Name: Social media and smartphones for youth: What’s the story? @RoyalSocNSW
Uploaded: 2026-09-22T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: Social media and smartphones for youth: What’s the story?

Social media and smartphones for youth: What’s the story?

Royal Society of NSW 2026-09-22 | Social media and smartphones for youth: What’s the story?

In conversation with Professor Maike Osborne

Royal Society of NSW 2026-08-09 | Maike Osborne in conversation with Christina Slade — 24 July 2026

Christie Slade, President of the Royal Society of NSW, will be talking with some of the very many distinguished Australians who live and work outside Australia.

The first of these distinguished guests is Maike, formerly Michael, Osborne.

Osborne is Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Oxford and is internationally recognised for her contributions to Bayesian optimisation, probabilistic modelling, and safe exploration. Her work sits at the intersection of mathematically rigorous machine learning, Bayesian reasoning and optimisation, AI safety and responsible innovation, and the social and economic implications of automation. She brings a deeply human dimension to her science — her lived experience as a trans academic leader .

In this conversation, we trace Maike’s history, from a childhood in Western Australia and a stellar career at the University of Western Australia through a period at ANSTO (in association with UNSW) and then on scholarship to New College in Oxford. We discuss her Bayesian approach to AI and Machine Learning, a how that differs from deep mind LLM pattern-based models. Osborne describes the Mind Foundry, a company co-founded with Stephen Roberts in Oxford, which offers a more ‘transparent and truthful’ approach to AI. The company has now divided — one branch looks at defence related issues of sensory environments, the other works with insurance giants on the issues of the risks of AI.

In 2013, Osborne published a paper with the economist Carl Frey which fundamentally reshaped global thinking about automation and employment. That work continues; for Osborne workforce disruption is one of the major risks of AI.

Osborne is a visible and thoughtful voice as a trans academic leader. Her work reminds us that AI is not just a technical field—it is a human one. It touches on uncertainty, risk, identity, labour, ethics, and the future of knowledge itself.

The Importance of Understanding Water and Climate Change for Aboriginal People

Royal Society of NSW 2026-08-09 | 1343nd Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 5 August 2026
"The Importance of Understanding Water and Climate Change for Aboriginal People"
Professor Bradley Moggridge FRSN FTSE
Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement)
Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney

The presentation commences at 01:23

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:23 Presentation: Professor Bradley Moggridge
01:00:15 Audience Q&A with Professor Bradley Moggridge moderated by Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten
01:16:12 Vote of Thanks: Dr Susan Pond AM FRSN, Former President, Royal Society of NSW
01:19:07 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1343rd-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth, yet it has been the traditional land of its original inhabitants, Australia’s First Peoples (its Indigenous people), for thousands of generations—65,000 years, plus. Protecting water landscapes (surface and groundwater) in a dry place like Australia, along with the protection of cultural values, has always been a high priority for Aboriginal people, and protecting water remains a cultural obligation. Water connects people to Country, carries songs, dances and language through the generations. This connection and understanding of climate are no different; observations, adaptation and lived experience (already having survived sea level rise) put First Peoples of Australia in a place to provide solutions for a modern issue like climate change. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are adapting now to a changed climate. Seasonal changes, culturally significant species are also adapting and evolving. Through my research and experience, I am very privileged to work towards solutions combining both my ancestral Traditional Knowledge and qualifications in Western science for water and climate.

Bradley Moggridge is a proud Murri from the Kamilaroi Nation living on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra and a Professor of Science and Associate Dean (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He has a PhD in Science from the University of Canberra, an MSc in Hydrogeology from UTS, and a BSc in Environmental Science from the Australian Catholic University.

Professor Moggridge is the Immediate Past President of the Australian Freshwater Science Society (President, 2022–2024), a current Board member with the NSW Environmental Protection Authority, and previously was a member of the Biodiversity Council and the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF). He was appointed as Lead Author for IPCC AR7 Chapter 10, and was accepted as a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE) in 2025 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (FRSN) in 2026. He is a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and is a Governor of WWF Australia. He is an alumnus of the International Water Centre.

Professor Moggridge has won several awards, including the 2025 RSNSW Aboriginal Scholar Medal, and has presented widely, including at the 2023 UN Water Conference (New York) and at the 2022, 2023 and 2025 SIWI World Water Week (Stockholm), and COP29 in Baku. He has published in his area of expertise in Indigenous Water Knowledge and Climate Change, also finding himself on many committees (local, national to international), adding to his 25 years in water and environmental science, cultural knowledge, regulation, water planning and management. He hopes to encourage Indigenous generations to pursue interests in science and promote his ancestors’ knowledge.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Australia’s energy security: Technology options in an uncertain world

Royal Society of NSW 2026-07-23 | RSNSW Provocations and Inspirations: 14 July 2026
“Australia’s energy security: Technology options in an uncertain world”
Tim Buckley
Founder and Director, Clean Energy Finance
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/lunchtime-series-provocations-and-inspirations-july-2026/

Presentation commences at 03:21

Timing Marks
00:00:05 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:03:21 Presentation: Tim Buckley
00:52:32 Audience Q&A session
01:14:16 Vote of Thanks: Ralph Evans AO FRSN
01:14:52 Meeting Close

Summary: The war in the Middle East has brought the dependence on fossil fuels into very sharp focus. Despite the seemingly endless optimism of financial markets, the global economy is likely to be substantially disrupted over the next several months, regardless of what peace terms can be negotiated between the US, Iran and Israel. The uncertainty about ship movements through the Strait of Hormuz, depletion of international reserves and the damage and disruption to refining capacity in the Persian Gulf will almost certainly cause sharp fluctuations in the cost and availability of liquid fuels, particularly diesel.

Diesel accounts for around 70% of Australia’s total liquid fuel demand. If our supply chain for diesel were to be seriously disrupted for a long period, there would be major economic consequences to both the domestic economy and to agricultural and mineral exports.

This series started as an exploration of the Future Made in Australia (FMiA) program that will see investment of $22.7 billion over the next decade focused on two major streams: Net zero transformation, and Economic security and resilience. Nothing could have greater relevance in the current geopolitical circumstances.

Tim Buckley will explore the accelerating global energy system transformation options, with a focus on China’s growing leadership role, particularly in light of these energy security challenges and the other trade headwinds caused by the Trump administration’s policies.

Tim Buckley is the founder of the public interest think tank, Climate Energy Finance.

Climate Energy Finance (CEF) is an independent, non-partisan, and philanthropically funded Australian think tank established in 2022 that works pro bono in the public interest to accelerate the transition in Australia to net zero in line with climate science.

CEF conducts research and analyses of the current strategic, financial and geopolitical issues that are shaping the global energy transition and their implications for the Australian economy, with a focus on the challenges and opportunities for Australian investments, industry and exports. This involves tracking and providing independent commentary on developments in China and other key trading partners in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as advocating for stronger mutually beneficial collaboration with these partners. CEF also examines the convergence of global technology trends in power, transport, mining and industry in accelerating decarbonisation.

Tim has 35 years of financial market experience covering the Australian, Asian and global equity markets and is a highly influential energy finance commentator. He has written more than 100 reports on the global energy transition and the roles of finance and policy in accelerating critical decarbonisation trends.

Tim was previously the Australasian Director of the global Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, 2013-2021. Prior to this, he was a top-rated equity research analyst, including Head of Equity Research in Singapore at Deutsche Bank, Managing Director, Head of Equity Research at Citigroup for 17 years, Head of Institutional Equities at Shaw & Partners and co-Managing Director of Arkx Investment Management Pty Ltd, a global, listed clean energy investment start-up, jointly owned with Westpac.

AI has opened up great possibilities, but were misusing it #ai #artificialintelligence #technology

Royal Society of NSW 2026-07-12 | While AI could do great things for scientific research, it's primarily being used for significantly less important purposes — and consuming enormous amounts of energy in the process.

Hear Prof. Sami Kara FRSN FFCIRP FACATECH and Prof. Michael Hauschild discuss the importance of building a circular economy, and how technology could help us reach environmental sustainability instead of hinder us: youtube.com/watch?v=x3DplcDT8Nk

Thin-film photovoltaics — the enabling engine for next-generation tandem solar cells

Royal Society of NSW 2026-07-05 | 1342nd Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 1 July 2026
"Thin-film photovoltaics — the enabling engine for next-generation tandem solar cells"
Scientia Professor Xiaojing Hao FRSN FAA FTSE
ARC Laureate Fellow and Deputy Director, ARC Research Hub for Photovoltaic Solar Panel Recycling and Sustainability
School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering
UNSW Sydney

The presentation commences at 01:21

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:21 Presentation: Scientia Professor Xiaojing Hao
00:43:19 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten
01:01:41 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten
01:03:08 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1342nd-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: Solar energy is already transforming the world, but meeting the demands of a net-zero future will require photovoltaic technologies that go beyond the limits of silicon alone. Tandem solar cells offer a powerful next step: by combining silicon with a wide-bandgap top cell, they can capture more of the Sun’s spectrum and deliver substantially higher efficiencies. Realising this vision, however, depends on solving a central materials challenge. The top cell must combine high efficiency, long-term stability, low cost, and scalable manufacturing — an exceptionally challenging combination to achieve in any one material system. In this talk, Xiaojing Hao will discuss advances in earth-abundant thin-film top-cell technologies developed by her research group and show how they are developing strategies to enable the next generation of tandem solar cells. Beyond higher efficiency, these developments point to a broader opportunity: more sustainable, affordable, and widely deployable solar energy for the future.

Xiaojing Hao is a Scientia Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow at UNSW, Sydney. She obtained her PhD in the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering of UNSW in 2010. Her research focuses on low-cost, high-efficiency thin-film solar cells and tandem solar cells for both solar photovoltaic and solar fuel applications. She has led her group to achieve several efficiency records for emerging thin-film solar cells, including wide-bandgap chalcogenides (kesterite, chalcopyrite, antimony chalcogenide) and perovskites.

Professor Hao has published more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles, including a number in Nature Energy, Nature Photonics, and Energy and Environmental Science. She has been awarded more than 20 prestigious awards/prizes, including the 2020 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science: Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year, and the 2021 Australian Academy of Science Pawsey Medal. Professor Hao is an elected Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. Most recently, she was the winner of the 2025 Royal Society of NSW Edgeworth David Medal.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Offspring and the Influence of PFAS Exposure during Critical Development Periods

Royal Society of NSW 2026-07-02 | Hunter Branch Meeting 2026-2 of the Royal Society of NSW — 25 June 2026
"Offspring and the Influence of PFAS Exposure during Critical Development Periods"
Dr Jacinta Martin
Reproductive Biologist and Lecturer
University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2026-2/

The presentation commences at 00:05

Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Presentation: Dr Jacinta Martin
00:37:51 Audience Q&A with Dr Jacinta Martin moderated by Distinguished Emeritus Professor John Aitken
00:53:59 Vote of Thanks delivered by Professor John Aitken
00:54:21 Meeting Close

Summary: PFAS, often called ‘forever chemicals’, are now found in our water, food, homes, and even our bodies — but what does this mean for human health? This talk explores how environmental exposures can influence fertility, pregnancy, and early development, and why reproductive health may act as an early warning system for environmental harm. Drawing on new research from the University of Newcastle and HMRI, Dr Jacinta Martin will share how her team studies environmentally relevant exposures in the laboratory, investigates how pollutants move across generations, and explores potential strategies to reduce their impacts. Attendees will also hear some of the newest findings emerging from this research program.

