SUMMIT AGENDA

Explore the full agenda for the National Early Years Policy Summit at QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival, where leaders, thinkers, practitioners, artists, parents, caregivers, Elders and community leaders will come together to discuss childhood in Australia and make big plans for the future of our kids.

From groundbreaking discussions to practical workshops, the summit offers an opportunity to engage with thought leaders and drive impactful change. Check out the detailed schedule below to plan your participation and ensure you don’t miss any of the key sessions.

Day 1: Tuesday 17 June 2025

Thinking big about our children and the future!

Registration
Registration of your attendance at summit.

Conversations on the Stage
With surprise performances from festival participants.

Out of the Box Festival
Go and see a show, where every experience is crafted with children in mind.

Twilight program
Festive dinner, networking drinks and entertainment on the Melbourne Street Green.

Topics and speakers include:

Big picture thinkers from Australia and overseas to get us thinking about childhood and the systems we have built to support our children.
First Nations leaders on how doing better in the early years is a driving force behind Closing the Gap.
Australia’s leading creatives on building work for and by children and the rights of children to a rich cultural life.
Leaders from economics, climate and urban design on the forces shaping growing up.

Day 2: Wednesday 18 June 2025

Where do we go from here? What are the big issues to tackle and the big goals to strive for together?

Conversations on the Stage
With surprise performances from festival participants.

Breakout Sessions
Discuss on the ground solutions at the State Library of Queensland.

Fully catered
Including breaks, lunch and barista made coffee.

Out of the Box Festival
Go and see a show, where every experience is crafted with children in mind.

Topics and speakers include:

There’s been lots of reform over the past few years, but what next for joining up Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), disability supports, maternal and child health and the other vital supports for our kids?
Is Government match-fit to deliver the systems our children need? How do we make the Federation work better for Children and their families?
How do we price and regulate ECEC and ensure the highest quality of care?
Valuing the early years workforce – overcoming the challenges of pay, skilling and career paths and building the skills to serve our most vulnerable Children.
Supporting parents and building great home and community environments for our children.
What’s in our manifesto for the next wave of reform and what are well all prepared to do to drive change for our children!

SCHEDULE

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR

Rachel Apelt's live illustrations will not only document the Plenary’s key messages, but also help us see our conversations, and each other, in new ways. Watch as the story of the summit comes to life through Rachel’s pen.

Look out for Lachlann Carter in-between sessions, and join him around the pond for chats about the adult human inhabitants of the Early Years Ecosystem, and the opportunities that exist or should exist to help it, and the kids and families it serves, to thrive.

During the Summit, the filmmaker Shannon Harvey will be following one of the organisers, Matthew Cox, Executive Director at The Bryan Foundation, as he engages with sessions and participants. The film is part of a wider initiative designed to shift the conversation from crisis response to prevention, and is being developed in partnership with Spark Studios and Prevention United, with the support of the Shark Island Foundation and Documentary Australia Foundation.

Rachel Apelt
We’re thrilled to welcome Rachel Apelt, the creative force behind artbalm, as the Graphic Recorder for our Plenary sessions. Based in Magandjin (Brisbane), Rachel is a master of transforming complex conversations into visually compelling narratives in real time.

Lachlann Carter
Children’s author and creative learning and engagement specialist Lachlann Carter will be helping to capture the thoughts, reflections and ideas of delegates throughout the summit, from the comfort of a couple of camping chairs parked next to a paper pond.

Shannon Harvey
The powerful new film, Raising Superheroes, led by journalist and filmmaker Shannon Harvey, explores the science and stories behind mental illness prevention—and the growing global movement to protect mental health from the earliest years of life.