Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), founded in 1980 to research, design, develop and teach appropriate technologies and deliver technical training to Aboriginal people living in remote communities, is moving into the growing cybersecurity industry and AI. 

Chief executive Niki Ross says the aim of this transition is to future proof career pathways in hi-tech for Aboriginal people, and to support Australian businesses and organisations to become more cyber-aware and AI ready. 

CfAT has remained committed to its founding principles: providing appropriate technology, training and support to remote Aboriginal communities, regardless of location. It works with organisations in Central and Northern Australia to provide training and employment for Aboriginal people. This improves livelihoods in remote communities, which helps Aboriginal people to retain and maintain their connection to Country. 

CfAT Training, a registered training organisation, has a strong focus on community infrastructure, local projects, employment opportunities, and the environment. 

“CfAT Training has the facilities, equipment and expertise to make a real impact,” says Mr Ross. 

CfAT has been a leading provider of industry accreditations in Central Australia, offering courses ranging from the White Card and working at heights, to forklift and front-end loader training, with a new scope traffic management being added to its market offerings. 

The training organisation works closely with local businesses and organisations in Alice Springs and Tennant Creek to provide workplace licensing and certification directly to Industry and the wider public. 

CfAT Satellite Enterprises, a space tech subsidiary owned and operated by CfAT, has constructed two satellites dishes on the company’s 38-hectare headquarters in Alice Springs. Satellite Enterprises has hosted Geoscience Australia’s ground station antennas for over a decade. Additionally, CfAT hosts two optical space situational awareness telescopes, primarily functioning as part of systems that track space debris. 

“Our mission is to ensure Aboriginal Australians are active participants in the space and technology economies, and to realise the benefits of these services,” says Mr Ross. 

Hosting ground stations and optical telescope infrastructure allows CfAT to employ, train and build the capacity of Aboriginal workforce, who can then take their skillset back to their own remote communities. 

CfAT Products and Services provide everything from hand-forged metal sticks for gathering bush tucker, such as honey ants and witchetty grubs, to barbecues with special billy stands developed to reduce bushfires in remote camps. CfAT operates a metal fabrication workshop, the Frank Curtis Workshop, which manufactures environmentally and culturally appropriate products. 

CfAT contracts throughout Central Australia to conduct a wide range of work, including test and tag services, minor digital connectivity jobs, landscaping and fencing, tree pruning, fire breaks and buffel management, and reticulation works. 

DONALD ‘HUCKY’ HAYES, THOMAS GOREY AND MICHAEL BOOKER WORKING ON THE SPACE PRECINCT 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE NIKI ROSS 

“Engagement of the workforce supports staff to build their capacity and provides them a wide range of career opportunities that support their remote communities,” says Mr Ross. 

As part of the continuous evolution and expansion, CfAT has launched a range of cybersecurity services and hardware solutions. 

“With cybersecurity at the forefront of emerging industries we aim to propel Aboriginal people forward by combining emerging technologies with deep cultural knowledge of Central Australia’s unique environment,” says Mr. Ross. 

DONALD ‘HUCKY’ HAYES GREASING ONE OF THE SATELLITE ANTENNA 

The primary goal of the cybersecurity offering is to secure and safeguard information technology infrastructure. CfAT has partnered with innovative and industry-leading cybersecurity vendors, including Horizon3. ai, which supplies machine learning and AI to provide autonomous penetration testing. 

Penetration testing (pen testing), is a controlled, simulated cyberattack used to assess the security of IT systems, networks, applications, credentials and infrastructure. The service identifies vulnerabilities that malicious actors could exploit and evaluates how well a company’s IT environment can withstand real-world attacks. 

CfAT has long played a leading role in shaping and improving the lives of Aboriginal Australians through training, renewable energy, satellite communications, and now with the innovative field of cybersecurity. 

For any cybersecurity needs, satellite enterprises, industry training or bush hardy products, call CfAT on (08) 8959 6100 or email: info@cfat.org.au 

THE CFAT BOARD VISITING THE FRANK CURTIS WORKSHOP … (FROM LEFT) NIKI ROSS, THOMAS GOREY, JENNIFER KROKER, MICHAEL MARSHALL, PETER RENEHAN, NOEL HAYES, WILLIAM QUALL, REECE KERNAN, BOARD CHAIR FRANK CURTIS AND BRIAN SINGLETON