ARCIA Brisbane Critical Communications Conference | 30 July 2026

Highlights from Brisbane 2026

The Brisbane Critical Communications Conference and QLD State Networking Dinner were held on Thursday, 30 July 2026 at Rydges Brisbane, bringing together radio and critical communication professionals for a fantastic day and evening of knowledge sharing, networking and connection.

The conference provided valuable insights into the evolving communications landscape, emerging technologies, network resilience, and the opportunities and challenges facing our industry in the years ahead.

We were fortunate to hear from an outstanding line-up of industry experts, who shared their knowledge and perspectives across a diverse range of topics. Presentations explored everything from the resilient future of Land Mobile Radio, presented by Paul Elmes of Tait Communications, and the evolution from narrowband to broadband for critical communications, presented by Rhys Clare of Airbus, to Queensland’s critical communications and hybrid transition path towards 2032, presented by Neil Jamieson of Hypha.

Delegates also heard from Garry Kerr of the Queensland Police Service on Public Safety Communications, while Jessica Reid and Lee Stevens provided insights into preparing for Australia’s biggest communications challenge ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Other presentations covered satellite technology, SCADA radio networks, communications resilience and ARCIA’s role in the modern critical communications environment.

The QLD State Networking Dinner provided a great opportunity to continue the conversations in a relaxed setting, with industry professionals coming together to connect, catch up and celebrate our industry.

Thank you to everyone who attended, as well as our speakers, sponsors and partners, for helping make both events a great success. We look forward to bringing the industry together again at our future events.

Next in line is Adelaide, with the Adelaide Conference and SA State Networking Dinner on 17 September. Register now! 

QLD State Professional of the Year Award

At this year’s QLD State Networking Dinner, we were thrilled to announce Geoff Balmain as this year’s recipient of the QLD State Professional of the Year Award.

As Workshop Supervisor for the Radio & Electronics Section, Rockhampton, Geoff has led and implemented numerous solutions for the frontline. He has been called upon to travel long distances at all hours to help keep the community safe.

Geoff is a quiet achiever and conscientious leader. His approach to public safety has earned respect within the Agencies and Industry. His leadership style inspires those who work with him to do their best. From his tutelage, Geoff’s apprentices have developed into responsible and competent technicians.

Congratulations to Geoff!

We look forward to seeing Geoff later this year, where he will automatically be entered into the running for the National Outstanding Professional of the Year Award, competing against other state winners. The national award will be announced at the ARCIA Gala Dinner in Melbourne on October 14, held in conjunction with Comms Connect.

Event Gallery

ARCIA Partners

A special thanks to all our partners— ARCIA can’t deliver these events for the radio and critical communications sector without you.

2026 Brisbane Presentations

Conference stream 

• • The Resilient Future of Land Mobile Radio – Paul Elmes | Managing Director (Asia-Pacific), Tait Communications
  • The Evolution of Narrowband to Broadband for Critical Communications – Rhys Clare | National Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, Australasian Critical Communications Forum, Regional Chapter of TCCA
  • The Race to 2032 – Queensland critical communications and the hybrid transition path – Neil Jamieson | Group CEO, Hypha Limited
  • Public Safety Communications – Garry Kerr | A/Director Public Safety Communications Program, Frontline & Digital Division, Queensland Police Service
  • Preparing for Australia’s Biggest Communications Challenge – Jessica Reid | Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Government Relations for the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games & Lee Stevens | Head of Business Technology at Brisbane 2032
  • Unitywater’s Telemetry SCADA Radio Network Upgrade – Raymond Lao | Operational Technology Engineer, Networks Lead, Unitywater
  • ARCIA’s Role in a Modern Critical Communications Environment – Hamish Duff | Hon. President, ARCIA and Managing Director, Mastercom
  • Star Wars, The LEO Strikes Back –An impartial review of the satellite industry revolution currently underway – Dale Stacey | Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd
  • LRDR: The Resilience Layer When Everything Else Fails – Robbie Huxley | CEO, Mobile Communications

    Panel Discussion 

  • The Use of Satellite Communications in the Critical Communications Environment – Separating Fact from Fiction

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  Brisbane 2026 Presentation Abstracts

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  LRDR: The Resilience Layer When Everything Else Fails

  Presented by: Robbie Huxley | CEO, Mobile Communications

  Key Takeaways:

  1. What modern digital HF/LRDR can do (voice, data, ALE/3G/4G, security)
  2. How LRDR complements satellite/IP and keeps ops running during failures
  3. Practical integration: HF–VHF/ UHF–LTE/ Sat via gateways (e.g., SmartPatch)

  The session will draw on real regional deployments and lessons learned from operating in infrastructure-limited environments, aligning well with the conference’s focus on innovation, interoperability, and resilience.

