Papers by Huon Curtis
Australian Telecommunications Sector Resilience Profile Keeping Australia connected in an uncertain world, 2024
ANU Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) was commissioned by the Department of Infrastructure, Transp... more ANU Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) was commissioned by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional
Development, Communication and the Arts (DITRDCA) to profile the telecommunications sector to better understand the risk
landscape and whole-of-sector resilience.
The resulting assessment and Profile detailed in this report provide a common language and the foundations for a shared
vision and cooperative action. It should be revisited regularly to track progress and demonstrate the ongoing commitment to
improving sector resilience.
By taking an all-hazards and sector-wide approach, this Profile has developed a framework to cement telecommunications'
resilience in policy and operational practice.
The findings reflect consultations with 204 stakeholders from across the sector, representing all states, territories, and the
federal government, plus representatives of dependent and interdependent sectors.1
The evidence collected through these
consultations shaped the whole-of-sector profile's resilience maturity assessment and development.
The final Profile and assessment were refined, shaped, and endorsed by a 26-member Risk and Resilience Expert Panel
consisting of diverse practitioners with backgrounds in engineering, network architecture, climate change research,
government, enterprise, and strategic policy.2
Building the Profile created forums among these key stakeholders, where large and small providers, regulators, and
consumer representatives could share lessons around the same table. It provided the means to discuss and respond to
complex scenarios, identify shared vulnerabilities, and outline a desired future state that would benefit all.
The consultative process led to the development of a shared vision and language of resilience, including a sector-specific
lexicon to describe the risk factors (threats, threat sources, and vulnerabilities) and a Sector Resilience Maturity Model to
guide cooperation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
These insights, actions, and principles are not the final word, but rather lay the foundation for an ongoing, vital dialogue
between government, industry, and communities in a critical sector.
Telecommunications Risk and Resilience Profile Pestle and Gap Analysis , 2023
The objectives of the project are to develop a sectorwide telecommunications risk and resilience ... more The objectives of the project are to develop a sectorwide telecommunications risk and resilience profile taking
an all-hazards approach, and to provide an independent
evidence base for future policy decisions.
The project focuses on risk and resilience of the
telecommunications sector in areas of existing connectivity
and draws on the collective expertise of government,
industry, utility providers, emergency services, the disaster
management community, and academia.
Indigenous recruitment and retention in the Australian Defence organisation is defined by a high ... more Indigenous recruitment and retention in the Australian Defence organisation is defined by a high target
of 5% participation in the armed services and 3% in the Australian Public Service component of the
Defence Department by 2025. The participation target is a point of pride and a source of clear goodwill
and has provided momentum in several areas of Defence for Indigenous employment and pathways.
However, the individual areas of success and effort are yet to translate into an effective
whole-of-Defence framework with cohesive lines of effort. This policy report suggests how that can
change. It provides a framework and strategy for Defence to support science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) recruitment and retention and cybersecurity careers, particularly through
engagement with the vocational education and training system and through targeted relationship
building with university- and school-based Indigenous STEM initiatives.
We propose that Defence should enact a wider set of supporting measures—particularly in data
and reporting to track professional development—that’s more likely to create more sustainable
success that delivers organisational improvements and outcomes for Defence. That should include
mechanisms to enhance the achievements of the Indigenous Procurement Policy.
Defence must ensure that it meets its immediate skills shortfalls as well as its long-term obligations
under the Closing the Gap initiative and the Defence Reconciliation Action Plan to foster genuine and
meaningful relationships built upon trust with Indigenous peoples.
We suggest how that’s possible through a framework and 56 recommendations focusing on 12 areas
of activity:
• data, reporting and user-experience web design
• career pathways
• defence and technology contractors
• community engagement
• procurement and business development
• veterans’ employment and procurement
• the vocational education sector
• universities
• recruitment
• retention
• coordination with other public agencies
• international partnerships.
