Australian Industry Group Podcasts

What’s the difference between the Circular Economy and Circular Supply Chains? In this episode, supply chain specialist Brendan O’Keefe addresses the difference between the two and provides a raft of insights in the way forward. James and Brendan speak of the importance of moving past the take/make/use/ dispose mentality into a less wasteful, less inefficient /more sustainable approach to business and industry. Brendan explains the need to look past ‘product life’ and instead see the life of the initial resource and material as the critical value in the equation. Many other issues are discussed including the role and importance of product design and product packaging in circular supply chains, and the developments and progress of the issue around the world.

Business is a human-centred endeavour, and the one thing you can guarantee about people is that they change constantly. So one of the challenges for businesspeople is to keep up-to- date with the shifting needs and attitudes of your customers and stakeholders. In this episode, James and Leanne discuss ways to engage the multiple relationships within your supply chain eco-system, how to get the best from the relationships and how to ensure your ideas and goals are understood, accepted and implemented. In an engaging conversation James and Leanne share stories and anecdotes and seek ways to be better at managing ‘our customers’. Leanne says we need to ask ourselves, our customers and our suppliers: “What is it that they need to achieve, to achieve success? And as a business, if we can align our solutions to that, then we're creating products and services that are very sticky and very desired by that audience.” About Leanne Leanne Farnworth, the Founder of LAMP, brings over 25 years of design and business expertise. As an awarded design leader and entrepreneur, she has achieved transformational results, including her work with Deloitte in the Federal Government's Entrepreneurs' Programme where she advised and facilitated 120+ businesses across Australia. Leanne's design-led approach is highly sought after by diverse, high-performing businesses across industry sectors. She empowers leadership teams to cultivate customer-focused, purpose-driven strategies that fuel innovation and create value. Connect to Leanne on Linked In here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leannefarnworth/

To coincide with Anzac Day, this episode unpacks the concerning emerging issue for ex-Defence personnel in your business and your supply chain. The Defence Amendment (Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets) Bill 2023 came into law in Australia on the 8th April 2024. The act has two arms: the first impacts ex-Defence personnel and ex-Department of Defence staff, the second affects ‘Australian citizens’. Both carry penalties up to 20 years imprisonment. At face value, the need to safeguard Australian military secrets makes total sense- it’s a no-brainer… but as the episode’s guest explains, the Act has raised concerns in the business community. To many, it looks like it achieved ‘The Law of Unexpected Consequences’. And today’s guest is not only perfect for the task at hand, she’s also a fascinating guest in her own right: Rhiannon Willis is an emerging leader in her field, a highly qualified lawyer. She has a history in procurement and business, and she is extremely knowledgeable in the impacts of this new regulation. James and Rhiannon have an engaging and interesting conversation. Well worth a listen. In this episode, James learns about Rhiannon (an interesting tale) and her career to date (also fascinating) and then the two deep dive into the new regulations: • What is it? • How will it impact individuals and companies? • What it might mean for the hiring of highly trained ex-Defence people? • The possible implications for your upstream and downstream supply chains. • And more. James and Rhiannon also discuss other current legal issue such as cyber-security and ESG. And we find out of the connection between Rhiannon and England and Wales. To find out more about SAMS, here are some helpful links: • Here’s the main defence page explaining SAMS. • Here’s the parliament site which sets out the history of the legislative process for this Act and includes explanatory memoranda, links to the various versions of the Bill and ministerial speeches on the intended impact of the Bill. • Here’s the link to the Act itself.

Ai Group’s head of National Workplace Relations Policy, Brent Ferguson, speaks to Thomas Oriti on ABC NewsRadio, discussing Ai Group’s submission to the Fair Work Commission on the minimum wage.

Innovation is a fascinating and often misunderstood concept when it comes to business and business operations, but not for today’s guest, innovation specialist David Martin. Host James Scotland gets into an engaging and enjoyable deep dive with David on what innovation means for business and what businesses need to do to thrive through innovation. The two address the good parts and the challenges of business innovation, and what it means for the future of business. It’s a rare opportunity to go deep into the issue with an excellent communicator and experienced operator in the sector. Among many issues, the two discuss: - What is innovation? - Is R&D the same as innovation? - The exciting options of the semiconductor industry - Is Australia good at innovation? - What does innovation mean for boards of directors, and for managers? - What are the ‘emerging industries’? - How do businesses become innovative? - What is leadership at the speed of leadership? - Innovation in asset management or in soft assets? What’s next? - The joy of precedented vs unprecedented. - And much, much more… This is a fascinating and timely conversation and one not to be missed.

This is the final episode of ‘What on Earth...’ for now. Over the summer break we did a strategic review and we’ve decided to take a break for now- we’ve covered the key issues many times and a short break will give provide an opportunity for the issues to develop before we re-analyse. The good news is the monthly ‘What on Earth….’ will be replaced by a new monthly podcast addressing the broad issues of Industry Development and Industry Policy. Stay tuned. In this last episode, Paul is unavailable so James and Tennant look at the year ahead in the transition to the post carbon Australia. • Tennant gives a detailed review of the UN Climate Conference in Dubai, what he learnt by attending and what it means for Australai. • The two discuss the Federal Government plans for a Climate Related Final Disclosure reporting process. • The proposal for Fuel Efficiency Standard for Australia and National Emission Targets. • And much more. It’s a fascinating episode and well worth the listen. Thank you for your ongoing support of our program. It’s been a pleasure to bring you our opinions and analysis. Let’s talk again, soon.

In this first episode of 2024 James speaks with his colleague at Ai Group, the Director of Research and Economics Dr Jeff Wilson. In a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, James and Jeff talk through the lessons from last year and the current economic trends framing the year ahead. They then discuss the findings of the recently released report ‘Australian Industry Outlook 2024’. This annual report is an analysis and summary of the opinions of what is ahead in 2024 according to 300 business leaders in Australia. The official release of the report says: After three years of pandemic-induced disruptions and volatility, Australian industry enjoyed much more stable conditions in 2023. But as business leaders look out into the new year, they have real worries about uncertainty and stagnation in 2024. This year, more than 300 senior leaders from across Australia responded to our eleventh annual Industry Expectations Survey. The report, due for release on 22 January, is a must-read resource to understand how business leaders plan to tackle the opportunities and challenges facing the Australian economy. It provides critical insights into how they anticipate the coming year will evolve. Industry leaders go into 2024 with significantly more caution and concern than 2023. They have identified uncertainty, ongoing cost pressures, labour shortages and weakening demand as the key challenges for the coming year. It’s a fascinating report full of insights, and Jeff and James walk us through the key learnings. Its an episode that will help listeners prepare their business for the year ahead To find out more about the various reports from Jeff’s team and to get details of the webinar on the details of the CEO report, head over to www.aigroup.com.au