SCA (WA) President Annual Report 2021-2022

The previous financial year has been a year of transformation. As predicted, COVID-19 eventually made its way into the state, but the team rose to the challenge. Events were delivered online, and COVID-19 guidelines were provided to complexes.

Our second year with a National CEO continues to prove a success, allowing for admin support for the SCA (WA) team. Raising the professionalism has been a priority in all states, and the increasing emphasis on SMPS and Accreditation is pleasing to see.

The WA team continued to offer an extensive education calendar, engaging with industry experts to ensure members are receiving quality education. We have secured an office and the team are enjoying working together in one space again after almost a year from home.

We are excited for the year ahead, as we look to increase professionalism even further and raise the bar across the industry.

A YEAR IN REVIEW

While many of the previous staff members remain, we are delighted to welcome Jack Leighton-Jones as our new Events Coordinator to assist with the education calendar. We said farewell to our Stakeholder Engagement Officer, Lisa Kneebone in early 2022, and wish her the best for the future.

Our staff are settled into the new office based in South Perth, and are excited to be back working as a team in person.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated board and committee members for volunteering their time and expertise consistently throughout the year. Our organisation could not run if it weren’t for the hours of assistance these individuals provide us.

Education
To make it easier for members to select training events best suited to their role a colour coded system has been introduced as part of the Strata Workforce Competency Framework. Role descriptors with definitions of the below job titles can be found on the SCA website. These role descriptors will assist identifying the best job title matched to what you do and which training you should attend.

The role descriptor levels are listed below in the colours they will appear:

Assistant to Strata Community Manager

Strata Community Manager

Strata Community Manager Level 2

Strata Community Manager Level 3a and 3b

Senior Strata Community Manager

SCA (WA) Convention & Awards Night

On the 5th November 2021, the CHU SCA (WA) 2021 Convention and Awards Night was held at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth. The theme of the event was Limitless, to encourage the strata industry to reach beyond their boundaries and strive to raise the professionalism.

Attendees were taught how to achieve resilience, adaptability, and flexibility. The program was carefully curated to ensure mindsets, technology, strategies, and lifestyles were challenged and enriched.

Congratulations to all award applicants, finalists, and winners for making the judging process particularly difficult for our judging panel. We were so impressed to see how the strata industry has developed over the past year.

Strata Management Practice Standard Certification

SCA (WA) was also proud to acknowledge additional companies which achieved Strata Management Practice Standard Certification.

B Strata, Prestige Strata Management, and Degrees Strata have developed and enforced documented internal processes, which are implemented to improve both client satisfaction and internal business processes.

We look forward to welcoming more strata management companies to this certification over the next 12 months.

The Year Ahead

While the tumultuous ride of COVID-19 continues and we have worked with our strata communities through unprecedented times, the coming financial year will hopefully be less eventful and allow us to concentrate on some serious nuts and bolts strata matters.

We held the first of a series of ongoing working group meetings with Landgate in December 2021 to work through issues.

SCA (WA) identified changes needed within the amended Strata Titles Act. I am hopeful that the end result of these regular talks will be a more streamlined education system and careers pathway for strata managers and better laws and regulations for the industry as a whole. This remains a priority for the coming year.

RAISING OUR VOICE

SCA (WA) had a lot to say in 2021-2022.

With COVID-19, we lobbied hard to get health guidelines from the WA government for residential strata properties before and after the virus took a hold in the State. As issues emerged with the amended WA Strata Titles Act, we formed a working group with Landgate to examine the laws and regulations that were causing difficulties. The working group grew out of ongoing quarterly meetings we had already established with the land agency.

A workable, education and career pathway has also been central to the working group activities. We hope that before long it will reap fruit and we will have a better system to announce – one that better reflects our professionalism.

In the lead up to the Federal election the push was on for smarter, greener and more efficient strata communities; more affordable insurance; and action to combat building defects. I was active on the campaign trail, meeting with some candidates to discuss SCA’s election priorities and providing information to those in seats with high numbers of strata properties.

COVID-19

Throughout 2021, SCA (WA) sought health guidelines for dealing with COVID-19 in residential strata properties. It became urgent in January 2022 when the new Omicron variant slipped the borders and began to spread.

SCA (WA) stepped up calls through the media and also released its own COVID-19 checklist to help strata managers and property owners prepare for growing numbers of infections to keep strata communities as safe as possible.

Through coverage on TV, radio and online, we sought to raise public awareness of the various COVID-19 issues strata complexes could face.

Our voices were heard, and on February 25, the WA Health Department released an FAQ aimed at helping strata managers and communities manage COVID-19. The FAQ has been updated as the COVID-19 situation changes.

STRATA TITLES ACT
The SCA (WA) – Landgate working group first met on 10 December 2021 to discuss and look at possible solutions to a series of issues with WA’s strata laws and regulations identified by SCA (WA).

Since then, the working group has held several more meetings and talks continue to be constructive. They are currently focused on education pathways for strata managers and problems with Section 87 of the Act which relates to structural alterations. REIWA Strata has also joined the table. The working group meetings are set to continue through the coming financial year.

FEDERAL ELECTION
Creating smarter, greener and more efficient strata communities; making insurance affordable and accessible for strata; and eradicating the high prevalence of building defects in strata complexes. These were the priorities identified by the SCA national office in the lead up to the Federal election and detailed in its 2022 SCA Federal Election Priorities document.

In WA, I met with candidates and MPs who were open to discussing the priorities. The local office distributed copies of the election priorities to candidates and MPs in areas with big numbers of strata schemes and spoke with campaign offices. It was important to make sure the message reached those people who would be involved in making decisions affecting our communities.

OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
SCA (WA) this year made important submissions to the WA government.

These included the Review of Electricity Corporations (South West Interconnected Systems Prescribed Customers) and also the Draft Position Statement: Planning for Tourism and Guidelines as it relates to short stay accommodation.

SCA (WA) is represented on the Property Industry Advisory Committee chaired by the WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection, at City of Perth Local Planning Scheme Advisory Group, Heritage Council WA, Development WA, and Perth Development Assessment Panel. This is achieving the strategic aim of raising the profile of the strata sector.

I’m hopeful the coming financial year will be as productive for the industry as this last year has been and look forward, with hope, to education reform and sleeker laws and regulations.

On behalf of SCA (WA) and the wider strata community, thank you all.