2026
The 2026 AIHC Conference will be held 21 – 23 September at the Rydges Geelong Events Centre in Geelong, Victoria
Joost Bakker presented on his milestone project, building the dream house for Zac Efron.
Programme information below
Programme
Monday Evening - 21st September
Registration, Meet and Greet
We warmly invite you to join us from 6.00pm with Geelong Mayor, Srechko “Stretch” Kontelj, for our Green Carpet Meet & Greet.
Tuesday - 22nd September
Day 1
8am Registration
8.45am start
Welcome – Richard Barge (MC)
Local Wadawurrung – Welcome
Session 1 – Richard Barge
- Australian timber market & products – Patrick Mitchell (Australian Forest and Wood Innovations)
- Emerging industries – Jamin Forbes (AgriFutures Australia)
- Objectives & outcomes – Omid Ansari (Australian Industrial Hemp Program of Research)
10.30 – 11.00am Morning Tea
Session 2
Materials 1 – Simon Caboult
- AHFP – Andi Lucas (X-Hemp)
- Murray Industrial Hemp – Leigh Fletcher, Sarah Heys, James Pedersen (MIH)
- Otetto prefab – Christopher Ball (Otetto)
- Hemp Besa Blocks – Simon Crittenden, Hannes Bernhardt
- Regs. for the built environment – Nardo Wai & Hing-Wah Chau (Victoria University)
- New hemp composites – Fatah Mostamandi (REVOX)
12.30 – 1.30pm Lunch
Session 3
Materials 2 – Klara Marosszeky
- Whole hemp housing – Sabrina Lucas (Deakin University)
- Hemp Building Directory – Kirstie Wulf & Jeremy Thomas
- AI, design & sustainability – Greg Pitts (Deakin University)
- Bauhaus and industrial hemp – Patricia Jeglietsch (Bauhaus)
- Hemp Block International – Johan Tijssen (Hemp Block International)
- Zac Effron House – Joost Bakker
- Hemp housing LCA – Md Noor E Alam Siddique (Southern Cross Uni.)
3.00 – 3.30pm Afternoon Tea
Session 4
Materials 3 – Colin Steddy
- Hemp fibre testing – Dylan Hegh (Deakin University)
- Advanced Fibres in Geelong – David Buchanan (AFC – Geelong)
- Practiced fibre processing – Travis Ryan-Salter (Rubisco Inc.)
- Ginning hemp – Scott Davies (Carroll Cotton)
- Working with hemp processors – Davis George (Austeng)
- Australian hemp for China – Yang Yao (Uma Hemp)
- Natural fibre WTP – Sorada Tapsuwan (Swinburne)
6.00pm
Hemp Cooking Demonstration
Join us for an evening hemp cooking demonstration provided by Good Country Hemp.
Whipped ricotta, Hemp flat bread, Hemp tabbouleh, Lemon chicken, Seedy slice!
Also included will be Hemp Gin and Hemp Beer tasting.
Wednesday - 23rd September
Day 2
Session 5
Fed. & State Inquiry – Tim Schmidt
9.00 – 10.30am
- Glob. Prod. & Trade Report 2026 – Ernesto Valenzuela Dominguez (LA Trobe)
- Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Report – Richard Colbeck (Fed. Senate)
- Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee Report – industry response – Maxine Shea (iHemp NSW / Hemp Collective)
- VIC Taskforce findings – Xavier Menta (VIC Parliament)
10.30 – 11.00am Morning Tea
Session 6
Genetics & Environment inputs – Kirstie Wulf
- Pollen Power Tech – Jason Scott (Pollen Power)
- Terpene volatiles for CPM – Jos Mieog (Southern Cross Uni.)
- New varieties – Simon Cabout (Midlands)
- New varieties – Omid Ansari (HGT Group – HEMPGenTech, HGT Seed Services and Sesame Australia)
- QTL Mapping for seed size – Stephen Manansala-Siazon (Southern Cross Uni.)
- Winter cropping – John Muir
12.30 – 1.30pm Lunch
Session 7
Genetics & Environment outcomes – Matthew Welling
- Growing grain – Mick Andersen
- Seeding & N effects on grain – Natalie Moore (DPIRD NSW)
- Grazing IH I IH seed meal in a beef finisher feedlot ration. Part 1: Animal production – Lachlan Allinson-Brasser (Charles Sturt Uni.)
- Grazing IH II IH seed meal in a beef finisher feedlot ration. Part 2: Meat quality – Jasmine Ireland (Charles Sturt Uni)
- GHG inventories & hemp – Winton Evers (Eco Profit)
- LCAs of IH Cropping Systems – Dhenber Lusanta (SCU)
3.00 – 3.30pm Afternoon Tea
Session 8
Where to next? – Phil Warner
Assisted by TCI consultants Nicola Watts and Mirjana Prica we will draw together key ideas and initiatives and lay the groundwork for future opportunities and collaboration. Other panel members include: Nana Bortsie-Aryee (Global Green Tag), Alexis Gautier (La Roche), Charles Kovess (AIHA), Matt Lariba (AHC), Dylan Hegh (Deakin University).
5.00pm – Close
6.30pm Gala Dinner
Thursday - 24th September
Site visits – 9.30am – 2.00pm
Visit a hemp home in Buckley built by Southern Hemp
Carbon Nexus: Research and development centre – Deakin University
Future Fibres Facility – Deakin University
National Wool Museum
Conclude with lunch at 2 Chefs Geelong
Cost $100 pp
Presenters & Session Leaders
Details of presenters will be added as these become available
Matt Lariba-Taing
Chairperson – AHC
We thank our Gold Sponsor
We thank our Bronze Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
Exhibition Table
