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2026 Queensland
Impact Housing Strategic Alliance Summit 
Wed 21 October 2026

Building the Housing — and the Pathways

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In response to strong interest, the program has been streamlined into a focused, high-impact half-day event.

 

Hotel Grand Chancellor 

23 Leichardt St, Spring Hill, Brisbane 

​​Time : 8.30am -1.00pm 

Cost : $265pp

Includes Coffee and Tea on arrival, Morning tea 

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Table of 8 Available - discounts apply​​​

You can also choose to join the NDISDA Hospital to Home Summit on

20th October 2026 at the same venue 

Summit overview 

Queensland’s housing landscape is changing rapidly.

New social housing policy, changing housing and homelessness programs, new approaches to housing delivery, growing demand for specialist and supported accommodation, and increasing pressure to create sustainable housing pathways for people with complex needs are reshaping how government, housing providers, developers, investors, health, disability and community services work together.

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The 2026 Queensland Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance Summit brings these sectors together for a focused half-day strategic forum examining the policies, housing models, development opportunities and cross-sector partnerships shaping Queensland’s next generation of social, community, disability and supported housing.

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Rather than looking at housing through a single sector or funding program, the Summit considers the whole housing pathway — from investment, development and construction through to access, tenancy, specialist accommodation, support and long-term housing sustainability.

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From Housing Targets to Homes

Queensland has committed to the delivery of 53,500 social and community homes by 2044, creating a significant long-term pipeline for Community Housing Providers, developers, builders, landowners, government and investment partners.

The challenge is turning that ambition into development-ready housing.

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The Summit will examine the practical components of delivering that pipeline — including land, project feasibility, funding and investment, planning, construction capacity, partnerships and long-term operating models.

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Delegates will also hear about Queensland’s Social Housing Policy 2026 and what the changing framework means for Community Housing Providers, including eligibility, allocations, tenancy management, assets, funding, performance and reporting.

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Housing & Head Leasing

As Queensland explores new approaches to housing and homelessness services, Housing and Head Leasing has the potential to expand access to housing without waiting for new supply to be constructed.

But it also raises important questions.

Who holds responsibility for the property and tenancy? How should risk be allocated? What happens when the person being housed has complex needs? Where should housing provision end and separately delivered support services begin?

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The Summit will examine the governance, legal responsibility, tenancy, compliance and risk considerations surrounding head-leasing arrangements and what good governance should look like as these models develop.

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Faster & More Diverse Housing Delivery

With pressure increasing on traditional housing delivery, the Summit will also examine modular construction and Modern Methods of Construction and their potential application across social and affordable housing, regional and workforce accommodation, accessible housing, government accommodation and other specialist and community housing models.

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The discussion moves beyond concepts to consider what is required to take alternative construction models from project idea to delivery at scale.

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The Changing SDA Market

Specialist Disability Accommodation remains an important part of Queensland’s disability housing landscape — but it is only one part.

The Summit will examine the current state of SDA in Queensland, including supply and demand, development considerations, building types and design categories, potential market gaps and the changing compliance landscape affecting existing SDA.

Particular attention will be given to the re-enrolment and compliance considerations affecting SDA approved and enrolled prior to 1 July 2021.

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What should Housing for Mental Health Actually look like?

Housing for people experiencing psychosocial disability or complex mental-health needs requires more than simply providing accommodation.

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

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The Summit will explore what good supported housing design should actually look like — including trauma-informed and person-centred design, privacy, acoustics, natural light, outdoor connection, resilient materials, communal and private spaces, safety without institutionalisation and creating homes that provide dignity and a genuine sense of belonging.

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Building Integrated Housing Pathways

Perhaps the most important question is what happens when a person’s needs cross several systems at once.

For people transitioning from hospital, mental-health services, homelessness, corrections, unstable accommodation or disability services, securing a property is only one part of achieving a sustainable housing outcome.

Queensland needs multiple housing pathways.

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These may include private rental, public and community housing, SDA, supported housing and other living arrangements — connected appropriately with health, mental health, disability and community supports.

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The Summit will bring these conversations together and ask:

How can Queensland create housing pathways that provide people with complex housing and support needs with greater choice, appropriate support and a sustainable place to call home?

