Program
WQAC 2026
Tuesday, 25 August 2026
5:00pm -6:00pm
Arrivals and registrations
Brisbane City Hall, Ann Street entrance
Level 2, Ithaca Auditorium Foyer
5:30pm - 8:00pm
Western Welcome Reception
Venue: Brisbane City Hall, Kedron Room (level 2)
Kindly sponsored by: Proterra Waste
Reconnect with colleagues from across the west as the 7th WQAC Assembly gets underway
Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Day One — Funding, foundations and the future
7:45am - 8:30am
Registrations and coffee
Brisbane City Hall, Level 2, Ithaca Auditorium
8:30am - 8:45am
Brisbane Bids You Welcome — Official Opening
Councillor Tracy Davis, Civic Cabinet Chair for Environment, Parks and Sustainability and Councillor for McDowall Ward
8:45am – 9:45am
Ministerial Forum: Priorities, Policy & Partnership
Hon Ann Leahy MP, Minister for Local Government and Water, and Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery and Volunteers
Hon Steven Minnikin MP, Minister for Customer Services and Open Data, and Minister for Small and Family Business
Hon Andrew Powell MP, Minister for the Environment and Tourism, and Minister for Science and Innovation
9:45am – 10:15am
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
Cr Samantha O'Toole, Mayor, Balonne Shire Council and Chair SWQROC Waste & Resources Recovery Steering Committee
Kate Birse, RAPAD Regional Waste Coordinator
10:15am-10:40am
Reforming Disaster Funding at a National Level
Hon Kristy McBain MP, Minister for Emergency Management, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories
10:30am – 11:00am
MORNING TEA
11:00am – 11:50am
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
Andrew Nehill, Chief Finance Officer, Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Alison Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Local Government Association of Queensland
Panel members:
Cr Ernie Camp, Mayor, Burke Shire Council
Cr Sally O’Neil, Mayor, Barcoo Shire Council
Cr Ben Hall, Mayor, Quilpie Shire Council
11:50am – 12:00pm
Sponsor presentation - HELP Enterprises
12:00pm – 12:30pm
Paddock to Parliament: Ministerial Address
Hon Tony Perrett MP, Minister for Primary Industries
12:30pm – 1:30pm
LUNCH
1:30pm – 2:45pm
Homes on the Horizon: WQAC Housing Solutions Project Report — The Challenge and the Opportunity
Presentations and Panel Session
Gemma Pinnell, Partner, Right Lane Consulting
Ben Perkins, Senior Associate, Right Lane Consulting
Darren Mew, National Manager Strategic Growth & Development, BlueCHP
Greg Hoffman PSM, Executive Officer, Western Queensland Alliance of Councils
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Games, Gold & the Great West: Exploring 2032 Opportunities for Western Queensland
Dominique Lamb, Director of Community Affairs, Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games Team
Brent Hill, Chief Marketing Officer, Brisbane 2032 Olympic & Paralympic Games Team
3:15pm – 3:25pm
Sponsor presentation: LGMS
3:25pm – 3:55pm
AFTERNOON TEA
3:55pm – 4:45pm
Keynote — Grants, Gaps & Game-Changers: Grants, Subsidies & Alternative Funding Models — The Potential and the Politics
Frankie Carroll, Principal, Solutions Consulting Group
Ben Myers, Principal Consultant & Executive Advisor, HBR Dowling
Cr Peta MacRae, Mayor, Mount Isa City Council
4:45pm – 5:15pm
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
6:00pm
Close of day one
6:30pm – 10:30pm
ASSEMBLY DINNER… AND SOME GOOD LAUGHS!
Kindly sponsored by: King & Company
Venue: Brisbane City Hall, Brisbane Room (level 1)
Thursday, 27 August 2026
Day Two — Connectivity, capability and the call to action
8:00am – 8:30am
Registration and coffee
8:30am – 9:30am
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
Kristina Neylan, Executive Director, Strategic Sourcing & Delivery, Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business
Jay Sindorff, Executive Director, Strategic Policy, Department of Customer Services, Open Data and Small and Family Business
Kylie Lindsay, Head, nbn Local, Queensland
Loretta Willaton, Regional Australia Executive, Telstra
Peter Oost, Director - Network Field Operations - Qld, Optus
9:30am – 9:50am
State Opposition Update
Nikki Boyd MP, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Water, Shadow Minister for Fire, Disaster Recovery, Emergency Services and Volunteers
9:50am – 10:15am
Local Leadership: ALGA & LGAQ Update
Cr Matt Burnett, Mayor, Gladstone Regional Council; President, ALGA and LGAQ
10:15am – 10:45am
MORNING TEA
10:45am – 10:55am
Sponsor presentation: Rapid Platform
10:55am – 11:55am
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
Dean Helm, Deputy Director-General, Network Services and Operations, Department of Transport and Main Roads
Cr Paul Poole, Burke Shire Council and Co-owner, Savannah Aviation
Cr Andrew Martin, Mayor, Blackall Tambo Regional Council
Cr Shaun ' Zoro' Radnedge, Mayor, Murweh Shire Council
11:55am – 12:05pm
Sponsor presentation: RRETS
12:05pm – 1:00pm
LUNCH
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Water, Works & the Way Forward: Department of Local Government , Water and Volunteers — Leadership Team Forum and Q&A
Bronwyn Blagoev, Director-General, Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers
Joshua Hannan, Deputy Director-General (Local Government), Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers
Jae Lancaster, Deputy Director-General (Water Infrastructure, Policy & Partnerships), Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers
Jarrod Cowley-Grimmond, Deputy Director-General (Water Resource Management), Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers
2:00pm – 2:25pm
Federal Opposition Update
Hon David Littleproud MP, Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, and Shadow Minister for Tourism
2:25pm – 3:15pm
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
3:15pm – 3:45pm
Actions & Adjournment: WQAC Advocacy and Assembly Close