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The residential development sector has faced unprecedented challenges since the impact of the pandemic. Some of the most significant tests of the past few years have included severe labour shortages, cumbersome approval processes, the rising costs of raw materials and wavering consumer confidence. However, these challenges present us with a unique opportunity to innovate, reaffirm our commitment to quality and integrity and renew optimism for the resilience of our industry.
The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the labour landscape, resulting in significant shortages across various sectors. Labour shortages have affected everyone from white collar to blue collar workers, council planners to consultants, subcontractors to office staff. This shift has been particularly pronounced in residential development and construction, where the demand for skilled labour far outstrips supply.
Increasing migration policies would have a profound effect on bolstering the local workforce, which would address our immediate labour needs while building a sustainable foundation for future growth. Equally important is enticing people back to the office—which is key to attracting staff, returning productivity to pre-pandemic levels and bolstering creativity, collaboration and efficiency.
The sluggish pace of development approvals from council processes presents another significant hurdle. These delays, exacerbated by labour shortages, have had a ripple effect as authorities like local council and Sydney Water struggle. This is hindering our ability to initiate new projects promptly, impacting individual projects and slowing the overall pace of development, contributing to housing shortages and inflation.
Land supply is another factor but, in this context, the NSW Government’s initiative to release more land and increase density through State Environmental Planning Policies (SEPPs) is a commendable step. There are a series of draft SEPPs that are coming in to increase density, which will unlock land for redevelopment of medium to high density residential. Increasing land release and modifying planning policies to support higher density developments will also help address housing shortages and rental undersupply.
The current economic climate, marked by rising interest rates and inflation, has understandably led to a dip in consumer confidence. Affordability has become a significant concern for potential buyers, impacting the demand for new properties. The rising price of raw construction materials also pushed prices skyward but as material and shipping costs decrease again, we’re seeing some relief. The Building Commissioner’s office has done a significant job of helping to restore consumer confidence, as compliance measures are raised. Focusing on delivering competitive, high-quality housing is also crucial. At Landmark, our developments come complete with a 10-year structural guarantee, exceeding the industry standard of six years, giving potential buyers much-needed peace of mind.
In 2024, the industry finds itself at a juncture and the challenges we face require an innovative response. Boosting workplace engagement, increasing migration for labour, streamlining approval processes and providing consumers with high quality offerings will do more than just give us the capacity to address the current challenges. It will also lay the foundation for a more resilient and dynamic industry.
Landmark Group does not guarantee, warrant or represent that the information contained in this advertising and marketing document is correct. Any interested parties should make their own enquiries as to the accuracy of the information. We exclude all inferred or implied terms, conditions and warranties arising out of this document and any liability for loss or damage arising there from.
Last updated: 20 July 2020
Landmark Group Pty Ltd and its related companies (collectively referred to as “Landmark Group”, “us” or “we”) respect the privacy and security of your Personal Information, as defined below, and comply with the requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles (“APP”) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (“the Act”).
This Privacy Policy explains in general terms how Landmark Group handles your Personal Information. However, it does not apply to Landmark Group employee records to the extent they are handled by any of our companies that is or was the employer of that employee in relation to the employee’s current or former employment. Such employee records are generally exempt from the Act and will be dealt with as permitted by law.
You may be able to deal with us without identifying yourself (i.e. anonymously or by using a pseudonym) in certain circumstances. If you wish to do so, please contact us to find out if this is practicable in your circumstances. However, if you do not provide us with the Personal Information we have requested, we may not be able to complete or fulfil the purpose for which we collect the information, including providing our services.
By visiting our website, using any of our services or otherwise providing us with your Personal Information (or authorising it to be provided to us by someone else), you agree to your Personal Information being collected and handled as set out in this Privacy Policy.
Under the Act Personal Information is defined as information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual that is reasonably identifiable, in whatever form and regardless of whether it is true or not (“Personal Information”). The Act also defines a subset of Personal Information as sensitive information (for example health records, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, criminal records).
The types of Personal Information we collect and hold will depend on the circumstances of collection and on the type of service we are providing. For example, when we are engaged to sell a property, we may collect and hold Personal Information from both the seller and potential buyers such as name, address, email address, telephone numbers, employment details and details about their business.
