ASF’s Fourth “Progress through Science and Freedom” Conference

Early bird tickets are now available for ASF’s fourth annual “Progress through Science and Freedom” conference which comes to Perth for the first time in 2026!

This year’s conference will be bigger and better than ever in a new city with exciting new panels, speakers and many opportunities to network and discuss ideas around the restoration of Australian society with some of Australia’s most respected thinkers and leaders across diverse domains.

Perth Town Hall, 601 Hay Street (Corner of Hay Street and Barrack Street), Perth

Social catch-up: Friday 20th November

Conference: Saturday 21st November – Sunday 22nd November 2026

Conference dinner: Saturday 21st November

Post-conference social event: Sunday 22nd November (tickets and details will be updated on this page closer to the date)

Buy early bird tickets now (early bird prices will end in September 2026)

ASF’s fourth annual conference once again brings together thinkers and community leaders to share learnings, formulate plans and help support new and emerging networks and organisations to restore a thriving Australian society founded on science and freedom.

Format Overview

We are tailoring this year’s conference to focus on Western Australian issues while still addressing themes that are affecting all of Australian society and culture. As in previous years, the conference will have a thematic dimension in which proposals or existing initiatives relevant for the whole of Australia in particular areas of interest (education systems, markets and organisations, law, polity and policy, health, and media) are discussed.

We have assembled exciting discussion panels with the highest calibre of speakers addressing issues around whether Western Australia should seceede from the Commonwealth, the state of our energy systems, how ideologies capture our culture, politics, bureaucracies, and industry, and what our education systems need to address systemic failures. We are also excited to continue last year’s feature of having a thematic workshop, in which panellists and delegates can meet together in smaller groups to thrash out solutions and produce tangible strategies for achieving change.

Conference themes and speakers

Saturday 21 November

08:35 – 10:15  The Pros and Cons of Western Australia Seceding from the Commonwealth

• Michael Baker (Moderator)
• Gigi Foster
• Alan Fenna
• Johnathan Huston MLA

11:00 – 12:30  Economics of the Australian Energy Crisis

• Jason Strecker (Moderator)
• Zoe Hilton
• Grant Cobel-Neal
• Bruce Mountain

13:45 – 15:15  Moving away from ideology in politics, bureaucracy, and industry

• Doug Hall (Moderator)
• Peter Ridd
• Peter Purcel
• Warren Mundine
• Gabriel Moens

16:00 – 17:35  Unravelling the regulatory capture of Western culture

• Jordan Woodams (Moderator)
• Adam Creighton
• Maryanne Demasi
• Stephen Chavura
• David Maywald

Sunday 22 November

08:30 – 10:00  What’s missing in Education

• Speakers TBC

This page will be progressively updated as the panel speakers and topics are finalised, so become an ASF Subscriber here to keep informed as additional conference details are released. 

Become an ASF member here to support our work and get access to members’ discounts on tickets.

Tickets