VIC/TAS Branch Update EOFY 2024

7 August 2024

Advocacy and mental wellbeing have been key priorities for the VIC/TAS branch committee for the first half of 2024, with advocacy work around the cladding crisis and building reform, and a recent AMWF face to face event in Melbourne. The Committee also farewells a longstanding ACA contributor and welcomes two new members to the committee.

BRANCH COMMITTEE

We welcome two new members to our branch committee this year – Brendan Shannon from Biuro Ailtiri and Emily Gilfillan from Group GSA. You can Meet the VIC/TAS Committee here.

We also said farewell to Kel Greenway, who stepped down after joining the committee over 25 years ago while at Greenway Hurst Page. Kel contributed to many projects in addition to serving as our branch Secretary for more than 10 years. Thank you to all of our committee members for their ongoing commitment to creating great outcomes for branch and national members.

ADVOCACY & PROJECTS

Cladding Report

Last week, Paul Viney and the VIC/TAS Committee prepared a response to the Cladding Safety Victoria report on Compliance in Building Design, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the combustible cladding crisis. While acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the ACA emphasised that architects have been disproportionately blamed for a problem that stems from complex, systemic failures across the entire construction industry.

Paul Viney, National Vice-President and President of the VIC/TAS branch, stated:

“This report is a missed opportunity to address the real issues behind the cladding crisis. By unfairly singling out architects, it fails to tackle the systemic problems that led to this situation. Looking at one part of the picture does not tell the whole story. Only by addressing these systemic issues can we ensure that responsibility is appropriately distributed, and the safety of consumers is guaranteed.”

Melbourne University Collaboration

Following on from two industry reform themed events in collaboration with the University of Melbourne School of Design (MSD) in 2023, the collaboration continues, with the VIC/TAS Committee working with MSD to facilitate more effective engagement with government.

We have worked together to hold two roundtables under Chatham House rules to facilitate open discussion to identify common issues. The first was with representatives from the larger architectural practices and the second with Tier 1 builders. The discussions highlight that there is much common ground, with shared challenges and viewpoints on the often difficult, combative and litigious construction industry in Victoria.

Design Documentation Standards

The VIC/TAS Committee has been an active member of the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) coordinated Design Standards Working Group, which aims to advocate for consumers and educate practitioners on building safe and compliant buildings. After cross-industry circulation, the Design Documentation Practice Guide for Class 2 residential buildings has been published by the VBA. We thank Committee member Richard Bryant and Tim Rodgers from Six Degrees for their contribution and commitment to this working group. We would like to acknowledge that Tim has been one of the most conscientious and prolific contributors to the document. It is through the generosity of firms such as Six Degrees providing resources such as Tim that enables the ACA to make a difference. The ACA’s role is now to advocate for this document to be mandated by legislation, not overlooked as a guideline.

ACIF meeting

Branch President Paul Viney represented ACA VIC/TAS at a recent ACIF meeting in Melbourne at which Minister Sonia Kilkenny was present. As part of a roundtable discussion, Paul raised his concerns with the Minister that following on from the restructure of government building industry bodies, no architect was represented on the new expert panel advising the Commissioner on industry matters. The ACA will continue to advocate for the importance of representation on relevant panels and committees and looks forward to continued engagement with the government and building industry bodies to make a positive contribution both for the profession and for the public.

WELLBEING – PROJECTS & EVENTS

EAP program

After the successful completion of the trial pilot project for the ACA member Employee Assistance Program (EAP), the ACA has not only renewed this service for another year, but now offers this service to members on an ongoing basis. The VIC/TAS Committee is proud to have played a role in making EAP services more accessible to smaller practices around the country. This project will be handed over to ACA National next year as a regular offering for members.

AMWF

We look forward to reinvigorating our engagement with the Architects Mental Wellbeing Forum (AMWF) through periodic events, kicking off with the recent AMWF session with former footballer and wellbeing advocate Wayne Schwass.

The event was generously hosted by Brickworks and organised by VIC/TAS Committee member Richard Bryant and Executive Officer Katherine Ygosse. Wayne Schwass gave an honest personal account of his own struggles with poor mental wellbeing and his current work as the Founder of Puka Up, an advocacy group and suicide prevention program. He openly shared his personal strategies for taking care of his wellbeing, including prioritising sleep, spending time on favourite activities like reading and cycling, and consulting with a psychologist when in need. Wayne explained that while socialising and spending time with friends can be incredibly positive, it’s also important to keep an eye on your personal energy reserves, and be prepare to rest, recover and ‘say no’ if you need a break. Wayne engaged the audience with an interactive Slido Q&A, which emphasised that many in the room felt time-poor and under stress, and tended to put family, friends, staff and colleagues ahead of themselves.

The VIC/TAS Committee is keen to facilitate more important discussions around mental wellbeing in the second half of the year.

EVENTS & MEETINGS

Succession Planning

Succession Planning is a hot topic nationally and locally this year. The VIC/TAS Committee was pleased to present a national webinar on Employee Share Ownership in May with Branch Secretary Kirby Roper facilitating a discussion with Georgia McGrath form Marque Lawyers and Marc Walsh from Altus Financial (available on demand).

The Committee also organised a March luncheon presentation on Structuring your Practice for Growth with Chris Dionne from Stellar Business Consulting and a July Succession Planning panel discussion. The panel featured Harley Beaumont from Macquarie Bank, Daniel Burt and Liesl Malcolm from Pitcher Partners Advisors and Matthew Tence from JCB Architects and the VIC/TAS Branch, facilitated by one of our newest committee members Emily Gilfillan from Group GSA.

Financial Literacy

The Committee is also keen to help architects develop better business and financial acumen and processes. With this in mind, the ACA collaborated with our Business Advisory Service partner, Management for Design (M4D), to develop and launch a Financial Literacy Workshop, which was held for the first time in May. Presenters Gordana Milosevska, Robert Peake and Clara Dexheimer delivered an engaging course with valuable discussion and information sharing amongst attendees. We were delighted to receive positive feedback and great engagement from participants and look forward to running the course again in September. We also aim to support the M4D team to run the workshop in other branches later in the year.

Architectural, Administration and Accounting Group (AAAG)

The ACA has continued to support regular meetings of the Architectural, Administration and Accounting Group in 2024. This year’s online meetings have had strong attendance, and have discussed topics such as Quality Assurance (with Kylie Martin from ISO Global) and KPI measurement.

If you’d like to join an upcoming online discussion on the resourcing mix for projects, business services and company structures, contact Katherine Ygosse at victas@aca.org.au.

TASMANIA AND REGIONAL VICTORIA

We are keen to include Tasmanian and regional Victorian members in our online branch meetings to widen our understanding of local issues and to ensure our events, advocacy and other activities can better respond to your needs.

If you are interested in becoming involved, please speak to one of our committee members or contact Katherine Ygosse at victas@aca.org.au.