Thursday 7 August 2025 (All times are AEST)
08:30-09:00 – Registrations
09:00-09:15 – Welcome
09:15-09:35 – Opening address by Minister Burke
Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for the Arts, will deliver our opening address, sharing his reflections on the newly-established Writing Australia, and the Albanese Government's vision for books, reading and publishing.
The Minister's address will set the scene for the broader role our industry plays in cultural, educational and civic life ahead of the next cultural policy, Revive 2.0.
09:40-10:20 – Looking to the future: how the publishing and film industry can learn from each other
Adapting Australian books is the focus of our opening keynote, delivered by Robert Connolly, filmmaker and creator of Arenamedia. His keynote will delve into his experiences in adaptation and vision for how creative industries can better work together on telling our Australian stories to our local audiences and to the world.
Robert is one of Australia’s most acclaimed and best-known filmmakers, with an international career spanning 30 years. His film The Dry, based on Jane Harper’s bestseller, was a critical and commercial success, he was a featured director of the Emmy-nominated series The Slap, and his recent film The Surfer premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Robert’s unique adaptation of Alison Lester’s classic picture book Magic Beach was released across Australia this year.
10:25-11:05 – Future of Australian non-fiction
This diverse panel will wrestle with questions we’d all like answers to: is there a slump in non-fiction sales or does it depend on what data you’re analysing? What are the patterns and trends that present a different picture of the non-fiction market? How important is it that we make space for knowledge-rich text in this world of 'post-truth' AI slop? And what makes our locally-published non-fiction special and worth not just protecting, but championing
- Arlie Alizzi – Editor, Magabala
- Jaclyn Crupi – Book editor, author and bookseller
- Lou Johnson – Consultant & agent (chair)
- Jordon Lott – Commissioning Editor, Wiley
11:05-11:25 – Morning tea break
11:30-12:10 – Format evolution
As the world embraces alternative formats, we explore the ways different formats engage different types of readers. Addressing lurking industry concerns, the session will provide insights about rights opportunities, editorial differences, advocacy for authors and the growth of children's audio.
- Kate Cuthbert – Publishing Director, Books+Publishing (chair)
- Lou Johnson – Consultant & agent
- Joel Naoum – Publishing Director, Hachette Australia
- Chiara Priorelli – Head of Publishing and Acquisitions, Australia, Wavesound
12:10-12:30 – Is there an AI for that?
Looking for a hack to boost your productivity, or an example of where AI just doesn’t cut it? Industry experts share their quick fire tips and tricks for using (or avoiding) AI in their work, which could be used across the industry.
- Cat Colwell – Head of Product & Supply Chain, Australian Publishers Association
- Patrizia Di Biase-Dyson – CEO, Australian Publishers Association
- Jessica Paul – Head of Operations, Allen & Unwin
- Joel Perlgut – Content & Partnerships Manager, Leonardo.AI
- Justin Wolfers – Publisher, Murdoch Books
12:30-13:15 – Reaching readers: marketing brains unleashed!
Armed with insights from the Understanding Australian Readers report, we explore and imagine ways to reach out to new audiences and engage more potential readers.
From Lapsed to Engaged Readers and everyone in between, hear from some of the industry’s brightest minds on how they would create reading campaigns to overcome barriers and attract new audiences.
- Anna Burkey – Head of Australia Reads
- Kady Gray – Head of Marketing Communications (Children’s Books), HarperCollins
- Simon Panagaris – Head of Marketing, Children’s & Young Adult Books, Allen & Unwin
- Justin Ractliffe – Commercial Director, Thames & Hudson
13:15-14:15 – Lunch break
14:15-14:25 – Alex Lee & Suren Jayemanne
14:25-14:55 – Keynote: Winnie Dunn
Winnie Dunn is a Tongan-Australian writer, editor, mentor and agent for change in the literary sector. She has edited several acclaimed anthologies, including Brownface (Cordite, 2018), Sweatshop Women (Sweatshop, 2019), Strait-Up Islander (SBS, 2020) and Another Australia (Affirm Press, 2022), and her debut novel, Dirt Poor Islanders (Hachette 2024) won the 2025 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists Award and the 2025 Creative Australia Kathleen Mitchell Award.
As General Manager of Sweatshop Literacy Movement, Winnie has championed the need for diverse Australian stories, now with Australia's first literary program for Pasifika-Australian writers Fresh Off the Books: The Pasifika Australian Literary Initiative, in partnership with NewSouth Publishing.
Winnie’s keynote will explore the vital role of Pasifika representation and shed light on how collaboratively, we can bring more diverse stories to life.
15:00-15:40 – Connecting audiences with authors
To have the social impact we aspire to, we need commercial impact. We also need the trust of our audiences and readers. In this session, we dig into this delicate dance and the partnerships between publishers and creators in Australian children’s publishing. Authors will share insights into the process of connecting audiences with creative work across a wide range of products and mediums.
- Nancy Conescu – children's book publisher and editorial consultant
- Andy Griffiths – author
- Jacqueline Harvey – author
- R.A. Spratt – author
15:45-16:20 – Writing Australia is Here!
In 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Arts Minister, Hon Tony Burke MP launched Australia’s first National Cultural Policy in a decade, called Revive: A Place for Every Story a Story for Every Place. In July 2025, Writing Australia will come into being with new funding and a promise to centre Australian creators and the Australian publishing industry.
Chaired by Dr Stuart Glover (Australian Publishers Association) this session brings together key players to offer insights into how Writing Australia can support the industry’s ambitions for Australian storytelling. The panel discussion will consider what opportunities the future holds for the publishing industry with the establishment of Writing Australia. We’ll learn what impact these Government bodies can have on an industry by looking at Music Australia’s achievements in its first 12 months.
- Stuart Glover – Head of Policy, Australian Publishers Association (chair)
- Wenona Byrne – Acting Director, Writing Australia, Creative Australia
- Millie Millgate – Director, Music Australia, Creative Australia
- Lucy Hayward – CEO, Australian Society of Authors
16:20-16:30 – Closing Remarks
16:30-18:30 – Networking Drinks