AANZCA25 Conference
AANZCA25 Final Program
We’ve published the final AANZCA25 conference program/agenda. Please log in to your AANZCA25 account and click on Browse Conference Agenda.
A small number of papers/presentations, and some panel sessions, have had to move to different days compared to the Draft program published last week. Please check carefully. But most sessions have not changed, although some panels have been re-titled and slightly reconstituted.
Please ensure that you have read the email sent to participants regarding the chairing of sessions (including a handy guide for chairs!), as well as important information about presenting off your own devices (with required old-school flash drive backup of your presentation), as well as other short emails for those using buses and/or own transport, re the free parking, We’ll also share information about the exceptional recreational opportunities in and around Mooloolaba and the Sunshine Coast.
Parking update: The conference will provide free parking.
For ECR/HDR day (Tuesday 25 November) please park in P1 (see map here)
UniSC Auditorium Map & Parking Information copy AANZCA25 Conference 25-28th November – Visitor and Parking Information update
For the main conference on Wednesday to Friday please use parking lot 17 and 18. See map here).
AANZCA25 Conference 25-28th November – Visitor and Parking Information update
For more information on AANZCA25 Keynote speakers, accommodation options, travel tips etc, please see click here.
We are so looking forward to welcoming you to UniSC, the Sunshine Coast and to AANZCA25!
AANZCA25 Final Program
If you have registered to attend AANZCA25, you should have received an email in this regard.
Please log into your AANZCA25 account and click on Browse Conference Agenda.
Please take a close look and let us know, at aanzca2025@gmail.com, if you spot any errors that require correction, or if there are any issues that you can’t work around.
Please send any error notification feedback by 5pm Monday, 17 November (Australian Eastern Standard Time).
The final conference program will be viewable via your AANZCA25 account by 6pm on Wednesday, 19th November.
Registered participants will also receive some additional emails, regarding the chairing of the 74 sessions, updates on conference logistics and presentations, during the week of 17 November.
Presenting authors will be able to present from their own laptop/devices, but please do, as a backup, bring a copy of your presentation slides on a flash drive to your session.
In almost every session, each presenter will have 15 minutes to present, and, after the 3 or 4 presentations in that session, each session will have about 20 to 30 minutes for Q&A and discussion.
Further details to follow.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF AANZCA25
Here is the link for the recording of the session ‘Getting the most out of AANZCA25’ (Wednesday 5 November), which featured a keynote conversation with Media International Australia Editor, Dr Kylie Stevenson on Demystifying writing a journal article for MIA (starting at 24m30s) preceded by a recording of the final round of the AANZCA25 two-minute Speed Pitch!
Congratulations to the following Speed Pitch winners!
First prize: Snezana Brodjonegoro (The University of Queensland)
Applying Practice Theory in a Mediatised World: Communicative Practice in Waste Sorting
Runners-up and honorary mentions:
Michael Doneman (RMIT University)
Hacking AI with Age and Agency
Amalia Nurul Muthmainnah (Macquarie University and University of Groningen)
Strengthening Youth Resilience Against Misinformation: Insights from Platform-Led Media Literacy Initiatives
Nicola Pitt (Charles Sturt University)
When a Flood Hits, Communication Can Save as Many Lives as Sandbags
Top finalists:
Chuying Lu (The University of Queensland)
Serendipitous Digital Publicity among Chinese Diasporic Gamers
Ziying Meng (The University of Melbourne)
A Cross-platform, Transnational Approach to Creator Practice of Self-governance
Dr Vanda Nissen (The University of Queensland)
Speaking With (Un)certainty: How Epistemic Adverbs are used by Bilingual and Monolingual Doctors in an Australian Emergency Department
Yuefei Tian (RMIT University)
Informing the Departure of Foreign Correspondents: Rhetoric, Journalistic Authority and Chronotope
This session was hosted by the AANZCA Queensland representatives, Dr Caryn Coatney (University of Southern Queensland)
and Dr Harry Dugmore (University of the Sunshine Coast).
This two-minute Speed Pitch Contest was sponsored by the AANZCA Executive with generous cash prizes, valued at more than $1000.
Registration for AANZCA25 remains open until Friday 7 November!!
With two wonderful keynote speakers, 257 papers scheduled for presentation, and long-range weather forecasts suggesting great weather for a conference, there is still time to register for AANZCA25. Registration will close at midnight (AEST) on Friday 7 November.
