2. Learning / Development

L&D is here to help you grow - through training, webinars, and resources built around what you and your team need. Here's what's coming up, plus a few wins worth celebrating from recent sessions.

AU/NZ: Mastering a shifting market – LIVE masterclass with Aaron Shiner

👓 1 minute read

In a more selective market, better conversations can make the difference between a campaign that progresses and one that stalls.

Join Aaron Shiner for a practical live masterclass on managing vendors, buyers, and negotiations as conditions change.

You will learn how to:

Maintain vendor confidence throughout the campaign
Communicate buyer feedback clearly and constructively
Use evidence to guide price alignment conversations
Encourage genuine offers without creating pressure
Respond when sellers hesitate over a strong offer
Protect campaign momentum as days on market increase

This session is designed to give you practical language and strategies you can use immediately.

Thursday 27 August 2026

12.00 pm – 1.00 pm AEST

For principals and sales agents

AU: New AML training now available

👓 2 minute read

New anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) training is now available to all members through First National’s Learning Hub.

The SMART Agent’s Guide to AML is designed for everyone in the network, regardless of their role or experience. It explains why the reforms matter, the warning signs to watch for, and how the requirements will apply in everyday real estate work.

The eLearning course is divided into three interactive micro-lessons:

Why AML Matters
What to Look For
AML in Practice

Members can complete the lessons individually, while offices that prefer to learn together can use the new group facilitation materials. These cover the same practical scenarios and activities, adapted for pairs or small groups. Worksheets and facilitation guides are included, giving principals and team leaders everything they need to run a structured office session.

The AML/CTF page also includes previous FirstAML webinars and the First National AML Q&A Handbook, bringing the network’s key learning resources into one place.

View the Q&A Handbook

Principals should now decide whether their team will complete the course individually or through a facilitated session, then set aside time for everyone to participate.

Access The SMART Agent’s Guide to AML or select the AML/CTF tile in the Learning Hub.

AU/NZ: NEVER email banking details

👓 2 minute read

Some agents are still sending banking details by email

A home buyer recently came close to transferring $1.2 million to criminals after a real estate agent’s email account was compromised.

The fraudulent instructions appeared credible because they came through a near-genuine email account and reflected the transaction already under way. The loss was prevented only because a bank employee questioned the urgency, checked the payment process, and found a small discrepancy in an email address.

That is far too close.

The real estate industry has been warned for more than a decade never to send bank or trust account details by email. Yet some agents are still doing it.

There is no defensible reason for this practice to continue.

Email accounts can be compromised, conversations monitored, and payment instructions altered without the agent or client realising. A message can appear in an existing email chain, carry the correct branding and signature, and refer to genuine details about the transaction.

When that happens, the consequences can be severe. A client may lose their deposit, settlement funds, or life savings. The agency may face legal costs, insurance complications, regulatory scrutiny, and lasting damage to its reputation. The harm also extends beyond one office. Customers see the First National name.

Our threat environment is already elevated. Artificial intelligence will make fraudulent emails, documents, voices, and identities faster to produce and more difficult to distinguish from genuine communication. Informal workarounds and a quick email to the client are no longer acceptable.

Every office must:

Stop sending bank and trust account details by email
Use the Secure Funds Transfer process on FN Central for every transaction
Treat any request to change payment details as a potential fraud attempt
Verify changes using a known telephone number obtained independently – never a number supplied in the request
Make sure every team member understands and follows the approved process

Principals should review the Secure Funds Transfer process on FN Central with their teams now. Do not wait for the next deposit or settlement.

This is a basic control against a known and serious risk. It must be followed every time.

AU: Up next!

👓 5 minute read

The sessions worth blocking out time for over the next few weeks:

National

What: Mastering a Shifting Market (AU/NZ)

When: 27/08/2026 | 12:00 - 13:00 (AEST)

The Shifting Market Playbook

Ten quick, practical lessons you can use straight away: vendor confidence, buyer feedback, evidence-led pricing, stalled negotiations, assessing offers, cautious buyers, encouraging offers without pressure, and keeping listings moving. 

