PROGRAM — DAY 2
This file includes room allocations.
From 8:00
REGISTRATION OPENS
The creche, coffee cart, pop-up bookstore will all open from 8:00am.
LEADERSHIP BREAKFAST (FROM 7.30AM) — CLOSED SPACE
9:00 — 10:45
OPENING PLENARY
PLENARY • IN PERSON + ONLINE
WELCOME TO DAY 2
Professor Jackie Huggins AM FAHA (Common Threads; Elder in Residence, Australian Progress and Australian Broadcasting Corporation), Noura Mansour (Democracy in Colour), Ash Sarkar (Author and Journalist — UK), Naomi Klein (Canada), Jo Schofield (United Workers Union), Ricardo Borges Martins (Cofounder and Strategy Director, Quid — Brazil) and Maxine Beneba Clarke (Poet)
10:45 — 11:30
MORNING TEA
11:30 — 12:30
MORNING BREAKOUTS
PANEL
IN-PERSON ONLY
PROTECTING COUNTRY: FIRST NATIONS LEADERSHIP ON THE FRONT LINES
Josie Alec (Australian Conservation Foundation)
Brendan Kennedy (Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations)
Other speakers to be announced
Tamika Sadler (Common Threads) (Moderator)
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Within our movement there’s plenty of talk about ‘persuadables’ – but who are they, where are they, and what motivates them? This conversation will share practical insights on how to reach and engage persuadable audiences, advice on how to build salience and get your issue on the political agenda, tips for shaping public debate, and tangible examples of what it takes to persuade the persuadables in the political moment we find ourselves in. A unique opportunity to learn directly from Communications Directors of Prime Ministers in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand, this is a session not to be missed.
IN CONVERSATION
IN PERSON ONLY
UNDERSTANDING PERSUADABLES WHO WIN (OR LOSE) ELECTIONS
Katie Connolly (KCB Mason)
Ian Palmer (Supergood)
Jamila Rizvi (Future Women / Progress emcee)
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First Nations people are leading powerful campaigns to protect Country across this continent, defending land, water, culture and climate in the face of fossil fuel expansion and over-extraction of precious river systems. In this panel, First Nations campaigners share hard-won lessons from the frontlines. They’ll speak to the challenges of confronting powerful interests, what it means to lead campaigns grounded in culture and community, and how allies can show up in ways that strengthen, rather than undermine, First Nations leadership. This session offers important insights for anyone committed to climate justice and protecting Country.
PANEL
IN-PERSON ONLY
PERSUASION AT SCALE: CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS ONLINE
Krista Fisher (Movember)
Jess Miller (Tradie Shift / City of Sydney)
Jo Sutton (Electrical Trades Union)
Nick Moraitis (Watershed) (Moderator)
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Changing hearts and minds (and votes) demands we reach outside our bubble, engage broad audiences and mobilise people across racial backgrounds, postcodes, genders, abilities, and experiences. Engaging core supporters, or our ‘base’, is seen as safe – our messages resonate and they largely cut through without push back. But do these chats shift votes? Not always. Enter: the persuadables, approximately 60% of the population who are malleable on any given issue. Hear from experts with successful case studies on cutting through to tradies, shifting voters on nuclear, and engaging young men. Learn what’s working and how to apply these lessons in the current political context.
IN CONVERSATION
IN-PERSON ONLY • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
POWER FROM THE GROUND UP: TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES FROM DISABILITY MOVEMENTS
Dom Kelly (New Disabled South) | USA
Carly Wallace (Disability Dialogue)
Kelly Treloar (Disability Dialogue)
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Disabled organisers are inventing new ways to build power, set agendas and win reform. In Australia, the Disability Dialogue brings together disabled people, their families and communities to lead storytelling, shared problem-solving and systems change. On the other side of the world, New Disabled South is building political power and growing grassroots coalitions as the first regional disability justice organisation in the US South. This deep-dive conversation between the two organisations explores what disabled leadership looks like in campaigning, advocacy and movement building, and the lessons every movement can take from the innovation happening in disability justice spaces.
