December 13, 2022 • 22 mins
This is a special episode that coincides with an event Vocus recently commemorated at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra – 20 years of providing sovereign, secure and mission-critical network services to the Australian Government and its agencies. We’re very lucky to speak with General the Hon. Sir Peter Cosgrove, to discuss his experiences leading the Australian Defence Force, international peacekeeping missions, and recovery and relief efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters. It’s a fascinating conversation in which Sir Peter also talks about the importance of mission critical communications and some of the challenges facing Australia in the Indo-Pacific today and into the future.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Vocus Inspire, the podcast full of brilliant ideas
for business.
Hi, I'm Luke Coleman, head of government and corporate affairs
at Vocus, Australia's leading specialist fibre and network solutions provider.
Before we get things underway, we want to acknowledge and
pay our respects to the traditional custodians of the land
(00:24):
from wherever you're listening. In this podcast, we dive headfirst
into what's on the minds of Australian business and government
leaders to help inspire you and your organisation to go forward,
go further and go faster. So let's go.
Today we've got a special episode for you that coincides
(00:44):
with a milestone event that Vocus recently commemorated. 20 years
of providing sovereign, secure, and mission critical network services to
the Australian government and its agencies. It began with the
pioneering work of Vocus's subsidiary, NextGen Networks in the early
2000s and continues today with Vocus providing critical infrastructure services
(01:05):
to customers such as the Department of defence, the Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and agencies.
As the Australian Taxation Office and the Bureau of Meteorology,
and many more. At a commemorative dinner at the Australian
War Memorial in Canberra, we were honoured to have a
very special guest speaker, Sir Peter Cosgrove, who we are
equally honoured to have with us today on the podcast.
(01:26):
Sir Peter is someone who needs little introduction. He served
as the 26th Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia
from 2014 to 2019.
He's widely known for his earlier career in the Australian
Defence Force, retiring as Chief of the Australian Defence Force
in 2005. In retirement, he's actively involved with defence, health,
(01:47):
and other charitable organisations. Welcome to the podcast, Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Most people would remember your role from 1999, when as
a Major General, you led the International peacekeeping mission in
East Timor. Now today, Vocus is working with the Department
of Foreign Affairs to connect a new submarine cable to
East Timor, which will provide much improved connectivity.
Uh, tell us, what was it like 20 years ago,
getting that mission up and running with what must have
(02:15):
been really limited communications infrastructure available.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Well, when we went into East Timor on the 20th
of September 1999, uh, we went in with a modern force,
but we're over a a sea air gap, and the
nature of the, of the small island nation was such
very uh primitive by way of uh communications.
So we had to take it all with us. Not
(02:40):
only that, but the place had been smashed by fire
and rioting and destruction, and pillaged and looted. So we
had to have everything with us. Now we, we got along, uh,
we had good communications tactically, but long haul was a
bit of an issue, so we were self-contained for days
(03:04):
and days until we could get long-haul communications in.
And by and large, that was a satellite dish based.
Boy could we have used a submarine cable with high capacity,
that would have been the bee's knees. Um, so, uh,
over time what we did was get a sundry satellite
(03:24):
uh communication dishes in.
And after a while we were doing OK, but we
were a modern force with, I'll call it skinny pipes
coming in from the mainland and from other places around
the world.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Now fast forward to today, we secure, reliable and high
performance communications have changed the way that operations are managed.
What difference does it make to our capabilities and our
defence personnel?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So if we were doing the East Timor operation today,
there's a couple of things. First,
Our military has grown in the capacity and extent and reliability,
sophistication of its long haul communications. That's necessary for a
relatively small, wonderfully performed but small, Royal Australian Navy, Army,
(04:16):
and Royal Australian Air Force. Now,
That allows significant effect from people who are brought to
the right place at the right time to do the
job that they want to do.
