My parents brought me to Adelaide from Poland at age 12, attracted by the Australian national values of freedom, respect, equality and a fair go. At age 21, while completing my Information Technology studies at Flinders University, a friend and I bought a fledgling web development business for $200.
Nearly two decades later, my company, Consunet, is a Defence enterprise with over 100 staff winning business against global Defence technology players.
In the unfolding dotcom bust of the early 2000s, the Defence marketplace provided opportunities to create technology and imbued Consunet with a national interest focus. We travelled the world playing with computers, sensors and drones, honing our skills in cyber and Electromagnetic Warfare R&D. We were pioneering UAV use before drones became a commodity item in your local electronics store.
A pivotal point for the company came with the release of the 2016 Australian Defence Whitepaper, with its intent to build sovereign capability and change Commonwealth policy.
This investment in sovereign Defence capability fuelled Consunet’s aspirations to grow and change the world. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review adds further focus and urgency to this objective.
Our boutique IT consultancy focused on an area where we had unique knowledge and experience, an area ripe for disruption: Electromagnetic Spectrum. This critical enabler of modern wireless technologies is experiencing explosive growth driven by autonomous systems and new information technology.
During the industrial revolution, nations that embraced industrialisation prospered, creating an enduring advantage for their people. Today’s information revolution sees history repeating itself with sweeping technology-driven changes, in particular artificial intelligence.
I believe that technology creation is essential for future Australians to enjoy the benefits we have today. Australia has all the ingredients to continue at the forefront of innovation: a well organised community, trustworthy legal frameworks and an education system conducive to training people in the advanced technologies of the future.
I am driven by the desire to help safeguard Australia’s future peace and prosperity and my belief that we can achieve this by creating world-leading technology in Australia. The Electromagnetic Spectrum technology opportunities pursued by Consunet have the potential to both protect and advance Australian interests.
When Consunet succeeded in winning and delivering the Australian Defence Electromagnetic Battle Management capability project in 2021-23, our team reflected on the effort, skill and measure of good luck that elevated a small business to a medium-sized scale. We recognised our focus on trust, on being a company our customers knew they could rely on to deliver what we promised, every time.
Trust cannot be bought, it must be earnt. This is true between people, businesses and nations. What I’d like to see is trust being the special ingredient of all things Australian.
