The organisation was created in 2011 by the amalgamation of Poets Union Inc., based in New South Wales, and the Australian Poetry Centre Inc. of Victoria.
[6] During this time, the Sydney/NSW branch of the Union held readings in pubs in Sydney, such as one at the Royal Standard Hotel at which Michael Wilding was one of the readers.
[7] Lee Cataldi, Anna Couani (President of the Sydney branch[8]), Rae Desmond Jones, Kate Llewellyn, Alan Wearne, Les Wicks, Chris Mansell and Judith Wright and many other Australian writers were associated with the Poets' Union.
[21][22] It was created at the request of the Australia Council for the Arts, and came into being by the disestablishment of The Poets Union Inc. (NSW) and Australian Poetry Centre Inc. (Vic), with their assets being sunk into the new national body, with effect from 1 January 2011.
For the new entity to be able to operate nationally, it needed to be created as a company, under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
Poetry Australia was incorporated as a not-for-profit public company "limited by guarantee" under the Corporations Act 2001, on 1 September 2010.
Poet, academic, comedian and photographer Yvette Holt, also chair of the First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN), is a member of the board.
[31] In 2014, the First Nations Australia Writers Network (FNAWN) worked with Australian Poetry on the management of the prize.
[31] Winners include: Friendly Street Poets was established in 1975 in Adelaide, South Australia, and continues to exist as an independent entity.
[39][40][non-primary source needed] WA Poets Inc. (WAPI) was established in 2006 in Western Australia as an incorporated, not-for-profit, volunteer-run organisation.