Why professional standards are the whole argument

There are more than three million Australians living in strata and community title. For many of them, their apartment is the single largest asset they will own, and the person managing the building is managing a substantial pool of other people's money.

Consumers do not, and should not have to, distinguish between a well-run business and a poorly run one before they buy. That is what standards, education and accreditation are for.

The sector has made real progress here: better qualifications, clearer conduct expectations, and a growing willingness among practitioners to hold each other to account. There is more to do, particularly on the consistency of regulation between states and territories.

This is unglamorous work. It is also the work that determines whether the profession is trusted in twenty years.