The Geopolitics of Australia’s Great Big Data Centre Bet
Australia, like other countries, is making a very large bet on data centres. Governments see potential for investment, economic growth, and productivity gains from artificial intelligence. However, alongside these concerns sits a less visible issue which could be at least as disruptive – global geopolitical volatility.
The Geopolitics of Infrastructure (KPMG)
As global competition and mistrust grow, infrastructure is increasingly governed through a national security lens, creating new forms of risk and strategic exposure for Australian businesses (KPMG report, Merriden Varrall principal author).
Top Risks to Australian Business 2024-25 (KPMG)
We wrote this report, the second in our KPMG Top Geopolitical Risks series, to highlight that risk isn't about discrete disconnected shocks, it's interconnected. Looking at risk scenarios tells us more about where we're vulnerable, and how we can be better prepared for the future. (KPMG report, Merriden Varrall principal author).
The South Australian election shows how Australian politics is moving away from the centre. Business should pay attention.
In the 2026 South Australian elections, Labor was returned with a strong majority, but the real story lies in the scale of the One Nation vote. For Australian business, moves away from the political centre increase business risk in several ways.
Global Geopolitics from an Australian Perspective
This chapter of the ‘Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Geopolitics’ examines who Australia thinks it is, and how that national strategic identity affects Australia’s understanding of regional and global geopolitics.
Chinese worldviews and China’s foreign policy
To gain a more nuanced understanding of what is motivating Chinese behaviour on the world stage, this analysis examines the narratives that underpin Chinese worldviews and China’s foreign policy behaviour.
The Geopolitics of Oil and Gas (KPMG)
The transition from oil and gas to renewables creates challenges for Australian companies, as do the geopolitical impacts that will flow from the transition. (KPMG report, Merriden Varrall co-authored).