Register

2026 ECA National Conference, 30 September–3 October, Melbourne

To qualify for ECA member discounts you must be a current ECA member and provide your member number during the registration process. Click here to enquire about membership or phone the ECA Customer Service team on 1800 356 900.

In-person registrations

Online registration for in-person attendance to the 2026 ECA National Conference is open. Please contact Customer Service on 02 6242 1800 to assist with your registration.

Virtual registrations

Team Experience Package

Designed for organisations investing in their team, the Team Experience Package is a registration package designed to enable group attendance and professional learning at the conference. This package prioritises access, connection and professional learning, with added visibility features tailored to acknowledge your organisation’s commitment to professional development.

Please note: ECA Professional members may register one (1) delegate at the member rate. Service/School members may register three (3) delegates at the member rate. ECA Institution members may register five (5) delegates at the member rate.

Please remember the 2026 ECA National Conference is about children, but not directly for children. For safety reasons children or strollers are not permitted at the Conference including the exhibition hall or in any sessions.  If you have children accompanying you to Melbourne, Victoria, we ask that you make alternative childcare arrangements. We appreciate your understanding as we strive to ensure a safe and enjoyable event for everyone.

 Terms and conditions apply.

Fee Structure

All registration fees include GST and are in Australian dollars.
*Earlybird registration must be received by COB 30 June 2026 or the full rate will apply.
**Concession registration is open to full-time (pre-graduate) students currently enrolled in an approved early childhood course and concession card holders.
*** Single day registration is available for one day only. Delegates who wish to register for two or three days should register for the full conference.

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Terms and Conditions:

All participants are required to officially register to attend the 2026 Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference.
When registering to attend the conference, you accept the following registration terms:

Accommodation
InHouse Event Solutions has been appointed as the official accommodation booking agent for the 2026 ECA National Conference. Information provided by you as part of the accommodation booking process will be disclosed to the relevant accommodation providers to facilitate and confirm your reservation. Payment for accommodation is separate to the conference payment. Please contact InHouse Event Solutions if you have any accommodation payment queries.

Refunds of accommodation deposits are at the discretion of the accommodation venue.

Registration
Sharing of registrations is not permitted. One registration may not be utilised by several individuals.

Virtual registrations access: Sharing of virtual registrations is not permitted. You must not share publicly or privately any passwords, links, or other access details which would allow entry on to the 2026 ECA National Conference virtual platform.

NB: Single-day registration fees are for one day only. For more than one day, delegates must pay full conference rate. ECA member discounts do not apply to single-day delegates.

Student/concession registrations: Concession registration is open to full-time (pre-graduate) students currently enrolled in an approved early childhood course and concession card holders. Completion of a student or concession registration is subject to receipt of a valid concession card.

Team Experience Package: All registrations included in this package must be assigned to named delegates prior to the conference. Unused registrations are non-refundable and non-transferable to future events. Delegate name changes may be made in line with standard registration terms.

Cancellations and refunds
Registration cancellations will not be accepted unless made in writing to the event organiser. If the notification is not received by the conference office, the cancellation is deemed to have been not notified.

Cancellations made more than thirty (30) days prior to the event date will be refunded less $175.00 of the registration fee to cover administration costs. No registration refunds will be made after this date; however, you may nominate a replacement delegate at no charge. The same conditions apply to tickets purchased for social events. Should your tickets be purchased within the 30-day period before the event, no cancellations will be accommodated.

No refunds whatsoever are available in the event a delegate registers but fails to attend the conference.

VenueSafe Plan
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is working with the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre to ensure the 2026 ECA National Conference adheres to their VenueSafe plan. The health and wellbeing of all participants is our priority.

Delegate details
ECA may share your information with the following third parties essential to the delivery of the event:

• other parts of ECA such as State/Territory Committees
• venues, accommodation providers, AV companies, and caterers directly involved in event delivery
• events sponsors and approved exhibitors
• other third-party event service providers>

Badges may include QR codes for event management purposes. By allowing the QR code on your conference name badge to be scanned by other delegates, sponsors or exhibitors, you are consenting to share your name, organisation and contact details with them.

Photography and videography
ECA reserves the right to take photographs and videos at ECA Events. By registering for the 2026 ECA National Conference you consent to be included in any photographs or videos taken by the official photographers which may be used in our print and digital publications and other promotional material associated with ECA. If you do not consent to your photograph/s being used, please contact the event organiser in writing at: conference@earlychildhood.org.au 

General
All details contained on the conference website are subject to change without notice.

For safety reasons children or strollers are not permitted at the conference including the exhibition hall or in any sessions.  If you have children accompanying you to Melbourne, Victoria, you should make alternative childcare arrangements.

Loss and injury
All conference participants are advised to effect/confirm their own insurance to cover all risks including (but not limited to) costs of travel, accommodation, conference fees, personal property, health and medical expenses, injury, death and all other risks. The conference, Early Childhood Australia, and organisers will not be held liable for any claims under any circumstances.

Payment of fees
All registration fees are payable in advance of the conference and entry to the conference may be denied in the event registration fees (or a portion thereof) are unpaid prior to commencement of the conference. Online registration is the preferred method of registration. Credit card payment (Visa or MasterCard) and PayPal is accepted via our secure network (Credit card payments will incur a surcharge of 1.15%). Please note direct deposits will only be open until 1 September 2026 and registrations after this date will require immediate payment via credit card or PayPal.

Program changes
ECA reserves the right to make changes to the program, including presenters and sessions where necessary.
In the unlikely event that a presenter withdraws or cannot travel, ECA reserves the right to make the appropriate decision in the best interest of the conference—this may include not offering refunds, changes to the program and cancelling sessions.

Visas and quarantine
Delegates travelling from overseas may be required to obtain a visa before travelling to Australia. You should apply for your visa not less than two months prior to your departure. Failure to obtain a visa will not be accepted as grounds for refund of any fees or other costs paid to the conference. Australia has strict quarantine regulations that are enforced at all international airports and other points of entry into Australia.