It was a meeting of WA’s best medical minds when almost 500 health leaders gathered in Perth’s CBD on Tuesday.
The Australasian College of Health Service Management 2026 leadership conference, held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, saw the largest gathering of health leaders in the State to discuss the future of leadership in the sector.
Premier Roger Cook opened the conference, emphasising the critical role of strong leadership in shaping WA’s future health system.
WA Health director-general Shirley Bowen and Ramsay Health Care WA executive operations manager James Cafaro were among the keynote speakers.
An exciting panel also consisted of leaders across different sectors, including The West Australian’s esteemed cartoonist Dean Alston, to discuss how they have achieved excellence throughout their careers.
ACHSM WA president Neale Fong said effective leadership was essential to meeting the health sector’s growing challenges.
“At the end of the day, we all know the health industry could take every dollar in the budget but it’s not the dollars that make the difference,” he said.
“It’s the people that actually know how to use and develop them and lead the organisation.
“It is about people that have the courage to stand up and do the right thing in their job.”
He said the conference was a rare opportunity for health leaders to “step back, reflect and strengthen the way we lead”.
The event ran for one day under the theme ‘Leaders need to LEAD’ as a reminder that leadership is not a title — it’s an active responsibility.
