You are not connected. The newsletter may include some user information, so they may not be displayed correctly.

AES Alert 30 September 2026

AES Alert 30 September 2026

‍Having trouble viewing this email?   ‍Click here to view it online ‍

To ensure delivery, add aes@aes.asn.au to your contacts or address book list.
 
Australian Evaluation Society

‍‍AES Alert: 30 September 2026

‍Dear Visitor,

There’s plenty to catch up on following aes26 in Darwin | Garrmalang, including the celebration of our 2026 award recipients and the induction of two new Fellows of the Australian Evaluation Society: Duncan Rintoul and David Turner.

Fellowship recognises a significant and sustained contribution to the AES and the field of evaluation. Duncan and David have each generously shared their time, knowledge and experience over many years, helping to strengthen our evaluation community and support the development and practice of evaluation. It was a privilege to recognise their contribution in Darwin and formally welcome Duncan and David as AES Fellows. Congratulations to our new Fellows and all our 2026 award recipients.

Looking ahead, save the date for the 2026 AES Annual General Meeting, to be held online on 11 November. Our new Board wil

And one for the diary: save the date for the 2026 AES Annual General Meeting, to be held online on 11 November, when our new Board will be announced and new Directors will commence their two-year terms.

Stay connected! Make sure you continue receiving the latest news and opportunities, take a moment to check that your member details are up to date. Login and update your details.

Save the date for the 2026 Annual General Meeting to be held online 11 November 2026. The new Board will be announced and new Directors will commence their two-year terms. More AGM details will be shared closer to the date.

‍The 2026 Awards for Excellence in Evaluation were presented at the aes26 Gala Awards Dinner in Darwin | Garrmalang

Indigenous Evaluation Award presented to Wungening Aboriginal Corporation in recognition of Evaluation of Ngalla Wirrin Wungening (Our Spirit Healing) AOD Program.

Evaluation Systems Award presented to First Person Consulting & The Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Action in recognition of The Evaluation Framework for the Sustainability Fund.

Award for Enhancing the Social Good presented to Visual Insights & Legal Aid Western Australia in recognition of The DARDY Project evaluation.

Emerging New Talent Award presented to Daniel Vogels, NSW Department of Education.

Evaluation Journal of Australasia Publication Award presented to Kathryn Meldrum & Amy Gullickson in recognition of Stairways to Heaven? Seeking Evaluative Reasoning in Publicly Available Evaluation Reports from the Australian Education Sector 2014–2024.

Public Sector Evaluation Award presented to Clear Horizon & the Commonwealth Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in recognition of Evaluation of Regional Stewardship of Aged Care 2023–26.

Learn more about the award winners HERE.

The AES also welcomed two new Fellows:

Duncan Rintoul

David Turner

Pictured (l-r)

Duncan Rintoul, Giulia Reale-Fucile, Sam Abbato, Lucy Spanswick, Stacey Boota and Laura Dent.

Daniel Vogels, Cameron Lawman, Matt Healey, Kate McKegg and Zoe Enticott.

‍Not present on the night (l-r): Amy Gullickson, Kathryn Meldrum and David Turner.

Not pictured: The many team members across the award-winning organisations who contributed to these outstanding projects and their success.

Thank you for joining us in Darwin for aes26!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us in Darwin | Garrmalang for #aes26DRW. It was an incredible week of learning, connection, conversation and celebration, made possible by our delegates, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and supporters.

We’d love your feedback! You should have received an email with your personalised link to complete the aes26 post-conference survey, or you can use the link provided HERE. The survey closes 21 October.

You can also leave feedback on individual presentations in the aes26 app – simply select the session and choose ‘Provide Feedback’.

Thank you for being part of aes26. See you in Brisbane in 2027!

‍How does the commissioning of evaluations shape the evaluation process and its outcomes? 

AES Fellows are exploring how commissioning practices affect evaluation and invite you to contribute by: responding to the AES Blog; completing a survey and participating in commissioning sessions at the aes26 International Evaluation Conference in Darwin. AES members will receive access to the seminar recording in their member profile. 

You're also welcome to email the AES Fellows directly with your reflections on any of the following questions:

  • Best and worst commissioning process
  • As a commissioner: Do you get the evidence you need from evaluations through the commissioning process?
  • As an evaluator: Do commissioning models facilitate or inhibit how well you undertake an evaluation?
  • As an evaluation recipient: How do commissioning decisions impact on you and your colleagues and participants?

Your insights will help inform future improvements to evaluation practice. 