SKILL WORKSHOP
IN-PERSON ONLY • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
DISAGREEING BETTER
Jordy Nijenhuis (Dare to be Grey) | The Netherlands
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In times of growing polarisation, the ability to disagree constructively has increasingly become a lost skill. Disagreeing Better is a hands-on workshop that explores how we can engage with opposing views without shutting down, escalating, or excluding the other. Through practical exercises and guided reflection, we will experiment with tools and conversational skills that help push back against polarisation and keep dialogue open. The session focuses on staying connected with people we disagree with and practising ways to challenge ideas while maintaining curiosity, dignity, and human connection.
IN CONVERSATION
IN-PERSON ONLY
ANATOMY OF A POLICY CHANGE
Caterina Giorgi (For Purpose Aus.)
Georgie Dent (The Parenthood)
Jacqueline King (Queensland Council of Unions)
Shannan Dodson (The Healing Foundation)
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Policy change is rarely neat – instead, it’s often long, messy work, where progress is uneven and relationships matter as much as formal power. We’ll unpack three policy changes in this session, each offering a distinct lens on how change happens. Speakers will share what they were trying to achieve, where they made gains and losses, and what they learned. We’ll dig into the role relationships played, who mattered at key moments, and what “good” relationships looked like. If you want a shiny win in a sanitised case study, this isn’t it. If you want an honest look at how policy change actually happens, this is for you.
SKILL WORKSHOP
ONLINE ONLY • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
FREE DIGITAL TOOLS YOU SHOULD BE USING, BUT PROBABLY AREN’T
Josh Klemons (Social Media Consultant & Digital Strategist) | USA
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Everyone in the movement is stretched. Budgets are tight, timelines are brutal, and the pressure to show up online never lets up.
Josh has done social media and digital marketing work with local and statewide political campaigns, tiny non-profits, Fortune 500 companies and everything in between. In this session, he’ll share free digital tools that can make everyday campaigning easier and more effective, from writing and design to video, branding and content planning. We’ll focus on tools that save time, lift quality, and help small teams punch above their weight.
IN CONVERSATION
IN PERSON + ONLINE • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
HOW TO TAKE ON THE FAR RIGHT
Siobhan O’Donoghue (Uplift) | Ireland
Oscar Kaspi-Crutchett (Victorian Trades Hall Council)
Luke Hilakari (Victorian Trades Hall Council) | UK
Heather Blakey (Unite the Union) | UK
Lara Watson (Australian Council Trade Unions)
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Around the world, far right policies are taking hold, authoritarian parties are undermining democracy in terrifying ways and, in some cases, movements for social justice are struggling to cut through. So, what’s the role of union and member-based organisations when it comes to inoculating against far right policies? Join thought leaders and researchers from UK, Ireland and Australia to understand what’s working and what’s not, take home practical insights from recent research led by Victorian Trades Hall Council in their Antidote report, and reflect on how best to integrate learnings into your own advocacy.
PANEL
IN-PERSON + ONLINE • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
FROM ICE TO OFFSHORE DETENTION ON NAURU: DISRUPTING THE DETENTION PLAYBOOK
Ogy Simic (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre)
Dr Andonea Dickson (University of Edinburgh)
Gee Manoharan (Association of Visitors to Immigration Detention) | UK (Online)
Setareh Ghandehari (Detention Watch Network) | UK (Online)
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Across the world, governments are escalating detention and deportation, drawing from a shared far-right playbook that weaponises migration for political gain. From ICE raids in the US to offshore detention in Australia and hostile-environment policies in the UK, migration is being weaponised for political gain. But communities are fighting back. This global session brings together organisers, advocates and people with lived experience to share frontline lessons, from anti-raid networks and deportation defence to divestment and survivor-led organising. We’ll explore how movements are disrupting detention systems, shifting public narratives and building power across borders.
