THE STRUCTURE, PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF THE BDAA.

THE STRUCTURE, PURPOSE AND BENEFITS OF THE BDAA.

The Building Designers Association of Australia Ltd is the peak coordinating body for Building Designers Associations in Australia and is a limited company. The BDAA is not 'another tier of government' or a 'big brother' which dictates to the State bodies. The BDAA is driven by the State chapters (not the other way around).

The role of the BDAA is primarily one of co-ordination - it seeks to achieve harmony between State and Territory Chapters whilst leaving room for States and Territories to pursue their individual goals and identities.

The six state and territory BDA "Chapters" (BDAWA, BDASA, BDANSW, BDAQ, BDAT and BDANT) are separate autonomous organisations (incorporated associations), and technically operate independently. Two states have a branch structure - BDAQ has 11 branches and BDANSW has 14 branches (one of which includes ACT). These branches operate within the auspices of the relevant state 'chapter'.

Each member State or Territory chapter elects one 'BDAA director' to the board. Board members have one vote each (one state, one vote). thus the BDAA has six members. In addition to the position of 'State BDAA Director', member States are entitled to have an 'adviser' present at Board meetings. The adviser is often, but not always, the State President. Board Meetings are held at regular intervals throughout the year.

The association's head office is at Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia and is conducted by the Chief Executive Officer, Mr Barrie Wright.

The 'Host State' (ie the position of President) is rotated between States on a two year term, in this order - Queensland, South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia. BDAWA is currently the 'Host State' (2001 & 2002). Northern Territory and Tasmania join the rotation in 2011.

Some individual members have asked "why do we need the BDAA when our State Associations do such a great job of servicing their members?". The answer is that the BDAA does not exist to duplicate work already being carried out by the State Chapters. It's main roles are those of co-ordination of State/Territory BDA chapters, promoting national unity, speaking with one voice on national issues, reducing duplication and promoting the building design profession nationally.

The BDAA is now recognised as the peak body for building designers associations in Australia, and as such, is invited to become involved with many organisations of national significance.

One of the aims of the BDAA is to have the competencies of members formally recognised and to this end, the BDAA has recently issued Competency Standards for Provision of Building Design Services. It is essential that the BDA movement can speak with one voice on these important national issues, and other matters, such as Restrictive Trade and the recent National Review of Architects Acts by the Productivity Commission.

Although much of our building legislation is State-based and parochial, some important players are National - The CSIRO, Standards Australia, Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO), the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and the National Heritage Office. The BDAA has an ongoing association with all of these organisations, and is in a position to put forward the views of building designers. The BDAA is a member of BACC, AIB Industry Liaison Committee, Australian Building Energy Council, Development Assessment forum and many more.

National promotion forms an important part of the work of the BDAA. Our National Conference come to mind immediately. Our National Design Awards give members the member States and Territories the opportunity to compete with winners from other States in Australia. Our magazine "National Building Designers Brief" is another important promotional tool, as is this web site www.bdaa.com.au

The BDAA also coordinates promotional input to the national media, such as 'Building Industry Connection', 'Luxury Home Design', 'Infolink', 'Building Product News', 'The Source Book' and other media outlets.

Some matters are clearly of a National nature, and it makes sense to address them once only, and not on a State by State basis. An obvious example is the GST. The BDAA was part of a committee which looked into the impact of the GST on the building industry, and how it affects the building designer.

Co-ordination of State BDA Chapters enables us to reduce duplication of work - items such as Professional Development Programs, promotional brochures etc are good examples. The aim is to do it once only, not many times.

Many members carry out much of their work interstate. For some members this figure is as high as 50%. Facilitation of Interstate Contacts is one of the offshoots of the BDAA. A member in Hobart with a project in Darwin could now contact a local member to carry out supervision. Interstate reciprocal membership and common membership categories is another issue best negotiated through a national body. The recently completed Competency Standards for Building Design Services will assist in this regard.

International recognition of qualifications is becoming an important issue. BDAA has been contacted on a number of occasions for an opinion on the qualifications of recent or prospective migrants. This is another issue closely tied in with National Competency Standards. There are advantages of having reciprocal acceptance of qualifications/membership with similar organisations overseas. This can only be carried out at a national level. We are just beginning to reap the benefits of international networking. BDAQ have in previous years arranged study tours to the US. We have recently spoken to the Canadian Embassy, and a study tour is on the agenda for 2001.

The BDAA is an affiliate member of the AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers), and is in contact with similar organisations in the UK, New Zealand and Canada.

There is strength in numbers. The negotiation of excellent Professional Indemnity insurance premiums is an example of the improved buying power of a large organisation. Government Lobbying is another issue which is enhanced by numbers.

The BDAA continues to enjoy the support of it's major sponsors James Hardie, Carter Holt Harvey and Pilkingtons. However, national companies require a national association to deal with. They have national marketing programs to implement, thus it is essential that the BDA movement across Australia can speak with one voice.

It can be seen that the above issues cannot be tackled on a State by State basis, but must be addressed at a national level. However, the true value of the BDAA is that it has brought building designers from across Australia together to reap the benefits of one powerful group, whilst allowing individual States and Territories the freedom to pursue their individual goals and identities.

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