If you would like to register, please go to https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2025/index.php?page=login and create a User Account, or, if you already have a User Account, please log in and click Register as Participant.
Non-presenters are of course very welcome, i.e. you don’t have to be presenting a paper to attend AANZCA25, either in-person or via the online hybrid option that covers two conference session streams, and both keynotes (and the AANZCA 2025 AGM).
For those registering from Aotearoa New Zealand, codes to activate the ANZ exchange rate equalisation discount can be obtained by emailing Harry at aanzca2025@gmail.com, which is also the email to use if you need any further information.
For more information on AANZCA25 Keynote speakers, accommodation options, travel tips etc, please see click here.
Please note that the Local Organising Committee are building the AANZCA25 program schedule and we are planning to release the full program by no later than Friday 14 November, and earlier, if possible.
Please note that only those registered to attend by midnight on Friday 7 November, will be scheduled on the program.
Early-bird registration for AANZCA25 is now OPEN
Please go to https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2025/index.php?page=login and create a User Account, or, if you already have a User Account, please log in and click Register as Participant.
Emails inviting registration for who already have User Accounts will be sent out from Monday 22 September 2025. These emails will include, for those registering from Aotearoa New Zealand, codes to activate the ANZ exchange rate equalisation discount.
Early-bird registration will be open until Friday 17 October 2025.
Please email aanzca2025@gmail.com if you any further additional information.
For more information on AANZCA25 Keynote speakers, accommodation options etc, please see click here.
For travel tips, post conference excursion options, and other information, please scroll down further on this page.
JERAA and AANZCA conferences – mutual 10% discount
(if attending both conferences, both in Queensland and back-to-back this year again!)
Anyone registering for either AANZCA25 or the Journalism Education or the Research Association of Australia (JERAA) Conference 2025 can get a 10% discount for the second conference of their choice. The 2025 JERAA conference runs from the evening of Sunday 30 November (AANZCA25 ends at about 4.15pm on Friday 28 November) and is hosted by Griffith University’s School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science / Griffith Center for Social and Cultural Change. The JERAA Conference 2025 will be held at Griffith University’s South Bank campus in inner-city Brisbane, on Yaggera and Turrbal Country, on the banks of the Maiwar.
Whichever conference you register for first will give you a Discount Code that you can enter on the respective registration portal of the second conference you’re booking for. Please email AANZCA Convenor, Harry Dugmore at hdugmore@usc.edu.au for the JERAA Discount code once you have registered for AANZCA, if you want to attend both conferences. (JERAA’s early-bird registration window closes on Friday, 10 October!)
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF AANZCA25
(and stand a chance to win ECR/HDR travel scholarships to support your conference attendance!)
AANZCA Queensland’s regional reps are hosting a ‘getting the most of AANZCA25’ online event for ECR and HDR presenters at AANZCA25 (but the webinar is open to all!), on Wednesday 5 November at 11.30am(AEST) online).
Featuring a two-minute Speed Pitch contest for ECR/HDRs, plus a keynote conversation with Media International Australia Editor, Dr Kylie Stevenson, this online event will share insights about how to use AANZCA25 (and future AANZCA conferences!) to turbocharge your research and publishing opportunities, and extend and deepen your professional networks.
This session will open with the finals of a two-minute Speed Pitch contest, open to all early-career and postgraduate (HDR) researchers preparing to present their abstracts at AANZCA25. To enter and be selected for the Speed Pitch finals (where you’ll be asked to present live!), please submit a short, written script that captures the essence of your accepted conference abstract in two minutes or less.
Make the case for your research and the abstract’s significance and quality and share why conference attendees should go out of their way to attend your panel session at AANZCA25! Eight of the submitted scripts will be selected to go through to the live presentation at the webinar on 5 November.
After the live online speed pitch presentations, judges will award a $500 AANZCA Travel Support bursary to the pitch adjudged to be the most impactful and effective, as well as two $250 travel support bursaries for each of the two runners-up.
This online event will help ERCs and HRDs prepare for the HDR/ECR Pre-Conference Day on 25 November (limited places remain so please register soon), including the day’s high-energy, speed-geeking session to meet fellow researchers and mentors, as well as help prepare for getting the most out of the full AANZCA conference thereafter.