So translate that to East Timor and we're in a
better place, but on the other hand, we're in a
very much a better place because East Timor itself is
(04:39):
to be the beneficiary of 21st century communications, and that's
not gonna just be available to visitors to that small nation,
but will result in a quantum leap.
For the people of East Timor, from an agrarian, undeveloped,
peasant-like economy, into the 21st century where the internet can
(05:04):
be in every home.
In on the island.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In the current geopolitical climate, the Pacific is probably more
in focus for Australia today than it has been since
the Second World War. What's your assessment on Australia's role
in the Pacific today and what should we be doing
to ensure stability and peace in the region?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Uh, the foundation for all of our considerations of where
we are now in 2022, uh, is the geostrategic nature
of our area. This vast ocean space, one third of
the Earth's surface, the Indo-Pacific.
Uh, we frame one end of it, the only developed
(05:46):
economy to the south, which, uh, sort of looks in
north west towards India, the Middle East and Europe, and
north uh through to Asia, the giant states of Asia,
and then northeast across the sparsely populated Pacific to the
(06:06):
giant continents of Latin America and North America.
in all of that, in all of that, uh, we
are in a focal point here, so our geostrategic situation
hasn't changed, but our geopolitics sure have. Uh, from World
War 2 onwards, we claimed, uh, truly as our ally
(06:30):
and our friend, the United States of America, they were
preeminent in the Indo-Pacific. Giant states, wonderful states, India, China.
Um, a repentant and resurgent Japan. The many states of
Southeast Asia themselves are quite populous. All of them were,
(06:53):
if you like, looking to the east, looking towards the
United States as the preeminent power in the Indo-Pacific, particularly
in the Pacific.
Now over time, uh, that has changed. Not that the
United States has changed its position, all the other places
uh states are in the same place, but the relativity
(07:17):
of power has slowly changed. The United States is still
the most powerful uh of the uh uh oceanic states,
but China has become a major comparator.
And we might say a competitor, but certainly as a
comparator in the Indo-Pacific, you could say that the um
(07:42):
automatic presumption of pre-eminence on the part of the United States,
uh is no longer as automatic or as comfortable. This
has caused Australia, particularly with uh a much more ambitious
sounding China.
And a forward leaning China by its actions in places
(08:03):
like the South China Sea.
Uh, it's rhetoric over Taiwan and some of its actions, uh,
it's attitudes towards some of its North Asian, um, relationships, uh,
it's attitudes towards India. All of these, um, muscle movements,
one might say by the great Chinese state.
(08:25):
cause us to think, are we as automatic in our
presumption of peace and security without tension in the Indo-Pacific?
And the answer to that is no, not at the moment,
so that stands behind this re-appreciation of where we stand.
And should we be a little more conservative, a little
(08:49):
more mindful of our sovereign interests? Now
Speaker 1 (08:53):
only recently we saw the first meeting between an Australian
Prime Minister and the leader of China in more than
3 years. When you finished your role as Chief of
the defence Force in 2005, could you have imagined China's
position in the region in the year 2022? And how
do you see things playing out over the next few years?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Well, I could have imagined a couple of things in 2005,
uh when I uh was last involved in an official
capacity with China, um, before I became governor General. But
back in '05, 1 might have said then that the
Chinese were massively modernising.
Their defence force, which had become uh from a peasant
(09:33):
army with a domesticated, uh, People's Liberation Air Force, and
a brown water navy, uh with uh a a growing
number of holes in the water, the PLA navy.
Uh, it grew almost exponentially in technological terms, and certainly
(09:53):
one might say with the Air Force and the navy,
their air force and their navy in quantitative terms. So
qualitatively and qua quantitatively, it is, it's grown immensely. Now,
uh what also accompanied that in the first place there was.
A very benign attitude, outreach, engagement. Belt and Road looked
(10:16):
to be like a an ordinary economic expansion by a
giant state with a with a rosy future, an economy
that was going to be huge.
