『Intelligence; Optimised Podcast』のカバーアート

Intelligence; Optimised Podcast

Intelligence; Optimised Podcast

著者： Todd Crowley
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 In this series our Indo-Pacific experts navigate the complexities of safeguarding our present and fortifying our future in these uncertain times.

Our focus is on delivering expert analyses and insights under the national security umbrella, to help you: "Be Ready for Today. Prepared for Tomorrow." This series is crafted for a discerning audience, including defence professionals, policymakers, academics, technology experts , logistics and supply chain managers, public health officials, and food and agribusiness purveyors.

It's designed for those who seek to stay ahead of the curve in understanding and implementing the cutting-edge strategies and technologies that define global security today and shape its evolution tomorrow.



The “Vaxa Bureau - Intelligence; Optimised Podcast” is a part of the Vaxa Grow Series and brought to you by the Vaxa Bureau team.

Find out more: https://vaxabureau.com/
Copyright Todd Crowley 政治・政府 政治学
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  • #54 Redesigning Childcare for Productivity & National Growth | Madeline Simmonds & Jen Fleming - Part 2

    #54 Redesigning Childcare for Productivity & National Growth | Madeline Simmonds & Jen Fleming - Part 2
    2025/10/07
    In Part 1, the conversation exposed the lived impacts of Australia’s current childcare model - from parents driving hundreds of kilometres to reach centres, to professionals unable to return to work because care options don’t fit their family needs. The discussion framed childcare not just as a social issue, but as a national productivity challenge.

    Part 2 moves from problem to policy. Todd Crowley, Madeline Simmonds and Jen Fleming unpack “Family Selected Care” - a proposed reform to the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) that would let funds follow the family rather than the centre. Parents could choose registered grandparents, nannies, or au pairs as approved carers, giving them flexibility without adding cost to government.

    The conversation builds on national debate following the Productivity Commission’s early childhood report, which called for universal childcare by 2036 but left families questioning whether flexibility was still out of reach. Simmonds and Fleming argue for a simple shift: let subsidies follow the family, not the centre. Their proposed “Family Selected Care” category within the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) would allow registered grandparents, nannies, or au pairs to receive payments the same way approved centres do.

    The episode also contrasts Australia’s approach with models in the UK, France, and New Zealand, where parental choice already underpins childcare funding. The guests argue that the current system - centred on providers - fails families in rural regions, shift workers, and households managing health or disability needs.

    Key takeaways:
    ✔️ A direct, low-cost reform to increase workforce participation
    ✔️ A pathway to recognise informal and kinship carers
    ✔️ Alignment with NDIS principles of choice and control
    ✔️ How current rigidity costs families and productivity alike
    ✔️ A call to policymakers to modernise subsidy delivery

    For government advisers and social planners, this episode shows how subsidy design can drive both equity and productivity. It’s a grounded, data-backed conversation that challenges leaders to act before birth rates, workforce shortages, and parental stress deepen the gap.

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    38 分
  • #53 Redesigning Childcare for Productivity & National Growth | Madeline Simmonds & Jen Fleming - Part 1

    #53 Redesigning Childcare for Productivity & National Growth | Madeline Simmonds & Jen Fleming - Part 1
    2025/09/30
    Why childcare subsidy reform matters for productivity and family policy. Hear from parents leading the national debate.

    In this Part 1 episode of Intelligence Optimised, Todd Crowley speaks with Madeline Simmonds and Jen Fleming, co-founders of the 4 Parents advocacy group, about the critical intersection of childcare policy, productivity, and family wellbeing.

    Simmonds and Fleming are driving a national petition—already with more than 18,000 signatures—urging the federal government to rethink how childcare subsidies are delivered. Their core proposal is simple but far-reaching: pay subsidies directly to parents, mirroring the National Disability Insurance Scheme, so families can choose the care model that actually fits their circumstances. This could mean grandparents, nannies, or au pairs—options currently excluded from subsidy support.

    The discussion dives into the Productivity Commission’s 2024 report on early childhood, which set out 56 recommendations and a pathway to universal childcare by 2036. Yet the lived reality for families shows systemic gaps: long waitlists in childcare deserts, shift workers paying for unused places, parents facing 300-kilometre round trips, and families locked out by health or disability needs. The conversation highlights how rigid models leave many without viable choices, forcing some women out of the workforce and dragging national productivity down.

    This episode covers:
    ✔️ Why current childcare subsidies don’t fit modern family and work patterns
    ✔️ The call to fund parents directly and broaden approved care models
    ✔️ How lack of flexibility impacts productivity and workforce participation
    ✔️ Stories from rural, shift-working, and medically vulnerable families
    ✔️ The wider economic cost of childcare-related sickness and absenteeism

    For policy advisers and planners, the implications are clear: flexibility in subsidy design is not just a family issue—it is an economic and workforce priority. Listeners gain concrete insight into how policy can close gaps, reduce hidden productivity costs, and better align with contemporary work and family structures across Australia.

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    26 分
  • #52 The Quad, Supply Chains & The Pacific in Crisis | Paddy Hallinan - Part 2

    #52 The Quad, Supply Chains & The Pacific in Crisis | Paddy Hallinan - Part 2
    2025/09/23
    If you caught Part 1 last week, you’ll know the supply chain picture. This week in Part 2 we test the coalition and Defence side of the ledger.

    How exposed is Australia if the Indo-Pacific turns hot? In this episode we map the real stress-points: crowded sea and air lines of communication through the South China Sea and archipelago; a thin domestic refining base that lifts our reliance on imported fuel via Singapore; and non-kinetic attacks that can freeze pumps, power and comms without a shot fired. We also examine the national-will question—can government and public support hold when petrol runs short and utility bills spike?

    From supply chain security to force posture, the discussion is blunt. The United States sees conflict risk as nearer than most Australians do. That gap matters for planning. We unpack what Australia can contribute in a coalition beyond high-end combat, how AUKUS intersects with near-term readiness, and why mixed signals to allies complicate access to scarce Virginia-class production. At home, Defence faces recruitment and retention headwinds, capability nearing end-of-life, and programs crowded out by submarine funding. Mobilisation would need to reach beyond current ADF strength—something we haven’t done since the 1940s.

    Strategic takeaways: identify and protect the few refuelling and import nodes that keep the economy moving; pre-plan rerouting options for SLOCs/ALOCs; stockpile critical inputs; and align messaging so industry, states and the Commonwealth move in step. In the Pacific, leaders should read intent behind infrastructure “gifts” and price the future call-ins. Commodity dependence cuts both ways—iron ore flows shape leverage—but planning on leverage is not a plan for resilience.

    If you lead in defence, energy or logistics, this is a working brief on what to do now: set posture, harden nodes, and rally national will before the whistle blows.

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    28 分
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