What a joy and honour it has been.
The Summit was filled with insightful conversations around the complexities of resilient food systems and what we can do to strengthen the entire value chain from farmer to plate
Policy Day - SEQ Food Summit
Food Connect Shed
Salisbury QLD, Australia
Description
Rapid population growth, increasing climate and cost-of-living pressures, and Brisbane 2032 (and its legacy) on the horizon… SEQ is on the edge of something big, and from farming to small business, health to education, the way we ‘do’ food in this region can shape it all.
SEQ Food Summit Policy Day brings together the leaders and decision makers guiding South East Queensland through this era of challenge and opportunity - designed for people who already understand the stakes. We’re filling a room with direct access to the research, the doers and the cross-sector perspectives that too-rarely occupy the same space at the same time. This is an opportunity to learn, connect and identify share the load through aligned action.
Come to:
dig into recent policies and research moving us forward.
cut through the noise, pop your head out of any siloes, and identify powerful policy levers together
connect with the decision-makers and problem-solvers working on the same challenges as you
leave with inspiration, ideas and a clearer path to coordinated action
AGENDA
9am
Welcome & Keynote - Food Connect Foundation
Food Connect Foundation has spent twenty years building the case for what a community-owned, regenerative food system can look like. Drawing on FCF's colourful history and ambitious future - from the Food Connect Shed as living proof of community ownership, to the Regenerating the Regions investment blueprint, to the Transforming the Public Plate report - this session frames the day's core question: what tools do we have to build a food system that truly works for everyone?
Speakers:
Nina Yousefpour - Chair
Robert Pekin - co-CEO
Emma-Kate Rose - co-CEO
9.45am
PANEL: Food for Resilient Regions
Proudly supported by Noosa Council
Is Australia's food security really as robust as we think? Healthy landscapes and productive farms are the foundation of a resilient regional food system - but good agricultural policy begins with the people who know the land best. This conversation explores what meaningful government and industry support for regenerative farming and food businesses can look like - the possibilities it opens up, and the challenges still to navigate.
Hear from:
Rachel Chambers, Queensland's Food Farmers’ Commissioner, tasked with ensuring Queensland farmers are supported and empowered to thrive in competitive markets - balancing our own food security with export demands.
Dr Terry McCosker OAM, one of Australia's most recognised agricultural innovators and founding director of Resource Consulting Services, on what's needed to motivate big players to feed locals rather than look to major markets.
Kay Tommerup, producer and President of Agritourism Queensland with deep knowledge of what regional Queensland farming communities need to thrive, and the ability for diversification and infrastructure to future-proof a business.
Helen Lewis of Holistic Management Co-op on what's possible with data and her extensive regional advocacy background.
10.30am Morning tea
11am
WORKSHOP: Procurement Foundations: Shaping a Collective Food Vision for SEQ Ahead of the Brisbane2032 Games
Proudly supported by The University of Queensland - Centre for Policy Futures
Brisbane2032 could be a catalyst for social inclusion, regional resilience and sustainability that endures long after the Games.
This panel tests that ambition against the realities of existing Queensland procurement frameworks and SEQ's food system - and asks what concrete changes to purchasing policy and practice could unlock real market access for Queensland's farmers and food makers.
Panellists:
Dr Kiah Smith of the Centre for Policy Futures, sociologist and food justice expert with research and insights from ‘Co-designing Regional Food Procurement for Brisbane 2032 and Beyond’
Leah Galvin, Learning and Practice Lead at Good Food Purchasing Australia - giving a practitioner's view of what institutional buyers actually need to change their sourcing
Madonna Thomson, Nyanda Cultural Tours, Bush Tukka & Botanicals Indigenous Enterprises Co-operative
Frank Dinneen, Small Business Procurement Advisor, Department of Small and Family Business
12pm Lunch
Grab a bite of local food, connect with peers and meet some potential partners, and start chatting about challenges you’d like to cover later on.
1pm
PANEL: Feeding Queensland — Building Partnerships That Actually Work
We’re moving from policy to practice, to discuss what cross-sector collaboration looks like when it delivers. What conditions and arrangements stand up on-the-ground realities? How do we make partnerships (and outcomes) equitable across government, institutions, industry and community?
