AI

ESGAgent.ai closes seed round to accelerate AI-Driven compliance

ESGAgent.ai, a Brisbane-based software company helping heavy industry use AI to automate climate, safety and governance reporting obligations, has closed a seed round led by US-Japan venture capital firm DNX Ventures, completing its second investment in Australian startups. The investment brings total funding raised to $1.7 million and will support product development and customer growth as Australian organisations face mandatory compliance obligations across climate disclosure, emissions reporting, workplace safety, modern slavery, biodiversity and broader ESG governance requirements. For example, thousands of businesses face new reporting obligations under the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB S2). While Group 1 entities have reached their reporting deadline, Group 2 and Group 3 organisations will come into scope over the next 12-24 months, creating significant demand for tools that can simplify compliance and reporting processes. ESGAgent.ai’s platform automates compliance activities that have traditionally required months of expensive consultant-led work, reducing reporting timelines from months to hours and replacing manual workflows with AI-driven processes. “We built ESGAgent.ai because compliance is becoming increasingly complex, costly and resource-intensive for Australian industry,” said Shan Vahora, Founder of ESGAgent.ai. “With growing regulatory expectations across climate, safety and governance, many organisations still rely on old-school spreadsheets, consultants and fragmented systems. We have developed an AI-native platform that helps businesses automate that burden and turn compliance into a strategic advantage rather than an administrative exercise,” he added. The startup has secured customers across Australia’s most demanding sectors, including tier one mining clients, major food manufacturing businesses and global engineering consultants, deploying the software across carbon reporting, climate risk management and safety compliance programs. The company’s long-term vision extends beyond individual reporting frameworks to become the end-to-end compliance platform for Australia’s highest-regulated industries. ESGAgent.ai brings climate disclosures, safety and workforce compliance, risk management and broader ESG obligations into a single platform, helping organisations […]

Geoff Thomas, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Infor Asia Pacific & Japan (1)

The future of distribution depends on AI upskilling

By Geoff Thomas, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Infor Australia’s manufacturing sector is at a critical crossroads. Rising energy costs, economic shifts and workforce shortages have challenged the industry to remain competitive. On the brighter side, government initiatives and technological innovation have been driving a transformation. In particular, AI has transitioned from a tool promising to simply enhance automation, to a powerful technology that drives significantly smarter decision-making and dramatically improves operational efficiency. Despite its potential, many Australian distributors are still struggling to implement AI at scale. Globally, 82 per cent of supply chain organisations are using AI and GenAI across an array of use cases, according to an EY survey. But the Australian Government’s SME AI Adoption Tracker reveals that our nation lags behind, with only 31 per cent of distributors having adopted AI, displaying higher levels of unawareness compared to our international counterparts as well as other industries such as retail, healthcare and hospitality, which all boast adoption rates of over 40 per cent. Despite the potential of AI to generate real business impact, distributors are not prioritising the adoption of AI, often viewing it as a short-term fix instead of a strategic investment. This can largely be attributed to distributors approaching AI without a clear strategy, subsequently implementing applications that fail to align with core business goals. For true value to be unlocked, distributors need to develop a scalable and flexible foundation, and implement integrated management systems to facilitate the game-changing benefits of AI. Even though roughly 95 per cent of global distributors are exploring AI use cases across the value chain, according to a study by McKinsey, only 30 per cent say they have sufficient talent within their organisation to scale these efforts. Less than 10 per cent report having an AI road map with prioritised use cases for deployment. This is a missed opportunity, particularly with the rise of agentic AI, which can free organisations of lower-value tasks by autonomously performing tasks and pursuing predefined goals. McKinsey’s research also shows that only 23 per […]

Australia’s national AI plan has just been released. Who exactly will benefit?

Jake Goldenfein, Senior Lecturer, Law and Technology, The University of Melbourne. Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of Melbourne, Kimberlee Weatherall, Professor of Law, University of Sydney. The Labor government has released the long-awaited National AI Plan, “a whole-of-government framework that ensures technology works for people, not the other way around”. With this plan, the government promises an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) economy that protects workers, fills service gaps, and supports local AI development. In a major reversal, it also confirms Australia won’t implement mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI. Instead, it argues our existing legal regime is sufficient, and any minor changes for specific AI harms or risk can be managed with help from a new A$30 million AI Safety Institute within the Department of Industry. Avoiding big changes to Australia’s legal system makes sense in light of the plan’s primary goal – making Australia an attractive location for international data centre investment. The initial caution is gone After the public release of ChatGPT in November 2022 ushered in a generative AI boom, initial responses focused on existential risks posed by AI. Leading AI figures even called for a pause on all AI research. Governments outlined plans to regulate. But as investment in AI has grown, governments around the world have now shifted from caution to an AI race: embracing the opportunities while managing risks. In 2023, the European Union created the world’s leading AI plan promoting the uptake of human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence. The United States launched its own, more bullish action plan in July 2025. The new Australian plan prioritises creating a local AI software industry, spreading the benefit of AI “productivity gains” to workers and public service users, capturing some of the relentless global investment in AI data centres, and promoting Australia’s regional leadership by becoming an infrastructure and computing hub in the Indo-Pacific. Those goals are outlined in the plan’s three pillars: […]

