Tuesday, 18 February 2025

Australian Apartment Advocacy

Will FOWLES (Ringwood) (13:37): I rise today to speak about my recent meeting with Samantha Reece from Australian Apartment Advocacy, AAA. AAA is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advocating for the 2.5 million Australians living in apartments. Samantha leads the apartment watchdog in its efforts to secure better outcomes for apartment owners and renters. During our meeting I discussed concerns raised by many of my constituents, who feel powerless when navigating strata title properties and understanding their rights as apartment residents. Too often they are burdened by complex contracts, intricate regulations, unresponsive owners corporations and a lack of access to specialist advice. But the issue goes beyond just information. It highlights the difficulties residents face when trying to address unfair practices within a system that fails to support them effectively.

I call on the Victorian government to ensure that apartment owner-occupiers are not left vulnerable, particularly to well-resourced developers who are gaming the system. All apartment residents deserve clear information, fair processes and better access to dispute resolution. I frequently hear troubling stories of residents burdened with tens of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs due to critical building defects such as water penetration and structural issues. These defects are often the result of poor building standards aided and abetted by complex and poorly managed integrity processes. The conflict of interest is clear. Building surveyors are paid by the developer, compromising the integrity of the process. I urge the government to step in and address these ongoing issues before more residents are left to bear the consequences.