Housing Minister Nick Champion met with the National President of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Mr Simon Allford, while in the UK on a bi-partisan Urban Development Institute of Australia delegation.
The Minister and Allford also discussed the inaugural RIBA National School Programme that encourages children to explore and understand the built environment, its impact on communities, how it is developed and why good design is important.
The programme supports pathways into careers in the built environment – such as architects, planners, surveyors, valuers, conveyancers, and surveyors – a skills gap the Malinauskas Labor Government is acutely aware of and working to address.
Another focus was the recently agreed to Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia and the British Architects Registration Board.
The MRA will facilitate the registration of an architect registered in the United Kingdom as an Australian or New Zealand architect and vice versa – opening the door for skilled workers in the built environment industry to explore South Australian careers and opportunities.
Minister Champion chairs the Built Environment Education Liaison Group established by the Malinauskas Labor Government to address the skill shortage in the built environment professions and supported participation in the Adelaide Careers and Employment Expo at the showgrounds this weekend to promote career pathways in the built environment.
Other discussions surrounded adaptive reuse and sustainability of buildings in the hope some of the lessons from the United Kingdom’s “Retrofirst Campaign” that sought to “think reuse first, new build second” can be tailored and adopted in a South Australian context.
Quotes
Attributable to Nick Champion
Our Government is working fast to action a plan to increase land and housing supply but we need to ensure there is a strong pipeline of skilled workers to meet these growing demands.
We can learn a lot from our British colleagues, and how Government has a role to play in the leadership of promoting the value of good design in the built environment.
We hope to establish an ongoing working relationship with the Royal Institute of British Architecture, so we can continue to share knowledge in areas of common interest.
Connecting with this prestigious organisation will open the door for skilled workers and global businesses to explore the boundless opportunities we have in our great State.
Attributable to South Australian Government Architect Kirsteen Mackay
Encouraging students to explore the built environment from an early age is fundamental to creating the next generation of architects, who will emerge as the industry is facing the live and vast challenge of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
We have the collective responsibility not only to meet the net zero target and work towards the broader UN Sustainable Development Goals, but to support students to rise to the challenges of the climate crisis and become the future leaders in all aspects of our built environment.
Sharing knowledge and collaborating internationally is essential to expedite the urgent action required.
