A two-part series on the future of telecommunications: infrastructure, access and sovereignt
Australia’s telecommunications sector stands at a regulatory crossroads. The physical infrastructure underpinning our digital economy, from mobile towers and fibre to subsea cables, data centres and now low-earth-orbit satellites, has never been more strategically significant, yet much of the framework governing it was built for a different era. At the same time, the sector’s long-standing model of co-regulation is being tested.
The series examines two of the most consequential questions facing the sector: one about how telecommunications is regulated at home, the other about how Australia secures the infrastructure it increasingly relies on from beyond its borders. Critical Connections brings this conversation to audiences in Sydney (Part 1) and Melbourne (Part 2).
Part 1: Essential Services and the Future of Co-regulation (Sydney)
Date: Wednesday 15 July 2026
Time: 12.00 pm – 2.00 pm
Venue: Mallesons, Level 61, Governor Phillip Tower, 1 Farrer Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Light lunch: Midday to 12.30 pm
Seminar: 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm
Access to telecommunications is now as fundamental as access to power or water, essential to work, health, education, safety and civic participation. So why is it regulated so differently? Taking the energy sector as a lens, this session examines what “essential service” status would mean for telecommunications: the case for stronger consumer protections and enhanced infrastructure rights, weighed against the regulatory burden that comes with it.
It also asks where co-regulation is headed. For decades, the sector has relied on the industry developing its own codes, registered and enforced by the regulator, but that model is under pressure. The decision to replace the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code with direct regulation marks a turning point in how the sector is governed, and raises a bigger question about the future of co-regulation across telecommunications. The reliability of services like Triple Zero shows what is at stake when the rules do not hold.
OPENING REMARKS
Cynthia Gebert – Ombudsman, Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
Cynthia Gebert commenced in the role of Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in May 2022. She is responsible for bringing to life the Board’s vision for the TIO, through the implementation and delivery of the organisational strategy.
Before joining the TIO, Cynthia was Victoria’s Energy and Water Ombudsman for ten years. She has a master’s degree in Dispute Resolution from the University of Technology, Sydney and bachelor’s degrees in law and political science from the University of Sydney.
Cynthia is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA), previously serving as its Chair. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
As a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Cynthia is currently a Director of the Thriving Communities Partnership, Thriving Communities Foundation, and Eltham College Limited.
PANEL SPEAKERS
Luke Coleman – CEO, Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA)
Luke Coleman is a communications industry professional with more than 18 years’ experience working with media, vendors, operators, and government. Most recently head of government and corporate affairs at Vocus since 2019, Luke has previously worked as a chief of staff, senior adviser, and media adviser to two Communications Ministers between 2014-2018, as a public policy and communications manager for a global telecoms equipment vendor between 2010-2014, and as the editor-in-chief of Communications Day between 2007-2010; as well as a range of journalist roles in print, radio, television and online. Luke lives in Sydney with his wife and two children, and a mini Golden Retriever named Honey.
Carol Bennett – CEO, Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN)
Carol Bennett is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), advocating for fair, accessible, and affordable communications services for all Australians. As CEO, she oversees all of ACCAN’s work and operations and leads its research, policy, and advocacy initiatives, working closely with government, industry, and community stakeholders to drive digital inclusion and strengthen consumer rights.
Carol is a highly respected leader with a strong track record of delivering positive change for consumers and communities. She has held senior executive and board positions with national peak bodies in the health sector, and most recently served as CEO of the Alliance for Gambling Reform from 2021 until commencing at ACCAN in mid-2024.
Rob Nicholls Dr – Senior Research Associate, Centre for AI, Trust, and Governance, The University of Sydney
Dr Rob Nicholls is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Sydney Centre for AI, Trust, and Governance and a professional fellow at UTS Law. His research work focuses on the intersection of technology and regulation. He also advises senior executives of regulators, governments, and the regulated sector both in Australia and overseas.
He has appeared as an expert witness in Federal Court proceedings. Rob has made numerous submissions to government inquiries and regularly provides media commentary.
Rob has had a forty-year career. His first degree was in electronics and communications engineering from the University of Birmingham, and he was awarded his PhD and MA by UNSW Sydney. He has worked for Webb Henderson, the ACCC and spent twelve years as a client-facing consultant at Gilbert + Tobin, including as a partner. From 2012 to 2020, Rob was Australia’s Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator. He is an accredited mediator.
Rosemary Sinclair – Member of NSW IPART Energy Network Regulation Committee
Rosemary Sinclair AM FAICD FCPA FGIA, has deep experience as a non-executive and managing director on private company, government and international association boards. Rosemary has senior operational and governance experience in highly regulated sectors – telecommunications, media, higher education and energy. Rosemary was CEO of auDA (.au) until December 2024 focusing on critical infrastructure cybersecurity standards and multi-stakeholder global internet governance.
Rosemary chaired the Regional Telecommunications Inquiry Review (2012) which recommended support for mobile network expansion. Rosemary chaired the Victorian Electricity Network Outage Review (2024) which highlighted the important of access to communications services during extreme weather and natural disasters.
Rosemary has been a part-time member of the ACMA and is currently a member of NSW IPART Energy Network Regulation Committee.
Rosemary is a member of Chief Executive Women, a 2018 AFR 100 Women of Influence finalist and was awarded an AM in 2018 and inducted in 2022 as a member of the CommsDay Hall of Fame
MODERATOR
Kate Creighton-Selvay – Partner, Mallesons
Kate is a Partner at Australian top-tier law firm, Mallesons, who advises on complex projects, strategic contracting, and provides advice on a range of regulatory areas including telecommunications and radiocommunications.
