Archer takes aim: Strata pioneer calls for mandatory licensing in Queensland
As Queensland’s strata sector continues to grow, industry veteran Colin Archer is calling for mandatory licensing, recognised qualifications and stronger professional standards for body corporate managers
Article contributed by Archers the Strata Professionals
Growing up on a 75,000-acre sheep station in outback Queensland, a career managing high-density strata schemes seemed worlds away for young Colin Archer.
“Walking to school meant taking 20 steps from the homestead to a shed for lessons with School of the Air,” he laughed.
But life on the station was far from isolated.
“There was mum and dad, my four sisters and one brother, plus seven or eight people working on the property. It was our own little community,” he recalled.
Perhaps this early experience of communal living helped shape his future because today, decades into his business journey, Mr Archer is one of Australia’s most influential voices in the strata sector.
The management of properties with multiple owners, including apartments, townhouses and mixed-use buildings, is a fast-growing industry. Queensland alone is home to around 52,886 registered strata schemes, housing approximately 1.2 million residents, or 14 percent of the state’s population.
At 73, Mr Archer is the founder and chair of Archers the Strata Professionals, a business he launched on the Sunshine Coast in 1982 when strata management was still emerging.
Today, the company manages around 31,000 lots, operates six offices across Queensland, and employs more than 90 staff. With around $480 million in total funds under management, plus a support hub in the Philippines, Archers is now one of Queensland’s most established strata firms.
The state’s strata lot growth rate is rising at roughly two percent each year, equating to more than 10,000 new lots annually. With the Queensland Government’s $2 billion Residential Activation Fund set to unlock tens of thousands of additional homes, those figures are expected to climb even higher.
As strata living surges across Queensland, Mr Archer is sounding the alarm on what he believes is the “single biggest gap” threatening the state’s residential landscape: the lack of mandatory licensing and training for body corporate managers.
His push for reform is rooted in a lifetime of lived experience that began when the concept of strata management was still in its infancy.
After his School of the Air beginnings, Mr Archer left the sheep station for boarding school at The Southport School (TSS) on the Gold Coast.
“That involved a three-day train trip from home, with two nights sleeping on the train,” he said.
Strong in maths, he pursued economics at James Cook University before joining a Townsville development group.
“My friends convinced me the pot of gold was on the Sunshine Coast, which in 1981 was experiencing significant growth,” he said.
The reality was tougher.
“I started an accountancy practice called Colin Archer and Associates, but after six months it was just called Colin Archer because I was the only one left,” he laughed.
A turning point came when body corporate work landed on his desk.
“I had to take on extra work, and everyone needed help with accounts for these new body corporates popping up. I handled the levies, accounts, budgets, financial statements and meetings.”
This became the foundation of Archers the Strata Professionals. Now, 44 years on, the firm manages schemes that include multi-storey mixed-use towers with hundreds of apartments, retail tenancies and complex compliance requirements.
“The strength of the business is the team. Many have been with us more than 20 years,” Mr Archer said.
The business has been Great Place to Work certified, and Mr Archer’s leadership and advocacy have helped shape the sector. He was the founding president of the National Community Titles Institute (now SCA), has received national and state awards for industry service, and is the longest-serving SCA Queensland member.
He has also guided schemes through some of Queensland’s toughest disasters. After Cyclone Debbie, his team spent more than two years on the ground coordinating a rebuild valued at more than $100 million.
“It was a very humbling experience, and one I’ll never forget,” he said. “We had to give them confidence that things were under control.”
Mr Archer also advocated strongly for the cyclone reinsurance pool, a federal initiative that tackles the most severe cyclone and cyclone-related flood risks, allowing insurers to offer more affordable premiums in northern Australia.
He made submissions to both the House of Representatives and the ACCC Northern Australian Insurance Inquiry, calling for federal intervention to normalise premiums for northern residents who historically paid five to seven times more than households elsewhere.
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Despite the sector’s sophistication, Mr Archer says one fundamental flaw remains: Queensland still does not require body corporate managers to hold any licence or qualification.
After campaigning since the mid-1990s, and even getting a body corporate licensing bill before Parliament, he remains firm on the need for reform.
“Past Queensland government ministers told me, ‘We don’t have a problem, so we don’t need licensing.’ I disagree entirely,” he said.
“What this industry needs most is proper education and a regulated entry pathway. Without it, we risk poor decisions, mismanaged funds, cybersecurity vulnerabilities and inconsistent standards.”
Other states are beginning to shift towards compulsory continuing professional development and recognised qualifications.
“New South Wales had licensing for many years, and more recently Western Australia has introduced a sensible licensing regime and good legislation,” Mr Archer said. “Queensland risks falling behind.”
Today’s bodies corporate are responsible for significant financial reserves and increasingly complex buildings.
“Mixed-use towers with layers of retail, commercial and residential tenancies, EV charging, cybersecurity, insurance requirements… you can’t leave that to chance,” he said.
Mr Archer stepped back from full-time work at Archers several years ago and now spends more time on the family-owned North Queensland cattle property. This follows the Archers tradition started by his grandfather, who ‘drew’ his first block in 1910 in Winton.
He still mentors the leadership team and remains a guiding force in the business.
His daughter, Tamara, recently joined Archers as a strata manager after 15 years working in Europe, continuing the family’s involvement.
“After four decades, I’m still invested in making sure Archers and the strata profession progress,” he said.
“People have committed 20 or 25 years to the Archers business. I want to ensure they have the support they deserve.”
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