Thodeyâs message to stay the course David Thodey feels a sense of post-COVID-19 optimism in Australian business. But weâll need resilience too. Jun 1, 2021 â 12.00am Save Share The NSW governmentâs new Small Business Innovation Research program is a neat example of government working with the business community to get a clever outcome. The program, part of the R&D action plan being led by Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, Gabrielle Upton, has been steered in part by a group of prominent NSW business people including David Gonski (who chaired the advisory council), Catherine Livingstone, Jillian Broadbent, Maxine Brenner, Daniel Petre and former Telstra boss David Thodey.