QLD State Recap – Autumn 2021

SCA (Qld) has wrapped up an outstanding 2021 Annual Conference and now we look to the agenda for our sector and the priorities that need our attention. There are some critical milestones being tackled in 2021, from our upcoming working group to discuss the Community Titles Schemes legislation, a new government relations strategy for the next 2-3 years and our continued commitment to professionalising the sector with a robust accreditation pathway.

Already, the Board is rolling up their sleeves to get some headway in progressing on the ALP Election Commitments. Many of the issues we pursued late last year are critical to consumers and I am pleased to say that we have succeeded in putting them firmly on the government’s agenda.

Community Titles Legislation Working Group

The Community Titles Legislation Working Group will discuss strata issues in four stages, all issues specifically raised by SCA (Qld) in our 2020 Election Priorities. We made 7 recommendations, with 6 of them directed towards the Department of Justice and we are ready to finalise those pressing consumer issues. SCA (Qld) is one of only six stakeholders.

Stage 1 will commence with the current issues facing our sector, primarily alternative insurance arrangements and the Queensland Treasury’s response to the recommendations made by the ACCC.

Stage 2 will involve some of the outstanding recommendations from the QUT Property Law Review which was conducted from 2014 – 2016. This includes one of the major priorities for SCA (Qld) which involves allowing bodies corporate to better selfregulate with reduced restrictions on by-laws.

Stage 3 is focussed on the commitments made by the government during the election period which covers a lot of SCA (Qld) introduced topics including body corporate manager licensing and regulations, an expanded dispute resolution framework, and more ability to do a review of management rights and caretaking duties.

The final stage will look at harmonising BUGTA with the BCCM Act to assess whether bringing these two acts together will assist with a greater “regulatory uniform” across bodies corporate in Queensland.

This working group is a once in a lifetime opportunity allowing SCA (Qld) to demonstrate its thought leadership and be involved in improving legislation across the sector.

Government Relations Strategy for 2021 and beyond

SCA (Qld) has made significant steps towards becoming a respected and credible stakeholder group for many government councils, such as the BCCM Stakeholder Group, the Ministerial Construction Council, the Ministerial Housing Council and the QBCC Stakeholder Group. To continue and build on this success, the Board is developing a comprehensive government relations strategy spanning the coming 2-3 years.

This strategy will be comprehensive and include a specific plan that ensures the priorities we need to advocate for are heard by the right government representatives. With three levels of government there is much work to be done in accelerating body corporate to the front of mind of our government. It is critical for SCA (Qld) to develop a vision of our industry and organisation for the next 3 years and to set key milestones that take us to the next level of success.

SCA (Qld) Annual Conference and Awards for Excellence

Leading the way out of the unusual circumstances of 2020, our Conference set the tone for how we see ourselves now – as leaders in the industry. A huge event of over 310 delegates at the RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, we had the privilege of The Hon. Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman opening the conference with a view on the future of strata and the new regulations which have just come into effect on 1 March. On day two the Commissioner for BCCM Michelle Scott addressed our delegates on adjudication orders of the past year.

She discussed some trends her office has seen and how they will be working collaboratively with the sector and SCA (Qld). Our Conference finished with our Annual Awards and Conference Dinner where we announced the 2021 members that have demonstrated excellence throughout the past 12 months. Our 10 award winners were celebrated at eclectic Miami Marketta with 360 guests – all very well deserved. Read about all our winners on page 26.

SCA (Qld) professionalising the strata industry

Continuing the excellence and acknowledging the hard work of our members is a big part of our operations at SCA (Qld) and we are committed to professionalising the sector. We will be implementing stage 2 of our new accreditation policy which introduces new ongoing education requirements and elevated eligibility criteria for the accreditation levels.

The 2021 accreditation pathway is now aligned with other Australian jurisdictions that have licensing or regulation in place and will provide a nationwide benchmark for strata manager qualifications and professional development. The accreditation levels are designed as a pathway, building onto each level accumulating credentials.

SCA (Qld) values high quality education, a solid career pathway for body corporate managers and a universal set of credentials for consumers to understand the qualifications of accredited managers. Strong professional development requirements lift the bar of the sector’s professionalism.