Registration And Networking

OPENING REMARKS FROM THE CHAIR

ANDREW RAMSDEN
Leadership and Culture Development Specialist, Peak State

• Stakeholder engagement is fast becoming a critical component of public affairs and govt policy development – could this intensive and time consuming consultation pose potential problems in the future?
• AI and Chat GPT – pros and cons for communicators now and in the future
• Thoughts on where is social media is heading
• How to keep transparency and integrity at the heart of communications

PANELLISTS:

KASEY DONALD
Director, Strategy & Engagement, Queensland Reconstruction Authority

SALLY NEWPORT
Digital and Brand Lead, Lake Macquarie Council

MODERATOR:

JO SCARD
Founder and CEO, Fifty Acres

The Australian War Memorial is currently undertaking its biggest construction project since the Heritage Building first opened in 1941. Over the past three decades, more than 100,000 Australians have served in war, conflict, peacekeeping, and humanitarian and disaster relief operations around the world. The Memorial’s Development Project has been undertaken to share these contemporary stories. The Memorial will always be a place which represents
Australian identity, through stories from the Australian Defence Force. While the building and its stories are evolving, so too must the Memorial’s communication practices to ensure it remains relevant with new Australians, younger audiences and those visiting in a digital capacity.

• Public perception and media relationships
• Brand, marketing and modern Australia
• Content collection, curation and distribution

ELLIOT WOODS
Head of Communications and Marketing , Australian War Memorial

10.30 MORNING TEA

Toowoomba has been undergoing major urban disruption by delivering major infrastructure in the city centre against
a backdrop of flood recovery, construction fatigue, economic downturn and pandemic. The regional council has focused on the benefits of inviting the community into a co-design approach, allowing stakeholders to influence the construction process (when and how works are completed to align with business and community interests) & strategies to minimise construction impacts while building stakeholder support. Kate will discuss progress to date.

LANA NUNN
Stakeholder Engagement Specialist,
Toowoomba Regional Council

11.10 MORNING TEA AND NETWORKING

Communications is one of the main levers available to government to not only inform its citizens but also to achieve change. But, in an increasingly fragmented media landscape, how do you achieve cut-through, leverage your common narrative and share important information with the community?

In May 2023 the South Australian government launched SA Govt: We are SA, a whole of govt communications platform and amplifications strategy to deliver first class communications to South Australian citizens. Early results show this new approach is already paying dividends - both with an external audience but, also, when it comes to instilling pride and driving engagement among South Australia's 110k-plus public sector workforce.

Hear from Jessica about how We Are SA came about, its customer-centric focus and
what’s next.

JESSICA LEO-KELTON
Director, Communications, Department of the Premier and Cabinet, SA Govt

• Challenges in Crisis Communication
• Strategies for Managing Public Perception
• Transparency in Communication
• Real-world examples of crisis communication in the public sector
• The Role of Social Media
• Ethical Considerations

ASHA OBEROI
Head of Digital and Insights, FTI Consulting

TIM ARCHER
Founder, Top Centre Communications,

MODERATOR:

JO SCARD
Founder and CEO, Fifty Acres

Other panel members TBA

13.00 LUNCH

Kasey will talk about team building and stakeholder engagement especially in complex and volatile environments including natural disasters, leadership/building, uncertainty, disruption, and building programs from the ground up ie Get Ready Queensland that she was responsible for

KASEY DONALD
Director, Strategy & Engagement, Queensland Reconstruction Authority

Authentic and compelling brand stories are key to building trust and engagement with your audience. Who better to
tell these stories than the people who live and breathe your brand every day? This session delves into the strategy of empowering employees to be brand ambassadors. Hear some of the tools and techniques that can help transform your
workforce into passionate storytellers and why it can be a game-changer, particularly for the public sector.

SALLY NEWPORT
Digital and Brand Lead, Lake Macquarie City Council

15.20 AFTERNOON TEA AND NETWORKING

• Around 30,000 Australians rely on Auslan (Australian Sign language) as their first language
• Auslan interpretation and translation enable the Deaf community to fully participate in economic and social life
• In this presentation you will learn about:
• how Auslan translations can Auslan and its importance in Australian Deaf culture
• how you can increase your organisation's understanding of Deaf people and Auslan users
• strengthen your inclusion, respect and equality program
• how you can build Auslan translations into your regular communications repertoire

REBECCA CAMILLERI
Manager, Corporate Communications and Engagement, Strategy, Performance and Growth Group, Melbourne Polytechnic

Precision public affairs (speaker tbc)

Closing Remarks From The Chair

17:20 END OF DAY ONE

17:30 NETWORKING DRINKS