In this episode of The Smart Community Podcast, we continue our Future Of series, this time looking at the future of artificial intelligence in local government. I speak with Josh Bearup, Emerging Technologies Officer at Mornington Peninsula Shire in Victoria.

Josh shares his non-traditional pathway into technology, from working in a laundromat to completing a cybersecurity qualification and joining the Victorian Government through a cybersecurity internship. We then explore how AI could change the way local government operates, including Josh's view on how it can shift humans away from simply executing processes and towards defining, improving and taking accountability for them.

A big part of our conversation focuses on governance and the importance of making organisational processes more explicit. Josh shares how mapping processes, documenting relationships between people, systems and procedures, and building stronger organisational knowledge can create a better foundation for using AI responsibly.

We also discuss why governance can no longer just sit in policies and documents. As AI takes on more work, councils need clear processes, defined decision points and strong human accountability around how the work is actually done. Josh shares practical examples from Mornington Peninsula Shire, and we finish by talking about how councils can start experimenting with AI in ways that are useful, scalable and responsible.

As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect:

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or YouTube.

The Smart Community Podcast is produced by PERK Digital.

This podcast is recorded on the traditional lands of the  Kabi Kabi peoples and edited on the lands of the Gaibal peoples.   I pay my respects to traditional owners of country and their elders past and present. I also extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening today. Here on the Smart Community Podcast, we talk about data, technology, communities and the future. First Nations peoples have been sharing knowledge, caring for country, and telling stories for tens of thousands of years. I honour that deep connection of storytelling and community connection as we continue our conversation together here today.

Hi Smart Community friends,

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work and record this podcast and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening.

In this episode of The Smart Community Podcast, we continue our Future Of series, this time looking at the future of data privacy. Data privacy is no longer something organisations can treat as a compliance exercise. As more services collect location data, biometrics and information through a range of tools, including AI-powered tools, the decisions we make about data have real consequences for individuals and communities.

I speak with Debbie Reynolds, AKA The Data Diva, about the future of data privacy and the growing relationship between privacy, trust and emerging technology. We explore why having nothing to hide does not mean having nothing to protect, and the risks of collecting data without clear purpose or context.

We also discuss why organisations need to consider privacy from the very beginning. Debbie shares practical insights into AI data minimisation, informed consent, and the importance of only collecting information that can be properly protected.

Responsible technology isn't only about what a system can do. It's also about who benefits, what risks are created, and whether people are genuinely informed and empowered.

As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect:
Connect with Debbie via LinkedIn and learn more about her work with Debbie Reynolds Consulting.
Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community
Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or YouTube.
The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.

Hi Smart Community friends,

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work and record this podcast and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples listening.

In this episode of The Smart Community Podcast, I speak with Renee Wootton Tomlin, aerospace engineer, commercial pilot and Founder and CEO of New Era Energy, about the future of sustainable aviation and Australia’s opportunity to build a domestic renewable fuels industry.

Renee shares her journey from aerospace engineering and flying into the sustainable aviation fuel space, including her experience working on Western Sydney International Airport and supporting the development of ethanol-to-jet technology with LanzaJet.

We discuss what sustainable aviation fuel actually is, the different materials that can be used to produce it and why policy, finance and demand certainty may be bigger barriers than the technology itself.

We also explore how First Nations knowledge, ownership and economic participation can be placed at the centre of the energy transition, rather than communities simply being consulted after decisions have already been made.

The conversation also covers energy sovereignty, opportunities for regional communities and farmers, the skills Australia will need and why this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a new industry here at home.

As always, we hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed making it.

Connect with Renee via LinkedIn and learn more about her work with New Era Energy.

Connect with me via email: hello@mysmart.community

Connect with My Smart Community via LinkedIn or YouTube.

The Smart Community Podcast is produced by Perk Digital.