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Domini Stuart

I write about business, health and technology for hard copy and online publications. I have a particular interest in social justice and human rights.

Scroll down to see examples of my work.

My Articles

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Update on the Modern Slavery Act Review - AICD

Most new legislation with untested regulatory impact is subject to a three-year review. In March last year, Professor John McMillan AO was appointed to lead such a review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (the Act) with the support of the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Branch. An Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, McMillan has extensive experience in conducting major investigations and providing legal and policy advice. He has also reviewed the medicinal cannabis regula

Insurance for cryptocurrency: how can we cover digital currencies?


• Cryptocurrencies offer significant opportunities for insurers, although there are challenges to overcome.
• The volatility of the currencies is a major concern.
• There is a pressing need for clear and consistent regulation globally.


The transaction volume of cryptocurrencies tracked by blockchain data platform Chainalysis grew to US$15.8 trillion in 2021, up 576 per cent on the previous year. Over the same period, criminals acquired cryptocurrencies worth US$14 billion — a significant bu
Australian Securities Exchange •

Kiwi ingenuity behind ground-breaking Rett syndrome treatment

In March this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neuren Pharmaceuticals’ Daybue (trofinetide) as the first treatment for Rett syndrome, which is a rare, genetic neurological disorder that almost exclusively affects girls. In April, the drug was launched in the US by Neuren’s partner, Acadia Pharmaceuticals.

“This was an enormous moment,” says Jon Pilcher, Neuren’s CEO/MD. “In our clinical trials and now in ongoing treatment, caregivers have reported some very meaningful im
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Importance of acquisition strategy

A 2011 article published in the Harvard Business Review pegged the overall failure rate for M&As as between 70 and 90 per cent. Since then, this has been widely quoted. A decade later, Aoris Investment Management examined 1,000 of the largest M&A deals over the past 50 years and put the failure rate at 60 per cent. Aoris also identified the two most likely causes as the size of the deals and how far the acquirer strays from their core business.

“While many of the risks associated with cross-ind

How boards need to work collaboratively for better outcomes for First Nations people - AICD

The relationship Australia has with its First Nations people is one of the most, if not the most, important issues facing the country today, according to Colin Carter AM FAICD, senior adviser at The Boston Consulting Group. He was speaking at the 26 May webinar, National Reconciliation Week: How organisations can create lasting social impacts, moderated by Louise Petschler GAICD, General Manager, Education & Policy Leadership AICD. Joining Carter on the panel were Cath Brokenborough GAICD, execu
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The insurance industry’s net zero commitment

Climate change is creating an insurance crisis in Australia. An average rise in the global temperature of 1.44oC over pre-industrial levels has already increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, driving up both the number of claims and the cost of premiums.



“Insurance is the bellwether for climate impacts in Australia across a range of sectors, and rising temperatures are having an impact on the availability and affordability of insurance in this country,” says Andrew
Business Research and Insights •

Four brothers, 13 pharmacies: How risk equalled reward

It took a brave relocation to regional NSW to kick-start Fawaz Khodary’s pharmacy career. Today, it’s paid off handsomely as he and his three pharmacist siblings grow their Your Discount Pharmacy brand.

When Fawaz Khodary gained his degree in pharmacy he feared he’d made a big mistake.

“All pharmacists need to work as a supervised intern before they can be registered but, in 1991, jobs were hard to find,” he says. “I approached 50 or 60 Sydney pharmacies without success.”

The sense of having
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The benefits of transport sustainability - Company Director magazine

The arguments for a switch to greener transport options tend to focus on reducing global emissions, and with good reason. In 2020, transport was responsible for 18 per cent of Australian carbon emissions, with cars accounting for around 47 per cent of that amount. However, a switch also introduces significant opportunities.



“Incorporating smart and green technologies will bring a number of key benefits to businesses, particularly cost savings, enhanced competitiveness, operational efficienc

From the heart

Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese opened his May acceptance speech by acknowledging First Nations Australians and reiterating his party’s commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This includes a Voice to Parliament, a permanent forum of representation from which First Nations can advocate for their peoples to the parliament and government. “We can answer its patient, gracious call for a voice enshrined in our constitution because all of us ought to be proud that amongst our great mu

Blocking traffic

In 2017, 40 million people were living in conditions of modern slavery. By 2022, the number had risen to 50 million. Walk Free, an international human rights group dedicated to eradicating modern slavery in all its forms, reported these sobering facts in the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, produced in partnership with the International Labour Organization and the International Organization for Migration.



“Modern slavery has no place in companies’ operations or supply chains,” says Seren
Business Research and Insights •

From rural health recruitment to 65 medical centres

While practising in the NSW outback, doctors Hamish Meldrum and Ross Lamplugh had a passion to improve rural and remote healthcare. Today, the result is Ochre Health - a national network of 65 medical centres and two medical recruitment businesses. And they're not done yet.

