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

Contact the host of Policy Day - SEQ Food Summit