This is about more than analysis. It’s about alignment, coordination and strengthening a transnational movement powerful enough to end detention and deportation for good.
PANEL
IN PERSON + ONLINE
BEYOND BILLIONAIRES
Sarah Rogan (Oxfam Australia)
Tom Walker (Think Forward)
Margaret Quixley (Everybody's Home)
Joseph Mitchell (Australian Council of Trade Unions)
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Ambitious tax reform is essential for us to win progress on pressing social issues, from climate to housing. An overhaul of the tax system has the potential to unlock billions in public funding, yet many organisations don't think of tax as an important element in campaigning or as part of their organisational strategy. Join campaigners and leading economic thinkers for sharp political analysis on long-term opportunities for tax reform, plus interactive activities designed to equip you with intel and new frameworks to integrate a tax ask into your campaigning.
SKILL WORKSHOP
IN-PERSON ONLY
WHEN PEOPLE MOVE: LESSONS FROM PROTESTS
Nick Willis (Rising Tide)
Sarah Baarini (Free Palestine Naarm)
Holly Hammond (Commons Social Change Library)
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Mass protest is here at scale, from Palestine solidarity mobilisations to Rising Tide’s climate actions. But non-violent direct action doesn’t organise itself. It takes a clear strategy, disciplined planning and strong care structures to make actions safe, accessible and effective.
This workshop shares practical lessons from recent mobilisations, including how to organise actions that are well-run and genuinely family-friendly. We’ll unpack community care, accessibility, turnout and volunteer coordination.
You will leave with concrete tools to organise protest movements that build power, empower participants and sustain people for the long haul.
12:30 — 1:30
LUNCH AND SIDE EVENTS
SIDE EVENT • IN PERSON
PROGRESS FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI GATHERING
Hosted by Australian Progress
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Over the past fifteen years, nearly 1000 advocates have graduated from the Progress Fellowship. If you’re one of them, grab your lunch in the Melbourne room and then join us here to catch up with your fellow Fellows!
1:30 — 2:30
AFTERNOON PLENARY
PLENARY • IN PERSON + ONLINE
Baker Boy, Lauren Blundell and Renee Philips (National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition), Dom Kelly (New Disabled South — USA), Sam Lewis (The Flying Bats Football Club), Michael Wright (Electrical Trades Union) and Vishal Prasad (Pacific Islands Students fighting Climate Change — Fiji)
2:45 — 3:45
AFTERNOON BREAKOUTS
IN CONVERSATION
IN PERSON + ONLINE • INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
WE MAKE THE NEWS
Ash Sarkar (Journalist, poitical commentator and activist)
Antoinette Lattouf (Ette Media)
Jan Fran (Ette Media)
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Mainstream media has traditionally been the place we turn to understand and make sense of the world around us. But one-sided corporate agendas, a sharp uptick in misinformation, and algorithms that shape what we do (and don’t) see, have left audiences looking for alternative sources of analysis and truth. Enter the people-powered new media landscape. Ette Media and UK-based Novara Media are two such outfits – both elevating critical perspectives that mainstream media increasingly lacks. Join founders Antoinette Lattouf, Jan Fran and Ash Sarkar to understand the role of new media in maintaining a healthy democracy, lessons on reaching and engaging diverse audiences, and what it takes to build and maintain trust in an increasingly fragmented space.
WORKSHOP
IN-PERSON ONLY •
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
BROCCOLI AND RICE: HOW TO BUILD ONLINE COMMUNITIES TO SHIFT HEARTS AND MINDS
Ricardo Borges Martins (Quid) | Brazil
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Authoritarian movements have invested heavily in digital infrastructure. In Brazil, the far right built powerful online networks that shaped culture, shifted norms and pulled the political centre in their direction. Beating them required more than better content. It required a smarter strategy. This deep dive explores how the team at Quid studied the far right’s digital ecosystem, unpacked why their communications worked, and adapted those insights to build a counter-strategy rooted in democratic values. Their focus was not just on rebuttal, but on changing culture and moving the middle online. You will leave with practical lessons for using digital organising to shift narratives, reach persuadable audiences and strengthen democracy.
