Critical Communications Conference: Brisbane 30 July, 2026

Third on the ARCIA conference circuit is Brisbane! Join us for the QLD Critical Communications Conference and QLD State Networking Dinner in July 2026!
Following a fantastic conference in 2025, we’re heading back to sunny Brisbane on 30 July 2026.
Bookings now open!
Join us for the ARCIA Critical Communications Conference in Brisbane at Rydges South Bank. The Brisbane conference features a jam-packed stream of radio and critical communications presentations on Thursday, 30 July.
Finish off the day by getting together with your peers at the QLD Networking Dinner, where the highly anticipated winner of the QLD State Professional of the Year Award will be announced. You can make a nomination for this State Award via the ARCIA website until 3 July, 2026.
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Event Details
Conference and State Networking Dinner: Thursday 30 July
Venue and Address: Rydges, 9 Glenelg Street, South Brisbane, QLD 4101
Time: 9:00 am – 4:30 pm (Conference), 6:00 pm – 10:30 pm (QLD State Networking Dinner)
Numbers are strictly limited due to venue capacity for the conference and the dinner, so book your seats for you and your colleagues ASAP. Discounts apply on all rates for current ARCIA Members. Not a member yet? Join ARCIA now >>
Stay updated on event information by following us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our Mailing List.
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Membership and Partner Information
Discounts apply to all rates for current ARCIA Members, and Partners receive their State Dinner Entitlements.
Sign up to become an ARCIA Member and save $$$ on every ticket purchased.
ARCIA Partners: Use the partner ACCESS CODE to unlock your allocated complimentary tickets. For assistance, contact [email protected].
Brisbane 2026 Conference Stream | 9.00 AM – 4.30 PM
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LRDR: The Resilience Layer When Everything Else Fails
Presented by: Robbie Huxley | CEO, Mobile Communications
Key Takeaways:
- What modern digital HF/LRDR can do (voice, data, ALE/3G/4G, security)
- How LRDR complements satellite/IP and keeps ops running during failures
- 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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Brisbane 2032 – A Games for Queensland
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
Learn about the opportunities the Olympic and Paralympic Games brings through economic uplift, impact and collaborations – truly a once in a generational opportunity.
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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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Looking ahead to Brisbane 2032, where are we with PSMB, and what are our options?
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
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?
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 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.. |
**The conference organisers reserve the right to make changes to the agenda at any time and without notice. Please check close to the conference date for the latest agenda.
Location - Rydges South Bank Brisbane, 9 Glenelg Street , South Brisbane, Australia