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  Star Wars, The LEO Strikes Back –An impartial review of the satellite industry revolution currently underway

  Presented by: Dale Stacey | Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd

  There is a revolution taking place within the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) sector of the broadband communications industry. The sector is volatile and disruptive, with implications for the terrestrial mobile networks and traditional thinking of backhaul for the carriers, for Public Safety Users and for domestic and commercial users being challenged. This sector of communications has seen exceptional growth recently, with the costs of sat comms tumbling. However, there are whispers about congestion, a bandwidth ceiling, possible increasing costs and concerns over sovereignty and weaponisation.

  This presentation is a snapshot in time of now and some crystal balling as to where it will go. 

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  ARCIA’s Role in a Modern Critical Communications Environment

  Presented by: Hamish Duff | Hon. President, ARCIA and Managing Director, Mastercom

  This session will look at ARCIA’s role as the peak body in the Australian radio and critical communications sector, with consideration given to how the association can and does help its members navigate and advocate in the local market.

  Key observations will include:

  • The critical communications landscape
  • The Australia challenge
  • The growing influence of 3GPP standards
  • Advocating for all sectors

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  Unitywater’s Telemetry SCADA Radio Network Upgrade

  Presented by: Raymond Lao | Operational Technology Engineer, Networks Lead, Unitywater

  This presentation covers Unitywater’s upgrade of their radio telemetry SCADA network from aging analog serial radios to modern digital IP-based Ethernet radios. The focus will be the following:

  • Key reasons for the upgrade
  • Design process of the new radio network
  • Logistical challenges of managing the multi-year rollout on a live critical network
  • Operational benefits of the new radio network post-upgrade
  • Lessons learnt

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  Preparing for Australia’s Biggest Communications Challenge

  Presented by: Jessica Reid | Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Government Relations for the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games &
  Lee Stevens | Head of Business Technology at Brisbane 2032

  Brisbane 2032 will require one of the largest and most complex communications environments ever delivered in Australia. This session explores how telecommunications, mobile networks, spectrum management and operational technology come together to support athletes, officials, broadcasters, workforce and millions of spectators. It also shares practical lessons from Milano Cortina 2026 and how Brisbane 2032 is preparing to deliver communications that are reliable, resilient and largely invisible to the end user.

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  Public Safety Communications

  Presented by: Garry Kerr | A/Director Public Safety Communications Program, Frontline & Digital Division, Queensland Police Service

  Public safety communication such as radio, telephony, satellite, video and mobile data is critical to the frontline and is the first line of communication in day-to-day operations. The session outlines the initiatives being undertaken by Queensland Government Public Safety Agencies to expand critical communications coverage across Queensland and remediate blackspots.

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  The Race to 2032 – Queensland critical communications and the hybrid transition path

  Presented by: Neil Jamieson | Group CEO, Hypha Limited

  This presentation will look at the current landscape for critical comms in Queensland, with the Olympics coming up in 2032, the GWN contract up for renewal in 2028, and our “rest of State” network needs a lot of work and investment. What are the options, and how do we get to PSMB on time and on budget across the state?

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  The Evolution of Narrowband to Broadband for Critical Communications

  Presented by: Rhys Clare | National Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, Australasian Critical Communications Forum, Regional Chapter of TCCA

  In high-risk energy and mining environments, communications are no longer just about keeping people connected—they are about keeping people alive, assets productive, and operations running. While Narrowband Land Mobile Radio (LMR) has long provided dependable voice, it cannot support the real-time data, video, and automation now required to operate safer, more efficient, and increasingly autonomous sites.

  The partnership between Airbus and Capgemini is bridging this gap, orchestrating a seamless transition to Broadband MCX (Mission Critical X: Voice, Video, and Data).

