Across South Australia, the pace of change in our built environment continues to accelerate—driven by housing demand, climate pressures, and evolving expectations of our cities and communities.
In this context, the SA Chapter has been actively advancing a coordinated advocacy agenda, aligned with the Institute’s national priorities and focused on delivering better outcomes for both the profession and the public.
Housing, Planning and the Value of Good Design
At the centre of our advocacy is a simple but critical message: more homes must also be better homes.
Through our recent State Election engagement, we have reinforced the importance of embedding good design within housing delivery, ensuring growth is supported by quality, liveability, and long-term value. This includes advocating for design-led planning reform, diverse housing typologies, and the integration of infrastructure, open space and community outcomes.
This advocacy also extends to the regulatory frameworks that underpin housing delivery. The Institute is engaging with government on the adoption of the National Construction Code (NCC) 2025, advocating for a consistent, evidence-based approach that supports building quality, sustainability and industry certainty. Timely and coordinated implementation of the NCC is essential to delivering homes that meet contemporary performance expectations while maintaining affordability and constructability.
Fair Procurement and Sustainable Practice
We continue to advocate strongly on issues affecting the viability and integrity of architectural practice.
This includes ongoing engagement with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) regarding the AS4122-2010 Special Conditions, where we are working alongside industry partners to address risk allocation and insurability concerns.
At a local government level, we are also addressing the increasing use of speculative design concepts in tender submissions. This practice raises concerns around unpaid work, intellectual property, and the quality of procurement outcomes. We have engaged both the Local Government Association and the Minister for Local Government to seek clearer guidance and more appropriate procurement frameworks.
Climate, Sustainability and Designing for the Future
The built environment is central to South Australia’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.
Our advocacy continues to support design-led approaches to sustainability—ranging from climate-responsive planning and urban greening to adaptive reuse and circular economy principles. These priorities align with the Institute’s national decarbonisation agenda and reinforce the role of architects in shaping environmentally responsible outcomes.
Emerging Areas: Artificial Intelligence and Practice Evolution
We are also engaging with emerging issues that will shape the future of practice.
Work is underway to develop a Practice Forum on artificial intelligence, building on last year’s President’s Breakfast. This reflects growing interest across the profession and aligns with our policy position on the need for clear governance frameworks, ethical application, and workforce readiness in response to technological change.
Strengthening Engagement with Government
Following the State Election, we have written to key Ministers across housing, planning, infrastructure, climate, arts, education and digital economy portfolios. These letters reaffirm the Institute’s priorities and our commitment to working collaboratively with Government.
Our focus is on positioning the Institute as a trusted, solutions-focused advisor, ensuring architectural expertise informs policy, procurement and project delivery.