QUALCON 2025
2 – 5 September 2025
Newcastle, NSW
The theme “Quality That Makes a Difference” emphasises the importance of quality in driving meaningful change.
Speakers at this conference will explain how applying quality principles, tools and techniques make a difference within various industries and services.
Quality isn’t just about meeting the requirements – its about achieving tangible improvements with a measurable difference.
Quality That Makes a Difference prioritises delivering exceptional value that truly matters.
Wednesday 3 September – Qualcon Day 1 (8.30am – 5pm)
Registrations
8.30am
Registrations & Coffee on arrival
Official Opening
9.00am
Welcome by AOQ President / Qualcon Chair, Brendyn Williams
Keynote Speaker
9.30am
Morning Tea
10.15am
Speaker
10.55am
Speaker
11.00am
Speaker
11.30am
Speaker
12.00pm
Dr Jacob Sohn (Geoscience Australia)
Evaluating Quality Management System Implementation in the GA Laboratory: Insights from a Staff Survey
Alexandra Bonilla & Jaydeep Ghosh (Metro Trains Melbourne)
Communities of Practice driving quality that makes a difference
Angie Macauley (AECOM) & Betty Trimcevski (RMIT University)
Two Worlds, One Goal: Collaborative Quality Leadership – Lessons from Two Organisations – AECOM and RMIT Property Services
Lunch
12.30pm
LUNCH
(Jackie Graham hosting DAGS – Deming Study group catchup)
Speaker
1.30pm
Speaker
2.00pm
Speaker
2.30pm
Ian Cowan (Australian Federal Police)
Transitioning from Compliance to Excellence. A preliminary investigation into the use of excellence principles to improve compliance-based QMSs
Jim Whiting (Soteris)
Improving Identification of QHSE Risks with PRE-Mortem Analysis PMA
Corinne Cameron (GHD)
Making Quality Count
Afternoon Tea
3.00pm
Speaker
3.45pm
Speaker
4.15pm
Closing remarks
4.45pm
Ted Fletcher (Sacred Sites)
Delivering Sustained Value – Operating Management Systems Make the Difference
Michael McLean (McLean Management Consultants)
Let’s Get Quality Tools Physical – an interactive session
Brendyn Williams, Qualcon Chair
Thursday 4 September – Qualcon Day 2 (8.30am – 5.00pm)
Arrival
8.30am
Coffee on arrival
Day 2 Welcome
9.00am
Brendyn Williams, Qualcon Chair
Keynote Speaker
9.10am
Speaker
9.40am
Dr Erezi Utiome (SMEC)
Ethical Intelligence: Harmonising Quality Excellence and AI for Human-Centred Transformation
Morning Tea
10.15am
Speaker
11.00am
Speaker
11.30am
Speaker
12.00pm
Jacqui Atkins (Centurion Fire Rescue Equipment)
QUALCON – Quietly Undertaking A Lifetime of Changes, while Overcoming Non-conformances
Lunch
12.30pm
LUNCH
(Sonja McFarlane hosting LabSIG group catchup)
Speaker
1.30pm
Brendyn Williams (Pentagon Management)
Quality in Construction
Speaker
2.15pm
Maree Stuart (MAS Management Systems)
Rediscovering the Customer: What the Quality Gurus Still Teach Us About Making a Difference
Speakers
2.45pm
3 Minute Snippets
Milana Ranieri (Pathwest Laboratory Medicine WA); Ardi Sastrohartoyo (Kemira)
Afternoon Tea
3.00pm
Speaker
3.45pm
Ken Cameron (Ken Cameron & Associates)
Have quality systems made any difference in the delivery of Infrastructure Projects
Speakers
4.15pm
Jackie Stapleton (JackieStapleton.com)
Anyone Can Follow the Standard—Be the One Who Leads It
Closing Remarks
5.00pm
Brendyn Williams, Qualcon Chair
Friday 5th September – Workshops
WORKSHOP 1
8.30am – 12.30pm : Waves of Change
(presented by David Jago, Director – Smart Meetings)
Qualcon 2025 focusses on how Quality approaches can make a difference within various industries and services. It expands the conversation from ‘how we do this well’ to ‘doing something that matters’.
This approach creates a ripple effect. When quality efforts are focused on meaningful outcomes, they tend to generate broader positive impacts that extend beyond the immediate scope of work.
Effective Quality strategy demands a clear-eyed view of the bigger picture. For example: ISO 9001:2015 Clauses 4.1 and 4.2. Without such a context, change initiatives will likely fail.
This workshop introduces a highly participatory tool for scanning the broader environment of a given industry or service. Such an approach can make a significant difference in subsequent strategic thinking and planning. This workshop will enable participants to:
- Articulate trends in a rapidly changing world — helping Quality to focus on real value and return on effort. For example: from compliance-based thinking to impact-driven excellence.
- Identify options for Quality professionals to drive tangible, meaningful change.
WORKSHOP 2
1.00pm – 5.00pm : The AI Advantage in Quality Audits
(presented by Tom Barham, Founder & Director – Risk Training Professionals)
As technology continues to evolve, so should the way we utilise it in audits. This interactive half-day workshop explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the landscape of quality audits—making them faster, more insightful, and more efficient. Participants will delve into real-world use cases where AI tools are currently enhancing audit processes, from anomaly detection to automated data analysis.
We’ll explore a range of available AI tools tailored to quality professionals, discuss the risks and limitations associated with integrating AI into audit workflows, and examine ethical and regulatory considerations. The session will also provide hands-on guidance on building dashboards and visualisations that translate complex audit data into actionable insights for senior management.
Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI or looking to refine your audit strategy, this workshop offers practical insights and tools to future-proof your quality assurance processes.