QSNTS - Queensland Native Title Services

<h1>Contact details</h1> QSNTS provides professional native title services to achieve outcomes that redress the past, strengthen the present, and empower the future for Traditional Owners. <h1>Trading Hours</h1> <h3>8:30am to 5:00pm</h3>Monday to Friday(Closed public holidays) <h2>Brisbane Office</h2>Level 4, 293 Queen StreetBrisbane QLD 4000 PO Box 10832, Adelaide StreetBrisbane QLD 4001P: <a href="tel:+61732241200" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">(07) 3224 1200</a>Free Call: <a href="tel:+61800663693" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">1800 663 693</a>E: <a href="mailto:reception@qsnts.com.au" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">reception@qsnts.com.au</a> <h2>Mount Isa Office</h2>31-33 Commercial RoadMount Isa QLD 4825 PO Box 1948Mount Isa, QLD 4825P: <a href="tel:+61732241200" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">(07) 4743 1322</a>Free Call: <a href="tel:+61800663693" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">1800 663 693</a>E: <a href="mailto:reception@qsnts.com.au" target="_blank" style="font-size: 1.17em; color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">reception@qsnts.com.au</a>

<h1>Internships</h1> QSNTS currently accepts interns through: - The <a href="https://aurorafoundation.com.au/" target="_blank" style="color: var(--blue-color);">Aurora Internship Program</a> ,which places legal and anthropological interns with native title representative bodies and service providers throughout the country - Practical Legal Training students through a university-run program - Other applications considered on a case-by-case basis

<h1>How to apply</h1> QSNTS is the native title service provider for the southern half of Queensland. Our workforce is comprised of legal, research, community relations and corporate staff. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates are encouraged to apply for roles with QSNTS. Applications for advertised positions should be emailed to <a href="mailto:humanresources@qsnts.com.au" target="_blank" style="color: var(--blue-color);">humanresources@qsnts.com.au</a> as follows: 1. Obtain the position description, which describes the key capabilities of the role; 2. Write a letter of application (no greater than two pages) outlining how you meet the criteria of the position and submit along with your curriculum vitae; 3. Submit via e-mail to <a href="mailto:humanresources@qsnts.com.au" target="_blank" style="color: var(--blue-color);">humanresources@qsnts.com.au</a> by 5 pm on the application closing date.

<h1>Internships</h1> QSNTS currently accepts interns through: - The <a href="https://aurorafoundation.com.au/" target="_blank" style="color: var(--blue-color); display: inline !important;">Aurora Internship Program, which places legal and anthropological interns with native title representative bodies and service providers throughout the country</a> - Practical Legal Training students through a university-run program - Other applications considered on a case-by-case basis

<h1>Pele Ware</h1><h2>Chair</h2> Pele is a descendant of St Paul’s Village on Moa Island in the Torres Straits. Mother of four, Pele was born and raised in Brisbane and is a proud member of the region’s Indigenous community. Currently employed as a Manager in the Department of Youth Justice with an extensive career in the Health Sector, Pele commenced her career as a trainee health worker and has worked in government and non-government sectors for over 20 years. Previously employed at Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council as Manager of Health Programs, and former Director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service, Pele holds several qualifications, including a Bachelor of Health Science and certificates in leadership, training/education and coaching/mentoring. Pele has a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organisation management industry and is skilled in Coaching, Epidemiology, Prevention, Facilitation, and Health Promotion. Strong, professional and passionate, Pele is enthusiastic about a fair and just societal economic upscale for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

<h1>Glenn Ferguson</h1><h2>Director</h2> A Solicitor of the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Queensland, Glenn is the Managing Director for FC Lawyers and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Glenn has served as President of LAWASIA, the Law Council of Australia and the Queensland Law Society, and is a sought-after advisor in governance, risk and compliance with a particular interest in cyber security and risk. He is a Founding Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the College of Law and a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand College of Notaries. Glenn has also held or continues to hold a number of board positions, including as the Chair, in both the public and private sector in aviation, charity, education, information technology, insurance, security, superannuation and workers compensation. He has been appointed by both Federal and State Governments to various advisory boards and task forces in the business, legal and migration sectors. In 2004, the Queensland Premier selected Glenn to Chair Smart Exports Queensland. In 2010, he was appointed by the Prime Minister to the Expert Panel considering the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Constitution. The report was delivered in January 2012 and he continues the push for constitutional recognition. Glenn has for over ten years chaired the Law Council of Australia’s indigenous legal issues committee, and in the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Glenn was made a Member of the Order of Australia 'for significant service to the law and to the legal profession, both nationally and in the Asia-Pacific region, and to the community'.

