Maras elected Property Council President

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Maras elected Property Council President

Maras Group Managing Director and CEO Steve Maras has been elected SA President of the Property Council of Australia, the peak body for Australia’s $680 billion property industry.

Mr Maras takes over from outgoing President Ben Yates, Managing Director of Development & Advisory, after more than two years in the role.

The property industry in South Australia represents almost 11 percent of GSP, directly and indirectly employs more than 168,000 people and accounts for 42 per cent of state taxation revenue, and Mr Maras said the role of SA President was an opportunity that came with great responsibility.

“Whilst the role of SA President is about improving policy settings for the property sector in this state to continue building strong communities, it’s also about providing jobs and prosperity for South Australians,” said Mr Maras.

“Under Ben’s leadership, the Property Council has been a strong and respected advocate for this vital industry.

“This is a diverse industry that builds homes for families while at the same time creating vibrant entertainment precincts for South Australians.

More than half of the country’s household wealth is in property, which represents the physical foundation of where we live, where we do business through retail spaces, offices, industrial precincts, hotels and public buildings.

“Not only that, property adds to our quality of life – in every meaningful way, property is where life happens.”

Mr Maras has outlined several key items to be tackled throughout his term as SA President, including:

  • Smart population growth, particularly Adelaide’s CBD residential population;
  • Financing, funding and delivery of job-creating infrastructure projects;
  • A modernised planning system free of blockages;
  • Widespread tax reform to enable economic growth.

“I am passionate about helping South Australia reach its great potential and I’m confident the Property Council can continue to work with all levels of government and the community to make our tax system fairer, our cities more productive, our economy more prosperous and our housing more affordable.”

SA Executive Director Daniel Gannon paid tribute to outgoing President Ben Yates and welcomed the new leadership team.

“Ben has made an outstanding contribution to the property industry and on behalf of members and staff I thank him for his leadership, drive and wise counsel,” he said.

“It’s also exciting to welcome General Manager of Sarah, Adrian Esplin, to our powerful leadership team comprising Steve Maras, Build-Tec’s Anthony Carrocci and KPMG’s Con Tragakis.

“As an industry, we need to tackle policy challenges and development blockages affecting our ability to build strong communities and create meaningful jobs for South Australians.

“The Property Council’s new leadership team is ready to hit the ground running – that starts with widespread reform to our tax system, planning system and people flow.”