NEW INDUSTRY - Biosecurity threat management

InnovationAus Industry Paper outlining the opportunity for Australia to lead the world in the creation of a new AI based industry - Biosecurity Threat Management. Modelled on cybersecurity the paper argues that in the same way Israel led the world in cybersecurity, Australia can lead the world in biosecurity and create a new global infrasdtructure to collapse the time from disease detection to recovery. It concludes that current threat management methods and infrastructure are not fit for purpose for the evolving threat landscape, including intentional perturbing of food systems by bad actors. The insights and analysis underpinned the formation of a new company: ExoFlare.

Led the team that developed strategy to systemmically lift resilience to fires and floods across government, industry and non-profits. Program deployed all systems change levers including technology, policy influence and film. Funded by Minderoo, Andrew and Nicola Forrests $14 billion philanthropy. Program results in 3 missions, 70 interlocked projects including space-based real time fire detection in collaboration with NASA, ISA and X-Prize, development of Australia's largest natural capital accounts, a new national temporary accommodation program and a new national volunteer program; The Australian Resilience Corps. Aligned program to US and corporate programs together with 100 partners including telecos, banks and insurers resulting in approximately $260M of aligned spend. Program of work outlined in 'Resilience Blueprint' document. 

Led the formation of Data61. This OECD case study provides detail on organisational strategy, scale and calls out Data61 as global best practice for digital innovation. With a team of ~1000, including ~1/3 of Australia's ICT PhD students, Data61 pioneered an open innovation network model to accelerate breakthroughs and commercialisation efforts. As part of Australia's national science agency, CSIRO - Data61 team were embedded in other domain areas of CSIRO as well. This included agriculture, biosecurity, health, manufacturing, space and astronomy and mineral resources. 

Keynote outlining Australia's $315 billion digital economy opportunity, and the findings of a report published at the same time. D61+ Live was CSIRO Data61's flagship annual showcase, bringing together ~2,000 researchers, industry leaders, and government representatives for a free two-day forum dedicated to Australia's digital frontier. The event features more than 40 technology exhibition booths, 50-plus speakers — including international keynotes — and hands-on masterclasses spanning artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, and data science. Designed as a meeting point for Australia's broader innovation ecosystem, D61+ Live offers attendees direct exposure to cutting-edge research and an opportunity to explore how emerging technologies are being translated into real-world applications.

Released in September 2018, Digital Innovation: Australia's $315 Billion Opportunity was a landmark report produced by CSIRO's Data61 in collaboration with AlphaBeta Advisors. The report forecast that digital technologies — with artificial intelligence as the primary driver — could deliver AU$315 billion in gross economic value to Australia by 2028–2030, identifying eight key sectors poised to benefit, including precision healthcare, digital agriculture, smart cities, and resource exploration. The findings carried an urgent undertone: at the time of publication, Australia was capturing roughly one-third less value from digital innovation than its advanced economy peers, with digital technologies accounting for just 7.4% of GDP over the preceding two decades compared to an 11.2% average among leading nations. To close this gap and seize the opportunity, the report estimated Australia would need to develop up to 161,000 new specialist AI workers by 2030. Full report can be found here. 

The Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) laid the groundwork through its landmark 2018 report on the Future of Precision Medicine, providing evidence-based recommendations for shifting the healthcare system away from a one-size-fits-all model toward personalized prevention and treatment using "omics" technologies. Building on this vision, the Government's Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) committed $500.1 million over 10 years through the Medical Research Future Fund, aiming to transform the lives of over 200,000 Australians by accelerating diagnosis of rare diseases, personalizing cancer treatment, and embedding genomic medicine into routine clinical practice — underpinned by investment in data infrastructure, analytical capacity, and workforce development..

Column focused on the intersection of emerging technologies and economics to underpin new industry creation for Australia. Topics covered included compliance and trade, AI, advanced materials, genomics, acquaculture and leadership among others www.afr.com/

A detailed analysis of the structural conditions that has allowed the US to conceive and develop entirely new industries over decades, contrasted with Australia. The book provides 10 pre-conditions for success that can be applied at the country level or the company level. Foreward by Ron Conway, angel investor in Facebook (Meta), Google, PayPal, AirBnB, Reddit, Pinterest, SnapChat, Twitter and others.

Steve Case, Chairman and CEO Revolution. Co-Founder America Online. Co-Chair (US) National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

"When it comes to spurring innovation, pioneering new industries, stimulating economic growth and creating new jobs, any economy requires a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Risk takers must operate with a context that includes readily accessible financial and human capital, strong university systems that encourage commercialisation and innovation, government backed research in science and technology, common sense tax regimes. In BlueSky Mining, Adrian Turner provides a recipe for fostering entrepreneurial growth and lays out a multi-faceted approach that I'd encourage people in business, academia and politcs to study".