Dr Jacinta Martin is a reproductive biologist at the University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Institute whose research investigates how environmental exposures influence fertility, pregnancy, and long-term health. Her work focuses particularly on environmental toxicants, including PFAS and plastics-associated chemicals, and how these exposures impact reproductive and developmental outcomes across generations.

Jacinta leads an NHMRC Ideas Grant investigating strategies to reduce the impacts of environmental toxicant exposure during pregnancy and early development, alongside broader research spanning laboratory models, translational science, and public health. Her goal is to generate evidence that informs clinical practice and environmental policy.

She has published more than 38 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and has secured over $4.4 million in research funding. She is passionate about science communication, mentoring, and improving health outcomes for future generations

Australias housing crisis has a severe societal cost #housing #housingcrisis #homeless

Royal Society of NSW 2026-06-20 | Architect Leone Lorrimer LFRAIA explains how Australia's housing crisis is extracting a severe cost from society. Watch the full talk here: youtube.com/watch?v=uT_BnoXV-jA

City Futures: from challenge to opportunity – by design

Royal Society of NSW 2026-06-19 | Ideas@theHouse: June 2026 — recorded at Government House Sydney on 16 June 2026
“City Futures: from challenge to opportunity – by design”
Leone Lorrimer LFRAIA
Architect
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/ideasthehouse-june-2026/

The presentation commences at 09:09

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW
00:09:09 Presentation: Leone Lorrimer
00:42:03 Q&A session: Moderated by Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM FRSN
01:01:45 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher
01:02:57 Meeting Close

Summary: ‘Unprecedented’ and ‘crisis’ are so frequently used that the challenges appear overwhelming.

The challenges are well known. There are crises in housing, cost of living, mental health, healthcare and aged care, not to mention climate change, technology and AI. There is an ever-widening gap in wealth, education and standards of living.

What roles do city planning, urban design and architecture play in delivering solutions?

Although the scale of the challenge is huge, state government, local government and the private sector working together can deliver successful solutions.

Certainty, resulting from long-term, visionary city planning, supplemented by urban design guidelines, is the responsibility of government. Many of the initial city-scale steps have been taken by government, but reliance on the private sector and variable market forces is not enough to close the housing gap.

History shows us that in crises, governments have delivered housing at large scale, but we cannot afford to sprawl and crawl model of the past. A large-scale program is required to build new affordable housing near hospitals, emergency services, schools and aged care, in locations that are not economic for the private sector. The high land value requires greater density, supported by quality urban design and placemaking.

Affordable housing needs to be near new jobs that support future industries, with good public transport, schools and green space. This requires visionary city-scale master planning, combined with economic incentives and a partnership between state and local government.

To deliver such a huge volume of housing, with labour and material shortages limiting capacity and driving up costs, innovative construction methods, such as prefabrication, are required. Smaller, less expensive homes that meet all the householders’ needs can result from good design. The construction of energy-efficient homes reduces ongoing energy bills.

Good design also improves the quality of city living in walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods. Every detail is considered, from the light, air and views, circulation, proximity of green space, water reticulation, playground design, materials and public art. Good design supports physical and mental health and underpins the ultimate goal of delivering social and economic equity.

Leone Lorrimer is a distinguished Australian architect and executive leader whose four‑decade career has shaped major design practices and city‑scale projects across Australia, the UK and the Middle East. Born in Sydney, she studied architecture in Sydney and London, graduating with Honours in 1983.

Returning to Australia, she held Directorships at Stephenson & Turner, then Woods Bagot, where she co‑founded the Sydney studio and became a defining force in its global expansion over the next two decades. Her international portfolio includes leadership roles on major developments such as the Qatar Science and Technology Park, and the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National Museums in Abu Dhabi.

Lorrimer later served as National Practice Leader at GHD Design and has been recognised as a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, an Indesign Luminary and one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence. She continues to contribute as a design awards juror, reviewer, specialist advisor and advocate for design excellence and gender equity in the profession. She is also a keen sailor and Board Member of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.

The Circular Economy: A pathway to environmental sustainability?

Royal Society of NSW 2026-06-16 | 1341st Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 10 June 2026
"The Circular Economy: A pathway to environmental sustainability?"
Professor Sami Kara FRSN FCIRP FACATECH
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Sydney
and
Professor Michael Hauschild
Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

The presentation commences at 01:56

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:57 Presentation: Professors Sami Kara and Michael Hauschild
00:56:07 Panel and Audience Q&A
01:20:29 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten
01:21:53 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1341st-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: The world’s population, growing in concert with an ever-increasing average affluence, leads to accelerated rates in the consumption of resources and the production of wastes and associated environmental impact. In large measure, this situation is due to our existing industrial processes and supporting global economic system that are operated in a linear sequence: Extraction, Production, Consumption, and Disposal (or ‘Take-Make-Use-Dispose’). This sequence and our global system rely on a paradigm where there is infinite resource availability. It is increasingly clear that this linear sequence is not sustainable, i.e., capable of being maintained in perpetuity. A way to address this complex issue is to aim to close material flows throughout our society through the introduction of what is commonly known as the Circular Economy (CE).

The circular economy has been widely acclaimed with the potential to disrupt the current linear economy of production, consumption, and waste generation by encouraging system innovation that designs out waste, increases resource efficiency, keeps materials in use, and decouples growth from the consumption of finite resources—thereby achieving a healthier balance between the economy, the environment, and society. In these discussions, ‘sustainability’ has often been used synonymously with CE. Although there is a relationship between sustainability and CE, these are different concepts, and the assumption that circularity is inherently sustainable has yet to be successfully demonstrated.

In this panel discussion, presenters and panel members will discuss the questions of:

What does it mean to be environmentally sustainable in absolute terms?
How far is it possible for us as a society to minimise resource and energy consumption while still meeting the needs of today and the future generations?
At the same time, is it possible for us to minimise our environmental footprint, limit our global temperature rise to 1.5 °C, and reach net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050?

About the Speakers
Sami Kara is a professor of sustainable manufacturing and life cycle engineering at UNSW Sydney. He has a professional background of more than 30 years in industry, research, and tertiary education, including several engineering and management positions in manufacturing companies in Australia and around the world. His research interests are in developing technology solutions with a life cycle view by using circular economy strategies to decarbonise and reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing industries while helping them to create value. He has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Professor Kara is an elected fellow of the International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP), the Royal Society of New South Wales, the UNSW Scientia Education Academy, the International Academy of Engineering and

Michael Z. Hauschild is a professor in quantitative assessment of sustainability at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he leads the DTU Centre on Absolute Sustainability. He has worked on the development of methods for sustainability assessment of products and technologies for 30 years and has served as chair on working groups under UNEP, developing the scientific consensus model USEtox for assessment of chemical impacts on health and environment. He has acted as a consultant to the European Commission, creating the groundwork for the Commission’s standard methodology for life cycle assessment (LCA) of products and systems. In 2018, he received the SETAC Europe Lifetime Achievement in LCA Award. He has authored or co-authored more than 260 peer-reviewed scientific publications and a leading textbook on Life Cycle Assessment: Theory and Practice, with more than 150,000 downloads.

One Health for a Changing World: Forests, Farms and Families

Royal Society of NSW 2026-06-02 | New England North West Branch Meeting 2026-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 27 May 2026

"One Health for a Changing World: Forests, Farms and Families"
Professor David Durrheim AM
Director of Health Protection
Hunter New England Health, NSW

Panellists: Assoc. Prof. Lorina Barker, Prof. Susan Wilson, Assoc. Prof. Gal Winter, and Prof. Natkunam Ketheesan FRSN (Moderator)

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/nenw-branch-meeting-2026-1/

Prof. Durrheim's talk commences at 10:32

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Prof. Natkunam Ketheesan and Assoc. Prof. Lorina Barker, University of New England
00:10:32 Presentation: Professor David Durrheim
01:03:03 Panel session and audience Q&A: moderated by Prof. Natkunam Ketheesan
01:57:34 Vote of thanks: Professor Vicki Bitsika AM FRSN, Chair, RSNSW New England North West Btanch
02:00:01 Meeting close

Summary: One Health recognises that human, animal, and environmental health are inseparable. Harm rarely travels in one direction — damage to a forest or a farm sets in motion a chain of consequences that ultimately reaches the family dinner table and the clinic waiting room. Disease, food security, and ecosystem resilience cannot be solved in isolation.

Breaking research silos means clinicians, ecologists, veterinarians, agriculturalists, and community voices working from a shared evidence base rather than parallel ones. For Forests, Farms and Families, this integration is not merely desirable — it is essential.

Drawing on real-world examples of locally important zoonotic diseases, Professor Durrheim will talk about growing a viable One Health Network in regional Australia. Panel members will further share how their own research is reshaping our understanding of One Health — not simply connecting existing dots, but redrawing the map of how we think about, and respond to, interconnected global health challenges.

Household Electricity Use and Investment

Royal Society of NSW 2026-05-11 | 1340th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 6 May 2026
"Household Electricity Use and Investment"
Professor Jeffrey Reimers FRSN FAA FRACI
Director, International Centre for Quantum and Molecular Structures, Shanghai University and
Adjunct Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney

The presentation commences at 01:04

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:04 Presentation: Professor Jeffrey Reimers
00:54:49 Audience Q&A moderated by Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
01:19:10 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:22:00 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1340th-ogm-and-open-lecture/
The presenter's slides are available from this event notice.

Summary: Electricity production, transmission, use, and pricing in eastern states are very complex, with consumer reports indicating very poor community understanding of the basic features. In this presentation, a broad, holistic view is presented. The focus is on how users can save money and be environmentally friendly in their energy use, how to understand and optimise retailer plans and distributor tariffs, and how to optimise investment in household solar power, solar batteries, and electric-vehicle technologies. Indeed, a strong connection is made between saving money and being environmentally friendly. A central aspect is understanding of the “spot price” and how that is used to stabilise the grid and hence provide the means by which energy production can be transformed from coal/gas to renewables, as well as its role in setting consumer costs and investment returns. Bring an electricity bill to discuss.