We may also collect and hold certain sensitive information that is reasonably necessary for the provision of our services, including health and criminal records. If you provide us with any sensitive information, you consent to us collecting that information and handling it in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We may collect Personal Information either directly from you, or from third parties. We may collect this information when you deal with us over the telephone, send us correspondence (whether by letter or email), have contact with us in person, visit our websites or complete hard copy or online forms.
Depending on the type of service you or our customers have requested, we may also seek to collect information about someone else from you (for example, contact details of your solicitor, emergency contact person or tenant). However, you must not provide us with Personal Information about another person unless you have clear consent from that person to do so, told them that their Personal Information will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy and directed them to where they can find it. Regardless of how it is collected, we handle Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
We generally collect, hold and use your Personal Information for the purposes for which it is provided to us (which will usually be obvious at the time of collection), related purposes or as permitted or required by law. Such purposes may include:
We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties as may be necessary for any of the purposes stated in the above section. Such third parties generally include our third-party providers, contractors, consultants, agents and/or representatives (such as law firms, banks, financial institutions, insurers, IT providers, mortgage referral services providers and/or wealth management services providers) who provide services to us or on our behalf, including to:
However, you acknowledge that, by agreeing to the disclosure of your Personal Information to the above third parties, you consent to the disclosure of your Personal Information outside of Australia and acknowledge that we are not required to ensure the overseas recipient’s compliance with Australian privacy law in relation to your Personal Information and we will not be liable to you for any breach of Australian privacy law by these overseas recipients. We will, however, take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipient will deal with such Personal Information in a way that is consistent with the APPs. On this basis, you consent to such disclosure.
We take reasonable steps to protect any Personal Information that we hold from misuse, interference and loss and from unauthorised access, alteration and disclosure. For example, we implement IT security procedures including password protection, firewalls and site monitoring and we store your Personal Information on a secure server.
However, data protection measures are never completely secure and, despite the measures we have put in place, we cannot guarantee the security of your Personal Information. You must take care to protect your Personal Information (for example, by protecting any usernames and passwords). You should notify us as soon as possible if you become aware of any security breaches.
When you register as a member on our websites, you will be given a choice as to whether you want to receive e-mail messages from us, including newsletters, announcements and e-mail communications about our latest news, products or services. To the extent the relevant local law requires us to seek your consent, we will only send such messages to you if you opt-in.
If you do not wish to receive direct marketing calls or materials, you may use the unsubscribe facility in the marketing communication or contact us. Further, as a registered member with us, you can modify your choice at any time by accessing your registered account with us. We will stop using your Personal Information for direct marketing if you so request.
Our websites may contain links to the websites of other entities. If you click on such links, you will be transferred to the websites of these entities. We have no control over, and are not responsible for, the privacy practices of these entities. You should read the privacy policy of these entities to find out how they handle your Personal Information when you visit their websites.
You can access the Personal Information we hold about you by contacting us using the information below. Sometimes, we may not be able to provide you with access to all of your Personal Information and, where this is the case, we will tell you why. We may also need to verify your identify when you request your Personal Information.
If you think that any Personal Information we hold about you is inaccurate, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to ensure that it is corrected.
If you wish to make a complaint about a breach of this Privacy Policy or the APPs under the Act you can contact us using the contact details below. Please include your name, email address and/or telephone number and provide sufficient details regarding your complaint together with any supporting evidence.
We will investigate the issue and determine the steps that we will undertake to resolve your complaint. We will contact you if we require any additional information from you and will notify you in writing of the outcome of the investigation.
If you are not satisfied with our determination, you can contact us to discuss your concerns or contact the Australian Privacy Commissioner via www.oaic.gov.au.
Landmark Group may update this Privacy Policy from time to time so please review it periodically for changes.
Your continued use of our websites or services, requesting our assistance or the provision of further Personal Information to us (directly or via an authorised person) after this Privacy Policy has been revised, indicates your acceptance of the revised Privacy Policy.
If you have a query relating to this Privacy Policy or wish to make a complaint, please contact us using the following contact details:
The Office Manager Landmark Group Pty ltd Level 25, Aurora Place 88 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW 2000
PO Box R351 Royal Exchange, Sydney, NSW 1225
Email address: info@landmarkgr.com
Phone: 02 8211 0436
For more information about the Privacy Act in Australia and protecting your privacy, visit the (external link) website below: www.privacy.gov.au