Now, in all of that there then became what might
be called geopolitical ambition, and that was stated. So that
was the hard edge that appeared on the edge of
(10:38):
the on the outer boundary of China's um uh expansion.
And uh in that regard, I didn't see that coming
with that pace. China was always destined to be a
mighty state.
But it seemed to have a patience and a long-term goal,
that patience has apparently worn thin or not been there
(11:03):
earlier concealed, uh, and the long-term goal has been put
on the horizon, not beyond the horizon. So in both
those respects, uh, we have a different situation to, uh,
we saw in 2005.
But up until 2014 or so.
(11:25):
Relationships were still very warm.
Uh, personally, I had a, uh, most, uh, warmly received
state visit to China, uh, in that period, 2014, 2015, uh,
reciprocally hosted the president of China and was received very
warmly by the Chinese president and and the rest of
(11:46):
the leadership. So you might have said then, things were
tracking along well.
But yeah, things change, uh, words are said, uh, actions
taken to demonstrate what might be called um muscle flexing.
And in that regard, uh that stands behind Australia's concerns
(12:09):
and it's own motion to review its security position.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
The focused on enhanced sovereignty for Australian defence has been
a theme we've developed under the previous government, it's continuing
under the new government. How important do you see that, uh,
to our position and our role in the region?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Well, the first thing to state is that Australia is
not attempting to pole vault into some kind of uh
powerful regional um,
Military force, that's not what's happening. What we're looking at
are the essentials of our own security and sovereignty, our
trade routes, the freedom of action we should enjoy as
(12:54):
a law-abiding state in our region and on the trade, uh,
oceanic ways, uh, to the northwest, to the north, to
the northeast.
Um, traditionally, importantly, nation states ought to be allowed, uh,
peaceful access to such waters, 95% of our trade.
(13:15):
Passes on the ocean in those directions. So from that
point of view, we will look at the ways in
which we can be more certain of the security of
those routes. So in that regard, we're looking to enhance
our maritime capabilities, both surface and sub-surface, and in the
(13:39):
aerospace above, uh, that broad arc from the northwest.
Around to the northeast and and to the east, uh, we,
to some degree, feel a fraternal, uh, neighbourly responsibility to
ensure the um freedom of action and the unspoiled nature
(14:01):
of the island states to the east of us. So
from that point of view, uh, we want our region
to be more secure and we're prepared to pay more
for it.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Turning to the role that you've played in helping Australian
communities in the wake of natural disasters, we're seeing the
devastating impacts of floods across large parts of our eastern states.
What do you see as the most critical areas of
action for government and businesses in helping Australian communities respond,
rebuild and carry forward? Any lessons learned?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Every time Australia in one of its beautiful parts of
our continent, suffers a natural disaster, uh there are uh
lessons to be learnt. Now, uh, we relearn those lessons, uh, sometimes,
I mean, just the thought about people building on floodplains
(14:57):
and all that sort of thing.
People wanting to live in a beautiful bush environment which
allows flammable, uh, uh, plant life to be very close
to properties. All of those, we, we relearn those lessons,
but we could say that in terms of disaster relief,
we learn about the power of communications. I had the,
(15:21):
I suppose the privilege, when you look back on it,
to be a um,
A disaster relief uh leader or coordinator after Cyclone Larry,
and when we saw that telecommunications, uh was the first casualty,
because power goes out.
If you have no power and no generated power to
(15:42):
operate towers, then you're thrust back from the 21st century
into the 19th century village life before electricity.
And if you want to see a devastated modern community,
take away their communications, they can struggle on without electric light, uh,
(16:04):
without power for the fridge. Um, uh, they can struggle on, uh,
if they are able to, um, uh, get dry and
be under shelter.
But what they struggle uh without, and morale goes through
the floor, is when they're left ignorant of what's happening.
(16:26):
We've come to rely in the information age on the
ability to gather and pass information.
So we used after Cyclone Larry, the restoration of power.
