Renewal process update - July 2026
Dear Friends,
On 6 July 2026, the fourth hearing relating to the Diocese's Receivership was held in the Supreme Court in Brisbane. Present were representatives of the Attorney-General, the Receiver, the Diocese and Mr Leigh Kefford in his personal capacity. Mr Michael Brennan and I were also present.
The Court approved the sale of twenty-four properties. It also authorised the Receivers to investigate the feasibility of subdividing another 8 properties (keeping the churches and any halls) to create further property for sale.
Importantly, the Court endorsed the Diocese's plans to progress the administrative restructuring and ministry renewal plan. The Attorney-General, as protector of Charities, made no objections to the Orders sought to progress these matters.
The Court Order, when published, will be placed on the Diocesan website.
These are significant decisions and there is a high legal bar to be overcome for these Orders to be made by the Court. This fact should not be lost when considering the gravity of the position of the Diocese and the lengths that we have needed to go to, so we can meet our obligations to survivors of historic sexual abuse and to secure a future for Anglican ministry in North Queensland.
I know that many of us are tired of this journey. But the Court's decision provides greater certainty about the path ahead and allows us to move forward. The Court has stressed in previous hearings that the route we are taking, whilst courageous, was also the only route available to us.
The scale of the challenge remains considerable but the hardest decisions are now behind us. These Orders should represent the entirety of the sacrifice that we will need to endure to make whole those who were wronged in the past. These Orders also arm our Diocese with an unprecedented opportunity to change the path that history had locked us into.
The challenge for us all is about the way in which we accept the reality that we find ourselves in and whether we remain bound to the past or look forward into the future.
In assessing the most recent Application, the Court was provided further detail on the significant changes planned for the way we will organise and administer ministry across the Diocese. Three years ago, our Synod recognised that our existing structures were no longer fit for purpose. The challenges facing the Church today cannot be addressed using systems designed for a different era. The Renewal Plan provided to the Court sets out our vision on how we are to build a more sustainable and effective model for ministry across North Queensland.
Whilst we renew our secular bodies, we must renew our mission. The days of dozens of largely independent ministry units each carrying the full burden of administration are passing. We need a model that frees clergy and lay leaders to focus less on paperwork and compliance and more on ministry, discipleship and service. It must also be a model that is financial sustainable and provides transparency for all. We cannot provide the ministry we would like to, without the resources to do so.
I do not apologise for taking this path. It was the only realistic course available to us if we were to both do justice to survivors and preserve a future for Anglican ministry in North Queensland. I know the cost feels significant but when weighed against the healing we will provide to past hurts and the future opportunity to grow God’s Kingdom in the North, it is a price we can afford.
For some, this feels unfair to bear a burden for actions you did not commit. Most of the abuse occurred decades ago. The vast majority of Anglicans in North Queensland today had no involvement whatsoever in those terrible events. I know that this is painful and that it is unfair for you as individuals and as parishes.
Yet serious wrongs were committed in the name of the Church. We cannot change the past, but we have a responsibility to address its consequences. As the one Body of Christ, we inherit both the blessings and the failures of those who came before us. Justice is rarely comfortable and it sometimes comes at a very real cost. But it remains justice nonetheless.
For many people, the cost being asked is personal. Some of you are losing church buildings that have been central to family and community life for generations. These are places where people were baptised, confirmed, married and farewelled. There is genuine grief in that loss.
I don’t underestimate that grief. Nor do I dismiss the anger, sadness and frustration that many are feeling. I share the grief, the frustration and the anger. These are the normal responses to these difficult circumstances.
We cannot move through a process like this without pain. But we must move through it together, treating one another with grace and respect, even when we disagree. I am aware that strong views continue to be expressed regarding some of the proposed property sales, particularly in Cairns, Mackay and Townsville.
People are entitled to their views. They care deeply about their churches and local communities, and I respect that. However, I do not intend to conduct the affairs of the Diocese through social media debates or public arguments. Social media often rewards outrage more than understanding. It can generate far more heat than light. My door remains open to those who wish to engage directly and respectfully, and I remain willing to listen.
