Parents of Australia’s first naturally conceived identical quadruplets keep housing support after government steps in

A Queensland family who recently welcomed Australia’s first naturally conceived identical quadruplets will continue receiving government rental assistance after the Housing Minister stepped in to overturn a decision that threatened to leave them without support.

Jenitar Na’amoana, 34, and her husband Jortham, who are originally from Honiara in the Solomon Islands, welcomed their four daughters, Emily, Harriet, Alexa and Catherine, at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on July 14.

The birth is believed to be the first naturally conceived pregnancy of its kind in Australia, with the four girls delivered by elective caesarean section at 28 weeks and four days.

The newborns remain in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, where they are receiving specialist care.

The couple are now parents to eight children, with their quadruplets joining their four older children aged 10, eight, three and one.

Before the girls arrived, the family launched a GoFundMe campaign to help with the costs of preparing for four newborns, including baby equipment, a larger family vehicle, medical expenses, travel and everyday living costs.

The fundraiser received an overwhelming response, raising more than $79,000, including an anonymous $10,000 donation.

However, the financial support unexpectedly affected the family’s access to government assistance.

The Department of Housing contacted the family advising that their private rental financial assistance had been withdrawn because the GoFundMe donations changed their financial circumstances.

The family, who live in a three-bedroom rental home on Brisbane’s northside, had been receiving rental assistance and had also been approved for social housing in June.

Queensland Housing Minister Sam O’Connor later stepped in, saying the family’s circumstances were an exceptional case.

“The housing officer was following the guidelines as they are but this is a really unique circumstance,” O’Connor told 7NEWS.

“It’s not an ordinary situation, we don’t have a carve-out in our guidelines for these situations.”

The Minister said the case was raised with him and the decision was changed, while acknowledging that similar situations are assessed individually.

“We do get cases like this where there is discretion exercised pretty frequently, this one was a more high profile case given the unique circumstances,” he said.

“We consider these things on a case-by-case basis and the right thing happened here and we’ll do it again if there are other unique cases like these.”

O’Connor said the government would continue working with the family to find the best possible housing outcome.

The family’s private rental has been secured until February next year, giving the Queensland Government time to help find accommodation better suited to their growing household.

For Jenitar and Jortham, the decision provides some relief as they focus on caring for their eight children and supporting their four daughters through their early days of life.