Alex Milne Introduction August 2011

Unless you have been living like a hermit, you will be aware that in the last month the government has finally announced its response to the climate change debate. Irrespective of the political position each of us may hold as individuals, in the final analysis, the kitchen and bathroom industry and the wider furnishing industry, which contributes around 20 billion dollars annually to the Australian economy, will receive little support to offset the measures coming out of Canberra.
   The main reason for this situation is that our industry does not have a single unified voice to raise in the corridors of Canberra, as clearly demonstrated by the failure of recent attempts to bring the furnishing industry together on another issue. Non-response by the big industry associations to the invitation to be involved and partisanship in the formation of working groups means there is no way that a strong and unified case can be made to those in power. In such circumstances they won’t take the industry seriously — and who can blame them!
   DESIGN20eleven, KBDi’s conference and awards program, was a resounding success. Thanks to all who attended and, of course, our team of industry experts and other experts in their fields who drew on their years of knowledge and experience to present the informative and challenging conference sessions. The conference wrapped up on Saturday night with a spectacular Awards Gala — “the best yet!” said many who attended.
   Congratulations to all the winners of the KBDi DESIGN20eleven National Kitchen and Bathroom Designer Awards. Again this year the three top winners have secured a place on the 2012 KBDi Designers’ International Tour, kindly sponsored by Smeg. They will join other designers to travel to Europe to attend Eurocucina in Milan, the world’s leading expo for the kitchen and bathroom industry.
   Interested in joining the tour? Then read on as KBDi Director Simon Hodgson reveals some of the highlights that you can enjoy on next year’s tour.
   Wrapping up this edition, we go one-on-one with Rob Bayly, one of the judges of this year’s KBDi awards, to get his insider’s scoop on the judging process and the wide array of entries. And we take a sneak peek at Smeg’s new state-of-the-art showroom in Victoria.

— Alex Milne, KBDi Executive Director, and the Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly team

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