ASIAL Security Insider

Crowded public spaces present a unique security challenge. They must remain safe and resilient while also feeling open, welcoming and accessible.

In this episode, we speak with Lauren Campbell, Security Manager at South Bank Corporation, ahead of her presentation at the Security Expo conference this September.
Lauren discusses the changing role of security in major public precincts, the limitations of traditional guarding models, and the need for a more visible, proactive and coordinated approach. We also explore how security teams can balance public safety with customer experience, strengthen collaboration between agencies and stakeholders, and prepare for the evolving risks facing crowded places.

The conversation offers a preview of Lauren’s upcoming session, Changing of the Guard: Redefining Security in Crowded Places, without revealing the key operational insights and strategies that will be presented at the conference.

To book your place at this year's Security Conference, visit: https://securityexpo.com.au/whats-on/conference/

Facial recognition remains one of the most controversial technologies in Australian security, sitting at the intersection of public safety, privacy, surveillance and corporate responsibility.

In this episode, we speak with Alex MacDonald, Director at Vixels and former National Investigations and Security Manager at Bunnings, about the retailer’s use of facial recognition technology and how the issue has evolved since the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s ruling.

We examine why Bunnings adopted the technology, what it was designed to achieve, where the rollout fell short, and what the subsequent legal and regulatory developments mean for retailers, security professionals and technology providers.

The discussion also addresses the key operational questions surrounding facial recognition: when its use may be justified, how consent and notification should be handled, what safeguards are required to reduce false matches and misuse, and whether organisations can balance security outcomes with individual privacy rights.

For anyone involved in retail security, loss prevention, surveillance, privacy, compliance or risk management, this episode provides a practical examination of what the Bunnings case means for the future of facial recognition in Australia.

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In this episode of the Security Insider Podcast, we speak with Alastair MacGibbon, one of Australia’s most experienced cyber security and technology resilience leaders.

Alastair has shaped Australian cyber security from almost every angle: as a Federal Agent with the Australian Federal Police, founder of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre, Australia’s inaugural eSafety Commissioner, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security, National Cyber Security Adviser, and founding executive at CyberCX.

Ahead of his September conference presentation, Alastair joins us to discuss how AI is changing the threat environment, why the traditional separation between cyber, physical and insider risk is breaking down, and what physical security managers need to understand now to protect their people, facilities, information and operations.

This conversation is designed to give security leaders practical ways to think about converged risk, without pre-empting the full detail of Alastair’s upcoming presentation.

The US–Iran conflict is a sharp reminder that supply-chain security is no longer just a logistics or procurement issue. For Australian organisations, geopolitical instability can quickly become a business continuity, security, insurance, transport and critical infrastructure problem.

In this episode of Security Insider, we speak with Andrew Harris from Ironbark Strategic and Bilal Ali Khan from Spinnaker Infrastructure about what senior security managers in Australia should be doing now to understand and reduce their exposure to supply-chain disruption.

The discussion explores the impact of conflict on maritime routes, energy costs, freight movement, insurance, critical suppliers, ports, warehousing, contractor risk and organisational resilience. We also examine the secondary risks that often emerge during disruption, including cargo theft, fraud, counterfeit goods, grey-market sourcing, insider threat and organised-crime activity.

Most importantly, this episode focuses on practical action: how security leaders can map supply-chain dependencies, identify single points of failure, monitor escalation indicators, brief executives, strengthen crisis plans and build a more resilient supply-chain security capability for future geopolitical shocks.

For senior security, risk, resilience, procurement and infrastructure leaders, this is a timely conversation about how to move from reactive crisis management to deliberate supply-chain preparedness.

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In this episode of Security Insider, host John Bigelow speaks with Tony Jaques, Director of Issue Outcomes, about crisis communications for security leaders. With cyber incidents, misinformation, deepfakes, regulatory pressure, and geopolitical instability all reshaping the risk landscape, this conversation explores how leaders should communicate during high-pressure events, what mistakes to avoid, and how to build trust when facts are still emerging. A practical episode for CISOs, CSOs, resilience leaders, and executives responsible for security and reputation.  

For more information, visit www.asial.com.au