Thursday, 03 September and Friday, 04 September 2026
Teachers Federation Conference Centre, Gadigal
37 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills NSW & Online via Zoom
Now in its 9th year, the Peers and Consumers (PaC) Forum is Australia's only peer-led event of its kind. It brings together people with lived and living experience of drug use, alongside professionals from health, policy, and research sectors. The Forum is a space for connection, learning, and advocacy—promoting peer leadership and sector-wide collaboration. Since 2022, the Forum has run in a hybrid format, reaching attendees both in-person and online.
Peers and Consumers Forum 2026 theme: Shaping Systems, Storytelling and Power
PaC 2026 explores how lived and living experience (LLE) is central to shaping the systems that shape us. At the heart of this work is storytelling, how we name our experiences, share our LLE, and influence the environment.
As peers increasingly move into leadership, advocacy, clinical, legal, and policy spaces, we will reflect on how storytelling becomes a tool for shaping culture, informing practice, and shifting power. Our diverse peer identities strengthen our collective voice and deepen our capacity to drive meaningful change.
This year invites open and courageous conversations about what it means to be a peer in a time of growth and evolution. Grounded in respect and shared purpose, PaC 2026 celebrates the strength of our peer community and the transformative power we hold and shape together.
Ticket and speaker information will be available soon. Stay tuned!
What do our past participants say?
“Hugely beneficial day, fantastic crowd. Talked too much to great people that I missed some sessions. Great atmosphere!”
“Hearing from so many people both on the panels, and in the audience”
“Reconnected with people I hadn’t seen in the flesh since last year’s forum”
“I love the safe space it provides to feel safe to give your point of view and not have that fear of judgement by fellow attendees and to have the opportunity to not only participate within the panels or as a presenter as just to help pass the mic around”
“Interaction with a diverse bunch of people who share passion and experience in supporting AOD sector work”
“I loved being surrounded by amazing Narcofeminists on the panel!!! What a safe, inclusive, empowering, motivating and supportive panel of wahine!!!!”
“Elevation and promotion of narcofeminism and connecting with my peers”
“I live on the Gold Coast and was lucky enough to get a scholarship. Was very informative and good to know I’m not alone and there’s a whole community of people out there whom are like and identify with me”
“I really liked the diversity of panels”
“Meeting and getting to know peers from the state as well as meeting people from other services and swapping cards etc.”
“I loved that I could attend online from regional NSW”
“Great keynote presentations and some good panels”