Palm Island Community Company Limited

Full primary health care, community-controlled since Sept 2021. GP, chronic disease, mental health, maternal health, allied health. Landmark transition from QLD Health to community control.

Early childhood and family support centre on Palm Island. Playgroups, parenting, early learning. Key outcome: "Aboriginal children are rarely taken into care on Palm Island" (Ipsos evaluation). National CFC network.

DATSIP-funded CJG providing culturally appropriate justice services on Palm Island. Court support, mediation, and diversion. Part of QLD CJG network.

10 FT positions, Cert III Business training, Telstra-backed with Advance QLD. Digital skills, employment pathways for Palm Island residents.

Safe sobering-up alternative to police custody on Palm Island. Culturally safe space reducing police contact and incarceration for minor offences.

Safe House for up to 4 children on CPOs. Community-controlled alternative to mainstream out-of-home care, keeping children on Palm Island connected to culture.

Independent facilitation of family-led decision-making in child protection. Empowers families with genuine voice. Model for Aboriginal-controlled family group conferencing.

Parenting, budgeting, personal development, family strengthening. Prevents escalation into child protection and justice systems.

Coordinated chronic disease management for Palm Island residents. Multi-disciplinary team approach integrating GP, specialist, allied health, and community health workers for holistic chronic disease care.

Connecting Palm Island residents with NDIS services. Bridges NDIS system and remote Aboriginal community needs for culturally appropriate disability support.

Community-controlled child protection placement service managing kinship and foster care placements on Palm Island. Over $1M/year in funding. Keeps Aboriginal children connected to family, culture, and Country through community-managed placements rather than state-directed removal. CEO Rachel Atkinson's leadership has reduced the number of children removed from families on Palm Island.

Integrated DFV response on Palm Island including crisis support, case management, court support, and culturally grounded healing. $900K+/year across 20 grants in legal services/DFV sector. DVO breach rate on Palm Island is 7.5x Townsville's (1,980 vs 262 per 100K) — demonstrating critical need. Services delivered by local Indigenous staff with deep community relationships.

Intergenerational knowledge transfer program connecting Elders with young people through storytelling, Manbarra language preservation, photography, film, and cultural activities. 18 years of community storytelling archived — 34 recorded interviews with 2,000+ segments, photo collections, Elder knowledge projects. Integrated into Palm Island Community Repository with Indigenous Data Sovereignty protocols. Elders mentor young people through purposeful work, not clinical intervention.

Delegated authority program enabling Palm Island community to make its own decisions about child protection, family support, and youth justice pathways. Community members and Elders participate in case conferencing and decision-making traditionally held by government. Funded at $211K/year. A practical expression of self-determination in child and family services.

PICC's largest single program — $4.8M NIAA 1.3 Safety and Wellbeing contract (2024-25). Integrated primary health, community safety, and wellbeing services through Palm Island Aboriginal Medical Service. 2,283 health clients, 17,488 service episodes per year. Combines health service delivery with community safety initiatives addressing Palm Island's assault rate (7.2x Townsville). 197 staff (80%+ Indigenous) delivering holistic community wellbeing.

Community-owned employment pathways precinct in Townsville (30-year lease) with four streams: (1) Goods manufacturing — recycled-plastic bed bases and washing machine refurbishment, (2) Hospitality & cultural enterprise via commercial kitchen, (3) On-Country construction — modular tiny homes and infrastructure, (4) Cross-community exchange with Oonchiumpa (Central Australia) and Brodie Germaine Fitness Aboriginal Corporation (Mt Isa/Lower Gulf). Target: 60-80 participants over 4 years through justice reintegration into manufacturing, hospitality, and construction careers. REAL Innovation Fund EOI submitted March 2026 for $1.2M.

Community-controlled youth justice support service on Palm Island. Provides culturally grounded diversion, reintegration support, and wraparound case management for young people in or at risk of entering the justice system. Grown from $113K (2021-22) to $340K (2024-25) — 3x growth reflecting demand and effectiveness. Delivered by 80%+ Indigenous staff with Elder mentorship.

Crisis accommodation on Palm Island for people experiencing DFV or homelessness. Community-controlled emergency housing.

Mental health and counselling services delivered on Palm Island. Culturally safe social and emotional wellbeing support, trauma-informed care, grief and loss counselling for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Automotive workshop, horticulture, retail, hospitality. PICC is second-largest employer (~197 staff, up to 90% local). Community economic self-determination.

Holistic support for women across criminal justice stages. 12-month case management with cultural healing, trauma-informed care. Addresses DFV, child protection, and justice intersection.