About the Speaker: Jeff Reimers studied organic spectroscopy under Ian Ross and Gad Fischer before doing a PhD with Bob Watts on the structure, thermodynamics, and spectroscopy of water and ice. He then studied semiclassical quantum mechanics in the USA under Kent Wilson and Rick Heller, before returning to Australia to be an ARC Research Fellow from 1985 to 2010 at the University of Sydney and there as a professor until 2013. There, he collaborated extensively with Noel Hush and Max Crossley on problems involving electron transfer, molecular electronics, porphyrin chemistry, self-assembly, electronic-structure theory, and photosynthesis. In 2014, he moved to a joint appointment at the University of Technology Sydney and Shanghai University to set up a multi-disciplinary quantum research centre, himself focusing mostly on quantum chemistry, spectroscopy, nanophotonics, and molecular electronics. His work spans a wide range of applications, from solar energy conversion to electronic devices to the origins of consciousness. He has received the RACI Physical Chemistry Division Medal and the H.G. Smith Medal, the David Craig Medal of the Australian Academy of Science, and the 2025 Shanghai Gold Magnolia Medal; he is a Fellow of the RACI, the Royal Society of NSW, and the Australian Academy of Science.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Wind farms could help fishing and marine life #windmill #fishing #renewableenergy

Royal Society of NSW 2026-04-17 | Though fishermen protested offshore wind farms at Hunter, the project could have actually improved marine life. Listen to Hunter Hydrogen Taskforce chair Alex Dronoff discuss challenges to renewable energy, including the difficulties in educating the public: youtube.com/watch?v=qkYZwhWARDE

Tech can already solve many of our problems. It just lacks funding. #robotics #accessibility #tech

Royal Society of NSW 2026-04-14 | Technology can already solve many problems we face, but remains hindered by lack of investment. Listen to Dr. Catherine Ball discuss Australia's stalled investment in the drone industry despite a head-start, and how other countries such as the UK have since caught up: youtube.com/watch?v=oFnYnQQl9Io

A drone by any other name

Royal Society of NSW 2026-04-10 | 1339th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 8 April 2026
"A drone by another other name"
Dr Catherine Ball
Scientific Futurist, Tech Influencer, Robotics Expert, Adjunct Professor
and
Simon Masters
Deputy Director, Future Flight, InnovateUK

The presentation commences at 03:32

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:03:32 Presentation: Dr Catherine Ball and Simon Masters
00:52:33 Audience Q&A
01:23:53 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:25:02 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1339th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: This presentation tells the story of a regulatory power shift. Australia got out fast, with CASA’s 2016 reforms making commercial drone operations easier and more accessible well before many markets caught up. It was bold, practical, and business-friendly. In many ways, Australia wrote the early playbook for modern drone regulation.

But being first is not the same as staying first.

The UK arrived later, then surged ahead by pairing regulation with serious national investment and a coordinated cross-government approach. It moved into a more advanced risk-based framework, aligned drone policy with broader aviation reform, and backed it with a Future of Flight strategy designed to scale real-world operations, including beyond visual line of sight. In short, the UK did not just regulate drones; it funded the future they needed.

This session compares the two countries side by side, showing how Australia led on early regulatory innovation, while the UK built the stronger long game through capital, policy alignment, and industry mobilisation.

If Australia proved drones could be regulated, the UK is proving they can be scaled.

And that difference is now shaping who leads the next decade.

About the Speakers
Dr Catherine Ball is an award-winning company director, bestselling author, futurist and adjunct professor working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs.

Working to protect the natural environment and empowering all members of society through mutual education and respect are core aspects of her chosen projects. As well as supporting start-ups and leaders from all generations across the globe, Catherine is particularly passionate about social mobility and equity.

Catherine is proud to be an advisor to a broad range of enterprises and philanthropic organisations, including being an XPRIZE visioneer and member of their Global Brains Trust.

Simon Masters has 20 years of experience across industry and public sector roles. With a background in aerospace and technology, he has held senior positions in the civil and military aerospace sectors, including systems engineering and R&D roles with Airbus and BAE SYSTEMS.

He took up the role of Deputy Director for the Future Flight Challenge within InnovateUK in 2020, focusing on developing drone and advanced air mobility capabilities and supporting systems in the UK. He has led efforts to integrate technology solutions with emerging use cases, particularly those addressing needs and opportunities in public services. In 2024, he took on the leadership of the Future Flight Challenge program as it transitions from R&D to commercialisation and growth. Passionate about innovation and collaboration, he has worked to build international partnerships across Europe, Japan and Australia.

The Renewal Hydrogen Journey 2015–2026 and Opportunities Beyond

Royal Society of NSW 2026-04-05 | RSNSW Provocations and Inspirations: 24 March 2026
“The Renewal Hydrogen Journey 2015–2026 and Opportunities Beyond”
Alex Dronoff
Chair, Hunter Hydrogen Taskforce and Former CEO, Fichtner Australia
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/lunchtime-series-provocations-and-inspirations-march-2026-1/

Presentation commences at 04:58

Timing Marks
00:05 Introduction: Dr Donald Hector, Royal Society of NSW
04:58 Presentation: Alex Dronoff
38:57 Audience Q&A session
56:05 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
57:15 Meeting Close

Summary: A Future Made in Australia (FMiA) is a major federal government program (announced in the 2024-25 Federal budget) that establishes a policy framework called the National Interest Framework (NIF) that imposes rigour on government decision-making on public investments, particularly those that need to attract large-scale private investment. The program will see investment of $22.7 billion over the next decade, focused on two major streams:

* Net zero transformation; and
* Economic security and resilience.

The focus of this program is to utilise Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources to produce green hydrogen and use this to replace carbon in the manufacture of metals such as iron, steel and aluminium. This would substantially reduce or even eliminate emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the major contributors to global warming.

In this talk, Alex Dronoff will explore the cost and technology challenges in the production and safe handling of the very large volumes of green hydrogen required to have a major impact on the replacement of carbon in industrial processes such as green metals and fuels.

Alex Dronoff is chair of the Hunter Hydrogen Task Force and was a founding director of the Australian Hydrogen Council. He was appointed CEO of Fichtner Australia in 2021 to establish Fichtner’s operations in Australia, building on the strength, global expertise and experience of the German parent. Currently, he is a member of the Supervisory/Advisory Board of Fichtner Australia/New Zealand.

As CEO, he was responsible for the growth of the renewable engineering consulting business in the areas of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives such as ammonia, methanol, e-fuels, solar PV, concentrated solar power (CSP), battery energy storage systems (BESS), thermal storage, energy from waste (EfW) and pumped hydro.

Fichtner was commissioned by the Dutch and Australian Governments, in collaboration with the German Government, to undertake work in the certification of renewable hydrogen.

Before working for Fichtner, Alex developed and grew the Clean Energy business for BOC/Linde and was one of the pioneers in advocating the need for the energy transition and developed the early pilot hydrogen projects. He is a senior executive with over 30 years’ experience (including 15 years with Shell, both nationally and internationally) in the traditional oil and gas industries, before focusing on renewable energy.

RSNSW 2025 Postgraduate Students and Early Career Researchers Award Presentations

Royal Society of NSW 2026-04-01 | RSNSW 2025 Postgraduate Students and Early Career Researchers Award Presentations — 9 March 2026

The Royal Society of NSW presented its 2025 Bicentennial Postgraduate Scholarships and Early Career Research and Service (ECR) Citations to eight young researchers on the evening of 9 March at a ceremony kindly hosted by the University of Sydney.

Their presentations in this video were recorded offline by six of the eight, information about whom, together with the topics of their research, are available from the events notice:
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/rsnsw-2025-postgraduate-student-and-early-career-researcher-award-presentations/

Timing Marks:
00:05 Dr Yunlong Qiang, University of Sydney (Jak Kelly Award) — Novel Soliton Solutions: Uncovering the mysteries of higher order dispersion
05:45 Mr Amir Tourani, Western Sydney University (Scholarship Winner) — Sick of bad dates? Try sensing their microbiome!
11:19 Dr Christopher Whyte, University of Sydney (Scholarship Winner) —Constructing a computational bridge between neurobiology and psychology
16:46 Dr Adrian Lee, Westmead Institute for Medical Research (ECR Citation) — Unravelling the pathogenesis of Sjögren’s disease from bedside to bench
21:32 Dr Jiayan Liao, University of Technology Sydney (ECR Citation) — Lighting up disease: How nanoscale light is changing the way we detect illness
28:35 Dr Brandon Munn, University of Sydney (ECR Citation) — Multiscale coordination of brain activity unifies theories of neural coding
33:33 Close

The illusion of friendship: Why generative AI demands unprecedented ethical vigilance

Royal Society of NSW 2026-03-26 | Western Branch Meeting 2026-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 25 March 2026
"The illusion of friendship: Why generative AI demands unprecedented ethical vigilance"
Professor Zahid Islam FRSN
Professor in Computer Science and
Director, AI and Cyber Futures Centre
Charles Sturt University

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/western-nsw-branch-meeting-2026-1/

The presentation commences at: 04:24

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Distinguished Professor Sarah O'Shea, Dean, Graduate Research, Charles Sturt University
00:04:24 Presentation: Zahid Islam
00:37:43 Audience Q&A moderated by Professor Sarah O'Shea
00:56:20 Meeting Close

This lecture was a joint presentation of Charles Sturt University, as part of its Provocations Public Lecture Series, and the Western NSW Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

Summary: Generative AI (GenAI) systems such as ChatGPT are increasingly used for drafting, summarisation, tutoring, and decision support, offering substantial gains in productivity and reduced cognitive load. However, the same natural-language fluency that makes these systems useful can also blur the boundary between tool and companion. This boundary confusion may also encourage some users to experience GenAI as empathic, benevolent, and relationally persistent.

Emerging reports and early findings suggest that some users may form emotionally significant attachments to conversational agents, in some cases with harmful consequences, including delayed help-seeking, dependency, and impaired judgment in high-stakes contexts.

In this lecture, Professor Zahid Islam develops a philosophical and ethical argument for why the resulting “illusion of friendship” is both understandable and ethically risky. Drawing on classical accounts of friendship (including Epicurean, Confucian, and Aristotelian perspectives), the presentation explains why users may understandably interpret sustained supportive interaction as friend-like and companionship-like.

The lecture then advances a counterargument that, despite relational appearances, GenAI lacks moral agency, i.e., consciousness, intention, and accountability, and therefore does not qualify as a moral agent or a true friend. To demystify the illusion, the talk presents for an everyday audience a mechanism-level explanation of how transformer-based GenAI generates responses via tokenisation, embeddings, self-attention, and probabilistic next-token prediction, often producing emotionally resonant language without inner states or commitments.

The lecture concludes by outlining a safeguard framework for safe and responsible GenAI use, education as a foundational defence, human-in-the-loop accountability, and design-level interventions to reduce possible anthropomorphic cues generated by the GenAI systems. The central contribution is to demystify the illusion of friendship and explain the computational background so that we can shift the emotional attachment with GenAI towards necessary human responsibility and thereby understand how institutions, designers, and users can preserve GenAI’s benefits while mitigating over-reliance and emotional misattribution.

About the speaker: Md Zahidul Islam (commonly known as Zahid Islam) is a Professor of Computer Science at Charles Sturt University. He is the Centre Director of the AI and Cyber Futures Centre and serves as Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences.

Professor Islam’s research spans data mining, privacy and cybersecurity, with a strong focus on applying advanced data analytics to real-world problems across industry and society. His work contributes to the responsible development and deployment of emerging digital technologies, particularly in high-impact and high-risk contexts.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Observing the Faint Universe with the Rubin Observatorys Legacy Survey of Space and Time

Royal Society of NSW 2026-03-23 | Hunter Branch Meeting 2026-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 19 March 2026
"Observing the Faint Universe with the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time"
Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
Head, School of Physics
UNSW Sydney

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2026-1/

The presentation commences at 01:10

Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA, Chair, RSNSW Hunter Branch
00:01:10 Presentation: Professor Sarah Brough FRSN FASA
00:46:24 Audience Q&A with Professor Brough moderated by Professor Willis
01:03:55 Meeting Close

Summary: Our understanding of the evolution of our own and other galaxies will be transformed by the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which begins later this year. This 10-year program, carried out by Chile’s Vera C Rubin Observatory, will use a 3,200-megapixel camera to make sensitive observations of the whole southern sky, studying faint stellar features around galaxies (shells, tidal tails, halos and stellar streams) and making the first statistically significant measurements of the diffuse stellar light at the centre of galaxy clusters. Interpreting and learning from this data will be a worldwide endeavour. Her talk will present the LSST survey and describe the anticipated role of Australian astronomers.

