When building ministers from around the country meet in Sydney tomorrow they have some critical decisions to make which will affect the building, construction and property industries and their contribution to our economic prosperity.
For 18 months our governments have had the Shergold Weir report on building compliance and enforcement sitting on their desks which made 24 recommendations covering the breadth of building safety, professional accreditation and regulatory standards.
And for 18 months there’s been an intergovernmental merry-go-round on doing something about it.
Add to this a disjointed approach to dealing with combustible cladding issues, and the costs of inaction are now being borne out through huge increases in insurance premiums for building certifiers and the very real prospect of construction projects grinding to a halt because of it.
Some governments have taken welcome steps to address some of the issues, although Victoria yesterday unhappily announced a 700 percent increase in building levies as part of its package. But the dominant theme is inconsistency and confusion.
We need one plan for one country, and building ministers tomorrow have the opportunity to make it happen.