Resources from Progress 2026

The Australian Progress 2026 Conference brought together organisers, activists and thinkers from across Australia.

The Progress 2026 conference was hosted by Australian Progress on March 24-25 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Naarm/Melbourne. As Australia’s largest gathering of progressive thinkers, activists, and community organisers, the conference brought together people from across the country and beyond to reflect, connect and strengthen collective strategies for change. 

Throughout the plenaries, several powerful themes emerged: the urgent need to build broad coalitions across our differences, an honest reckoning with where the progressive movement stands today, and the importance of resistance, hope, love and care.

Thank you to all our community who attended, to the presenters who shared resources, and to our friends at The Commons Social Change Library for collating the information and resources shared. If you presented at Progress 2026 and would like to add to this collection, please get in touch.

Resources

• Progress 2026 Inspiration: Plenary Highlights
  Read key ideas shared by inspiring speakers during the plenary sessions.

• Lessons from the Zohran for NYC Campaign: Strategy, Organising and People Power
  Mohamed Alharbii and Gabriella Zutrau from the Zohran for NYC campaign share the story of how Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral election. By Commons Librarian, Mohamed Alharbii, Gabriella Zutrau

• Organising Beyond the Cities: Building Power in Regional Australia
  Lessons about organising in regional communities from the renewables sector at the Australian Progress Conference in 2026.By Coco Venaglia, Commons Librarian, Lu Allan, Pat Simons, Sophie Hartley

• Grassroots Activism Under Pressure: 10 Creative Practices from Hungary and Serbia
  How savvy protest movements have found ways to push back against destructive populists in Serbia and Hungary. Insights from the European Center for Digital Action. By Commons Librarian, Vesna Jusup, Viktor Mák

• Using Race Class Gender Narratives to Fight Fascism
  As part of the Progress 2026 conference Anat Shenker-Osorio delivered a session that discussed how race class gender narratives can work to fight fascism. It is critical to help people overcome fear, cynicism and disinformation by affirming positive visions. By Anat Shenker-Osorio, Commons Librarian

• The Story of the Victorian Treaty: Australia’s First Treaty
  Ngarra Murray from the the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria speaks about the Victorian Treaty campaign, people power, and the opportunities presented by the Treaty movement. By Commons Librarian, Ngarra Murray

• Together for Treaty
  Treaty education by Commons Threads at Progress 2026: What treaty is; the powerful example of the Victorian Treaty; the situation in other states of Australia; and how to spread persuasive messages to build support. By Alex Hill, Commons Librarian, Tamika Sadler, Yuki Lindley

• Why Australia Needs a Human Rights Act
  Australia does not currently have a federally legislated Human Rights Act. A campaign coalition of over 150 organisations is reinvigorating a push to embed human rights into Australian law. By Commons Librarian, Daney Faddoul, Nikita White, Paul Yiallouros, Sophie Cusworth

• Is Digital Campaigning Dead?
  Insights from a panel at Progress 2026 that brought together leaders from Uplift (Ireland), Quid (Brazil), and GetUp (Australia) to compare digital campaigning models, share real-world experiences, and explore what’s working in their contexts. By Commons Librarian, Paul Ferris, Ricardo Borges Martins, Siobhan O’Donoghue

• Video Masterclass for Comms Teams (who didn’t go to film school)
  ChopChop Film’s tips for making a video, through writing a good brief, creating a script, and practical shooting basics. By ChopChop Film, Commons Librarian, Tom Maclachlan

• Feminist Approaches to Changemaking
  Learn from case studies in feminist organising around climate justice, energy justice, and economic justice in Kenya and Pakistan. By Commons Librarian, Crystal Simeoni, E. T. Smith, Michelle Higelin, Noorulain Masood

• Lessons in Solidarity: Collaboration Across Climate and Disability Movements
  Collaboration across disability and climate movements strengthens our collective power to build solutions that are more just for everyone. Lessons from case studies by Sweltering Cities and Activate Agency presented at Progress 2026. By Commons Librarian, E. T. Smith, El Gibbs, Emma Bacon, Jason Boberg, Kera Sherwood-O’Regan

• What People Really Think of the Housing Crisis
  What voters actually think about the housing crisis, and why it matters. Lessons from the Australian Cooperative Election Survey (ACES) from a discussion between researchers and advocates for housing-justice at Progress 2026. By Alistair Sisson, Ben Spies-Butcher, Commons Librarian, E. T. Smith, Fiona York, Leo Patterson Ross, Maiy Azize

• Winning The Next Climate Fight
  Winning The Next Climate Fight was a panel discussion from Progress 2026 that brought together leaders from Australia’s climate movement to reflect on past wins, current challenges, and the path ahead. By Commons Librarian, Adam Bandt, Amanda Cahill, Larissa-Baldwin-Roberts, Michael Wright

• Disagreeing Better
  In a time of increased polarisation, bias, and judgement, reinforced and deepened by the technological landscape, we must learn to speak well with people we disagree with. This resource runs through a skills workshop on Disagreeing Better, run at Progress 2026 by Jordy Nijenhuis from Dare to be Grey. By Commons Librarian, Emily Wood Trounce, Jordy Nijenhuis

See also

• Progress 2026: Ash Sarkar and Naomi Klein

• Resources from FWD+Organise 2024