PANEL
IN PERSON + ONLINE
RE-IMAGINING HEALTH: BUILDING A FAIRER SYSTEM FOR AUSTRALIA
Sheree Lowe (Executive Director, Social Emotional Wellbeing, The Balit Durn Durn Centre and Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal Families Wellbeing, VACCHO)
Dr Alexandra Jones (Friends of Really Excellent Dentistry)
Jessica Birch (Lived Experience Advocate)
Dr Selina Namchee Lo (Australian Global Health Alliance)
Arnagretta Hunter (Cardiologist and Human Futures Fellow)
Caterina Giorgi (For Purpose) (Moderator)
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Across Australia, health outcomes are moving in the wrong direction. Climate change, corporate power, and widening income inequality are making it harder for communities to stay well, while our health system remains stuck reacting to crises instead of preventing harm. From First Nations community-controlled health to global health justice, prevention, and people-centred care, the panel will reimagine what a fairer health system could look like. Expect a bold, grounded conversation about how we shift power upstream, tackle the social and commercial drivers of poor health, and build a system that keeps people well rather than waiting for them to get sick.
PANEL
IN-PERSON + ONLINE
WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT AI?
Tom Sulston (Digital Rights Watch)
Lina Przhedetsky (University of Melbourne)
Nicole McPherson (Financial Services Union)
Claire Pullen (Australian Writers Guild)
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AI is already reshaping our jobs, our rights, and our democracy – and the parameters we set now will shape our future, for better or worse. Learn from real case studies of AI regulation, unpack what’s working and what has failed in advocacy, and leave with an informed analysis of the practical opportunities to influence policy right now, including where progressive movements align and where tensions emerge. Bringing together expertise from academic, creative writing, digital rights, and the union movement, this frank conversation is for everyone ready to build power and win fair regulations on AI.
SKILL WORKSHOP
ONLINE ONLY
ORGANISING BEYOND THE CITIES: BUILDING POWER IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
Lu Allan (Re-Alliance)
Coco Venaglia (Yes2Renewables)
Jordan Wimbis (Foundation for Young Australians)
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Winning change in regional and rural Australia takes more than parachuting in during election cycles. It requires long-term relationships, local leadership, and organising infrastructure that’s built to last. This session brings together organisers and organisations to explore what it takes to build and sustain local organising and campaigning capacity outside major cities. Drawing on real-world case studies, participants will dig into the challenges and opportunities of regional organising, and leave with tested tools, fresh provocations, and a stronger case for why investing in rural and regional capacity is essential to winning lasting change.
PANEL
IN-PERSON + ONLINE
WINNING THE NEXT CLIMATE FIGHT
Amanda Cahill (The Next Economy)
Adam Bandt (Australian Conservation Foundation)
Larissa Baldwin-Roberts (Climate Action Network International & Common Threads)
Michael Wright (Electrical Trades Union)
Linh Do (Climate Action Network)
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Australia is at a turning point on climate. The science is clear, the impacts are here, and the political window for real action is opening and closing at the same time. The question now isn’t whether change is needed, but how we build the power to deliver it. This panel brings together movement leaders to take stock of where the climate fight is at and what comes next. From winning stronger policy and standing up to fossil fuel interests, to building alliances with workers and communities and keeping public support onside, the conversation will focus on the strategies that can shift what’s possible.
