Join us for a gathering of local and international change-makers redefining the first response beyond police. This online national symposium will showcase real-world models and bold policy solutions – exploring not only what is possible but what is already working on the ground. Join us as we examine how to build and strengthen alternative first responses and be part of the urgent call to have diversity, community and care in the first response.

This event is sponsored by:

Robinson Gill Lawyers

Supported by:

UTS Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion

Please note 1 ticket grants access for 1 person - Fully subsidised tickets available for No Income, Concession or Students. Please email afr@justice.org.au to organise your free ticket.

Symposium Program 2025:

9.30am	Acknowledgement of Country & Welcome to AFR Symposium Opening Speech Larissa Behrendt
10.00am	International Keynote Speaker Alexander Heaton \| The Policing Project, NYU 20min Q&A with audience
11.10am	Break (20mins)
11.30am	International Keynote Speaker Gina M. Nagano \| House of Wolf, Turtle Island 20min Q&A with audience
12.40pm	Live Interactive Audience Poll
12.45pm	Curated Poetry & Spoken Word Latoya Aroha Rule Mabel Peisley AFR Competition Winner
1.05pm	Lunch break (55mins)
2.00pm - 3.00pm	Breakout sessions \| 2 concurrent sessions Session 1: Responding with care and choice: reshaping mental health call outs Giancarlo de Vera, CEO of BEING Judy Deacon, Advocate Session 2: Shake the system: using the law to bring change and accountability to policing Samantha Lee, Redfern Legal Centre Samara Fernandez-Brown, Advocate
3.00pm	Break (15mins)
3.15pm	Breakout sessions \| 3 concurrent sessions Session 1: Breaking systems that drive silence: insights from the domestic, family & sexual violence frontline Lauren Caulfield, Beyond Survival Project Tyne McConnon, Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service (TALS) Arlia Fleming, Central Tablelands & Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre (CTBMCLC) Session 2: Systems change: standing up for young people & delivering on alternatives Eva Lazzaro, Smart Justice for Young People Josh Brown, Central Australia Youth Justice Session 3: Community expertise from localised frontlines challenging police models Kristy-Lee Costello, Murri Watch Cheryl Brown, Gurehlgam Corporation
4.15pm	Break (15mins)
4.30pm	Policy Competition Winner Marissa Williamson Pohlman
4.45pm	Reflection, acknowledgments and thank you
5.00pm	End of Conference