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CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS FOR
THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.
19 - 21 October 2026.
The Edge, Fed Square.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
More speakers to be announced!
Please stay tuned for updates.
IN CONVERSATION
Bill de Blasio
Former Mayor of New York City
Professor Carlos Moreno
Co-Founder and Scientific Director
of ETI Lab
American political leader and New York University graduate in Metropolitan Studies Bill de Blasio’s progressivism and people-first politics personified his tenure as 109th mayor of New York City. While in office, de Blasio introduced universal early childhood education programs to the city which have since become a national model, financed the preservation and construction of over 200,000 affordable homes – the most created by any administration in the city’s history, and implemented policies like the Climate Mobilization Act to make NYC net-carbon-neutral by 2050, his first-in-the nation, 6-point action plan to end long-term homelessness and initiatives that successfully reduced income inequality among New Yorkers.
Pioneering Franco-Colombian urban planner and professor at IAE Paris Sorbonne, Professor Carlos Moreno’s work as the architect of the ‘15-minute city’ is world-renowned. By working alongside prominent figures such as the former mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, as well as international leaders and organisations, he continues to transform contemporary urban planning – co-founding the Global Observatory of Sustainable Proximities and research lab Entrepreneurship Territory Innovation, being recognised with the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour and the OBEL Award.
Professor Carolyn Evans
Incoming University of
Melbourne Vice-Chancellor
Professor Carolyn Evans starts as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne in October 2026. Presently she is Vice-Chancellor of Griffith University. She has also been Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Provost at the University of Melbourne and Dean of the Melbourne Law School.Professor Evans holds degrees in Law and Arts from the University of Melbourne and a doctorate in law from Oxford, where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar. She is a Fulbright Senior Scholar, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and has been on the boards of the State Library of Victoria, Committee for Economic Development Australia, and Open Universities Australia. She is currently the Chair of Universities Australia, the peak body for the university sector.
She is an expert in human rights, particularly religious freedom, freedom of speech and academic freedom.
SHAPING THE CITY
Cara Waters
City Editor, The Age
As City Editor at The Age, Cara Waters leads the newsroom’s local reporting team as they cover the stories shaping Melbourne’s urban landscape. A former corporate solicitor in both Australia and London, and journalist for The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, and Private Media.
Bill de Blasio Former Mayor of New York City
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Aruna Sathanapally
CEO, Grattan Institute
As CEO of the Grattan Institute,
Dr Aruna Sathanapally leads the research and advocacy shaping contemporary Australian policy, bringing nearly twenty years of public institutional design and economic strategy to the role. A career spanning roles as a NSW barrister handling complex economic evidence, a McKinsey consultant in London, and an international author on constitutional design, and a John Monash Scholar with an Oxford doctorate and a University Medal in Law, she pairs exceptional academic rigour with intent, practical experience.
American political leader and New York University graduate in Metropolitan Studies Bill de Blasio’s progressivism and people-first politics personified his tenure as 109th mayor of New York City. While in office, de Blasio introduced universal early childhood education programs to the city which have since become a national model, financed the preservation and construction of over 200,000 affordable homes – the most created by any administration in the city’s history, and implemented policies like the Climate Mobilization Act to make NYC net-carbon-neutral by 2050, his first-in-the nation, 6-point action plan to end long-term homelessness and initiatives that successfully reduced income inequality among New Yorkers.
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Claire Johnston
CEO Development, Lendlease
Sarah Lynn Reese
Associate Principal, Jackson Clement Burrows Architects
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Dan Hill
Director, Melbourne School of Design at Melbourne University
Having spent nearly thirty years driving major urban transformations, Claire leads a global pipeline across all asset classes, from major urban renewals to capital partnerships. Her career includes a heavyweight tenure as CEO Americas at Lendlease, where she steered US operations, spearheaded the Google Development venture in the San Francisco Bay Area, and managed US Military Housing. She backs this corporate leadership with industry-wide influence at the Property Council of Australia and the American Australian Association.