Matthew-Addley-Industry-Strategist-Manufacturing-Infor-AUS-MN (2)

Reflections on 2025

Matthew Addley, Senior Director of Product and Industry Market Strategy, Infor Reflecting on 2025 have there been any key industry developments that surprised you or perhaps met your expectations? This year delivered a few unexpected turns for manufacturers. Evolving regulations and increasing market pressures prompted organisations to overhaul the way they source products and validate data from suppliers, helping them stay compliant, manage risk, and advance sustainability goals. Meanwhile, rapid innovation, rising customer expectations, and broader economic shifts intensified the push for change – such as moving to automated, real-time verifications platforms – and highlighted the importance of a technology-first approach. Shifting gears to look ahead now, with supply chain risks increasing, many businesses are moving to ‘just-in-case’ resilience by diversifying and nearshoring. How can businesses balance this approach with keeping operations lean and profitable in 2026 and years to come? With recent geopolitical developments and weather events, companies have moved from ‘just-in-time’ models to adopt ‘just-in-case’ strategies, which include diversification of suppliers and nearshoring. However, the balance is now to ensure that ‘just-in-case’ doesn’t mean inventory blow-out and lost profitability. Technology is a critical enabler of this shift, with platforms offering end-to-end visibility and real-time data from suppliers and logistics partners to mitigate the risks with a balanced, ‘just-enough’ approach. It’s the convergence of innovation, increasing customer demands, and global economic factors that drive this need for transformation, and the viability of a technology-centric response. With the rise of automation comes a demand for new skills but how do businesses take action on their initial, urgent needs for new capabilities while still working towards their long-term ambitions? The rise of automation, AI, and robotics isn’t about replacing workers, but should be seen as augmenting their capabilities to create the ‘connected worker’. Enterprise applications are evolving to be more […]

HMAs Award Winners (30-10-25) - High Res-38

Local manufacturers prove the future is Hunter made

From start-ups and apprentices to global exporters and century-old innovators, the 2025 Hunter Manufacturing Awards (HMA) have celebrated a sector on the rise, one that’s building the industries, technologies, and jobs of Australia’s future. Now in its 21st year, the awards drew a record number of entries, more than 50% up on last year, showcasing the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and courage that continue to define manufacturing across the Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, and New England. HMA Chair Jacqui Daley said the night was about recognising the strength, innovation, and resilience of a sector that is vital to Australia’s economic future. “Manufacturing in the Hunter is more diverse, more advanced, and more connected to the world than ever before,” Ms Daley said. Our 2025 Manufacturer of the Year winners, Brain Industries and Agrana Fruit Australia, both have export at the heart of their success. They’re taking the Hunter to the world and proving that regional manufacturers can compete, and succeed, on the international stage.” “We’re seeing extraordinary things being made right here, from Elecbrakes revolutionising towing technology through Australian-made automation, to Supacell turning everyday recyclables into sustainable insulation, and from Tomago Aluminium’s digital transformation to Design Anthology’s advanced med-tech design.” “Manufacturing isn’t sitting quietly behind the scenes anymore. It’s the backbone of our economy, the engine of regional jobs, and the platform that will power Australia’s next great leaps in clean energy, defence capability, health, and technology.” Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley congratulated all winners and finalists, acknowledging their contribution to the region’s proud industrial legacy and future growth. “Tonight’s celebration is the best of the Hunter on display, our ingenuity, our craftsmanship, and our courage to reimagine what’s possible,” Minister Catley said. “This year’s Hunter Manufacturing Awards theme, Forging Our Future, could not be more fitting. […]

Economic Reform Roundtable :Productivity

Australia is holding a roundtable on Productivity this month Lifting productivity is critical to growth in real wages, incomes, jobs and overall living standards. It needs to be done in a sustainable and inclusive way to ensure all Australians can benefit. Recent trends Lower growth in labour productivity has been a longstanding challenge for Australia. Australia’s average productivity growth in the 2010s was at the lowest rate in 60 years . – Reflecting this slowdown, Treasury downgraded its long-run annual labour productivity growth assumption from 1.5 to 1.2 per cent in 2022. – Even small movements in productivity growth will have large impacts on wages and living standards over time. The 2023 Intergenerational Report found that a decline from 1.2 per cent to 0.9 per cent growth per year would reduce per capita real income by more than $10,000 per person in 40 years’ time. This challenge is not unique to Australia, with labour productivity over the past decade slowing in most major advanced economies. A number of countries, including the United States, Canada and New Zealand have also downgraded productivity growth assumptions in official forecasts. Australia’s productivity slowdown has been broad based. Productivity growth in the market sector, excluding mining, has slowed over time. This has been compounded by weaker productivity growth in the non-market sector and mining industry in more recent years. Productivity growth accelerated temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic before reversing. Productivity returned back to levels observed in 2019 as employment and consumption trends normalised and the labour market recovered strongly. – During this recovery, strong capital growth still did not keep pace with growth in hours worked, resulting in a decline in the capital to labour ratio which has weighed on recent productivity growth. – Treasury and the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) are monitoring the […]

