Page 192 - Week 01 - Thursday, 16 February 2006
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The bill also makes several other minor changes to recognise changes in terminology, to clarify certain meanings and to align the way the legislation interacts with the laws of other states. Laws amended by the bill are the Building Act 2004, the Construction Occupations Act 2004 and Regulations, the Electricity Safety Act 1971, the Gas Safety Regulations 2001 and the Water and Sewerage Act 2000.
The bill will make provision to allow for the recognition of the CodeMark scheme—a national scheme developed by the Australian Building Codes Board. The scheme will assist designers and certifiers in the knowledge that building products are compliant with the Building Code of Australia. The bill will amend the Building Act to recognise that building products, when certified by the scheme, are compliant with the Building Code of Australia. This will give certainty to building designers that the products they employ in their designs will be accepted by building certifiers. The bill provides that the minister may determine the scheme. This will allow flexibility in the event that the scheme established by the Australian Building Codes Board changes at some later date.
The bill will also amend the Water and Sewerage Act to recognise a plumbing standard referred to as the “plumbing code”. The act currently recognises standards by specifically referring to them by name or, in most cases, their number. As these standards change from time to time, it is desirable to introduce a greater degree of flexibility by allowing the minister to recognise a plumbing code. This will also allow for the later adoption of a national plumbing code similar to the Building Code of Australia, which is currently being developed by the Plumbing Regulators Forum and progressively being adopted by the various states and territories. It is intended that the Plumbing Code of Australia will subsume the various codes and standards currently in use and will facilitate the introduction of a product certification scheme similar to the CodeMark scheme developed by the Building Codes Board.
The bill will also amend the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Regulations 2004 to adopt a new class of licensed plumber. The new category of irrigation plumber will allow licensed persons to install irrigation systems without the requirement that they obtain their full plumber’s licence. There is currently no requirement for type A irrigation systems, such as those attached to garden taps at residential premises, to be installed by licensed plumbers. This new initiative will allow people to undergo a training course specifically dealing with the issues relating to irrigation systems and to commence practising in the field. It will also reduce the regulatory burden on the business sector, which currently requires that irrigation networks be installed by fully licensed plumbers. Licensed plumbers are not always interested in undertaking tasks such as the installation of irrigation systems and often prefer to undertake more complex plumbing systems.
The Construction Occupations Legislation Amendment Bill will also make several amendments to the Construction Occupations (Licensing) Act. It will clarify certain procedures that the Registrar for Construction Occupations must follow in issuing rectification orders and disciplinary notices. The new provisions will simplify procedures for determining whether a rectification order is required in cases of substandard work and will therefore remove unnecessary burdens on both building owners and the Planning and Land Authority.
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