VIC/TAS Update 2022
A busy year of advocacy, resource development and online events for the VIC/TAS Committee was celebrated in style with end-of-year drinks and amazing views from high up on the deck at the Macquarie Building.
Advocacy
The VIC/TAS branch committee, led by President Paul Viney, has continued to develop and maintain close working relationships with key government and industry agencies and associations in architecture and the built environment. The VIC/TAS committee coordinated its advocacy efforts on the ARBV closely with the Institute’s Victorian Chapter, and we were delighted to see our joint efforts rewarded when the state government’s legislative changes to the ARBV did not proceed.
Events
Our branch committee members supported a number of ACA national CPD webinars this year with Paul Viney and Sarah Bennett presenting for “Fees & The Time Cost Calculator Guide” with ACA WA’s Kate Fitzgerald, and “Fees – Avoiding the race to the bottom” with Beaton. Matthew Tence brought real experience to the table for our webinar interpreting the results of the annual Clarity Architecture and Engineering survey report by Deltek, in “How does your practice compare 2022”. Kirby Roper also took part as a panellist in the first AMWF Toolkit event series on “Wellbeing & the Physical Office Environment” and will be helping to produce one of the events in the series next year.
We also hosted two small in-person roundtable events: the first in April, discussing pressure points and opportunities in tackling technology, rising costs and securing and retaining the right talent; and the second in July, with a general economic update and discussions on how this resonated from individual practice perspectives. The Geelong and Surf Coast Regional Practice Forum once again hosted Paul Viney to speak as part of their “Survival Stories” presentation in May.
By mid-year Melbourne was easing back into face-to-face events and we enjoyed catching up with members, partners, industry and government representatives at our July member event, generously and beautifully hosted by Metz Tiles Gallery. We were also delighted to share refreshments and good conversation at our end-of-year celebration in early December on ‘the Deck’, held with a backdrop of incredible views from level 36 of the Macquarie Building on Collins – kindly hosted by national partners, Macquarie Bank.
We look forward to extending our face to face events program next year, with more events and also moving beyond Melbourne to the Victorian regions and Tasmania.
New member tools and services
The VIC/TAS branch plays a key role in developing the ACA’s member-only tools and resources, which assist architects to run their businesses effectively and efficiently, and several new resources have been developed in 2022. New IR Committee Chair George Theodoridis has been working closely with our Industrial Relations Advisors, Fair Work Lawyers, to update our suite of Employment Agreement Templates. The templates, including a Casual Employment Template, have been updated with a plain language review and to make them more flexible in their implementation for different business contexts. A number of other considerations are to be re-evaluated in light of emerging significant changes to IR legislation, including updating the Architect’s Award with reference to changed competency requirements and various interpretation clarifications.
Our branch has also been working on an additional agreement template soon to be released, to be used with consultants (without back-to-back obligations) and with independent contractors acting in their personal capacity.
After lengthy preparations, research and important feedback and advice from our insurance and legal advisors, the VIC/TAS branch is ready to launch a pilot project to make Employee Assistance Programs more accessible for small practices. We will be seeking expressions of interest from members in the New Year, so keep your eye on your inboxes for more information about how it will all work.
VIC/TAS Committee
Over the course of 2022 we have both welcomed new committee members and said goodbye to long-serving members. A valued member of the committee for many years, Gary Edwards passed away at the start of the year. Former Branch Secretary David Wagner stepped down to become AIA Victorian Chapter President, continuing his volunteer commitment to our profession.
We welcomed Sarah Bennett from Six Degrees and Brad Hooper from Brad Hooper Architecture in Maldon, Victoria as elected members, in addition to Jenine Birney from Lyons, contributing her expertise.
With the departure of David, we thank George Theodoridis for taking on the role of IR Committee Chair and for all his work to date in the IR space alongside the IR Committee, the ACA national team and Fair Work Lawyers.
We’re very pleased to have made progress to increase the diversity of committee membership across gender, practice size and maturity and into regional Victoria. We still urgently need representation on the committee from Tasmanian members and additional Victorian members to ensure we can work best towards fulfilling the needs of our branch member practices. Monthly committee meetings are conducted online or in a hybrid format. Please contact Katherine Ygosse at victas@aca.org.au for more information on how to get involved.
The last elections saw Kirby Roper take on the Branch Secretary role. Paul Viney moved from ACA National Secretary to the Vice-President position.
Thanks
Thanks to our dedicated VIC/TAS Committee for their ongoing commitment to the ACA and industry, and their work on behalf of our members:
- Paul Viney – Branch President (FPPV Architecture)
- Daniel Haskell – Branch Vice President (Haskell Architects)
- Kirby Roper – Branch Secretary (Kirby Architects)
- Matthew Tence – Branch Treasurer (JCB Architects)
- Richard Bryant (Bryant Alsop)
- George Theodoridis (LAW Architects)
- Kel Greenway (KAG Architects)
- Sarah Bennett (Six Degrees)
- Brad Hooper (Brad Hooper Architecture)
- ex-officio members Robert Peake (Management for Design) and Jenine Birney (Lyons)
- Katherine Ygosse – Branch Executive Officer
Photos: Mike Redman