Australian Industry Group Podcasts

Brent Ferguson, Australian Industry Group's Head of National Workplace Relations Policy, joins Yoness Blackmore, Principal Advisor Workplace Relations Policy, to discuss the latest Significant Workplace Relations Issues report.

Significant Workplace Relations Issues March 2026 by Australian Industry Group

Significant Workplace Relations Issues December 2025 by Australian Industry Group

Significant Workplace Relations Issues June 2025 by Australian Industry Group

Brent Ferguson, Ai Group's Head of National Workplace Relations Policy, joins Yoness Blackmore, Principal Advisor Workplace Relations Policy, to discuss the latest Significant Workplace Relations Issues report. This podcast provides an update on some of the key issues outlined in the report: the Fair Work Commission's Working from home model term proceedings, and the annual wage review the passing...

Listen in to get an amazing insight into how one family has gone taken an idea from start-up to international business in just 10 years. Huds & Toke is a pet food company based on the Sunshine Coast, with a great story to tell. Co-founder Russell Gibbons provides a masterclass on the keys to building vertically integrated businesses with complex omni-channels pathways to market. This is a must-lis...

Today episode is an engaging café style chat with two supply chain specialists: Host James Scotland sits down with his old mate Andy Brightmore for a wandering and endearing chat on all things supply chain. Listen in to hear the two have another of their usual fun and unstructured wanderings through the issues of business and life today. Topics covered this time include: • Why is Andy no longer co...

Everyone’s favourite CEO returns to the podcast to talk us through the current issue facing the Australian economy, and what impact could they have on business operations. Innes delivers a masterclass in macro-economics covering such as issues as - The upcoming Federal election: when will it be held and who will win. - The latest on the significant changes to Workplace Relations laws, why Ai Group...

In this episode, host James Scotland ask Adam Blake: ‘How do we, in Australia, build resilient and sustainable supply chains in and from Australia’. Blundstone Australia is a 150-year, family-owned, Hobart-based, globally-successful boot and apparel manufacturer. The company sells over 3 million pairs of boots annually to multiple markets in over 70 countries. It has a well-structured brand story...

In this episode, Jim Wilson mounts a passionate and cogent argument for the global shipping industry, especially in support of the industry’s performance during the Covid years. James and Jim discuss the current issues of the industry and look to the future. Issues discussed include: Recent and future expectations of container pricing The issues for shipping in the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and the...

Digitalisation is a core subject of this podcast, and today we deep dive into digital disruption in supplier engagement and business matching. James and guest Tim Walmsley investigate the challenge of building a successful digitalised business from start-up. It’s a great discussion, and Tim provides lots of good insights including: • The LEAN start-up approach and why it works • The need to train...

What’s the China market really like? What’s it like to start a business in China? To be a supplier? To be a buyer? What’s the difference between an Italian craftsman and a Chinese worker? Are we ahead or behind the average Chinese worker in terms of technology use and adoption? In this episode, James chats with China expert Susan Heffernan about her decades of first-hand experience in the market,...

What’s the difference between the Circular Economy and Circular Supply Chains? In this episode, supply chain specialist Brendan O’Keefe addresses the difference between the two and provides a raft of insights in the way forward. James and Brendan speak of the importance of moving past the take/make/use/ dispose mentality into a less wasteful, less inefficient /more sustainable approach to business...

A special edition of Supply Circles to recognise and celebrate National Reconciliation Week 2024. Our guest is Daniel Joinbee and this is a ‘do-not-miss’ episode. In this fascinating café-style chat, James and Daniel talk about professional procurement, the role of indigenous businesses in supply chain, the tips for being a preferred supplier, the joy of being a proud Australian working overseas a...

Business is a human-centred endeavour, and the one thing you can guarantee about people is that they change constantly. So one of the challenges for businesspeople is to keep up-to- date with the shifting needs and attitudes of your customers and stakeholders. In this episode, James and Leanne discuss ways to engage the multiple relationships within your supply chain eco-system, how to get the bes...

In this episode, we hear a story of Australia, of Australian manufacturing, of innovation and change, of resilience and adaptability. And of the ups and downs of family ownership as the business grows, adapts, and changes from generation to generation. It’s not a sexy business or a sexy range of products. But it’s the story of persistence, resilience and change. It’s the story of Everhard Industri...

To coincide with Anzac Day, this episode unpacks the concerning emerging issue for ex-Defence personnel in your business and your supply chain. The Defence Amendment (Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets) Bill 2023 came into law in Australia on the 8th April 2024. The act has two arms: the first impacts ex-Defence personnel and ex-Department of Defence staff, the second affects ‘Australian ci...

Generative AI is here and is a major game-changer for business and supply chains. In this episode, A.I. specialist Dave Phung guides us through the confusing and often challenging task of understanding the opportunities and challenges of AI in the workplace, and in implementing it. Dave tells us what AI can do for your business and how to help staff accept it. He also addresses the elephants in th...

Ai Group’s head of National Workplace Relations Policy, Brent Ferguson, speaks to Thomas Oriti on ABC NewsRadio, discussing Ai Group’s submission to the Fair Work Commission on the minimum wage.

Sarah returns to provide clarity to the confusing plethora of announcements coming out of government regarding the Defence Industry. With her usual insightful commentary Sarah explains what’s going on, what is means for business and what we should do next to capture the opportunity. In a wide-ranging and engaging conversation, Sarah explains the many recent announcements and what they provide for...

Innovation is a fascinating and often misunderstood concept when it comes to business and business operations, but not for today’s guest, innovation specialist David Martin. Host James Scotland gets into an engaging and enjoyable deep dive with David on what innovation means for business and what businesses need to do to thrive through innovation. The two address the good parts and the challenges...

Leann Webb is widely regarded the undisputed pioneer of the bid management industry in Australia. With over 20 years in the industry, Lean has a deep expertise in managing bid responses for major and mega project bids, particularly in the construction, infrastructure, transport, and defence sectors. She also helps small-to-medium sized enterprises to successfully respond to bids and tenders. In co...

This is the final episode of ‘What on Earth...’ for now. Over the summer break we did a strategic review and we’ve decided to take a break for now- we’ve covered the key issues many times and a short break will give provide an opportunity for the issues to develop before we re-analyse. The good news is the monthly ‘What on Earth….’ will be replaced by a new monthly podcast addressing the broad iss...

Brand is business; business is brand’ with David Schloeffel, Chief Enabling Officer, Brandness. In this insightful episode, David talks about using the company brand to build resilience into the business. “Brand is your biggest asset and it’s critical to the success of any business, regardless of size”, he tells host James Scotland. In this fascinating conversation, David reveals: • why a brand is...

In this first episode of 2024 James speaks with his colleague at Ai Group, the Director of Research and Economics Dr Jeff Wilson. In a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation, James and Jeff talk through the lessons from last year and the current economic trends framing the year ahead. They then discuss the findings of the recently released report ‘Australian Industry Outlook 2024’. This annual...