As frustrating as it may be, our politics is seeing a better-quality contest of ideas:   “The most reliable cure for confirmation bias is interaction with people who don’t share your beliefs. They confront you with counterevidence and counterargument. John Stuart Mill said, “He who knows only his own side of the case, knows little of that,” and he urged us to seek out conflicting views “from persons who actually believe them.” People who think differently and are willing to speak up if they disagree with you make you smarter, almost as if they are extensions of your own brain.”

In March 2022, a team of law students from Swinburne University (Nicola Jerkovic, Will Klein and Jacinta Meadows) collaborated with AGL’s in-house legal team to come up with an AI infused legal intake triage tool. The result?  An online tool that auto populates spreadsheets, sends automated emails, assigns tasks and generates documentation, resulting in a more efficient and streamlined process of legal requests into AGL's in-house legal team, and through the process, the students were able to test, select and develop a legal tech solution with real industry application.  Head here to read more about this clever collaboration - https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/biglaw/33938-students-create-legal-tech-solution-for-ma

Bangarra’s Terrain is a breathtaking exploration of Australia’s largest salt lake-Kati Thanda. Choreographed by Frances Rings. The nine-part performance evokes the power of body and land converging to bring spirit to place. “Stand with us and feel the ancestral ties that bind people to Country: a rich cultural spine stretching through the generations. Watch the waters rise and fall as we reconnect with the energy of land and the resilient spirit of the people who care for its future”. An experience of stunning cultural meaning and authentic BEAUTY by the talented Bangara team. www.bangarra.com.au

"In June 2015, 5 people had to be taken to a hospital after a chlorine gas leak at an [US-based] Apple data center". Could this be prevented in future? Note. Chlorine is used by many to sterilize the water circulated through liquid cooling systems in DCs. Microsoft, Apple and other technology leaders are looking to the metaverse and AI to help improve safety conditions in Data Centres. Early in the test phase yet, but could these solutions and data points improve working conditions for team members?https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/18/microsoft-and-meta-join-google-in-using-ai-to-help-run-their-data-centers/Image credit: ITnews and Google

“From an engineering perspective, hydroelectricity and nuclear are dream players, producing electricity on demand and contributing to the secure and reliable operation of the grid.” - Alan Finkel, Australia’s chief scientist from 2016 to 2020 and chaired the 2017 national electricity market review, the 2019 national hydrogen strategy and the 2021 low-emissions technology roadmap.See https://www.smh.com.au/national/this-energy-revolution-is-hard-really-hard-but-it-s-doable-20220619-p5aut4.html?btis

Stephen Walters, NSW Chief Economist, gave an excellent presentation at EY for the Sydney Financial Forum about the Australian economy and its prospects. Due to strong headwinds affecting energy prices, as well as inflation related to events in the Ukraine and China, he stressed the need for reform to improve productivity. Areas he considered need major reforms are:Tax incentivesEarly learningEmployment of WomenInternational migrationVocational educationEnergy - in ST ensure available supply meets demand. LT make transition to net zeroMake it easier for people to enter the housing marketConnect universities with ideas to possibilities for commercialisationBring more retired people back into the workforce