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36 great business partners and this goes to show how a simple meeting at an event can create a lot of synergies and some good business rela- tionships.” The UDIA is a common voice for the urban de- velopment industry. It regularly takes up causes which will serve to promote efficient develop- ment and advises the federal government on the steps that are required to be taken. One of the issues being championed by UDIA is the need to shift away from inefficient taxes such as stamp duty and the requirement for develop- ers to pay substantial amounts as initial devel- opment fees. The Institute has made a detailed submission to the government describing how the inefficient tax system is proving to be detrimental to eco- nomic growth and prosperity. It has made the case that the imposition of stamp duty results in reduced labour mobility and productivity by tying down people to a particular location. Inef- ficient taxes also result in the reduction of new housing projects thereby leading to an increase in the prices of existing residential units. A strong argument has been made for replac- ing these inefficient levies with GST and taxes on the value of land, which are considered a vastly better option and which would result in increasing the pool of housing available over a period of time. The National President of UDIA, Mr. Cameron Shephard has urged the government to take up this important issue, “A great deal of Austra-