Mercurius at the 2025 GLaM Conference: Highlighting Safety and Compliance in Art Materials

As autumn settled over Canberra, bringing cooler weather yet gloriously sunny days, Simon and Annette from Mercurius Australia made their way to the beautiful Orana Steiner School for the 2025 Governance, Leadership and Management (GLaM) Conference. Nestled among nature, with local rabbits and kangaroos making frequent appearances across the grounds, the venue provided the perfect setting for meaningful connections and conversations.

Engaging with the Steiner Education Community

The annual GLaM Conference, organised by Steiner Education Australia, brings together individuals representing governance, leadership, and administration in Steiner schools nationwide. This gathering creates a valuable opportunity for us at Mercurius to connect directly with school representatives and understand their evolving needs and challenges.

At this year's event, we engaged with participants across all three days of the conference. What makes a conference particularly valuable is the quality of conversations we are able to have. Not just quick exchanges – we are able to dive deep into the specific needs and questions that schools are currently navigating.

Our Focus: Safety and Compliance in Art Materials

Each year, we bring a focus based on current conversations and questions living between Mercurius and schools. For 2025, we highlighted an increasingly important area of concern: Safety and Compliance in Art Materials.

With increasing attention on the materials used in classrooms, many schools are seeking clarity on how to ensure their art supplies meet Australian safety standards while remaining true to Steiner educational principles. Our presentation introduced the narrative around this topic. An introduction to this topic can be found on the resource we have developed on our website: Safety and Compliance in Art Materials

We found genuine appreciation for our guidance on navigating these requirements while still maintaining the quality and character of materials that support Steiner pedagogy.

Conversations That Nourish Future Work

The conference provided fertile ground for discussions that will shape our work in the coming months. Questions around product documentation, safety data sheets, and strategies for communicating with parents about material choices were particularly prevalent.

Many participants expressed relief and appreciation at working with a supplier who understands both regulatory requirements and the specific values and needs of Steiner education. These conversations have given us valuable insights that will nourish our next steps and initiatives.

Looking Forward

As we reflect on our time at the GLaM Conference, we are grateful for the connections made and the deepening of our understanding of the current landscape in Steiner education administration. The feedback and questions we received will directly inform how we continue to develop our resources and support for schools.

We extend our thanks to Steiner Education Australia for organising another successful conference, to Orana Steiner School for hosting, and to all the participants who took the time to share their experiences and challenges with us.

If you attended the conference and have follow-up questions, or if you'd like to learn more about safety and compliance in art materials, please don't hesitate to reach out to our team.