8.30am Registration Opens
Delegates are invited to register for the conference, grab a coffee, and start to mix and mingle with fellow delegates and sponsors.
9.00am Welcome to Country
9.30am Conference Welcome
10.00am 7 Reasons Why Public Sector Leadership is Bloody Hard Work
SPEAKER: Alicia McKay
Government gets a bad rap. Leaders battle a perception of inefficiency and waste, while doing the best they can to deliver meaningful social outcomes for people that need it. We’re paid less, celebrated less, and poorly represented in popular leadership and management literature. But why is it so difficult? And what's the difference between leading a business and leading a Council?
11.00am Morning Tea
Delegates are invited back to the exhibition hall for morning tea as we continue the conversation around expanding the possibilities.
11.30am Concurrent Session: Putting Digital Innovation to Work
SPEAKER:
Anthony Collis, Manager Information Management & Technology Services, Randwick City Council
Hanan Zakaria, Enterprise Architect & IT Portfolio Coordinator, Camden Council
Digital transformation and its use to enhance service delivery and customer experience is providing opportunity for councils to reimagine how they do business. Thinking, planning, and building digitally is enabling them to be agile, flexible, and ready to grow.
11.30am Concurrent Session: Get Your SH*T Together - A practical guide to being (more) awesome
SPEAKER: Alicia McKay
This session is for all frustrated high achievers who want to do more, achieve more, be more (awesome). Alicia will step us through practical tools, templates and insights to help your life get back on track.
11.30am Concurrent Session: Changemakers - creating vibrant, active, healthy and sustainable cities
PANELLISTS:
Alia Karman, Project Director, Rail Delivery, Transport for NSW
Dr Bronwyn Kelly, Founder, Australian Community Futures Planning
Sue Weatherley, Director City Strategy and Innovation, Georges River Council
Great cities around the world consider experience, interaction and identity in the built environment. They are hubs of social interaction, commerce, and culture, boasting exceptional places that we love to experience. Now more than ever we understand the value of in-person experiences through excellent place making.
But what are the factors which separate a rich, textured experience of place with a generic one? How can architects and other built environment professionals inject urban spaces with the cultures, ecologies and collective experiences that make a place unique?
12.30pm Lunch
Delegates are invited back to the exhibition hall for a working lunch as we continue the conversation around expanding the possibilities.
1.15pm Concurrent Session: Diversity | Inclusion | Balance
SPEAKERS:
Lisa Annese, Chief Executive Officer, Diversity Council of Australia
Susan Pettifer, Director - People, Performance & Technology, City of Sydney
Sarah Chessor, Manager, People & Culture, Lake Macquarie City Council
Annie Harris, Executive Manager People and Culture, Armidale Regional Council
The business case for diversity, equity and inclusion is stronger than ever. There is ample evidence that diverse and inclusive companies are likely to make better, bolder decisions and diverse companies are more likely to financially outperform their peers. In this session we will explore how councils are winning through the balance of diversity and inclusion.
1.15pm Concurrent Session: Cyber Security - The Bottom Line sponsored by 
SPEAKER: Chris Mohan, General Manager, Threat Research and Intelligence & Security Controls, Telstra
In modern business it's impossible not to be worried about a cyber attack of some form. But how do you lower your chances of attack and what do you do if someone manages to get in your system and data?
1.15pm Concurrent Session: Strengths-Based and Human Centric Performance Culture sponsored by 
FACILITATOR: Gareth Broderick, Director, Head of Local Government, Capstone Recruitment
PANELISTS:
Amanda Sheard, Managing Director, Version Two Collective
Maria Sykes, Chief Executive Officer, Scape
Lisa Ucles, Manager People and Culture, North Sydney Council
Strengths-based organisations shift away from the old ways of managing people to more effective, forward-thinking ways of developing them. They recognise that the workplace of the future prioritise purpose, development, coaching and conversations.
2.30pm Shared Governance
PANELISTS:
Kerryn Ellis, Chief Executive Officer, South Gippsland Shire Council
Anthony Vuleta, Chief Executive Officer, Town of Victoria Park
Frank Zaknich, Chief Executive Officer, AlburyCity Council
The elected body and senior leadership are interdependent on each other’s success. The key is to have systems and tools to get everyone working off the same page.
Working together with the same purpose, expectations and goals creates a synergism that allows communities to accomplish great things. In this session we will explore:
- Developing an operating model that sets clear expectations to establish a respectful relationship
- Guiding councillor priorities alongside strategic plans
- Working together regardless of the noise
3.30pm Afternoon Tea
Delegates are invited back to the exhibition hall for afternoon tea as we continue the conversation around expanding the possibilities.
4.00pm The Future of Local Government is Now sponsored by 
FACILITATOR: Iliada Bolton, Director Business and Governance, Bega Valley Shire Council and Board Member Statewide Mutual
PANELISTS:
Russell Peake, Manager, Social Planning & Services, Northern Beaches Council
Cecile Tran, Place Manager, City of Parramatta
Erin Hogan, Environmental Health Officer, City of Canterbury Bankstown Council
In our closing panel session, we will explore the future of local government through the lens of our next generation of leaders and how they intend to expand all of the possibilities
5.00pm Networking Welcome Reception
Join us for our welcome reception in the exhibition lounge and continue the conversation.