REGIONAL AUSTRALIA STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO
Throughout my career, I've operated at executive and ministerial advisory levels, addressing complex systemic challenges across regional Australia. My work has involved direct collaboration with Premiers, Ministers, CEOs, and senior officials to develop strategic frameworks and implement large-scale initiatives with significant budgetary implications.
My passion centres around future proofing regional communities, leveraging human agency and creating the preconditions for our young to survive and flourish in the digital AI centric world that is fast approaching.
Government-Level Digital Transformation
South Australian Statewide Digital Infrastructure
Engaged directly by Premier Dean Brown of South Australia in January 1996 to architect the e-commerce and digital economy via his vision of Asia-Pacific's first comprehensive fibre optic network connecting metropolitan Adelaide with regional communities. This strategic infrastructure project, through executive partnerships with IBM and Optus, intended to establish the foundation for South Australia's digital economy transformation, creating frameworks for novel taxation models that could fund population-wide workforce reskilling initiatives.
Western Australia 20-year Strategic Vision
Appointed by Ian Fletcher (Head of Premier and Cabinet) on behalf of Premier Richard Court of Western Australia to collaborate with the head of Treasury and five other senior cabinet level administrators on a comprehensive 20-year vision. The high-level strategic planning session concluded that significant decentralization of power would have to occur when the State could not afford to service the needs of regional areas. Recognition was given that regional government could in principle generate substantially greater economic and social returns than centralized governance models.
When Ian become the CEO of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Council he worked with the mayor to create a consortia of six regional councils to develop a strategy and implementation plan to direct federal government funding directly to the regions and create the skills and infrastructure to implement. I was appointed to determine if sufficient value could be delivered to make it work for the application of funding from the sale of Telstra. Interestingly they identified the Sunshine Coast Regional Council as the ideal region to lead.
Federal-Level Strategic Initiatives
National Rural Telecommunications Strategy
Commissioned directly by Senator Richard Alston, Minister for Telecommunications and Art, to lead a specialized expert to team conducting comprehensive assessments of 21 outback communities nationwide where discussions over three days with local government, local chambers of commerce and business groups, community meetings and a practical surgery for local business to get advice on e-commerce. This ministerial-level initiative developed strategic frameworks for leveraging digital infrastructure to create sustainable social and economic ecosystems in regions traditionally overlooked by market-driven development.
Centrelink National Financial Exchange Framework
Facilitated a high-level strategic think tank with the Centrelink CEO, ANZ CEO, executive leadership from 12 major NGOs, and a major retail corporation to architect a digital financial exchange with sophisticated ESCROW modelling. This initiative addressed Australia's current $212.4 billion annual welfare expenditure (supporting 24% of adult Australians) by creating systems for transaction cost reduction, collective purchasing leverage, and structured savings mechanisms that included dollar-for-dollar matching commitments from ANZ.
National Rural Healthcare Connectivity Program
Commissioned by the Department of Health and Ageing CIO to develop a comprehensive broadband strategy for all rural and remote General Practices nationwide. Presented by Minister Tony Abbott to Cabinet, this $42 million strategic initiative was successfully delivered within 12 months. The program included an alternative strategic proposal leveraging redundant national fibre backbone capacity to create healthcare-specific communication infrastructure delivering unlimited voice and data services at significantly reduced costs through an innovative cooperative demand aggregation model.
Indigenous Community Strategic Development
Aboriginal Financial Governance System
Engaged by Centrelink CEO Sue Varden to develop culturally-appropriate financial systems for the Bardi and Nyul Nyul peoples. This sensitive initiative required direct collaboration with community volunteer & conceiver of the idea Quinton Bruce who has already acquired the sponsorship of a smart card-based financial system before writing to Sue for help. This task involved multiple site visits to Ardyaloon (One Arm Point) 5 hours north Broome, WA. Quenton required the innovative to conform to Aboriginal LORE as defined by the elders while facilitating the management of Centrelink payments and creating infrastructure for eco-tourism economic development. Whilst drawing out the network, flow and how the compliance with LORE could work in the sand as we sheltered under a tree the elders gave permission and blessings to Quenton.
Indigenous Healthcare Delivery Framework
Worked alongside Mayor Ron Yuryevich and CEO Ian Fletcher of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, in conjunction with the Australian Local Government Association, to develop comprehensive healthcare digital network system for WA's desert regions. This strategic initiative assessed value impacts for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and primary healthcare providers, incorporating insights from Ian Fletcher's Churchill Fellowship research on First Nations capacity building models in Canada.
