When Scotland's chief architect Ian Gilzean makes an aside about national architecture policy having been formally debated in the Scottish Parliament for the third time, there are a few exasperated chuckles around the table from some of his Australian counterparts.
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ACT government architect Alastair Swayn says the feeling is they could only wish for architecture to have the same prominence in public debate in Australia.
''I think that's the thing design professionals struggle with, is actually getting design on to a local or even national agenda,'' he said.
''We have in some states, and in the ACT, some good ministers who understand design. But when you're talking to the broader bureaucracy about good design, then it's actually a struggle to get it on an agenda.''
Canberra has just hosted its first conference of the Government Architects Network of Australia where all states and territories except Tasmania were represented.
Mr Gilzean was a guest speaker, talking about the evolution of architecture policy in Scotland, culminating in its latest manifesto, Creating Places, which emphasises the importance of design improving and enriching the lives of its residents. He said it shouldn't seem strange to have architecture debated at the highest level.
''It does affect people's quality of life and it's really important,'' he said.
Mr Gilzean was intrigued to see Canberra's architecture for the first time.
''I think it's really interesting in terms of looking at the original plan and what survived from that. The original plan was pretty urbanised but today there's a much lower density,'' he said.
''But you can see the attractiveness of that as well, the access to green space. It doesn't feel like a highly urbanised place.''
Mr Swayn said the network had commissioned RMIT to do research work into the monetary and community value of design to better promote the benefits of getting it right, even when facing criticism. The first findings were expected next year.
''An example of that is despite all the controversy of the building of the [Sydney] Opera House, the Opera House's financial contribution to the NSW economy is something like $6.2 billion a year,'' he said.
''When you're looking at a new building or urban design, it's very easy to just look at the short-term costs but not the long-term benefits.
''So hopefully the metrics we're working out with RMIT will actually begin to quantify those longer-term benefits so we can use those arguments to government and to developers about the value of good design.''
