Wikimedia Australia April 2026 Update
This month’s news and happenings include special announcements, inspirational projects and new events.
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News
WikiCon Canberra 2026: Bringing the Community together
WikiCon Canberra 2026 was a success, with the Wikimedia Australia community coming together at the National Film and Sound Archive for a weekend of sessions ranging from technical topics like AI and Wikidata to broader discussions on policy and culture.
The ICIP/IDSov draft guide session was a standout, and the slightly longer format gave people more room for the in-person connection they'd been craving — with Canberra and Melbourne folks already organising local meetups off the back of it.
A Trans-Tasman partnership for #1Lib1Ref
This year, Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand is teaming up with Wikimedia Australia to run a joint #1Lib1Ref campaign from 15 May to 1 June. Librarians and information professionals are the perfect people to call on — every reference added strengthens Wikipedia for everyone who uses it.
Read about the partnership on Diff
Coordinate Me 2026: Put Australian places on the map
Coordinate Me 2026 runs from 1 to 31 May, and Australia is one of the focus countries for this international Wikidata competition. The goal is to improve Wikidata items — anything from caves, watercourses and heritage buildings to hospitals and tourist attractions — by adding or correcting their coordinate location.
It's one of the more accessible edits you can make on Wikidata, and online workshops are running throughout May in multiple languages.
Copyright Amendment Act 2026
Wikimedia Australia welcomes the passage of the Copyright Amendment Act 2026. Australia has taken a significant step forward with its world-leading orphan works scheme. The orphan works scheme came into effect on 2 April 2026.
View the Minister’s release.
Lest we forget: military history on Wikimedia platforms
Wikimedia's family of platforms holds one of the largest freely accessible collections of Australian military history anywhere on the web. Here's a guide to what's there and how to find it.
Online tools powered by Wikis
Wikipedia Microtask Generator - A tool that finds article quality gaps and suggests editor tasks. Useful for edit-a-thons or for finding inspiration!
LonelyWiki - A daily post of an obscure but well-written Wikipedia article (1–1,999 views/year).
Upcoming events
Events happening online and around Australia in the next few weeks.
- Wikimedia Hackathon 2026 — Friday 1 May 2026
Meet the Wikimedia technical community in person, learn about the technologies and projects that power Wikipedia and thousands of other MediaWiki based websites, and propose or join a demo-able project to hack on during the event. - Wellington WikiCon 2026 — Saturday 2 May 2026
Organised by Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand (WANZ), this conference brings together Wikimedians from across New Zealand. - Introduction to Wikipedia - May 2026 — Wednesday 6 May 2026
Learn how Wikipedia content is created - ESEAP Conference 2026 — Friday 15 May 2026
ESEAP Conference 2026 will be the 4th regional conference for Wikimedia communities throughout the ESEAP region. - Intro to Wiki Referencing - 1Lib1Ref — Thursday 21 May 2026
New to Wiki editing or need a refresher? We are hosting a free online workshop to walk you through how to add citations to Wikipedia. - Cite Right: drop-in Wikipedia editing workshops — Friday 22 May 2026
Join us for some hands-on LIVE editing of Wikipedia. - Wikipedia Melbourne meetup — Sunday 24 May 2026
Upcoming meetup in Melbourne! - Drop in and Wikidata - May 2026 — Friday 29 May 2026
Join our monthly Wikidata drop in! - Cite Right: drop-in Wikipedia editing workshop — Friday 29 May 2026
No description - WikiCanberra Meetup — Saturday 30 May 2026
a regular meetup for the Canberran Wikimedian community
Other things from around the web
- Wikimedia and Indonesia reach compromise after threat to block Wikipedia - Malay Mail
- GLAM & Wikimedia in Q1 2026: A World of Culture in Motion - Diff
- Improving science communication and organization visibility through Wikipedia: A case study of the American Association for Anatomy - American Association of Anatomy
- A room of one’s own on Wikipedia: The editors who have been doing justice to women on the internet for over a decade - El Pais
- Introducing the Wikimedia Foundation’s draft FY 2026-2027 Annual Plan - Diff
Images
- 📷 Photo of Kimba - Halfway Across Australia sign by Chuq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- 📷 Photographs by Gnangarra...commons.wikimedia.org, CC BY 2.5 AU, via Wikimedia Commons