In relation to St Matthew's Mundingburra, I understand the attachment many people feel to that church. I understand it because the same attachment exists in congregations all across our Diocese. The difficult reality is that St Matthew's is not unique. Faithful Anglicans in Cairns, Mackay, Townsville and elsewhere are being asked to make sacrifices as well. Every church has elements that could be said to set it apart from the rest.
The decisions being made about properties are not a judgement on the importance of any congregation. They reflect the financial and factual realities we face and our responsibility to preserve the future of Anglican ministry across North Queensland. If one property is retained, another must often be sold. The resources that go into every fight, means that the likelihood of another property bring sold increase. The flow on effect is unavoidable. That is the difficult arithmetic we face. The alternative is far worse.
If we do not raise sufficient funds to meet our obligations, liquidation remains a real possibility. If we sell property to pay debt, but do not adapt how we operate to meet our reality, liquidation also remains a real possibility and the sacrifices of today will be rendered worthless. Our Diocese is not immune to the financial realities that we all endure day to day. If real and lasting change is not embraced it is only a matter of time before the diocese is again staring down the spectre of insolvency. We must do all that we can to ensure that this never happens again. To fail would see remaining diocesan property sold and the diocese cease to exist. Organised Anglican ministry in North Queensland run by North Queenslanders would effectively come to an end.
That is not a path I am prepared to accept. Our task is therefore not simply to survive but to rebuild. T
he old structures are relics of the past, but new opportunities are emerging. A more regional and sustainable model of administration will allow ministry units to focus on ministry while shared services manage many of the growing administrative and compliance burdens.
The goal is simple: to free local churches to do what the Church is called to do: to worship, reach out to the nations, baptise and practice the sacraments, and to show and teach the love of God and of neighbour. That is our mission and our calling in spite of the pain, the grief and the anger.
North Queensland Anglicans now stand at a crossroads. We can spend years consumed by arguments about what has been lost, or we can turn our attention to what can still be built. The Court's decisions do not mark the end of the Diocese's story. They mark the beginning of a new chapter.
I will continue to advocate beyond North Queensland as well. At General Synod I will move motions calling on wealthier dioceses to support regional and rural ministry and to strengthen support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ministry in remote communities. I will be calling on the entire Body of Christ in the Anglican Church of Australia to take up their share of this pain and grief.
However whether those motions succeed or fail, the ultimate responsibility remains ours. We are the people entrusted with Anglican ministry in North Queensland and we will continue to do our ministry and mission whatever the response of the broader Church. No one else will do this work for us.
While much of our attention has understandably been focused on the challenges before us, we must not allow those challenges to define our future. The work of renewal is already beginning, and we have reasons to look forward with hope.
That brings me to ADNQ 150. In 2028, the Diocese will celebrate its 150th anniversary. I do not want that anniversary to be simply a reflection on the past. I want it to be a confident statement about the future. The challenge before us is not merely to restructure administration or manage finances. It is to renew our ministry and recommit ourselves to the mission of the Church.
We are called to worship God, proclaim the Gospel, serve our communities and make disciples. That calling remains unchanged. For those retaining church buildings, generosity will be required. Congregations may need to share facilities, adjust traditions and welcome others into spaces that have long felt like their own. That generosity should not be offered reluctantly. The house is meant to be full.
The future of this Diocese will not be secured by property alone. It will be secured by faith, generosity, courage and a willingness to work together. The years ahead will require courage, sacrifice and generosity. Yet they also present an opportunity to renew our shared commitment to Christ and to one another. If we walk this path together, I believe God will continue to use the Anglican Church in North Queensland for His purposes for generations to come.
Difficult decisions have been made and more challenges lie ahead. I remain confident in the future of the Anglican Church in North Queensland and in the people, full of the Holy Spirit, who make it what it is.
May our loving God be with you, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Any queries, please let me know.
Yours in Christ,
Keith NQ
Supreme Court of Queensland Order July 2026
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