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  The Resilient Future of Land Mobile Radio

  Presented by: Paul Elmes | Managing Director (Asia-Pacific), Tait Communications

  The long predicted demise of Land Mobile Radio (LMR) has yet to arrive. This presentation examines why mission critical LMR remains essential, how it is evolving alongside broadband and IP technologies, and what hybrid architectures, spectrum policy, and operational realities mean for public safety and critical industries over the next decade worldwide.

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  Panel Discussion: The Evolving Radio and Critical Communications Ecosystem – How Disruptive are Emerging Technologies?

  Moderated by: Chris Stevens, Managing Director, CartGIS

  Panellists:

  Dale Stacey | Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd
  Hamish Duff | Managing Director, Mastercom
  Robbie Huxley | CEO, Mobile Communications
  Garry Kerr | A/Director Public Safety Communications Program, Frontline & Digital Division, Queensland Police Service
  Rhys Clare | National Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, ACCF, Regional Chapter of TCCA
  Neil Jamieson | Group CEO, Hypha Limited

  Much discussion is now focusing not only on when MCX will become the norm for critical communications right around the world, but what role satellite should and will play. Land Mobile Radio still plays a crucial role in many environments, and significant investment continues to be made by many for their communications requirements, but are we now seeing a shift that will hasten the end of LMR networks, with increasing spend on emerging technologies? 

  Today, we have heard from a range of experts, with various backgrounds and opinions on currently available technologies, and now we will hear again from some of them, as we open up to our panel, giving them the opportunity to share with our audience where they see the radio and critical communications sector heading. 

  Are we really seeing the demise of Land Mobile Radio, or do the numbers around the world tell a different story? Will the surge in LEO adoption curtail investment in MCX by certain users, or will we continue to see the mix of technologies we see today for many years to come, based on use case, budget, security, coverage and many other factors?

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  Speaker Biographies

  Conference Chair

  Chris Stevens Managing Director, CartGIS

  Chris Stevens is Managing Director of CartGIS Pty Ltd, an emergency management, GIS and mapping and communications consultancy company based in Melbourne. Chris has extensive experience in LMR network design, planning and implementation as well as GIS and mapping application design and commissioning. CartGIS Pty Ltd also specialises in bespoke training and education for the critical communication community. Chris has extensive qualifications and experience in secondary, tertiary and workplace training and education, which, coupled with his communication experience, delivers industry and client focused outcomes. Chris is also Co-Vice President of ARCIA and Sub-committee convenor of training and education for ARCIA.