<h1>Margaret Stephenson</h1><h2>Director</h2> Margaret held the position of Associate Professor at Law at the TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland being a member of Faculty 1983-2017. Currently, Margaret is Visiting Associate-Professor, Sustainable Minerals Institute, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, University of Queensland. Prior to commencing an academic career, Margaret practised as a solicitor in Property Law in Brisbane. During her academic career, Margaret championed the development of courses in Property Law, Native Title Law and International and Comparative Indigenous Rights. In 2010, she received a national Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning in the Australian Awards for University Teaching, and in 2009, she was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Internationalisation Award for leadership in internationalising the curriculum. Margaret has published extensively in Property Law, Native Title Law and Comparative Indigenous Rights and speaks frequently at international and national conferences on these topics. Her first book, Mabo: A Judicial Revolution remains a seminal work on the Mabo decision. She has also compiled and edited Mabo: The Native Title Legislation and Australia: Republic or Monarchy, and is co-author of Land Law. In addition to serving on numerous University Committees, Margaret was the UQ co-ordinator of the Aurora Project (Native Title Representative Bodies Australian Student Internships).

<h1>Michele</h1><h2>Director</h2> Michele is a governance specialist working exclusively in the not-for-profit and philanthropy sector, with over 25 years of experience in Finance and Accounting. She is a Chartered Secretariate and a qualified Accountant. Her current work includes a range of roles as Company Secretary and/or Financial Controller with companies limited by guarantee. These are organisations with small staffing resources that deserve respect for well-structured governance and sustainable systems and processes. This work is supported by her many years of overseeing Corporate Services delivery. Michele holds a Master of Business Administration (Finance), a Master of Commerce (Accounting), and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Corporate Governance and Risk Management. She also maintains professional membership as a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia, a Fellow of The Chartered Governance Institute and a Fellow of CPA Australia.

<h1>Jamie Hagan</h1><h2>Director</h2> Jamie's mother was a member of the Stolen Generation and was removed from her family in Colac and grew up in a foster home in Inverell, on Kamilaroi country. Over the past 30 years, the family has searched to reconnect with family from Victoria and in the meantime been an active member of the community in Bundjalung country. Professionally, Jamie has a long history working alongside First Nations communities. In recent years, Jamie has worked with PBCs and around native title and has developed a passion for improving outcomes for PBCs, particularly post determination. Jamie has experience in the tertiary, carbon farming and renewable energy sectors. As a board member at QSNTS Jamie is hoping to complement the existing board and continue the great work of his predecessors. Jamie is a husband, a father (Otis and Greta) and whilst he is a West Tigers tragic, is a very proud QLD maroons supporter.

<h1>Tim Wishart</h1><h2>Chief Executive Officer</h2> Tim was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in January 2024. Tim joined QSNTS in August 2010 as a senior legal officer and filled the role of Principal Legal Officer of QSNTS between September 2011 and July 2023. He was admitted to practice in 1991. While his pre-QSNTS work was primarily in litigation and commercial law, Tim has been recognised as a leading native title practitioner by Doyle’s Guide, and is a nationally accredited mediator. Tim regularly presents papers on native title topics at specialist forums.