Action on those recommendations will ensure that Defence is an employer of choice and fosters
genuine and meaningful trust with Australia’s Indigenous peoples. And it will also build Defence’s
capability to keep our nation safe and secure in a more dangerous world.
Politics in the Shadow of Markets: Time and Liquidity in Finance
Abstract for PhD dissertation
Noise as Information: Finance Economics as Second-Order Observation
Theory, Culture & Society, 2020
In noise we hear the possibility of a signal, indeed different signals, and in the multiplicity o... more In noise we hear the possibility of a signal, indeed different signals, and in the multiplicity of signals we hear noise. With variation and selection comes dynamic evolution, a contingent state, one that could be otherwise. The term ‘polemogenous’ (from the French, polémogène) means that which generates polemics. And polemics are creative. If everyone, every system, were to reason in the same way, there would be silence. Every remark would be redundant, having no informational value. Thus noise is not bad. The essence of finance economics, like all that is social in nature, is a forming of meaning. Whatever cannot be formed meaningfully is not available to the system. This unavailability, as ‘noise’, is the dynamic difference (noise/information) that scintillates the system. Information, like morality, is polemogenous – it stirs contention. Without noise and the possibility of its conversion to information there would be no opportunities to exploit. This paper applies a systems the...
The world finds itself in a slow recovery after the deepest recession since the Great Depression.... more The world finds itself in a slow recovery after the deepest recession since the Great Depression. The world is also coping with a host of environmental problems and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. A greener future also promises an enormous potential in a much needed employment growth. However, without suitable skills, this potential cannot be realized. Today, skills gaps are already recognized as a major bottleneck in a number of sectors, such as renewable energy, energy and resource efficiency, green building and retrofitting, environmental services and green manufacturing. Training response measures are successful where they are coherent across policy domains, systemic and systematic, and targeted at disadvantaged groups. These training measures can only be effective if based on timely identification of skills needs. Effectiveness of training measures is decisive not only for the economic recovery but also for a longer-term sustainability agenda. This report was produced in the framework of the project, 'Skills for green jobs'. The project was implemented in cooperation between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop). The project identifies skills needed for greener economies with respect to structural shifts, and new, emerging and changing occupational profiles. The 'Skills for green jobs' study is embedded in the Green Jobs Initiative, a joint initiative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the ILO, the International Employers Organization (IOE) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), to assess, analyze and promote the creation of decent jobs as a consequence of the needed environmental policies. The global study was jointly funded by the Skills and Employability Department of the ILO and the Green Jobs Initiative.
Noise as Information: Finance Economics as Second-Order Observation
Theory, Culture & Society, 2020
In noise we hear the possibility of a signal, indeed different signals, and in the multiplicity o... more In noise we hear the possibility of a signal, indeed different signals, and in the multiplicity of signals we hear noise. With variation and selection comes dynamic evolution, a contingent state, one that could be otherwise. The term ‘polemogenous’ (from the French, polémogène) means that which generates polemics. And polemics are creative. If everyone, every system, were to reason in the same way, there would be silence. Every remark would be redundant, having no informational value. Thus noise is not bad. The essence of finance economics, like all that is social in nature, is a forming of meaning. Whatever cannot be formed meaningfully is not available to the system. This unavailability, as ‘noise’, is the dynamic difference (noise/information) that scintillates the system. Information, like morality, is polemogenous – it stirs contention. Without noise and the possibility of its conversion to information there would be no opportunities to exploit. This paper applies a systems theoretical understanding of observation to conceive of finance economics as the economy’s means of observing its noise and capitalizing on that polemic. Niklas Luhmann’s method is utilized to explicate some ideas on noise by financial economist Fischer Black, who suggests the incomprehensible is computable. This is finance. The fact that logical grounds, absolute deductions, and clear calculations are claimed to be rare in finance is no barrier to understanding it. Rather, this polyphonic and polemogenous information-selection is the ‘ground’ of finance, not as totalizing logic, but as different difference-production for the sake of deriving economic opportunity.
