Day 1—29 october

Balancing Dependency and Sovereignty: Building Australia’s Sovereign DNA
— Can Australia Become an Indo-Pacific Tech Nexus?
Pillar: Sovereign Capability & Resilience
Opening Keynote: Vice Chief of the Defence Force—Air Marshal Robert Chipman AO CSC, Australian Defence Force
A Hosted Dialogue: Regional Security Outlook
Chris Crozier — Chief Information Officer, Department of Defence Digital Group
Guided by Kendy Hau, this dialogue will unpack Australia’s digital defence agenda—covering cyber posture, enterprise systems transformation, and the strategic implications for regional security
Fortifying Critical Infrastructure: Energy Resilience in an Age of Cyber Uncertainty
— Guarding Energy Sovereignty and Autonomy
Pillar: Cybersecurity & Hybrid Warfare
Speaker 1 - Stephen Beaumont AM — Chair, CI-ISAC Australia
Speaker 2 - Professor Matt Warren — Director, Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation, RMIT University
AI’s Dual Edge: Sovereignty, Strategy, and the New Frontier of Conflict
— Can Australia harness AI to defend its autonomy
Pillar: AI & Emerging Technologies in National Security
Speaker 1 - Dr Paul Robards AM — Chief Data Integration Officer, Defence Data Strategy
Speaker 2 - Dr Kate Conroy — Wing Commander, Royal Australian Air Force
Speaker 3 - Allan Dundas — Chief Executive Officer of DEWC Services
Spies Next Door: Foreign Influence & Countering Coercion in the Age of Algorithmic Influence — TikTok to Campus: The Battle for Australian Minds
Pillar: Countering Foreign Interference & Coercion
Speaker 1 - Peter Anstee, First Assistant Secretary Counter Foreign Interference, Cyber and Technology, Department of Home Affairs
Speaker 2 - Tom Rogers — Distinguised Advisor, National Security College (ANU)

Sovereignty in a World of Weaponised Trade, Tech, and Trust — AUKUS vs. Autonomy?
Leverage alliances to counter weaponised trade and technology, to prioritise sovereign autonomy amid rising coercion
Closing Keynote: Stephen Moore — First Assistant Secretary, AUKUS Advanced Capabilities, Department of Defence
David Nockels, Defence Trade, Regulation and Industrial Collaboration—Department of Defence
Dr Lesley Seebeck, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Geomastery Advisory—Senior Fellow at Strategic Analysis Australia
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Day 1 Evening Session
Summit Dinner Keynote Address by
Dr Julie Sunday — High Commissioner for Canada in Australia
With deep expertise in diplomacy, emergency management and global security, Dr Sunday will share her perspective on the evolving Canada–Australia partnership in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.
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day 2—30 october

Stewardship or Stagnation: Australia’s Role in Shaping Pacific Stability
— Can a Middle Power Forge Unity in a Region of Competing Giants?
Pillar: Regional Stability
Keynote: Hamish Hansford — Deputy Secretary, Head of National Security, Department of Home Affairs
Rethinking Protective Security for a Hyperconnected Age
— Safeguarding sovereign assets without compromising innovation or trust
Pillar: National Security and Resilience
Speaker 1 - Mark Whitechurch — Deputy Commander, Operation Sovereign Borders, Department of Home Affairs
Day 2 Panel Closing Panel
2030: Sovereignty or Subservience? Australia’s Quantum Crossroads in a Fractured World Order — Quantum leaps or quantum collapses?
A no-holds-barred debate on partnering without capitulating, innovating with independence, and securing our position without fracturing relations.
Closing Keynote Speaker: Dr Cathy Foley AO — Fmr Chief Scientist of Australia (TBC)

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