Craig Doyle Announced As New Chair Of The Developing Northern Australia Conference

Momentum Builds For DNAC26 In Mparntwe (Alice Springs)

Plans are well underway for the 2026 Developing Northern Australia Conference (DNAC26), with the official conference website now live and applications to present open.

Taking place in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) from 5 to 7 August 2026, DNAC26 will bring together leaders from government, industry, research, business and community to explore the future of Northern Australia under the 2026 theme Northern Horizons: Linking People, Place and Development.

Now in its 12th year, the Developing Northern Australia Conference is widely recognised as the leading national forum for conversations about sustainable, inclusive and place-based development across the north.

DNAC26 will be the first conference under the leadership of new Conference Chair Craig Doyle, CEO of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), who brings nearly four decades of experience working across multiple industries in Northern Australia.

“DNAC is widely regarded as the key Northern Australia conference each year, and if we continue to evolve the conference agenda to meet the needs of those who attend each year, we can play an important role in the promotion and advocacy for the North,” Craig Doyle said.

The conference has already confirmed its first keynote presenters, including Jimmy Cocking, CEO of Desert Knowledge Australia; Kirsty Howey, CEO of the NT Environment Centre; and Dylan Irvine, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods at Charles Darwin University.

In addition, Minister for Northern Australia, the Hon Madeleine King MP, and Shadow Minister for Resources and Shadow Minister for Northern Australia, Senator Susan McDonald, have also been confirmed to speak at DNAC26.

Applications to present at DNAC26 are now open across seven key topic areas, including First Nations Economic Leadership, Growing Northern Talent, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Economic Development, Innovation and Technology, Environment and Climate, and Health and Community Resilience.

The full conference program, including confirmed presentations and sessions, will be released on 31 March 2026.

With early keynote speakers, ministers and the social program already announced, DNAC26 is shaping up as a major moment for the conference.

For more information or to apply to present, visit northaust.org.au.

© Scoop Media