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Australian OSINT Symposium 2025 - Building OSINT Capability

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A Symposium packed with insights, trends and practical techniques!

 

Thank you to the 400 + attendees and all our outstanding speakers, panelists and contributors who made #AOS2025 a memorable event!  The virtual training sessions in the lead up to the event, and the jampacked two-pay program on September 18th and 19th at the Hilton Sydney, included 17 presentations; 1 fireside chat and 1 panel session; hosted networking breaks and a cocktail function.  Participants walked away with practical OSINT tips, insights into emerging trends and lessoned learned across a range of organisations as they continue to build and enhance their OSINT capabilities.

The symposium focused on three core areas of capability-building:

 

  1. Building Human Capability – Tradecraft, Leadership & Resilience - How do we build and strengthen the OSINT capability of practitioners, teams, and leaders? This theme explores the enduring value of human expertise in intelligence operations, highlighting the critical role of tradecraft, leadership, and professional development in OSINT.

  2. Sustaining OSINT Capability amidst rapid technological advancements - How do we build enduring OSINT capability that withstands the pace of technological change? This theme explores the intersection of technology, automation, and tradecraft, focusing on how OSINT teams can adapt, scale, and maintain operational effectiveness as AI and new tools evolve.

  3. OSINT Capability impacts – intelligence outcomes and global applications. - What happens when OSINT capability is successfully built, sustained, and applied? This theme focuses on the real-world intelligence outcomes – how OSINT drives decision-making, supports law enforcement and national security, and delivers public-good initiatives that make tangible impact.

Key Topics of Discussion from 2025

  • Artificial intelligence's evolving role in OSINT investigations

  • The ethics the underpin decisions when leveraging OSINT

  • OSINT tradecraft during humanitarian events impacting human rights

  • Practical techniques for online investigations

  • OSINT and executive protection

  • The strategic impacts of disinformation on governments and businesses.

  • Trust in user-generated evidence

  • Spotlight on OSINT in combating human trafficking and child exploitation

  • Combating the illegal empire

  • Using OSINT in maritime investigations

  • Scaling security in businesses

  • OPSEC and OSINT

  • Managing OSINT toolkits

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Symposium Recordings

Interested to learn more about what was discussed in 2025? Stay tuned for the recordings.

Our Online Academy is also home to a range of OSINT Combine's world renowned self-paced online training courses available to anyone. If you are experiencing difficulties accessing the Academy, or would like to learn more about our OSINT training packages please email us at events@osintcombine.com or training@osintcombine.com.

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2025 Presenters

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Prof. Peter Greste

Macquarie University | Executive Director, The Alliance for Journalists' Freedom

Keynote Address

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Ashley Lawson

NexTech Solutions (NTS)

Managing OSINT Toolkits for Operational Sustainability

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Dr. Nicole Matejic

National Security Behavioural Economist

Building Safe, Enduring Capability in a Volatile World

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Hayley Van Loon

Crime Stoppers International

The Illegal Empire, Business is Booming

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Tony M aka Ginger T

CQCore Solutions

Mastering the Art of OPSEC & Pushing Frontiers

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Matthias Wilson

PLOSINT Consulting

OSINT as a Force Multiplier for Executive Protection Operations

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Ritu Gill

OSMOSIS Association

OSINT in Action: Practical Techniques for Online Investigators

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Michal (Michele) Block & Liz Bradt

Skull Games

Applied OSINT for Good: Fusing Intelligence and Operations for Counter Sex Trafficking

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Rae Baker

Deep Dive: Exploring the Real-World Value of Open-Source Intelligence

Pivot or Sink: Turning Maritime OSINT into Action in the South China Sea

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Daniel Anlezark

OSINT & Human Rights Expert

Exploring the Utilisation of OSINT in Human Rights & Accountability for International Crimes

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Jacob Hunter

OSINT Combine

Blurred Lines: Human Judgement & AI Assistance

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Prof. Nicholas Eftimiades

Penn State University

Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics

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Chris Poulter

OSINT Combine

The New OSINT Arsenal: GenAI as the Analyst's Force Multiplier

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Rebecca Jones

Sibylline

Disinformation: A Strategic Threat to Enduring Capability

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Mitchell King

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Institute (HADRI)

Intelligence Tradecraft for Humanitarian Crises

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Prof. Yvonne McDermott Rees

Swansea University

Trust in User-Generated Evidence: Insights from the TRUE Project

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Adèle Désirs

Queensland Police Service

Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Insights from the Trenches

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Niamh Cunningham

Canva

Scaling Security at Canva

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Stephen Beaumont AM

CI-ISAC Australia

Panel: Building Enduring OSINT Capability for Australia's Critical Infrastructure (Chair)

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Adam Carey

Royal Flying Doctor Service

Panel: Building Enduring OSINT Capability for Australia's Critical Infrastructure (Panelist)

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Luke Roempke

Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)

Panel: Building Enduring OSINT Capability for Australia's Critical Infrastructure (Panelist)

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Steve Holmes

Port of Melbourne

Panel: Building Enduring OSINT Capability for Australia's Critical Infrastructure (Panelist)

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Nadia Taggart

Australia's Academic and Research Network (AARNet)

Panel: Building Enduring OSINT Capability for Australia's Critical Infrastructure (Panelist)

2025 Training Series (Virtual)

Unlike previous years where training was condensed into a single day immediately before or after the symposium, the 2025 program spread sessions across multiple days.

  • Training now takes place over two weeks leading up to AOS2025, rather than adjacent to the event

  • Each topic receives a dedicated 2-hour focused session. 

  • This new format offers several advantages: deeper learning with focused time on each specialised topic, better retention through spaced learning,

  • Global accessibility with two daily session times, flexible participation to choose topics aligning with your interests and reduced fatigue by avoiding information overload.

2025 Topics covered

  • Searching People

  • Country Specific OSINT

  • Disinformation Analysis

  • Using AI in OSINT

Session Format

  • 2-hour interactive meetings via Microsoft Teams

  • Live Q&A throughout and after each session

  • Hands-on demonstrations with real-world applications

  • Comprehensive reference materials for continued learning

  • All sessions recorded and available 24 hours afterward

Feedback and ideas for topics for 2026 are welcome, drop us an email to training@osintcombine.com

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