Our Strategy - A thriving sector for all
Like many of you, I stepped into strata, and then fell in love with the industry.
My background in leadership in the retail sector was a decades long crash course in disruption. I began my career in the age of cash and paper and ended in an era of digitisation that represented the most fundamental shift in retail – and society - in our lifetimes.
Professional strata management has seen a similar transition over a shorter timeframe and naturally, industry associations such as SCAQ too have experienced disruption.
Just like we have had to adapt and change to keep up with the expectations of our clients in strata to maintain relevance, SCAQ needs to adapt as a professional association to ensure we are delivering what our members and the sector needs.
After some significant transition at Board and management level over the past couple of years it was important to evaluate our strategic direction and value proposition as an organisation. This concern was particularly pertinent as we entered our 40th anniversary year and we are genuinely turning our minds to what the next forty years might look like.
The need to decide on an appropriate strategic direction necessitated significant member consultation. It speaks highly that 1/3 of you participated in the research which included a member survey and several focus groups across the broad spectrum of our membership.
The feedback had three very consistent themes.
1. You require us to have a razor-sharp focus on professional strata managers as our key stakeholders.
2. Members want enhanced and professionalised delivery of our education and accreditation program.
3. You expect us to advocate strongly and publicly for the sector.
My message in response to this feedback is simple. We hear you; we’re with you; and we will act for you.
The vision and strategic priorities
Our overarching vision is for a thriving strata sector – economically, environmentally, and socially.
To advance the strata sector in Queensland to achieve the vision requires us to focus sharply on who we can best serve – professional strata management – and then how strategically we can work towards leading the sector and supporting change to propel us towards that goal.
Your feedback was critical to this piece and was synthesised into three core strategic priorities:
1. To amplify the voice of strata – advocacy and promotion
2. To elevate professionalism – education, professional standards, and professional development.
3. To enhance capability – innovation, collaboration, and access to resources.
These new and exciting priorities will be at the forefront of every action we take as an organisation between now and 2026. This is a vision for a thriving strata sector for the benefit of all.
Amplify the voice of strata
Core to this will be advancing the case for legislative reform. Whilst this has been a tireless focus for over two years now, Government can be glacial when it comes to progress, and persistence is key. I believe we will achieve what has been a lifelong goal for our organisation- regulation of body corporate managers, sooner than you think.
Policy and legislative reform have been achieved in recent years, including significant investment in the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management, changes to the Building Unit and Group Titles Act, significant concessions for body corporate property in the Northern Australia Reinsurance Pool and announced reforms confirming changes to by-law enforcement and scheme termination are in the pipeline.
We will build on this record of success and work diligently to raise the profile of strata management with the public and with Government.
Elevating professionalism
Any reform discussion naturally needs to include mandatory standards for ethics and education with respect of strata managers. The need for reform in this regard ties neatly into our second core priority to elevate professionalism. The career development, education and professional standards and ethical practice of our strata managers and all associated supporting them must be first class. We want to ensure that our offering in this regard stands up to external rigour and as such this will require us all to discard bias, historical baggage and work collectively and collaboratively to achieve the vision. An SCAQ qualification should and will mean something to so much more people.
Enhance capability
Enhancing our capability as a sector and organisation is all about inspiring innovation, providing quality resources, and facilitating community and camaraderie amongst our members to encourage intra sector collaboration.
How do we plan to do this?
Delivering this strategic vision requires a significant rethink of how we do things and who we serve.
To best engage and elevate the professional strata sector as a whole and be the collective voice of all those who work in professional strata management, a shift from our traditional membership model will be considered. This will mean that our governance structure, membership structure, and strategic priorities will need to be in alignment.
Over the coming months, we will be exploring how SCAQ can encourage more participation and engagement of the strata management community with our professional accreditation system in preparation for the regulation of strata managers, and to generally lift sector-wide professionalism. This will revolve around maximising our engagement with all stakeholders in the sector to ensure maximum enfranchisement and representation.
We will also be extending the remit of our Constitution Review Committee to provide us with advice on our core governance structures to align with the strategic direction and purpose of SCAQ.
We will make a major commitment to invest in our education programs and learning and development platforms, leveraging off what you have told us is great and changing what you told is not working.
SCAQ Operations
Our intent with the strategy is to ensure that operationally, SCAQ is a force; a modern association that makes a powerful impact.
The Board will continue to support our General Manager Laura Bos to modernise SCAQ and shift our operations to deliver the strategy and strengthen the organisation financially.
Operationally, SCAQ will be focusing on several priorities that will see our resources used in an efficient and effective way, with investment directed sustainably into those areas that will best support the strategic priorities. This will include a technology review and an activity review to ensure our programs align to our strategy.
It’s an exciting time
There’s no doubt there is some change to come, but it will be change that you have told us that you want. And it is exciting! SCAQ is growing and evolving along with the professional strata management sector in Queensland.
We will see the number of lots significantly increase over the next decade and the demand for professional strata management increase too.
Together, lets deliver a thriving strata sector.
You can read more about our strategy here:
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