The WA branch committee finished off a busy year with an end-of-year celebration at Lawson Flats. It was great to see so many of our members, sponsors and industry colleagues at our event. It feels like the festive season is well and truly here! Here’s a snapshot of what the WA branch committee has been up to in 2023.
ADVOCACY
Our ability to influence policy and advocate for our profession continues to grow. We have focused on building connections with State Government, particularly in response to the Medium Density Code. ACA Vice-President, Kate Fitzgerald has led our advocacy on this topic, participating in industry roundtables with Minister Carey. Our message to Government is clear: architects are key to helping solve the housing crisis through the provision of smart density.
We were pleased to see that the State Government’s Planning and Development Amendment Bill 2023 was tabled in Parliament recently. The ACA has been advocating for more streamlined approval processes and we believe these reforms are a good outcome for business. We will continue to argue this reform should be accompanied by a commitment to improving design skills in planning. Improved efficiency of approvals and project feasibility can only be achieved when architectural expertise and leadership is embraced at State and Local Government level.
Committee members Michel Greenhalgh and Kali Passmore are working with WALGA to provide input to their panel processes and contracting arrangements for procuring architectural services.
Together with our colleagues at the AIA, AILA, PIA, UDIA, Engineers Australia and the Property Council, we have joined the Built Environment Reference Group to discuss issues relevant to the broader industry. Recent topics include Design Review, Medium Density, Planning Policy, National Registration Framework, tree canopies and density. Our meetings are robust and there are many areas of alignment where we see value in coordinating our advocacy efforts.
The National Registration Framework remains on our agenda. Committee Member Emily Van Eyk is leading this topic, and working to ensure that the integrity of registration quality is preserved and not detrimentally impacted by any new legislation.
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