2026 SA State Conference 2026 Wrap Up
With 300+ attendees through the doors 12 sponsors and 11 speakers and the 2026 SA State Conference was a great start to this year’s State Conference series.
The day opened with The Caring Choir and closed with a former criminal hacker. Everything in between matched that energy. Under the theme Aged Care Futures: People, Purpose and Progress, the agenda covered policy direction, new reforms, the urgent challenge of hospital-to-home transitions, the future of CHSP, and what’s shifting in retirement living legislation.
Live poll
We also opened with a live audience poll asking:
If aged care were a movie genre right now, what would it be?
The response was telling. Drama led the way, followed by thriller and action. A simple but powerful reflection of the current operating environment across the sector.
The afternoon dug into workforce attraction and retention, leadership culture, practical on-the-ground innovation, and the financial realities of operating under the new Aged Care Act.
The headline moment came mid-afternoon when CEO Tom Symondson welcomed the Government’s $3 billion aged care commitment live from the floor – a meaningful first step, while making clear the sector will need significantly more to deliver 10,000 additional beds a year over the next two decades.
Bastien Treptel closed the day with a jolt of urgency – a sharp reminder that the cyber threat landscape facing aged care providers is not a future problem, it’s a right now problem.
A full day of strong conversations and shared perspectives across the sector. Thank you to everyone who attended, sponsored, spoke or participated in any way.
We look forward to seeing you again next year!
Conference photos
Thank you to our 2026 Sponsors
