Business View Oceania | January 2020

27 28 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA JANUARY 2020 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA JANUARY 2020 homes. It was a massive shift and the bulk of that increase came from the apartment sector. That’s something else that’s influencing the industry right now. For 2019, our forecast was around 174,000 new homes – a lot of that loss has also been in the apartment sector. Detached houses have sat fairly steadily in the 100,000 to 120,000 range, year on year, during this cycle. “There are some significant policy items on the agenda in the building code space. We’re having discussions at a national level around changing building laws to increase the stringency of energy efficiency in all new homes. And conversations with government around introducing for the first time some minimum standards for accessibility in every new home in Australia. Those will have a cost impact on new home prices, so it will be an issue to address. The Australian Building Codes Board is looking at 2022 to introduce changes. “On the legal side, there are a lot of issues that affect the supply chain. Last year the government passed legislation on modern slavery. So companies making $100 million or more will need to make a statement in their annual report about how they are managing their risk of potentially using companies, products, etc. that have slavery in their countries of origin. It’s about a company being more aware of its supply chain. Regarding the Black Economy (the cash economy), there are potential new national rules, including a $10,000 limit on the use of cash for every business in Australia. Whether good or bad, that could have an implication on the way businesses are run. “Through all this, HIA will continue to be a viable voice for our membership going forward. Offering a range of services that members are able to access, including legal, technical, planning, small business and safety advice. We are here to advocate on behalf of our members for a better working environment for them and the industry overall.” HOUS ING INDUSTRY ASSOC I AT ION LTD . (HI A)