Professor Sarah Brough is an observational astronomer, the Head of the School of Physics at UNSW Sydney, Chair of the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Astronomy, and she represents Australia on the intergovernmental European Southern Observatory Council.

Her research focuses on galaxy evolution, particularly how massive galaxies change over time and how their environments shape that process. She has played leading roles in major galaxy surveys and helped secure Australia’s participation in the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time. Brough has published extensively, represented Australian international astronomy councils, and is a strong advocate for equity and inclusion in science. She previously held an ARC Future Fellowship.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Navigating Strategic Uncertainty: Space, Cyber and National Support in a Fractured World

Royal Society of NSW 2026-03-15 | Ideas@theHouse: March 2026 — recorded at Government House Sydney on 12 March 2026
“Navigating Strategic Uncertainty: Space, Cyber and National Support in a Fractured World”
Lieutenant General Susan Coyle AM CSC DSM
Chief of Joint Capabilities
Australian Defence Force

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/ideasthehouse-march-2026/

The presentation commences at 08:37

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Welcome: Colonel Michael Miller LVO RFD, Official Secretary to the Governor of NSW
00:00:49 Introduction to the Speaker: Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW
00:08:37 Presentation: Lieutenant General Susan Coyle
00:34:52 Q&A session: Moderated by Major General Ret'd Fergus Mclachlan AO FRSN
01:05:25 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
01:08:29 Meeting Close

Summary: The global strategic environment is entering a period of accelerating instability marked by intensifying competition between major powers, growing assertiveness from authoritarian states, and an increasingly volatile security landscape that transcends traditional boundaries. Strategic alignment between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea is reshaping geopolitical balances and challenging the rules-based international order on which Australia’s security and prosperity have long depended. These developments are occurring alongside rapid technological disruption and an expanding grey zone in which state and non-state actors compete below the threshold of armed conflict—using influence operations, cyber intrusions, economic coercion, disinformation and space-based capabilities to exploit strategic ambiguity.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle, Head of Space Command, Commander of the Defence Cyber and Information Domain, and leader of Defence’s National Support Division, sits at the nexus of Australia’s response to this shifting environment. Her portfolio covers the domains where these tensions are most acutely manifest: the contested theatre of space, now central to communications, navigation, intelligence and economic continuity; the cyber and information battlespace, where daily intrusions probe national vulnerabilities; and the essential systems of national support, mobilisation and resilience required to sustain Defence operations in an era of compressed warning time.

Her address will explore how Australia must navigate this new reality: the emergence of strategic blocs, the rise of persistent grey-zone activity, the fragility of critical infrastructure and supply chains, and the growing inseparability of physical and virtual domains. She will highlight the need for integrated national preparedness, deeper partnerships between government, industry and the research community, and innovative approaches to capability, deterrence and resilience. This Ideas@theHouse offers Fellows and Members of the Royal Society of NSW and invited guests a unique opportunity to engage with these issues in discussion with one of Australia’s most forward-looking senior Defence leaders.

Lieutenant General Susan Coyle is one of the Australian Defence Force’s most senior and influential leaders, with a career spanning more than three decades across command, operations, intelligence, cyber and advanced capability development. She currently serves as Commander, Joint Capabilities, where she leads Space Command and Defence’s integrated Information and Cyber Domain, as well as National Support Division, which is responsible for preparedness, logistics governance, mobilisation planning, estate management, humanitarian assistance and national resilience partnerships. This portfolio places her at the centre of Australia’s response to the accelerating complexity of modern strategic competition.

Commissioned into the Australian Army in 1992, General Coyle has held command appointments at every level, including Commander, Joint Task Force 633 in the Middle East, Commander of the 6th Combat Support Brigade, Director General Cyber Warfare and Army Land Forces Command. She has served on operations in Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and the wider Middle East, where she earned distinguished recognition for leadership in high-pressure joint and coalition environments. Her decorations include appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM), and the Conspicuous Service Cross (CSC).

General Coyle is a nationally respected strategic thinker on the intersections of technology, national resilience and defence preparedness. Her work increasingly focuses on integrating scientific innovation, digital transformation and sovereign Australian capability to strengthen national security. She is widely regarded for her clarity of communication, collaborative leadership style and ability to navigate complex, multi-domain environments in a time of unprecedented strategic uncertainty.

How many Australians should there be?

Royal Society of NSW 2026-02-15 | 1338th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 11 February 2026
"How many Australians should there be?"
Dr Abul Rizvi PSM FRSN
Former Deputy Secretary, Department of Immigration

The presentation commences at 02:12

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:02:12 Presentation: Dr Abul Rizvi PSM FRSN
00:33:12 Audience Q&A
01:15:51 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:18:10 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1338th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: Australia lacks a formal population policy, relying instead on immigration policies without clear ministerial accountability for net migration outcomes. Political reluctance to discuss population targets has led to a policy vacuum, with recent surges in migration after COVID-19 sparking public debate and anti-immigration protests. The 2025 Federal Election saw immigration become a contested issue, with major parties offering vague or reactive commitments to migration levels but failing to explain the rationale or consequences of their targets.

Treasury forecasts Australia’s population will grow from 27.6 million in 2024-25 to 31.6 million by 2035-36, driven by both natural increase and net migration. However, these projections are not backed by concrete government policy or ministerial responsibility, and there is little clarity on how targets will be met or what policy changes are needed. The absence of a comprehensive population plan has allowed extreme proposals, such as zero net migration or a pause in immigration, to gain traction, echoing trends in other countries facing similar debates.

A robust population plan would need to address demographic trends, economic impacts, labour force needs, infrastructure, housing, service delivery, family migration, social cohesion, humanitarian obligations, and environmental sustainability. Immigration is shown to benefit the economy and budget, especially when migrants are young, and is crucial for sectors like health and aged care. However, infrastructure and housing have lagged behind population growth, contributing to current crises. Social cohesion and public confidence are threatened by the lack of long-term planning and rising contestation over migration. Globally, many nations are experiencing population decline and ageing, making Australia’s approach to population and immigration policy increasingly significant.

About the Speaker: Abul Rizvi is an economics, accounting and public policy graduate from the ANU and holds a PhD in immigration and population policy from Melbourne University. From 1998, Rizvi managed major growth in overseas students, skilled temporary migration, visitors and working holiday makers, including the development of pathways to permanent migration. Between 1996 and 2006, Rizvi was Chair of the Commonwealth/State Working Party on State-Specific and Regional Migration which gave state/territory governments a much greater role in immigration to their jurisdictions.

He was responsible for commissioning research on the demographic, economic and budgetary impact of immigration that was extensively used in the development of the 2002 and 2007 Intergenerational Reports. He was Deputy Secretary responsible for all aspects of immigration, humanitarian, citizenship and settlement policy from 2005.

Rizvi was awarded the Public Service Medal and the Centenary Medal for services to the development and implementation of Australian immigration policy. Rizvi is a frequent media commentator on population, immigration and its impact on Australia’s economic and budget directions. He was invited to participate in the 2022 Jobs and Skill Summit and recently published a book in the ‘In the National Interest’ series titled ‘Population Shock’. Rizvi recently presented on immigration policy in a televised address to the National Press Club.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Scammers are being strung along by generative AI #ai #artificialintelligence #scam #fraud

Royal Society of NSW 2026-01-18 | Generative AI is being used to waste scammers' time, distracting them from going after real people. Listen to Commonwealth Bank of Australia's Dan Jermyn and a panel of other experts discuss how different industries are applying AI: youtube.com/watch?v=jP_Rp6Aypno

Doctors are using AI when seeing patients, and a lot of it is in a regulatory grey zone #ai #health

Royal Society of NSW 2026-01-08 | AI may be a useful tool for doctors, but it must be developed in consultation with practitioners to avoid dangerous pitfalls. Listen to Dr. Amandeep Hansra FRACGP FACHI ACCAM and a panel of other experts discuss the impact of AI on healthcare: youtube.com/watch?v=PYKhfcc0B7s

Renewable Energy 101: What is being delivered in NSW’s first renewable energy zone?

Royal Society of NSW 2025-12-10 | Hunter Branch Meeting 2025-4 of the Royal Society of NSW — 4 December 2025
"Renewable Energy 101: What is being delivered in NSW’s first renewable energy zone?"
Adjunct Professor Warwick Giblin FRSN FEIANZ
Principal
ESE Justice

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2025-5/

The presentation commences at 02:32

Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA, Chair, RSNSW Hunter Branch
00:02:32 Presentation: Adjunct Professor Warwick Giblin FRSN FEIANZ
01:00:16 Audience Q&A with Professor Gore moderated by Professor Willis
01:10:44 Meeting Close

Summary: This event plans to explore:
* Why is Australia on the renewable energy journey?
* The various types of projects required, including generation, storage and transmission
* Household solar plus battery storage: is it a game changer?

The case study of what is happening in NSW’s first Renewable Energy Zone—Central West-Orana — will inform the presentation, addressing the questions of what the benefits are and who reaps them, and what the costs are and who bears these. This will be an interactive session in which audience questions and input will be welcomed.

Warwick Giblin is the Principal of ESE Justice and an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business, and Law at the University of New England. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW and Founding President of the Environment Institute of Australia (NSW Division) in 1989. He is also a Fellow of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

For the past three years, Warwick Giblin has been advising Local Government in the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone on a dozen proposed wind, solar and transmission projects. The focus has been on the social, environmental and economic impact assessment, and securing financial benefits for local communities from both developers and the State Government. His environmental management career has spanned more than 45 years in both the corporate and public sectors. Over the past decade, he has acted for 17 local councils across NSW and 20 farmers across Australia on energy and mining projects.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

A Future Made in Australia

Royal Society of NSW 2025-12-08 | 1337th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 3 December 2025
"A Future Made in Australia"
Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN
Principal, Grassick SSG Pty Ltd

The presentation commences at 01:12

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:12 Presentation: Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN
00:57:05 Audience Q&A
01:12:48 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:14:10 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1337th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

A Future Made in Australia is a major federal government program that establishes a policy framework called the National Interest Framework that imposes rigour on government decision-making on public investments, particularly those that need to attract large-scale private investment. The program will see investment of $22.7 billion over the next decade, focused on two major streams:
*Net zero transformation; and
* Economic security and resilience

Net Zero Transformation – this stream will identify and support 21st-century technologies that will enable Australia to participate in the reindustrialisation needed to achieve global greenhouse gas emissions targets. The stream has three major areas of focus: Renewable hydrogen – utilising Australia’s abundant renewable energy resources to produce green hydrogen, particularly as an input to the manufacture of green metals such as iron, steel, alumina/aluminium. Green metals – the established production technologies for iron, steel, alumina and aluminium require very large amounts of energy. Worldwide, this mostly comes from highly carbon-intensive sources such as coal and natural gas. Renewable hydrogen has a very low emissions footprint when compared with current production technologies that are mostly based on petroleum or natural gas. Hydrogen can also be used to replace metallurgical coal to make green iron, although the technology, which appears quite simple, this very complex and has yet to be commercialised at a competitive cost. Low-carbon liquid fuels – Australia’s large land mass and advanced farming practices require large quantities of liquid fuels, all of which are based on petroleum or natural gas. Development of large-scale, low-carbon-intensity liquid fuels will be critical to Australia’s prosperity and contribute to the world achieving its greenhouse gas emissions targets.

