I was keen to moderate this panel as many of my technology clients struggle with the Government procurement process, often making it extremely resourcing draining, especially for those in the SMB tech sector, who may not have the resources to stick with it, unlike the big tech players in the market.
I experienced much needed optimism at the launch of The Innovation Papers in Canberra, they are full of policy ideas and inspiration for Australian industry policy. I was delighted to be one of the contributors with a focus on embracing workplace diversity to build a strong economy, you can pick up a copy here.
Throughout the event I observed an organic and unofficial theme of collaboration, which aligns with what I’ve always thought, multi-disciplinary collaboration is what is needed on a state and local level with many stakeholders to improve collaboration between the industry and Government.
The Innovation Papers does exactly that, it brings people from all corners of the industry with diverse backgrounds to share insights and ideas to ignite real action.
I moderated a panel with three contributors of The Innovation Papers;
- Dr Lesley Seebeck, ANU, Moving beyond (just) delivery
- Catherine Thompson, Hypereal, The digital marketplace and procurement reform
- Marina Yastreboff, Australian Society for Computers and the Law, Rules as Code – Challenges and opportunities for lawmakers
I recommend you listen to the full 13 minute discussion, below I summarise some key points that stood out for me.
What is the one thing we can do to campaign for that impact and change that we need?
- Catherine Thompson choose public accountability, essential to have dialogue and understand why decisions are taking place.
- Dr Lesley Seebeck urges Government to publish every bit of data and track it. She mentioned she was aware of community groups effectively doing this right now.
- Marina Yastreboff recommends to make our laws and rules understandable and interrogate and promote a participatory democracy.
Having conversations such as these especially in Canberra will bring these issues to the fore and I’m very happy to support this, other points I picked up during the discussion include.
- Make Government data transparent and make it accurate to enable more informed debates.
- The mindset needs to shift from bureaucracy. We must deliver economic and social outcomes that lead to better a government and better wellbeing for people in communities.
- Rules as code, the concept of writing digital government rules, legislation, regulation, standards, and policy is an opportunity to build better ways to consult the public and explain how the rules will work.
- We need Government to lead and modernise its IT effort so it supports democracy, it’s a marathon and not sprint and should not fit in with election cycles. Dr Lesley Seebeck did a tremendous job outlining four key areas of change, to learn more about them, please watch the recording.
The Innovation Papers: Part 6 – Panel. Dr Lesley Seebeck, Cath Thompson, Marina Yastreboff and Luli Adeyemo
Embrace workplace diversity to build a stronger economy
Luli Adeyemo
Founder & Managing Director, Best Case Scenario | Director, TechDiversity Foundation
About Best Case Scenario
Founded in 2007, Best Case Scenario create business opportunities to empower change-makers. They believe in the power of people to create meaningful change. They leverage strong relationships within the Technology, Government, Financial and Health sector to bring the right people together to have meaningful conversations. They work with ambitious companies to help them grow and achieve outstanding results.
Connect direct with Best Case Scenario’s Founder and Director, Luli Adeyemo at luli@bestcasescenario.com.au