If you would like to enter the speed-pitch contest, please email your two-minute speed pitch script to AANZCA QLD representative, Dr Caryn Coatney, at Caryn.Coatney@unisq.edu.au by Friday 17 October. Contest finalists will be notified by Friday, 24 October, in advance of presenting their two-minute speed pitches at the “Making the Most of AANZCA25” online event on 5 November.
AANZCA 2025 Call for Papers and conference theme
The annual AANZCA conference will be hosted by the University of the Sunshine Coast in the last week of November 2025. AANZCA25 runs from Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 November 2025 inclusive, and the ECR/HDR pre-conference day is Tuesday 25 November. AANZCA25 will be partially ‘hybrid’ with keynotes and some program streams available for online participation from anywhere in the world.
We are delighted to announce that the theme for the AANZCA 2025 conference is ‘Turning the Tides’.
‘Turning the Tides’ asks us to reflect on how our scholarship engages with contemporary challenges, as well as opportunities, as the world navigates increasingly turbulent times.
As public trust continues to decline in many countries and cynicism bubbles up, do we have the methodologies and analytical techniques to capture and explain the multiple predicaments the world is facing? The current volatility and widespread unease are mirrored in declining civic participation across many parts of the world.
However, ‘Turning the Tides’ also evokes movement, change, and momentum; how can our research be a force of positive transformation across multiple fields? We are not just observers of change but active participants in shaping the narratives around us, and the narratives of those that we research. How can our work contribute to meaningful shifts in areas such as health, sustainability, social equity, and technology?
The use of communication scholarship as a way to positively change narratives around us, rather than being drawn into political polarisation and fragmentation, is another key area of reflection for this theme.
While we encourage submissions that engage with these broader dynamics, we also welcome more finely focused empirical studies. We particularly invite contributions addressing questions such as:
- How can our scholarship engage safely with communities to co-create knowledge and foster more inclusive research practices? How can we ensure the voices of those we wish to research are centred in our projects without further harming these communities?
- How can communication scholars and practitioners help societies build resilience against waves of misinformation and deception?
- How can our scholarship better map evolving AI landscapes, including the growing capabilities of large language models (LLMs) to ‘reason’ and parse vast literatures, albeit in legally dubious ways? How might we ensure more ethical use of LLMs and other AI tools in our research practice and teaching?
- How can communication research and practice contribute to building public trust and knowledge in health? What lessons can we learn from past and present health campaigns, media reporting, and/or social media to improve our understanding of health and illness in an era of misinformation?
- Are we sufficiently attuned to (and involved enough) in connections between media and mental health issues across journalism and cultural production such as contemporary TV and film, and gaming, for example).
- Is the media and communication field better positioned in 2025 to respond to the critiques that our work can lack meaningful engagement beyond academic institutions? Are more robust policy responses required, and what can our scholarship contribute in terms of shaping these responses?
- How can we use research to challenge hegemonic structures, safely co-create knowledge with communities, and engage with First Peoples and Indigenous knowledges, i.e. be more of a tool for truth-seeking?
- Do these waves of change suggest that we are at a critical juncture in our media and communications scholarship; in terms of either our choice of research topics or key methodologies, or both?
- Are there ways in which communication research practices can better challenge the structures from which cultural power and political legitimacy emerge and are legitimised? By reflecting on these practices, can we turn the tide toward more inclusive futures?
Although abstracts and panel proposal submissions that align with these themes are encouraged, all submission will be fully considered.
Please note that all submissions for AANZCA25 participation will be assessed only on submitted abstracts. Abstracts can be up to 500 words in length, excluding references (references are optional). To submit please please scroll down, and select the AANZCA 2025 Conference link below. Please note that the abstract submission deadline has been extended to midnight Monday 28 July 2025.
Attendees are welcome to submit multiple abstracts for peer review and consideration for the conference program, but each participant will be able to present only two papers as lead author as well as appear on one panel. In the interests of diversity and inclusion, participants can appear on additional papers as secondary authors but must not present these papers.
Please do consider submitting an abstract for AANZCA25. Submission opens on Friday 20 June and close on the now extended final deadline of MONDAY 28 July 2025. In keeping with AANZCA’s values of diversity and inclusion, we particularly encourage students, LGBTQI+ scholars, scholars with disabilities, and scholars from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori and Pasifika backgrounds to submit their research for consideration.
AANZCA also welcomes scholars beyond our respective national boundaries, as well as those working in fields adjacent to communication studies, and practitioners working in communication and creative industries.