WORKSHOP
IN-PERSON ONLY •
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKER
DEEP ROOTS, REAL POWER: CANDID STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Emma Bacon (Sweltering Cities)
Thuy Linh Nguyen (Uniting NSW/ACT)
Joe Todd (Movement Research Unit) | UK
Anita Tang (Australian Progress)
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Hear candid stories from the field, including moments when organisers didn’t invest deeply enough in long-term organising, what that cost them, and what they’ve done differently since. Alongside celebrating what’s working, take an honest look at the tension between depth and breadth in organising, and what it takes to build long-term and deep power. Through lived examples and practical insights, speakers will model a culture of reflection, adaptation and courage. You will leave encouraged to back what works, open to self-critique, and energised to experiment, invest and build deeper community power for the decade ahead
WORKSHOP
IN-PERSON ONLY
POWER SHIFTS: RECLAIMING AGENCY
Carli Liembach (Women's Environmental Leadership Australia)
Cherry Muddle (Women's Environmental Leadership Australia)
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Power is often framed as something we’re fighting against, but such framing can leave us stuck in scarcity, burnout and constant defence. This workshop will invite you to rethink how we understand and use power, reframing it as relational, regenerative and something we already hold when we organise together. Through reflection, storytelling and power mapping, we’ll identify allies and voices who hold power, shift habits and narratives that disempower you, and explore more collaborative ways of leading and working together. You’ll leave with tools to move from embattlement to empowerment, shift from a “power over” to “power with” mindset, and strengthen your ability to build durable, people-powered change.
CLOSED WORKSHOP
(FUNDER ONLY)
IN-PERSON ONLY
PHILANTHROPY REFLECTION SPACE
Harriet McCallum (Mannifera)
Rachel Ball (Reichstein Foundation)
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Progress conference purposefully breaks down bridges between movements and sectors, creating space for learning, connecting, challenging assumptions and lifting ambition. This closed session for philanthropy only is an opportunity to come together with peers and reflect on the lessons and ideas from Progress 2026. Co-hosted by Harriet McCallum, CEO of Mannifera, and Rachel Ball, CEO of Reichstein Foundation, we’ll create space to think about how we put all these rich insights into practice.
PANEL
IN-PERSON + ONLINE
MAKING AN IMPACT WITH FILM
Genevieve Grieves (GARUWA)
Yaara Bou Melhem (Yurlu | Country)
Alex Kelly (The Unquiet Collective & Economic Media Centre) (moderator)
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In an age of noise, with a firehose of content being produced daily, long-form documentary films have become even more important for holding attention and supporting changemaking. Once a film is made, how can it reach audiences, partner with social movements and make a real, lasting impact? Join filmmakers Alex Kelly, Genevieve Grieves, and Yaara Bou Melham as they share how civil society can best partner with filmmakers to drive real change.
PANEL
IN-PERSON + ONLINE
WHAT PEOPLE REALLY THINK ABOUT THE HOUSING CRISIS
A/Prof Ben Spies-Butcher (MQ Housing & Urban Research Centre)
Dr Alistair Sisson (Macquarie University)
Maiy Azize (Anglicare)
Leo Patterson Ross (Tenants’ Union of NSW)
Fiona York (Housing for the Aged Action Group)
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What do voters actually think about the housing crisis – and how can that insight drive real reform? Dive into voter research conducted during the 2025 federal election campaign to reveal how people across generations, tenures, and political identities understand the housing crisis, its causes, and the solutions on offer.
We’ll unpack where public frustration is landing, which narratives are cutting through, and where government credibility is holding, or failing. If you’re working to win stronger housing policy, on the streets, online, or inside the system, this session will give you the insights you need to do it smarter and faster.
3:45 — 4:15
AFTERNOON TEA
4:15 — 5:00
CLOSING PLENARY
PLENARY • IN PERSON + ONLINE
Jamila Rizvi (Progress 2026 emcee), Noorulain Masood (Centre for Social Innovation in Developing Countries — Pakistan), Larissa Baldwin-Roberts (Common Threads), Sisonke Msimang (storyteller), and Adam Knobel (Australian Progress)
5:15 — 7:00
PROGRESS 2026 CLOSING DRINKS
Hosted at General Assembly.
With thanks to our friends at Benedictus Media.