MEDIA RELEASE 19 June 2024 The Owners Corporation Network of Australia (OCN) welcomes new budget funding specifically to support delivery of much needed strata reform. Strata is one of the main, if not the main, formats for improved housing supply over the short and medium term. So, it’s a good start. But more will be needed as the scope and scale of the task to improve community confidence and trust in [...]
The decision by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council Limited (AFAC), and by various fire services across the country, to designate electric vehicles as ‘special hazards’, imposes elaborate and expensive fire protection requirements on residential strata buildings. This position appears to have been made without adequate consultation or an analysis of the risk and benefits across the community. OCN joins the Electric Vehicle Council to call on: • AFAC [...]
OCN made a detailed submission to the Senate Inquiry into the impact of climate risk on insurance availability and affordability, focusing on the undetected concentration of the strata insurance sector. We propose that the climate change narrative has masked an escalation in intermediary fees, commissions and profits. The compulsory aspect of strata insurance means it could be considered a form of state insurance, like motor liability or workers compensation, but states [...]
OCN joined a coalition of consumer groups calling for improvements to the Code of Conduct. Specific reference to strata insurance is on pages 61-63. Read submission:> Joint OCN & Others Submission - Review of the General Insurance Code of Practice June 2024 Related content:> https://ocn.org.au/ocn-welcomes-abolition-of-emergency-services-levy-on-insurance-policies/
OCN joined a coalition of consumer groups calling for improvements to the Code of Conduct. Specific reference to strata insurance is on pages 61-63. Read submission:> Joint OCN & Others Submission - Review of the General Insurance Code of Practice June 2024 Related content:> https://ocn.org.au/ocn-welcomes-abolition-of-emergency-services-levy-on-insurance-policies/
A coalition of leading consumer groups - the Australian College of Strata Lawyers, Australian Consumers Insurance Lobby, Owners Corporation Network of Australia, Retirement Village Residents Association, and Strata Community Association - has jointly urged the NSW State Government to increase funding for the Office of the Strata and Property Services Commissioner in the 2024-25 NSW State Budget. Read media release:> 240515 Joint ACSL, ACIL, OCN, RVRA, SCA Call For NSW Strata [...]
OCN made a further submission on proposed fire safety reforms, which include the introduction of licensing for fire safety practitioners. With an accreditation program only established in 2021 for fire safety practitioners, and limited training facilities, OCN is wary of adding another layer of complexity and cost to owners without a compelling cost benefit analysis. Read submission:> OCN Submission - Fire Safety Reforms May 2024 Related content:> OCN Submission - Fire [...]
Sky News host James Macpherson says the poor quality of strata apartment buildings is “killing owners”. His comments come as a new report from the New South Wales government, which looked at 600 new or near new strata buildings, and found 53 per cent of them had serious or major defects within six years of being built. “Even if they don’t have defects in their building,” he said. “The Owners Corporation [...]
Australians who’ve tried to escape colossal house prices by living in an apartment face another looming disaster. Amid challenging circumstances for prospective home buyers, purchasing an apartment or a unit has been a viable means of escaping the rental crisis for many, but it has also proven to be a strategy that comes with potential downsides of its own, such as: Building defects Rising cost of repairs Rising cost of insurance [...]
Aussie man Robert Till has been desperate to ditch his 2011 Holden Calais for an EV for the past three years, but he faces a common dilemma felt by millions of apartment dwellers across the country. With no charging infrastructure currently available at his block in Brisbane, he would have nowhere to charge his vehicle. And the "simple" solution he's proposed requires body corporate approval, but he's been told no. Fred Tuckwell, chair at the [...]
Owners Corporation Network
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