Street by street, village by village, as the drumbeat of
early recovery. We made heroes out of the work teams
(16:51):
from the energy supply companies as they worked their way
up and down the highways and out to the various settlements.
When power returned, it was the first major step towards recovery.
Now, the other thing we learn out of um those
sorts of disasters is to have redundant communications. So, I,
(17:16):
I think one of the things that telecommunications companies might
consider is having what are apparently uh uh redundant investments,
sitting in uh warehouses, which are portable, sustainable telephone towers.
And generators to keep the things operating, to operate a
(17:39):
network very, very quickly after a natural disaster has smashed
a settled area.
That's the other thing about natural disasters, that we understand
that if a natural disaster hits an uninhabited part of
the wide brown land.
(18:00):
We fly a television crew over in a helicopter.
Take some footage and show people on the nightly news.
If it hits a settled area, now you're talking, that's
a natural disaster. People are at the heart of our
of our um perception of a natural disaster and we
(18:21):
minister to people. So in the very first place, uh,
when we are responding to a natural disaster, uh it's the,
Uh, upliftment of people in the very first place, shelter.
Safety, health, food, clean water.
(18:42):
And telecommunications.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Now this is a segment where our guests can put
out one call, one request, one wish to all leaders
of enterprise and government organisations in order to realise or
avoid missing an opportunity or to prevent a big mistake.
So if you could have one wish for all business
and government leaders, what would it be and why?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I'd like to see them explain the situation that they
confront in more detail as often as possible to their
employees to trust them, so that when a crisis occurs,
it's so much easier to have everybody on the same map.
(19:26):
Rather than looking for people to operate solely by supreme directive,
if I could put it that way, without knowing so
much of the background as to say, oh I know
why the boss is doing this. That's what I'd say
to prime ministers, all the way through to the uh
boss of a small, uh, few person enterprise.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Now we're gonna go into a rapid fire segment here
where I'm gonna ask you a series of quick questions,
go for an immediate first thing that pops into your
head response. Number one, what's your favourite piece of technology?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
The iPhone, because it's got more power in it than
all those nuclear scientists had when they were developing the
A-bomb back in the 40s. Now it's uh uh more
technology sits in my pocket. I love my iPhone.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
How do you disconnect?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Turn off the iPhone. No, I disconnect by uh disappearing
into books, good television and watching sport. I'm no longer
whatever I was, I'm just a numpty having fun.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
What's the most important thing you do for your wellbeing?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Um, mixed with my family, they are the reason why
I'm on earth. I have a wonderful wife and kids, that, uh,
supersedes any other thing I've ever done is to be
lucky in marriage and to have wonderful kids.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
What's one thing that would surprise people about you?
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I like classical music, particularly opera, lyrical opera, not, not,
you know, uh sort of Wagnerian opera, but lyrical opera,
love
Speaker 1 (21:03):
it. What's one thing that is most important to success?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I think you've got to.
To understand you might fail and forgive yourself every failure
and just redouble your efforts to be better. Never be
intimidated by a job, you can do it. What's
Speaker 1 (21:19):
the one thing there needs to be more of in
business today?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Good humour. There's gotta be good humour. People who are
dour and who are serious, they can be dour and serious,
but let them have a lighter side, good humour.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So Peter Cosgrove, it's been an absolute pleasure talking to
you today. Thank you for joining us on the Vocus
Inspire podcast.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
It's wonderful we'll be back with Vocus.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Thanks so much for listening. I hope you've enjoyed this
episode of Focus Inspire, and we look forward to bringing
you more inspiration in coming episodes. If you've enjoyed this conversation,
we've got so much more to share with you. We've
just released a detailed report called Connectivity for.
0, the new business imperative, featuring trends and insights from
(22:04):
industry leaders and experts and importantly, practical steps to help
you lead your organisation through change. Head to our website
at ocus.com.au to download the full report.
And don't forget, if you want more inspiration and more episodes,
head to Vocus.com.au/podcast. You can follow us on LinkedIn and
(22:24):
Twitter to stay up to date with all things Vocus.
