Exclusive “Fireside Chat” with Australia’s leading ECEC advocacy voice set to round off upcoming ECEC Compliance and Risk Forum 

As anticipation builds for The Sector’s inaugural ECEC Compliance and Risk Forum 2026 it is with great excitement that the team confirms an exclusive, intimate conversation as the final session of the day with John Cherry, Goodstart Early Learning’s foundational Head of Advocacy and one of Australia’s leading early learning voices. 

The “Fireside Chat” with an ECEC legend will feature Mr Cherry in a rare and intimate discussion that will take you inside his remarkable journey from Senator to ECEC Advocate and how his 13 years in the sector has shaped him as a professional but also the thousands of educators and children his influence has impacted as well. 

“We work very hard to try and find the right voice for the right moment to round off our Forum’s and are absolutely thrilled that John has agreed to share the stage with me for the final session at our upcoming Compliance and Risk Forum,” Jason Roberts, founder of The Sector said. 

“John has been involved at the highest level of early learning advocacy for well over a decade, has rubbed shoulders with the nation’s most senior politicians, worked on seminal industrial relations policy, is second to none in the ECEC data space and has an encyclopedic knowledge for all things early learning.”

“Not only is John a fantastic person with an extraordinary story to tell, he is absolutely perfectly placed to bridge that gap between policy and practice that will help contextualise the moment we find ourselves in and fill in many of the knowledge gaps that all of us are seeking to be better at what we do.”

A conversational journey that touches on the “now” 

The Fireside Chat will be intentionally conversational and reflective, offering delegates the opportunity to step back from policy and operational pressures and consider the perspectives learnt through many years of operating at the coal face of policy and practice. 

The session will begin with an exploration of John’s professional journey, including his time in the Senate and how working as a politician, with politicians, laid the foundations for his move into the early learning sector and shaped his approach to advocacy at Goodstart. 

It will then move into a deeper discussion about what it actually means to be an advocate, how change is affected against the backdrop of the increasing complexity services are experiencing around legislative shifts in the current moment. 

The conversation will also explore the role of thought leadership in navigating competing pressures, including enrolment demand, staffing challenges, family expectations, regulatory responsibilities and the need to keep children’s best interests at the centre of decision-making.

We will then wrap up with a review of what John considers to be his greatest successes whilst working in his role as well as any situations or decisions that with the benefit of hindsight he wished he had handled differently before casting our eyes forward as to what and how he expects our sector to evolve in the months and years ahead. 

“There is no doubt that my chat with John will be wide reaching and informative and mark the perfect round up to what is going to be another must attend event from The Sector team,” Mr Roberts said. 

The ECEC Compliance & Risk Forum 2026 coming soon - 4 September, 2026 Sydney 

On Friday 4 September 2026, The Sector Connect+ will bring together approved providers, executives, nominated supervisors, governance professionals, quality leaders and sector specialists for the ECEC Compliance & Risk Forum 2026, held under the theme Beyond Compliance: From Response to Recovery.

Held at Waterview, Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park, the forum will explore how ECEC organisations are navigating regulatory issues in real time and can strengthen their approach to prevention, response and recovery while building the leadership capability required in an increasingly complex operating environment.

The Forum has been designed to move beyond traditional discussions about compliance requirements and focus on the actual systems, behaviours and leadership decisions that are influencing quality, safety and organisational outcomes.

Compliance provides the foundation, but strong early learning services and organisations are built through leadership, proactive systems, confident decision-making and a culture of continuous improvement.

Sponsors: Storypark and Child Aware.

To learn more about the Forum please click here or to register to attend click here.