SCA (ACT) PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE (JUNE 2022)

SCA (ACT) has hit the ground running in the first half of 2022, reaching considerable milestones in relation to ongoing endeavours in the areas of government advocacy and media relations. As the year continues to progress, SCA (ACT) remains committed to continuing its focus on public policy and advocacy, building upon our significant accomplishments to drive positive change for the industry, and ensure valuable outcomes are obtained by all strata stakeholders in the ACT.

ACT Cladding Rectification and Fire Safety

Over the past few months, SCA (ACT) has been focused on pushing forward the agenda regarding the lack of progression of dangerous cladding rectification efforts in the ACT. To that effect, SCA (ACT) has received significant exposure through the media, engaging in a successful campaign to raise awareness and draw attention to the lack of support currently being provided by the ACT Government. Our messaging has been featured both in a number of industry publications and ACT news outlets, which included publishing an opinion piece in the Canberra Times, highlighting the gravity of the issue and calling on the Government for more action (read here).

Similarly, SCA (ACT) also recently supported Owners Corporation Network (ACT) in the facilitation of a public forum, conducted to address the concerns of community members regarding the ongoing issues surrounding dangerous combustible cladding in the ACT. SCA (ACT) President Shelley Mulherin was a panellist on the panel which appeared at the public forum where she addressed and refuted certain controversial claims by the ACT Government including that it was the responsibility of the strata manager to “identify” flammable cladding. Shelley spoke about the shared responsibility of Government, private certifiers, insurers and owners in relation to resolving these issues in the ACT.

As a result of SCA (ACT)’s ongoing advocacy efforts, the issue of residential cladding has become a notable topic of discourse. ACT Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee MLA (another attendee of the SCA (ACT) OCN (ACT) cladding public forum) recently criticised the current ACT Government on their lack of urgency, and formally moved a motion in the ACT Legislative Assembly on 2 June 2022 calling on the Government to make it a priority to both set a date for phase 2, and release concrete details of the remediation loan scheme. In response to this criticism, Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury has confirmed the full details of the concessional loan scheme will be announced in the coming weeks. As at the time of writing, no announcement has been made.

In line with SCA (ACT)’s goal to improve fire safety and preparedness in the strata industry, SCA (ACT) is also currently engaged with the ACT Government to provide practical fire risk mitigation tips for strata managers. SCA (ACT) will assist in the development and distribution of resources, that will provide strata managers with practical information to improve the level of fire safety in the buildings and schemes that they manage.

ACT Government Unit Title Reform

The ACT Government is committed to maintaining its focus on the Unit Title Reform Project, to address the complex additional issues implemented in the Stage 2 reforms of the Unit Titles Legislation Amendment Act.

SCA (ACT), as the peak professional association for the Australian Capital Territory Body Corporate and Community Title Management industry, continues to play a pivotal role as a key stakeholder in this process. SCA (ACT) frequently consults with the Government and the wider industry to best represent the needs of the strata, importantly including maintaining our position on the Unit Title Reform Industry Consultation Panel.   

SCA (ACT) continues to work to ensure that the legislative reforms implemented by the Government will result in a strong framework, and provide the best possible outcomes for strata industry stakeholders in the ACT.

Membership and Events

Membership is booming and any and all interested stakeholders or strata managers are invited to apply for membership in 2022. SCA(ACT) members now represent the majority of units under management in the ACT and we are continuing to seek to engage and liaise with our members about what they want to see from their SCA.

We are looking forward to hosting the CHU SCA (ACT) Strata Community Awards in October and hope readers stay tuned for an Awards “theme” to be announced in the coming weeks…