This edition includes wine, food a personal invitation, some AI and a full roundup of activity for October. First things first. An important announcement.
From January 2026, Big Picture Training will be delivering all our public programs independently of the Australasian Housing Institute (AHI).
It’s a big step and reflects how much we’ve grown. Going independent means more flexibility to design new, more cost-effective learning, expand our Big Picture Academy, and work directly with housing providers, peak bodies and partners across Australia.
What does it mean for you? All our public training is now listed on our website, making it easy to explore upcoming programs and book directly with us. Our public training program for 2026 goes live on Wednesday but because we value you, we’ve attached the schedule. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please ask. We’d love to help.
Our purpose remains the same. To help the housing sector build capability to deliver outstanding customer experiences and stronger communities.
We have a limited number of upcoming Australian public training courses between now and the end of the year. Take a look below to see what’s available and find the sessions that best fit you and your team.
Crafting Your AI Strategy
📅 Date: 2nd December
AI is already transforming the way social housing organisations operate, from streamlining processes to enhancing customer service and decision-making.
However, without a clear AI strategy, organisations risk data privacy issues, biased decision-making, and ethical concerns.
This interactive workshop will help professionals develop a structured approach to AI, ensuring its use aligns with legal, ethical, and operational best practices.
Introduction to Community Housing Regulations
📅 Date: 5th November
This workshop is designed to help you understand the regulations that govern community housing across Australia, including the National Regulatory System for Community Housing (NRSCH), which applies in most states and territories, as well as the separate state-based systems in Victoria and Western Australia.
Understanding Tenant Welfare Checks
📅 Date: 11th November – 10th December
As social housing providers, we work with a vulnerable client group with limited support and community connections. We have a moral obligation and a duty of care to act when we are concerned about a tenant’s welfare.
Tenants may be vulnerable or at risk due to factors within the home as well as external events, as demonstrated by the recent Pandemic, extreme weather events or disasters including bushfires.
This workshop provides staff with an understanding of the requirements to perform welfare checks, how to identify when they are required and best practice tools to perform them.
Tenancy Management in Community Housing
📅 Date: 6th November
Applicable to both the Australian and New Zealand community housing sector.
Perfect for new staff or as refresher for existing staff, the program covers practical skills, industry legislation specific to each location and best practice which is essential to providing excellence in tenancy management services.
The comprehensive 7 module training program runs over 5 weeks, delivered by experienced facilitators with hands on operational experience, making the content relatable with case studies and scenarios. Our training takes a harm centred approach to sustain tenancies, with a strong focus on customer service.
October News
What October Bought for Big Picture Training.
We started the month by putting the final preparations together for the #NHC2025 in Perth and my goodness it did not fail to ignite and inspire us.
We had the pleasure of attending the Australasian Housing Institute Brighter Future Awards, where our CEO, Jo Leckie 🌟 (Assoc CIPD, Cert CIH) was proud to present the Inspirational Team Member Award, sponsored by Big Picture Training.
🏆 Congratulations to Stephanie Holmes from Link Wentworth, a truly deserving winner whose passion and commitment are making a real difference in the lives of residents and communities.
We’re honoured to support an event that celebrates the incredible people driving positive change across the housing sector. 💜
A Huge Thank You to Everyone Who Took Part in Our “Win the Wine” Competition! 🍷
We were thrilled to have so many passionate people from the community housing sector join in the fun and excitement of our recent “Win the Wine” competition at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) conference.
Congratulations to Annie Socorro from Foundation Housing Ltd, who was our lucky winner! Annie won two bottles of exquisite Western Australian wine to enjoy and celebrate with. Cheers to you! 🍾🍇
It was fantastic to connect with so many inspiring professionals dedicated to making a difference in community housing. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by, shared a smile, and entered the draw.
Let’s keep the momentum going and continue working together to #makeadifference in the sector!
We Launched The Big Picture Training Academy
The Big Picture Training Academy is Australia’s first and only holistic learning platform for the Australian community housing sector.