Economic Resilience and Security – this stream identifies sectors that are critical to Australia’s economic resilience, vulnerable to global supply chain disruptions or require government support to attract sufficient private investment capital.

In the 2024-25 budget, five industries have been identified and aligned with the National Interest framework. These are:
* Renewable hydrogen
* Critical minerals processing
* Green metals
* Low-carbon liquid fuels
* Clean energy manufacturing, including battery and solar panel supply chains

The ‘Future Made in Australia’ challenges are by no means trivial and must not be underestimated. Donald Hector will explore some of these issues and what needs to happen in Australia for this substantial government investment to be successful.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

AI tutors may help, but at the potential cost of human connection #ai #education

Royal Society of NSW 2025-12-07 | While AI tutors can have benefits, they also have significant drawbacks. Listen to Prof. Sally Cripps FRSN discuss the importance of retaining the human element when determining where and how to implement AI: youtube.com/watch?v=jKcJFgBYhcM

AI might seem to evaluate information, but its all just smoke and mirrors #ai #law

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-30 | While artificial intelligence might appear to make reasoned decisions, this is merely an illusion. Listen to the Hon. Justice Melissa Perry FAAL explain why AI algorithms cannot replace human judgement: youtube.com/watch?v=6fEN3zWI-NM

AIs future relies on governments evolving #ai #artificialintelligence #government

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-19 | While artificial intelligence offers numerous possibilities for good, regulations struggle to keep up. Listen to The Hon. Victor Dominello discuss how governments must evolve to harness the hope of AI: youtube.com/watch?v=HutO4CpRKaY

Optimising yield growth & ‘5th quarter’ use for Australian agricultural food access &market security

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-19 | Western Branch Meeting 2025-5 of the Royal Society of NSW — 5 November 2025

"Optimising yield, growth, and use of the ‘5th quarter’ for Australian agricultural food access and market security"
Professor Jane Quinn FRSN
Professor in Veterinary Physiology
Gulbali Institute
Charles Sturt University
https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/western-nsw-branch-meeting-2025-4/

The presentation commences at: 04:41

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Neena Mitter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Charles Sturt University
00:04:41 Presentation: Professor Jane Quinn
00:45:21 Audience Q&A moderated by Professor Neena Mitter
01:05:16 Meeting Close

This lecture was a joint presentation of Charles Sturt University, as part of its Provocations Public Lecture Series, and the Western NSW Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

Summary: Agricultural innovation and ‘ag tech’ are now words in common parlance in government, industry and academia. Whilst frequently spoken, how are advances in technologies, including machine learning and AI, feed additives for livestock, and other recent or rediscovered innovations, helping to drive increased profitability, market access, consumer confidence and food security for Australian industries?

In this talk, Professor Quinn will investigate current assumptions about agricultural innovation, review work undertaken on valorisation and quality assurance of the ‘5th quarter’, interrogate how data is driving decisions and agricultural goals for success, and consider how innovation across the broader agricultural sector is helping secure our food future for the 21st century and beyond. This talk will cover work undertaken at Charles Sturt University and its collaborative partnerships, as well as considering the broader context of the agricultural sector as a key pillar of the Australian economy.

About the speaker: With more than three and a half decades in academic research, the career of Jane Quinn has spanned toxins to trade access, genetics to Average Daily Gain, and impacts of disease, management and performance in multiple species and systems, including rodents, chickens, kangaroos, horses, sheep and cattle. Jane’s work has focused on improving animal and human outcomes, whether that be through improved farming practices, the use of animals to understand human health conditions or optimising health and welfare for livestock production. She has investigated pasture species with toxic profiles and their impacts on livestock health and performance, the use of feed additives in multiple species using in-vitro and in-vivo approaches, the optimisation of health and performance in intensive beef systems as well as the impacts of production systems on meat quality outcomes and consumer acceptance. With a portfolio of work that spans the academic-industry continuum, her current work investigates the scaling and use of the systemic byproducts of animal production to increase yield and economic value, drive quality assurance processes, minimise disease through early intervention, and meet industry and consumer demands for high-quality, ethically produced agricultural products in Australia and worldwide.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Arts-based Community Interventions for Youth Mental Health

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-17 | 1336th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 12 November 2025
"Arts-based Community Interventions for Youth Mental Health"
Professor Katherine Boydell FASSA
Professor of Mental Health and
Director, Arts-based Knowledge Translation Lab
Black Dog Institute

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1336th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

The presentation commences at 00:54

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:00:54 Presentation: Professor Katherine Boydell
00:33:49 Audience Q&A: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:52:42 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
00:55:17 Meeting Close

Summary: The mental health of young people has decreased significantly in recent years, worsened by global challenges like COVID-19 and climate change. In Australia, approximately 40% of 16–24-year-olds are experiencing mental health conditions. One-half of mental disorders begin by age 14, and 75% by age 24. Young people with mental ill-health face increased risks of social exclusion, discrimination, educational challenges, and human rights violations.

Recent policy documents have advocated for a person-centred system that prioritises prevention and early intervention via ‘whole of community’ approaches. This requires diverse, age-appropriate, innovative solutions that extend beyond formal mental health services to include informal support networks and local context. In this vein, there is growing evidence to support community-based social interventions, particularly creative and arts activities. Research shows arts engagement positively impacts self-esteem, confidence, relationship building, and belonging—all linked to resilience and wellbeing. Arts-based interventions offer inclusive, non-stigmatising mental health support.

While traditionally studied in clinical settings, research increasingly demonstrates arts benefits in community contexts. Our arts-based knowledge translation Lab at the Black Dog Institute develops and evaluates creative, community-based responses to youth mental health crises. Art represents an effective research tool across project stages and a direct intervention for young people to alleviate distress and enhance wellbeing through meaning-making, skill-building, and community connection. This presentation will describe, via three exemplars, the use of the arts in mental health research with young people.

Katherine Boydell is the founder and director of the world’s first multidisciplinary Arts-based Knowledge Translation (AKT) Lab, based at the Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney, that uses art forms to produce and disseminate knowledge, evaluate its impact and make research accessible beyond academia. Her lab received the Tom Trauer Research and Evaluation award from The Mental Health Service (TheMHS) in 2024. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences Australia and the inaugural recipient of the Milner Interdisciplinary prize from the Royal Society of New South Wales. She is Executive Editor of the journal Arts and Health, Editor of British Journal of Psychiatry Open, and Associate Editor of Early Intervention in Psychiatry, and has published more than 300 articles, book chapters and books.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

AI: The Hope and the Hype — Closing Session

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 6: Closing Session
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 6: Closing Session

00:00:00 Closing Remarks : Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte FRS FREng FAA FIEEE HonFIEAust, NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer
00:03:49 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President and Forum Chair, Royal Society of NSW
00:07:19 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI Research — Future Directions

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 5: AI Research — Future Directions
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 5: AI Research — Future Directions

00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Sally Cripps FRSN
00:00:30 Chair: Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte FRS FREng FAA FIEEE, NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer
00:01:44 Panel Discussion with Distinguished Professor Jie Lu AO FIEEE FIFSA FACS (University of Technology Sydney), Professor Lina Yao (CSIRO Data61), Professor Toby Walsh FRSN FAA FTSE FACM FAAAS FAAAI (UNSW Sydney), Professor Pascal Van Hentenryck FAAAI (Georgia Institute of Technology)
00:46:05 Audience Q&A
01:05:11 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI in Practice

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 4: AI in Practice
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 4: AI in Practice

00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Mary-Anne Williams FTSE FACS FAAAI, Michael J Crouch Chair for Innovation, UNSW Sydney
00:02:45 Ros Harvey, Founder, The Yield Technology Solutions and Chair, Australian Conservation Foundation
00:08:35 Dan Jermyn, Chief Decision Scientist, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
00:13:45 Professor Salah Sukkarieh FTSE FIEEE, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Australian Centre for Robotics, University of Sydney
00:17:46 Panel Discussion
00:47:05 Audience Q&A
00:56:17 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI in Health

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 3: AI in Health
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 3: AI in Health

00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Michael Blumenstein FRSN FACS, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Major Facilities and Business Creation), University of Technology Sydney
00:09:42 Panel Discussion with Dr Amandeep Hansra (Australian Digital Research Agency), Dr Simon Carlile (Google Research, Australia), Dr Richard Taggart (NSW Health), and Dr Sean Baldwin (NSW Health)
00:46:57 Audience Q&A
00:55:48 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI in Communities

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 2: AI in Communities
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 2: AI in Communities

00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Sally Cripps FRSN, Co-Director, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney
00:05:58 Scientia Professor Jill Bennett, Director, Big Anxiety Research Centre, UNSW Sydney
00:16:13 Dr Stephen Hardy, Expert Partner in AI, Bain & Company
00:17:44 Jacky Hodges, Chief Data Officer, NSW Department of Education
00:19:29 Dan Hart, General Manager (Automation and Innovation), University of Sydney
00:22:53 Panel Discussion
00:46:39 Audience Q&A
00:59:09 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI and the Law

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | AI: The Hope and the Hype — AI and the Law

RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025 — AI: The Hope and the Hype Session 1: AI and the Law
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Panel Session 1: AI and the Law

00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Rosalind Croucher AM FRSN FAAL, Information Commissioner, NSW Information and Privacy Commission
00:07:07 The Honourable Dr Annabelle Bennett AC SC FAA FAAL, Former Judge, Federal Court of Australia
00:18:16 Professor Lyria Bennett Moses FRSN FASSA FAAL, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney
00:31:48 The Honourable Justice Melissa Perry FAAL, Judge, Federal Court of Australia
00:43:04 Panel Discussion
00:51:15 Audience Q&A
00:57:17 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

AI: The Hope and the Hype — Welcome, Opening and Keynote Addresses

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-13 | RSNSW and Learned Academies Forum 2025—AI: The Hope and the Hype
Government House Sydney, 6 November 2025
Program brochure: https://www.royalsoc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/RSNSW-Forum-2025-AI_Hope_and_Hype-20251106-full-program.pdf

Governor's Address commences at 03:20
Introductory Address commences at 24:22
Keynote Presentation commences at 36:23

00:00:00 Welcome and Introduction to the Governor: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of New South Wales
00:03:20 Official Opening and Governor's Address: Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales
00:18:01 Vote of Thanks and Introduction to the Program Chair: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
00:19:17 Overview of the Forum: Professor Sally Cripps FRSN, Co-Director, Human Technology Institute, University of Technology Sydney and Chair, Forum Program Committee
00:24:22 Introductory Address: The Honourable Victor Dominello, CEO, Future Government Institute and Former NSW Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government
00:35:30 Introduction to the Keynote Speaker: Professor Sally Cripps
00:36:23 Keynote Presentation: Professor Pascal Van Hentenryck FAAAI, A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
01:02:05 Audience Q&A: moderated by Professor Sally Cripps
01:06:37 Session Close

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Summary: Artificial intelligence today sits at the crossroads of grand hopes and rampant hype. Optimists point to extraordinary investments—tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into AI infrastructure—as catalysts for growth and efficiency. In the U.S., AI-driven capital expenditures in the second quarter of this year accounted for nearly half of that quarter’s 3% GDP gain. McKinsey forecasts an astonishing $7 trillion in global AI investment over the next 5 years, fueling narratives of transformative potential.

