The Lady Musgrave Trust 18^th Annual Forum on Women and Homelessness

For the first time, the Forum will run as a full day working session, creating space to bring the sector together for deeper conversation, practical learning and shared problem-solving across the system. This is not a traditional conference. It is a deliberate intervention.

Thursday, 6 August 2026 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Room Three Sixty, QUT Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane – with morning sessions streamed online

Solving homelessness requires more than individual effort. It demands connection, trust and a willingness to work differently. The choices we make, to collaborate or compete, shape outcomes for families every day.

But collaboration is not simple in a system under strain. When organisations compete for scarce resources, working together becomes harder. Fragmented funding, policy settings and service pressures can unintentionally pit organisations against each other, leaving families at risk of falling through the cracks.

The Lady Musgrave Trust’s 18th Annual Forum challenges the sector to think and act differently. For the first time, the Forum will run as a full day event, creating space for deeper conversations and practical learning.

This is not a talk-fest – participants will collectively explore why collaboration is so difficult in this system and co-create a focused set of shared principles for how we work better together under current pressures.

Bringing together government, philanthropy, community organisations and lived experience, the forum will move beyond discussion into action. Led by Ingrid Burkett, Co-Director of The Good Shift, participants will unpack the tensions between collaboration and competition, challenge assumptions and explore practical ways to shift the system.

This is a Forum for those ready to rethink how our sector operates and willing to leave with shared principles, practical commitments and a clearer, more connected way forward.

Proudly presented by The Lady Musgrave Trust, in partnership with Q Shelter, QCOSS, Micah Projects, QUT’s Centre for Justice, BYS, and the Department of Housing and Public Works.

Who attends?

The Forum convenes senior leaders, decision-makers and practitioners from across the housing and homelessness ecosystem in Queensland, including:

• Women with lived experience of homelessness, whose perspectives lead and ground the conversation
• Sector peak bodies and partner organisations, including Q Shelter, QCOSS, Micah Projects and BYS 
• Community housing providers, frontline services and specialist homelessness services from across Queensland
• Philanthropic funders and social impact investors
• Queensland Government representatives, including the Department of Housing and Public Works
• Researchers and academics, including QUT’s Centre for Justice

If you’re interested in being involved or have any questions, please get in touch with The Lady Musgrave Trust CEO, Victoria Parker on victoria@ladymusgravetrust.org.au.