JLL Perspectives

Melbourne's office market is at a crossroads and if you're a business leader with leases expiring in the next few years, the decisions you make now will define your workplace for the decade ahead.In this recording of JLL's Melbourne Future Forward panel event Westpac's Mark Rose reveals why his team needed three full years to execute their 48,000 sqm office strategy, and why waiting until 18 months out is already too late. You'll discover the hidden truth behind Melbourne's headline 20% vacancy rate: while the media talks about abundant space, finding premium, contiguous floors that meet modern standards is a completely different story.Charter Hall's Andria Carniato shares how the company leased 111 Bourke Street to 95% in just 16 months during a down market, and the portfolio strategies that unlock value most tenants never see. Connor McCauley, JLL sustainability expert, breaks down the embodied carbon equation that's reshaping fit-out decisions, with real examples of how Australia Post's workstations found new life at CBA.Whether you're managing 50,000 sqm or 5,000, this conversation will change how you think about timing, sustainability, and the tenant-landlord relationship. The question isn't if your next move matters, it's whether you're starting early enough to get it right.

AI was supposed to empty our offices. So why are tech companies in a physical space race?If you've been reading the headlines, you'd think AI is about to decimate office demand. But the data tells a very different story, and in some major markets, it's the complete opposite.Tech companies building AI infrastructure are expanding aggressively. Sydney's tech sector has nearly doubled its office space in just five years to over 400,000 square metres. In San Francisco, AI firms now capture nearly 30% of all office leasing.But the twist is, while AI creators are gobbling up premium space, traditional businesses are using the same technology to automate back-office roles and "do more with less." So, what's actually happening to our city centres?In this episode, host Rebecca Kent sits down with three JLL experts to unpack the paradox:Yuehan Wang, who leads JLL's Global Technology Research Programme, reveals the widening gap between premium "experience quotient" assets that are thriving and older B-grade buildings sliding into a "disruption zone."Ronak Bhimjiani, real estate economist for Australia and New Zealand, explains why we need to stop conflating labour market impacts with real estate impacts: "They're not actually tracking on the same trajectory."James Montague, head of office leasing in Australia, shares what landlords are really worried about and why he still sees this as "a growth factor rather than a detractor."Together, they explore which industries and job roles are most exposed to automation, what the "co-pilot economy" means for workplace design, and why investors need to think in scenarios, not certainties.The conversation goes to some unexpected places – from the eye-watering cost of AI tokens to whether deepfake technology will make face-to-face meetings the only way to build trust by 2030.Whether you're a landlord assessing your asset, an occupier planning your next lease, or an investor trying to separate signal from noise, this episode will challenge what you think you know about AI and the future of work.Listen now.

The predictable rhythm of strategic planning has broken down. Annual cycles, fixed assumptions and long-term forecasts no longer hold in an environment where disruption arrives faster than organisations can respond. In this episode recorded at JLL's Canberra Signature Event, investment, consulting and government leasing specialists make the case that disruption isn't an occasional event to plan around anymore—it's the operating environment itself.The conversation moves beyond abstract strategy talk to explore what's actually changing on the ground. Investors are scrutinising every dollar of return as interest rates stay higher for longer and construction costs climb 40% in five years. Occupiers are rethinking space needs as AI reshapes workforce planning in unpredictable ways. Landlords are shortening lease terms while tenants demand more flexibility. And long-held assumptions—like consolidating into one large footprint or using fixed desk-sharing ratios—are being actively retested.From "permacrisis" to compressed planning cycles, the panel unpacks why organisations can no longer wait for conditions to settle before making decisions. They discuss scenario planning over prediction, how interest rate shifts are recalibrating investment models, why amenity is now baseline rather than differentiator, and how to lead when the assumptions underpinning your last strategy no longer apply.The common thread: the organisations getting ahead aren't the ones waiting for stability to return. They're the ones building the capability to adapt continuously—because inaction is itself a strategic choice, and competitors are moving whether you are or not.Featured speakers:Zoe Ferrari, Senior Director, Office Leasing & Government Leasing Lead, JLL (moderator)Bryan Froud, Director, JLL ConsultingAinsley Reddy, Senior Director, Office Leasing & Government Leasing Lead, JLLBelinda Cheung, Fund Manager, Centuria Office FundKey topics:Why strategic planning can no longer be an annual exerciseHow interest rates staying higher for longer are reshaping investment decisionsWhat investors and occupiers actually want now—and why it's changedWhy assumptions like portfolio consolidation and fixed desk ratios no longer holdScenario planning as a tool for preparing for multiple futuresHow AI is reshaping workforce and space planning in unpredictable waysWhy amenity and flexibility are now baseline expectations, not differentiatorsWhat leaders need to stop doing to build organisational adaptabilityRecorded live at JLL's Canberra Signature Event, 2026

Industry leaders explore how design intelligence is transforming workplace strategy. At JLL's Signature Event in Sydney, in June 2026, Valentina Vulturu from ING Australia shares insights from ING’s 2026 workplace transformation, revealing how comprehensive employee engagement shaped every design decision. Joined by Jennifer Moore, JLL's National Practice Director for Design, and Angela Barwick, Executive Director of Real Estate Technology Services, the panel examine swhy strategic advisory must precede any real estate commitments. They discuss designing for workplace diversity beyond collaboration spaces, integrating AI and technology from day one, and redefining return on investment to measure business performance rather than just cost per square metre.

The property industry is rallying around flood mitigation, but what about heat, wind, and cold? In this panel discussion recorded at Transform 2026, JLL's Georgia Warren-Myers and Julian Sutherland join host Jamie Wallis, from the Green Building Council of Australia for a frank conversation about climate resilience at scale. They explore why flood protection has become the go-to strategy, examine real examples of climate risk already affecting asset values and tackle the uncomfortable questions around valuation. This discussion reveals the gaps between climate awareness, action and market recognition and what needs to happen to close them.