How We Think

Back in the mists of time, 2007 to be precise, the Commonwealth Ombudsman issued an incredibly useful Fact Sheet – Ten Principles for Good Administration. The Ombudsman’s ‘Ten Commandments’ contain evergreen principles about good administration that are as useful today, if not more so. And that’s not because of the advent of AI and automated decision-making. These Ten Commandments not only underpin good decision-making, but they are also key ‘principles’ that govern any ‘rules’ that are set by humans – and especially if there is ever a ‘machine in the loop.’

AI bots are all the craze these days. So, jumping on the trend, I decided to create my own. I started with good intentions – to build a bot that would analyse event planning and provide a series of recommendations based on the Australian Government’s Good Practice Guidelines for Engaging with People with Disability (Good Practice Guidelines). The goal? To provide practical advice on engaging with people with a disability in an inclusive, respectful and appropriate way.

Robert DeNiro, who recently starred in a limited-edition Netflix series ‘Zero Day.’ DeNiro played the ageing, one-term ex-American President, recruited by the (fictional) sitting President to track down conspirators responsible for the so-called ‘Zero Day’ cyberattack that disabled every IT system in America for exactly one minute.

The Regional Mobilisation Capability and Capability Study (RMCCS) is an ongoing project Synergy is undertaking within Defence. The intent of the work is to ground-truth assumptions formulated in mobilisation planning activities by assessing the capability and capacity of select regions of Northern Australia to support sustained mobilisation demand.

Synergy was engaged by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC) to deliver a National Civil Preparedness Risk Profile and Prioritisation Assessment Methodology Model to inform a risk-based approach to National Resilience decision making and reporting.
Our team developed a National Civil Preparedness Risk Profile which extensively explored research on 20 primary risks to the civil sector from a major or concurrent national crises and related disruptions.
Fuel security was a key risk identified, and research efforts were focused on highlighting vulnerabilities, in governance, policies, infrastructure and supply chains including contingency plans for emergency fuel distribution. Existing controls to manage fuel risks were derived from open-source research that included government policies and the role of the private sector to inform recommendations for further controls where gaps were identified (e.g. stockpiling and reserves, diversification of supply sources, rationing, and the coordination with states and territories. These controls were prioritization by the data model.

Synergy was engaged by Defence’s Vice Chief of the Defence Force Group to provide expert, independent advice for the development of the Defence Strategic Mobilisation Plan (DSMP). To support this, Synergy developed and delivered an ‘Analysis of the Mobilisation Environment’. This body of research sought to collate quantitative and qualitative evidence to explore the capability and capacity of key national Industries ( private and public), Infrastructure, Critical Material, Workforce, Industry, Science and Technology, Legal Frameworks, and Defence assets to the continuity of the Australian economy during times of strategic regional competition or crisis. These findings from the analysis and research into the broad scope of factors informed the development of the Defence strategic mobilisation plan. The plan was able to address identified vulnerabilities and gaps in national regulatory frameworks, public policies, governance arrangements, investments proirities and broad approaches to national resilience.