Speaker Profiles

Andrew Leach is a proud member of the St'at'imc Nation, one of the First Nations on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. He was raised by his grandparents on the Squamish Nation near Vancouver. Andrew has been CEO of the Aboriginal Housing Management Association for 3 years. Prior to this, he ran his own very successful management consulting practice for 10+ years and has consulted for most of the Tribes in Western Canada.

Since 1984 Paul Pholeros has been the principal of an architectural practice based in Sydney working on urban, rural and remote area architectural projects throughout Australia and overseas.

Paul is also one of three directors of Healthabitat. For over 25 years Healthabitat has worked to improve housing and the living environment of Indigenous people in many suburban, rural and remote areas of Australia.

In the last 12 years alone, the Housing for Health projects carried out by Healthabitat have improved more than 7,000 houses in 184 project communities around Australia. This work has improved the living conditions of over 40,000 people. The national project team is currently made up of over 75% local Indigenous people.

The work of Healthabitat has recently received awards from the Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Public Health Association and the International Union of Architects.

The national program, supported by various Federal Governments since 1999, will end in June 2011. At the same time the same work has expanded to overseas projects in Nepal and the USA.

Paul is currently the Vice Chair of Emergency Architects Australia and Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney.

Garry has had eighteen (18) years with the Northern Territory Government, Commonwealth Government and Non-Government Organisations in delivery of housing management, repairs and maintenance. The majority of this period Garry has worked with Indigenous communities and associations.

Allocation to Service Tasks

• Implementation Yilli Rreung Housing Aboriginal Corporation Strategy Group
• Contract management
• Oversighting implementation and ongoing service delivery

Adrian Pisarski joined Queensland Shelter as their Executive Officer in 2002. His history in the community sector began in 1980 as a worker in a youth refuge in Hobart.

In 1983 he established the Victorian Youth Development Workers Coalition. Since then he has held leadership roles with the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, the National Youth Coalition for Housing, the Youth Accommodation Association of NSW, Shelter NSW, Homelessness Australia and the former national youth peaks YACA and AYPAC.

He is the current Chairperson of National Shelter, Deputy President of ACOSS and a key member of the National Affordable Housing Summit Group.

Ricky Garbutt began his working life as a high school teacher in Business Education but has spent the last six years in Indigenous employment, labour market programs and policy. He is currently the Indigenous Employment Program Manager within the Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI). In this role, Ricky has the key responsibility of initiating, implementing, managing and evaluating indigenous employment and training policies and programs to facilitate meeting the Government's job creation and skills development objectives.

He has a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education from the Queensland University of Technology.

Mick Schuele is currently working on conservation, carbon and environmental matters. He previously worked the Welfare Reform project as part of the Design Team for Work, Study, Dole payments. Mick has a background working in public policy issues in the Queensland and Australian Governments and has worked for the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics on fisheries and water management issues and for the Productivity Commission on issues including APEC trade liberalisation, water quality management in the Great Barrier Reef catchment, pastoral land management and non-pastoral land uses, and aquaculture regulation.

Mark Byrne was appointed Area Director – Western, NSW Department of Housing in February 2005 and since then has been engaged in transformational strategies to improve public housing and community outcomes throughout the Central West, West and Far West of NSW. Mark has previously held senior positions with the former NSW Department of Sport and Recreation and in the management of Sports and Recreation Centres across the State. Mark has also had experience with the NSW Legal Aid Commission, Attorney General's Department and the Office of the Crown Solicitor. Mark's background is in management, both of staff and assets, strategic planning and change management with a particular emphasis on economic analysis, client service delivery and program/project implementation.

Alf Lacey is the descendent of an Ewaiman traditional owner from the Georgetown Country in North Queensland on his grandmother's side and Gaarrwa on his grandfathers side, which is based in Western Queensland near Doomadgee.

Alf has lived all his life on Palm Island and has also worked most of his life on Palm. Alf worked on the mainland for a while for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs as a Settlement worker. He also worked at the Bwgcolman Community School.

During the early 90s, Alf travelled to Canada to meet with the Cree Indians and other neighbouring Indian Tribes. He also passed time in the Philippians speaking about issues which affect all Aboriginal Australians. He then did a stint in Geneva at the UN Special Sitting on Indigenous Peoples, an experience which contributed to his broader understanding of issues impacting on Indigenous peoples around the world.

Following his time abroad, Alf returned to Palm Island in 1993 and was elected as the ATSIC Regional Council member for the Townsville Regional Council. Alf served three consecutive terms until ATSIC was abolished. Whilst on ATSIC, Alf managed to rub shoulders with some of the best Black Politicians in the Country.

In 1994, Alf was elected as the Mayor of Palm Island. After serving a full term, he was re-elected as the Council's Deputy Mayor. In 2008, Alf led a team in the Local Government Election called Palm United and the majority of his team elected.

Alf is a family and community orientated person. He is the President of the Palm Island Men's Business Group. He has also been a board member of Ferdy's Haven and a Catholic Diocese Aboriginal Advisory Council Member.

Alf believes the politics of Aboriginal Affairs is at its most dynamic for many Aboriginal communities. While he hopes the changes benefit his Palm community and all Indigenous communities, he also hopes these changes don't result in a loss of identity.

Roy is a Wiradjuri man who was born and bred on Nanima Reserve, near Wellington. He is a member of the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.

He has previously worked at the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office and various government departments as a policy officer.

