Kinetic IT

🦘 Supporting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people to complete school, build pathways into employment and further study is behind a new partnership between Clontarf Foundation and Stars Foundation and Kinetic IT.

We are especially delighted to share this news as our nation celebrates 50 years of Week!

These two First Nations organisations work in parallel: Clontarf Foundation runs academy programs for young men while Stars Foundation delivers full-time, in-school mentoring for girls and young women across more than 80 primary and secondary schools in every mainland state and the Northern Territory.

Our Chief Strategy Officer Murray Thompson AM, CSC, Executive Sponsor of Kinetic IT's Reconciliation Action Plan, warmly welcomed the news:

"These partnerships sit close to home for us. We work in communities right across the country, and we know that the strength of those communities depends on young people having real pathways into education and work. Stars Foundation and Clontarf Foundation have spent years building trusted, in-school relationships that get results – we are proud to back this work.”

Read more - https://lnkd.in/gXFYvcJv

NAIDOC Week is here, celebrating 50 years Deadly.

This week marks five decades of a movement built by community, for community. The National NAIDOC Committee describes it as "a tribute to the people who built this movement: the Elders who stood firm, the organisers who made space, the artists who turned resistance into expression, and the communities who keep showing up, year after year".

For our crew across the country, this week is an invitation to listen, to attend local events, and to learn more about our shared histories as Indigenous and non-Indigenous people of Australia.

The national NAIDOC events calendar is at naidoc.org.au - find what's happening near you.

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘖𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸, 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢. 𝘞𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵.

In Defence, trust isn't granted and relationships aren't built overnight. It takes years of showing up, delivering, and understanding what the sector really needs.

It's something we try to live by at Kinetic IT, and in Leighton Freene, we see it practised every day.

His nomination as a 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 at the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 reflects exactly that.

Behind the recognition was a year worth looking at, where Leighton secured a multi-year base services contract with our long-time customer Defence Australia, and led Kinetic IT's involvement in Exercise Talisman Sabre, one of the largest joint military exercises in the Indo-Pacific.

Never one to stop with customer excellence, he's also been the executive sponsor behind our Veterans and First Responders Employee Network and Action Plan (itself a finalist at the Defence and National Security Workforce Awards this year 🙌), and has deepened community partnerships with Working Spirit Ltd, the ACT Veterans Rugby Club, and Women 4 STEM VIC. All part of understanding what the sector really needs.

While sector trust doesn't come with a certificate, this might be the closest thing to it. Congratulations Leights 🎖️

Defence Connect

Over the past week, our crew gathered across the country. From Boorloo to Garramilla, Ngunnawal-Ngambri Country to Naarm and Warrane, we asked one question: what does being 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻 for reconciliation actually look like when you show up to work?

The answers on our 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻 Wall are as different as the people who wrote them, and that's the point. Reconciliation isn't one story held by one kind of person. It's many, carried together:

'All In means to me: Everybody supporting one another, showing respect and each person putting in effort ♥'

'Continuing the conversation with my kids'

'Learning more about language'

'Acknowledging our Indigenous crew. Connecting with them to learn. Making them feel seen and respected.'

These answers, and many others, are now part of our 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻 wall, and we'll carry them forward.

Thank you to everyone who joined us from Willyama Services and CSIRO Young Womens STEM Academy, and to these incredible First Nations businesses for feeding us all week: Gather Foods, Jarrah Catering, Koori Kulcha Experience, Soul Essence on the Bay, and Ribanas Catering.

As National Reconciliation Week 2026 comes to a close today, Reconciliation Australia reminds us that this is a long walk and not a sprint, not something that wraps up when the calendar moves on.

Our Innovate RAP is our commitment to keep walking: in employment, procurement, cultural safety, and how we're 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗜𝗻 everyday.



***

Kinetic IT acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which our crew, customers and communities live and work across Australia. We acknowledge the enduring connections Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have with land, sea, and community, as the oldest continuous culture in the world. We pay our respects to the Elders past and present.

This year's National Reconciliation Week theme is All In.
Not all in for one week – all in, every day.