International Labour Organisation, 2018
Australia is a high carbon emissions country on a per capita basis, with an imposing challenge of... more Australia is a high carbon emissions country on a per capita basis, with an imposing challenge of transitioning to a low carbon economy. But the move towards a ‘green’ economy and a ‘green’ workforce with decent work has become more contested since the last ILO country report in 2009. Following many individual disparate regional and State initiatives, a set of promising steps at national level in the 2000s seemed to indicate that Australia may be moving to establish the basis for a low carbon economy and the training and labour market support necessary for a re-composition of the workforce. At the time of the 2009 country report, signs of ‘green shoots’ could be readily identified
in Australian climate and skills policy. After 2009, however, climate policy at national level has been characterised by bitter and seemingly intractable debate. One outcome is that there has been a lack of policy clarity and certitude, with the result that investment in renewables and even new energy generation capacity has suffered. In addition, the increasing privatisation of training and learning arrangements has removed clarity in relation to the scope and scale of support for the promotion of ‘green’ skills. This presents an obvious challenge to the capacity for greening the economy to deliver
inclusive growth. While distinctive policies on Vocational Education and Training and green jobs were promulgated in the 2009–2012 period, since then there have been no major developments in Green Skills Training. Green Skills Policy was largely developed within the context of the previous Labor Government’s (2007-2013) climate commitments. The peak bodies of the major social partners, such as the ACTU or ACCI, have not developed major plans for action on climate change, and the burden of advocacy around climate change has shifted away from those traditional social partners to individual enterprises, social movement groups, and regional organizations.
Nevertheless, even without policy certainty and development, or strong leadership from the traditional social partners, previously instituted policy in areas such as more energy-efficient housing (building codes) are creating demands for embedding green skills in many building trades. Furthermore some corporations have begun to take steps towards moving out of coal-fired energy generation and shifting towards renewables ahead of government policy mandating the latter. Many corporations have begun to produce climate impact reports. Some State governments (Victoria, South Australia and Queensland) have moved to adopt their own emission reduction targets, and several city councils have also begun to take action to manage emissions. Promisingly, high consumer demand for rooftop solar panels for residential energy generation has continued, which - along with the rapid take-up of battery storage - suggests that there is broad support for more action on climate change. Finally, there is some evidence of a renewed bottom-up process of skills development. There are two features to this process: first, a range of seemingly ad hoc activities related to skills development has been initiated; and second, a broader assortment of social actors are engaging with
the implications of climate change in ways that matter for ‘green’ jobs and decent work
Explainer: shadow banking and where it came from
Conference Presentations by Huon Curtis
COLLATERAL AS A FORMULA FOR CONTINGENCY
This paper makes a contribution to the conceptual and methodological efforts to understand the ‘s... more This paper makes a contribution to the conceptual and methodological efforts to understand the ‘security device’ known as the pledge of collateral. Within the highly sophisticated theory of social function systems developed by Niklas Luhmann are a few tools that are pertinent to the observation of social phenomena blanketed by the term collateral. Two key concepts are ‘formula for contingency’ and ‘time-binding’. These conceptual distinctions, within what Luhmann calls the ‘whole galaxy’ of other distinctions that work together as a theory of society, are taken from a sociological theory of law. The argument is that certain references to ‘security’, which go as collateral, can be fruitfully understood as a particular way of handling complexity, such that in any situation in which security is called for there can be an attribution of ‘security’ even though the security of ‘security’ is contingent and can never be determinately secured. Our conclusion is that collateral cannot be adequately conceptualised ontologically but is better understood as a semantic placeholder, the meaning of which is construed differently by different systems. Notably, for law, collateral secures expectations over time; but, for the economic system, this securing of time provides opportunities, that is, indeterminacies that can be exploited.
