Australia's largest social change conference

Progress is our flagship conference and the largest event on Australia’s civil society calendar. Bringing together entry level campaigners, senior management teams and everyone in between, Progress helps to build the courage, connections and capability of civil society through a cross-pollination of ideas, lessons and skills, and by fostering new relationships.

In 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019, we brought together thousands of change makers at Melbourne Town Hall. In 2020, we hosted a rapid response Virtual Progress to bring civil society together during COVID-19.

We are looking forward to hosting Progress 2021 – more details coming soon.

Progress keynote speakers have included:

• Edward Snowden

• Gillian Triggs

• Naomi Klein

• Kumi Naidoo

• Winnie Byanyima

• Anat Shenker-Osorio

• Bruce Pascoe

• Erica Chenoweth

THE peak convening of civil society ceos

Australian Progress has played a role in bringing together hundreds of our most eminent civil society leaders at our Leadership conferences to have the conversations needed to improve our nation’s future.

In 2016 and 2019, Australian Progress convened more than 200 of Australia’s top nonprofit CEOs, union secretaries and other community leaders at Old Parliament House to foster cross-sector networking and collaboration, and build bold leadership for our future. In 2020 we have connected this senior leadership community to foster collaboration in response to COVID-19.

Leadership conferences have brought together over 200 civil society CEOs and leaders who represent a wide range of issue areas, including:

• Racial justice

• First Nations

• Environment and climate

• Health

• Unions

• LGBTI+ rights

• Economic justice

• Philanthropy

THE premier gathering of digital campaigners and community organisers

Since 2013, our FWD+Organise conferences have built dynamic communities of practice around digital campaigning and community organising, connecting advocates to cutting edge technologists and organising approaches from Australia and around the world.

FWD+Organise is a two day conference bringing together hundreds of digital campaigners and organisers to share hands-on skills, tactics and lessons from recent campaigns.

Over the years, FWD has attracted a who’s who of international speakers such as:

• Alicia Garza, cofounder of #BlackLivesMatter

• Santiago Bell-Bradford, a senior community organiser at Momentum in the United Kingdom

• Andrew Burns, digital and communications advisor to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern

• Becky Bond, former senior advisor to Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.

• Laura O'Connell Rapira, Director of ActionStation