“Trustworthiness is not a rubber stamp, it manifests as a “feeling” at every level. When we have it we feel great. When it is lost we feel unwell. If people don’t “feel” the right emotions when working on, producing or receiving a project, we don’t get the right outcome. Building is fun, children know this, the shelves are full of building toys. We should be happy at work and happy in our buildings.”
We were really thrilled at this comment from Daniel Roberts following David Chandler’s recent blog posts and presentations about uniting the industry under a shared aspiration for “trustworthiness”.
As we near the end of the year it’s heartening that this sentiment is increasingly being felt from amongst all the fast moving elements of the reform program. We’ve seen two new pieces of legislation pass, a new program of OC Audits get underway, a raft of building closures, rectifications and successes, and much progress made to digitize the way government and industry and customers, do business. And yet amongst all this industriousness our overall goal of “trust” is ringing true as both a unifying force, and emotional aspiration.
Click below to watch David’s end of year video interview about the first year of Construct NSW.
“We’re not just here to spot the problems,” says David Chandler. “We’re here to inspire excellence and guide good practice. That’s how we’ll rebuild consumer confidence and get our industry firing on all cylinders. I want people to know what we expect and what to aim for. We all want to be proud of what is being achieved and I know our industry can be world-class”.
Progress on Inspections and OC Audits
Over 25 Audits have begun since the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act came into play on September 1st, covering sites in the Sydney Metro area, Western Sydney, the Newcastle region, Wollongong, and also northern NSW.
These site audits are revealing work of poor quality and a disappointing understanding of Australian Standards and the BCA. The Building Commissioner’s reform program has a strong focus on this and wants to lift Certifier standards quickly, to enable quality uplift across the entire construction industry.
Summary of the Six Pillar Reform since July 2020
- Pillar 1: New RAB Act came into play. 23 OC audits underway since July resulting in 1 prohibition order and multiple rectification orders.
- Pillar 2: Market soundings to establish interest in industry-led ratings products. Developing the market criteria that would support the offering of a voluntary DLI product
- Pillar 3: 1,000+ enrolments in our first course “Understanding OC Audits” Next three courses go live before Christmas
- Pillar 4: Model term sheets to apply the D&BP Act published on the Construct NSW website
- Pillar 5: ePlanning Portal enhanced to support OC audits and strata bond lodgement, tender released to develop test versions of a building assurance solution. Significant improvements made to BRD’s internal systems through data consolidation and information sharing agreements
- Pillar 6: Evidence gathering began with new Digital Capabilities survey with Western Sydney University and a strata building survey in partnership with Strata Communities Australia
Keep In Touch
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