On Monday 16th December Chris Duggan, SCA (NSW) President, met with the NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler.
While we have met with the Commissioner a number of times previously, this meeting was organised by Alisha Fisher, SCA Australasia CEO to discuss the Building Manual; a joint SCA, Engineers Australia and WebFM initiative. It also follows a range of meetings in 2019 with other senior NSW Ministers and Government officials.
The discussion with the Commissioner focused on a number of Strata related matters, with two key points forming the basis of our conversation:
- Professional Standards Scheme– The Commissioner was very engaged and pleased we had embarked on this process. He made it very clear that the expectation within Government was for the increase in professionalism for managing agents as trusted advisors to consumers. This cemented our resolve that the Standard is critical to our profession moving forward.
- 2020 Strata Law Review– He was very clear of his expectation the duty of care owed to schemes by strata managers must be stepped up. We expect this to be a point of discussion in next year’s review.
We maintain a good working relationship with Commissioner Chandler and he continues to evolve as a key player in the strata landscape, with a potentially significant mandate to implement reform next year.
This reform is much needed and it is very encouraging to see that the Commissioner is now seeking the views of SCA (NSW) before the formulation and implementation of major policy.
We look forward to our ongoing discussions with the Government, Minister and Commissioner and we will maintain a vigilant advocatory persona to ensure that the Government is addressing the issues our industry is facing to benefit our members and all those who live in, own or work in Strata titled schemes.
SCA (NSW) believes communication and collaboration is more important than ever, and we will continue bringing about the next chapter in strata to the benefit of all involved.