She has a proven track record of advising incumbent and new entrant telecommunications industry participants on all aspects of their business, including acquisitions, infrastructure projects, negotiations for strategic activities, and compliance and risk management.
Kate has built an outstanding reputation, in particular through expert guidance to industry participants, helping them think three steps ahead on commercial projects, and navigate the implementation of new regulatory schemes and the development of new laws.
Kate is consistently ranked as a “Leading” Technology, Media & Telecommunications Lawyer in Doyles, and was the Lawyer of the Year – Telecommunications Law in Melbourne in Best Lawyers in Australia 2025.
Part 2: Secure and Sovereign? (Melbourne)
Date: Monday 24 August 2026
Time: 5.30 pm – 8.00 pm
Venue: Mallesons, Level 27, Collins Arch, 447 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Registration: 5.30 pm for 6.00 pm
Seminar: 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm
Networking drinks: 7.30 pm to 8.00 pm
From satellites overhead to cables beneath the sea, the infrastructure carrying Australia’s data has never been more critical, or more exposed. As we come to depend on connectivity that sits beyond the reach of domestic regulation, hard questions arise about sovereignty, security and resilience. This session explores the expanding role of satellite connectivity under the new Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation, the strategic weight of subsea cables and data centres, and spectrum as a strategic national security asset. What does it mean to rely on critical infrastructure that may be owned, operated or routed offshore, and what frameworks do we need to respond?
OPENING REMARKS
Hon Paul Fletcher – Principal, Paul Fletcher & Associates
Paul Fletcher served as a Liberal MP in Australia’s parliament from 2009 to 2025. From 2013 to 2022 he was successively a Parliamentary Secretary, Minister and Cabinet Minister.
Apart from nine months as Minister for Social Services, Paul’s front bench service was largely in communications and infrastructure. He was Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts in the Morrison Government.
In his last term Paul was Shadow Minister for Science, Arts, Government Services and the Digital Economy, and Manager of Opposition Business in the House.
Paul is Chairman of Vodafone Fiji, a director of Amalgamated Telecom Holdings, a director of the Tech Council of Australia and and an advisor to transport technology business CompassIOT. His advisory business, Paul Fletcher and Associates, serves clients in the communications, infrastructure and digital sectors.
Before politics, Paul’s extensive private sector experience included eight years on the Senior Management Team at telecommunications company Optus.
Paul has spoken and written extensively on communications and technology policy issues, including writing two books, Wired Brown Land: Telstra’s Battle for Broadband (UNSW Press, 2009) and Governing in the Internet Age (Monash University Press, 2021).
Paul has dual first class honours degrees in law and economics from Sydney University and an MBA from Columbia University in New York where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
PANEL SPEAKERS
Mary Roberts – Chief Commercial Officer, Telstra Digital Infrastructure (TDI)
Mary is responsible for enabling profitable, scalable growth for TDI by leading the end-to-end commercial system. This includes driving market insight and offer positioning through to pricing, contracting, billing integrity, and sales execution to support TDI’s growth agenda, maximise value, and manage risk.
Mary has worked in telecommunications for 20 years. She commenced her career as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons specialising in competition and consumer law, before joining Telstra’s legal team in 2011. She worked as Telstra’s M&A General Counsel where she led deal structuring, negotiation and execution of >30 M&A transactions (>A$8bn transaction value) and >$1.5bn in financial transactions. She led the transactional team in Telstra’s A$2.8bn sale of a 49% stake in its mobile towers business (Amplitel) to a Morrison/Future Fund consortium, the establishment of Titanium Ventures, and the sell-down of fibre assets and Telstra’s directories business (Sensis Pty Ltd). She won Australian In-House Lawyer of the Year at the 2018 Australasian Law Awards for her M&A work, including investments in areas such as quantum computing with the Australian Government.
Mary is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and completed a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) at the University of Tasmania in 2005. She serves several directorships and is also TDI’s Executive representative on Telstra’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.
Mary has two young children and is based in Melbourne, Australia.
Michael Brealey – General Manager of the Communications and Infrastructure Division, Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)
Michael Brealey was appointed to the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) as the General Manager of the Communications and Infrastructure Division in December 2023.
Michael leads the agency’s spectrum management activities, including planning, allocating and licensing access to Australia’s radio frequency spectrum to optimise its value to the Australian community. Michael manages the ACMA’s field monitoring and interference management programs. Michael is also responsible for device regulation and for the ACMA’s submarine cables protection zone regulatory framework.
Michael has over 25 years of experience across communications, media policy and operations. Prior to joining the ACMA, Michael was the COO of Screen Australia, the CEO of Create NSW, Executive Director of Arts NSW, Head of Policy and Strategy for ABC TV and Manager of Public Policy for Vodafone Australia.
Before that Michael held various roles in the federal Department of Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts working across community and national broadcasting, transmission infrastructure,telecommunications competition policy, arts and screen.
MODERATOR
Jessica Kruger – Partner, Mallesons
Jess is a Partner in the M&A team of Australian top-tier firm, Mallesons who leads a digital infrastructure transactional practice and is an expert in telecommunications law and policy in Australia.
Jess has been a key strategic adviser to telecommunications clients for more than 10 years. Jess has experience in large-scale digital infrastructure projects, long-term agreements for access to digital infrastructure (wholesale and retail), complex services agreements and M&A of digital infrastructure assets.
Alongside her transactional practice, Jess is also an expert in telecommunications law and policy in Australia. Jess regularly advises clients on the Telecommunications Act, the facilities access regime and its related legislation and policy.
Jess has consistently been recognised as a “Next Generation Lawyer” and “Rising Star” in IT And Telecoms in the Legal 500.
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