  Presenter Biographies

  Dale Stacey Managing Director, SAT Pty Ltd	Dale Stacey has spent more than 25 years in the telecommunications industry. He is a Chartered Engineer (IET,UK and IEAust, Australia and a member of IEEE,USA) and has an extensive range of knowledge and experience in the worldwide radio communications sector. Dale has managed and delivered many major projects through all phases of their life cycle, from concept and strategy, through development of the business case, design, optimisation, installation, integration, test and commission, acceptance and maintenance. Dale has gained experience of such projects from a number of perspectives, including that of the supplier, vendor, buyer, user, integrator and consultant. Dale’s previous experience includes numerous design and implementation assignments for major public utilities both worldwide and within Australia (electricity, gas, oil and water), and telecommunications carrier projects (GSM, 3G and microwave projects for Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, BT). More recently, he has been involved in extensive coverage analysis, optimisation and drive testing of private networks, and 3G and 4G networks. He is currently working on the 5G revolution and other private network innovations in emergency services, smart city and IoT.
  Garry Kerr A/Director Public Safety Communications Program, Frontline & Digital Division, Queensland Police Service	Garry Kerr has over 4 decades experience in critical communications systems across both the private and the public sectors in Queensland. Since joining the Department of Emergency Services in 2003, Garry has managed critical communication services across all Qld Public Safety Agencies. Since November 2025, Garry has performed the role of Director Public Safety Communications. The Directorate co-ordinates and facilitates public safety communications planning and development between all Public Safety Agencies, agencies of government and service providers. The Directorate also supports the Qld Public Safety Communications Interdepartmental Committee..
  Hamish Duff Hon. President, ARCIA and Managing Director, Mastercom	Hamish is the Managing Director of Mastercom and a founding Director of the Orion Network. A specialist in wide–area radio networks, Hamish has a genuine understanding of the pressures faced in the field and the role that efficient communications plays to help people every day. With a career in communications spanning more than 40 years, Hamish is skilled in making complex, simple engineering communication solutions to support the needs of all users, from the control room to the field. Hamish is the honorary president of the Australian Radio Communications Industry Association and an honorary director of the Digital Mobile Radio Association.
  Jessica Reid Chief of Staff to the President and Director of Government Relations for the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games	Jessica’s career began in media and communications and has seen her live and work in locations around the world, including Australia, the UK and Asia-Pacific, as a journalist, presenter, editor and consultant to global corporate and government entities. Jessica has worked for state and federal governments, advising Ministers and the NSW Premier. She was the Chief of Staff to the Minister for Home Affairs during the Covid-19 Pandemic, supporting the management of the international border and helping to secure vital medical equipment to Australians. She was thrilled to return to Brisbane – the city that she grew up in – to take up her current role with Brisbane 2032.
  Neil Jamieson Group CEO, Hypha Limited	Neil has been involved with exploring Satellite communications and applications for over 20 years with a specific interest in the Public Safety Sector. As a founder, and the Group CEO of Hypha Ltd. Neil has been at the forefront of Satellite applications in the Public Safety sector in Australia. From simple PTT applications to driving Big Data solutions with new LEO constellations, it has been his mission to explore non-traditional options to solve some of our unique communications challenges in Australia..
  Paul Elmes Managing Director (Asia-Pacific), Tait Communications	An engineer by training, Paul began his career as a research scientist at the UK’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. During this time, Paul completed a doctorate on the development of novel sonar transducers for the Royal Navy. Paul has a broad background of experience across both the public and private sectors, holding senior positions in government departments, educational establishments and commercial enterprises. Paul returned to Tait Communications in 2016 as the Product Line Manager for the P25 portfolio. Most recently, he was the VP of Product Management, responsible for Tait’s global product portfolio.
  Raymond Lao Operational Technology Engineer, Networks Lead, Unitywater	Raymond has over 10 years of engineering experience in the Control Systems field across various industries such as mining, gas and water/wastewater. His current role as a Lead OT Engineer for Unitywater involves governance of the radio telemetry SCADA network that enables Unitywater to remotely manage over a thousand water/wastewater assets across their wide region of operations.
  Rhys Clare National Manager ANZ of Airbus and Director, Australasian Critical Communications Forum, Regional Chapter of TCCA	Rhys Clare is a director of the Australasian Critical Communications Forum (Chapter of TCCA) and National Sales Manager ANZ of Airbus. He has spent the last 20 years working with vendors in the Critical Communications space in Unified Communications, Contact Centre, Narrowband and Broadband solutions with NEC, LG Ericsson and Motorola Solutions. He’s launched SaaS based Broadband Push to Talk Services through reseller channels and telcos in Japan, India, Indonesia & Singapore and recently joined Airbus as the National Sales Manager.
  Robbie Huxley CEO/Managing Director, Mobile Communications	Robbie Huxley is the Owner and Managing Director of TE (PNG) Ltd, TE Solomons Ltd, TE Pacific Group, and Mobile Communications Pty Ltd. With formal qualifications in Aeronautical Engineering and Telecommunications & Network Engineering, Robbie brings a unique blend of technical expertise and hands-on solution delivery experience across the full spectrum of industries, NGO’s and government. Based in Papua New Guinea for more than 12 years, Robbie has delivered numerous large-scale communications projects as a Project Manager/Director. His experience covers the end-to-end lifecycle of critical systems, spanning HF/VHF/UHF radio networks, satellite communications, enterprise IT networks, security platforms, and fully integrated communications solutions. His work is leading the way in integrated communications services — delivering scalable, future-ready solutions that combine technical depth, commercial insight, and local capability development. He places a strong emphasis on building long-term system reliability and resilience, while also mentoring and training local technicians to develop on- the-ground capability. Through his group of companies, Robbie has delivered solutions across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Australia, and the wider South Pacific. This regional reach has given him extensive experience working in both challenging remote locations and complex metropolitan environments. His ability to bridge the technical and commercial aspects of project delivery ensures outcomes that are practical, sustainable, and strategically aligned to client needs.