Current at: 05 May 2006
One of the Housing Industry Association's highest individual honours, the Sir Phillip Lynch Award, has been conferred on South Australian builder Craig Robinson.
Announcing the award on behalf of HIA today, Federal MP Alan Cadman said Mr Robinson has always put the interests of the housing industry first and as a result had found himself at the centre of some of its most pressing issues.
"There is no more significant example than the transition of HIA from a confederation to a national organisation in the mid-1990s," he said.
"As national president at the time he steered this complicated and sometimes controversial process through troubled waters."
Mr Robinson's term coincided with the introduction of the GST, which had significant ramifications for the housing industry. "Craig's leadership was invaluable in this process, with the result the housing industry was able to cope with what was a fundamental change to the business environment," Mr Cadman said.
"He was also involved in HIA's response to the HIH insurance collapse and was instrumental in the production of the document Housing Australians, which put housing firmly back on the national policy agenda with 53 recommendations for all three tiers of government."
As South Australian president in the early 1990s he was at the forefront of an aggressive campaign against the Federal Labor Government's independent contractor legislation, raising funds and leading a heated rally at the Dom Polski Centre in Adelaide when around 1000 industry members pledged their opposition to the legislation.
Mr Robinson is a joint director of Rossdale Homes, one of South Australia's longest standing and most respected project building companies. While he is now less actively involved in its day-to-day running, he continues his strong and experienced input into strategic decisions which has been instrumental in Rossdale's significant growth output in recent years.
The Sir Phillip Lynch Award, named in memory of the former Federal Government Minister and supporter of HIA, is presented annually for outstanding service to the housing industry. Mr Cadman is a former colleague and friend of Sir Phillip.