Business View Oceania | April 2021

23 24 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA APRIL 2021 FAC I L I TY MANAGEMENT ASSOC I AT ION OF AUSTRAL I A industry to government and other decision- makers. We have people who assist us in research – both paid staff and members who volunteer to assist us in compiling research and understanding technical issues. We also work with key members, who are also industry leaders, to be involved in the advocacy process with government. As CEO, I primarily drive that work.” BVO: Do you have knowledge resources for members? Burt: “For a number of years, we’ve had a Knowledge Portfolio Group, which consists of FMA members with a particular interest and expertise in three parts of the knowledge equation. The first part is capturing knowledge; the second part is promulgating that knowledge; and the third part is ensuring that we have a repository of knowledge for our members. On an annual basis (planned and also responsive), we contribute to our series of technical “Good Practice Guides”, which focus on particular areas – we don’t call them “Best Practice” on purpose because there is always opportunity to learn. These guides sit within our knowledge portal. We also create other publications, and we do a lot of collaborative work. As a smaller organisation, collaborating with other organisations who are experts in their fields ensures that we gain the most value out of the work we do.” “We actually own a qualification in facilities management – our Diploma is the only FM qualification that’s operating in Australia at the moment – and we work closely with the university [UNE Partnerships] to deliver that. Part of the knowledge base is making sure that the Diploma of FM continues to be fit for purpose, relevant to the industry, supportive of skill enhancement, and responsive to changes in the industry.” BVO: What resources do you provide on the technology front? they’re interacting with a facility. That’s balanced with the value that facilities managers can provide people in their use of a facility. There is sometimes a tension between those two things, but currently they’re both very predominant for our industry to understand and work within.” BVO: How has the FM industry adapted during COVID-19? Burt: “Previously, FM wasn’t a very well- recognised industry in Australia. Many people didn’t really understand what it was; others had never heard of it. During COVID-19, we were deemed for the most part an essential through this period of COVID-19, is the importance of people’s safety and wellbeing when they’re using a facility – whatever that facility might be. We have members who operate commercial properties, residential properties, hotels, hospitals… so it’s an industry that really needs to understand what facility users are trying to gain, and working to enable that experience. “In days past, very technical industries would be responsible for making sure the air-conditioning was operating, or the lights turned on, or the elevator was working. Today, it’s much more focussed on the experience people have when industry, in order to continue operating facilities and buildings. So people now have a real understanding of our industry and the important role that facilities managers play. The Association spent a lot of time during the early part of the pandemic helping government understand what our industry was doing, what they were capable of, and how they could assist in managing and recovering from COVID’s impact on the operation of buildings and facilities. That placed us in a powerful position to be part of the government decision-making process. “FMA is not a big team, but we have a clear mandate to represent the interests of the