According to the 2025 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), LGBTQIA+ people are less likely to work in property and construction than almost any other sector, and less likely to see visible role models when they do. At board level, the picture is just as stark: the 2025 Board Diversity Index found just four openly LGBTQIA+ directors across the entire ASX 300. This Pride Month, Queers in Property (QIP) and the Property Council of Australia are bringing the industry together to ask why this is, and what needs to change.

QIP, Australia’s leading not-for-profit network for LGBTQIA+ professionals in the property sector, has partnered with the Property Council of Australia to present LGBTQIA+ Visibility and Career Pathways on 17 June 2026. This event brings together property industry leaders, DEI practitioners and emerging professionals to examine why LGBTQIA+ representation continues to lag at senior levels and to discuss the steps organisations can take to build more inclusive workplaces and leadership pipelines.

“Visibility is what made the difference for me. Seeing Queerleaders ahead of me in this industry is the reason I can show up fully as my non-binary self at work - instead of the dual life so many of us have just learned to live with. The boardrooms and leadership tables of our industry don't yet reflect our community. QIP exists to change that, and we're proud to partner with the Property Council of Australia to put this conversation at the centre this Pride Month," said Billy Patten (they/them), Founder, Queers in Property.

With a keynote from QIP Founders and practical takeaways including QIP's newly launched Victorian DEI Workplace Toolkit, the event examines the historical factors and stigma that have shaped LGBTQIA+ representation in Australia's property sector. It also explores what organisations stand to gain by building more inclusive leadership pipelines: stronger talent retention, richer workplace cultures, and research-backed gains in productivity and innovation.

Moderated by Nicole Battley (she/her), National Diversity and Inclusion Director at the Property Council of Australia, the event will feature LGBTQIA+ industry leaders including Adam Williams (he/him), Executive Director Development VIC at Lendlease; Hannah Harvey (she/her), COO of Housing Choices Australia; Nicki Hay (she/her), Co-CEO of Core Projects VIC, and Benjamin Crough (he/him), Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Manager at John Holland.

In a competitive talent market, visible support for LGBTQIA+ professionals is increasingly recognised as a marker of progressive leadership and workplace culture. LGBTQIA+ Visibility and Career Pathways is open to all professionals working across property, construction and related industries with registrations now open via propertycouncil.com.au.