Listen out for the next episode of the Vocus Inspire podcast.
Welcome to Vocus Inspire, the podcast full of brilliant ideas
for business.
Hi, I'm Luke Coleman, head of government and corporate affairs
at Vocus, Australia's leading specialist fibre and network solutions provider.
Before we get things underway, we want to acknowledge and
pay our respects to the traditional custodians of the land
(00:24):
from wherever you're listening. In this podcast, we dive headfirst
into what's on the minds of Australian business and government
leaders to help inspire you and your organisation to go forward,
go further and go faster. So let's go.
Today we've got a special episode for you that coincides
(00:44):
with a milestone event that Vocus recently commemorated. 20 years
of providing sovereign, secure, and mission critical network services to
the Australian government and its agencies. It began with the
pioneering work of Vocus's subsidiary, NextGen Networks in the early
2000s and continues today with Vocus providing critical infrastructure services
(01:05):
to customers such as the Department of defence, the Department
of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and agencies.
As the Australian Taxation Office and the Bureau of Meteorology,
and many more. At a commemorative dinner at the Australian
War Memorial in Canberra, we were honoured to have a
very special guest speaker, Sir Peter Cosgrove, who we are
equally honoured to have with us today on the podcast.
(01:26):
Sir Peter is someone who needs little introduction. He served
as the 26th Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia
from 2014 to 2019.
He's widely known for his earlier career in the Australian
Defence Force, retiring as Chief of the Australian Defence Force
in 2005. In retirement, he's actively involved with defence, health,
(01:47):
and other charitable organisations. Welcome to the podcast, Sir Peter Cosgrove.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Most people would remember your role from 1999, when as
a Major General, you led the International peacekeeping mission in
East Timor. Now today, Vocus is working with the Department
of Foreign Affairs to connect a new submarine cable to
East Timor, which will provide much improved connectivity.
Uh, tell us, what was it like 20 years ago,
getting that mission up and running with what must have
(02:15):
been really limited communications infrastructure available.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
Well, when we went into East Timor on the 20th
of September 1999, uh, we went in with a modern force,
but we're over a a sea air gap, and the
nature of the, of the small island nation was such
very uh primitive by way of uh communications.
So we had to take it all with us. Not
(02:40):
only that, but the place had been smashed by fire
and rioting and destruction, and pillaged and looted. So we
had to have everything with us. Now we, we got along, uh,
we had good communications tactically, but long haul was a
bit of an issue, so we were self-contained for days
(03:04):
and days until we could get long-haul communications in.
And by and large, that was a satellite dish based.
Boy could we have used a submarine cable with high capacity,
that would have been the bee's knees. Um, so, uh,
over time what we did was get a sundry satellite
(03:24):
uh communication dishes in.
And after a while we were doing OK, but we
were a modern force with, I'll call it skinny pipes
coming in from the mainland and from other places around
the world.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Now fast forward to today, we secure, reliable and high
performance communications have changed the way that operations are managed.
What difference does it make to our capabilities and our
defence personnel?
Speaker 2 (03:50):
So if we were doing the East Timor operation today,
there's a couple of things. First,
Our military has grown in the capacity and extent and reliability,
sophistication of its long haul communications. That's necessary for a
relatively small, wonderfully performed but small, Royal Australian Navy, Army,
(04:16):
and Royal Australian Air Force. Now,
That allows significant effect from people who are brought to
the right place at the right time to do the
job that they want to do.
So translate that to East Timor and we're in a
better place, but on the other hand, we're in a
very much a better place because East Timor itself is
(04:39):
to be the beneficiary of 21st century communications, and that's
not gonna just be available to visitors to that small nation,
but will result in a quantum leap.
For the people of East Timor, from an agrarian, undeveloped,
peasant-like economy, into the 21st century where the internet can
(05:04):
be in every home.