Key 2025 dates
Abstract submissions open: Friday 20 June 2025
Abstract submissions close: Monday 28 July 2025 (final extended deadline)
Paper acceptance notifications by: Friday 12 September 2025 (or earlier)
Early bird registrations open: Friday 19 September 2025
NOW OPEN: Please go to https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2025/index.php?page=login – and create a User Account, or, if you already have a User Account, please log in and click Register as Participant.
Early bird registrations close: Friday 17 October 2025
Conference registration closes: Friday 7 November 2025
CONFERENCE DATES: Wednesday 26 to Friday 28 November 2025 (inclusive)
ECR/HDR pre-conference day: Tuesday 25 November 2025
For AANZCA25, we invite the submission of extended abstracts — up to 500 words long excluding references – accompanied by a 100 word ‘brief bio’ for each author.
For pre-constituted panel proposals of 3-4 speakers, submissions must include a panel title, abstract (300-500 words), the names and affiliations for each speaker, an abstract for each speaker (250 words) and a bio for each speaker (100 words).
Any paper presented at AANZCA25 can be submitted for consideration for post-conference Media International Australia (MIA) Special Issue (guided by the same ‘Turning the Tides’ theme). When conference abstracts are submitted, or on registration, you will be able to indicate if you’d like your paper to be considered for post conference publication or for any of the conference awards.
Authors selected for MIA or any other post conference publications will be contacted following the conference regarding process and deadlines, and their papers will then go through peer-review as the normal MIA reviewing process.
Please ‘watch this space’ for additional details soon about hotel and accommodation options, and other logistical information.
For current details about accommodation options, more detailed keynote speakers bios and other information, please go to AANZCA 2025 Conference
Please note that you will have to create a User Account for AANZCA25 in order to register if you have not submitted an abstract or created a User Account previously. You are very welcome to attend AANZCA25, even if you are not presenting a paper of course.
Conference fees for the various tracks will be communicated and shared here by the end of August 2025; fees are likely to be very similar to the fees for the 2024 conference. There will be a small additional fee for those not wanting to use public transport to and from the hotel/accommodation area in Mooloolaba and UniSC Sippy downs campus, or those who will use their own cars/other means to get to UniSC Sippy downs campus. The charter bus service will be an option to choose and pay for at registration (which opens on 19 September 2025).
Letters of invitation (sometimes required for visa applications for travel to Australia, or to secure University financial support) will be sent to all those whose abstracts are accepted for presentation on request, either once abstracts are accepted, or, more formally, including confirmation of payment, once conference registration and payment has been completed. Those who submit abstracts will be notified about acceptance or non-acceptance of abstracts by 12 September 2025 – and possibly a little bit earlier depending on the review process.
Early-bird Registration will open on 19 September 2025 and closes on 17 October 2025.
AANZCA 2025 Saturday Excursions
Self-guided day trips
Take advantage of your free day to explore the best of the Sunshine Coast – from beaches and markets to hinterland towns and local wildlife.
These are self-guided excursions; AANZCA will not be coordinating bookings or transport. We’ve provided helpful links, travel tips, and noted where courtesy buses or low-cost public transport (including 50c weekend fares via Translink) are available to make planning easy.
Eumundi Markets + Noosa
For creatives, foodies & beach lovers
Eumundi Markets: Queensland’s largest artisan market (7am–2pm)
Noosa: Iconic beach, cafes, coastal walks, boutiques
Transport options:
- Translink buses to both Eumundi and Noosa available on Saturdays for 50c
- Some Mooloolaba accommodations offer free market shuttles – check with your hotel
- Ride-share or carpool recommended if you’re planning to do both stops
Suggested itinerary:
- Depart Mooloolaba early (~7:00 AM)
- Eumundi Markets until 10:30 AM
- Noosa for lunch and exploring until ~4:00 PM
Australia Zoo
For wildlife lovers & families
Founded by Steve Irwin, Australia Zoo offers immersive wildlife encounters and conservation education.
Transport options:
- Translink buses to Australia Zoo are available on Saturdays for 50c
- Self-drive (approx. 40 mins)
Highlights:
- Crocoseum show at 1:15 PM
- Wildlife Hospital viewing
- Koala cuddles and animal feedings
Maleny & Montville Food, Wine & Art Trail
For slow travel, scenic views & gourmet stops
Head inland to explore lush mountain towns, art galleries, cheese and chocolate producers, and cellar doors.
