8.00am - 8.25am

Arrival and Registration

 

8.30am - 8.45am

Welcome and Introductions

Lynn Gabriel - Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance 

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8.45am - 9. 15am 

Queensland Social Housing Policy 2026: What Changes for Community Housing Providers?
Michael Jones
Executive Director, Program Management (Housing and Homelessness Services)

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Queensland's Social Housing Policy 2026, effective from 14 September 2026, introduces a consolidated policy framework for funded Community Housing Providers (CHPs), bringing 11 key policy areas under a consistent approach to social housing delivery, management and accountability.

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With a transition period of up to 12 months, the reforms introduce important operational considerations for CHPs, including housing eligibility and allocations, tenancy and rent management, asset management, funding obligations, performance requirements and reporting.

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This presentation will provide an overview of the new policy framework, outlining the key changes, implementation requirements and implications for Community Housing Providers delivering funded social housing services across Queensland.

The session will also consider how the reforms aim to strengthen consistency, transparency and accountability across the community housing sector, and what providers need to understand as they transition to the new requirements.

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9.15am - 9.45am 

Housing & Head Leasing: Governance, Legal Responsibility & Risk in Queensland's Changing Housing System

David Moody 

Management Governance Australia 

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Queensland's proposed redesign of housing and homelessness services identifies Housing and Head Leasing as one of five future program streams, providing housing through head-leasing arrangements.

Head leasing can provide an important mechanism for increasing access to housing without waiting for new housing supply to be constructed. It can enable government, Community Housing Providers and other organisations to secure properties from the private market and make them available to people who may otherwise struggle to access suitable housing.

However, bringing a property into the housing system through a head lease also creates important questions about governance, legal responsibility, tenancy management and risk.

Who holds the lease and who is legally responsible for the tenant?

What obligations sit with the property owner, the head lessee and the housing provider? Who carries the financial risk if a property is vacant, damaged or no longer suitable? How should tenancy, property management and support functions be separated? And;

What happens when the person being housed has complex support needs or their circumstances change?

These questions are increasingly important as Queensland seeks to expand housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness and housing vulnerability while also strengthening governance, tenancy management and the role of the community housing sector.

This session will examine the governance and legal framework surrounding housing and head-leasing arrangements in Queensland, including:
•    the respective responsibilities of property owners, head lessees, housing providers and tenants;
•    tenancy and sub-tenancy arrangements and the application of Queensland residential tenancy legislation;
•    governance, regulatory compliance and accountability for Community Housing Providers;
•    contractual responsibilities and how risk is allocated between parties;
•    property standards, maintenance, damage, insurance and liability;
•    privacy, information sharing and decision-making where tenants have complex or vulnerable needs;
•    managing tenancy risk while maintaining appropriate protections for vulnerable tenants;
•    the relationship between housing provision and separately delivered support services; and
•    what good governance should look like as head leasing becomes part of Queensland's changing housing and homelessness program structure.

The discussion will consider how Queensland can use head leasing to increase housing supply while ensuring that responsibility, accountability and risk are clearly understood by every party involved.

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9.45am - 10.15am 

Panel and Q & A 

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10.15am - 10.30am

Morning tea

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10.30am - 10.45am

Faster Housing Delivery: Modular Construction and New Models for Impact Housing

Rick Westerman

Westbuilt

Queensland’s housing challenge is driving greater interest in modular construction and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) as governments, housing organisations and the private sector look for ways to deliver quality housing with greater speed, certainty and scalability.

Westbuilt Homes brings more than 30 years of modular construction experience, delivering residential, government and commercial projects across Queensland, including regional and remote communities.

Its volumetric modular approach combines off-site manufacturing with integrated design, engineering, site preparation, transport and installation.

This session will explore how modular construction can contribute to the next generation of Impact Housing — from social and affordable housing and government accommodation through to regional and workforce housing, accessible housing and other specialist or community housing models.

Drawing on practical project experience, including Westbuilt’s delivery of 13 modular homes for QBuild to accommodate essential government workers, the discussion will examine what it takes to move modular housing from concept to delivery at scale.

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10.45am - 11.15am 

​The Current State of SDA in Queensland: Demand, Development & the Changing Compliance Landscape

Jeremy Soden

Forward Access
Queensland’s Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) market continues to evolve, creating important considerations for developers, investors, housing providers and the wider disability housing sector.

This session will examine the current state of SDA in Queensland, drawing on available market data to explore where demand is emerging, the distribution and mix of existing SDA, and the different building typologies being delivered across the state.

Jeremy Soden, SDA Assessor at Forward Access, will also examine an increasingly important issue for Queensland’s existing SDA stock: the re-enrolment and compliance requirements affecting dwellings approved and enrolled prior to 1 July 2021.

 

The session will consider what this means in practice for existing properties and the potential implications for owners, providers and investors.

The presentation will provide a practical perspective on:
•    current SDA supply and demand across Queensland;
•    where potential gaps may exist between participant demand and housing supply;
•    SDA building types and design categories;
•    considerations when developing or investing in new SDA;
•    the re-enrolment of pre-1 July 2021 SDA and current compliance considerations; and
•    what Queensland’s changing SDA landscape may mean for future housing development and investment

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11.15am - 11.45am 

Designing for Mental Health: What should  Supported Housing actually look like?​

Bill Katsabis 

CBG Architects

Housing for people with psychosocial disability and complex mental health needs requires more than durability, compliance and a roof over someone's head.

The design of the home itself can influence privacy, independence, sensory comfort, safety, social connection and a person's ability to remain successfully housed.

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For some NDIS participants, Robust SDA may be appropriate, requiring resilient materials, durable fixtures, acoustic consideration and layouts that support the safety of residents and support workers. But good robust design should still look and feel like a home—not an institutional or custodial environment.

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Mental-health accommodation also extends well beyond SDA. Supported housing may include individual homes, self-contained units, clustered accommodation and other models combined with individually tailored mental health, psychosocial and community supports.

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This session explores what good housing design for mental health and psychosocial disability should actually look like—from the dwelling itself through to the surrounding environment.

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It will consider trauma-informed and person-centred design; natural light and connection to outdoor space; acoustics and sensory environments; privacy and personal retreat; communal versus individual spaces; safety without institutionalisation; resilient and inconspicuous materials; neighbourhood and community connection; and designing homes around the individual rather than expecting the individual to adapt to the building.

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Key discussion:
How do we design housing that is robust enough to manage risk and complex needs, while remaining a place that provides dignity, autonomy, recovery, belonging and—most importantly—a genuine sense of home?

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11.45am - 12.15pm 

Building Integrated Disability & Mental Health Housing Pathways across Queensland

David Moody 

Management Governance Australia
Queensland's evolving approach is increasingly focused on multiple housing pathways and greater housing choice, including private rental, public and community housing, SDA, supportive housing and other living arrangements.

This session will examine how these different housing options can connect with the supports people need, particularly when responsibility crosses the housing, health, mental health, disability and community-service systems.

The discussion will consider where SDA fits — and where it does not; how people can identify appropriate housing alternatives; how housing and support can remain appropriately separated while still being effectively coordinated; and the respective roles of Housing, Queensland Health, the NDIS, Community Housing Providers, mental-health services and disability organisations.
 

Particular attention will be given to people transitioning from hospital, mental-health services, homelessness, corrections or unstable accommodation, where securing a property is only one part of achieving a sustainable transition.

Ultimately, the session will ask: how can Queensland create housing pathways that provide people with disability and complex mental-health needs with greater choice, appropriate support and a sustainable place to call home?

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12.15pm - 12.30pm 

Panel and Q & A  

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12.30pm - 1.00pm

Depart and close