Insights from the June OCA Member Forum

The outdoor industry is currently navigating an important period of change, with national conversations focused on standards, safety data, advocacy, and collaboration. The June Outdoor Council of Australia (OCA) Member Forum highlighted the breadth of work underway to strengthen the outdoor sector and ensure more Australians can access outdoor experiences safely, responsibly and more often.

The forum provided members with an update on OCA’s current priorities, progress and upcoming governance processes. It reinforced OCA’s role in advocating for responsible access to the outdoors, providing practical resources for the sector, monitoring national trends and data, and collaborating with members, stakeholders and international partners to strengthen outdoor participation across Australia. Recent advocacy work has included submissions on Australian recreation water quality guidelines, e-mobility licensing, insurance issues, engagement in the Outdoor Recreation Round Table, participation in the Snow Summit, ongoing meetings with Federal MPs, and increased media outreach.

Members were also updated on key resources and projects, including the Cancer Council Australia Sun Safe Competition, the launch of the Outdoor Industry Standards Set, the AAAS Review, and the Uploads incident reporting platform. Data and evidence remain ongoing priorities, with discussion around national data collection, member forums, and collaboration with Australian Government agencies. The forum also included a governance update, noting upcoming director nominations ahead of the AGM and current board terms. Overall, the forum highlighted OCA’s continued focus on national coordination, evidence-based advocacy, practical resources and stronger collaboration across the outdoor sector.

AAAS: A fundamental shift in leadership frameworks

The Australian Adventure Activity Standards (AAAS) are undergoing one of their most significant reviews to date. Public consultation is expected to commence in the first week of July, with particular focus on four key areas:

• Provider-centricity: The definition of “dependency” is shifting from a focus solely on the individual leader to a broader consideration of the provider’s systems, operational procedures and organisational context.

• Benefit-risk assessment: The review includes consideration of the Australian/ISO 4980 framework, supporting providers to weigh the inherent benefits of outdoor experiences alongside the risks being managed.

• Diversity, equity and inclusion: For the first time, a dedicated section addresses diversity, equity and inclusion for both participants and practitioners.

• Capability framework: The previous focus on “units of competence” is being reconsidered in favour of a Knowledge, Skill and Experience framework. This approach recognises that leadership capability is developed through a combination of formal learning, practical experience and contextual understanding.

From Uploads to STARS: the future of incident intelligence

The industry’s incident reporting and safety data system is also being reimagined. The STARS project, or Systems Thinking Accident and Risk System, is being developed to build on the important data collected through the Uploads platform over the past decade. Matthew Morrison provided members with an update on the expected timeline and future direction of the project.

The next stages include development of a digital, prospective risk-assessment platform, followed by future integration of risk assessment with incident reporting. Longer term, the project aims to support formal evaluation and broader deployment across the sector.

The direction is clear: the industry is moving from a largely retrospective repository of “what happened” toward a more proactive tool that can help inform risk management before a group enters the field.

Member information sharing continues to be a strength of these forums, with each member highlighting significant activities they are undertaking, as well as the challenges and opportunities they are seeing across their own jurisdictions and sectors. The success of one is the success of all, and these conversations continue to build the strength, alignment and voice of the outdoor industry in Australia.