Artificial intelligence, gender & future of work
From the nineteenth century mathematical work of Ada Lovelace through to the prominent role of mi... more From the nineteenth century mathematical work of Ada Lovelace through to the prominent role of mid-twentieth century ‘female computers’, women have been involved in computer science and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Yet in academic contexts, government policy, and in the labour market itself they are under-recognised, under-valued, under-paid and under-represented. This paper examines the gendered implications of AI in five areas 1) the work of computer scientists; 2) as distinctive of employment polarisation; 3) as an organisational technology; 4) as a mechanism for workforce enhancement; 5) a component of contemporary innovation policy discussions.
Section one foregrounds the practical and political issues that emerged during the 1980s at the tail-end of the last generation of AI technologies, including the under-representation of women in computing professions and gender bias in data. In more recent years, AI has been referred to as the most significant technological innovation since the steam engine, and to this extent the concerns from 30 years ago take on new relevance. It is imperative that the technological determinism that propagates masculinist approaches to technology, and validates male voices is challenged so that exclusionary versions of AI that operate to the detriment of women are not developed.
Section two uses the exemplary case study of data labellers and computer scientists to examine the long-term trend towards concurrent employment and wage polarisation, which will invariably have gendered effects. The latest generation of AI technologies, namely deep neural networks, allow for computers to ‘learn the way that children do’ and this technique is dependent on accurately labelled training data. As such the latest advancements were built on the hidden labour of data labellers, who are organised through labour platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT), data factories and prisons. This case study demonstrates how the development of AI is dependent upon hidden pools of exploited labour.
Section three emphasises the need to set organisational priorities when deploying AI systems to ensure gender equity in the labour market. The occlusion of gender to date has been largely a definitional problem caused by a thin conception of a computer’s functionality from within computer science with little regard to organisational, political and economic context. In contrast, this paper adopts a three pronged definition that shows that the development and deployment of AI systems is informed through distinctly human decisions. AI systems are socially, organisationally and economically contingent and are not an historical inevitability. For instance, the tendency to equate more surveillance and tracking with more productive workplaces and higher profits has obvious exploitative potential for workers. Just as previous technological innovation has changed the organisation of bureaucratic production, so too does AI change the parameters and expectations of what firms do, and how production and services are being formulated and delivered. In this respect, those who approach work and organisations with a gender lens are instrumental to defining the problems that AI-enabled systems are deployed to solve.
Section four outlines the gendered effects of the deployment of AI by organisations, particularly in recruitment and compensation. It suggests that a failure to consider gender can expose organisations to legal and ethical risks. Examples of the use of AI in hiring and recruitment show mixed results for gender and diversity. The failure to use AI technologies to solve coordination problems between firms may be a missing link in their successful deployment.
Section five explores how public sector agencies across the globe are using the term AI to forward (often) ambitious re-orientations of industry, innovation, education and training, health, environment, security/military, and workplace policies. Many governments and organisations are proposing national strategies and principles on AI ethics and some of these include references to gender; however, many of the strategies are too broad and lack substantive commitments to gender equity. For example, the idea that AI should be developed in advancement of the “social good” or for “the benefit of humanity” is common to many principles and strategies. However, the notion of social good could be interpreted in multiple ways. Many ideological standpoints could stake a claim on the good, or to benefit humanity. Although a human rights frame is occasionally invoked, regulations of any sort are, in general, viewed as antithetical to innovation within the Silicon Valley mindset. Although many AI principles advocate for ‘fairness’ or ‘transparency’, how this intersects with existing legal protections such as anti-discrimination is an open question. It is exciting that the ethics of technology is being discussed in national and global forums, it remains to be seen how this will translate into gender equality.
Uploads
Papers by Huon Curtis
Development, Communication and the Arts (DITRDCA) to profile the telecommunications sector to better understand the risk
landscape and whole-of-sector resilience.
The resulting assessment and Profile detailed in this report provide a common language and the foundations for a shared
vision and cooperative action. It should be revisited regularly to track progress and demonstrate the ongoing commitment to
improving sector resilience.
By taking an all-hazards and sector-wide approach, this Profile has developed a framework to cement telecommunications'
resilience in policy and operational practice.