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Key Areas of Discussion

  • Queensland’s 53,500 social and community homes by 2044 — moving from target to development pipeline

  • Queensland Social Housing Policy 2026 and implications for Community Housing Providers

  • Housing and Head Leasing — governance, legal responsibility, tenancy and risk

  • Modular construction and Modern Methods of Construction

  • The current state of Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) in Queensland

  • SDA development, investment, re-enrolment and compliance considerations

  • Designing housing for mental health and psychosocial disability

  • Supported and specialist housing models beyond SDA

  • Connecting housing with health, mental health, disability and community supports

  • Housing pathways for people leaving hospital, homelessness, mental-health services and corrections

  • Cross-sector partnerships between government, CHPs, developers, builders, investors, health, disability and community services

  • Creating housing that is not simply available — but appropriate, sustainable and capable of supporting long-term outcomes

 

Who should attend?

The Summit is designed for senior leaders, decision-makers and professionals working across the housing ecosystem, including:

  • Community Housing Providers and social housing organisations

  • Housing developers, builders and modular housing providers

  • Property owners, landowners and development partners

  • Housing investment, finance and funding organisations

  • Queensland and local government representatives

  • Housing and homelessness services

  • NDIS and Specialist Disability Accommodation providers

  • SDA developers, investors and assessors

  • Supported accommodation and disability housing providers

  • Mental-health and psychosocial support organisations

  • Health and hospital representatives

  • Community and human-services organisations

  • Homelessness and transitional housing services

  • Youth, women’s and domestic and family violence housing organisations

  • Justice, corrections and reintegration services

  • Architects, planners, designers and access consultants

  • Legal, governance, risk and compliance professionals

  • Researchers, universities and policy specialists

  • Organisations interested in developing, funding or partnering on social, affordable, community, disability and supported housing projects

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Why Attend?

Housing challenges cannot be solved by the housing sector working alone.

The people most difficult to house frequently sit at the intersection of multiple systems — housing, health, mental health, disability, justice and community services.

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At the same time, Queensland needs more housing supply, more diverse housing models, stronger development partnerships and clearer pathways between government, Community Housing Providers and private-sector delivery partners.

This Summit creates a focused environment for those different parts of the system to come together.

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In one concentrated half-day program, delegates can hear about major policy and market developments, examine emerging housing and development models, understand changing governance and compliance considerations, and build relationships with organisations involved across the housing pathway.

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This is not simply a housing conference.

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It is a strategic forum about how Queensland funds, develops, delivers and connects housing for people and communities whose needs do not fit neatly within a single system.

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Join the Conversation

If your organisation develops housing, funds housing, manages housing, provides support, works with people trying to access housing, or has a role in creating better housing pathways across Queensland, this is a conversation you should be part of.

Limited places available. Register to join the 2026 Queensland Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance Summit.

Speakers 

More speakers are currently being added.  Please check back with us soon 

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Dr Ellenah Mackie

General Manager of the Sector Services Department of Housing and Public Works

Ellenah is an accomplished executive leader recognised for advancing social and economic outcomes through reform, innovation and strategic leadership.

 

With extensive senior leadership experience across government, she has led major projects and earned a strong reputation for shaping policy and driving reform in complex systems.

Ellenah holds qualifications in behavioural science, arts and education, a Master of Business and a PhD in social and economic policy

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David Moody 

Management Governance Australia 

David brings over 30 years of experience across the private, public, and not for profit sectors, with deep expertise in disability reform, housing, workforce, and system change.

David is an executive with the MGA Group—an alliance of purpose driven organisations comprising Management Governance Australia (MGA) Pty Ltd, Workforce Plus Inc (a registered NDIS provider), and the Australian Renewables Academy (ARA).
 
Previously, David was CEO and Victorian State Manager of National Disability Services. Prior to that, he led the central Victorian Government team that coordinated Victoria’s contribution to the design and implementation of the NDIS.
 
Through these roles, he developed a detailed understanding of the Scheme and the lived challenges faced by people with disability, families and supporters.

Earlier in his career, David worked as a lawyer and as a senior executive in the Victorian Public Service.
 

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Bill Katsabis 

Director

CBG Architects 

From completing work experience at CBG Architects as part of his secondary schooling, to earning the role of Managing Director in 2016, Bill has over 30 year’s experience within the architecture industry.

 Today, he oversees the team through the entire project procurement and delivery process. The CBG team consists of a talented group of Architects, draftspersons, interior designers, and support staff with a wide variety of projects.
Since 2018, Bill and the team at CBG have familiarised and educated themselves with the requirements of SDA.
 
