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For fair futurists.

Join a national gathering of leaders, thinkers and doers committed to reimagining a fairer, healthier Australia.

In an era where equity is increasingly politicised, misunderstood or sidelined, the Equity CoLab National Summit 2025 offers a space to reaffirm our collective commitment to fairness—not just as a value, but as a driver of better health, wellbeing and opportunity for all.

Over two days, attendees will explore:

  • Innovative approaches to embedding fairness in systems and policies
  • Collaborative strategies to address complex social challenges
  • Real-world examples of transformative change driven by equity-focused leadership

Early Bird Tickets

Limited time only or until allocation reached.
$ 1,100

+ booking fees*
  • Discounted ticket price
  • Over two days
    15 & 16 October
  • Noosa, Queensland | Kabi Kabi Country
GET TICKETS
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*Humanitix booking fees are a force for good! Visit humanitix.com/au/impact to learn how booking fees are changing lives!

Why attend?

Early Bird Illustration

Because fairness doesn’t happen on its own and health outcomes won’t improve unless we build the connecting systems that serve everyone well.

Now more than ever, we need leadership that can navigate complexity and deliver tangible change. This Summit is for those who believe in a fairer, healthier society, and understand it takes courage, strategy and collective action to get there.

Join others who are working across systems to address the root causes of inequity, challenging the status quo and building a future where fairness isn’t an ideal—it’s the foundation for wellbeing, belonging and opportunity.

What to expect:

You’ll hear bold ideas, learn from diverse perspectives, and connect with others committed to equity in action. With a program of inspiring talks, rich discussions and practical takeaways, you’ll leave with insight and motivation to keep leading where it matters most.

Who should attend?

The Summit is designed for anyone working at the intersection of systems and equity – whether you’re shaping policy, delivering services, influencing funding, or driving research or reform.

If you’re leading change in health, education, housing, justice, environment, early years, employment or philanthropy and believe fairness should be a strategic priority, this space is for you.

This year’s theme:
Fair by Design

Fairness doesn’t happen on its own.

We need to reimagine the fair go — and redesign systems to deliver it. This year’s program explores how equity can move from principle to practice in complex, shifting environments.

Secure your Early Bird tickets now

Accommodation Booking Form:

Photo of Fran Baum

Professor Fran Baum AO

Professor Health Equity & NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Stretton Inst., UoA
Photo of Andrew Scott

Professor Andrew Scott

Emeritus Professor of Politics and Policy Deakin University and author
Photo of Katherine Trebeck

Dr Katherine Trebeck

Political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change

Professor Sharon Friel

ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Health Equity, ANU

2024 Summit Snapshot

days of keynotes, panels, and interactive workshops

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guests speakers sharing bold ideas and insights

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participants from diverse sectors and backgrounds

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Absolutely brilliant Summit! Loved everything about it.

Child and Family Specialist, Salvation Army
Watch last year's summit highlights video
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Dr Norman Swan returns as event MC, and Dr Michael McAfee, our 2024 international keynote speaker, is coming back to Australia to join us once again. Interested in being a 2025 Summit Speaker? We’d love to hear from you — get in touch today for a chat.

The Equity CoLab

Country to Coast Queensland and the Equity CoLab acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

We are committed to embracing diversity and eliminating all forms of discrimination in the provision of health and other services. We welcomes all people irrespective of ethnicity, lifestyle choice, faith, sexual orientation and gender identity.

© 2025 The Equity Co·Lab

Photo of Fran Baum

Professor Fran Baum AO

Professor Health Equity & NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Stretton Inst., UoA​

Professor Fran Baum is a public health social scientist with a deep commitment to creating and advocating for healthy, equitable and sustainable societies. Her career spans research, advocacy and global movement-building — and she is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most influential voices on health equity.

She is Director of Stretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute at the University of Adelaide and an NHMRC Investigator Leadership Fellow. Fran was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to public health and is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Australian Health Promotion Association.

Fran is a past National President and Life Member of the Public Health Association of Australia, and the immediate past Co-Chair of the Global Steering Council of the People’s Health Movement — a global network of health activists working to advance the right to health and challenge structural injustice.

