The State of the Property and Construction Industry
DAME DOROTHY TANGE ALCOVE
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, CANBERRA
11.00am – 12.30pm
The Urban Taskforce held a forum in Parliament House, Canberra, on Wednesday 31 July with federal politicians including The Hon. Alan Tudge and The Hon. Michael Sukkar,” says Urban Taskforce CEO Chris Johnson. The Urban Taskforce presented to federal politicians on key issues in the planning of cities including the swing to apartment living, the importance of public transport infrastructure, the complexity of planning systems and the need to tighten systems to ensure building quality. Around 40 people attended the forum with representatives from the key political parties, senior policy advisers, high level bureaucrats as well as representatives from the ACT government’s planning arm and Urban Taskforce members.
BIOS
The Hon. Alan Tudge
Alan Tudge is the Federal Member for Aston and Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population. This new portfolio brings together population policy with infrastructure and cities in order to better for our growth in our big urban centres. He has previously served as Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Human Services (where he introduced the cashless welfare card) and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. Alan was first elected in 2010 and prior to entering parliament he spent most of his career in business including with the Boston Consulting Group in Australia and the United States and worked as a senior adviser to the Foreign Minister and Education Minister.
He has been involved with multiple community organisations, including being one of the co-founders of “Teach for Australia”, a national non-profit which targets top graduates from non-teacher faculties and fast-tracks them into teaching in disadvantaged schools.
He holds a Law degree and Arts degree from Melbourne University and an MBA from Harvard University and is a proud North Melbourne supporter!
The Hon. Michael Sukkar
Michael Sukkar was elected to the Federal Parliament representing the seat of Deakin at the 2013 federal election.
He has lived, worked and been a part of the Deakin electorate for his whole life. He is passionate about the local community, and understands the issues that concern residents.
Michael grew up in Ringwood and attended primary school at Sacred Heart in Croydon and then secondary school at Aquinas College in Ringwood. After secondary school, he went on to complete a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce at Deakin University in Burwood. He later furthered his studies by completing a Master of Laws at the University of Melbourne.
Prior to entering Parliament, Michael spent several years working as a lawyer with the firm Ashurst Australia (then known as Blake Dawson Waldron) where he was a Senior Associate, and worked as a Senior Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he specialised in taxation.
Since entering Parliament, Michael has been a vocal advocate for his community, fighting to deliver better outcomes for the people of Deakin. In particular, Michael is dedicated to improved infrastructure, community safety, and supporting local community and sporting groups.
Michael is honoured to represent the constituents of Deakin in the Federal Parliament. He has previously served in the Ministry as Assistant Minister to the Treasurer and on a number of parliamentary committees, including as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence & Security.
Michael is married to Anna, and they have two sons, Leo and Nathan.
