Keynote Speakers

Manager Development services at Murray River Council, previously Director Planning & Environment at Walgett Shire and an Accredited A1 Certifier, I have a Grad Certificate in Urban Planning from the UTS and 20 years Local Government Experience in Planning, Building Certification, Waste and Strategic Planning. 

Liz Ritchie’s had a lifelong affiliation with regional Australia, having spent her childhood in Deniliquin in south-western New South Wales. As CEO of the Regional Australia Institute her goal is to empower regions to thrive through leadership, activation, and impact. Liz spearheaded the development of the Regionalisation Ambition – a 10 year, 20 goal framework, that aims to ‘rebalance the nation’ by ensuring greater equity for our rural and regional communities.

Corrina Eccles is a proud Wadawurrung woman, who lives and works on Wadawurrung Dja (Country). Living in Torquay on Warre Sea Country and based professionally in Djilang (Geelong), Corrina is Ngarrwa Cultural Strengthening General Manager at Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC), the Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006. Corrina is the daughter of respected Wadawurrung Elder Uncle Norm and a mother of two and grandmother of five. Corrina’s journey and connection to Wadawurrung Dja started with her grandmother and being guided and mentored by strong Elders and respected men and women in the community and her family. 

She carries on this legacy as a longtime well-respected advocate and leader in the community with a passion for supporting First Nations people with heart, hands and voice. Corrina advocates for all First Nations People, particularly children and young people, to connect with community and culture to feel included and to grow strong with their identity, to know who they are and where they belong. With over 25 years of employment in Aboriginal organisations on Wadawurrung Dja, Corrina has extensive knowledge and experience in community engagement, support, advocacy and building awareness of Wadawurrung and our First Nations community. Working alongside professional and Government sectors and businesses in the wider Djilang area Corrina strives to advance the aspirations of Wadawurrung People. 

 Immersed in Sea Country, Corrina feels a sense of spiritual connection and grounding from her Country. She is passionate about caring, advocating and nurturing Country - she learns from Country and loves to be out walking Country. She shares her love, knowledge, and experiences of Country in many ways to strengthen recognition of Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and to educate people of landscape, place, and language. Using narratives and storytelling Corrina has collaborated on many projects to bring the stories and colors of Country into the built environment on Wadawurrung Dja, from small playgrounds to large projects including the Geelong Arts Centre and Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre. 

Corrina is currently a Board Director or Committee Member on various organisations in the region, at both Government and community levels. Corrina’s contributions have been formally recognised as the recipient of the City of Greater Geelong’s 2017 First Nations Woman of the Year Award, the 2022 Frank Costa Leadership Award and the 2024 Future Geelong Cultural and Recreation Leader. 

Dr Lisa Stafford is passionate about inclusive sustainable communities and transport equity.  With over 25 years of experience as a researcher, educator, and planner across government, non-government, and university sectors, Lisa continues to lead change at the intersection of disability participation, urban planning and transport. Her work also champions inclusive participatory and co-creation methods and practice-led research to ensure the ‘voices’ of all people are heard in research and public planning. Lisa also brings her own perspective a chronically ill disabled woman. Lisa is an ARC Future Fellow with Griffith University and a member of Planning Institute of Australia (MPIA).

Stephen Yarwood is a renowned Futurist, highly respected Urbanist and the Former Lord Mayor of Adelaide. Serving as a catalyst for change for both corporate and community organisations, his passion extends beyond envisioning the future; he educates, motivates and empowers people to shape it.With a strong skill set in cross-disciplinary strategic foresight, Stephen is deeply fascinated by the dynamic interplay between people, places, technology, and change.

Recognised as an international thought leader on "the future citizen," Stephen is committed to collaborative leadership that aids corporate and community leaders in navigating the rapidly changing and complex social, environmental, and economic landscape, allowing them to explore possible futures and create preferred outcomes. Stephen has a Bachelor of Arts in Planning, Graduate Diplomas in Regional & Urban Planning and Environmental Studies, an MBA from Adelaide University and is an award-winning Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. 

He has a wealth of international experience working around Australia and in NZ, Asia the Middle East and North America. He has been on a global advisory board for Airbnb, worked on mega projects in Saudi Arabia and provided keynote presentations to over 150,000 people in the last 10 years in several countries. 

During his time as Lord Mayor (2010-2014), his emphasis on collaboration with the private sector and State Government delivered many outcomes and saw Adelaide recognised internationally as an innovative destination by Lonely Planet, National Geographic and The New York Times. Prior to being Lord Mayor, Stephen worked in the South Australian Government and Parliament, in Local Government and internationally as a planner, researcher, educator and speaker. His planning experience is exceptionally diverse; from strategy to implementation on many large projects dealing with most land use types and a diverse range of environment, economic, community, design and development issues.

Disaster and Resilience Panel Members

Beck is a strategic leader with a passion for supporting communities to survive, adapt and thrive in face of increasing shocks and stresses through managing for and planning in uncertainty. She joined the NSW Reconstruction Authority in September 2024 to lead implementation of the first State Disaster Mitigation Plan (2024-2026) and the disaster adaptation planning process for the regions of NSW.

Beck previously spent nine years as the Chief Resilience Officer for Greater Sydney, leading the Resilient Sydney programs with all 33 local governments of metropolitan Sydney, hosted by the City of Sydney. Known as the "person paid to worry for Sydney", Beck championed urban resilience change programs and systems thinking for cities and contributed globally as Chair of the Global Steering Committee of the Resilient Cities Network.

Beck co-lead delivery of the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce (2022-2024) program in partnership with the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils.

Beck champions the use of robust community and technical research to identify community risks to inform public policy and make places and cities safer and more resilient.