The Property Council and its members are very supportive of measures to improve building confidence and transparency in NSW. Any reforms should deliver safe, compliant buildings in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
We welcomed the appointment of David Chandler as Building Commissioner.
The Property Council also made a number of recommendations in response to the State Government’s Building Stronger Foundations discussion paper:
- Create a well-resourced Building Commission;
- Create a system for registering building designers backed by a
strong continuing professional development scheme and auditing and governance
system. - That Building design professionals involved in a build should certify
that the plans and specifications prepared by them are compliant to the relevant parts
of the Building Code of Australia. - lmplement a third-party independent peer review of structural
designs by engineers as is the practice in Victoria. - That an additional layer of certification should be implemented for work
related to structure, waterproofing and fire safety, which are the potential sources of
major defects. - The NSW Government should establish a chain of responsibility,
placing duties on building supply chain participants (including designers,
manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers) to ensure building products used in
NSW are safe and fit for intended purpose.
The Property Council’s submission to the Building Stronger Foundations discussion paper is here.
The newly established Cladding Support Unit is a welcome measure to assist industry and Local Councils to assess and rectify building’s with cladding.
Clear communication and framing on how the audits were undertaken, how many buildings are at risk and to what degree, and assistance with rectification would be welcome steps.
Any questions or would like to meet to discuss?
Emma Ashton – Senior Policy Advisor on [email protected]