In on the island.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
In the current geopolitical climate, the Pacific is probably more
in focus for Australia today than it has been since
the Second World War. What's your assessment on Australia's role
in the Pacific today and what should we be doing
to ensure stability and peace in the region?
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Uh, the foundation for all of our considerations of where
we are now in 2022, uh, is the geostrategic nature
of our area. This vast ocean space, one third of
the Earth's surface, the Indo-Pacific.
Uh, we frame one end of it, the only developed
(05:46):
economy to the south, which, uh, sort of looks in
north west towards India, the Middle East and Europe, and
north uh through to Asia, the giant states of Asia,
and then northeast across the sparsely populated Pacific to the
(06:06):
giant continents of Latin America and North America.
in all of that, in all of that, uh, we
are in a focal point here, so our geostrategic situation
hasn't changed, but our geopolitics sure have. Uh, from World
War 2 onwards, we claimed, uh, truly as our ally
(06:30):
and our friend, the United States of America, they were
preeminent in the Indo-Pacific. Giant states, wonderful states, India, China.
Um, a repentant and resurgent Japan. The many states of
Southeast Asia themselves are quite populous. All of them were,
(06:53):
if you like, looking to the east, looking towards the
United States as the preeminent power in the Indo-Pacific, particularly
in the Pacific.
Now over time, uh, that has changed. Not that the
United States has changed its position, all the other places
uh states are in the same place, but the relativity
(07:17):
of power has slowly changed. The United States is still
the most powerful uh of the uh uh oceanic states,
but China has become a major comparator.
And we might say a competitor, but certainly as a
comparator in the Indo-Pacific, you could say that the um
(07:42):
automatic presumption of pre-eminence on the part of the United States,
uh is no longer as automatic or as comfortable. This
has caused Australia, particularly with uh a much more ambitious
sounding China.
And a forward leaning China by its actions in places
(08:03):
like the South China Sea.
Uh, it's rhetoric over Taiwan and some of its actions, uh,
it's attitudes towards some of its North Asian, um, relationships, uh,
it's attitudes towards India. All of these, um, muscle movements,
one might say by the great Chinese state.
(08:25):
cause us to think, are we as automatic in our
presumption of peace and security without tension in the Indo-Pacific?
And the answer to that is no, not at the moment,
so that stands behind this re-appreciation of where we stand.
And should we be a little more conservative, a little
(08:49):
more mindful of our sovereign interests? Now
Speaker 1 (08:53):
only recently we saw the first meeting between an Australian
Prime Minister and the leader of China in more than
3 years. When you finished your role as Chief of
the defence Force in 2005, could you have imagined China's
position in the region in the year 2022? And how
do you see things playing out over the next few years?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Well, I could have imagined a couple of things in 2005,
uh when I uh was last involved in an official
capacity with China, um, before I became governor General. But
back in '05, 1 might have said then that the
Chinese were massively modernising.
Their defence force, which had become uh from a peasant
(09:33):
army with a domesticated, uh, People's Liberation Air Force, and
a brown water navy, uh with uh a a growing
number of holes in the water, the PLA navy.
Uh, it grew almost exponentially in technological terms, and certainly
(09:53):
one might say with the Air Force and the navy,
their air force and their navy in quantitative terms. So
qualitatively and qua quantitatively, it is, it's grown immensely. Now,
uh what also accompanied that in the first place there was.
A very benign attitude, outreach, engagement. Belt and Road looked
(10:16):
to be like a an ordinary economic expansion by a
giant state with a with a rosy future, an economy
that was going to be huge.
Now, in all of that there then became what might
be called geopolitical ambition, and that was stated. So that
was the hard edge that appeared on the edge of
(10:38):
the on the outer boundary of China's um uh expansion.
And uh in that regard, I didn't see that coming
with that pace. China was always destined to be a
mighty state.
