August 2018
As we strive to deliver our key priorities as part of the Institute’s Strategic Plan, we continue to prioritise our advocacy and government relations efforts, with chapter Executive Directors at the forefront of our efforts to advocate for better government decisions and policy, which recognise the importance of the profession in our built environment and position the Institute as the voice of architecture in Australia.
Since our last update, we have advocated at a state and territory level on several issues:
- Compliance
- Cladding
- Apartment standards
- 2018 Victorian election
- Planning
- Affordable Housing
- Public transport
The Institute has written to state and territory Building Ministers, to express support for the recently released report Building Confidence, by Professor Peter Shergold and Bronwyn Weir, which examined compliance systems for the building and construction industry. Having advocated for some time for changes to the building regulatory environment regarding enforcement and compliance with National Construction Code, the Institute has welcomed the findings of the report and has urged Building Ministers to implement all 24 recommendations, in collaboration with industry.
The Queensland Chapter has made a submission to the Building Ministers’ Forum on the discussion paper relating to Permanent Labelling System for ACP products. The chapter argued that options one (permanently etched stamped or motif on the non-visible side of the panel), or option three (use of Covert Data as the ideal labelling options to ensure the long-term identification of ACP over the life of a building. The submission also argued that these options should be supported rather than replaced by option four (Maturation of current reviews and reforms).
Victorian Chapter representatives recently met with new Cladding Taskforce CEO Rob Spence to discuss cladding and superintendents. The chapter continues to push for improved responsibilities of architects, the registration of project managers and PI to be bound by a code of conduct, which precludes financial gain from material substitutions.
With Victoria’s Better Apartment Design Standards (BADS) recently turning one, Victorian Chapter representatives have been meeting as part of the Better Apartments Project Reference Group. The chapter continues to advocate for involvement of a registered architect for all apartment buildings over three storeys, clamping down on inadequate building supervision, and putting an end to the practice of product substitution for short-term profits.
The Victorian Chapter recently held a joint industry event with the Planning Institute and Australian Institute of Landscape Architects to open talks on collaborative efforts in support of the design and planning industries in the state. The Victorian Chapter’s pre-election platform seeks commitments from the parties in relation to four key issues:
• a strong office of the Victorian Government Architect (OVGA)
• improved procurement practises
• better design standards
• and more affordable housing.
Victorian Chapter President Amy Muir and Executive Director Ruth White will be meeting with the relevant parties in the next month to ascertain their position around these four focus areas.
The City of Melbourne has prepared Amendment C308 to the Melbourne Planning Scheme – a review of the current urban design policies that will apply to the central city and Southbank. The Victorian Chapter has been active in a number of presentations with industry bodies and the state’s membership and recently hosted a presentation, which allowed the City of Melbourne to directly discuss its thinking behind the need for the amendments. While the Victorian Chapter applauds the general intent, it has expressed concern over how the amendments are implemented and their impact on allowing for innovative design excellence. The chapter will make a formal submission in the coming weeks.
Following its emergency housing summit earlier this year, the Tasmanian Government introduced legislation aimed at addressing the critical shortage of affordable housing in the state. While offering broad support for measures to accelerate supply of affordable housing, the Tasmanian Chapter raised various concerns about the draft Residential Housing Supply Bill 2018, including the potential release of more greenfield sites without adequate consideration of location, running the risk of increasing social inequality. The Chapter urged the government to consider progressive solutions that do not exacerbate social problems and suggested that the government prioritise a strategic regional plan for Greater Hobart and other population growth centres, in line with a state settlement and population policy.
The ACT Chapter hosted a series of seminars on housing affordability and produced a summary of the presentations and propositions to emerge from the seminars. The document puts forward the view that ongoing commitment is needed to address the availability of well-located, good-quality, stable-tenure housing in Canberra, which can be rented or purchased by residents whose combined household income is in the lower 40 per cent of incomes. The range of housing types currently entering the market is very limited, focussing on apartments and detached housing, with little to address the middle range of housing, such as group housing, terraces, and dual occupancy blocks and innovative ways of procuring housing. This has impacts on affordability as it reduces the range of individually titled affordable housing stock where ongoing costs can be reduced.
The document contains some propositions around the following:
• location of affordable housing
• housing choices
• affordable housing quality
• planning for affordability
• tenure and security
• targeted affordability.
The ACT Chapter provided a submission to the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories’ Inquiry into the Proposed Stage Two of the ACT Light Rail Project. The Chapter’s comments focussed primarily on the inquiry’s terms of reference with respect to the possible impacts on the parliamentary zone and parliamentary precincts, including consideration of heritage impacts on the values and national importance of the parliamentary zone and the national capital.
The Queensland Chapter has commended the Brisbane City Council for its commitment to delivering world-class public transport for the city’s residents and visitors through the Brisbane Metro Project. However, the Chapter has raised some concerns, saying a transparent and rigorous assessment is needed to support the reference design included in the draft report – the Chapter has offered to provide this assessment. It has also raised concerns that the draft does not include a reference point to urban design, and that aspects do not protect and enhance the public realm.