Public safety and the Australian building industry\u2019s global reputation for quality will be jeopardised if better measures for compliance with the National Construction Code are not adopted promptly by all states and territories.<\/p>\n
On Friday 10 August, federal, state and territory ministers met for the Building Ministers\u2019 Forum (BMF) to discuss their collective response to the recommendations made in the Shergold-Weir Building Confidence report.<\/p>\n
The Australian Institute of Architect\u2019s Acting National President, Richard Kirk welcomed the BMF\u2019s commitment to engage closely with industry on the critical issues of public safety and confidence in Australia\u2019s construction industry, however, Mr Kirk said that the BMF\u2019s response to the report was disappointing.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ministers have had more than six months to consider the Building Confidence report, which was produced after careful study and provides excellent, considered advice on the future direction building regulation in this country should take,\u2019 Mr Kirk said.<\/p>\n
\u2018There is real urgency surrounding the need for action by governments to address the failings identified in the Shergold-Weir report, driven by very real concerns around public safety as well as economic imperatives.<\/p>\n
\u2018That Ministers haven\u2019t supported and adopted all the report\u2019s recommendations is hard to understand given the significance of the issues it has identified.<\/p>\n
\u2018We back every single one, and it is disappointing to see that the most the BMF could agree on was the production of an implementation plan that focuses on only 6 out of the 24 recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u2018Industry needs certainty to keep operating and doesn\u2019t want risk issues being poorly managed.<\/p>\n
\u2018Best practice regulation and compliance with the National Construction Code is critical or the whole industry\u2019s reputation, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports, will be jeopardised.<\/p>\n
\u2018Globally, \u201cbrand Australia\u201d is seen as having an impeccable reputation for producing safe, quality buildings. Why would we risk that?<\/p>\n
\u2018As it stands, there are unregulated people making decisions they are unqualified to make. This is a huge public safety issue and also leaves business, body corporates and government open to liability.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mr Kirk said it would come as a surprise to many Australians just how limited the independent inspection regimes have become on building sites.<\/p>\n
\u2018Public confidence in government and industry to deliver a safe built environment is being eroded by a least cost approach.\u2019<\/p>\n
Mr Kirk said the need to make changes to compliance and enforcement measures in state and territory legislation and regulatory frameworks was now at a critical juncture and required prompt action.<\/p>\n
\u2018At the end of the day, the people this uncertainty impacts the most is consumers,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018The insurance industry has already moved ahead of government and the building and construction industry is seeing the impacts of this continued uncertainty through rising insurance premiums and risk around coverage.<\/p>\n
\u2018Look out the window at the number of cranes dotting the skyline in many major cities and the amount of construction underway \u2013 this is a public safety issue and the time to implement change is now.<\/p>\n
\u2018Our buildings have lifespans of up to a century or more. We simply cannot afford to have continued inaction and delay embed problems that risk people\u2019s safety and incur long-term costs.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"