The Property Congress

The Property CongressThe Property Congress went off with a bang last week.Highlights were plentiful. Keynote speaker Hon Peter Costello AC argued for tax reform that grows the economy, shot down suggestions of a house price bubble, and said our industry was more important than most people knew.The ‘Hour of Power’ session saw $75 billion of real estate on stage as the heads of DEXUS, Investa, JLL, Scentre and Stockland discussed the markets.Expert panels analysed five of the most innovative projects in the world (BIQ House, Hamburg; National Martime Museum, Tanjin; The Shard, London; Xintiandi, Shanghai; and Dr Chau Chak Building, Sydney) as well as four worthy winners of the Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards.Speakers created insights into China’s economy and global property trends. And three property legends – Nigel Chamier OAM, Jack Ritch and Lyn Shaddock KSS – imparted 1 years of industry wisdom.Finally, it was my pleasure to announce the formation of Property Male Champions of Change, an initiative to tackle the issue of women in leadership roles. See the story below for more details.