Do or die: Why “transformation at scale” is now a must for Australian manufacturers

By Paul Eastwood Australian Managing Partner of global management consultancy, Argon & Co Australian manufacturers can’t survive on a BAU basis. The game has changed and it’s no longer about incremental improvements in the world of manufacturing – it’s about transformation at scale. So this is a wake-up call for CEOs: if your factories don’t have key capabilities embedded in their operating model, your business could be obsolete before the decade is out. And the reason for this relates to a number of coalescing factors. Stiff competition from countries with lower labour costs and larger industrial bases – think China, India, and Vietnam – combined with Australia’s high wages, energy costs, and regulatory burdens are creating enormous cost pressures. Only transformative changes like automation, digitisation, or shifting to advanced manufacturing can offset these pressures. Events like COVID-19 exposed Australia’s weak sovereign capabilities, and occurred at roughly the same time that sustainability demands shot up from consumers, investors, and governments. Both of these factors call for reimagined supply chains, not just optimising existing ones. And massive technology shifts caused by the rise of Industry 4.0 and innovations based in AI, robotics, IoT, and 3D printing mean the industry is evolving fast. There’s no time to watch and see. Because in just a short time, the winners and losers within the manufacturing sector will become apparent. But it’s not all doom and gloom. If you want to be a technology winner – one with an intelligent, connected and adaptive factory – there are five pillars that aren’t just operational enhancements but strategic imperatives. Below are the five key elements that separate future-ready enterprises from those still playing catch up – i.e. the losers. Master Data At the foundation of every digital transformation lies one critical asset: data. And not just any data. […]

Year13 is growing up with appointment of ex-Atlassian leadership

In a bold move to double down on becoming an AI native company and expanding globally. Atlassian’s Pirow Cronje has been appointed Head of Operations at Year13 as the youth-focused tech company moves to become 100% AI native. Cronje will lead the optimisation of Year13’s product, tech and commercial strategy, drawing on his 10 years of experience at Atlassian to disrupt the company’s operations and bring AI to the forefront. “We’re thrilled to have Pirow join the team as we are reimagining the business to have an AI-first product stack and expand our offering into global markets,” says Will Stubley, Year 13 Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “AI allows us to catapult ideas further than we imagine. We can move faster, build smarter and personalise the support we provide to truly meet students where they are and where the world’s heading. Pirow will play a critical role in implementing our vision.” Pirow spent nearly 10 years at Atlassian leading financial planning & analysis in Australia to support corporate planning, Jira product and R&D leadership in preparation for IPO. He went on to lead the implementation of various customer strategy initiatives, across analytics, program management, marketing and research teams. “I’m thrilled to join Year13 as they transition to becoming AI-native,” says Pirow. “Year13 are long-standing leaders in tech and education, and I look forward to contributing to their global development and growth.” Pirow follows in the footsteps of veteran Atlassian product and engineering alumni, Nick Menere and Mark “Chai” Chaimungkalanot, who joined Year13 in 2023. Nick and Mark are heading up company-wide efforts to rebuild their entire suite of digital tools with AI at the core, including a new AI Agent program that provides students with 24/7, personalised support, at scale, which is currently in beta testing. “Our mission is to be […]

AI hype cycle meets reality for construction industry

Study of 460 Australian Design and Make companies reveals AECO, D&M, and M&E sectors continue to grapple with challenges including cost control, talent shortages and environmental sustainability. A new report from Autodesk, Inc. reveals a shift in AI optimism and preparedness, as well as lingering concerns over cost control in Australian Design and Make industries – including construction and manufacturing – amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The 2025 State of Design & Make report surveyed and interviewed 5,600 global business leaders – including 460 in Australia – in industries that comprise the Design and Make category. These sectors include architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO), product design and manufacturing (D&M), and media and entertainment (M&E). In Australia, 2024 was defined by high cost of living pressures, exacerbated by high interest rates and inflation. This severely impacted design and make industries, with the 2025 Design & Make report revealing that 40 per cent of Australian respondents consider cost control and cost management to be the largest challenge facing their organisation. The report found that investments are down year over year, which could be reflective of high interest rates and therefore a higher cost of borrowing. However, despite slowing investments, optimism remains high, with 67 per cent of leaders saying their organisations will increase future investments. “Alongside cost-of-living, artificial intelligence dominated Australia’s attention in 2024,” said Andy Cunningham, Senior Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand at Autodesk. “However, it appears this fixation has tapered off, following the natural path of tech hype cycles. And as the report reveals, Australian organisations are feeling less confident in AI.” The report states that 68 per cent of respondents believe AI will enhance their industry, down 9 per cent from last year – this shift is in line with global findings, which show a 12 […]

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