OCN (ACT) and SCA (ACT) Public Election Forum recap
On Thursday the 12th of September, Susan Proctor, Legal Director at Proctor Legal and council member of the Australian Council of Strata Lawyers, chaired a panel forum at the Canberra Southern Cross Club discussing all things strata in the ACT. The forum was hosted by the Owners Corporation Network (ACT) and the Strata Community Association (ACT). With the October territory election rapidly approaching, the panel featured one Labor, two Greens, and two Liberal MLAs as well as three independent candidates who all provided productive commentary on the importance of strata reform. Nearly two hundred community members came to the event, many representing executive committees from strata complexes throughout the ACT, showing how strata issues are of key concern to Canberra voters.
Key takeaways
All panelists committed to the appointment of a Strata Commissioner.
Legislative reform was deemed important to clarify current laws and prevent avoided ACAT disputes.
There were calls for the system of the calculation of rates to be overhauled.
The panel touched on safety issues in ‘vertical suburbs’ and how to best address policing in strata complexes.
The topic of short term rentals led to insightful discussion about both the positive and negative impacts on the Canberra community.
Proposals to increase funding for environmental initiatives were discussed, particularly in larger strata complexes.
The recent ABC Four Corners expose, ‘Strata Trap’, on dodgy dealings in the Strata sector went hotly debated at the Forum. The Australian College of Strata Lawyers (ACSL) released a statement on the 11th of September in response. This can be read below or accessed with the following link: https://acsl.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/11092024-ABC-STRATA-TRAP-ACSL-MediaRelease-.pdf.
