2026 Conference Program
Day 1 - Thu 1 Oct
Sponsor Booth Set-Up
Registration Open - Tea - Coffee
Technology and Teams: Powering Smarter Event Response
The tools and technologies which underpin effective Event Response and the teams in place to bring this to life for customers and partners.
Through the use of early warning, forecasting and the mapping perils as they unfold, technology is enabling teams and stakeholders from across the event response ecosystem to come together, plan for and execute recovery strategies that increase speed to action, claim resolution and delivery of targeted community support.
10 Minute Break
From Ready or Reacting? To Capability and Collaboration
In this session, NIBA CEO Richard Klipin will provide an update on the state of the insurance broking sector and NIBA’s key priorities. He will share the latest on the review of the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice, explore key insights from NIBA’s recent research, including 'From Culture to Capability' and 'Pathways to Professionalism', and provide an update on Insure Your Future and the industry’s efforts to attract and develop the next generation of broking talent.
Morning Tea - Sponsored by Hunt & Hunt
How Do We Ensure AI Improves Risk Assessment Without Embedding Or Amplifying Unconscious Bias?
AI offers insurers the potential to process vast amounts of data, identify patterns and improve pricing precision at a scale never before possible. How will Artificial intelligence transform underwriting, risk selection, pricing and portfolio management.
This presentation will explore the opportunities and risks presented by AI-driven underwriting and pricing models, and the role of insurers, brokers, lawyers, regulators and data scientists
This panel will explore the opportunities and risks presented by AI-driven underwriting and pricing models, and the role of insurers, brokers, lawyers, regulators and data scientists.
10 Minute Break
The Business Behind the Truck
Heavy motor insurance is about far more than the vehicle itself. It is about understanding the businesses, people, activities, and risks associated with keeping Australia moving. This presentation explores how capability, collaboration and conviction can shape better outcomes for customers, brokers, and insurers. Capability means asking the right questions and understanding the risk. Collaboration brings the broker, insurer, and risk information together to find practical solutions. Conviction provides confidence to make informed, sustainable underwriting decisions. By combining these three principles, we can move beyond transactional interactions and improve the understanding of risk, while building stronger relationships, and creating a more resilient future for the client and the insurer.
Lunch - Sponsored by QBE
Inside a High-Profile Claim: The Adass Israel Synagogue Arson Attack (PART 1)
In this session LMI groups’ Steve Manning CEO and Allan Manning Founder and Chairman will immerse you in a high-profile claim scenario involving the Adass Israel Synagogue. Together we will explore the application and management of a number of heads of cover, including:
- Additional increased cost of working (temporary locations)
- Extra cost of reinstatement
- Personal property
We will also explore the complexities of government grants and their impact on the claim, as well as the often-overlooked human element.
10 Minute Break
Inside a High-Profile Claim: The Adass Israel Synagogue Arson Attack (PART 2)
In this session LMI groups’ Steve Manning CEO and Allan Manning Founder and Chairman will immerse you in a high-profile claim scenario involving the Adass Israel Synagogue. Together we will explore the application and management of a number of heads of cover, including:
- Additional increased cost of working (temporary locations)
- Extra cost of reinstatement
- Personal property
We will also explore the complexities of government grants and their impact on the claim, as well as the often-overlooked human element.
Afternoon Tea - Sponsored by TBC
Mills Oakley Panel
Close
YIP's Cocktail Function at Flicks - 6:00 to 8:00pm (Sponsored by Mills Oakley)
Day 2 - Fri 2 Oct
Registration Open - Tea - Coffee
The Cost of Getting it Wrong: Understanding Value at Risk
This presentation aims to discuss importance of Value at Risk (VAR) building assessments for commercial properties in the Northern Territory and the role Quantity Surveyors play in determining accurate replacement values.
A VAR assessment estimates the total cost to demolish and reinstate all assets that an Insured is responsible for at the location, including professional fees. It considers factors such as policy definitions, unique design, heritage requirements, and external works.
The presentation considers unique factors impacting construction costs across the Northern Territory, including remoteness and access constraints, cyclone compliance, labour shortages, freight costs, and supply chain disruptions, which can all significantly increase rebuilding costs and an Insured’s potential exposure to the risk of underinsurance.
