SPEAQ Forum 2025

A limited final release of tickets will go on sale on 25 July. See what's available.

About the Forum 

The SPEAQ Forum is Queensland’s practitioner oriented, interactive conference bringing together Domestic and Family Violence workers involved in interventions with those who perpetrate abuse. We welcome people in all roles associated with this work. As our key professional development event for the year, the purpose of this gathering is to connect, reflect, inform, share practice wisdom and explore new ideas to strengthen practice and strengthen the passion that drives our work. The SPEAQ Forum is different to many conferences, developed from the ground up by and for practitioners. With a strong focus on practice and on conversations between participants, it provides more than just great presentations by guest speakers, and fees are kept low enough to enable practitioner attendance. The Forum has been held annually since 2009, and we now welcome participants from around Australia, bringing unique perspectives from their part of the world to enrich our conversations and mutual learning. 

Click here to download the SPEAQ Forum 2025 Flyer.
 

About SPEAQ 

SPEAQ is Queensland’s network of practitioners and services providing interventions with those who perpetrate Domestic and Family Violence. We’ve been around for over 30 years, supporting the work with men and with partners or family members affected by their abuse. Our network connects and supports practitioners, co-ordinators and managers across Queensland. SPEAQ is the collective voice representing practitioners and services in this field in Queensland and is actively involved in sector development and consultation with government. 

Read more about us at www.speaq.org.au/about 

Event Details  

Who it's for: People working in or interested in intervention work with men who have used violence or abuse in their relationships, and the associated partner/family advocacy work. For practitioners and managers in men's DFV Intervention Programs (Men's Behaviour Change Programs) and in related and connected services. 

What: SPEAQ Forum 2025.  We're in this together: Meaningful relationship as the basis for effective practice in DFV accountability and intervention work. 

Where: Hotel Grand Chancellor Brisbane, 23 Leichhardt St, Spring Hill QLD 4000

When: 
Pre-Forum workshops: Wednesday 22nd October 9am to 4:00pm 
Day 1: Thursday 23rd October – 8:30 am to 5:00 pm 
Day 2: Friday 24th October - 8:30 am to 4:30 pm 

What does it cover? 

This year's theme is We're in this together: Meaningful relationship as the basis for effective practice in DFV accountability and intervention work. 

SPEAQ Forum 2025 brings together local and national presenters and Qld network members in an interactive forum with a focus on broadening understanding and strengthening practice for DFV intervention practitioners. 

Hear from local and national presenters Alan Jenkins, Prof. Donna Chung, Rodney Vlais, Hala Abdelnour, Tori Cooke, and a host of Queensland DFV sector professionals and network members. 

This year's theme is about meaningful relationships being at the core of our work. It applies to intervention practices built on ethical relationships with those using violence. Relationship building is crucial among co-facilitators, and between facilitators and advocates. This theme also invites conversations on intersecting fields and interagency work to build webs of accountability for persons using violence and collectively increase safety of victims-survivors. As we continue to see different and innovative approaches to practice and ways of working, The SPEAQ Forum will continue create dialogue for mutual growth and development and build connections within our network and beyond.

This year's Forum provides: 

• professional development facilitated by people with diverse experience in the field.  

• opportunity to develop practice ideas for intervention work in multiple contexts, with a special focus on Men's DFV Intervention Programs 

• a chance to hear from women's and family advocates, centring their experience and knowledge when reflecting on the work with persons using violence 

• opportunity to hear about new developments in the field and how services are dealing with a changing operating environment 

• a chance to share practice wisdom and experiences with other practitioners 

• a unique networking opportunity, bringing people together from within our specialist field, in Queensland and beyond 

• an opportunity to further develop our practitioners and services network 

The full Programme Schedule will be released here in the coming months. Be sure to check back to this page for updates! 

Information about previous SPEAQ Forums is available on this page. You will require a password which is simply the name of our network (not spelt out here because we don't want it crawled by web bots - if you're a human we are confident you'll work it out!).  

Pre-Forum workshops 

This year we're offering 2 parallel full-day workshops on Wednesday 22/10/2025, 9am-4pm.

Workshop 1, Rodney Vlais (they/them): Working with persons using violence at the intersection of DFSV, substance use and mental health. More information and flyer to come.

Workshop 2, Alan Jenkins (he/him): Working with Affect, Shame-sensitive practice, Invitational Ethics in practice. More information and flyer to come.

SPEAQ Annual Networking Cocktail Dinner

Held this year at a relaxed inner city venue overlooking Roma Street Parklands, connect with DFV practitioners, leaders, researchers, and government representatives at this trans-sectoral event held alongside the SPEAQ Forum 2025. Enjoy fine food, drinks, and conversation with some of the country's leading voices in domestic and family violence behaviour change. Whether you're attending the Forum or not, this is a valuable opportunity to build connections, share insights, and be part of a community driving evidence-based change.

The SPEAQ Annual Networking Cocktail Dinner is not primarily a fundraising event, but any surplus will contribute directly towards our capacity building initiatives and network sustainability. We thank you for the ongoing support!

When: Thursday 23 October 2025, 6-9pm.

Where: Hotel Grand Chancellor Brisbane, 23 Leichhardt Street, Spring Hill

*Substantial canapes and welcome drinks upon arrival will be provided. A cash bar will be available.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to view the Networking Cocktail Dinner flyer.

Travel Subsidy scheme 

The SPEAQ Forum 2025 Travel Subsidy Scheme is designed to assist SPEAQ members from around Queensland, particularly in rural and remote regions, to travel to Brisbane for this year’s SPEAQ Forum. The subsidy covers travel and accommodation costs and a limited number of places are available to successful applicants. The maximum amount awarded to each successful applicant is $800. Applications are due by 1 August.

Apply here.

Registration 

Early Bird tickets have now ended and sold at an unprecedented amount! A limited number of final release of tickets will go on sale on 25 July.

Note: Member registration is available at a reduced price for current financial members of SPEAQ (i.e. employee members of member organisations and Individual members). If you are unsure of your membership status, contact the organiser using the Contact Host button at the bottom of this page.

Click here to register. 

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Thanks to our primary sponsor, WorkUP Queensland for their generous support of SPEAQ Forum 2025 through the Collaborative Grants program. Thank you to Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research (QCDFVR) for their generous support and their continued contribution to the forum.
Thanks to Challenge DV for their ongoing support of the SPEAQ Secretariat through our partnership MOU. And thank you to Domestic Violence North Queesnland (DVNQ), who continue to support SPEAQ as our auspicing organisation.

SPEAQ acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional custodians of our land and sea. We acknowledge the Turrbal and Yuggera people as the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters of Brisbane, formerly known as Meanjin, where the SPEAQ Forum 2025 will be held. We pay respects to all Elders, past, present and emerging as well as to the individuals and organisations working in their communities to address all forms of domestic and family violence. 

Click here to view the SPEAQ Forum 2025 Child, Baby and Infant Policy.

Please note refund policy includes refund up to 14 days prior to the event (less booking and processing fees).