The findings reflect consultations with 204 stakeholders from across the sector, representing all states, territories, and the
federal government, plus representatives of dependent and interdependent sectors.1
The evidence collected through these
consultations shaped the whole-of-sector profile's resilience maturity assessment and development.
The final Profile and assessment were refined, shaped, and endorsed by a 26-member Risk and Resilience Expert Panel
consisting of diverse practitioners with backgrounds in engineering, network architecture, climate change research,
government, enterprise, and strategic policy.2
Building the Profile created forums among these key stakeholders, where large and small providers, regulators, and
consumer representatives could share lessons around the same table. It provided the means to discuss and respond to
complex scenarios, identify shared vulnerabilities, and outline a desired future state that would benefit all.
The consultative process led to the development of a shared vision and language of resilience, including a sector-specific
lexicon to describe the risk factors (threats, threat sources, and vulnerabilities) and a Sector Resilience Maturity Model to
guide cooperation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
These insights, actions, and principles are not the final word, but rather lay the foundation for an ongoing, vital dialogue
between government, industry, and communities in a critical sector.
an all-hazards approach, and to provide an independent
evidence base for future policy decisions.
The project focuses on risk and resilience of the
telecommunications sector in areas of existing connectivity
and draws on the collective expertise of government,
industry, utility providers, emergency services, the disaster
management community, and academia.
of 5% participation in the armed services and 3% in the Australian Public Service component of the
Defence Department by 2025. The participation target is a point of pride and a source of clear goodwill
and has provided momentum in several areas of Defence for Indigenous employment and pathways.
However, the individual areas of success and effort are yet to translate into an effective
whole-of-Defence framework with cohesive lines of effort. This policy report suggests how that can
change. It provides a framework and strategy for Defence to support science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) recruitment and retention and cybersecurity careers, particularly through
engagement with the vocational education and training system and through targeted relationship
building with university- and school-based Indigenous STEM initiatives.
We propose that Defence should enact a wider set of supporting measures—particularly in data
and reporting to track professional development—that’s more likely to create more sustainable
success that delivers organisational improvements and outcomes for Defence. That should include
mechanisms to enhance the achievements of the Indigenous Procurement Policy.
Defence must ensure that it meets its immediate skills shortfalls as well as its long-term obligations
under the Closing the Gap initiative and the Defence Reconciliation Action Plan to foster genuine and
meaningful relationships built upon trust with Indigenous peoples.
We suggest how that’s possible through a framework and 56 recommendations focusing on 12 areas
of activity:
• data, reporting and user-experience web design
• career pathways
• defence and technology contractors
• community engagement
• procurement and business development
• veterans’ employment and procurement
• the vocational education sector
• universities
• recruitment
• retention
• coordination with other public agencies
• international partnerships.
Action on those recommendations will ensure that Defence is an employer of choice and fosters
genuine and meaningful trust with Australia’s Indigenous peoples. And it will also build Defence’s
capability to keep our nation safe and secure in a more dangerous world.
in Australian climate and skills policy. After 2009, however, climate policy at national level has been characterised by bitter and seemingly intractable debate. One outcome is that there has been a lack of policy clarity and certitude, with the result that investment in renewables and even new energy generation capacity has suffered. In addition, the increasing privatisation of training and learning arrangements has removed clarity in relation to the scope and scale of support for the promotion of ‘green’ skills. This presents an obvious challenge to the capacity for greening the economy to deliver
inclusive growth. While distinctive policies on Vocational Education and Training and green jobs were promulgated in the 2009–2012 period, since then there have been no major developments in Green Skills Training. Green Skills Policy was largely developed within the context of the previous Labor Government’s (2007-2013) climate commitments. The peak bodies of the major social partners, such as the ACTU or ACCI, have not developed major plans for action on climate change, and the burden of advocacy around climate change has shifted away from those traditional social partners to individual enterprises, social movement groups, and regional organizations.