We’ve taken workforce development plans from across the states and transformed them into clear, practical learning pathways for every job type, from frontline roles to specialist and leadership positions. Including technical, behavioural and compliance.
The Academy gives your teams the tools to automatically create their own personalised L&D plans, recognising prior learning and automatically suggesting pathways that align with their career goals. No collating spreadsheets!
It’s a complete learning management solution. Sector-specific, CPD-aligned, and available at a fraction of the cost of traditional training. There’s nothing else quite like it. Purpose-built for housing. Designed for capability. Driven by the Big Picture to #makeadifference. 💜
✉️You’re Personally Invited: Free Lunch and Learn!
11th December.
Grab your lunch and join us for an interactive roundtable where we’ll lift the lid on the Big Picture Academy, the only comprehensive learning and development platform built for the community and social housing sector across Australia.
We’ll show you how it will save you money, automatically create personal learning plans for your teams, track capability, and develop tailored, role specific learning pathways that actually make a difference on the ground.
Plus, lunch is on us! Everyone who registers and attends will receive a $15 voucher to cover their lunch.
Secure your spot today, sign up HERE and discover how the Academy can build capability and save you time and money, all while enjoying lunch with us!
We’re Excited to Announce Our Upcoming Attendance at the Australian Community Housing Conference!
From 24-26 November 2025, our team will be travelling to Canberra for the leading event of the year for the affordable housing sector, the Australian Community Housing Conference. As ever, we look forward to connecting with fellow sector professionals, learning from global thought leaders, and sharing innovative ideas for driving positive change in our communities.
Big Picture Training is delighted to sponsor the Excellence in Customer Service and Business Support Award (Individual Award with Scholarship). This important award recognises an individual who has consistently delivered outstanding customer service and business support, someone who goes above and beyond, raising the bar for professionalism, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction. Their efforts directly influence organisational performance, culture, and the customer experience.
We can’t wait to engage with peers, celebrate excellence through the National Awards at Australian Parliament House, and be inspired by the remarkable impact made throughout the sector. Stay tuned for news from Canberra, there’s so much to look forward to!
Doing More With Less 💰
Improving customer experience begins with investing in people. While training can seem like an easy area to cut when budgets are tight, the long-term cost of missed learning opportunities is far greater.
In our latest blog, CEO Jo shares practical ways to stretch your training budget without reducing quality or impact. From reusing existing materials and blending online learning to collaborating with sector partners for shared success, Jo discusses it all HERE.
Our Time With Mission Housing
We recently partnered with Mission Australia Housing to design a suite of resources that support new and existing leaders to step into their roles with confidence – including a Role Guide, Onboarding Guide, and a Manager Toolkit.
The toolkit included a Leader Capability Insights Assessment and Report, combining self and leader skills assessments to identify strengths, growth opportunities, and any misalignments between team members and their leaders. This creates powerful conversations, more meaningful coaching, and targeted development pathways that drive genuine growth.
Each resource was designed to be interactive, practical, and easy to access, helping leaders connect learning to their day-to-day work and build capability in real time.
Sector News
Reforms to Victoria’s Residential Tenancies Act 1997 come into effect from 25 November 2025 (or earlier if proclaimed).
These changes will strengthen renter protections and place new obligations on rental providers, from ending ‘no reason’ evictions to introducing mandatory annual smoke alarm checks and minimum rental standards.
To help you get up to speed, here are the key changes at a glance.
For more training and support on understanding or embedding these reforms, contact us at info@bigpicturetraining.com
Consultancy
Big Picture Training doesn’t just deliver outstanding workshops and programs, we partner with organisations as an expert consultancy. By offering tailored and flexible solutions, we help optimise your training approach and drive excellence in the services you provide. Our bespoke support ensures your teams are equipped with the practical tools and expertise they need to make a measurable impact, all while enhancing your organisation’s capacity to serve at the highest level.
For more information email us at info@bigpicturetraining.com
With exciting events and projects on the horizon, we’re looking forward to what we can achieve together. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and ways to get involved.
Until next time,
Big Picture Training Team