Business View Oceania - April 2024

wellbeing, and strategic operational planning. The Facility Management Association of Australia (FMA) is the peak national body for the FM industry; representing and supporting the professionals and organisations who manage Australia’s built environment. FMA offers a wide array of benefits to its members, with services including: research, advocacy, industry standards development, events (e.g. networking, conferences, seminars), education and professional development, and support for special interest groups. The FMA hosts two flagship events– the FM Industry Awards for Excellence (November) and Ideaction, the National FM Conference & Exhibition (May/June). These annual events create excellent opportunities for networking, knowledge-sharing, and recognising outstanding achievements within the industry. Business View Oceania recently asked FMA Chief Executive Officer, Nicholas Burt, for his insights into facilities management, current challenges for FMA members, and what lies ahead for the FM industry. His responses were enlightening and positive. BVO: When was FMA established and what is the current mandate? Burt: “FMA commenced in the late 1980s as an association focussed on individual members within the industry being able to come together to develop their skills and competencies, and to better understand their role as a profession. Over a period of time, the mandate of the Association extended beyond just supporting and representing individuals, teams and organisations in their professional capacity, to looking at the industry as a whole – for example, making sure the industry has a voice with government and other decision-making bodies. Part of that is providing education and professional development opportunities to individuals and organisations – those in the delivery of facilities management and also people who might engage facilities managers to undertake work for them. “We currently have about 2700 members in both corporate and individual categories.About five years ago, the decision was made to engage with both individuals and corporate entities and to provide 31 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 06, ISSUE 04 FACI L I TY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIAT ION AUSTRAL IA