The Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) has responded to the 2018-19 NSW Budget, voicing that they are ‘pleased’ to see the budget announcement including spending on built infrastructure for health and education, as well as the commencement on small community projects, but asked ‘what about housing for the people of NSW?’.
This news comes after the announcement of $6 billion over four years to construct and upgrade 170 schools, and $8 billion over for years for the construction of up to 40 hospitals. This funding was well-received by the AIA who said it must be distributed in a measured way which ensures the best result for the people of NSW.
“Architects will lead the design of spaces for education and health that best support teachers, students, patients, health professionals and the public,” said AIA’s NSW Chapter President, Andrew Nimmo, “however, they need to work to a well-developed brief, with a shared commitment to design excellence and be supported by a fair procurement process that recognises both the real cost and value of design. That has not always been the case”.
NSW Treasurer, The Hon. Mr Perrottet explained that: “Governments don’t always have the best solutions, particularly on smaller projects that make a difference to people’s lives” and understood the key role that a community can play in imputing for planning and project decisions.
“Architects’ involvement helps ensure ideas and requirements arising from the community are developed into highly considered built forms that realise greatest community benefit and connect well with their broader context,” explained Mr Nimmo.
Whether it be schools and hospitals to housing and community amenities, development of NSW’s built environments also needs to be responding to climate change, ensuring sustainable practices are used from construction to the way environments enable people to operate around them.
“It is disappointing to see the low priority given to environmental issues in this budget, particularly against the backdrop of a significant underspending of money allocated in the previous budget to the Climate Change Fund,” commented the AIA.
Housing affordability is often described as a significant issue for NSW residents, confusing some on why the budget was so ‘strangely quiet’ on measures to address this. The NSW population is set to increase at a rate of 40 per cent, making that more than 11 million by 2056. A strategy to assist this rise needs to be implemented to accommodate the variously configured households that make up the state’s current and future population.
“We trust that in the coming 12 months in the lead up to the election we will be able to have a frank conversation about the need for greater housing diversity; crises rarely dissipate in the space of 12 months,” Mr Nimmo concluded.