October 2026

November 2026

November Workshops: MEL Introductory Concepts and Skills Intensive

December 2026

The Of Interest section of the AES Alert includes information from international evaluation societies as well as upcoming events and other articles that may be of interest to our members and wider evaluation community. There is no charge to be included. Please send content to aes@aes.asn.au by Tuesday lunchtime. Your article should include a short blurb and any relevant links. Note that we don't include images or upload documents. Note that the AES reserves the right to refuse publication if we don't judge that your copy is of interest to members of the AES. Member notices are given preference. 

‍Grosvenor’s free M&E tea events are back in October! Register now for your spot to gain insights on two great new topics and connect with other evaluators in your area.

Grosvenor is again running its free Monitoring and Evaluation afternoon tea events across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide this October. These free half-day events open up professional development for resource-strapped for-purpose organisations to attend, learn about new topics and meet other like-minded evaluation professionals. Session 1 is No more terrible meetings! Soft skills to elevate your presence and efficacy as an evaluator. This session will cover how evaluators navigate the tricky interpersonal situations they encounter, like that consult that went badly, or that meeting with the executive that bombed, or the important decision that got deferred again, because these skills are just as important to have in your toolkit as evaluation methods. Following afternoon tea session 2 is How to put your program in the best light for budget bids – effective evaluation planning and program design for success. This session will cover how to maximise your program’s chances of being funded while minimising stress and effort in the business case development process; and provide guidance on program design that enhances the likelihood that intended outcomes will actually be delivered on.

Register for the Melbourne event on 6 October, the Sydney and Adelaide events on 13 October or the Brisbane event on 21 October through the Grosvenor website here: https://www.grosvenor.com.au/monitoring-evaluation-afternoon-tea-october2026/ If you can’t make these locations or times pop your details through the form and we may be able to deliver a digital version later in the year.

FOUNDATIONS OF EVALUATION WORKSHOP SERIES

Start building your evaluation toolkit!

Greg Masters of Nexus will be delivering this practical on program comprising four half-day workshops over consecutive weeks. The program will develop your skills in program evaluation and includes case studies and opportunities to apply the learning to your own work.

You will walk away with:

  • draft logic models

  • evaluation plan templates

  • evaluation terms of reference templates

  •  a completed case study used across all four workshops.

Who should attend?

Those wishing to build their foundation evaluation skills including:

  • emerging evaluators

  • program and policy managers moving into evaluation

  • commissioners of evaluations.

The next series commences Wednesday November 11 (10.00 am-1.00pm AEST) and runs at the same time for the following three Wednesdays (November 18, 25 & December 2).

The fee for AES members is $1,200, a 20% discount off the standard fee of $1,500.

More information?  Or contact Greg at gmasters@nexusmc.com. 

‍New international editions of Australian evaluation texts by AES Fellow & Life member, Yoland Wadsworth, have been published by Routledge London.

Do It Yourself Social Research and Everyday Evaluation on the Run have both been popular best-selling texts demystifying research and evaluation, and Human Inquiry for Living Systems: Building in Research and Evaluation for Life identifies how to achieve systems change using iterative 'full cycle' evaluative inquiry processes. All three books have never been out of print.

Now revised as an anniversary box set trilogy, they provide a comprehensive framework incorporating all the major forms of research and evaluation using a logic in which each takes their part in 'full cycle inquiry’ from existing practice to change for improvement and its testing in new practice. 

Michael Quinn Patton’s tribute to globally launch the trilogy as a coherent magnum opus is here. More about the books (and a 25% discount for the set) here.

Tracing Impact: A hands-on introduction to Ripple Effects Mapping
with First Person Consulting

Every program triggers changes that can be hard to pre-determine, but we also know that those immediate changes don't stop there. These changes can lead to cascading effects far into the future or effects disproportionate to the initiating event. Ripple Effects Mapping is a participatory, group-based method for bringing them to the surface – well established overseas, but only now making its way into Australian practice. This one-day workshop will leave you with the skills and capabilities to design and implement REM, and have a bunch of fun while you are doing it.

The session is in-person only in Melbourne, with two date options: Wednesday 21 October or Thursday 19 November 2026. 
AES members can get a discount. Use the code AES15 at check-out for 15% off! $297.50 incl. GST (usually $350).

Register here → https://www.fpconsulting.com.au/store/p19/ripple-effects-mapping-training.html

Listen: aes26 wraps up in Darwin on The It Depends Podcast

aes26 has wrapped up in Darwin, and you can catch up on the conference with Matt Healey from First Person Consulting on The It Depends Podcast. Across three daily episodes, Matt shares his reflections and hears from delegates about the ideas and questions they’re taking home.

