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The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has decided to disband the National Occupational Licensing Authority (NOLA) from early 2014.
In a shock announcement on Friday afternoon, COAG ruled it will not proceed with national licensing for real estate agents and according to the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) CEO Tim McKibbin, this is a positive day for “common sense”.
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“This is a great day for the market, for the consumer and for the profession,” he told The Adviser's sister publication Real Estate Business.
“The national licensing proposal, as it was, was obviously very concerning for us. We support national licensing but for it to proceed, the first step is harmonising the regulatory environment with appropriate entry level and ongoing training.”
President of the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) Peter Bushby also applauded COAG's decision to can the proposed National Occupational Licensing Scheme (NOLS) in favour of a sensible and workable solution.
“From the outset, we supported national licensing but objected to a flawed model that dumbed down educational and operational standards for our industry," he said.
“We are pleased that the states have agreed to investigate approaches that would increase labour mobility and deliver net benefits for businesses and governments.”
Mr McKibbin claims the announcement comes off the back of a sustained lobbying campaign from right across the county.
COAG found a majority of states had decided not to pursue the proposed NOLS reforms.
”Most jurisdictions identified a number of concerns with the proposed NOLS model and potential costs. States instead decided to investigate approaches that would increase labour mobility and deliver net benefits for businesses and governments,” COAG said in a communiqué following the talks.
“The states agreed to work together via the Council for the Australian Federation (CAF) to develop alternative options for minimising licensing impediments to improving labour mobility, and to manage the orderly disestablishment of the NOLA from early 2014.”
Mr McKibbin said he would continue to work with the government.
“In the coming months we will continue to work with both the state and federal governments to develop a national framework that will meet the expectations of a modern market and dynamic profession,” he said.