It was Christmas 2001 and Dr Ross Lamplugh was about to miss out on his holiday. He and Dr Hamish Meldrum were working as procedural GPs in the NSW outback town of Bourke and had planned a break at the same time. Despite giv

FIFO fumbling

West Australian Liberal MLA Libby Mettam says she expected to hear horrific stories after agreeing to chair a WA parliamentary inquiry into sexual harassment in the FIFO (fly-in fly-out) mining industry. However, she was shocked well beyond expectation when she realised the size and depth of the problem. In her foreword to the final report — Enough is Enough: Sexual harassment against women in the FIFO mining industry — released in June this year, Mettam wrote: “We were told how sexual harassmen

Games changers

A total of 4315 athletes have represented Australia at a modern Olympic Games. Just 60 are known to be First Nations people — and Patrick Johnson is one of the few. A proud Kaanju man, he was the first Australian to break 10 seconds for the 100 metres (9.93) — a national record that still stands — and represented Australia at the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games.

Last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Brisbane as the host city in 2032. Johnson sees this as an opportunity to u

Building inspector

In the UK, pilot studies co-designed by Timewise and Build UK looked at the potential for working more flexible hours. Four leading British construction firms took part and, while the studies were short, lasting between six weeks and three months, the findings were positive. For example, the number of respondents who agreed with the statement, “My working hours give me enough time to look after my own health and wellbeing” rose from 48 to 84 per cent. Despite initial scepticism, all of the firms
Australian Securities Exchange •

Software over hardware

“By combining this capacity with our own technology we were able to revolutionise the relationship between coaches and players. Instead of simply watching play live or in replay, coaches can now get real-time insights into why play is going a certain way, or why their tactics aren’t working. For example, they can see objectively when an athlete is too exhausted to continue playing at their best. They can also collect video from different games and different opponents, analyse it and then communi
Australian Securities Exchange •

Online education comes of age

He’s also determined the decision to study online should not be based on cost. Universities set tuition fees, but the aim is for courses to cost the same, no matter if they are delivered by the university face-to-face or through Keypath’s online format.


Along with geographical expansion, Keypath is improving how programs are delivered through its platform. Healthcare is an area of focus, which is a sector in which there is significant unmet demand for online education resources.

“Healthcare
Business Research and Insights •

Is medical education keeping pace with change?

Change in medicine has traditionally been more incremental than sudden. But that pace has been increasing in response to factors like evolving technologies and greater patient expectations. Then came COVID-19.

According to the Medical Deans Australia & New Zealand (‘Medical Deans’), the body representing professional entry-level medical education training and research, the pandemic gave an insight into the kinds of fast and extreme disruption that doctors are likely to face in the future.

Many

The emerging risks threatening life insurance

The biggest emerging risk in life insurance is that it has no future. In 2019, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority called for urgent action regarding the sustainability of individual disability income insurance, citing a collective loss of A$2.5 billion to the industry over the past five years.

The following year, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand reported that ‘some life insurers have low solvency margins over the regulatory minimum, which raises questions about their ability to comfo

Testing your risk intelligence


• While there is no one definition, experts agree that risk intelligence takes a broader, more forward-thinking and opportunity-centric approach to managing risk.
• In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment, managing risk should be embedded in an organisation’s culture.
• Insurers are considering more flexible ways to manage their own and their clients’ risk.

There is no single definition of risk intelligence.

American financier Leo Tilman describes it as ‘the strategi

How the resources sector beat COVID-19 - AICD

The 130 members of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CMEWA) produce all Australia’s iron ore and lithium — and a significant proportion of the nation’s gold, oil and gas. CEO Paul Everingham suggests that lessons learned from past outbreaks of measles and influenza gave resources a significant jump-start on other industries when it came to managing the contagious disease. “As soon as it became clear that COVID-19 was highly infectious, our members came together to work on
Business Research and Insights •

How today’s tech is shaping the future of healthcare

The future of healthcare could already be here. Technologies such as personal medical devices, virtual care, robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence are already changing GP surgeries, hospital wards and operating theatres, and will continue to do so in revolutionary ways.

“There is huge potential for these and other existing and emerging technologies to transform healthcare and the patient experience,” says Luke Baxby, Deloitte Australia’s National Healthcare Leader.

“I think their d

Current events - AICD

NRMA member research shows that — after the purchase price — accessibility to public charging infrastructure is the biggest barrier to adopting EVs. “The major piece of infrastructure required is a connected national EV charging network,” says NRMA’s CEO of membership and motoring, Emma Harrington MAICD. “This is a significant investment requiring government support because Australia is a large country with a small population — which makes connection difficult. We also need to invest in the elec

Why an authentic, purpose-driven approach is good for business - AICD

In The Board’s Role in Embedding Corporate Purpose: Five actions directors can take today, McKinsey and Co outlined how applying a purpose lens to a board’s engagement with management in several key areas of board oversight can help directors ensure management decisions are guided by the company’s purpose.

As part of its responsibility to challenge and approve the corporate strategy, the board should confirm that the long-term business vision aligns with the company’s societal purpose.

The boa

Insurance complaints handling the new rules

Customer complaints can provide the insights and feedback insurers need to fine-tune their products and processes. Managing them well can also strengthen customer relationships and the insurer’s reputation.

‘Complaints handling is a crucial first step in the dispute resolution process,’ says Olivia Hua, a lawyer with Sophie Grace Compliance and Legal. ‘It plays a vital role in building business success.’



There can also be significant economic benefits. The 2018 Return on Investment of Eff
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