Major Regional Economic Development
Wide Bay Burnett Financial Services Transformation
Collaborated with Bernard Cleary, CEO of Wide Bay Burnett 2020, reporting to a board comprising regional Mayors and State Government representatives. This project advanced under new frameworks developed by The Honourable Steven Miles MP, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning. My role involved conceptualizing and brokering a regional demand aggregation model for banking services that would secure wholesale financial services pricing for local government, industry, local business and consumers through ANZ, with 5-10% of savings allocated to digital skills education programs addressing the future proofing the region’s young.
Gold Coast International Investment Strategy
Supported visionary Murray Galbraith co-founder of Myriad when responding to a request from Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate to create an event of more impact than Myriad. Murray also included the idea of creating mechanisms to reinvigorate Asian investment in both traditional and digital infrastructure and re-brand the region. My contribution included the concept of future proofing the population with App based learning and establishing Asia's first Tokenized Real World Asset Exchange. This included developing frameworks to convert existing infrastructure into fractional investment opportunities for global capital markets and the emerging retail digital investors.
Logan Health System Innovation
Advised the CEO of Logan & Redlands RDA on healthcare transformation strategies, working with Greg Moran (Health Informatics Society of Australia) for evaluation by a consortium led by Brisbane Council CEO Jude Munro. Strategic recommendations led to a 12-month research program funded directly by Health Minister Steven Miles and implemented in partnership with Cameron Ballantine, CEO of Metro South Health. The resulting "Health Commons" program demonstrated significant system-level impacts, with 50% of participants experiencing physician-directed medication reductions.
Critical Infrastructure & Disaster Management
WA State Disaster Resilience Framework
Developed a comprehensive natural disaster cost mitigation strategy and blockchain-centric data exchange implementation plan for the WA Government Cabinet at the request of the Deputy Commissioner of Capability. This strategic framework aimed to reduce operational costs by 40% while enhancing prevention capabilities, real-time intelligence gathering, and emergency resource coordination across regional Western Australia.
Horizon Power Regional Energy Transformation
Reporting directly to the CEO of Horizon Power and sole shareholder Treasurer Mike Nahan WA Government, developed strategic approaches to address the $175+ million annual cost of subsidizing power to regional communities and the Pilbara region. This executive-level initiative included conducting international comparative research in Canada and supporting the small expert team in high-level negotiations with major industrial enterprises at CEO level in the Pilbara region, reporting findings directly to the State Treasurer.
Exmouth Regional Governance Reconstruction
Commissioned by the appointed Commissioner overseeing the rebuilding of the Shire of Exmouth following a Corruption and Crime Commission investigation that resulted in council suspension. Developed comprehensive strategy and implementation frameworks for the region to leverage emerging technologies for governance transparency and economic development, including designing sophisticated public-private partnership (PPP) models integrated with community economic frameworks.
Major Transportation & Infrastructure Innovation
CLARA High-Speed Rail Economic Modelling
Conducted comprehensive digital economy evaluation for the CEO of the CLARA high-speed rail proposal between Sydney and Melbourne, a multi-billion dollar infrastructure initiative including the development of eight new inland cities. Applied proprietary Digital Value Capture® methodology to develop alternative funding models to traditional land-based financing approaches, creating frameworks to reduce cost-of-living pressures while decreasing reliance on higher urban incomes.
National Autonomous Transportation Corridor
Evaluated the strategic value impact of a major unsolicited infrastructure proposal submitted to a three-tier Government authority on behalf of a global construction corporation and their investment partners. This multi-billion dollar initiative involved funding, constructing, and operating dedicated lanes for autonomous trucks between Sydney and Melbourne. Analysis included property value appreciation modelling along transportation corridors and frameworks for converting captured value into various financial instruments, including cryptocurrencies and new classes of digital tokenised assets.
Advanced Digital Economy Frameworks
ConsenSys Global Value Impact Assessment
Served as the global Venture Value Impact assessor reporting directly to Joe Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and founder of blockchain company ConsenSys, who was investing over US$11 million monthly in strategic initiatives. Working with regional specialist Tom Miller, evaluated the social, economic, and regional value impact of community-owned digital infrastructure and blockchain-based regional supply chain designs through extensive consultation with local governments, Chambers of Commerce, and industry leadership groups.
Strategic Community Leadership Support
Port Augusta Regional Revitalization
Appointed as strategic advisor by Premier Dean Brown to work with the formidable Mayor Joy Baluch of Port Augusta, South Australia. Mayor Baluch, who served her community for over 29 years, required strategic frameworks to reverse regional economic decline that was also affecting twelve different Aboriginal peoples. This sensitive work involved developing digital transformation approaches that respected complex cultural dynamics while creating sustainable economic development pathways.
My approach to strategic regional development involves identifying systemic leverage points where technological innovation, governance restructuring, and financial mechanisms can create sustainable outcomes. While operating at executive and ministerial advisory levels, I maintain focus on frameworks that empower communities to develop resilience through appropriate technological adoption and collaborative governance models.
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