Victoria's Largest and Most Comprehensive Gathering of Healthcare Leaders
13-14, October, 2026
| Collins Square Events Centre, Melbourne
Agenda Day 2
9:00 am - 9:40 am
PANEL DISCUSSION: DELIVERING ON TIME AND ON BUDGET: PROJECT GOVERNANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN COMPLEX HEALTH BUILDS
Neil Sigamoney -
Director Capital, Engineering and Facilities,
Monash Health
Ishmeet Singh - Divisional Director of Capital, Engineering & Security and Director of Procureme, Northern Health
Lucy Barrett - Manager Major Projects, Change and Industrial Relations, Sydney Local Health District
From scope creep to supply chain volatility and workforce shortages, this session examines the governance structures, risk frameworks and contractor relationships that separate successful projects from troubled ones. Panellists will draw on live project experience to offer actionable insights for owners and project teams.
Ishmeet Singh
Divisional Director of Capital, Engineering & Security and Director of ProcuremeNorthern Health
Lucy Barrett
Manager Major Projects, Change and Industrial RelationsSydney Local Health District
9:40 am - 10:10 am
PRESENTATION: HIQ'S DELIVERY APPROACH AND A COMPARISON OF HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN NZ VS. QLD
Blake Lepper -
Deputy-Director General,
Health Infrastructure Queensland
10:10 am - 10:40 am
RESERVED FOR SPONSOR
11:10 am - 11:40 am
PROJECT CASE STUDY: THE $910 ROUSE HILL HOSPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Mohamed Nasr -
Project Lead,
Rouse Hill Hospital
11:50 am - 12:50 pm
TABLE 1: OPERATIONALISING MODELS OF CARE: HOW DESIGN ENABLES (OR HINDERS) CLINICAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT
11:50 am - 12:50 pm
TABLE 2: DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE: ARE OUR HOSPITALS READY FOR AI, DIGITAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES?
Nilmini Wickramasinghe -
Professor and Optus Chair Digital Health,
La Trobe University
Nalika Ulapane - Research Fellow, La Trobe University
Nalika Ulapane - Research Fellow, La Trobe University
11:50 am - 12:20 pm
TABLE 3: DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE: ARE OUR HOSPITALS READY FOR AI, DIGITAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES?
Martin Canova -
Executive Director Strategy, Planning & infrastructure,
Cairns and Hinterland Health Service
Martin Canova
Executive Director Strategy, Planning & infrastructureCairns and Hinterland Health Service
12:50 pm - 1:50 pm
LUNCH BREAK
1:50 pm - 2:20 pm
PRESENTAITON: ADAPTIVE REUSE OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE: RECENT RESEARCH FROM THE RMIT POST CARBON RESEARCH CENTRE
Priya Rajagopalan -
Director, Post-Carbon Research Centre,,
RMIT University
Payam Pirzadeh - Researcher, RMIT University
As health-infrastructure investment in new facilities slows across Australia, the case mounts for the adaptive re-use of the existing estate. In this recently published paper from the RMIT Post Carbon Research Centre, case studies and compelling evidence is compiled to guide future investment decisions likely to shape the next wave of projects.
2:20 pm - 2:50 pm
PROJECT CASE STUDY: FROM BUILD TO BEDSIDE: LEVERAGING THE NEW TOOWOOMBA HOSPITAL TO TRANSFORM CARE DELIVERY
Simone McCoy -
Senior Director Strategic Projects,
Darling Downs Hospital & Health Service
Dave Pugsley - Executive Director Commercial Management & Infrastructure, Darling Downs Health
The $2 billion New Toowoomba Hospital is being used as a catalyst for system-wide transformation across Darling Downs Health - beyond construction to redesign care models, embed digital workflows and prepare a workforce of almost 4,000 staff for new ways of working. This session outlines how clinical, digital and infrastructure planning have been integrated to drive measurable improvements in care delivery and ensure operational readiness from day one.
2:50 pm - 3:20 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT: FROM DESIGN TO DAY ONE: WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS WHEN A HOSPITAL GOES LIVE
Wais Osmani -
Project Director,
Peninsula Health
Sarah Hose - Project Director - FHR Redevelopment, Peninsula Health
Delivering a new hospital is often seen as the finish line but in reality, it marks the beginning of the most complex and high-risk phase of the project lifecycle. This candid fireside brings together both sides of the delivery journey, exploring how design intent, stakeholder decisions and commissioning strategies hold up once the building becomes operational. By joining you will:
• Understand the most common failure points that emerge immediately post-go-live and why they are often repeated across projects
• Learn how early design, stakeholder engagement and planning decisions directly impact operational performance
• Gain practical strategies to improve operational readiness, reduce risk and better prepare teams for Day One realities
3:20 pm - 3:50 pm
AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
3:40 pm - 4:20 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: WORKFORCE, TRADES AND DELIVERY CAPACITY: CAN THE INDUSTRY KEEP UP?
Mark Russell -
National Property and Development Manager,
Aurora Health
Stuart Squire - Executive Director, Grampians Local Health Service Network
Jane Leong - Director Development, Australian Centre for AI in Medical Innovation
Jenny Walsh - Executive Director Strategy & Planning - Alfred Care Group, Bayside Health
Australia faces a projected peak labour demand more than double current capacity by late 2026, driven by concurrent mega-projects in Victoria, Queensland and NSW. This panel examines how health owners, builders and governments can collaborate to manage workforce constraints, avoid cost escalation and deliver safely, drawing on lessons from recent major projects.
4:20 pm - 5:00 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION: THE MISSING MIDDLE: INVESTING IN COMMUNITY AND ABORIGINAL HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
Llewellyn Reynders -
Director Research and Policy at Infrastructure Victoria,
Infrastrucutre Victoria
Don Tidbury - CEO, DPV Health
As health systems shift focus toward prevention and care closer to home, infrastructure investment must evolve beyond major hospitals. This session brings together policy research and on-the-ground delivery experience to examine what it takes to design and build community health infrastructure that works for culturally diverse and underserved populations.
• The evidence base for investing in community and ACCHO infrastructure and why funding continues to fall short
• What culturally informed design looks like in practice, from master planning through to site delivery
• How community health organisations can navigate funding constraints and staging to deliver infrastructure that meets the needs of diverse communities
Llewellyn Reynders
Director Research and Policy at Infrastructure VictoriaInfrastrucutre Victoria