Transport options:
- Best for self-drive or car-pool
- Coast to Hinterland Tours offers bookable day trips (not affiliated with AANZCA)
Suggested stops:
- Flame Hill Vineyard
- Maleny Cheese
- Montville galleries and lookouts
🔗 Visit Sunshine Coast Hinterland
Saltwater Eco Cruise (Mooloolaba)
For culture & calm on the water
Take a guided cruise exploring local waterways and Indigenous sea country. Great option within walking distance of most accommodation.
Transport:
- No transport needed – departs from The Wharf, Mooloolaba
- Booking in advance recommended
Departure times: Morning and afternoon cruises available
Ginger Factory + Nutworks, Yandina
For sweet tooths & history buffs
Explore the working ginger and macadamia factories in nearby Yandina – family-friendly and fun.
Transport options:
- Translink (631 bus) to Yandina (50c)
- Self-drive or ride-share also suitable
🔗 The Ginger Factory | Nutworks
Local Transport Tips
- Translink weekend fares: All bus/train travel is capped at 50c on Saturdays and Sundays. Use a Go Card or contactless payment.
- Use the Translink Journey Planner to check times and connections.
- Carpooling? Look out for a rideshare sign-up board or message fellow delegates in the conference app.
INITIAL TRAVEL ADVICE
How to Get to the Sunshine Coast (without Accidentally Ending Up at the Gold Coast)
First things first: it is important to note that the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast are easily and surprisingly frequently confused. One is north of Brisbane (that’s us), the other is south of Brisbane (that’s not us). If you land in the wrong one, you’ll have a very long Uber ride (but with 50-cent fares, shortish Uber trips, you can actually get from Gold Coast Airport to Sunshine Coast relatively cheaply if you are looking for a pre- or post-conference adventure!)
So, some initial advice:
Step 1: Choose Your Airport
Option A: Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) – 15 minutes to Mooloolaba
- Definitely closest and easiest.
- Flights daily from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide plus a direct flight from Auckland.
- Downsides: far fewer flights (only ~14 a day) and can be a fair bit pricier depending on when you book.
Option B: Brisbane Airport (BNE) – 90 minutes to Mooloolaba
- Big international hub, frequent and often cheaper flights.
- Best bet if you’re not coming from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, or Auckland.
🚫 Ideally do Not Select: Gold Coast (OOL) – unless you enjoy 3+ hour drives/train/bus combos.
Step 2: Getting to Mooloolaba
This is where most of AANZCA25 attendees will be staying, and where the daily conference buses will pick up and drop off.
From Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY):
- Shuttle bus: Direct to Mooloolaba hotels, around AUD $30–40.
- Taxi or Uber: 15 minutes, AUD $35–50.
- Public bus: Exists but involves transfers. Only recommended if you really love buses. And transfers. See https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Sunshine-Coast-Airport/Mooloolaba#r/Line-622-bus-line-600-bus
From Brisbane Airport (BNE):
- Con-X-ion shuttle: Door-to-door to Mooloolaba hotels. AUD $60–70, 90 minutes.
- Car hire: Easy drive up the Bruce Highway. Great choice if you’re staying longer.
- Public transport: Train + bus combo (3+ hours, ~AUD $25). Cheap, cheerful, but slower.
Step 3: Getting to UniSC (Conference Venue)
The University of the Sunshine Coast is 7km inland from Mooloolaba.
- Conference shuttle bus: AUD $50 (to be booked and paid for on registration).
We highly recommend this option. Why?
- Convenient. Pick-up and drop-off from the main hotels in Mooloolaba. No navigating timetables, maps, or apps.
- Reliable. Runs to the conference schedule each day, so you’ll never worry about missing a session.
- Affordable. One flat fee covers the whole week (much cheaper than daily taxis or Ubers).
- Social. Travel with fellow delegates – it’s a great way to network, swap notes, and start the day together.
- Sustainable. Fewer cars on the road = lighter footprint.
Think of it as your easy pass between beach and conference: one booking, no hassle.
- Public bus: Approx. 30 minutes, less direct.
- Car: Easy parking if you’ve hired one.3
We are delighted to announce that the theme for the AANZCA 2025 conference is ‘Turning the Tides’. ‘Turning the Tides’ asks us to reflect on how our scholarship engages with contemporary challenges, as well as opportunities, as the world navigates increasingly turbulent times.