Aligning cyber intelligence with Australia's national resilience

As Australia enters an era of Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act reforms following the 2026 Slay Review, the mandate for critical infrastructure (CI) is shifting from passive compliance to active, law-backed collective defence. In an environment defined by AI-accelerated threats and fracturing global security norms, can a "sovereign-first" intelligence capability actually be legislated?

This panel brings together the leading voices in Australian threat intelligence, national security policy, and tier-1 infrastructure operations to debate the future of national resilience. Using the Slay Review’s findings as a catalyst, the speakers will examine the tension between mandatory government reporting and the operational necessity of bi-directional threat intelligence sharing.

The discussion will centre on three strategic provocations:

1. From Compliance to Sovereignty: How the shift toward mandated bi-directional sharing redefines the legal relationship between the state and CI operators.
2. The Geopolitics of Connectivity: How major carriers like Telstra navigate strategic competition and supply chain risks when the "global" internet is increasingly fragmented by national security interests.
3. The AI Arms Race: How cross-sector intelligence transforms "AI-generated noise" into actionable defensive signals, and whether Australia’s current policy settings are fast enough to keep pace with adversary velocity.