PLACE joins the conversation at Social Impact in the Regions
7th September 2026
SITR participants enjoyed lunch in Weeroona Park
Last week, PLACE joined people from across regional Australia in Stanthorpe, QLD for three days of conversation, learning and connection at Social Impact in the Regions 2026.
Across the program, discussions covered regional development, social infrastructure, workforce, funding and place-based research. A common thread was the importance of relationships and local knowledge when understanding a place.
We heard how community organisations can notice changes locally before they appear in formal data, and about the often less visible work of connecting people, sharing knowledge and maintaining trust in a community.
The final day included a place-based research mini-summit, with discussion about what it means for research to be accountable to the place it is about. This included who gets to ask the questions, whose knowledge counts, how communities participate, what happens to data afterwards and whether research is useful to the people who contribute to it.
Sarah Marlor, Employment Pathways Lead at PLACE, joined the three-day gathering in Stanthorpe and reflected on the value of learning from people working in different places and contexts.
“One of my biggest takeaways was how much of this work comes back to relationships and local knowledge. There was plenty of conversation outside the formal sessions too – over lunch on the grass at Weeroona Park, on the steam train through the region and in between sessions hearing about people’s communities and work.”
Thank you to Social Impact in the Regions and everyone who generously shared their experience and perspectives across the three days. We came away with plenty to consider as PLACE continues to learn alongside communities and others working in place.
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Across the program, discussions covered regional development, social infrastructure, workforce, funding and place-based research. A common thread was the importance of relationships and local knowledge when understanding a place.
We heard how community organisations can notice changes locally before they appear in formal data, and about the often less visible work of connecting people, sharing knowledge and maintaining trust in a community.
The final day included a place-based research mini-summit, with discussion about what it means for research to be accountable to the place it is about. This included who gets to ask the questions, whose knowledge counts, how communities participate, what happens to data afterwards and whether research is useful to the people who contribute to it.
Sarah Marlor, Employment Pathways Lead at PLACE, joined the three-day gathering in Stanthorpe and reflected on the value of learning from people working in different places and contexts.
“One of my biggest takeaways was how much of this work comes back to relationships and local knowledge. There was plenty of conversation outside the formal sessions too – over lunch on the grass at Weeroona Park, on the steam train through the region and in between sessions hearing about people’s communities and work.”
Thank you to Social Impact in the Regions and everyone who generously shared their experience and perspectives across the three days. We came away with plenty to consider as PLACE continues to learn alongside communities and others working in place.