It has been a steep and challenging learning curve, but one that has been embraced as a positive step.

Being able to play a small role in providing those within the NDIS with a greater choice of lifestyle and accommodation, a better and more integrated approach to their daily lives, and a better acceptance within our community harmonises comfortably with CBG’s values of designing a positive outcome for the user and their requirements.  

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Jeremy Soden 

Director

Forward Access 

Jeremy has focused on removing barriers within the built environment and supporting more inclusive housing and infrastructure.
He has been involved in more than 900 SDA projects of varying scale and complexity and is also a Livable Housing Assessor and Changing Places Assessor, with experience approving social housing and undertaking accessibility assessments, building audits and general access consultancy.


Jeremy founded Forward Access in 2021, following previous roles as a Building Certifier with Professional Certification Group in Queensland and as a Building Surveyor with the London Borough of Camden in the UK.

 

He holds qualifications in Access Consulting, Urban Development and Building Surveying and is a member of the Association of Consultants in Access Australia (ACAA).

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Rick Westerman 

Chief Development Officer

Westbuilt 

Rick Westerman is Chief Development Officer at Westbuilt Homes, a Queensland-based modular housing company specialising in the delivery of modular and custom-built housing solutions. His work focuses on housing development, modern methods of construction and the role modular delivery can play in providing greater certainty around cost, construction time and quality. LinkedIn
Rick is actively engaged with developers, government, local councils, architects and industry stakeholders, with a particular interest in addressing housing supply challenges across regional and remote Queensland. He has represented Westbuilt in industry discussions on modular construction, housing innovation and development, including Urbanity 2026 and the Western Queensland Alliance of Councils Assembly.
Through his role, Rick brings a practical development and delivery perspective to discussions about how off-site and modular construction can help accelerate housing projects, particularly where conventional construction faces challenges relating to location, workforce availability, cost and delivery timeframes.

Theme and program 

Abstract space is open. Sponsorship space is open 

Silver Sponsor 

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Summit theme and Topics 

8.00am - 8.25am

Arrival and Registration

 

8.30am - 8.45am

Welcome and Introductions

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8.45am - 9.15am​

53,500 Homes by 2044: From Housing Target to Development Pipeline

​Queensland has committed to delivering 53,500 social and community homes by 2044, creating a significant long-term pipeline for government, Community Housing Providers, developers, builders, landowners and investment partners.

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The challenge now is translating housing targets and government investment into development-ready projects that can be financed, approved, constructed and operated at scale.

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This session will examine how Queensland's social and community housing pipeline can be delivered, including the role of Social and Affordable Housing Growth and the Queensland Community Housing Investment Pipeline (Q-CHIP) and the opportunities for government, Community Housing Providers and the private sector to work together.

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Discussion will move from the housing target to the practical components of delivery: identifying suitable land, demonstrating housing need, establishing project feasibility, securing finance and investment, navigating planning and infrastructure requirements, increasing construction capacity and establishing long-term ownership and operating models.

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It will also consider the different forms of housing required across Queensland—including social and affordable housing, youth housing, domestic and family violence accommodation, regional and remote housing and other community housing models—and whether different development, funding and partnership approaches will be required to deliver them.

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9.15am - 9.40am 

Queensland Social Housing Policy 2026: What changes for Community Housing Providers?

From 14 September 2026, Queensland's funded community housing providers delivering social housing services commence implementation of the new Social Housing Policy 2026, with a transition period of up to 12 months.


Bringing 11 policy areas under a single framework, the policy covers social housing eligibility, allocations, rent, tenancy management, expenditure, asset management, funding requirements, performance and reporting.


This session will examine what has changed under the 2026 framework and what it means operationally for community housing providers, including eligibility and allocation requirements, tenancy and rent management, management of housing assets, funding obligations, performance and reporting.

 

9.45am - 10.15am 

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

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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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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

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
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?​

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
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 

Sponsor 

For all Sponsorship enquiries please click below 

Disclaimer :

Please note that the below  program serves as a guide.

Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance will make every reasonable effort to adhere to the advertised schedule, speakers, and topics; however, we reserve the right to modify the program, substitute speakers, or adjust session content at any time without prior notice due to unforeseen circumstances.
Impact Housing National Strategic Alliance  accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or expenses incurred as a result of changes to the event format, program, speakers, or schedule.

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