From 27 May to 3 June, our crew across the nation will be gathering – in Whadjuk Noongar Country (Perth), Larrakia Country (Darwin), Ngunnawal-Ngambri Country (Canberra), Eora Nation (Sydney) and Wurundjeri (Melbourne) – to connect, reflect, and ask what Reconciliation means for each of us, and for all of us together.

📌 Artwork by Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung artist Otis Hope Carey for Reconciliation Australia.

We weren't expecting this in our feed and it honestly made our week. 🥰

The Hello Initiative. team put together a recap of what our collaboration actually looks like in practice, and honestly it just reinforces why this partnership means so much to us.

42 phones collected.
59 smartphones prepped and ready to go.
89 young people directly helped.
37 volunteer hours saved.

Those aren't just numbers on a slide. They're real outcomes for young people navigating the justice system in WA, and we're grateful to play even a small part in that.

None of this happens without the Kinetic IT crew who actually showed up. The people who brought in phones from friends and family, who spent their volunteer days wiping and setting up devices. That's the stuff we're most proud of. It's not just a cheque, it's our people getting their hands dirty for something that matters.

Thank you to the Hello Initiative. team for everything you do, and a big one to our volunteers. You're the reason this works. 💪

Good things happen when good people show up. Here's proof. 👇

1️⃣ Kinetic IT was a finalist for 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 at the 2026 Defence and National Security Workforce Awards. This one means a lot. It's recognition of the real, ongoing work our veteran crew and team put into our Belonging Framework, Veterans & First Responders Working Group, and the practical day-to-day supports that make a difference. 🎖️

2️⃣ Gender equity in Defence is having a moment. We were proud to sponsor the inaugural Defence Connect Progress Report Luncheon, with Zoë King on the panel sharing what it actually takes to move the needle. With Meghan Quinn PSM appointed as Secretary of the Department of Defence and Lt Gen Susan Coyle as Chief of Army, conversations like this feel more important than ever. ⚖️

3️⃣ Three Kinetic IT team members were finalists in the 2026 ARN Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA), selected from 222 candidates across Australia. Congratulations to Laura Domingo, Zoë King and Courtney Bohan, with a special mention to Courtney for her Highly Commended in Community Impact. So well deserved. 🏆

4️⃣ Last week our crew repaired 42 broken phones for Hello Initiative., saving 37 hours and keeping devices out of landfill. Those phones are now in the hands of 59 vulnerable young people. We've also just launched Community Volunteering Leave, so our team can do more of this kind of thing. 📱

5️⃣ And to wrap the week, a nod to our 10+ year partnership with Women in Technology, Western Australia (WITWA). In 2026 we're going further together, with breakfast networking events, support for the Techtrails STEM, Western Australia school program, and backing the new CyberThrive campaign to get more young women into cyber security. If you can see her, you can be her. 💙

Not a bad note to end the week on. What a crew. 🥰

Courtney, Laura and Zoë gave us plenty to be proud of at the Women in ICT Awards last night. ✨

Representing Kinetic IT at the 2026 WIICTAs in Sydney, these incredible women were recognised among the very best across Australia’s technology sector.

👏 Courtney Bohan – Community Impact Award
👏 Laura Domingo – Rising Star Award finalist
👏 Zoë King – Shining Star Award finalist

A special shout‑out to Courtney, who received a 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 for her Community Impact nomination – a standout and thoroughly deserved achievement in a fiercely competitive national field. 💜

We’re proud of the impact these women continue to make across Kinetic IT, our communities and the ICT industry.

Thank you to ARN - Australian Reseller News for continuing to create a platform that celebrates leadership and impact across Australia’s technology sector.

On Anzac Day, we pause to remember.

We think of the Australians and New Zealanders who came ashore at Gallipoli before dawn, and how they met the hardship that followed with more than courage alone.

They kept going through fear, exhaustion and loss. They looked after the person beside them.
They shared what little they had.
They found humour where there was little to be found.

That ANZAC spirit has passed through generations to those who serve today.

From small acts of service to great sacrifice, we honour the instinct to stand up for others, share what we can, and give people a fair go when it matters most.

It’s a legacy worth carrying.

Lest we forget.