ISR - Students - Student stories

Student 13: Ric Healy was a Senior Policy Officer with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Division of the Queensland Department of Housing when he spoke at his 1998 graduation ceremony.

Here are some of his reflections on his time studying the Graduate Certificate in Housing Management and Policy.

Working in the field of indigenous housing, I was apprehensive after reviewing the course content. I did find, however, that while the studies were not culturally specific, it did provide an opportunity to understand housing in a broad context.

At the commencement of the course, students were provided with an historical perspective of the Australian housing system. By grasping this perspective, we were able to better understand the evolution of the system from its beginning to the current environment in which we find ourselves. Without this understanding, the concept of social housing and its links can be misinterpreted as simply providing housing.

The course reaffirmed that housing is not just about bricks and mortar, or hammers and nails. Housing is also about people –the very people for whom we strive to achieve the best possible outcome, with at times scant resources and in a climate of uncertainty.

It is also about us –we, the providers of housing; we who operate in the social housing environment which measures achievement by outcomes. I felt that the course helped me to think laterally about housing issues and to suggest innovative ways of achieving these outcomes, while ensuring that these innovations are cost effective, appropriate and efficient.

The course also brought into focus that housing is also about economic growth for communities generally, and that many businesses are associated with, and rely on, the housing industry for their development and sustainability. Broadly speaking, it reaffirms that housing is a substantial cog in the wheel of progress, for our community and our country.

I also found that the knowledge and skills that I have acquired from participating in and successfully completing the course have direct application to the work that I undertake. I believe this is evident in the quality of the work that I produce each day –and while recognition is heartfelt, a pay rise would speak volumes!

I believe that the challenges we face can only be confronted and overcome if we as housing providers have knowledge, skill and understanding as weapons in our armoury. The course goes a long way to providing us with these weapons.

Finally, I would like to address my fellow graduands. I am honoured to have studied with you and I admire the skills and knowledge that each and every one of you has brought to the course. Because what I had learnt during the two years did not come entirely from reading modules or note-taking in tutorials. It also came from listening to each of you and learning from your experiences. For this I thank you.