Why we need to take a long hard look at Australia’s future

Now, arguably more than ever, Australia and Australians are looking about to see who they can trust.

Not only are citizens looking for a COVID-safe seat on public transport or where to stand in line at the supermarket, but Governments of all colours are looking for trusted relationships in these uncertain times.

Maintaining the status quo, or making incremental tweaks to our critical services is no longer acceptable, particularly when it comes to our digital connections and services, data security, defence capability or border security.

The Federal Government recently made the announcement of a $270b extra investment on Defence and recognised a need to triple our military output
annually, citing protection of our mainland against rising threats, including digital threats.

Western Australia is an example of a State that decided in recent years that an all-of-government approach to updating its digital infrastructure was needed, particularly in critical sectors such as Health and Policing.

Trust in the digital systems we choose for the future will need to look at more than just the lowest price and convenience of mass production. COVID-led impacts on supply systems and increasing cyber attacks on Australian entities prove that we need to look closely at who we partner with and where we source our systems and expertise.

Recently I accepted a position as the Non-Executive Chairman of NEC Australia, the local arm of the global NEC Corporation of Japan.

In a very short time, I have been impressed with NEC’s pedigree as a technology leader, not only the 120 years globally, but more than 50 years in the Australian Market.

From mobile phone pioneering to XaaS (Anything as a Service) and even submarine cabling, NEC maintains a conservative, yet always curious approach to building better digital technology which meets Australia’s needs.

NEC shapes as a very good fit for an Australia looking for a “trusted” partner it can rely on, from telecommunications into the future, including 5G and smart cities, to our defence capabilities.

Mike Mrdak AO is Non-Executive Chair of NEC Australia and a former senior Federal Public Servant.