When technology moves at AI speed, trust can be lost just as quickly. Is your organisation’s crisis communication plan ready? 

A cyber incident may begin as a technical issue, but it can quickly become a crisis of communication, trust and reputation. 

As cyber threats continue to evolve, the rise of AI is adding another layer of complexity. From AI-enabled attacks and deepfakes to misinformation and increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns, organisations need to think beyond how they protect their systems. They also need to consider how they will communicate when something goes wrong. 

When an incident disrupts normal operations, employees may be unable to access their usual communication platforms, information can be difficult to verify, and stakeholders may be looking for answers before the full picture is clear. 

In these circumstances, having a well-prepared crisis communication plan is critical. Organisations need clear decision-making processes, alternative communication channels and answers to some fundamental questions: 

• Who speaks? 
• What do you say? 
• When do you say it? 
• How do you distinguish fact from AI-generated misinformation? 
• And how do you maintain trust while the facts are still emerging? 

These are not questions organisations want to be answering for the first time in the middle of a crisis. 

This Cyber Security Awareness Month, and as the Australian Signals Directorate marks its first Cyber Action Year 2026, we’re reminding organisations that communication needs to be part of their cyber and AI response planning from the outset, rather than something worked out when an incident occurs. 

The way an organisation communicates with its employees, customers, media and other stakeholders can influence how an incident is understood, how quickly confidence is restored and how its response is remembered long after the immediate threat has passed. 

AI introduces further challenges, particularly the speed at which false or misleading information can be created and shared. A fabricated statement or deepfake involving a senior executive can quickly become a reputational issue in its own right, potentially adding confusion and uncertainty at an already difficult time. 

Having clear processes to verify information, respond to inaccurate claims and communicate through trusted channels can help organisations manage these risks and maintain confidence as a situation develops. 

But effective crisis communication is about more than responding to external scrutiny. It also requires coordination across the organisation, with communication, IT, security, legal and leadership teams working together to establish the facts, agree on decisions and deliver clear, consistent information. 

Communication should not sit on the sidelines of cyber planning. It needs to be integrated into the response from the outset. 

The goal is not simply to manage the headlines, but to provide clarity, demonstrate accountability and maintain trust when it matters most. 

Because while cybersecurity helps protect an organisation’s systems and information, strategic communication helps protect something equally valuable: its reputation. 

At Primary Comms Group, we help organisations anticipate and manage emerging issues, navigate complex situations and protect their reputations through strategic communication, media relations and issues management. 

Get in touch to discuss how we can help strengthen your organisation’s crisis communication planning and response. 

Not long ago, the question was: “Where does our brand rank on Google?”

Now, increasingly, it’s: “What does ChatGPT or AI platforms say about us?”

The way people discover brands is changing. AI-powered search and answer engines are becoming part of the research journey, changing what visibility looks like and creating a new challenge for communications teams.

Enter Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO).

Unlike traditional SEO, AEO isn’t just about ranking. It’s about making sure a brand is credible, relevant and easy for AI systems to understand and reference when people ask questions about a company, category or issue.

At Primary, we’re seeing clients increasingly ask: Why aren’t we appearing in AI answers? How do we get our expertise recognised? What does AI actually say about our brand?

And the answer isn’t simply “create more content.”

AI draws on information from across the web including news coverage, research, industry publications, expert commentary and company websites. That means the fundamentals of good PR still matter. In fact, they may matter even more.

A strong media story isn’t just reaching an audience. It can help establish credibility, authority and context around a brand and its people.

So, we’re adapting how we approach PR at Primary. We’re looking at the questions audiences are asking, identifying gaps in our clients’ online presence, developing original research and expert content, strengthening executive profiles and building credible third-party coverage around the topics our clients want to own.

We’re also starting to think beyond traditional measures of visibility: is our client being mentioned, understood and represented accurately when AI answers questions in their category?

The rules of visibility are changing.

And the brands that understand this now will be better positioned to shape the conversation rather than simply show up in it.

Because being found is no longer enough. Your brand needs to be part of the answer.

