The AELERT 2026 Conference program is taking shape, and the response to the Call for Abstracts has been strong. With submissions already received from every Australian state and territory and from across the Pacific, AELERT has extended the deadline to Wednesday 15 July 2026, giving more practitioners and researchers the chance to take part.
Future Ready Regulation runs from 6 to 8 October 2026 at the Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, delivered in partnership with EIANZ. The three-day program brings together around 400 frontline practitioners, senior managers, executives and academics to examine the forces reshaping regulation and chart a path to future-ready practice.
A program built across three days
Day 1, Embracing Innovation on the Frontier of Regulatory Practice, opens with the big-picture shifts: digital innovation, AI, data, climate impacts and national reform.
Day 2, Fostering Regulatory Excellence, turns to regulatory craft in practice, covering approvals, compliance, enforcement, workforce capability and industry transitions.
Day 3, Collaboration and Co-Design for Better Outcomes, focuses on systems leadership, stewardship, First Peoples leadership and co-governance, and collaboration across agencies and jurisdictions, plus an Open Space Technology™️ session for regulators to meet, network and collaborate.
A snapshot of the submissions so far
Early abstracts span wildlife crime enforcement, AI in regulatory decision-making, emerging-sector frameworks, and system-wide regulatory design, with strong representation from South Australia and New South Wales and reach into the Pacific.
Themes emerging from submissions so far include:
- Wildlife crime and cross-agency enforcement case studies
- AI and machine learning in regulatory decision-making
- Regulatory frameworks for nascent and emerging sectors
- Rebuilding public trust after high-profile incidents
- Cumulative environmental harm and whole-of-system thinking
- Digital and intelligent transformation of regulatory functions
- Air quality regulation in complex urban and remote airsheds
- Compliance and maintenance in urban water systems
- Federated regulation and multi-jurisdictional coordination
- Academic and legal frameworks reshaping regulatory theory
Submission trends like these are exactly what Future Ready Regulation is built to surface: practical, forward-looking work shaping how regulators respond to what’s next.
Abstract submission deadline extended to 15 July
The Call for Abstracts is now open until Wednesday 15 July 2026, and we will aim to notify presenters of the outcome by Friday 31 July 2026. There are four ways to contribute: plenary sessions, breakout sessions, masterclass workshops and poster presentations.
You now have another two weeks to submit and put your work in front of an audience of highly engaged regulators, executives and academics from across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in October.
In particular, we are seeking submissions in the following areas:
- Climate, nature positive and environmental law reform, including EPBC reform in practice, biodiversity and net zero
- First Peoples leadership and co-governance, including co-design, co-regulation and Country-centred approaches
- Circular economy and transitioning industries, including PFAS, energy transition, batteries, solar and waste
- New and innovative regulatory programs of work or campaigns underway in your agency, particularly to spotlight as part of poster presentations
Submit your abstract by Wednesday 15 July 2026 or email aelert@sa.gov.au with your intent to submit. Explore the session descriptions, topics and guidelines or submit your abstract via the AELERT 2026 Conference website.
All presenters with an accepted abstract including for poster sessions are entitled to the discounted speaker rate of $1,599 + GST, including the the full three-day program and social events.
