2026 Psychosocial Safety Summit
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Twin Towns, Tweed Heads, NSW
Walk away equipped, not just inspired.
Most conferences leave you with ideas and no clear path forward. This Summit is different. Every session gives you practical tools you can use immediately - no fluff, no sales pitches, just evidence-based strategies that work in real Australian workplaces.
Meet Our Summit Speakers
MITCH WALLIS
Real Conversations: The Counterintuitive Approach to True Connection
We often think that talking and connecting are the same thing – but they’re not. Genuine connection is a skill few people have mastered, especially when supporting someone through a tough time.
In this powerful and practical keynote, mental health expert Mitch Wallis shares his 5-step communication formula that boosts connection skills by up to 400%.
Drawing on his proprietary framework, trusted by some of the world’s biggest companies, Mitch reveals how to “sit in the mud” – the counterintuitive art of being truly supportive without needing to fix or rescue.
You’ll walk away with proven strategies to build psychologically safe relationships and have conversations that genuinely move the needle on wellbeing and trust at work.
LIZZIE WILLIAMSON
Wellbeing Made Easy: Real Tools, Small Steps, Lasting Impact
Forget overwhelming wellness programs that sit in an inbox unopened. Lizzie Williamson gets you off your feet and into action. Her session is refreshingly practical - you'll be doing the strategies, not just hearing about them.
Lizzie cuts through the noise with wellbeing tools that actually work in real workplaces with real pressures. Small, achievable steps that integrate seamlessly into daily work life without adding to your already full plate. You'll leave energised with strategies you can use immediately - the kind that create genuine, lasting impact rather than fleeting motivation.
PROFESSOR
DARREN MORTON
Lift Your Workplace: Science-Based Resilience
In this fun and engaging presentation, Dr Darren Morton explores simple, science-based strategies for enhancing wellbeing - and why it matters.
Drawing on insights from neuroscience, lifestyle medicine and positive psychology, this session unpacks how everyday actions can profoundly influence mental health, resilience and performance.
You will leave inspired and equipped with practical tools to help themselves and their teams be well and work well.
JEREMY BRETT
Leading Psychosocial Safety in Male-Dominated Workplaces
Jeremy Brett from Morgan Engineering took home an Award at the 2025 Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Awards - and so did one of his leaders. He's living proof that psychosocial safety works in industries where "toughness" traditionally trumps vulnerability.
Learn how Jeremy built a culture where safety thrives and leaders sustain it - in an environment where it's hardest to achieve.
DR SKYE CHARRY
Designing Dignity and Safety: Governing Under the Positive Duty and Psychosocial Risk Laws
Australia's workplace safety landscape has fundamentally shifted. Senior leaders now operate under two distinct but overlapping legal frameworks - the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act and WHS obligations addressing psychosocial hazards.
These frameworks are not the same. One is grounded in dignity and equality. The other in safety and risk. Together, they create a single governance expectation: organisations must proactively design work systems that prevent harm before a complaint is ever made.
Dr Skye Charry unpacks what this means in practice - how to interpret reasonable and proportionate measures, where executive and board-level exposure most commonly arises, and what integrated best practice looks like when dignity and safety are designed together.
This is not a session about policies or investigations. It is about governance design in an environment where regulatory expectations are rising faster than judicial clarification.
JO TARNASWKY
The Hidden Power Dynamics Driving Psychosocial Risk
Psychosocial risk rarely begins with workload or conflict. It begins with power. Silence rewarded. Challenge punished. Loyalty valued over integrity.
Drawing on 25 years inside high-stakes government environments - including as Chief of Staff to Australia's Deputy Prime Minister - Jo Tarnawsky offers a systems-level lens on how leadership behaviour, institutional incentives and cultural norms enable psychosocial harm.
Jo explores how hidden power dynamics sit at the root of many psychosocial hazards and why, without addressing them, compliance becomes performative. You'll leave with a strategic framework for identifying structural risk in your own organisation and the language to raise it with executives and boards.
This is a session for leaders and practitioners ready to move beyond symptoms and treat psychosocial safety as the governance issue it is.
Safety Sprints
Our Safety Sprints are 5 minutes where members of the Psychosocial Safety Collective will share 1 tool, framework or insight you can use straight away.
Natalie Knight
Turning Psychosocial Data into Cultural Change
Most organisations are now measuring psychosocial hazards. Few are doing anything meaningful with the results. Natalie Knight explains why - and what's missing.
Her Safe to Thrive® framework integrates hazard measurement with psychological safety and mindset indicators, giving organisations the insight to move beyond reporting and into real cultural change.
