Canberra property sector building a legacy we to be proud of

Without wanting to navel gaze, this week the Property Council appointed its new division council. We also held the first committee meetings for the year.

Over three days I sat and talked with more than 100 of our members about what was important to them, as representatives of their organisations and the sector.

As we talked about issues of housing affordability, sustainability, taxes, urban renewal, city deals, infrastructure investment, adaptive reuse, transit orientated development, renewable energy targets, community engagement, housing choice and retirement living, one thing became very clear – every conversation came down to what was good for Canberra.

Too often “the developers” are referred to as though they are somehow separated or removed from the community. But it must be remembered that those who work in the property sector in our city are the community. They have chosen to live here, build their careers, businesses, homes and raise their families here.

They spend every day planning, designing and building our homes and suburbs, building community housing and new retirement villages to allow Canberrans to age in place, building and leasing the offices we work in, growing our university sector, solving problems, working hard and making things happen.

The fact is that the property sector is full of people who want to get things done positively and collaboratively and in a way, that builds an even better Canberra – leaving a legacy we can all be proud of.

Yes, they have a vested interest. That of building the best possible Canberra – for themselves, their families, and the 25,000 Canberrans they directly employ.