Our History

The Establishment

The establishment of Housing Queensland is a direct result of the advocacy by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers and community leaders who have called for a First Nations peak housing body in Queensland since 2005.

The need for a single voice for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing providers in Queensland led to the establishment of Housing Queensland in January 2021 and the formal registration of the company with Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on 13 May 2021.

The founders of Housing Queensland included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers (ICHOs) and community leaders from across Queensland. They wanted to create a leadership organisation that could leverage the expertise of members and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing experts to continually improve housing and accommodation support services in Queensland. The following is a short summary of our establishment.

2005

Since 2005, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers and community leaders advocated for a peak representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing in Queensland to speak with a single voice on behalf of the Sector. Our organisation is a direct result of their vision, advocacy and determination. Between 2005 and 2015, no Queensland Government (ALP or LNP Coalition) was interested in investing in a Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing peak body.

In January 2010, a Queensland workshop for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers was organised by the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Human Services (QATSIHS) Coalition (who were part of the Queensland Council of Social Service). The workshop was sponsored by QShelter and the South East Queensland Regional Indigenous Housing Organisations (SEQRIHO).

At this Queensland workshop, a Working Group (WG) was formed to advocate on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing provider issues and to lead sector reforms. The WG was responsible for progressing the outcomes of this workshop and had a broad role to:

  • Advocate on issues important to strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers and improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
  • Design and implement sector reform and capacity building initiatives.
  • Develop structures, networks and bodies to maximise the effectiveness of advocacy, lobbying and sector reform.
  • Influence the development and philosophies of federal and state government policies, services and programs.
  • Promote the work of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers in Queensland.
  • Encourage and facilitate cooperation and collaboration between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers in Queensland.
  • Prepare and present submissions to federal and state government on behalf of members and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers in Queensland.

In 2010, the WG established the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Council (QATSIHC).

2011

QATSIHC didn’t progress past 2011 due to an inability to secure any operational funding to employ staff to develop and implement the vision of this new organisation.

2016

In 2016, the Queensland Government which was led by the Queensland Premier, The Hon. Annastacia Palaszczuk (and supported by the former Queensland Minister for Housing and Public Works, The Hon. Leeanne Enoch) examined the peak body’s role and realised that it could play an important role in strengthening Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community housing providers and greater housing outcomes.

In September 2016, the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works organised and held their first Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Housing Provider Forum at 80 George Street, Brisbane. At this forum, the Queensland Government announced their intent to provide seed funding to establish a Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing peak body.

2019

In March 2019, the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works held their second Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Housing Provider Forum in Brisbane at the Stamford Plaza Hotel. During this gathering, attendees selected a Housing Working Group (HWG) from their peers to oversee the establishment and registration of Housing Queensland. The HWG included Mary Doctor (Brisbane), Angie Akee (Townsville), Gary White (Dalby), Michelle Hooke (Bowen), Glenis Grogan (Kuranda), Charles Martin (Thursday Island), and Virginia Mayo (Mt Isa).

2020

In August 2020, the Queensland Department of Communities, Housing and the Digital Economy (formally known as the Queensland Department of Housing and Public Works) tendered for a Queensland contractor to auspice funding to establish the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing peak body. Several submissions were received by the Queensland Government. Umpi Korumba (Umpi Korumba) Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Corporation for Housing (from Brisbane) was successful and awarded the contract.

In December 2020, Neil Willmett was recruited by Umpi Korumba and the HWG to be the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of Housing Queensland and to establish the organisation.

The long-awaited Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander housing peak body (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Queensland), was established in January 2021.

In February 2021, the HWG determined that the name of the new organisation would be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Queensland.