This wave of optimism has also reached Australia. Political leaders—including Treasurer Jim Chalmers— note “We see AI as a huge opportunity for Australia, it’s a key part of our productivity agenda, an absolute game changer”, aligning with Productivity Commission projections of AU$116 billion in gains over the next decade and a 4.3 percentage‑point boost in labour productivity. This marks a significant shift from the earlier priority on safe, ethical deployment to one of economic opportunity.

This shift extends beyond Australia. In the United Kingdom, the new Labour government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan—backed by £14 billion in private-sector investment—marks a clear pivot from previous safety-centred messaging to one emphasising “opportunity and growth.” However, history offers a cautionary note—productivity gains are rarely distributed evenly. A recent Nature paper, Bridging the Digital Divide, examined data from 59 countries over 25 years and found that while technological innovation can enhance connectivity and efficiency, it has often exacerbated income inequality, especially in developed economies.

And then there is the question of whether these forecast productivity gains are realistic. Many economists urge caution. Torsten Sløk, Apollo’s chief economist, warns the AI bubble may rival the 1990s dot‑com boom, while Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu estimates AI may automate only 5% of jobs and contribute approximately 1% to global GDP this decade, a non-trivial but modest effect, and certainly much less than the revolutionary changes some are predicting. Emily M. Bender’s The AI Con also challenges techno‑optimism by characterising many AI systems as “sophisticated illusions” that mimic understanding without genuine comprehension, underpinned by invisible labour and structural inequality.

A more balanced view is given by Narayanan and Kapoor, in AI as Normal Technology, urging us to understand AI as akin to electricity or the internet—transformative but gradual, institutionally mediated—not as a sudden rupture, tempering both utopian and apocalyptic visions.

This evolving discourse on AI’s impact is at the heart of the upcoming Royal Society of NSW Forum Day: “AI: The Hope and The Hype.” The event’s sessions, AI in Communities, AI for Health, AI and the Law, AI in Practice, and AI Research & Future Directions, offer a timely platform to explore how AI’s promise intersects with productivity, equity, governance, and societal impact.

At its core, the tension remains between hype — exuberance untethered from evidence, and hope — grounded optimism shaped by governance, ethics, and fairness. As we confront this new technology, a critical question emerges: Is AI truly different from previous transformative technologies—like electricity or the internet—or is it simply another innovation riding waves of hype?

Male Infertility Public Forum

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-06 | Hunter Branch Meeting 2025-4 of the Royal Society of NSW — 30 October 2025
"Male Infertility Public Forum"
Featuring: Dr John Schjenken (1,2), Dr Elizabeth Torres-Arce (1,2), Dr Nathan Burke (1),
Dr Aleona Swegen (1, 2), Professor John Aitken (1, 2), Dr Andrew Hedges (3), Nick Allen-Ducat (4)
(1) University of Newcastle
(2) Hunter Medical Research Institute
(3) IVF Australia
(4) Hit 106.9 Newcastle
A joint presentation of the Hunter Medical Reseaarch Institute and the Hunter Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2025-4/

The presentation commences at 07:16

Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introductions: Carol Duncan (2) and Professor John Aitken (1)
00:07:16 Presentations
00:08:17 Dr John Schjenken
00:16:41 Dr Elizabeth Torres-Arce
00:22:49 Dr Aleona Swegen
00:30:02 Dr Nathan Burke
00:38:04 Panel with Professor John Aitken, Nick Allen-Ducat, Dr Andrew Hedges
01:47:22 Meeting Close

Summary: We all know it takes one egg and one sperm to make a baby, so why has infertility so often been seen as only a women’s issue?

Infertility affects 1 in 6 couples worldwide, and in fact, male factors are responsible in about 50% of cases.

As science advances, we’re learning just how crucial the male role is, not only for conception, but also for the health of our future generations.

Join us for an event that shines a spotlight on male reproductive health.

Hear from local young researchers sharing the latest findings, and take part in a panel discussion with experts in reproductive science, IVF, men’s health, and a local personality who has recently faced infertility challenges.

Let’s break the silence and broaden the conversation about infertility, because it’s not just a women’s issue.

Building resilient futures: Understanding rural youth through the lens of place, risk and prevention

Royal Society of NSW 2025-11-04 | New England North West Branch Meeting 2025-1 of the Royal Society of NSW — 29 October 2025

"Building resilient futures: Understanding rural youth through the lens of place, risk, and prevention"
Dr Kyle Mulrooney
Co-Director, Centre for Rural Criminology
University of New England
Panellists: Professor Vicki Bitsika, Sam Coupland, Samantha Guilbert, and Sam Davis

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/nenw-branch-meeting-2025-1/

Dr Mulrooney's talk commences at 01:58

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Vicki Bitsika AM FRSN, University of New England
00:01:58 Presentation: Dr Kyle Mulrooney
00:33:32 Panel session and audience Q&A: moderated by Professor Vicki Bitsika
01:55:14 Vote of thanks: Professor Chris Armstrong FRSN, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), University of New England
02:02:05 Meeting close

Summary: Youth crime prevention is often framed through universal policies and urban experiences. Yet, for young people growing up in rural and regional Australia, the dynamics of opportunity, belonging, and marginalisation are uniquely shaped by place. This presentation explores how rural environments influence both the risks of offending and the possibilities for prevention, drawing on emerging research in rural criminology and community resilience.

In rural settings, young people often navigate complex social geographies such as tight-knit communities with deep social capital, yet also constrained access to services, education, and employment. The same rural features that foster collective efficacy can also amplify disadvantage when social exclusion, poverty, or substance use take hold. Through this lens, prevention becomes not only about deterring crime but about strengthening the social and spatial conditions that enable youth to thrive.

Using examples from research on rural drug use, policing, and community safety, this presentation highlights how locally grounded, place-sensitive strategies can build resilience among rural youth. It argues for a shift from deficit-based approaches that pathologise rural young people to models of prevention that recognise rural assets, including connection, creativity, and community cohesion, as key to reducing harm and building safer, more inclusive futures.

After the Crisis: a new Australian Dream

Royal Society of NSW 2025-10-30 | RSNSW Provocations and Inspirations: 21 October 2025
“After the Crisis: a new Australian Dream”
Professor Anthony Burke FRAIA
Professor of Architecture
University of Technology Sydney

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/lunchtime-series-provocations-and-inspirations-october-2025/

Summary: The housing crisis in Australia has been well-reported. The impact of cost-of-living increases, interest rates, and mortgage stress, the growing wage-to-home price disparity, and, ultimately, homelessness are being felt across all demographics of an increasingly agitated electorate. Yet, while we all feel the growing instability and anxiety surrounding our most sacred of institutions, the family home, the implications of the crisis for Australia remain spectacularly unclear, almost too difficult to consider.

While government and economists have distilled the issue down to simple and politically palatable issues of supply and demand, the cultural implications of our rapidly disappearing ‘Australian Dream’ and what might replace it, are much bigger than a balanced ledger and subsidised cheap builds on the green field peripheries of our major cities can fix.

Knowing that the solutions we implement today will have lasting implications for generations to come, this complex problem of how we will create homes for future generations of Australians and, indeed, what we will come to think of as a home in 2050 demands both careful and creative thinking. Arguably, this critical moment is nothing less than the biggest reshaping of our way of life in Australia since the Second World War.

So, a crisis, yes, but could this be an opportunity to rebalance our way of life with our Australian values? Join Professor Anthony Burke for this thought-provoking analysis of where we are, and where we’re heading as Australia grapples with a reimagining of the Australian dream.

Professor Anthony Burke is an internationally recognised academic and television presenter who bridges contemporary architectural practice, education and public media. Currently Professor of Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney, Burke brings infectious enthusiasm to exploring how architecture and design shape our daily lives.

Burke is widely known as the host of Grand Designs Australia and Restoration Australia, and co-host of Grand Designs Transformations on ABC. In 2025, he was part of producing Culture by Design with ABC Asia and now hosts The Home Front on ABC Radio National. His engaging presentation style has made architectural design accessible to mainstream Australian audiences, with Grand Designs Australia receiving an ACTAA award in 2025 and Logie nominations.

A graduate of Columbia University and UNSW, Burke served as Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley from 2002 to 2007 before returning to Australia. At UTS, he held leadership roles including Head of Architecture and Associate Dean (International), and has held visiting professor positions at Beijing Institute of Technology and Institut Teknologi Bandung.

In 2012, Burke served as co-creative director for the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale and directed the architecture symposium celebrating the Sydney Opera House’s 40th anniversary.

Have Australias university fees gone too far? #university #millennials #genz #debt

Royal Society of NSW 2025-10-27 | While Australia's Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) might have made sense when first implemented, The Hon. Bill Shorten considers whether it has now gone too far. Listen to him discuss the issue with Prof. Merlin Crossley AM FRSN: youtube.com/watch?v=iwmNvDlteJs

Have universities become too political?

Royal Society of NSW 2025-10-06 | 1335th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 1 October 2025
"Have universities become too political?"
The Honourable Bill Shorten, Vice-Chancellor and President, University of Canberra
in conversation with
Professor Merlin Crossley AM FRSN, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Quality, UNSW Sydney

The presentation commences at 03:27

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:03:27 Panel Discussion: The Honourable Bill Shorten and Professor Merlin Crossley
01:00:18 Audience Q&A
01:22:26 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:26:04 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1335th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: Public and government support for universities remains strong in many countries in Asia, but there are concerns in some Western countries. In some places, governments are clashing with universities, while in others, the rising costs of education and research have triggered questions about whether students and the public are getting value for money.

Faced with funding the rising costs of operation in a technologically complex, competitive, and globalised world, university leaders sometimes go beyond their traditional roles as experts in learning and teaching and make promises about solving the world’s problems.

Is this working, and if not, how should public good, not-for-profit education and research institutions best communicate their missions and needs?

The accomplished political leader and now Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canberra, the Hon. Bill Shorten, will explore what universities are for and what they can do to best fulfil their important public roles. With perspectives from his time in politics, his time as a student, his knowledge of what Australians value, Bill Shorten is ideally placed to provide fresh insights into how we can ensure that Australian universities continue to be supported to deliver. In this event, Bill Shorten will converse with Merlin Crossley, an academic with decades of experience in leadership at Australian universities, as well as firsthand knowledge of teaching and research in the fast-moving field of molecular genetics.