But it seemed to have a patience and a long-term goal,
that patience has apparently worn thin or not been there
(11:03):
earlier concealed, uh, and the long-term goal has been put
on the horizon, not beyond the horizon. So in both
those respects, uh, we have a different situation to, uh,
we saw in 2005.
But up until 2014 or so.
(11:25):
Relationships were still very warm.
Uh, personally, I had a, uh, most, uh, warmly received
state visit to China, uh, in that period, 2014, 2015, uh,
reciprocally hosted the president of China and was received very
warmly by the Chinese president and and the rest of
(11:46):
the leadership. So you might have said then, things were
tracking along well.
But yeah, things change, uh, words are said, uh, actions
taken to demonstrate what might be called um muscle flexing.
And in that regard, uh that stands behind Australia's concerns
(12:09):
and it's own motion to review its security position.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
The focused on enhanced sovereignty for Australian defence has been
a theme we've developed under the previous government, it's continuing
under the new government. How important do you see that, uh,
to our position and our role in the region?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Well, the first thing to state is that Australia is
not attempting to pole vault into some kind of uh
powerful regional um,
Military force, that's not what's happening. What we're looking at
are the essentials of our own security and sovereignty, our
trade routes, the freedom of action we should enjoy as
(12:54):
a law-abiding state in our region and on the trade, uh,
oceanic ways, uh, to the northwest, to the north, to
the northeast.
Um, traditionally, importantly, nation states ought to be allowed, uh,
peaceful access to such waters, 95% of our trade.
(13:15):
Passes on the ocean in those directions. So from that
point of view, we will look at the ways in
which we can be more certain of the security of
those routes. So in that regard, we're looking to enhance
our maritime capabilities, both surface and sub-surface, and in the
(13:39):
aerospace above, uh, that broad arc from the northwest.
Around to the northeast and and to the east, uh, we,
to some degree, feel a fraternal, uh, neighbourly responsibility to
ensure the um freedom of action and the unspoiled nature
(14:01):
of the island states to the east of us. So
from that point of view, uh, we want our region
to be more secure and we're prepared to pay more
for it.
Speaker 1 (14:13):
Turning to the role that you've played in helping Australian
communities in the wake of natural disasters, we're seeing the
devastating impacts of floods across large parts of our eastern states.
What do you see as the most critical areas of
action for government and businesses in helping Australian communities respond,
rebuild and carry forward? Any lessons learned?
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Every time Australia in one of its beautiful parts of
our continent, suffers a natural disaster, uh there are uh
lessons to be learnt. Now, uh, we relearn those lessons, uh, sometimes,
I mean, just the thought about people building on floodplains
(14:57):
and all that sort of thing.
People wanting to live in a beautiful bush environment which
allows flammable, uh, uh, plant life to be very close
to properties. All of those, we, we relearn those lessons,
but we could say that in terms of disaster relief,
we learn about the power of communications. I had the,
(15:21):
I suppose the privilege, when you look back on it,
to be a um,
A disaster relief uh leader or coordinator after Cyclone Larry,
and when we saw that telecommunications, uh was the first casualty,
because power goes out.
If you have no power and no generated power to
(15:42):
operate towers, then you're thrust back from the 21st century
into the 19th century village life before electricity.
And if you want to see a devastated modern community,
take away their communications, they can struggle on without electric light, uh,
(16:04):
without power for the fridge. Um, uh, they can struggle on, uh,
if they are able to, um, uh, get dry and
be under shelter.
But what they struggle uh without, and morale goes through
the floor, is when they're left ignorant of what's happening.
(16:26):
We've come to rely in the information age on the
ability to gather and pass information.
So we used after Cyclone Larry, the restoration of power.
Street by street, village by village, as the drumbeat of
early recovery. We made heroes out of the work teams
(16:51):
from the energy supply companies as they worked their way
up and down the highways and out to the various settlements.
When power returned, it was the first major step towards recovery.
