Recently, the Chapter Council joined the national CEO and Board representative for a workshop focused on shaping the future direction of our Institute. It was a great opportunity to discuss the Tasmanian Chapter’s priorities, as well as for Council members to hear first hand about some of the challenges the Institute is currently facing at a national level.
I am proud to say that the unanimous feedback from the Chapter Council, including input from our committee chairs, was that our priority continues to be to strengthen the influence of architects and architecture in the Tasmanian community, government and public debate. Chapter Council also highlighted the strategic importance of supporting emerging leaders in the profession, increasing locally relevant learning opportunities, strengthening professional connections, and continuing to invest in public-facing initiatives such as publicity associated with the Awards and the Open House program to build greater appreciation of architecture.
The strategy development process also brought to the fore the future opportunities and challenges facing the profession, including climate change, digital transformation, evolving business models and the growing need for interdisciplinary collaboration. There is certainly a lot to think about, and the workshop reinforced the reality that change will be the only constant for all of us.
A bit over two weeks ago I met with the Hon Kerry Vincent MLC, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Local Government, and Housing and Planning, to discuss government procurement and the Housing Tasmania/Building Tasmania changes. I am pleased to report that the meeting was cordial and helpful. Some key points that are worth relaying to Tasmanian members are:
- Fast delivery and value for money are now clearly the government’s overriding priorities for community housing
- Procurement strategies that will be used will reflect these priorities
- We can increasingly expect to see variations of design and construct methodologies used for government building procurement, particularly for community housing
- The Minister is very happy for the Institute to provide advice and input on procurement methodologies that promote the government’s capital delivery program, which we will certainly do.
The Minister confirmed that some capital delivery projects from other government departments are expected to move to Building Tasmania. This should benefit Institute members if it results in more consistent tendering and contract administration
practices, fewer changes to government contracts, and more experienced project managers.
I am currently attending National Council meetings and will provide further insight into developments at the national level in the coming weeks.
Have a great week everyone.
Daniel Lane RAIA
Tasmanian Chapter President