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NSW Conference Keynotes

Kiersten Fishburn

Secretary,
Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure

Planning in Transition: Leading NSW Through Reform, Technology and Regional Change 

Thursday 24 September, 9:20am

Kiersten is the Secretary of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure. In her role, Kiersten is responsible for the creation of vibrant, productive spaces and precincts; the effective management of lands, assets and property; and the delivery of more housing supply, diversity and affordability.
As part of her role as Secretary, Kiersten is a panel member of the NSW Government’s Housing Delivery Authority. It was established in the Department as an independent body to oversee a new state-led approval pathway for major residential housing projects, as well as a new process for concurrent state-led zoning for major housing development proposals.

Kiersten has worked in the public service for nearly three decades, across multiple portfolios and two tiers of government. She brings great enthusiasm and energy to her roles. She’s widely ambitious and passionate about delivering thriving environments, communities and helping NSW achieve its full potential. Kiersten was previously the Secretary of the Department of Planning and Environment, where she managed a diverse portfolio spanning natural resources and the environment, as well as her current portfolio. Prior to that she was the Deputy Secretary, Cities & Active Transport at Transport for NSW, which saw her focused on integrating cities with transport, and making places more functional and inclusive.

Kiersten was also the CEO of Liverpool City Council, and held leadership roles with Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre and Accessible Arts and City of Sydney.

Swings and Roundabouts - Strategic Planning in NSW: Strengths, Blind Spots and the Next Planning Paradigm

Thursday 24 September, 9:45am

Alice commenced as CEO for the Committee for the Hunter in March 2020.

Alice is a leader in public policy, with a focus on infrastructure, industry development and attraction, urban planning, regional development and intergovernmental negotiations. 

Her career spans the public and private sectors including KPMG National Lead on Cities and Regions, Senior Advisor on cities and infrastructure to former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and Director, Economy in NSW Premier and Cabinet.

Through her career, Alice has championed new, place-based approaches to regional development. This includes the ambitious Western Sydney City Deal, which saw eight councils partnering with the Commonwealth and NSW governments in a long-term plan for jobs, investment and liveability.

Alice Thompson
CEO, Committee for the Hunter 

Christian Bason 

Co-founder, Transition Collective
Adjunct Professor, UTS Sydney

Bio

Christian Bason Ph.D., is Co-founder of Transition Collective, Adjunct Professor with University of Technology Sydney. From 2014 to 2023 he was CEO of the Danish Design Center. Previously, he was Director of MindLab, the Danish government’s innovation team, and Business Manager with Ramboll, a global advisory group. Christian is the author and co-author of nine books, including "Expand: Stretching the Future by Design" (2022), "Leading Public Sector Innovation: Co-creating for a Better Society" (2018) and (in Danish) "The Organization Was Set Free and the Leadership had to be Rediscovered" (2023). Christian is M.Sc. (Political Science) from Aarhus University and Ph.D. from Copenhagen Business School. Christian lives with his family in Sorgenfri, north of Copenhagen — not far from Virum.

 

Designing Missions: Transitioning society through collabortive futures

Thursday 24 September, 11:30am

In his keynote, Dr Christian Bason, co-founder of Transition Collective and Adjunct Professor with University of Technology Sydney, will share insights from his work and research in the intersection of design, innovation and public policy, blending long-term futures thinking with citizen and stakeholder co-creation. Based in Copenhagen but with global experience, Christian will show how the theory and practice of mission-oriented innovation can be deployed to shape impact across cities, regions and nations. 

The Anti Burnout Blueprint-Psychological Wellbeing  in a High Demand Industry

Thursday 24 September, 11:55am

Michelle is a practicing Psychologist with more than 20 years of experience working across healthcare, corporate and community settings throughout Australia. Michelle specialises in managing stress and burnout, trauma-informed practices, leadership development and workplace wellbeing. She is known for her engaging and practical presentations and workshops, and her ability to translate complex psychological insights into easy to understand tools and strategies that help individuals, teams and workplaces thrive.

Michelle has delivered training and keynotes to a wide range of organisations, earning consistently strong feedback for her insightful and down-to-earth approach. She has been featured multiple times on ABC Radio and in local print media, sharing practical insights and evidence-based tools on mental health and wellbeing.

