Presentations


WQAC 2026



Waste Not, Want Not in the West: Resource Recovery and Recycling Across the Regions

Claire Andersen, Executive Director, Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, Department of Environment and Tourism and Science and Innovation


Rebuilding the Rules: The New Federal Disaster Recovery Funding Framework — What the Changes Mean and What Can We Do About Them?

Major General Jake Ellwood (Retd), Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Reconstruction Authority

Alison Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Local Government Association of Queensland


Sponsor presentation - HELP Enterprises


Homes on the Horizon: WQAC Housing Solutions Project Report — The Challenge and the Opportunity

Greg Hoffman PSM, Executive Officer, Western Queensland Alliance of Councils


Games, Gold & the Great West: Exploring 2032 Opportunities for Western Queensland

Dominique Lamb, Director of Community Affairs, Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games Team


Grants, Gaps & Game-Changers: Grants, Subsidies & Alternative Funding Models — The Potential and the Politics

Cr Peta MacRae, Mayor, Mount Isa City Council


Outback Unveiled: Release of the New OQTA Destinations Marketing Plan

Cr Shaun ‘Zoro’ Radnedge, Mayor, Murweh Shire Council, Chair – OQTA

Denise Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Outback Queensland Tourism Association


Connecting the Country: Place-based Connectivity and ROC Action Plans

Radmila Desic AM, Digital Connectivity Project Manager, Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business


Local Leadership: ALGA & LGAQ Update

Cr Matt Burnett, Mayor, Gladstone Regional Council; President, ALGA and LGAQ


Sponsor presentation: Rapid Platform


Planes, Prices & the Productivity Commission: “What We Heard” — Inquiry into the Determinants of Regional Airfares

Commissioner Martin Stokie, Productivity Commission of Australia

Rob Walker, CEO, Regional Aviation Association of Australia


Sponsor presentation: RRETS


Caring for the Kids of the Country: Child Care Advocacy for Western Queensland - The RAPAD Initiative

Cr Tony Rayner, Mayor, Longreach Regional Council and Chair RAPAD

Rachael Webster, Senior Project Coordinator, RAPAD

Angela Cochrane, Founder and Director, Future Care Project