Bill Shorten is well known in Australian public life for his leadership in politics, social reform, and now higher education. He served as the Leader of the Australian Labor Party and Opposition Leader from 2013 to 2019, contesting two federal elections. A key architect of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Bill Shorten held multiple ministerial roles across governments led by Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, and Anthony Albanese, including portfolios in education, financial services, employment, government services, and the NDIS.

Before entering Parliament in 2007, Mr Shorten was the National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union, where he led Australia’s oldest union and served as a director of Australian Super. He holds degrees in arts and law from Monash University and an MBA from the University of Melbourne.

In January 2025, Bill Shorten transitioned from politics to academia, becoming Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra (UC). His vision for UC centres on improving student experience, research impact, and community engagement to develop a modern Australian university that does not just react to society’s demands but anticipates them. He believes that education is the most powerful force for equality and democratic resilience.

Professor Merlin CrossleyMerlin Crossley is Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Quality, at UNSW Sydney. His lab works on CRISPR gene editing to treat inherited blood diseases. He is known for characterising mutations that alter gene expression and cause Hemophilia B Leyden or the Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin, and for cloning new genes that modulate gene expression.

He has worked or studied at Melbourne, Monash, Oxford, Harvard, Sydney, and UNSW. He is an enthusiastic science communicator, Chair of the Editorial Board of The Conversation, Chair of UNSW Press, Deputy Director of the Australian Science Media Centre, an Honorary Associate of the Australian Museum, a member of the LifeBlood ethics committee, and a scientific advisor to Australian Sickle Cell Advocacy.

He has received multiple awards, including a Rhodes Scholarship, the 2020 NSW Premier’s Award for Medical Biological Science, and, in 2021, a new species of iridescent butterfly bobtail squid was named in his honour – Iridoteuthis merlini – Merlin’s bobtail squid.

Bringing Financial Reporting into the 21st Century

Royal Society of NSW 2025-09-05 | 1334th Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 3 September 2025
"Bringing Financial Reporting into the 21st Century"
Emeritus Professor Peter Wells FRSN
UTS Business School
University of Technology Sydney

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1334th-ogm-and-open-lecture/

The presentation commences at 01:43

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:43 Presentation: Emeritus Professor Peter Wells
00:46:02 Audience Q&A and Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:20:16 Meeting Close

Summary: Financial reporting is a communication process, and while accounting processes have been refined, the basic format has changed little for over 150 years. However, the increasing volume and complexity of information have rendered this format obsolete. This problem is now being exacerbated by extensions to corporate reporting, which now includes reporting on climate and sustainability. Digital Financial Reporting is the technology designed to address this. It allows for ever larger volumes of information to be accessed accurately and efficiently, and perhaps most importantly, processed and evaluated with computers (e.g., with AI). Digital Financial Reporting has been increasingly mandated across the world’s major capital markets, but regrettably not in Australia or New Zealand. What does this mean for the Australian economy? The impacts are significant, and perhaps the most relevant at this point in time is lost productivity.

So, what has to be done? Who is responsible? What are the risks? Where to next?

After starting his accounting career with an antecedent of one of the large accounting firms and working in the finance sector, Peter Wells has spent the last 30 years as an accounting academic at the University of Technology Sydney, with a focus on financial reporting practices and the use of financial information in financial markets.

Peter is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and was on the NSW Regional Council for six years and Chair for one year. Peter has prepared reports on Digital Financial Reporting for Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and made submissions to Parliamentary Committees on financial reporting practices in Australia. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW and currently holds the position of Treasurer.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Busting Myths, Bridging Gaps: Public Health Approaches to Hearing Loss in Adults

Royal Society of NSW 2025-08-30 | Ideas@theHouse: August 2025 — recorded at Government House Sydney on 28 August 2025
“Busting Myths, Bridging Gaps: Public Health Approaches to Hearing Loss in Adults”
Professor Bamini Gopinath
Cochlear Chair in Hearing and Health
Macquarie University

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/ideasthehouse-august-2025/

The presentation commences at 08:46

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction to the Speaker: Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of NSW
00:08:46 Presentation: Professor Bamini Gopinath
00:46:16 Q&A session: Moderated by Emeritus Professor Christina Slade FRSN, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:58:47 Bote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade
01:03:43 Meeting Close

Summary: Despite the high prevalence of adult-onset hearing loss, ear and hearing care is poorly integrated into systems of health in Australia and globally. Public awareness, early detection, and evidence-based interventions are essential to reduce the stigma and improve health outcomes for millions affected by hearing loss. The presentation explores the societal, psychological, and economic consequences of untreated hearing loss, emphasising the need to “bust myths” and reframe public narratives around it.

Drawing from a suite of current public health research initiatives, the presentation showcases landmark studies such as the first Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey, Blue Mountains Eye and Hearing study, and HALOS (Hearing Impairment in Adults: a Longitudinal Outcomes Study). These projects aim to provide high-quality data to inform better policy and service design. Additional focus is given to innovative programs, which seek to enhance service delivery, support, and information provided to adults with hearing loss and therefore, enable equitable access to hearing care and interventions. This includes a current research project that aims to train Meals on Wheels NSW volunteers to screen for hearing loss in clients as part of routine wellbeing checks.

Efforts to develop and implement national and global evidence-based guidelines for adult hearing loss management will also be shared. These guidelines, along with strong stakeholder collaboration and community-driven strategies, aim to ensure that hearing health is recognised as a vital component of public health. Ultimately, the presentation calls for targeted advocacy, clear and stigma-free messaging, and coordinated policy action to support vulnerable populations and advance hearing health equity.

About the Presenter: Bamini Gopinath is a leading Australian epidemiologist renowned for her work in sensory loss and public health. She currently serves as the inaugural Cochlear Chair in Hearing and Health at Macquarie University, where she leads the Public Health and Policy Pillar of MU Hearing. In this role, she focuses on enhancing support for individuals with hearing loss, promoting early intervention, and improving engagement with hearing services.

Professor Gopinath’s research is distinguished by its translational impact, aiming to bridge gaps in Australian healthcare. She has co-authored over 275 peer-reviewed papers, many published in high-ranking medical and health journals, and her work has garnered over 9,500 citations. Her studies have provided novel community-based evidence on the health determinants and outcomes associated with sensory loss and disability, influencing health policy and practice.

A notable project led by Professor Gopinath is the Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey, which aims to screen Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults across the country to assess hearing and vision health. Early findings indicate a high prevalence of undiagnosed hearing loss, underscoring the need for increased awareness and intervention. She also currently leads NHMRC and ARC-funded projects that aim to better support adults with hearing and/or vision loss. Her commitment to public health and sensory loss research continues to drive advancements in healthcare delivery and policy, both nationally and internationally.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

Nature-based solutions for future farming

Royal Society of NSW 2025-08-27 | Western Branch Meeting 2025-3 of the Royal Society of NSW — 20 August 2025

"Nature-based solutions for future farming"
Distinguished Professor Geoff Gurr FRSN
Professor in Applied Ecology, Gulbali Institute
Charles Sturt University

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/western-nsw-branch-meeting-2025-3/

The presentation commences at: 03:45

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Michael Field, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), Charles Sturt University
00:03:45 Presentation: Distinguished Professor Geoff Gurr
00:49:26 Audience Q&A moderated by Professor Michael Field
00:56:18 Meeting Close

This lecture was a joint presentation of Charles Sturt University, as part of its Provocations Public Lecture Series, and the Western NSW Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

Summary: Why is the world so green? When we visualise terrestrial ecosystems, green vegetation dominates to such an extent that we take it for granted.

Even in many urban settings, the Earth’s surface, aside from areas covered by snow, ice, or desert sands, is a carpet of green. This greenery is an expression of the abundance of chlorophyll in the photosynthetic tissues of plants. Yet, this presents a profound paradox: green plant tissue is highly nutritious, so why is there so much of it? Why isn’t it all simply devoured by hungry herbivores, everything from caterpillars to antelopes?

Exploring this enigma offers powerful, useful insights into how to better protect the crops we cultivate. Whether it is wheat in Australia’s grain belt, rice in the paddies of Asia, or sweet potato on the hillsides of Papua New Guinea, learning from nature can help us protect these crops from voracious pests—and reduce our reliance on pesticides.

Two factors explain why our planet remains so green. First, plants are far better at defending themselves than we might imagine. Plants may armour their foliage with hairs, spikes, or tough waxy cuticles. And internally, their tissues may be protected by defensive chemicals to deter hungry mouths. Second, plants have powerful allies—natural enemies of herbivores that help keep those populations in check. These allies include spiders, parasitic wasps, and even insect-killing fungi. Together, they prevent herbivores from becoming so abundant that they strip the world bare of greenery.

This talk will illustrate how researchers at Charles Sturt University are networking internationally to develop and apply nature-based solutions to protect crops, enhancing plants’ natural defences and boosting the impact of enemies of pests. Already, these approaches are having real-world impacts and delivering cascading benefits for pollination and on-farm biodiversity conservation. Oh, and farmer profits are enhanced too!

About the speaker: Geoff Gurr is a British-trained ecologist with a PhD from Imperial and postdoctoral experience at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge.

Since migrating to Australia, he has worked at the universities of Melbourne, New England, Sydney and Charles Sturt. His research over the last three decades has focused on nature-based solutions to harmonise agriculture with the environment, which has been supported by grants with a combined value of over $28 million. This has involved extensive international collaboration, including visiting professor positions at Lincoln University in New Zealand, Zhejiang University and Fujian Agriculture & Forestry University in China, where his work has been supported by a prestigious ‘Thousand Talents’ fellowship. He has successfully supervised 44 PhD and MPhil students and published over 450 papers, which have earned a place in Stanford University’s “World’s Top 2% Scientists” list.

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the presenters or forum participants in this video, do not necessarily reflect those of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

An elegant solution to enduring problems in education

Royal Society of NSW 2025-08-25 | Hunter Branch Meeting 2025-3 of the Royal Society of NSW — 21 August 2025
"An elegant solution to enduring problems in education"
Laureate Professor Jennifer Gore AM FASSA
School of Education
University of Newcastle

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/hunter-branch-meeting-2025-3/

The presentation commences at 02:16

Time Stamps:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor George Willis FRSN FAA, Chair, RSNSW Hunter Branch
00:02:16 Presentation: Laureate Professor Jennifer Gore
00:53:09 Audience Q&A with Professor Gore moderated by Professor Willis
01:12:49 Meeting Close

Summary: Despite reform agendas around the world seeking to enhance excellence and equity in education, student achievement is declining, and inequities are worsening. Professor Gore argues that genuine improvement requires professional development that addresses the complexity of teaching and is both intellectually challenging and psychologically safe. Quality Teaching Rounds (QTR), the approach we have tested in a 20-year program of research, provides such a powerful approach to professional development that produces positive outcomes for teachers, students, schools, and systems. In this lecture, Professor Gore will explain what Quality Teaching Rounds are and how they provide an elegant solution to some of education’s enduring problems.

