In 1905 Reverend FW Walker established Papuan Industries Pty Ltd. This was the beginning of the Islanders Board of Industry and Service (IBIS) as we know it today.

IBIS is the trading name of the Island Industries Board (IIB) a statutory authority governed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities (Justice, Land and Other Matters) Act 1984 with obligations to:

• provide goods and services to the Communities of the Torres Strait, and
• report to the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs.

As constituted under the Act, IBIS is governed by a Board of Torres Strait Islanders and specialist members and is managed by a Chief Executive Officer.

IBIS operates on the principle that people working together and helping each other to achieve a common goal will succeed. IBIS has a genuine role in generating investment and industry opportunities to provide jobs and economic growth for the people of the Torres Strait and the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA). It plays a major part in the economy of the Torres Strait, employing around 150 staff.

The development and implementation of sound business practices in an ethical, culturally appropriate and socially responsible manner has enabled IBIS to move into a new age of business, adopting a strategic corporate approach to its core business in order to ensure its future growth.