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With a huge proportion of the territory’s new building set to be apartment blocks, the strata sector is calling for strengthened oversight and legislative reform.
Ahead of the ACT general election to be held on 19 October 2024, the Strata Community Association (SCA) has called for all parties to commit to instituting a strata commissioner and reviewing the laws that govern the sector.
The ACT has forecast that it will need to build in excess of 100,000 new homes over the next 25 years simply to keep up with population increases. In 2021, the government set out a strategy to build those homes, outlining that to prevent urban sprawl and the unnecessary destruction of the region’s natural attractions, it would construct 70 per cent of those new dwellings within the existing city footprint – meaning building medium- and high-density homes that are generally governed by a strata agreement.
With this in mind, the head of SCA in the ACT, Chris Miller, said that it was essential the government implemented the appropriate oversight now, to accommodate such a high volume of strata titled properties coming to market.
“The strata sector needs help to support its growth and professionalism. As a young set of professions and industry compared to more established industries, the strata sector needs education, resources and dedicated attention from government to fulfil its potential,” he said.
The establishment of a dedicated strata commissioner would come along with the institution of an office to support this role, which SCA estimated will cost the government $3 million over the next four years.
“Establishing this office will empower strata owners and managers with fundamental tools necessary to resolve issues, leading to the positive outcomes seen in other jurisdictions that have followed this model,” Miller said.
He also advocated for a legislative review to ensure that “the legislative framework that currently reinforces the industry adapts to the constantly shifting dynamics of strata living”.
In advance of the looming election, the SCA has been on an awareness-raising campaign to make its needs clear.
“We’ve developed a short, sharp platform with simple asks, met with the most critical stakeholders to its implementation from within the legal, property, housing and consumer sectors, and met with government and the major political parties to gain their endorsement,” Miller explained.
“The ACT Greens have already agreed to establish the commissioner role as part of their housing policy, and also to establish the working group if they form government – we are urging all parties to join them and do the same,” 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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