Borders re-open: A major milestone
This week saw the re-opening of our international borders. After all we’ve endured over the past two years, it is a most significant and important milestone.
Home
This week saw the re-opening of our international borders. After all we’ve endured over the past two years, it is a most significant and important milestone.
Our country is on a journey towards reconciliation – a journey that many of our members have started and that the Property Council is taking too. In recent weeks, the Property Council was lucky enough to have former Australian Rules Footballer, businessman and advocate Adam Goodes help launch our own Reconciliation Action Plan.
The reopening of Australia’s international border on 21 February will mark a major milestone in the nation’s recovery.
This is vital for its own sake, connecting families and businesses to the world and allowing our tourism and education sectors to fire again.
But it is also a shot in the arm for confidence and tangible evidence that Australia (except WA) is making a successful transition to living with COVID-19.
To borrow from a football analogy, 2021 was a year played very much in two halves.
After largely winning a battle of attrition against COVID-19 (albeit by using very blunt instruments), the arrival of the Delta variant flung half the population into a long lockdown. Despite the emergence of Omicron, there are great reasons for optimism as we head towards the holidays.
Whatever the pandemic brings in the future, Australia will face this with the massive advantage of vaccination rates which are world leading.
This week the world has understandably been focused on the emergence of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant.
With double-dose vaccination levels now at 87%, one of the highest in the world, Australia is uniquely placed to withstand the emergence of inevitable new virus strains such as this one.
While authorities are rightly focused on limiting exposure to the new Omicron strain, we should have confidence in Australia’s resilience in the face of this variant.
This week we’ve had two very welcome milestones.
First, with the reopening of South Australia’s state borders yesterday, the country has taken another tangible step towards living with COVID-19 and away from crisis pandemic management.
South Australia is the first of the non-lockdown jurisdictions to open up and a successful transition will give confidence to others right around the country.
Property prices. New homes. There is no bigger barbecue conversation. So it’s no wonder it’s also been the subject of 11 separate federal parliamentary inquiries and reports since 2003. And this week marked the end of hearings of yet another. The examination into housing affordability and supply, led by Liberal backbencher Jason Falinski, wrapped up taking evidence on Wednesday.
The COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow has finally run its course. After all the speculation, negotiation and consternation, what are the outcomes for Australia’s property industry?
The key takeout is that Australia now enjoys bi-partisan political support to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. While debate over 2030 targets will rightfully continue, and the next 29 years will see plenty of political disagreement, the end target is now clear.
What’s also clear is that momentum is building among the investment community to drive change. This is a factor the Australian property industry understands well and has been adept at responding to. We should be prepared for this to intensify.
It’s an exciting time as Australia reopens and reconnects.
At the Property Council, this means a welcome return of face-to-face activities and engagement in many locations and (hopefully) an end to the threat of lockdowns everywhere.
Like our members, the Property Council has been shaping our own pathway to ‘living with COVID-19’ as the country reopens and reconnects.
While vaccines have been a game-changer, the pandemic is certainly not over. The health and safety of our people and our members must remain our most important priority.
Glasgow is putting the global challenge of net zero emissions into sharp relief.
For Australia’s property industry this challenge has long been front of mind. Our members have a proud track record of making buildings more energy efficient and switching to renewables to drive down emissions. It’s been world-leading progress – Australia’s property industry has spent over a decade on top of the global real estate sustainability benchmark index.
Receive e-news, industry alerts and upcoming event information.
Level 7,
50 Carrington Street
Sydney NSW 2000
+61 (0)2 9033 1900
ABN: 13 00847 4422
.