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The Housing Industry Association (HIA) welcomes a new leader at a pivotal moment for the organisation.
With the country setting ambitious targets for residential building in the years to come, HIA is readying itself for a new chapter as its managing director hands the reins to a new leader, Jocelyn Martin.
Graham Wolfe, who has been with HIA for 26 years in various positions, served as its managing director for the past five years. He has now decided to retire, with Ms Martin, the organisation’s deputy managing director of policy and industry, stepping into the top job.
Head of HIA’s board, Debbie Johnson, thanked Mr Wolfe for his dedication to the association and achievements during his tenure.
Ms Martin, she said, would bring “her own brand of wisdom, strength and enthusiasm to the role”.
Having joined HIA in 2014, Ms Martin has held a number of positions within the group, including chief executive of operations. She said she was attracted to join HIA due to its “strong sense of advocacy”.
“In an environment where housing supply is such a critical issue, the work that HIA undertakes on behalf of members is extremely important,” she said.
The coming five years at least will be crucial ones for the organisation and its members, as the country looks to ramp up housing construction to meet newly updated national targets of building 1.2 million homes starting July 2024.
Queried as to whether the country has the resources to fulfil the task, HIA this week said the formidable goal is possible, but identified some potential pain points that need to be rectified as a matter of urgency.
“Skills shortages in the industry are likely to be one of the greatest challenges,” Ms Martin said frankly.
She stressed that apprentice pathways and employers who are willing to provide training need support alongside programs to open up the industry to potential professionals currently not captured by the existing avenues of entry.
“Initiatives to attract more females to the sector, incentives to make mature-age apprentices more affordable and mentoring programs to retain apprentices are all important to support the need for skills,” Ms Martin said.
The availability of land could stand to be another hurdle, though Ms Martin noted that the government’s National Planning Reform Blueprint is “a welcome recognition of the need to streamline the approval processes”.
“The home building industry has the capacity to build the homes needed, but it requires access to land at a lower cost, reduced taxes and stable and reliable policy settings,” she noted.
Moreover, she added that the banking system should take some responsibility to improve capacity, and consider their rules around “cost-plus contracts,” which can be harder to secure a loan against.
And she cautioned that regulatory changes impacting the construction of new homes, such as the move to seven-star ratings and beyond, need to involve careful consultation and transition planning to “limit the cost impost on new homes and on affordability”.
With all sectors doing their part, Ms Martin said that the country is up to the challenge of building 1.2 million new homes.
“This is an ambitious target, but ambition is the path to success and bold action is exactly what is needed. So yes, we can build these new homes, but it will require cooperation across all levels of government and a commitment to unprecedented change,” she said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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