This presentation is designed to equip its audience with greater knowledge around the VAR process, to enable collaboration across stakeholders when setting cover to reduce Underinsurance issues, following a major loss.
10 Minute Break
3D Scanning - What Is It, How Can You Use It and Why Is It Transforming Claims?
Join Anna Goat, Rise Project Consulting, to learn how 3D scanning is transforming the NT insurance industry. In the NT, and broader Northern Australia, you can be 100s or 1,000s of kilometres away from an insured property or loss, with very limited and costly transport options. 3D scanning provides you with a measurable ‘digital twin’ of the loss which you, your customer, your stakeholders and contractors can then virtually walk around, inspect, measure and scope the loss from their desks.
Rise PC are an award-winning Territory business that's innovated 3D scanning and digital twinning technology for the remote extremes of Northern Australia,. Rise’s clients include TIO/Allianz International, Northern Territory Government, Power Water Corporation and Rise’s 3D scanning services were most recently used for disaster recovery following the recent extreme weather events - Katherine and Daly River floods.
Morning Tea Break - Sponsored by Sedgwick
Built to Perform: Expert Teams, Trusted Tech, and Decisive Outcomes
Inspired by the precision of a Formula 1 pit crew, this panel brings together a builder, loss adjuster, technology specialist and insurer to unpack what high-performance looks like when the pressure is on. We’ll explore how capability is built through deep expertise, how collaboration enables seamless handovers and faster outcomes, and how conviction supports confident decision-making when information is incomplete and timeframes are tight. From site to system to settlement, we’ll focus on the human element—skill, communication and trust—that keeps complex work moving safely, accurately and at speed.
The Winning Formula: Capability, Collaboration & Conviction - Celebrity Speaker
In motorsport, success isn’t won by one person. It takes capability in every role, collaboration when the pressure is on, and the conviction to make the right call when split seconds matter.
Drawing on decades at the highest levels of Australian motorsport, Neil Crompton takes us behind the scenes of high-performing teams - exploring the decisions, teamwork, resilience and relentless pursuit of excellence that separate those who compete from those who succeed.
A fast-paced and entertaining keynote packed with insights that go well beyond the racetrack.
Wrap Up Bar - Sponsored by Hall & Wilcox and Lunch Sponsored by Vero
Close
2026 NT Insurance Conference Gala Awards Dinner - Darwin Convention Centre 6:30pm to 11:30pm (Cocktail Sponsored by Guardian Exercise/Custodian Work Assist)
Day 1 - Thu 1 Oct
Sponsor Booth Set-Up
Registration Open - Tea - Coffee
Drawing the Line: Reasonable Management Action After Yao and Slade
From Yao to Slade, the Northern Territory superior courts have delivered significant guidance on psychological injury claims, reasonable management action and workplace conflict. Through the lens of this year's conference theme, Capability, Collaboration and Conviction, Shane Thurnwald and Reinis Dancis will examine the practical implications of these decisions for employers, insurers and self-insurers, and discuss what they reveal about the future direction of workers' compensation litigation and claims management in the Northern Territory.
10 Minute Break
Better Together: How Local Insurer and Provider Partnerships Improve Recovery Outcomes
Recovery is rarely achieved by one organisation alone. Positive outcomes are created when insurers, healthcare providers and employers work together towards a shared goal. This presentation explores how collaboration between CGU and Tangible Health supported injured workers identified as being at increased risk of poor recovery outcomes in the Northern Territory. Drawing on real-world claims and work capacity data, we demonstrate how early intervention, strong local relationships and coordinated decision making can improve recovery trajectories and functional outcomes. The session will share practical lessons on building effective insurer-provider partnerships and the impact these partnerships can have on improving recovery timeframes and outcomes.
Morning Tea - Sponsored by Hunt & Hunt
Leading Through Digital Disruption – Building the Organisations and Leaders of Tomorrow
10 Minute Break
When the Data Says One Thing but Professional Experience Says Another, Who Should Have the Final Say?
As there is greater interest in artificial intelligence, predictive analytics, and automated claims processes in insurance operations, personal injury stakeholders face a critical question: where does technology enhance decision-making, and where is experienced human judgment indispensable?
