Australia’s National Summit on Commercial Vehicle Decarbonisation
Returning in 2027
Hosted by
One day at Parliament House made freight electrification impossible to ignore.
Freight Forward is Australia's national summit on commercial vehicle decarbonisation. Held in the Great Hall at Parliament House during a sitting week, it convenes industry, policy and investment leaders for a curated national conversation on the future of Australian freight.
It is not a trade expo. The program is built around facilitated working sessions that move the sector from discussion towards implementation. The 2026 event exceeded its targets across every measure that matters.
300+
SUMMIT
ATTENDEES
180+
ATTENDING ORGANISATIONS
25+
WORLD CLASS PRESENTERS
25+
ATTENDING
PARLIAMENTARIANS
+75
‘WORLD CLASS’ NET PROMOTER SCORE
Interested in attending?
Freight Forward returns in 2027
The transition to cleaner, more resilient freight is moving from ambition to deployment.
In 2027, Freight Forward returns to Canberra, bringing together leaders from government, freight, energy, infrastructure and investment to tackle the practical barriers to change and accelerate solutions that are ready to move.
Every major shift starts with a shared vision. Freight Forward is where the clean freight transition takes collective form.
Freight Forward 2026 Presenters
John Blackburn AO
Former Deputy Chief, RAAF & Chairman, Institute for Integrated Economic Research
Hon Catherine King MP
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Reg Development & Local Gov
Mirja Viinanen
CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Australia
Martin Merrick, President & CEO, Volvo Group Australia
Julie Delvecchio
CEO, Electric Vehicle Council
John Grimes
CEO, Smart Energy Council
Amanda McKenzie
CEO, Climate Council
Dr Adam Triggs
Partner, Mandala
Jason Price
General Manager, Property and Sustainability, Linfox
Lisa Marsh
CEO, eLumina
Deidre Willmott AM
Strategic Advisor, Global Sustainability & External Affairs, Fortescue
Alex Grant
GM of Transport, Australian Renewable Energy Agency
Violet Sheridan
Ngunnawal Elder
Eytan Lenko
Chair, Boundless Earth
Dr Clare Walter
Health and Policy Researcher, Faculty of Health, Deakin University
Gareth Ridge
Country Director EV, Zenobe Australia
Anthony Headlam
Co-founder & CEO, NewVolt Infrastructure
Rachel Parry
Deputy Secretary of Transport, DITRDCA
Bruce Hardy
Executive Director, Energy Futures Foundation
Martin Stokie
Commissioner, Productivity Commission
Michael Kaine
National Secretary
Transport Workers' Union
Mario Philippou
Executive General Manager Group Operations Strategy, Team Global Express
Alan Beacham
Chief Supply Chain Officer, Woolworths Group & Managing Director, Primary Connect
Daniel Bleakley
Co-CEO, New Energy Transport
Tim Washington
CEO, JET Charge
February 2027 (Exact dates TBC)
The Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra
Freight Forward 2027
Freight Forward is Australia’s national summit focused on accelerating practical action on commercial vehicle decarbonisation.
In 2027 the summit expands to two days during a parliamentary sitting week, both in the Great Hall at Parliament House. It convenes a curated, senior-level audience from freight, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and government.
Hosted by
Major Partners
2027 Themes
Reducing reliance on imported diesel by shifting freight to domestically produced electricity, hydrogen and low-carbon fuels.
Removing the barriers holding back zero-emissions freight and demonstrating practical solutions that are ready to scale now.
Grid & infrastructure
Freight productivity
Ensuring energy networks, charging infrastructure, and planning can support freight electrification at the scale required.
Using technology and smarter infrastructure to lower operating costs, reduce downtime and improve freight efficiency.
Reducing freight emissions while improving worker safety and cutting harmful air and noise pollution.
Scaling zero-emissions freight
Cutting emissions
Moving beyond pilots to put the next 10,000, 100,000 and one million zero-emissions vehicles on the road.
Accelerating deployment
Fuel security
2026 Summit Impact & Outcomes
Freight Forward helped move heavy vehicle decarbonisation to the centre of the national conversation. At a time when freight electrification has come to the forefront of the global energy security debate, the event reframed discussion from diesel supply concerns to a future-focused conversation about energy sovereignty, renewables and electrification.
Freight Forward brought together industry, unions, government, and other key stakeholders to build relationships, a shared focus, and ongoing engagement to accelerate progress on zero-emission freight.