The opening plenary at this year’s ALCA25 Conference, Systems Change for Nature, set the tone for a week of big ideas and reflection. It challenged us all to step back from our day-to-day work and look deeply at the systems that shape how we value, govern, and care for nature.
The panel brought together five changemakers working at the intersection of climate, economy, and culture: Lisa Miller, Founder and CEO of Wedgetail / ex-Canva; Simon Holmes à Court, energy analyst, clean-tech investor and climate philanthropist; Sharan Burrow AC, global advocate for human rights and climate justice, and former General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Professor Deen Sanders OAM, Managing Director of Think. Know. Do., Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Nature, and Special Counsel at Deloitte Access Economics; and Kaj Lofgren, Founder and CEO of Regen Melbourne.
Together, they examined what it will take to transform our systems — political, economic, and cultural — so they no longer extract from nature but sustain it.
Weaving change.
Lisa Miller described systems change as a weaving exercise, the interlacing of knowledge systems and disciplines. Having moved from evolutionary biology into technology and then regenerative practice, she spoke about how change depends on bringing diverse perspectives together: scientists, Traditional Owners, farmers, technologists, and environmentalists each contributing threads to the same fabric.
Her reflection found a real-world echo at the conference itself, where Aboriginal artist Aunty Kija led a hands-on weaving group across the two conference days. Conference delegates were invited to sit together and weave, each piece contributing to a larger collaborative artwork. The final piece literally showing how many individual strands over time can form a stronger whole.
Reflecting on this at C4, we can see how our partnerships make us more impactful. Real systems change does not come from one-off or one-to-one collaborations. It comes from organisational commitment to a shared purpose. Partnerships must be meaningful, enduring, and built on trust. And to be effective, these relationships must also be equal. Where we can effectively collaborate, we see better outcomes for the environment.
Pain, and the fear of pain.
Simon Holmes à Court shared his journey from community renewable energy projects to national climate advocacy. Through that work, he discovered how resistant political systems can be to evidence and goodwill alone. His experience and mentors taught him a difficult but vital truth: there are two ways to change political behaviour: pain, and the fear of pain.
Real systems change, he argued, happens only when citizens, communities, and movements create pressure that cannot be ignored.
Over the years at C4 we have played our part in advocacy, from putting pressure on government to protect local habitats and corridors, to feeling the sting of the battles that were lost along the way. We admire and support the tireless advocacy work of ALCA at the national level, and of local allies such as CAFNEC, who continue to amplify the voice of our region and environment.
As an organisation, we are also reflecting on our ongoing role in advocacy and how best to represent both our community and our environment. These are important conversations for us to keep having. We invite locals, supporters, and partners to connect with us and share ideas on how we can strengthen our voice and work together for more effective advocacy in our region.
Caring for people.
Drawing from her decades in global labour and climate leadership, Sharan Burrow AC spoke of the need for radical partnerships. These partnerships are those that bridge divides between sectors and ideologies. Collaboration, she said, doesn’t mean consensus; it means coherence — moving in the same direction even when our reasons differ.
She reminded the audience that we cannot achieve environmental renewal without social and economic renewal, too. Caring for country means caring for people.
The next seven.
Deen Sanders OAM grounded the discussion in a profoundly different sense of time and relationship. He challenged us to step beyond the short-term logic of five- or ten-year strategic plans and instead think in terms of the next seven generations.
In his culture, this is not a metaphor — it is a responsibility. Every decision made today carries consequences that ripple forward through time. Systems change, he reminded us, begins not with theory but with relationship: how each of us stands in connection to land, to one another, and to those who will follow.
For C4, this seven-generation perspective is both humbling and motivating. Each cassowary corridor we restore, each seedling we plant, and each partnership we build exists within a continuum of care. It is not about the next project cycle — it is about ensuring that what we nurture today still thrives long after we are gone.
Active hope.
Across the panel, a common thread emerged: hope is not optimism, it is action.
- Holmes à Court called it “active hope,” the kind that comes from involvement, not observation.
- Miller described it as a feedback loop: the more responsibility we take, the more hopeful we become.
Burrow linked it to solidarity and the shared belief that collective effort can turn urgency into endurance.
At C4, we see active hope as both practical and creative. It means embracing innovation, using technology as an ally to protect nature, and letting go of the phrase “we tried that before”. It’s about harnessing the energy of the next generations and combining it with the quiet persistence of those who have been at this work for decades.
We saw countless examples of active hope throughout the conference:
- Garlone Moulin part-owner of Mt Pleasant Station who showed us how regenerative grazing and care for country can turn a once-degraded property into a thriving, biodiverse, and productive landscape. Keith Smith, whose dedication to nature refuges in northern Queensland continues to connect landholders and strengthen the movement for lasting protection.
- Erin Farley and Tracey Ferrier from the recently launched Nature Media Centre, who ran an inspiring three-day program helping us tell better, more authentic stories about our work and impact.
- Talicia Minniecon from Mob Made Media, who showed how digital storytelling can become digital truthtelling — empowering First Nations communities to reclaim narratives and lead confidently in the online space.
- Kurt from CoExist Australia, building understanding between people and wildlife through education and empathy.
- John Clarkson from TREAT, whose decades of rainforest restoration have inspired generations of volunteers.
Looking ahead.
Systems Change for Nature wasn’t about finding neat solutions. It was an invitation to look deeper. For C4, the takeaways are clear: systems change begins with connection, pressure, and care that extends far beyond our own lifetimes.