Drawing on the conference themes of Capability, Collaboration, and Conviction, this panel will explore how insurers, lawyers, medical experts, brokers, and claims professionals can work together to deliver fair, efficient, and defensible outcomes in increasingly complex personal injury claims.
Using the Formula 1 pit crew analogy, the discussion will examine how every participant in the claims ecosystem must perform their role with precision while maintaining trust, communication, and accountability.
Lunch - Sponsored by QBE
“Personal Injury Needs AI”
This presentation explores how artificial intelligence can enhance, rather than replace, human-centred personal injury claims management. With claims professionals spending much of their time on administrative tasks, AI offers opportunities to automate document processing, conversation transcription, summarisation and workflow activities, enabling greater focus on recovery-focused interactions. Drawing on EML’s practical experience, the session demonstrates how context-aware AI can identify recovery barriers, highlight information gaps and support earlier intervention while maintaining human accountability. Attendees will gain insights into where AI will play a role in the future of personal injury claims management to strengthen decision-making, streamline administrative processes and ultimately achieve better outcomes for injured workers.
10 Minute Break
How to Reduce Claims Costs and Get People Back to Work Sooner: The Mental Injury Edition
Mental injury is fast becoming a major player in the workers compensation space, accounting for more than 10% of claims in the Northern Territory. With the cost to insurers growing and durations for RTW blowing out, early intervention is a critical tool that must be implanted. Together we will explore how early engagement in exercise not only supports physical and mental wellbeing, but also earlier RTW and better claims outcomes.
Afternoon Tea - Sponsored by TBC
The Interplay Between Personality and Function
This presentation discusses the role of personality in shaping ones ability to function both at a personal and professional/occupational level and its relationship with clinical psychiatric conditions. It looks at the biopsychosocial factors which help shape an individual's personality and how this impacts their ability to contextualise and accommodate, thereby helping determine their capability, ability to cope with change, innovate and most importantly collaborate with others.
Close
YIP's Cocktail Function at Flicks - 6:00 to 8:00pm (Sponsored by Mills Oakley)
Day 2 - Fri 2 Oct
Registration Open - Tea - Coffee
‘Human Element: Recovery from Catastrophic NT Work Injuries’
Two case studies show how current technology was successfully applied through human agency to treat and rehabilitate workers with catastrophic injuries. In case 1 the injured worker with a brain infection survived because of human expertise and technological advances. In case 2 the lower limb of a worker mauled by a crocodile was spared. Both workers required extensive multidisciplinary care after discharge from hospital.
10 Minute Break
Opportunities From Deploying AI in Personal Injury Claims Management
Artificial intelligence is reshaping personal injury scheme management across the claims spectrum, from document processing and file summarisation to triage, early intervention and case management support. Predictive models are sharpening identification of claims at risk of poor recovery, increasingly drawing on the free-text case notes and medical certificates historically left unused. Ultimately, we will discuss what separates deployments that deliver faster, fairer and more efficient outcomes for insurers, schemes and injured individuals from those that quietly fail.
Morning Tea Break - Sponsored by Sedgwick
From Claim to Courtroom: A Coordinated Response to the Self-Represented Claimant
This interactive panel and Q&A session explores the complex landscape of self-represented litigation through three critical lenses. Featuring perspectives from a highly experienced insurance claims manager, a specialist workers' compensation lawyer and a Supreme Court judge, the session tracks the journey of a non-legally represented claimant from the initial claim stage into the courtroom. Together, the panel will discuss systemic readiness given the rise of AI, the practicalities of managing unrepresented parties and how different sectors can collaborate effectively to manage this pressing reality.
The Winning Formula: Capability, Collaboration & Conviction - Celebrity Speaker
In motorsport, success isn’t won by one person. It takes capability in every role, collaboration when the pressure is on, and the conviction to make the right call when split seconds matter.
Drawing on decades at the highest levels of Australian motorsport, Neil Crompton takes us behind the scenes of high-performing teams - exploring the decisions, teamwork, resilience and relentless pursuit of excellence that separate those who compete from those who succeed.
A fast-paced and entertaining keynote packed with insights that go well beyond the racetrack.