New laws: compulsory training for committees

With the increasing size of strata buildings, its increasingly more difficult and time consuming to be a committee member.

I see a future where we have professional committee members, similar to the way we have independent members of boards of public companies.

These people would be elected by the owners as their committee and paid accordingly.

These people would be highly trained in strata ( but would excluded strata managers acting in such a role in order to ensure independence) and act in the interests of the owners.

tina

SCA used to provide a course for committee members. If I recall it was a few hours face to face and the cost was about $85

But I get what you are saying. As soon as anything becomes mandatory, the providers get in and gouge.

I think that any training has to be better than none (as the case now) but it may discourage time poor but competent potential committee members.

Yes, I think the training is problematic.

It risks being legalistic and about compliance. And if SCA gets near it, it’s about doing things that are convenient for agents.

What’s really needed on committees is a commitment to wanting to live in a well-run community and being willing to do your bit to make that happen.

So maybe some training that puts the emphasis on that, and on how to reach consensus decisions.

Our adversarial legal and political system gets us used to black/white, good/bad options.

The legal obligations have to be there, but I think it’s critical they’re framed as a way to ensure you have a harmonious, safe, well-maintained home. Which, by the way, will maintain its market value.

As for paid committee members, we started doing that years ago in both the buildings I’m involved in, using the honorarium provision in the legislation. You wouldn’t make a living from it, but the amounts are enough to acknowledge the time involved and have been approved without dissent at each AGM.

Thanks for you comment.

The new training requirements are full of good intent, but as with so many legislated compulsions its likely to spawn yet another ‘training’ industry that doesn’t provide much of benefit other than dollars into the trainers pockets. Look at the compulsory 10-year sinking fund planning requirement (NSW) which has delivered for most Strata Schemes, off the peg spreadsheet forecast documents that provide no meaningful or applicable content at all. Good committees already did the right thing, others still haven’t got a clue. Similarly the compulsory inclusion of child safety lock motions in annual meeting agendas.