In July, we welcomed Hardman Communications into Primary Comms Group and we’ve been doing some great work together since then. It’s been a fantastic match and already there’s been a lot of cross-pollination, with the former HC team bringing fresh insights and ideas to us, and the OG Primary team creating opportunities for our new colleagues to lean into different areas.

Our new integrated team includes Sue Hardman as Growth and Strategy Director, alongside Strategy and Content Director Kendi Burness-Cowan and Account Director Alex Williams. They have worked with the biggest names in agri and industrial, from top tier equipment brands to major industry bodies and right across the supply chains of both sectors, and are the trusted advisers to industries that feed and build the world.

They’ve helped the rest of the team to rapidly increase our knowledge about these sectors and made some very valuable introductions at high profile events from the Rural Press Club’s anniversary gala to the Rural Woman of the Year Awards at Australian Parliament House.

All of Hardman’s clients have now been introduced to our CEO Chris Hall and several other members of our team, and we’ve had some great strategic conversations about how we can build on what they are already doing and achieve even more, particularly around government relations.

It’s been a very positive and productive first three months and we’re excited to continue creating new projects and opportunities.

Cast your eyes over politics in any country and common themes emerge: distrust in the established party system and red-hot anger about cost of living are at fever pitch, compounded by the inability of ordinary people to control either.

The looming Victoria state poll and New Zealand’s national election are prime examples.

New Zealanders go to the polls on the 7 November and the performance of the smaller parties will be as important as the head-to-head battle between Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Labour leader Chris Hipkins.

Luxon is seeking a second term for the National-led government and the result will be determined by his ability to muster a parliamentary majority with the support of ACT and New Zealand First.

Labour has a path to government but likewise will rely heavily on support from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori.

New Zealand uses a Mixed Member Proportional system where people cast one vote for a local MP and one for a party. This fragments what’s already a highly atomised political landscape.

A September Taxpayers’ Union–Curia poll put National on 29 per cent, Labour on 25.9 percent, the Greens on 13.9 percent, ACT on 10.5 percent and New Zealand First on 8.4 percent.

Cost of living, economic management and government spending are central campaign issues, which is exactly what’s happening in Victoria where the election will be on 28 November.

Polling shows low support for Labor, the Liberals and One Nation with an electorate that is highly volatile.

A RedBridge/Accent poll conducted between 1-14 September showed the Coalition on 29 percent, Labor on 24 percent, One Nation on 25 percent and the Greens on 15 percent. Assuming that pollster’s assumptions about preferences are correct, that would deliver Jess Wilson’s Coalition a 56–44 seat win.

Resolve polling conducted from 6-12 September had the Coalition (28 percent) heading Labor (25 percent) and One Nation (23 percent) and put Wilson ahead of Premier Ben Carroll (28–20 percent) as preferred state leader.

Carroll is distancing himself from predecessors Jacinta Allan and Dan Andrews on everything from crime and corruption to infrastructure spending blow-outs.

He’s playing catch-up football in the fourth quarter and has left his run late.

Wilson is trying to make the election a referendum about 12 years of Labor government, focusing on crime, debt, taxes and service delivery – like an epidemic of potholes.

The challenge for all is that each party’s primary vote is universally low, and results will come down to preferences and hand-to-hand combat in individual seats.

Primary Comms Group has been recognised at the 2026 Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA) Golden Target Awards, receiving Silver in the Community Relations and Engagement Campaign category for our work on the Me-Mel (Goat Island) Transfer Project.

We worked closely with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Me-Mel Transfer Committee for over two years as they progressed an important step towards the NSW Government’s commitment to transfer Me-Mel to Aboriginal ownership, governance and management.

Me-Mel is one of the eight islands in Sydney Harbour. It has a special meaning for many Aboriginal people. It also has a rich history and natural beauty. Situated in the centre of Sydney Harbour, Me-Mel was originally the cultural lands of surrounding Aboriginal communities. Early colonial writings record that the father of Woollawarre Bennelong was one of its traditional owners.

The proposed transfer is unprecedented in NSW, with no existing model or framework.

Primary assembled a specialist team bringing together communication and engagement expertise with deep First Nations and government experience. Our principles for the project focused on Aboriginal community at the centre, walking together, respecting boundaries and reflecting the vision.

