2026 Australian Government
Legal Service Conference
Program Details
The 2026 Australian Government Legal Service Conference will include sessions from
Meredith Leigh, First Parliamentary Counsel, Office of Parliamentary Counsel, who will deliver the keynote address ‘From Lawyer to Leader: What I learnt about leadership from mountain biking’.
David Lewis, General Counsel (Constitutional), Office of Constitutional Law, Attorney-General’s Department, who will discuss ‘From Policy to Referendum – the Voice to Parliament’.
Clinical and Forensic Psychologist, David Cherry, who will consider the strong association between perfectionism and burnout, preparing to work in difficult environments, and provide simple, low-cost, low-effort steps that individuals and organisations can take to protect and promote wellbeing.
Andrew Walter, First Assistant Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet; Kilifoti Eteuati, Executive General Counsel, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority; and Melissa Purdy, Acting General Counsel, Department of Health, Disability and Ageing who will discuss legal ethics and integrity in modern government practice.
Professor Jeannie Paterson, Director of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics, and Dr Rebecca Azzopardi, Acting Assistant Secretary, Department of Home Affairs, who will discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by AI, and explore the potential impacts in the context of government lawyering.
Please note: the Conference program and order of sessions is subject to change.
Event Details
The AGLS Conference will be held on Thursday 24 September 2026 from 9:00am ‑ 5:00pm
The event will be delivered face to face at the Hotel Realm in Barton, Canberra and online via the EventsAir platform. Attendees registered to attend virtually will receive an individual link to access the event through an IP address.
There is no need to download or install any apps. The link will be sent before the event, with an opportunity to test your entity's ability to access the platform. The conference manager will work with attendees to resolve any issues that arise.
The sessions will be recorded and accessible to all attendees (in-person and virtual) for 3 weeks following the conference.
Attendees will be able to claim Continuing Professional Development points. Further information will be provided once the program is finalised.
The program includes opportunities to connect, chat and meet with other attendees regardless of whether attending virtually or face to face, and for attendees to ask speakers questions during interactive Q&A segments at the end of each session.
Register Now!
In-person Registration | $275.00 per person
Virtual Registration | $125.00 per person
- In-person registrations are limited to 30 attendees per entity. There is no limit for virtual registrations.
- In-person tickets tend to sell out quickly. Anyone seeking to purchase in-person tickets is advised to do so as soon as possible when registrations open.
- In-person registrations are non-refundable. We are unable to reserve bulk ticket purchases, and we request that entities only purchase the amount of tickets they require for confirmed attendees.
Venue
Hotel Realm Canberra is located in the prestigious Parliamentary Precinct of Barton and is approximately 800 metres from Parliament House, 2 kilometres from the National Gallery of Australia, and just 9 kilometres from Canberra Airport.
Car parking is available within the Realm Precinct for hotel meeting delegates and event guests. The Realm Precinct has over 800 car spaces located across Hotel Realm, Burbury Close, 9 & 3 Sydney Avenue and Little National Hotel. Parking is complimentary at the Hotel Realm for the first 60mins. - Precinct Parking Map
*Please note these are public carparks and space cannot be guaranteed and rates vary across car parks – to check rates visit Wilson Parking Australia.
Cancellation Policy
Please ensure you have carefully read the terms and conditions. By registering for the 2026 AGLS Conference, you accept these terms and conditions. If you do not understand any part of the terms and conditions, please do not hesitate to ask us for more information.
The conference is a cost-recovered initiative of the AGLS. Accordingly, we are unable to provide refunds if a registered participant can no longer attend the event. If, after successful registration, you are unable to attend, please liaise within your organisation to transfer your registration to another person to attend in your place. Transfer of or any changes to your registration can be made by contacting Conference Co-ordinators at agls@confco.com.au
Other than the ticket price, to which the above conditions apply, the costs of a participant’s attendance at the 2026 AGLS Conference, including any travel and accommodation costs and incidentals, are incurred at each participant’s sole risk and will not be reimbursed in-part or in‑full.
Cancellation and non-attendance
As explained above, we are unable to provide refunds or cancel a registration if a registered participant can no longer attend the training. Registrations can be transferred but will not be refunded. If, after successful registration, you are unable to attend:
- Please liaise within your organisation to transfer your registration to another person to attend in your place, and contact Conference Co-ordinators at agls@confco.com.au to inform them of the change in participant details.
- If you cannot find someone within your organisation to take over your registration, you may contact Conference Co-ordinators at agls@confco.com.au to ask whether it may be possible to transfer your registration to someone from another organisation. We cannot guarantee that Conference Co-ordinators will be able to arrange this for you.
Disclaimer
The 2026 AGLS Conference program agenda and registration information is correct at the time of viewing/printing. However, the organisers reserve the right to change the information where necessary without notice.
Privacy statement
In registering for the 2026 AGLS Conference, relevant details will be incorporated into an attendee list for the benefit of all attendees (name, organisation and state – in accordance with the Australian Privacy Amendment Act 2000) and may be made available to parties directly related to AGLS. By completing this registration form, you acknowledge that the details supplied by you may be used for the above purposes.
Data processing consent
You retain the right to ask us about your personal data at any time. Please contact us at agls@confco.com.au with any inquiries you may have.
Code of Conduct
Our event will present opportunities to learn, share knowledge and network. We believe the event should represent a safe, enjoyable and inclusive environment for all people.