Michelle Heaton

Psychologist,
Michelle Heaton, Psychology & Consulting

Alison Holloway MPIA (Fellow)

Principal and Partner
SGS Economics and Planning

 

Bio

Alison MPIA (Fellow) is a Principal and Partner at SGS Economics and Planning with over 25 years’ experience in strategic planning, infrastructure, housing and economic development. An economic geographer and environmental planner, Alison is a recognised leader in urban policy and metropolitan planning, having advised governments across Australia and New Zealand.

Alison has worked directly with the NSW and Victorian Governments on metropolitan planning strategies and has led numerous projects shaping the future of Australian cities and regions. Her work focuses on helping governments navigate complex transitions through evidence-based planning and integrated land use and infrastructure strategies.

She chairs the UNSW City Futures Research Centre Advisory Panel and is a Trustee of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust.

Planning the Digital Transition: Leading Data Centre Development 

Friday 25 September, 10:35am
 

NSW is undergoing a digital transition. Data centres are critical economic infrastructure, supporting everything from cloud computing and government services to advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence. Yet their scale, intensity and resource demands present complex planning challenges that sit squarely at the intersection of State priorities and local government responsibility. Expansion of data centres is disrupting landscapes, infrastructure systems and planning decision making.

This paper asks critical questions for planners and policymakers:
- How should planning respond to the growing land and infrastructure needs of data centres?
- What happens to employment lands as AI reshapes demands?
- How can planning support economic transition while mitigating spatial inequality, availability of employment lands for urban services, and unintended environmental impacts?

Drawing on emerging global and Australian examples, the session frames AI as a land use issue — not just a technology issue — and argues for proactive planning responses to manage this transition rather than react to it. The aim is to equip planners with a lens for anticipating AI driven change and shaping more resilient, adaptive land futures.

Tourism and Events Economy in Transition: Adapting, Reshaping, Enduring 

Friday 25 September, 11:40am

The Hunter Valley is NSW’s most visited wine region and Australia’s oldest surviving commercial wine-producing area. Events have long underpinned the visitor economy, particularly large-scale music festivals and winery-based experiences that have driven visitation and market diversification.

However, this model is under increasing pressure. Large events in regional areas face rising costs, insurance constraints, infrastructure limitations, and increasing complexity in planning and approvals. These challenges intersect with land use constraints, cumulative infrastructure impacts, and growing expectations around amenity and sustainability.

At the same time, demand-side conditions are shifting. Alcohol consumption is declining, particularly among younger cohorts, with growing preference for experience-led and wellness-oriented social activities. This represents a structural shift for wine-region destinations, where traditional vineyard-based events are no longer consistently attracting the same breadth or scale of audiences.

Cost-of-living pressures are further reshaping visitation patterns, with households more selective in discretionary spend. Free community events and ticketed commercial events are diverging in performance, particularly in destination markets where visitation is accommodation-dependent. Requirements such as minimum two-night stays can further constrain demand, reducing accessibility for shorter, lower-yield visits. Together, these shifts highlight a misalignment between legacy event models and emerging market conditions, signalling a transition toward more flexible, experience-led and place-based visitation.

 

 

Caroline Booth

Economic Development and Tourism Manager
Cessnock City Council

Bio

Caroline Booth is Manager Economic Development and Tourism at Cessnock City Council, where she leads initiatives that support economic growth through investment attraction, tourism development, events and place activation. With more than 20 years' experience in local government, she is passionate about shaping vibrant, resilient communities and creating places where people want to live, work, invest and visit.

Her current work includes developing a citywide Events Strategy and Economic Development Strategy for the Cessnock LGA, exploring how events can drive economic diversification, activate centres and support community renewal. Caroline also serves as a Director of Hunter iF.

 
Jo McClellan

Senior Executive Policy and Advocacy,
Planning Institute of Australia

PIA Advocacy Update - Championing Planning, Shaping Australia's Future

Thursday 24 September,4:30pm

Jo is the Senior Executive, Policy and Advocacy PIA is a social policy and strategic planning expert with more than 20 years’ experience across government, industry and consulting. Her expertise spans housing policy, urban planning, health and the built environment, social infrastructure and strategic advocacy, with a focus on shaping evidence-based policy and practical reform that delivers better outcomes for communities and places.