Now, the other thing we learn out of um those
sorts of disasters is to have redundant communications. So, I,
(17:16):
I think one of the things that telecommunications companies might
consider is having what are apparently uh uh redundant investments,
sitting in uh warehouses, which are portable, sustainable telephone towers.
And generators to keep the things operating, to operate a
(17:39):
network very, very quickly after a natural disaster has smashed
a settled area.
That's the other thing about natural disasters, that we understand
that if a natural disaster hits an uninhabited part of
the wide brown land.
(18:00):
We fly a television crew over in a helicopter.
Take some footage and show people on the nightly news.
If it hits a settled area, now you're talking, that's
a natural disaster. People are at the heart of our
of our um perception of a natural disaster and we
(18:21):
minister to people. So in the very first place, uh,
when we are responding to a natural disaster, uh it's the,
Uh, upliftment of people in the very first place, shelter.
Safety, health, food, clean water.
(18:42):
And telecommunications.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Now this is a segment where our guests can put
out one call, one request, one wish to all leaders
of enterprise and government organisations in order to realise or
avoid missing an opportunity or to prevent a big mistake.
So if you could have one wish for all business
and government leaders, what would it be and why?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
I'd like to see them explain the situation that they
confront in more detail as often as possible to their
employees to trust them, so that when a crisis occurs,
it's so much easier to have everybody on the same map.
(19:26):
Rather than looking for people to operate solely by supreme directive,
if I could put it that way, without knowing so
much of the background as to say, oh I know
why the boss is doing this. That's what I'd say
to prime ministers, all the way through to the uh
boss of a small, uh, few person enterprise.
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Now we're gonna go into a rapid fire segment here
where I'm gonna ask you a series of quick questions,
go for an immediate first thing that pops into your
head response. Number one, what's your favourite piece of technology?
Speaker 2 (20:02):
The iPhone, because it's got more power in it than
all those nuclear scientists had when they were developing the
A-bomb back in the 40s. Now it's uh uh more
technology sits in my pocket. I love my iPhone.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
How do you disconnect?
Speaker 2 (20:18):
Turn off the iPhone. No, I disconnect by uh disappearing
into books, good television and watching sport. I'm no longer
whatever I was, I'm just a numpty having fun.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
What's the most important thing you do for your wellbeing?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Um, mixed with my family, they are the reason why
I'm on earth. I have a wonderful wife and kids, that, uh,
supersedes any other thing I've ever done is to be
lucky in marriage and to have wonderful kids.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
What's one thing that would surprise people about you?
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I like classical music, particularly opera, lyrical opera, not, not,
you know, uh sort of Wagnerian opera, but lyrical opera,
love
Speaker 1 (21:03):
it. What's one thing that is most important to success?
Speaker 2 (21:07):
I think you've got to.
To understand you might fail and forgive yourself every failure
and just redouble your efforts to be better. Never be
intimidated by a job, you can do it. What's
Speaker 1 (21:19):
the one thing there needs to be more of in
business today?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Good humour. There's gotta be good humour. People who are
dour and who are serious, they can be dour and serious,
but let them have a lighter side, good humour.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So Peter Cosgrove, it's been an absolute pleasure talking to
you today. Thank you for joining us on the Vocus
Inspire podcast.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
It's wonderful we'll be back with Vocus.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Thanks so much for listening. I hope you've enjoyed this
episode of Focus Inspire, and we look forward to bringing
you more inspiration in coming episodes. If you've enjoyed this conversation,
we've got so much more to share with you. We've
just released a detailed report called Connectivity for.
0, the new business imperative, featuring trends and insights from
(22:04):
industry leaders and experts and importantly, practical steps to help
you lead your organisation through change. Head to our website
at ocus.com.au to download the full report.
And don't forget, if you want more inspiration and more episodes,
head to Vocus.com.au/podcast. You can follow us on LinkedIn and
(22:24):
Twitter to stay up to date with all things Vocus.
Listen out for the next episode of the Vocus Inspire podcast.
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