Panellists:
Dr Amanda Cahill, founder and CEO of The Next Economy, with a long track record advising communities, governments and industries through complex economic transitions
Dr Lilly Lim-Camacho, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Agriculture and Food and key author of the SEQ Food System Strategy, with expertise in value chain management, food security and social inclusion
Dheepa Jeyapalan, from Good Food Purchasing Australia, with direct experience brokering relationships between government buyers and Queensland producer
1.45pm
WORKING SESSION
We'll break into groups to workshop your problems and priorities with peers, or others from across the food system with diverse expertise to share. With a focus on ideas that can be actioned in the months ahead, this segment of the day will be driven by you on the day with support from our team, then reported back to the room.
3pm - close
Who Should Attend?
Policy Day is designed for decision-makers, practitioners and funders working across the SEQ food system:
Policymakers: Federal, state and local representatives from Health, Agriculture, Environment, First Nations, Communities, Infrastructure and Economic Development departments
Food buyers - corporate, events and institutional procurement professionals
Food systems leaders: Production and farming leaders, peak bodies, First Nations and sustainability leaders, food hubs and aggregators - the ‘missing middle’ that makes regional food systems actually function
Health system leaders: C-suite, procurement and food service leads, sustainability teams.
Funders and investors: Philanthropists, foundations and impact investors
Ecosystem Partners: Sustainability NGOs, health and wellbeing NGOs, social enterprise intermediaries
Start the conversation early
We'd love for you to join us, the Industry Day cohort and the wider community for our Eat Drink Think storytelling night the evening before (6-8pm, Monday 20 July). Good food, drinks, and quick-fire talks from people doing cool stuff in food, community and culture (tickets just $10 with your Policy Day pass - add it on at checkout).
Group tickets
Bring the team - book for 3+ people in one order and receive an automatic 15% off at checkout.
Academic and student volunteers
If you're currently studying food systems, agriculture, public health or other relevant fields and would like to be in the room, we'd welcome your help with note-taking or facilitating discussion sessions. Email jessie@foodconnectfoundation.org.au to put your hand up.
Thanks to the sponsors helping make Policy Day possible.
Proudly supported by Noosa Council
Supported by Centre for Policy Futures - The University of Queensland
Speakers
Rachel Chambers - QLD Food Farmers' Commissioner
As Queensland’s Food Farmers’ Commissioner, I’m privileged to work alongside the people who farm the food that feeds us all. My role is about connecting dots across government, industry, and community to help solve wicked problems and further the opportunities that exist between policy, production, and people. Prior to this role I spent three years as the CEO of QLD Fruit and Vegetable Growers and prior to entering the food and farming space, I served nearly six years as a Mayor in regional Queensland. Each role has shaped me deeply: teaching me the power of calm leadership, evidence-based decisions, and the magic that happens when you bring people with very different views to a shared table. Food isn’t just about what’s on the plate, the supply chain, the economics of the industry or the nutrition it brings. It’s all that and more, as it brings together people, place, and purpose.
Dr Terry McCosker OAM - RCS
Dr Terry McCosker OAM is one of the great innovators of Australian agriculture who has had an inordinate impact on agricultural practises over many years. On this basis the Central Queensland University conferred on Terry, the degree of Honorary Doctor of Agribusiness, in March 2015 and he was awarded an OAM in the 2021 Queens Birthday honours list for his contribution to agriculture. Terry is a Churchill Fellow, a Fellow of the Tropical Grasslands Society, has chaired the Australian Beef Expo, and sat on numerous advisory committees. One of his greatest lifetime achievements has been to effectively bridge the gap between the contesting paradigms of traditional agriculture and regenerative agriculture, helping to ensure the long-term survival of Australian agriculture and its farming families. Terry is an internationally acclaimed teacher and has worked in research, extension and property management in both government and private sectors for 50 years. In his research era, Terry published over 40 papers and made several world-first discoveries in the 1980’s. Terry co-founded RCS in 1985 which has set the benchmark for capacity building in rural and regional Australia and has been independently rated by a Commonwealth Govt survey as the most trusted source of farming knowledge in Australia. Terry is also a pioneer in the field of soil carbon and carbon farming. Having been committed to research and commercial activity in this area, he founded CarbonLink in 2007 which was recognised as the most innovative business in the region in 2016. Terry’s been described as “taking farming out of a war with nature to an association with it. He introduced Australian farmers to the concept of ecosystem health and developed methods of measuring it alongside financial health. Critically he introduced the concept of farm family well-being and welcomed female partners, siblings and parents into courses about decision making.”
