Bookings are now open for Round 2 of the Play Summits

Australia's National Plan for Play:

A World-First Framework for Children's Right to Play

Australia, in 2026, is poised to lead the world in developing the first comprehensive national play strategy grounded in children's rights, building on our current strengths and driven by those who know play best through a a cross sectoral representation of stakeholders across the country.

Round 2 Summits – Monday 31st August to Thursday 10th September 2026 with Scott McKenzie, Sport NZ.

It is time to book into a summit now - follow the links below

Sydney -  Monday 31 August                Register Here  

                 Venue: NSW Teachers Federation Confernce Centre, Surry Hill

Brisbane - Thursday 3 September        Register Here   

                  Venue:  Griffith Universiaty, South Bank Graduate Centre

Hobart -  Friday 4 September               Register Here

                Venue:  Hobart Town Hall, Macqauarie Street, Hobart

Please note Hobart is a free event made possible through the shared commitment of Variety Tasmania, City of Hobart and City of Clarence to creating inclusive play opportunities for all Tasmanians.

Melbourne -  Monday  7 September         Register Here

                      Venue: The Community Hub at Docklands                                                                                                 

Adelaide - Tuesday 8 September            Register Here

                     Venue: SPELD SA, South Road, Black Forest

Perth - Thursday 10 September              Register Here

                     Venue: Mercure Perth on Hay, Hay Street, Perth

NT and ACT  - TBC   Speakers will be live streamed.

Fee – Delegates $150 p/p.  

Play Australia Members $90p/p. ( GST Inclusive)

Dates October summits to be released as soon as venues confirmed.

THIS PROJECT IS AN INITIATIVE OF PLAY AUSTRALIA.

WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT OF DELEGATE REGISTRATION FEES IN FUNDING THIS INITIATIVE.

What makes this groundbreaking:

This is not a Government agenda, this is a community agenda.

This is not dependent on the whims of policy priorities by Government,

Through comprehensive national mapping, we will identify and celebrate existing play initiatives across Australia while revealing the gaps that demand urgent attention. This strategy recognizes that play is more than just playgrounds—it encompasses urban planning, design, educations, children’s services, health agencies, playgroups, pop up programs, and the countless ways children engage in self-directed play across diverse settings.

Across Australia, play is thriving in pockets of excellence and innovation. Yet not all children have equal access. For the first time, we will document play deserts—communities where children's access to play is severely limited—and expose patterns of spatial injustice that disproportionately affect our most vulnerable children.

We will use this to plan to drive the development of an action plan for advocacy and engagement from government and philanthropy.

This is more than research. It's a call to action.

Dual-purpose by design:

For the sector: A powerful advocacy tool that gives voice to the critical importance of play, backed by evidence and grounded in children's rights.

For government: A practical planning framework that identifies where investment is needed and provides clear pathways for implementation across local, state, and federal levels.

A collaborative vision:

Sector-driven and evidence-informed, this strategy will position Australia as a global leader in recognizing that play is essential to children's basic developmental and health needs as well as having intrinsic value as a critical element of childhood, centred on a rights based approach to access and acceptance.

Together, we can ensure that every Australian child—regardless of postcode, ability, or circumstance—has access to the play opportunities they need and deserve.

How will be do this?

Round 1 was completed in February, round 2 is happening in August- September and round 3 will be in October, Dr Wendy Russell, will join us from the UK, for a series of events exploring Play Sufficiency and Spatial Justice. Wendy has been a key member of the research team for Play Sufficiency in Wales and England. This will cover what a plan needs to have to be actionable and how we identify and address play deserts.

Each series of summits will drive discussion and develop and formulate more of the strategy – it will be a slow burn to build interest, awareness, knowledge and develop partnerships.  It will be accompanied by focus groups, nationwide surveys and collation of examples of practice that will support and drive change.

We will not have a final plan to consult on until 2026 and it is hoped that whilst this will commence as self-funded, via delegate registrations and in kind provision of services and venues, we will attract sponsors as we proceed.