The Registrar of Indigenous Corporations, Anthony Beven, today announced the end of the special administration at Mitakoodi Aboriginal Corporation. This is the second time in less than three years that the housing corporation has come out of special administration.
Based in Cloncurry, near Mount Isa, Queensland, Mitakoodi Aboriginal Corporation has for many years provided affordable housing to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the local area. At the start of the special administration it owned and managed 71 properties.
‘This is a corporation that has a long and proud history of delivering a much needed service for local people but over recent years it has fallen down on governance issues,’ said Mr Beven. ‘This second special administration was necessary because the former directors placed the corporation and its houses at risk.’
The corporation has a policy that all tenants must pay rent, look after their house and not disturb their neighbours. The former directors allowed a small number of tenants access to some Mitakoodi houses without a tenancy agreement and without requiring them to pay rent. The tenants had previously been evicted after a history of damaging Mitakoodi houses and causing significant disturbances to neighbours.
The special administrator, Mr Glen Walker from the Queensland-based firm of Walker Reid, assisted the corporation to resolve its governance issues and has implemented further changes to improve its operations.
One innovative solution has been to sell some of the corporation’s rental properties to long-term Aboriginal tenants to allow them to take up home ownership.
‘Thanks to the support from Indigenous Business Australia, Mitakoodi tenants can now
share in the Australian dream of owning their own home, and at a price that they can afford,’
Mr Beven said.
The funds from the sale of the properties will go towards the repairs to the corporation’s remaining rental properties.
The Registrar will monitor the corporation closely over the next 12 months to ensure that it complies with the new processes and procedures put in place by the special administrator.
The special administrator has appointed a new board of directors to manage the corporation:
Wayne Wehrman
Donna Turner
Charles Hill
Tracey Wyborn
Phillip Collins
Sarah Harvey (independent non-member director)
Media contact
Patricia Gibson
(02) 6146 4743
ORIC MR1314-35
25 June 2014