that the application of safe, trusted and responsible AI/ML solutions can bring to the Australian economy was evident and we look forward to his continued advocacy for Australian Sovereign technology capabilities.

 

The conversation also covered KJR’s history in delivering AI initiatives within the Government context, with the Senator being pleasantly surprised by the delivery of our first AI Discussion paper to the then Department of Social Services in 2017, well before ChatGPT became part of our vocabulary. KJR has been leading the AI conversation, with our focus on strong Governance, on-going Assurance, robust Testing and understanding of the Risk context of AI/ML solutions for just shy of a decade now.

Rounding out the conversation with Senator Pocock was a detailed discussion on KJR’s engagement with our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters, where our partnerships are enabling a shared learning journey for all involved. The Senator was particularly interested in the use of Drones to enable access into remote environments, enabling the focused delivery of ecological and cultural research.

In summary, KJR’s Senate submission focuses on:  

• The adequacy of current Government procurement policy settings for supporting Australian technology companies, 

• The challenges faced by smaller Australian technology companies in accessing public sector procurement opportunities, 

• The opportunities for reform of government procurement policy settings to encourage the emergence and growth of more Australian technology companies.

You can read KJR’s submission here:

KJR looks forward to the outcomes of the Senate Enquiry championed by Senator Pocock. The Committee reported to the Parliament with recommendations for changes to legislation, regulation and government policy on June 30th 2024. Stay tuned for our comments!