Municipal Works Australia’s 2026 Knox Field Day has been hailed as a strong success, attracting more than 180 local government staff representing 22 councils from across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Held in partnership with the EV Expo for Local Government, the event brought together municipal works, infrastructure and fleet professionals for a morning of networking, industry displays, practical discussion and professional development.
A highlight of the day was the Roads of the East Forum, which brought together local government professionals from across Melbourne’s eastern region to discuss current road management priorities, shared challenges and opportunities to improve the planning, maintenance and delivery of local road networks.
Olivia Salamone and Nathan Hadfield from Knox City Council organised the forum, with participants sharing practical insights and experiences from their own councils.
MWA thanks Olivia and Nathan for their work developing the session, as well as the council representatives who participated and contributed to the discussion.
The forum demonstrated the value of bringing municipal works professionals together to openly discuss common operational challenges and share practical solutions applicable across different council environments.
MWA also acknowledges and thanks the organisers of the EV Expo for Local Government, who partnered with the Association to deliver the Knox event. The partnership continues to provide a valuable opportunity to bring together professionals working across municipal works, infrastructure, fleet and emerging vehicle technologies in one location.
Knox discussions to continue at Bendigo 2027
The success of the Roads of the East Forum will also help shape the program for the 2027 National Municipal Works & Engineering Conference, to be held at the Bendigo Showgrounds on 17–18 March 2027.
Nathan Hadfield will work with MWA to develop a similar roads-focused forum for Bendigo, expanding the discussion to include municipal works professionals from across Victoria and beyond.
Olivia Salamone is also working with MWA to develop the conference’s Next Gen Session, which will give emerging local government professionals an opportunity to share ideas, build connections, and contribute to conversations about the future of the municipal works sector.
These sessions form part of MWA’s continuing focus on creating practical, industry-led professional development opportunities that encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing between councils.
MWA thanks Knox City Council, the EV Expo for Local Government organisers, exhibitors, presenters and all participating councils for helping make the 2026 Knox Field Day such a successful event.
