UNSW Sydney Business School, Kensington Campus
Welcome reception Friday 21st November
Conference Saturday 22nd November – Sunday 23rd November 2025
ASF’s third annual conference once again brings together thinkers and community leaders to share learnings, formulate plans and help support new and emerging networks and organisations to restore a thriving Australian society founded on science and freedom.
Join our exciting line-up of health professionals, scientists, economists, lawyers, journalists, and community leaders to discuss a range of hot issues including healthcare policy, democracy and human rights, education, the media, and the role of grassroots organisations.
Format Overview
As in previous years, the conference will have a thematic dimension in which particular proposals or existing initiatives relevant for the whole of Australia in particular areas of interest (health systems, markets and organisations, law, polity and policy, education, and media) are discussed.
We have assembled exciting discussion panels that will cover themes including Indigenous welfare, health systems, education reform, the media and regenerating communities. We will continue last year’s feature of having a thematic workshop, in which panellists and delegates can meet together in smaller groups to thrash out solutions and produce tangible strategies for achieving change. A new feature of this year’s conference will be academic research presentations. A special “academic conference style” session featuring these presentations will provide an opportunity for people conducting research that would struggle to be published in mainstream journals to present their research to an audience of academics and others and receive feedback on their work.
Conference Times
- Friday night welcome reception: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Saturday conference sessions: 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM (includes coffee and lunch breaks)
- Sunday conference sessions: 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM (includes coffee and lunch breaks)
Saturday night Gala Dinner
- November 22 @ 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Hotel options
Numerous hotels are available in Randwick very close to UNSW for those who need accommodation. Some nearby hotels include The Blenheim Randwick, The Lurline Randwick, or Randwick City Lodge.
Conference themes and speakers so far…
[More speakers to be added]
Indigenous Welfare
- Jason Strecker (Moderator)
- Warren Mundine
- Anthony Dillon
- Gary Johns
New Initiatives in Education
- Gigi Foster (Moderator)
- Augusto Zimmermann
- Kevin Donnelly
- Jeremy Bell
Academic Freedom
- Nick Blismas (Moderator)
- Kesten Green
- Peter Ridd
- James Nuzzo
- Fiona Girkin
Apathy in Media and Legal Systems
- Alex Hatzikalimnios (Moderator)
- Adam Creighton
- Chris Kenny
- Damian Coory
- Alison Bevege
What Communities Provide: Health, Welbeing & Belonging
- Andrew Logan (Moderator)
- Murray Hancock
- Cass Smith
- Kelli Wilkins
Academic Researcher Presentations
- Paper 1 – Raphael Lataster (Health)
- Paper 2 – Martin Lally (Health)
- Paper 3 – Gigi Foster, Julie Sladden, Penelope Allen (Health)
- Paper 4 – James Nuzzo (Gender)
- Paper 5 – Fiona Girkin (Gender)
- Paper 6 – Augusto Zimmermann (Legal)
- Paper 7 – Alex Hatzikalimnios (Legal)
Workshop Session
- New designs for education systems (Moderated by Gigi Foster)