<h1>Bradley Saunders</h1><h2>Director</h2> A proud Gunggari (goon-gar-ee) Aboriginal Traditional Owner from the Maranoa River region of Western Queensland who brings personal knowledge about Aboriginal customs and protocols, along with extensive experience negotiating with and for Aboriginal groups and leading Aboriginal organisations. He is a leader in the Gunggari Aboriginal community and was a member of the Gunggari native title claimant group for over six years as they successfully prosecuted their three native title claims. Bradley is currently the Chairperson of the Gunggari Aboriginal Property Association and Gunggari Aboriginal Land Trust. He has written a number of essays on Aboriginal cultural ways. Bradley’s last two essays were “Aboriginal culture – can it be practically defined?” and “Native title – Is recognition enough?”. Bradley is currently working on a number of children’s books to teach the Gunggari language. Bradley has recently retired from the Queensland Public Service where he served as a senior officer for 20 years gaining significant experience leading complex organisations that initiated and led programs addressing human rights for Indigenous peoples in the areas of employment, education and training, child safety and housing in remote and rural Queensland. Before retiring, Bradley was the Regional Director for South West Queensland Region, Department of Seniors, Disability Services and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships; a position he held for the past 18 years.<h1>Julie Finlayson</h1><h2>Director</h2> Dr Julie Finlayson is a social anthropologist by training with a varied career history in anthropology. She is currently Research Fellow managing the Centre for Native Title Anthropology (CNTA) at the ANU. She is a member of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies’ (NCIS) Panel of Research Experts at the ANU. Her original doctoral research concerned welfare-dependent Aboriginal households near Kuranda in north Queensland, which has informed much of her research and interest in rural and remote Indigenous communities. She was a lecturer at La Trobe University, and then a researcher at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the ANU. She was also an independent consultant, including in native title, before working in various Federal bureaucracies on matters relating to Indigenous affairs. More recently, before taking up her position at CNTA, Julie worked for an Aboriginal-owned organisation in central-western NSW on an innovative housing project in Bourke, and managed an Aboriginal-controlled radio station in Wilcannia for a year, bringing to it a focus on community development and inclusiveness.

<h1>Julie Finlayson</h1><h2>Director</h2> Dr Julie Finlayson is a social anthropologist by training with a varied career history in anthropology. She is currently Research Fellow managing the Centre for Native Title Anthropology (CNTA) at the ANU. She is a member of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies’ (NCIS) Panel of Research Experts at the ANU. Her original doctoral research concerned welfare-dependent Aboriginal households near Kuranda in north Queensland, which has informed much of her research and interest in rural and remote Indigenous communities. She was a lecturer at La Trobe University, and then a researcher at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at the ANU. She was also an independent consultant, including in native title, before working in various Federal bureaucracies on matters relating to Indigenous affairs. More recently, before taking up her position at CNTA, Julie worked for an Aboriginal-owned organisation in central-western NSW on an innovative housing project in Bourke, and managed an Aboriginal-controlled radio station in Wilcannia for a year, bringing to it a focus on community development and inclusiveness.

<h1>Michelle McCann</h1><h2>Chief Capability Officer</h2> Michelle has over 16 years' experience delivering holistic, integrated business solutions by aligning Systems, Processes, and People aimed at building capability and organisational efficiencies. Joining QSNTS in 2010, Michelle has held various roles designed at supporting the achievement of QSNTS strategic objectives. Successfully completing Chartered Secretaries Australia's (CSA) Certificate for Not-for-Profits, Michelle has over 10 years' experience as QSNTS Company Secretary with strong understanding of best practice governance. Michelle's currently holds a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Business Administration from the University of Southern Queensland.

<h1>Paul Davies</h1><h2>Chief Financial Officer</h2> Paul was admitted as a Certified Practicing Accountant in 2003 after completing his studies at Queensland University of Technology. Paul has acquired a range of experience in the public and not-for-profit sectors, both in Australia and overseas. With over 18 years’ experience in native title, working for both representative bodies and service providers in Queensland, Paul has the skills required to assist Prescribed Bodies Corporate (PBCs) to develop their corporate structures.

<h1>Sheree Sharma</h1><h2>Principal Lawyer</h2> After graduating in 2007 with a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Environmental Management, and following admission as a legal practitioner in 2008, Sheree’s career has been dedicated to assisting First Nations people achieve land justice. Over 15 years working in both the Torres Strait and the QSNTS region, Sheree has developed a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by First Nations people in the native title space. Having worked at QSNTS since 2011, Sheree has experience working with many of QSNTS’ constituents at various stages of their native title journey and is passionate about working with our team and constituents to secure long lasting, holistic outcomes that put First Nations people in a position to achieve their aspirations.

<h1>Rory Chapman</h1><h2>Director </h2> Rory is a proud Wiradjuri/Ngemba man from the Beetson, Falk, and Magick families. Rory is the founder of Embrace Tech, a technology services company dedicated to providing affordable IT support to Indigenous businesses. He finds immense satisfaction in helping these businesses thrive, enabling them to excel in their work through the implementation of effective technology systems and processes. Rory holds a Bachelor of IT, Master of Business Administration, Master of Cyber Security, and has completed the AICD Foundations of Directorship course. He continually enhances his skills to maximise the value he brings to the communities he serves. With over 25 years of experience in IT and a successful track record of founding and scaling a tech startup to acquisition, Rory's experience promises to significantly benefit the broader Indigenous business ecosystem.

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