She is also a member of the BMJ International Advisory Board and author of over 400 publications, including:
• The New Public Health
• Governing for Health
• Co-editor of the Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health

Fran brings a rare combination of deep academic insight and long-standing advocacy for systems transformation.

Photo of Fran Baum

Professor Fran Baum AO

Professor Health Equity & NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Stretton Inst., UoA​

Professor Fran Baum is a public health social scientist with a deep commitment to creating and advocating for healthy, equitable and sustainable societies. Her career spans research, advocacy and global movement-building — and she is widely recognised as one of Australia’s most influential voices on health equity.

She is Director of Stretton Health Equity, Stretton Institute at the University of Adelaide and an NHMRC Investigator Leadership Fellow. Fran was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to public health and is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Australian Health Promotion Association.

Fran is a past National President and Life Member of the Public Health Association of Australia, and the immediate past Co-Chair of the Global Steering Council of the People’s Health Movement — a global network of health activists working to advance the right to health and challenge structural injustice.

She is also a member of the BMJ International Advisory Board and author of over 400 publications, including:
• The New Public Health
• Governing for Health
• Co-editor of the Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health

Fran brings a rare combination of deep academic insight and long-standing advocacy for systems transformation.

Photo of Andrew Scott

Professor Andrew Scott

Emeritus Professor of Politics and Policy Deakin University and author

Professor Andrew Scott will be joining us on the Equity CoLab National Summit stage this October!

Andrew is Emeritus Professor of Politics and Policy at Deakin University and the author of five books, including Northern Lights: The Positive Policy Example of Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway, which has recently been translated into Japanese. He is also lead editor and contributor to three chapters of The Nordic Edge: Policy Possibilities for Australia.

Northern Lights was endorsed by Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty, while The Nordic Edge received praise from Professor Fiona Stanley, former Australian of the Year. Both books have sold thousands of copies and helped bring international policy inspiration into Australian debate.

Andrew’s recent research has helped the national government extend paid parental leave and move toward universal early childhood education and care. He continues to advocate for further actions to improve equity in Australia.

Photo of Katherine Trebeck

Professor Katherine Trebeck

Professor Health Equity & NHMRC Investigator Fellow, Stretton Inst., UoA​

Dr Katherine Trebeck is a political economist and global advocate for building equitable and sustainable economic systems. Her work sits at the intersection of policy, practice and public dialogue — shifting how economies are designed, not just to grow, but to serve people and the planet.

She holds key roles including:
• Economic Change Lead at The Next Economy
• Strategic Advisor to the Centre for Policy Development
• Writer-at-Large at the University of Edinburgh

Katherine co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance – WEAll and WEAll Scotland, and was instrumental in establishing the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) initiative — a collaboration between governments such as Scotland, New Zealand and Finland to centre wellbeing in national economic priorities.

Her work advances equity by embedding human and ecological wellbeing into economic decision-making. She’s thinker-in-residence at the Australian Health Promotion Association, a fellow at the ZOE Institute and the Post Growth Institute, and serves on the boards of Hands Across Canberra and the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity. She is also a member of the Club of Rome.

Katherine is co-author of The Economics of Arrival and is a frequent speaker on how to reimagine prosperity through justice and care.

Professor Sharon Friel

ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Health Equity, ANU

Professor Sharon Friel is an ARC Laureate Fellow and Professor of Health Equity. She is Director of the Planetary Health Equity Hothouse and the Australian Research Centre for Health Equity (ARCHE) at the School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet), The Australian National University.

She is a Fellow of both the Academy of Social Sciences Australia and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

From 2014 to 2019, Sharon served as Director of RegNet, and earlier led the Scientific Secretariat of the World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health at University College London from 2005 to 2008. In 2014, she was recognised by her international peers as one of the world’s most influential female leaders in global health.

Her research interests include the political economy of health equity, and the governance of the social, commercial and planetary determinants of health inequities — with a particular focus on climate change, food systems, trade and investment. Her 2019 book, Climate Change and the People’s Health, explores the global consumptogenic system and its impacts on health.