Canberra – Unveiled today, the Tech Policy Design Institute (TPDi), is Australia’s first independent think tank dedicated to technology policy, marking a pivotal step forward for Australia’s tech landscape.  

Founded by three female tech leaders – Johanna Weaver, Zoe Jay Hawkins and Sunita Kumar – TPDi’s mission is to shape technology for the benefit of humanity through independent research, innovative education, public commentary, and community building.  

TPDi’s launch comes at a pivotal time as Australia considers regulation of artificial intelligence, privacy, and accountability of digital platforms. Compounding this, our region is at the nexus of the accelerating global tech race and increasing geostrategic tension. 

TPDi CEO and Co-Founder Johanna Weaver said TPDi’s establishment fills a gap in Australia, by providing an informed and independent voice that will bring together societal, security, economic and environmental perspectives on technology and its impact on our lives. 

“Young people’s use of social media, digital identity, cyber security, and technology’s impact on democracy, are just some of the tech policy issues on the national agenda in 2025,” Weaver said. 

The Institute will be underpinned by a new funding mechanism, TPDi’s Tech Policy Design Fund, which is currently welcoming contributions to support TPDi’s independent activities. The Fund’s founding members already include the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the Department of Finance, Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Atlassian, the Australian Computer Society, Microsoft, and Salesforce. The Fund’s full founding membership will be announced at Parliament House on 10 February.  

“TPDi embraces a multi-stakeholder funding model, drawing support from government, industry, philanthropy, and charitable sectors. This approach safeguards our independence by preventing capture by any single group. It allows us to critically engage with all stakeholders, harnessing diverse expertise to co-design practical policy solutions that deliver better outcomes for Australia,” Weaver added.  

 TPDi’s board and group of advisers include Australian and international heavy weights. Inaugural CEO of the Tech Council of Australia Kate Pounder, Australia’s inaugural Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology Dr Tobias Feakin, and Head of Global Policy and Regulatory Affairs for Atlassian David Masters join Ms Weaver and Ms Hawkins to form TPDi’s board.   

TPDi’s group of special advisers features Brett Solomon, co-founder of global digital rights not-for-profit Access Now; Professor Rod Sims, former Chair of the ACCC; Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s inaugural Digital Minister, now Cyber Ambassador; Professor Elanor Huntington, CSIRO Executive Director; Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner; and Frances Haugen, Facebook whistleblower and online safety advocate. 

TPDi builds on momentum established during three years of incubation as the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University. Having now spun out of the university and established as an independent not-for-profit, TPDi will continue to work with government, industry and civil society to: 

• Design best practice tech policy through world-leading research 

• Establish a pipeline of leaders that design good tech policy through innovative education 

• Foster informed public debate on tech policy issues in Australia and the Indo-Pacific 

• Convene multi-stakeholder communities to co-design practical tech policy solutions 

TPDi Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder Zoe Jay Hawkins said TPDi will act as a catalyst for more informed and empowering public conversations on how we can all harness policy to shape technology.  

“Technology impacts every aspect of our lives. Given its rapid evolution, it’s easy to feel like we have little control over where technology is headed, but we don’t have to passively accept the status quo. We can – and must – shape technology through the power of policy,” Hawkins added. 

While headquartered in Canberra, TPDi collaborates with leading organisations around the world, deepening Australia’s position as a global leader in tech policy.  

About the Tech Policy Design Institute 

TPDi is Australia’s first non-partisan, independent think tank dedicated to advancing best practice technology policy in Australia and around the world. Through cutting-edge research, professional education, public commentary and convening the tech policy community, the TPDi shapes technology for the benefit of humanity. Learn more at www.techpolicydesign.au 

About the Founders  

Johanna Weaver is CEO of TPDi. Johanna is a reformed commercial litigator, a recovering diplomat, and a reluctant public intellectual. In 2021 she founded TPDi’s predecessor, the Tech Policy Design Centre, after concluding her term as Australia’s independent expert and chief cyber negotiator at the United Nations. She has been appointed to numerous boards, including the ICRC Global Advisory Board on Protecting Civilians from Digital Threats, and the Minister for Government Services’ Independent Advisory Board.   

Zoe Jay Hawkins is Chief Strategy Officer of TPDi. Zoe brings extensive experience designing tech policy from government, big tech, academic and think tank perspectives. Zoe worked for the Australian government across communications, innovation, and foreign policy portfolios, as a ministerial adviser and in the public service. She is a Research Associate at the University of Oxford and an expert researcher for the OECD, having started her career at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. 

Sunita Kumar is Chief Operating Officer of TPDi. An award-winning business entrepreneur and seasoned leader, Sunita blends decades of expertise in operations, governance, policy implementation, and people management across sectors. She thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution. Sunita is passionate about building resilient systems and thriving teams to advance TPDi’s mission for impactful tech policy.