Sarah Lynn Rees is a Palawa woman (Trawlwoolway/Plangermaireener) Indigenising the built environment. Based in Birrarunga-ga, she is an Associate Principal at Jackson Clements Burrows, a Monash University lecturer, and an academic writer. Sarah bridges design and systemic advocacy as a Director for the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) and Parlour, a Victorian State Design Review Panel member, and co-creator of Deadly Djurumin Yarns, alongside judging major national architecture and design awards.
Professor Dan Hill is a leading international designer and urbanist whose work shapes how cities, institutions and public systems evolve. Currently director of the Melbourne School of Design (Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning), Dan has held executive innovation and design roles with the Swedish government’s Vinnova (Stockholm), Arup (London and Sydney), SITRA (Helsinki) and the BBC. A former Mayor of London’s Design Advocate and Visiting Professor at UCL’s Institute of Innovation and Public Practice, he sits on the boards of Regen Melbourne and Collingwood Yards.
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The Hon Steve Bracks AC
Chancellor, Victoria University & Chair, MCG Trust
For nearly a decade, Steve Bracks steered the state of Victoria as one of its most prominent and longest-serving Premiers. Throughout three consecutively won terms – two with record majorities – Bracks, a Ballarat-born Australian of Lebanese descent, championed multiculturalism, racial and religious freedom and made Victoria the first Australian state to formally legislate human rights protections. Since stepping away from state politics, he has chaired among the Australian Subscription and Television Association (2008-2013), Cbus (2008-2021), Melbourne Cricket Ground Trust, has served as Honorary Adviser to the former Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao (2007-2017), and has led Victoria University as Chancellor (since 2021).
THE AGE EDITORIAL TEAM
Patrick Elligett
Editor, The Age
Patrick Elligett has been The Age’s editor since 2023, having previously served as the publication’s news director and world editor. Patrick is a former editor-in-chief of The New Daily and editor of several country newspapers including the Sunraysia Daily at Mildura. He has worked on magazines in the Middle East and started his journalism career in regional radio. He has been a journalism lecturer and a mentor for regional cadets.
Alex Crowe
Education Reporter, The Age
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Alicia Loxley
Presenter, Nine News
Alicia brings two decades of broadcast journalism expertise to her role as a Nine News – from hosting Today and major election broadcasts to reporting live from the London and Paris Olympics, and leading coverage through some of Australia’s most significant news events. A former ABC lead anchor in Perth, Loxley also serves as an ambassador for the Lighthouse Foundation, My Room Children's Cancer Charity, and the Children’s Tumour Foundation.
Alex Crowe is an education reporter at The Age where she covers all things early learning, schools and higher education. Before joining the education team, Alex worked on The Age’s breaking news desk. She moved to Melbourne after several years reporting from Canberra. Before her stint in the nation’s capital, Alex cut her teeth as a journalist in regional NSW.
Annika Smethurst
Victorian Affairs Editor, The Age
Annika Smethurst is The Age's Victorian affairs editor. She is a double Walkley Award winner and has three Quill Awards for political reporting. Annika is a former state political editor of The Age and a former national political editor for The Sunday Telegraph and Sunday Herald Sun. She is the author of the definitive biography of Australia's thirtieth prime minister, Scott Morrison, titled The Accidental Prime Minister.
Cara Waters
City Editor, The Age
As City Editor at The Age, Cara Waters leads the newsroom’s local reporting team as they cover the stories shaping Melbourne’s urban landscape. A former corporate solicitor in both Australia and London, and journalist for The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, and Private Media.
Chip Le Grand
State Political Editor, The Age
Chip Le Grand is The Age's state political editor. He has been a newspaper journalist for more than 30 years, writing across politics, sport, crime and national affairs. A former chief reporter for The Age and The Australian, he is also the author of two books: The Straight Dope, the inside story of the Essendon doping scandal which won the Walkley book award, and Lockdown, the story of Melbourne's pandemic experience.
Supratim Adhikari
World Editor, The Age
Supratim Adhikari is the World Editor for The Age where he manages a team of foreign correspondents. He previously spearheaded The Age’s corporate and financial reporting as Business Editor, drawing on extensive experience covering the technology and telecommunications sectors. He is a former technology editor for The Australian.
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