Registration: 10.30 AM

Welcome to Country: 11.00 AM

Official Welcome
Justine Campbell, CEO, RDA Orana

Welcome
Michael Askew, Executive Officer, the Association of Mining & Energy Related Councils (MERC)

Ministerial Welcome
The Hon Mark Coulton MP, Federal Member for Parkes

Keynote Speakers:

• Renewable Energy and the Call for Critical Minerals - A Global Perspective
  Piers Montgomery, Principal Analyst - Base Metals Supply, CRU Group
  
• Central West Orana REZ Update
  Ash Albury, Executive Director Planning & Communities, EnergyCo
  
• Insights Observations from Across Regional Australia
  Julia Spicer OAM, Founder, Engage & Create Consulting / The Goondiwindi Business Hub
  
• Impacts of the REZ affecting the Mid-Western Regional Council
  Brad Cam, General Manager, Mid-Western Regional Council

The Enablers for Impact session will bring together some of the brightest minds from both the University of Newcastle and Beyond Zero Emissions to explore the key enablers and opportunities for the region.

• Research Impact to Build Resilient Communities
  Professor Alan Broadfoot, Executive Director, NIER, University of Newcastle
• Empowering Communities: Generating Social Impact Across Regions
  Dr Jai Cooper, Consultant, Institute for Regional Futures, University of Newcastle
• Building on our Strengths: Key Enablers for Impactful Change
  Beth Mitchell and Sam Mella, Beyond Zero Emissions

Sandeep Kirpalani, Academic Lead, Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy (TRaCE), UNSW

Welcome
Professor Zee Upton, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Innovation), University of Newcastle

Keynote speaker for the dinner session is renowned global influencer The Demographics Group Director & Co-Founder Simon Kuestenmacher, who is ranked as one of the world’s Top 10 influencers in data visualisation. Simon will educate and entertain the audience as he discusses demographic and global trends that are shaping Australia today and into the future.