Six Australian Technologies Recognised in the 2023 Consensus Awards
Bjarne Matzen (right) receiving his Consensus Award from (left) The Hon. Ed Husic, Minister for Industry & Science, and Julian Day, Founder & CEO of Consensus
Sydney, 2023 — Six Australian-developed technologies have been recognised across the 2023 Consensus Awards, spanning cybersecurity, environmental technology, investment, aerospace, digital innovation and education technology.
The 2023 recipients were recognised across four Consensus Award programs: Software, GreenTech, Innovation and EdTech.
The Hon. Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry & Science, joined Consensus Founder Julian Day in presenting 2023 Awards, with presentations held in Sydney.
The six 2023 Consensus Award Winners were:
Software
Gorgon Cyber — Gorgon Cyber
GreenTech
ARI Water Solutions Pty Ltd — Stormwater Filtration Device
Innovation
Wholesale Investor — CAPITALHQ
Hypersonix Launch Systems — SPARTAN Scramjet Technology
SNAPI Pty Limited — SNAPI
EdTech
Digital Credentialing Technology / Learning Vault — Learning Vault
Australian innovation tackling very different problems
The breadth of the 2023 winners reflected the diversity of Australian technology development.
Gorgon Cyber received a Consensus Software Award for its cyber defence system, developed to provide more sophisticated protection for home offices, small businesses and remote workers.
The system uses deception principles to generate decoy devices that mimic genuine devices connected to a network. Potential attackers are presented with multiple realistic targets, with attempts to interact with a decoy triggering an alert.
Consensus judges recognised the growing cybersecurity exposure created by the proliferation of connected devices in homes and the increasing number of people working remotely.
The panel particularly recognised Gorgon Cyber's attempt to bring multi-layered cybersecurity capabilities traditionally associated with corporate and government environments to a more affordable and accessible market.
Tackling pollution before it enters our waterways
ARI Water Solutions Pty Ltd received the 2023 Consensus GreenTech Award for its Stormwater Filtration Device (SFD).
The Australian-developed technology is designed to capture physical waste and filter contaminated water at its source before it enters municipal stormwater systems.
ARI's proprietary filtration material can process more than 3,000 litres of water per minute per square metre while filtering particles greater than 63 microns — approximately one-eighth the size of a grain of sand.
Designed as a drop-in, lift-out system, the SFD can be installed into existing stormwater drains in most cases without modifying existing infrastructure.
The judging panel recognised both the environmental impact and commercial potential of the technology, including applications across construction, industrial wash bays, waste management, mining and other industries.
Judges also noted active commercial interest and the potential for partnerships with major waste-management organisations to support wider adoption.
Founder Craig Rothleitner received the GreenTech Award from The Hon. Ed Husic and Consensus Founder Julian Day.
Rethinking digital credentials
In EdTech, Learning Vault was recognised for its digital credentialing technology.
Learning Vault's Credentials-as-a-Service platform enables institutions, training organisations, employers, industry associations and governments to create, issue, manage and verify digital credentials, badges and certifications.
Unlike traditional paper qualifications, the credentials contain machine-readable information that can be authenticated in real time and shared across platforms.
Consensus judges recognised the growing need for qualifications and skills to be both portable and readily verifiable.
The panel highlighted Learning Vault's approach to integrating with student management systems, enabling qualification data from the source of truth to drive the issuing of digital credentials as part of the student journey.
Judges also recognised the potential benefits for recruitment and talent acquisition, where secure digital credentials can provide employers with clearer and more readily verified information about a candidate's skills and achievements.
Tony Birrell and Michael Evans of Learning Vault received the award alongside The Hon. Ed Husic and Julian Day.
Three Innovation Award Winners
Three companies were recognised with Consensus Innovation Awards in 2023.
Wholesale Investor received an Award for CAPITALHQ, its technology supporting the private capital ecosystem.
Hypersonix Launch Systems was recognised for its SPARTAN Scramjet Technology, representing Australian innovation in advanced aerospace and hypersonic propulsion.
SNAPI Pty Limited received an Innovation Award for SNAPI.
Together, the three recipients demonstrated the breadth of innovation emerging from Australian companies — from capital markets and digital platforms to advanced aerospace technology.
Independent assessment remains at the heart of Consensus
The 2023 technologies were evaluated through Consensus' independent judging process, assessing products against the Awards' core criteria of Innovation, Performance and Potential.
Industry experts participated across the different Award programs, with Dentons Lawyers hosting judging for the GreenTech and EdTech Awards.
Judging panels included expertise spanning technology, business, investment, sustainability and commercialisation.
The 2023 Consensus Awards continued a tradition established more than two decades earlier: identifying Australian technologies with the potential to solve genuine problems, create commercial value and compete beyond their initial markets.
2023 Consensus Award Winners
Software
Gorgon Cyber — Gorgon Cyber
GreenTech
ARI Water Solutions Pty Ltd — Stormwater Filtration Device
Innovation
Wholesale Investor — CAPITALHQ
Hypersonix Launch Systems — SPARTAN Scramjet Technology
SNAPI Pty Limited — SNAPI
EdTech
Digital Credentialing Technology / Learning Vault — Learning Vault