SA/NT President Annual Report 2022-23

As we reflect on the year past, SCA SA/NT was thrilled to be offered new opportunities to push the agenda forward for the strata sector. We are proud to have embraced emerging challenges with a proactive approach, pushing forward in an effort to shape and define the future of strata management and living in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

As always, we continued our unwavering commitment to the education and professional development of the strata sector. Through a range of webinars, workshops and events, we are excited to have played a role in empowering our strata managers and service providers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the ever-expanding, evolving and complex strata landscape.

Advocacy for the strata sector was maintained as a cornerstone of our organisation’s overall mission, as a time tested, effective tool for driving the expansion and development of strata. Over the past year, our advocacy efforts have led to transformative outcomes, and allowed the strata sector in our growing jurisdiction to reach newer heights than ever before.

Specifically, this year saw the long-awaited introduction of the Aluminium Composite Panel Cladding Loan Scheme in South Australia, allowing strata corporations to apply for low-interest loans to replace flammable aluminium composite panel cladding their buildings. Although the scheme was not introduced without obstacles, we continue our dialogue with policy makers in this regard into 2024, as we continue to safeguard the rights of strata residents and owners.

Even more notably, in early 2023 we were afforded the critical opportunity to provide input into the proposed changes to the South Australian Strata Titles Act 1988 and Community Titles Act 1996, in the form of the draft Statutes Amendment (Community and Strata Titles) Bill 2022. Through the consultation and collaboration of our diverse membership, SCA SA/NT was able to effectively advocate for legislative reforms that prioritised, and put first, the needs of all strata stakeholders to government. We eagerly await the results of our feedback, and cannot wait for the eventual positive impacts of the reforms to reach our members with boots on the group every day.

Over the past few years, a taskforce of the executive committee was formed to look at creating a membership tool to allow consumers to effectively obtain 3 quotes from members for their community. This is ensuring consumers have a one stop shop to gain a credible quote from a high quality member of the SCA.

This year we also conducted our first committee training in August and the response was great, the SA/NT executive have a strong desire to continue these into the future as we look to educate communities all over SA/NT with a strong focus on empowering good governance and understanding of community living.

Importantly, it has been exciting to see the desire and appetite for the reform of the strata sector in the Northern Territory over the past financial year. Issues such as debt recovery and strata insurance have persisted, restricting the operation and growth of strata managers in the region. As such, SCA SA/NT is looking forward to the establishment of an NT Advocacy Working Group in the coming months, aimed at rectifying the specific challenges that our membership is facing, and bringing strata to the forefront of the government’s agenda for years to come.

Without the consistent support and dedication of our membership, the elevation of our industry would simply not be possible. I would like to sincerely thank each and every SCA SA/NT member for your faith in our organisation, and for your worthwhile contributions throughout the year. The passion you have, and continue to exhibit for the strata industry is unmatched, and is ultimately what allows us to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

As we set our sights on the future, we are excited for the prospects that await us. We are confident that in the near future the strata management occupation will be decoupled from the real estate industry in the eyes of the government, which will open the floodgates for the immense expansion and prosperity of our profession.

Until then, collaboration and engagement will remain as a core component of our work, and we will continue to forge strong partnerships, educate, inspire and reaffirm the benefits of a collective, united voice and purpose for strata and strata management in South Australia and the Northern Territory.