In what can only be described as welcome news for the property industry and business community, one of the Property Council’s alumni – former Executive Director Nathan Paine – is running as a candidate to replace Houssam Abiad on the Adelaide City Council.
While council elections are often overlooked or considered inconsequential compared to State and Federal elections, with the city caught in the grips of COVID-19 and the economic turmoil it has created, there has never been a more important time to ensure that the Adelaide City Council represents the interests of all ratepayers and stakeholders rather than just those who live in North Adelaide.
Nathan is a known quantity having been at the helm of the Property Council in South Australia for seven years and then one year as 2IC of the national organisation.
Not only has Nathan worked at the Property Council (and Business SA before that) but since returning to Adelaide from Sydney, he has worked in the industry delivering projects from hotels to retail developments, build-to-rent to social housing projects. He doesn’t just understand the public policy issues facing the industry, he understands it from a day to day perspective – what works, what doesn’t and what needs to be fixed.
One of Nathan’s core policies is to deliver rate relief for those businesses that need it. We need to stop property owners being crunched between tenants that can’t or won’t pay and government that still expect their bills to be paid. The property industry is not an ATM.
This election is more than electing one Councillor, it will decide the future direction of the city.
Non-residential ratepayers pay about 80 per cent of the rates. This is our opportunity to make our voice heard.
If you’ve got a vote, make sure you use it. Votes must be lodged by midday on 11 May – don’t wait, act now.