Receiving Silver at the 50th Golden Target Awards is special recognition for the team behind the work, but more importantly, of the collaborative approach that made it possible.

We are grateful to NPWS, the Me-Mel Transfer Committee, the Aboriginal stakeholders and our specialist advisers who trusted us to walk alongside them on this journey.

There are still steps ahead before the vision for Me-Mel can be realised. We are proud to have played a part in helping progress a project that has the potential to provide significant opportunities for Aboriginal communities and future generations.

Primary had the honour of creating videos with members of the Me-Mel Transfer Committee to capture their perspectives on what this project means to them and their communities. Watch the video here.

Primary Comms Group has today welcomed the Hardman Communications team into its growing agency, strengthening its specialist capability across the agriculture and industrial sectors. 

Hardman Communications’ people, client partnerships and specialist expertise are now part of Primary Comms Group, a proudly independent Australian-owned integrated communication agency established over 35 years ago. 

This represents another milestone in Primary Comms Group’s growth strategy, creating a broader platform for Hardman’s clients and new opportunities across the agency, while expanding its presence across different sectors.  

It brings together two independent Australian-owned PR agencies with aligned values, relationship-led cultures and a shared focus on quality client service.  

Primary Comms Group CEO Chris Hall said the move will deliver one of the strongest client service offerings of an independent agency for industries that are critical to Australia’s economic success and future prosperity.  

“Primary already supports Australian industries with deep sector expertise across energy, water, aviation, transport, manufacturing, property and cybersecurity. We are incredibly passionate about the role we play supporting businesses, jobs and communities across Australia.  

“Hardman Communications has built an outstanding reputation across the agriculture and industrial sectors and we are delighted to bring this specialist capability into Primary and leverage our combined expertise to strengthen our offering for both traditional and emerging industries where strategy, policy and positioning are key to success.” 

Founder of Hardman Communications and Primary’s Growth & Strategy Director, Sue Hardman said the move recognises the value of supporting niche communication sectors with specific needs. 

“By joining Primary we have secured the scope and scale needed to continue to support the critical agriculture and industrial sectors that are so important to our national economy. For 24 years, Hardman Communications has served clients in these sectors with deep insights, industry connections and a true passion for role they play in providing jobs, putting food on tables, supporting regional industry and maintaining domestic manufacturing capacity. 

“As part of Primary we will be able to give our clients continuity with the people they know, while opening up access to expanded capability across government relations, advocacy, issues management, stakeholder engagement, community consultation and creative services.” 

Primary Comms Group’s offer includes expertise across sectors including energy transition, technology, cybersecurity, aviation, manufacturing, resources, social issues, government, property development, education and sport.

The New South Wales State Budget has landed with all the fanfare of a Temu package tossed onto the front porch by a harried delivery driver.

It’s not that Treasurer Daniel Mookhey hasn’t been working to sell the Minns Government’s last big economic announcement before the March 2027 State Election.

All but a handful of spending measures were unveiled in the week before and the media reception has been muted, at best.

That’s how it goes for governments these days. You’d have to go back to the Howard and Rudd eras to find examples of Budgets that prompted a positive bump in polling numbers. The polling isn’t yet in but it would be stunning if this one broke the mould.

Treasurer Mookhey’s fourth Budget projected the image of a government going about the business of fiscal repair. It predicts an operating deficit of approximately $2.3 billion before returning to surplus in 2027–28.

The Budget delivers significant new spending in health, education and transport, domestic and family violence services and hands out modest offsets to household travel expenses.

It also contains just under a billion dollars in unannounced spending that we’ll hear more about as the election draws closer. Much of it will be allocated to infrastructure in marginal seats on Sydney’s growing fringes, where the threat of One Nation is greatest.

Mookhey says NSW is experiencing  “booming investment by private investment in renewable energy and AI-related infrastructure”. His Budget papers predict the State’s economy is slowing…without saying by how much.

To be fair, there’s not a lot a State can do to supercharge its own growth when the national GDP was + 0.2 percent in the last quarter with annual growth crawling at +1.3 percent.

But if there’s a silver bullet for suddenly reviving productivity, you won’t find it in the NSW Budget papers.

Craig Regan, Senior Account Director

Image: AI generated