A leader in education in Australia and internationally, Jennifer Gore has significant experience and expertise in educational research and leadership. Jenny was Dean of Education and Head of School at the University of Newcastle from 2008 to 2013 and is currently leading several major research projects as Director of the University’s Teachers and Teaching Research Centre. With more than $38 million in funding since 1992, Jenny’s research is driven by the notion that all children should experience high-quality teaching. Her ongoing work on Quality Teaching and Quality Teaching Rounds, conducted with colleagues over the last decade, has shown how this framework can effectively support teacher professional development, increase teacher satisfaction, enhance teaching quality in schools, and improve student achievement while also narrowing equity gaps. Jenny’s research on improving teaching and learning saw the Quality Teaching Academy established in 2020. She has received awards and recognition from the Australian Council of Deans of Education, Australian Council for Educational Leaders, Australian Association for Research in Education, American Educational Research Association, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, Royal Society of NSW, and the Paul Brock Memorial Medal, and was most recently awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for significant service to tertiary education.

Solving Australia’s Productivity Crisis

Royal Society of NSW 2025-08-22 | RSNSW Provocations and Inspirations: 19 August 2025
“Solving Australia’s Productivity Crisis”
Ross Gittins AM FRSN FASSA
Economics Editor
The Sydney Morning Herald

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/lunchtime-series-provocations-and-inspirations-august-2025/

The presentation commences at 04:43

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Christina Slade, President, Royal Society of NSW
00:04:43 Presentation: Ross Gittins, Economics Editor, SMH
00:41:32 Q&A Session: moderated by Dr Donald Hector AM FRSN, Royal Society of NSW
01:14:13 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
01:16:14 Meeting Close

Summary: The issue of productivity growth in Australia is now front and centre of the Australian Government’s economic policy framework. Productivity improvement has been at a virtual standstill for the last decade, and there is broad agreement that this has to change if Australia is to maintain its prosperity.

But the debate over what to do about productivity has been hijacked by too many people with axes to grind. Yet there are sensible conclusions to be drawn about the causes of our lack of productivity improvement and possible steps we can take to improve matters.

Ross Gittins is one of Australia’s leading economic commentators and the author of several books. He is a columnist for The Age and has been the Economics Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald since 1978. In 2008, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia.

He has been awarded honorary doctorates by Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, the Australian National University and his alma mater, the University of Newcastle.

PFAS in New South Wales: Is it under control?

Royal Society of NSW 2025-08-12 | 1333rd Ordinary General Meeting and Open Lecture of the Royal Society of NSW — 6 August 2025
"PFAS in New South Wales: Is it under control?"
Associate Professor Ian Wright
School of Science
Western Sydney University

The presentation commences at 01:05

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:01:05 Presentation: Associate Professor Ian Wright
00:41:42 Audience Q&A
01:08:33 Vote of Thanks: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten
01:09:19 Meeting Close

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/1333rd-ogm-and-open-lecture/

Summary: In 2024, NSW became aware that some of its residents were drinking water containing harmful chemicals — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This was triggered by news that the United States health authorities announced new laws reducing the safe levels of PFAS in drinking water supplies. A Sydney Morning Herald newspaper article in June 2024, There’s no safe level: Carcinogens found in tap water across Australia, reported that PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ had been detected in drinking water supplies around Australia. The NSW Chief Health Officer declared on 11 June that Sydney’s drinking water was safe.

It came as a major shock when it was announced in August 2024 that the Blue Mountains water supply contained elevated levels of PFAS. In September 2024, Ian Wright assisted Fairfax journalists in tracking down the source of this contamination. Sampling water from a flowing creek in a ‘protected’ Blue Mountains drinking water catchment, they discovered PFAS at a concentration that exceeded the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines by more than 50 times. It later emerged that the contamination was probably from fire-fighting foam used to control the fire from a burning petrol tanker, which crashed in 1992 on the Great Western Highway near Medlow Bath.

PFAS is not just an issue for Blue Mountains drinking water. An additional concern is the impact of elevated PFAS on water supplies in rural and regional communities. Even grazing livestock are known to be susceptible to PFAS contamination of their meat if their drinking water exceeds trace concentrations. PhD student research supervised by Ian Wright has revealed that platypuses have substantial PFAS bioaccumulation.

Should people be concerned about their exposure to PFAS? What action should they take? Should they have their blood tested? Can we trust that contamination by PFAS is under control? Ian Wright’s presentation will canvass these questions surrounding an issue that is of importance to us all.

Ian Wright is a water scientist and an Associate Professor at the Western Sydney University School of Science. He teaches classes in water science and management, environmental planning, and environmental regulation across several degree programs. Before joining WSU, he worked as a scientist in the urban water industry, mainly at Sydney Water. His water science interests include freshwater ecology, water chemistry, and water pollution (science and management). His research interests include urban water issues, contamination from concrete materials, and the impact of mining on streams and rivers. He has provided independent expert testimony for environmental science matters for the NSW Land and Environment Court and also for mining development proposals being considered through the planning system.

Agriculture over the Horizon

Royal Society of NSW 2025-07-06 | "Agriculture over the Horizon"
Professor Alex McBratney AM FAA
Professor of Digital Agriculture and Soil Science and ARC Laureate Fellow
Sydney Institute of Agriculture and School of Life and Environmental Sciences
University of Sydney

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/rsnsw-poggendorff-lecture-2024/

The presentation commences at: 05:55

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Emeritus Professor Lindsay Botten FRSN, Vice-President, Royal Society of NSW
00:05:55 Presentation: Professor Alex McBratney
00:50:29 Meeting Close

This lecture was a joint presentation of University of Sydney and the Royal Society of NSW

Summary: Global deaths across all sexes and all age groups have risen significantly from 48.0 million (47.5–48.4) in 1990 to 60.0 million (58.9–61.Agriculture stands at a transformative crossroads—criticised for its environmental footprint, yet a powerful engine of scientific application and innovation. Nowhere is this duality clearer than in Australia, where farmers are among the most technologically advanced in the world, harnessing cutting-edge research to navigate an increasingly complex landscape.

This talk explores the evolving modes of agriculture—Industrial, Conservation, Precision & Digital, Regenerative, Decommoditised, and the emerging “3N” model: net-zero, nature-positive, and nutrition-rich. As we confront the mounting challenges of climate volatility, biodiversity loss, and shifting global food demands, the need for a new synthesis has never been clearer.

Alex McBratney’s focus is on the intersection of Digital, Regenerative, and Decommoditised agriculture, and how their integration offers a compelling pathway forward. Through digital tools, we can optimise production and resource use. Regenerative practices rebuild soil condition and security and ecosystems. Decommoditised models reconnect farmers with consumers, adding value and resilience. Together, these approaches help craft a vision of agriculture that is not only sustainable but revitalising.

What combination will carry us into the future? Join us as we look over the horizon to define a model of agriculture that meets the needs of people, planet, and profit—reimagined for the mid-21st century.

About the speaker: Alex McBratney is a globally renowned leader in soil science and digital agriculture, currently serving as Professor of Digital Agriculture and Soil Science and ARC Laureate Fellow at the University of Sydney. With an academic foundation that spans a BSc, PhD, and DSc from the University of Aberdeen, along with a DScAgr from the University of Sydney for his pioneering work in precision agriculture, Alex has made transformative contributions to soil and agricultural science. He is celebrated as a founder of key disciplines, including Pedometrics, Digital Soil Mapping, Precision Agriculture, and Soil Security.

Alex’s influence is recognised worldwide—he is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Thomson Reuters Highly Cited Researcher (2016–2024). His international standing was further acknowledged with the prestigious VV Dokuchaev Medal from the International Union of Soil Sciences, where he held numerous leadership roles. For 25 years, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Geoderma, and now leads Soil Security as Editor-in-Chief. Alex McBratney is also the 2024 recipient of the Royal Society of NSW Poggendorff Award in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Following his PhD work at Rothamsted Experimental Station in the UK, Alex spent seven impactful years with CSIRO in Brisbane before joining the University of Sydney in 1989. He served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment (2015–2017) and directed the Sydney Institute of Agriculture. A passionate advocate for innovation, Alex is actively shaping the future of Soil Security and Digital Agriculture through global collaborations like Aroura, the Soil and Soil Security think tank. His work is inspiring the next generation of AgTech in Australia and beyond.

Should we teach kids to use AI? #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai

Royal Society of NSW 2025-07-06 | Artificial intelligence is transforming the world. However, while it promises revolutionary breakthroughs, it is also raising profound ethical and social questions. Listen to Prof. Michael Blumenstein FRSN FACS and Prof. Nicholas Davis FRSA take a candid tour through the current landscape of AI: youtube.com/watch?v=C0wilVO2W20

Hidden causes of rising disability and death in the working population

Royal Society of NSW 2025-07-04 | Western Branch Meeting 2025-2 of the Royal Society of NSW — 25 June 2025

"Hidden causes of rising disability and death in the working population"
Distinguished Professor Jing Sun
Professor of Biostatistics, Rural Health Research Institute, Charles Sturt University

https://www.royalsoc.org.au/events/western-nsw-branch-meeting-2025-2/

The presentation commences at: 04:16

Timing Marks:
00:00:00 Introduction: Professor Neena Mitter, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Charles Sturt University
00:04:16 Presentation: Distinguished Professor Jing Sun
00:48:31 Audience Q&A moderated by Professor Neena Mitter
00:53:52 Meeting Close

This lecture was a joint presentation of Charles Sturt University, as part of its Provocations Public Lecture Series, and the Western NSW Branch of the Royal Society of NSW

Summary: Global deaths across all sexes and all age groups have risen significantly from 48.0 million (47.5–48.4) in 1990 to 60.0 million (58.9–61.3) in 2023. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for nearly two-thirds of global disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), with ischaemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases among the leading contributors. Notably, the working-age population has experienced the most pronounced increases in mortality rates, particularly among those aged 25–29 and 30–39 in North America and among those aged 30 to 74 years in all other regions

Occupational exposure to chemical agents, radiation, dust, noise, mechanical strain, and psychological stress may directly or indirectly contribute to mortality and chronic diseases. While the association between occupational exposures and systemic conditions is well-documented, their impact on physical and psychological health is underexplored in large population-based studies. Additionally, factors such as enterprise size, economic type, and job category may play a role in modulating the risk level. The present study presented two large population-based studies in Australia and China and discussed the potential impact of frequent exposure to occupational risk factors and health outcomes. Bayesian and SpXMod stage-wise models fit with a regression model with correlated, dimension-specific intercepts and covariate coefficients were used to estimate the results. Results of the studies suggest that efforts to reduce occupational risk exposure combined with surveillance to identify highly exposed populations should be prioritised.

About the speaker: Jing Sun is an internationally recognised expert in biostatistics, with a research focus on big medical data, chronic disease, and mental health. She leads innovative work in lifestyle-based rehabilitation, cognitive behavioural therapy, and the prognosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental disorders. Her research also spans global maternal and infant health, birth defect prevention, and global disease burden analysis, underpinned by her expertise in biostatistics.

She is the elected President of the Board of Supervision at the International Engineering and Technology Institute, an Accredited Statistician of the Statistical Society of Australia, and a board member of its Accreditation Committee. In addition, she holds the title of Honorary Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. Professor Sun has secured over A$32.5 million in competitive research funding and has authored more than 320 high-impact journal articles, including publications in the Lancet series journals, amassing over 22,000 citations to date.