Helen Lewis - Holistic Management Co-op
Helen is CEO of the Holistic Management Co-operative, offering farmers monitoring of ecological outcomes on their productive land. The data is used in management decisions so landscape function is improved, so farmers can produce Food & Fibre forever. Helen’s passion for making a difference for rural and regional Australia, is reflected with her diverse experiences - in community development, ministerial policy advising, Agforce drought policy, national infrastructure advocacy - the Outback Way - Australia’s Longest Shortcut, and supporting agribusinesses with Holistic Management education. Helen is also a grass-fed beef producer west of Warwick.
Dr Kiah Smith
Using futures thinking - a research approach that helps people explore complex challenges, imagine better futures and design practical ways forward - Kiah helps governments and organisations make better long-term decisions by understanding what communities are experiencing and bringing those perspectives into planning, policy and investment. While Kiah works across complex sustainability, environmental and social issues, much of her work focuses on food insecurity and food justice. Her most recent research explores social justice issues related to Olympics food procurement, in addition to her extensive publications on the resilience of local food systems, the right to food, ethical trade, gender empowerment, financialisation and the Sustainable Development Goals. Rather than only focusing on food production or supply, her work explores questions such as: who has access to good food, who misses out, and what can governments and organisations learn from communities already creating practical solutions? She is also the lead CI on Fair Food Futures, a research and policy initiative exploring community visions of food justice in Australia
Frank Dinneen - Dept. Customer Services, Open Data, Small & Family Business
Frank’s career has been focussed on addressing social and economic issues, through roles within government and with community businesses. His recent roles in the Queensland Government have focussed on delivering value-beyond-price through government procurement and diverse supply chains. Frank is now the Small Business Procurement Advisor. He is passionate about delivering meaningful impact for communities across Queensland - before, during and after the 2032 Games.
Dr Amanda Cahill - The Next Economy
Amanda is the founder of The Next Economy. She is an author, sought after media commentator, and trusted advisor to communities, government and industries navigating the complex transition to net zero emissions. She has over two decades experience working on economic development, public health, gender equality and climate adaptation across Australia, Asia and the Pacific
Dheepa Jeyapalan - Good Food Purchasing Australia
Dheepa is a dietitian and public health practitioner working at the intersection of food systems, policy, and institutional change. She co-leads Good Food Purchasing Australia (GFPA), a new initiative working to transform public food procurement. Previously, she managed the food systems portfolio at VicHealth and was a lead convenor at Regen Melbourne. Her career spans systems change, public health, and food systems work across Australia, the UK, and the Pacific, with a consistent focus on removing structural barriers to good food access. Based in Melbourne, she is also a yoga teacher.
Dr Lilly Lim-Camacho - CSIRO
Dr Lilly Lim-Camacho is Research Group Leader, Agriculture and Food Security at CSIRO. Passionate about turning diverse perspectives into collective action, she specialises in building partnerships across government, industry, research and community sectors. Her work focuses on food security, resilient value chains and food systems transformation, helping stakeholders align around practical solutions that deliver lasting social, economic and environmental outcomes.
Nina Yousefpour - Food Connect Foundation
Nina is a social impact leader with over 22 years of experience working across systems change initiatives in social enterprise, impact investing, social procurement, and impact measurement — in Australia, Canada, and India. Having partnered with hundreds of purpose-driven organisations to sharpen their strategies and impact, Nina brings a combination of on-the-ground practice and systems-level thinking. Her career spans business advisory, philanthropy, research, and government partnerships, with key contributions including implementing Australia's first impact investing fund (Social Enterprise Development and Investment Fund under Department of Social Services), measuring the impact of the Ontario government's first impact fund, and building Australia's certification system for social enterprises. Nina is also a Director at GoodWolf Partners, a member of SEFA's Backing the Bold Investment Committee, and GAICD.
Testimonials
thought-provoking and insightful
Your efforts in organising such a comprehensive and engaging workshop are truly appreciated. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate and contribute to the discussions
...an incredibly enriching experience.
The event was well-organised, and the discussions were insightful and engaging.
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