Complete it before Aaron Shiner's live masterclass on 27 August ▸ Start

What: Commercial Accelerator Series: Breaches, Ending the Lease & Vacating Processes (AU)

When: 08/09/2026 | 14:00 - 15:30 (AEST)

What: Turn Activity Into Profitable Performance - For Principals (AU/NZ)

When: 03/09/2026 | 11:00 - 12:00 (AEST)

What: Turn Activity Into Profitable Performance - For Sales Agents (AU/NZ)

When: 09/09/2026 | 11:00 - 12:00 (AEST)

NSW

What: Principals and Property Management Think Tank | Armidale

When: 02/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: First National Armidale, 178 Beardy St , Armidale (NSW)

What: Property Management Think Tank | Parramatta

When: 22/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: Club Parramatta, 2 Macquarie St , Parramatta (NSW)

What: Property Management Think Tank | Mittagong

When: 23/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: Mittagong RSL Club, 148-150 Hume Hwy , Mittagong (NSW)

What: Property Management Think Tank | Newcastle

When: 23/09/2026 | 10:00 - 13:00 (AEST)

Where: Heritage Gardens Cafe, 9 Four Mile Creek Rd , Ashtonfield (NSW)

What: SA/NT Sales Training

When: 08/09/2026 | 09:30 - 15:00 (ACST)

Where: Arkaba Hotel, 150 Glen Osmond Road , Fullarton (SA)

VIC

What: Auctioneering Master Class

When: 20/08/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: REIV, 617 Victoria St , Abbotsford, VIC

What: Beginners Journey to Auctioneering

When: 02/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: First National Support Office, 89 Hoddle Street , Richmond, VIC

What: Property Management Think Tank | Sale

When: 16/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: Quest Sale, 180-184 York Street , Sale (VIC)

What: Property Management Think Tank | Williamstown

When: 17/09/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00 (AEST)

Where: Punthill Williamstown, 18 Ferguson Street , Williamstown (VIC)

Celebrating Wins · Watch On Demand

Celebrating our learning wins across the network. If you missed a session, they're all here to watch whenever suits you.

AI Accelerator Series — Stephen Toms (AU/NZ)

Built practical AI capability across four core roles: people and HR, finance, operations and property management, and marketing and listings.

232 registrations · 90 attendees · 4 sessions

▸ Watch On Demand: Watch

Level up your AI (AU/NZ)

ChatGPT for Real Estate Agents — Write listings, emails, and ads in minutes. → Start

The AI Toolkit: Beyond ChatGPT — The AI tools that do the heavy lifting. → Start

FirstAML Training — FirstAML (AU)

Built AML/CTF capability across the network ahead of the new obligations. 347 registrations · 262 attendees · 3 sessions

▸ Watch On Demand: Watch

▸ The SMART Agent's Guide to AML — Get AML-ready at your own pace, in three short lessons. → Start the Course

▸ First National AML Q&A Handbook — Real answers to the questions agents actually asked. → View the Handbook

HR Accelerator Series — HR Advice Online (AU/NZ)

Built HR capability for principals and office managers across the full employee lifecycle, from hiring to performance to exits. 138 registrations · 69 attendees · 4 sessions

▸ Watch On Demand: Watch

Beyond Compliance — Kasey Lawrence (VIC)

Built compliance capability in Victorian property teams to meet the 2026-27 rental reforms, with scripts and checklists they can use now. 122 registrations · 61 attendees · 3 sessions

▸ Watch On Demand: Watch

Learning Influencers

A Learning Influencer is a trusted peer who champions learning in their office - connecting colleagues to the right training at the right time, and bringing their office's voice back to L&D.

NOT A TRAINER / NO EXTRA ADMIN / NOT COMPLIANCE

What it looks like in practice:

Champion learning in your office
Be the local MYFN go-to
Be the first to spread the word
Tell us what's working and what's not
Just one webinar a quarter to stay in the loop

Could this be you?

Nominate someone, or put your hand up.

gustavo.choukri@firstnational.com.au

Future’s Club

👓 1 minute read

First National’s leadership program is up and running. Here's where each cohort is at.

Year 1 - our first cohort is underway, working through the Diploma of Property, unit by unit.

CPPREP5001 — Manage compliance in the property industry - Complete

CPPREP5003 — Manage ethical practice in the property industry - Complete

CPPREP5002 — Establish and monitor property industry trust account management practices – Complete

CPPREP5004 – Manage a safe workplace in the property industry & CPPREP5005 – Manage teams in the property industry - Coming Up: September 10

Year 2 – Mentoring underway. Mentor and mentee introductions are complete, and our participants are into their Quarter 1 projects. Each is tackling a real challenge in their own business, guided by a mentor through regular check-ins across the quarter. It's hands-on, practical, and built around the work they actually do. More to share as their first projects take shape.