The Day 3 episode includes the Great Debate recorded in full, so whether you missed the conference or want to hear it all again, you can feel like you were there in the room too.

Explore the conference episodes in our Podcast Library, or listen and follow on Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

‍Iris Ethics HREC opens for applications 
Following successful registration with the NHMRC, Iris Ethics has opened its Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for submissions, making it the first privately operated, open access HREC to focus solely on the evaluation, market research, and social research sectors. The committee is chaired by Professor Chris Maylea, an experienced social researcher and legal scholar, and includes people from all over Australia representing a range of lived and professional experiences and includes practicing evaluators. This ensures that reviews are completed quickly with an understanding of the research purpose and methodologies used, and that the committee can act as a trusted advisor and partner. Iris Ethics also delivers rapid reviews for lower risk evaluation projects and produces a growing library of resources to support ethical evaluation practice.

One year in, Iris Ethics expands resources for users 

In the almost one year since Iris Ethics opened for business, the company has produced more than 50 free resources for researchers and reviewers navigating the often complex field of human research ethical reviews. Now those resources are easier than ever for users to find, with a new menu creating a streamlined user experience (https://www.irisethics.com.au/). 

Clear Horizon Academy offerings

Everyone starts somewhere, and wherever you are in your MEL journey, we have learning for you. From foundational courses to advanced practice, you'll learn alongside peers with coaching and on-demand resources to support you. AES members receive 15% off with the code "AES15". Grow your MEL skills with Clear Horizon Academy.

Evaluating Place-based Approaches (2 October, paced over 6 weeks)
Learn to evaluate place-based change with confidence in this intermediate course, packed with practical tools for tracking progress, collective measurement, phase-appropriate MEL design and centring community voice.➡ Learn more

Evaluating Systems Transformation: Live Methods Masterclass (14 October, 2.5-hours)
Join Jess Dart for a hands-on live masterclass exploring four practical tools for tracking change in complex systems, with a curated resource pack to take away. Limited places.➡ Learn more

AI Masterclass Series (2.5 hour practical sessions)

  1. Human-Centred AI Essentials: Use AI confidentially and responsibly in evaluation and MEL by keeping human judgement at the centre (25 November) ➡ Learn more

  2. Build your AI Assistant for Evaluation: Move beyond one-off prompting to design repeatable, quality-assured AI workflows for analysis and reporting (10 February) ➡ Learn more

What’s Emerging? Conversations on systems transformation with Jess Dart and Emily Gates (Three-part webinar series November – January)
Each session starts with a provocation and unfolds through conversation, reflection and shared sense-making to explore the ideas Jess and Emily are wrestling with, the patterns they're noticing, and the questions they believe matter for the future of evaluating systems transformation. ➡ Register here

AES Blog

We want to hear from you! What is interesting you in the world of evaluation? Have you attended an AES event recently and are keen to share what you learned? Please refer to the Guidelines for what and how to submit to the AES blog and if you have any questions, please email the team at blog@aes.asn.au. Check out the the latest AES blogs by clicking here. 

Job Vacancies

Employers looking to fill positions in program monitoring and evaluation and performance measurement can list their job vacancies on the AES website. This service is available to members and non-members for a small fee. Discover the benefits of advertising on the AES website as recruiters and for applicants. Local and overseas opportunities are listed throughout the year and are also included in the AES Alert e-newsletter. 

Consultants Directory

The AES often receives enquiries looking for evaluators with specific areas of expertise. These enquiries are directed to the online searchable Consultants' Directory. As well as being 'discovered' by potential customers, consultants in the directory also enjoy receiving early advice on any call for Evaluation services tenders. AES members can be listed in the Consultants' Directory for a small fee. Log into the AES website and access the form here.

Logging On to Member Only areas of the new AES website

Members can now remain logged into the AES website rather than log in each time - simply click on the 'Remember me' box when loggin in. If you have forgotten your username and password, please email us at aes@aes.asn.au. 

Become an AES member

Do you work as an evaluator, commission evaluation work, manage evaluation projects, are an academic teaching and conducting research, a tertiary level student or even a professional interested in evaluation and performance measurement? Are you interested in developing your knowledge and skills across evaluation theory, methods and practice while networking with other professionals involved in similar work? Then you will benefit from joining the AES. Click here for more information and to apply to join. 

‍We acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands in which we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.

The Australian Evaluation Society is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.

‍ 

You have received this email because you are a member of AES,
have attended an AES event,  or you have subscribed to an AES newslist. 
 ‍ ‍Unsubscribe ‍