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Across Australian society, the question of how to ensure our industries are diverse, equitable, and inclusive is one that many business leaders are working on and real estate is no exception.
For AFL legend Adam Goodes, it’s an issue he speaks about regularly both owing to his current work as the chief executive of the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium, which identifies business opportunities for Indigenous-run businesses, as well as his history as one-time Australian of the Year and experience at the centre of a racially motivated national controversy.
Addressing an audience of real estate professionals on Tuesday, 12 March at REA Group’s Ready24 conference, Goodes reflected on the opportunities in front of the industry to foster not only a future-ready workforce, but one that is diverse, multicultural, and ready to tackle the present challenges facing property professionals.
In conversation with Nick Carah, managing director of Jellis Craig, Goodes commented on the impact that agents can have on their clients’ lives, speaking from a personal experience when a hardworking agent sold his Bondi apartment for more than he and his family were anticipating, allowing them to construct a dream home to suit their growing needs.
Carah, noting that a positive, inclusive culture is integral for the success of high-performance teams, asked Goodes to share his thoughts on how real estate could be proactive in ensuring the industry is welcoming to all.
Goodes suggested that real estate might focus both on the potential and the insights offered by Australia’s younger cohorts.
“When we’re thinking about our jobs and our positions and our businesses, what change are we creating through the business that we’re doing? Who are we dragging behind us? Are we taking young people just out of high school and teaching them about the real estate industry?” Goodes queried.
“How are we bringing them into our organisation? How are we making them feel welcome? We have to reflect on what we’re doing to really create the next opportunity for these younger people and the next generation of young people.”
Goodes suggested that Australia’s younger generations have a lot to offer in terms of tackling the issues facing both real estate professionals as well as the broader public when it comes to the topic of property.
“They’re different. They’re not shy about telling us what they want. They’re not shy about telling you the things that you should be supporting and doing. I love that the generation before us raised a group of young people that want more because, unfortunately, they’re not going to have as much opportunity in this industry, real estate, to be a home owner,” he stated plainly.
Given the large impact that increasingly high property costs will have on the youngest generations’ economic prosperity, they have a huge incentive to work on the issue of declining home ownership rates and Goodes advocated for the industry to both include these voices and listen to their ideas.
“But [it’s] young people that can probably change the way that that industry looks in the future because they know that this is an industry they’re not going to be able to afford to get into. So let’s not shut them out, let’s listen to them. Let’s listen to the diverse opinions and conversations,” he advocated.
The veterans who feel most at home in their longstanding fields arguably have the greatest role to play in opening it up to younger generations, according to Goodes, as they’re best placed to pave the way for new entrants.
“I think when you find an industry that you feel safe in, that, to me, is where you just want to keep dragging more people into it. That’s what I’m trying to do with the Indigenous business sector: drag as many of our people into it as possible,” he 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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