SPEAKER
Brett Leavy | Digital Aboriginal | Innovator in Interactive Media, Creator of Serious Cultural Survival Games Director, Bilbie XR Labs | Virtual Heritage Consultant | Adjunct Professor at QUT, CQU & Torrens University
DATE
Thursday 2nd of October, 9:20 AEST / 12:20 NZDT
ABSTRACT
This keynote addresses the tension between mainstream economic paradigms of “sustainable growth” within Australia’s major infrastructure developments, with the contested terrain that is defined within by Environmental Impact Assessments and which consider Australian First Nations knowledge systems of proven historical sustainability. Conventional models rely on abstraction and technological optimism, often reducing nature to “capital,” blue carbon and other commercially based initiatives. In contrast, Indigenous traditional systems are grounded in relational worldviews, custodianship of Country, and reciprocal exchange within ecological limits defined by Law/Lore.
Moving beyond purely theoretical comparisons, this presentation demonstrates how digital technologies can make these descriptions of intangible heritage values and cultural management systems tangible. I will show how Unreal Engine 5.6, state trees, and GIS cultural sites representation, guided by ethical frameworks like the ACHA Duty of Care Guidelines, can be used to build the Virtual Songlines Digital Twin (VSDT). This platform creates immersive, georeferenced environments that visualise the traditional practices of First Nations land management within a 4D temporal-spatial system.
By situating these enduring systems, refined through millennia, into an authentic digitally reconstructed landscape, we make Indigenous knowledge and sustainability practices both visible and experiential. This convergence of archaeology, computing, and cultural knowledge offers a grounded counterpoint to conventional economics and suggests transformative new methods for achieving ecological balance and protecting heritage.
BIO
Brett Leavy is a proud First Nations descendant of the Kooma people of western Queensland, Australia. A visionary in digital storytelling and interactive media, Brett has dedicated his career to the virtual reconstruction of First Nations cultural heritage, knowledge, and history. His work brings to life immersive, interactive experiences that authentically represent Indigenous traditions, landscapes, and stories. As the Director of Bilbie XR Labs, Brett leads a pioneering team in developing Virtual Songlines, an advanced software development kit built on Unreal Engine 5. This innovative platform enables the gamification of topographically accurate landscapes, creating cultural “time machines” where users can engage with traditional knowledge through virtual custodians. These experiences are co-designed and authenticated by Traditional Owners, anthropologists, archaeologists, botanists, and leading game development experts. With over three decades of experience in interactive media, Brett has created more than 50 virtual heritage projects for government, corporate, and community stakeholders. His work has been showcased internationally at prestigious events, including the United Nations Forum on the Digital Divide in Tunisia, the World Society of Multimedia, SIGGRAPH, and the World Education Conference of English Teachers.