He worked at NSWALC as a policy officer before being elected. Roy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Social Welfare).

David Bernard is an Urban renewal Development Manager with Housing SA, creating a new community of 420 homes in Woodville West. After seven years' experience as an executive in public housing and disability housing in both the New South Wales and South Australian governments, David became FaCHSIA's General Business Manager (GBM) for Amata in APY lands in the far North West of South Australia in 2009. A community of 330 Anangu residents, Amata is one of 29 Remote Service Delivery sites across Australia under the COAG 'Closing the Gap' initiative.

David has experience in public and private sector project management, programme management and asset management, as well as a specialist knowledge and understanding of the Aboriginal Affairs, community services, public housing, disability and health sectors.

Jude Allen is a South Australian public servant with a dedicated history of designing and implementing program responses across a range of portfolio areas with remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia.

In late 2007 under an MOU between the Minister for Housing and Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY), (located in the far north west of South Australia) Jude relocated to the APY Lands, as a senior officer, to work with traditional owners, families and communities to introduce reforms to the community housing program and new state housing management arrangements.

In 2010, Jude returned to Adelaide to manage remote Aboriginal employment imperatives as part of the Commonwealth's requirement for at least 20% minimum Aboriginal employment within all contracts let under the NPARIH.

In conjunction with remote communities, Commonwealth and state agencies and the private sector, Jude is implementing new and different approaches to aboriginal employment in construction and civil industries. These approaches are yielding very positive outcomes for local people.

Ivan was born in Sydney and is one of 11 children. His mother, her family and extended family belong to the Yuin Tribe on the Far South Coast of NSW. His Father belongs to the Worimi clan on the North Coast of NSW and was born and raised on the Aboriginal Village at Foster.

Ivan left school in 1965 and started work at the then NSW Department of Motor Transport and then worked in various labouring positions for approximately 13 years.

He decided to take a new direction with his employment and commenced work with Aboriginal Hostels Limited (AHL) in 1980 as a Trainee Asset Officer employed under the old NEAT/NESA Training for Aborigines Scheme. He was employed with that organisation for over 10 years having aspired to the most senior position in NSW as the Regional Manager.

He left AHL in late 1990 and returned to the NSW Public Service and have worked in various agencies such as the Department of Community Services, the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Housing, the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and is now back employed with the NSW Aboriginal Housing Office as Deputy Chief Executive.

Over the past twenty years Jan has held executive positions within the NFP community housing sector in both the urban and rural context. As an accomplished and innovative manager in organisational growth and development Jan has demonstrated experience in securing partnerships across community, corporate and the government sectors. As the CEO of Melbourne Affordable Housing and Rural Housing Network she has delivered a range of housing outcomes to the most disadvantaged through community development and partnership principles. Jan took up the role of CEO of the newly formed Central Australian Affordable Housing in Alice Springs delivering housing services to the Town Camps in mid-January 2011.

John Benson is the CEO of Remote Housing Australia. Remote Housing Australia will produce quality low cost housing and community facilities to regional and remote Australia. It will provide housing affordability in remote and regional areas of Australia and maximise training and sustainable employment opportunities. It will provide for maximum indigenous involvement where indigenous communities demonstrate a commitment to participate and embrace the philosophy of the project.

Bridget Garay is a Torres Strait Islander woman who has family connections to Mer (Murray Island). She is a highly motivated woman who leads a busy life as a business trainer and coach. Bridget is currently working with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia with a particular emphasis on micro business and community enterprise.

Through her passion and commitment to building cultural, creative and economic capacity she has assisted many Indigenous Communities on a local, national and international level.

Journey Forward delivers programs to inspire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People to participate in community leadership, sustainable employment and create their own economic independence through enterprise.

Alan Shaw has been working in housing for over twenty years. He is now the Director, National and Indigenous Policy in the Queensland Department of Communities. He has wide experience with social and affordable housing policy in Australia as well as implementing a number of significant policy changes in Queensland. He is currently responsible for developing policy to enable home ownership on communal lands in Queensland.

With over 24 years experience in the Property Industry in Queensland, NT, Victoria and New South Wales, David Higgins has experience in most facets of Property Industry, including residential, commercial leasing and sales.

He now spends much of his time in product development, project launch strategies, and the opening of new domestic and overseas markets for Pearls Australasia, which is associated with the "Pearls Global" employing over 1.6million people and has in excess of 260 offices worldwide.

David is a licensed agent and auctioneer in both Queensland and NSW. David is on the National Board of Directors for Pearls Australasia and is the Executive Director of Sales and Marketing – International.

During his career, David has taken projects from inception right through to completion. These projects, totalling over $800 million once completed, over 33 separate multi residential/commercial and township projects, where he managed and marketed some 1300 apartments, estates, house and land packages.

David's has held several Industry roles which include:

- UDIA Judge Multi-level Residential Division 2000 – 2006.
- UDIA Group Leader Judging Panel Multi/level Residential Judge 2005.

Mark Winfield has 30 years experience in building, construction and property development in Queensland. He has held a number senior management and advisory positions with some of Australia's leading building and property groups. While Director of Building and Innovation with Advanced Housing Technologies, Mark invented and patented the MiiHome Building System which is widely accepted as the most innovative, robust and energy efficient building system available today. MiiHome Technology is now exported worldwide as a viable solution for affordable, social and remote community housing. Mark is a recognised industry leader in sustainable, energy efficient modular building concepts.