Rubber has hit the road as the NSW parliament finally passes building reforms introduced in the wake of high-profile Sydney apartment defects, with the state government declaring a new era for building design and construction.
It’s been a productive week for the building industry and Government with the passing of the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2019 yesterday; and the introduction of the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Bill 2020 to parliament.
Combined, these two Bills put the interests of consumers first and show that the Government is serious about lifting the standard of work across the building and construction sector.
The NSW building regulator will have sweeping new powers to withhold occupation certificates for apartment and other buildings that are not up to standard, denying developers the ability to settle their projects, under new laws passing Parliament.
That will be a game-changer!
The ability of the regulator to prevent settlement (the point of profit for developers), is unprecedented and beckons a major change in Australia’s commercial development industry.
These reforms push NSW ahead of other states in the race to beef up regulation of an industry notorious for poor oversight and past systemic failings.
We’re pleased that these Bills have been collaboratively developed through extensive consultation with industry stakeholders such as us, and the public to ensure that the reforms were comprehensive and addressed core issues.
SCA (NSW) have been very vocal on these issues, appearing before inquiries to table our 7-point plan, which was formulated to restore confidence in the market and deal with dodgy builders and developers.
The two pieces of legislation forms one part of the NSW Government’s comprehensive six-part reform agenda to lift standards and accountability in the building sector.
The passing of the Bill is a huge step forward in the rebuilding the construction sector into a transparent, accountable, customer-centric industry that consumers deserve. The introduction of new compliance and enforcement powers also serves as a stark wake-up call to the dodgy builders and developers who have plagued New South Wales for too long.
We now have a leading system of design and building regulation that will deliver well-constructed buildings into the future.