Last week I was inaugurated into National Council with a mentally exhausting but constructive three days in Canberra attending a series of meetings and briefings. This included a general National Councillor induction, Parliamentary breakfast, National Council meeting and Institute strategy session. The breakfast event at Parliament House and was attended by 50 Federal members and their advisers. The theme of the event was Affordable Housing and National President Ken Maher delivered a wide ranging speech on how architects need to be part of the discussion and have much to offer. The speech can be viewed here. I took the time after the breakfast to chat with John Alexander, perhaps the most vocal federal Liberal member on the issue, and I hope to catch up with him again in future to reinforce Ken’s message.

Thursday’s strategy session was a time for some high level thinking about where the Institute is heading in the next few years, as we consolidate after the recent restructure and flesh-out the three pillars of Advocacy, Education and Membership. What was clear from the general discussion was that everything we do should be about membership as that is what we are – a member organization. 

I attended the Newcastle Architecture Awards on 9th March and it was fantastic to see both a great selection of projects from a range of practices being recognized, and the buoyant mood of the profession in Newcastle. There seems to be a general feeling that Newcastle is going through a bit of a renaissance, and that architects are playing an important role in that process of change. There is so much untapped potential in the built fabric of Newcastle that we can add value to.

Thursday night was the Sydney launch of ‘Chasing The Sky: 20 Stories of Women in Architecture’ by Maven Publishing held at Tusculum and attended by eleven of the twenty featured architects. Showcasing twenty of Australia’s leading women in architecture, Chasing the Sky presents the voices and wisdom of some of Australia’s most dynamic practitioners both as acclaimed individuals and as a diverse collective.

Last Friday Past President Shaun Carter, Heritage Committee Chair Hector Abrahams, Executive Director Joshua Morrin and I met with the Shadow Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe MLC at her request. We spoke about the importance of meaningful protections for heritage; that heritage is more than just the physical and financial value of buildings and that we need to expand our thinking beyond the individual items to think more about precincts and place making. We of course spoke about Sirius and why it is critical that governments take the advice of the experts that they have put in place to advise them; such as the Heritage Council. The battle for Sirius is not over, with the upcoming court challenge to have the Minister’s decision annulled – supported by the Save Our Sirius Foundation and Millers Point Community Association through the Environmental Defenders Office – set for the first week in April.