You'll leave understanding why data alone doesn't reduce risk - and what needs to sit alongside it.
Dr Helen Lawson Williams
Turn Your Team Meeting
into a Psychosocial Safety Tool
Most leaders know psychosocial hazards cause harm - but by the time they're identified, the damage is often done.
Dr Helen Lawson Williams introduces a simple stress-recovery canvas that turns regular team meetings into an early warning system for chronic stress before it becomes a crisis.
You'll leave with a practical, evidence-based check-in tool you can use immediately - no new systems, no extra time - plus a free Miro template to track issues over time.
Why This Summit Is Different
Unlike typical conferences where you sit through sales presentations disguised as education, this Summit delivers:
Content over commercials - speakers share knowledge, not pitches
Action over awareness - move beyond "we should do something" to "here's exactly how"
Connection over collection - build relationships, not just collect business cards
Application over information - walk away ready to implement, not just informed.
Tools You'll Actually Use - Comprehensive workbook, digital resources and speaker materials become your reference guide long after the Summit ends.
You'll leave confident you can drive meaningful change in your organisation, connected to professionals who understand your challenges and equipped with evidence-based approaches proven to work in Australian workplaces.
Meet Our Sponsors
Sponsorship Opportunities
Want to position your organisation alongside Australia's leading voices in psychosocial safety?
Download the Sponsorship Prospectus and partner with us to help bring this incredible event to life.
Don't Just Take Our Word for It
See What Past Delegates Experienced:
2025 Hunter Region Summit Highlights
2024 Brisbane Summit highlights
Join professionals who've transformed their approach to psychosocial safety
"I finally found my people! The Summit gave me practical tools I could use immediately."
"This wasn't just another conference. It challenged me, inspired me and equipped me with strategies I've already started implementing."
"For the first time, I don't feel alone in this work. The connections I made and the insights I gained have transformed how I approach psychosocial safety."
"The speakers were world-class, but what surprised me most was how energised and equipped I felt. I left with clarity, courage and a plan of action."
Who Should Attend?
This Summit is designed for professionals who are committed to creating genuinely safe, healthy and thriving workplaces:
Managers and Team Leaders
Health and Safety Reps (HSRs)
HR Directors and Business Partners
People and Culture Leaders
Safety Professionals
Executive Leaders and CEOs
Risk and Compliance Managers
Wellbeing Coordinators
Union Representatives
Anyone responsible for psychosocial safety in their organisation.
If you're tired of surface-level solutions and ready for real transformation, this Summit is for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this just theory or will I get practical tools I can use immediately?
This Summit is built for practitioners by practitioners. Every session includes actionable strategies you can implement immediately. You'll leave with your 90-day roadmap, specific tools and templates, and proven frameworks that work in real workplaces. Past delegates consistently tell us the practical, immediately applicable content is what sets this Summit apart.
I've been to conferences before. Why is this different?
Our speakers aren't just experts - they're practitioners. Jeremy Brett won an Award for the strategies he'll teach you.
This isn't death by PowerPoint. You'll be on your feet, doing activities with Lizzie and building your actual roadmap with Dr Caroline Howe.
Other conferences can put you to sleep. Ours include games, activities and real conversations. We make learning engaging because change happens when you're energised, not exhausted.
Will this work for my industry?
Yes. The principles and strategies apply across industries - from construction to healthcare, local government to corporate environments. We've had delegates from manufacturing, education, emergency services, retail and everything in between. The psychosocial hazards might look different, but the solutions are universal.
Will there be recordings available?
No, this is a live-only experience designed to maximise engagement, connection and transformation
What's included in my Summit ticket?
Full Summit access, networking lunch, digital platform with lifetime access to resources, 1.5-hour networking event and Summit materials.
Can I bring my team?
Absolutely! Group bookings are encouraged. Contact us for table rates for 6 or more people.
What if I can only attend one day?
We recommend attending both days for the full transformative experience, but we offer separate tickets for each event if needed.
What's the refund policy?
All sales are final. No refunds will be issued. However, delegates who find themselves unable to attend can nominate a substitute. Registration transfers made on or before Wednesday 29 July 2026 will not incur any cost penalty. Registration transfers made after Wednesday 29 July 2026 will incur an $80 processing fee. All transfer requests must be made in writing to [email protected].
Copyright 2026. Psychosocial Safety and Leadership Institute. All Rights Reserved.
PRIVACY POLICY ⏐ TERMS AND CONDITIONS