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AES26 Making space, valuing place

Three-part conference series · Darwin, Larrakia Country · 16–18 September 2026

We need to be questioning ourselves before we can question others.

Matt Healey

Host, It Depends Podcast | First Person Consulting

Days 1, 2 & 3

AES26 Making space, valuing place

About This Series

Matt brings you three daily wrap-ups from the 2026 Australian Evaluation Society Conference in Darwin on Larrakia Country. Under the theme Making space, valuing place, the conference prompted questions about whose knowledge informs evaluation, how we listen and what it means to practise in a particular place. Alongside Matt’s reflections, you’ll hear from delegates about the sessions and conversations that stayed with them. Listen in order or jump to a day that interests you.

Day 1 – Listening, learning and place · Robyn Ober’s keynote prompts reflection on being comfortable with discomfort, allowing silence and taking a learning stance. Delegates discuss participation in sensemaking, arts-based evaluation and practical methods. Matt reflects on strategy evaluation, social network analysis and an ignite session that raised questions about disciplinary assumptions, the evaluation ‘pub test’ and how to reduce the burden of evaluation.

Day 2 – Evaluation is a relational practice · Matt reflects on generosity, sharing resources and building relationships across organisational boundaries. Delegates discuss cultural governance and community control of evaluation, learning with funders, strategy evaluation and how to make evaluation more useful to the people involved. Gerard Atkinson introduces the Iris Ethics Knowledge Base, and Jess Yamaguchi reflects on Matt’s session about scaling in the context of place.

Day 3 – Pluralism, purpose and connection · The final wrap-up includes a recording of the conference’s great debate, hosted by Bethany Hansen, on whether evaluation’s pluralism strengthens its external influence. Expect serious questions about professional purpose, plenty of humour and some strong opinions about fashion. Matt reflects on the relationships that made the conference a place to belong, before closing with a recording of the lunchtime choir coordinated by Duncan Rintoul.

Key Takeaways

• 1

  Make room for silence and for being a learner

  Robyn Ober’s keynote prompted delegates to reflect on slowing down, listening and recognising what they do not yet know. Matt connects this with examining discomfort in his own practice and the assumptions he brings to an evaluation.

• 2

  Place shapes what people value and who has authority

  Across the recordings, delegates discuss cultural governance, Indigenous knowledge and community control over outcomes and interpretation. These conversations ask evaluators to consider who defines success and how communities can shape the evaluation from the outset.

• 3

  Relationships grow through generosity

  Matt returns to the value of giving openly, whether that means sharing a tool, making time for a conversation or learning with colleagues. The Iris Ethics Knowledge Base is one practical example of resources being made freely available to the evaluation community.

• 4

  Ask useful questions and keep evaluation manageable

  Sessions on strategy evaluation, photo elicitation and minimum viable evaluation prompted reflection on what people actually need to know. Matt asks how evaluators can focus on the most useful questions and reduce unnecessary burden when time and resources are limited.

• 5

  Explain what evaluation offers beyond the profession

  The great debate explores how diverse methods and perspectives contribute to evaluation’s influence. Alongside the case for pluralism, speakers question how clearly evaluators explain their purpose and the value of their contribution to communities and decision-makers.

Topics Covered

First Nations evaluation Place-based evaluation Relational practice Ethics and cultural governance Strategy evaluation Scaling Creative methods Pluralism and professional identity

Resources Mentioned

• AES26 Making space, valuing place – The conference website, including the theme, keynote speakers and information about the logo.
• Iris Ethics Knowledge Base – Launched on Day 1 and introduced by Gerard Atkinson in the Day 2 episode. A free resource on ethics and ethical review in evaluation, with guidance and downloadable templates. No sign-up required.
• FPC Scaling Field Guide – The open-source guide linked to Matt’s session on scaling in the context of place. The session introduced a new tool intended for addition to the guide.
• ARTD Consultants resources – Resources shared by Stephanie and Sophie following their session on monitoring on a shoestring, including tools to automate or streamline reporting. No coding knowledge required.
• Australian Evaluation Society – The professional association behind the conference, with further opportunities to connect and learn with other evaluators.

About AES26

Australian Evaluation Society Conference 2026

Making space, valuing place | Darwin, Larrakia Country

The AES26 International Evaluation Conference was held at the Darwin Convention Centre from 16–18 September 2026, following two days of pre-conference workshops. Its four strands were Traditions and new ways, Ethics and integrity, Boundaries and bridges, and Roots and routes. The theme invited participants to make space for different disciplines and worldviews, and to value Indigenous knowledge and the contexts in which evaluation takes place.

The conference logo was designed by Larrakia artist Cyan Sue-Lee.

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