G20 Summit is preparing Brisbane for the future
Living in strata schemes will be one of the dominating topics in the public eye in 2014 as the property law review has commenced and SCA (Qld) will be directly involved in all stages of the process.
Our board has been tirelessly advocating for the development of the strata sector and this year is when it counts. In preparation for the biggest shake up since 200 8 we are looking back at our work with the government, further adding to our famous issues list we presented only recently to the attorney-general. Our relationships have been strengthened to the extent that we are considered as a serious partner in the review process that can contribute practical solutions to theoretical issues.
It is expected that 2014 will see property values rise and development approvals increase and with the biggest political event in the world taking place in Brisbane, it is a great time for us to be verbal about our needs as the world is watching.
In November, Brisbane is welcoming 20 world leaders and their 4000 people strong entourage for two days of history making debates. The G20 Summit is the biggest security undertaking in Australian history, involving Queensland police, a commonwealth taskforce and Brisbane Marketing. SCA (Qld) is of course actively working with the G20 engagement team of the Queensland police during our year of G20 presidency.
Late last year we met with Queensland police to gauge the expected impact such a security operation will have on our members in Cairns and Brisbane and residents in strata apartments. The good news is that there are thousands of people working on the G20 summit to ensure that Brisbanites are safe and that there is minimal disruption to apartment residents and city workers. Common sense measures will be put into place in the vicinity of the G20 locations which are first tested in Cairns in September at the Finance Minister’s Meeting and then in SEQ, spanning across the CBD to Southbank.
The G20 Summit will occur on 15 and 16 November at the Brisbane Convention Centre, Southbank and will demonstrate the capabilities of Australia to host such an important event. To help with the disruption and minimise the impact the Newman government has introduced a public holiday to take place on 14 November.
There will be a lot of misinformation and speculation over the next few months about how the G20 will impact the lives of South Brisbane apartment residents and the operations of title strata buildings but we are continuing our communication with Queensland police to inform members.
What the G20 Summit in Brisbane really demonstrates is Brisbane’s increasing importance in Australia and beyond. I see it as a sign that we recover quickly from all those natural disasters and economic crises that have happened in the last years and that we truly are a state that leaders are watching. Naturally this means more business in the future that leads to more property developments and infrastructure.
People will continue to make lifestyle choices to live in strata and engage professionals to administer their assets. The challenge that arises out of this trend is that more professional people are needed and that as the industry body, SCA (Qld) helps the sector with new qualified body corporate managers.
In order for us to fulfil that objective, the SCA-RTO has been delivering the Certificate IV in Property Operations for many years. While the RTO is successfully managed by a full time professional RTO, SCA (Qld) is now also introducing accreditation to publicly recognise quality with a universal system of credentials.
As of 1 July 2014 body corporate managers can get accreditation with us, which provides a transparent system of qualifications that a reputable body corporate manager can obtain. Accreditation provides consumer confidence in the capabilities of the manager. The managers abide by our code of ethics and continue their education pathway in order to stay abreast of changes and continually provide excellent customer service. What more could owners ask of their body corporate manager?
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