Nevertheless, even without policy certainty and development, or strong leadership from the traditional social partners, previously instituted policy in areas such as more energy-efficient housing (building codes) are creating demands for embedding green skills in many building trades. Furthermore some corporations have begun to take steps towards moving out of coal-fired energy generation and shifting towards renewables ahead of government policy mandating the latter. Many corporations have begun to produce climate impact reports. Some State governments (Victoria, South Australia and Queensland) have moved to adopt their own emission reduction targets, and several city councils have also begun to take action to manage emissions. Promisingly, high consumer demand for rooftop solar panels for residential energy generation has continued, which - along with the rapid take-up of battery storage - suggests that there is broad support for more action on climate change. Finally, there is some evidence of a renewed bottom-up process of skills development. There are two features to this process: first, a range of seemingly ad hoc activities related to skills development has been initiated; and second, a broader assortment of social actors are engaging with
the implications of climate change in ways that matter for ‘green’ jobs and decent work
Conference Presentations by Huon Curtis
Section one foregrounds the practical and political issues that emerged during the 1980s at the tail-end of the last generation of AI technologies, including the under-representation of women in computing professions and gender bias in data. In more recent years, AI has been referred to as the most significant technological innovation since the steam engine, and to this extent the concerns from 30 years ago take on new relevance. It is imperative that the technological determinism that propagates masculinist approaches to technology, and validates male voices is challenged so that exclusionary versions of AI that operate to the detriment of women are not developed.
Section two uses the exemplary case study of data labellers and computer scientists to examine the long-term trend towards concurrent employment and wage polarisation, which will invariably have gendered effects. The latest generation of AI technologies, namely deep neural networks, allow for computers to ‘learn the way that children do’ and this technique is dependent on accurately labelled training data. As such the latest advancements were built on the hidden labour of data labellers, who are organised through labour platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT), data factories and prisons. This case study demonstrates how the development of AI is dependent upon hidden pools of exploited labour.
Section three emphasises the need to set organisational priorities when deploying AI systems to ensure gender equity in the labour market. The occlusion of gender to date has been largely a definitional problem caused by a thin conception of a computer’s functionality from within computer science with little regard to organisational, political and economic context. In contrast, this paper adopts a three pronged definition that shows that the development and deployment of AI systems is informed through distinctly human decisions. AI systems are socially, organisationally and economically contingent and are not an historical inevitability. For instance, the tendency to equate more surveillance and tracking with more productive workplaces and higher profits has obvious exploitative potential for workers. Just as previous technological innovation has changed the organisation of bureaucratic production, so too does AI change the parameters and expectations of what firms do, and how production and services are being formulated and delivered. In this respect, those who approach work and organisations with a gender lens are instrumental to defining the problems that AI-enabled systems are deployed to solve.
Section four outlines the gendered effects of the deployment of AI by organisations, particularly in recruitment and compensation. It suggests that a failure to consider gender can expose organisations to legal and ethical risks. Examples of the use of AI in hiring and recruitment show mixed results for gender and diversity. The failure to use AI technologies to solve coordination problems between firms may be a missing link in their successful deployment.
Section five explores how public sector agencies across the globe are using the term AI to forward (often) ambitious re-orientations of industry, innovation, education and training, health, environment, security/military, and workplace policies. Many governments and organisations are proposing national strategies and principles on AI ethics and some of these include references to gender; however, many of the strategies are too broad and lack substantive commitments to gender equity. For example, the idea that AI should be developed in advancement of the “social good” or for “the benefit of humanity” is common to many principles and strategies. However, the notion of social good could be interpreted in multiple ways. Many ideological standpoints could stake a claim on the good, or to benefit humanity. Although a human rights frame is occasionally invoked, regulations of any sort are, in general, viewed as antithetical to innovation within the Silicon Valley mindset. Although many AI principles advocate for ‘fairness’ or ‘transparency’, how this intersects with existing legal protections such as anti-discrimination is an open question. It is exciting that the ethics of technology is being discussed in national and global forums, it remains to be seen how this will translate into gender equality.