Page 3051 - Week 07 - Thursday, 1 July 2010

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Omit all words after “That this Assembly”, substitute:

“(1) notes the problems raised by the Owners Corporation Network and others related to building standards and building certification;

(2) calls on the Government to provide a detailed report to the Assembly by September 2010 on:

(a) the range and extent of problems related to building standards and certification in the ACT, taking into account:

(i) how building-related complaints have been and are dealt with by the ACT Government;

(ii) the role of the Unit Titles Act in addressing building faults and poor workmanship in unit plans in Canberra; and

(iii) public input, which is to be called for and detailed as part of the report;

(b) progress on reform, based on discussion with the Owners Corporation Network, the building industry, and other relevant professional bodies through the Building Quality Forum;

(d) measures that can be taken to assist owners and owners’ corporations to address existing problems of building faults and poor workmanship; and

(3) foreshadows the Assembly’s intention to inquire into the issue if it has not been satisfactorily addressed by November 2010.”.

One of the reasons we are moving this amendment is that we do not want confusion out there in the building owner community as to exactly who is doing what, when, who they should be giving submissions to and who they should be talking to. The Greens have actually spent quite a lot of time discussing what to do about this. At one stage we actually did think about putting forward the motion which Mr Seselja has put forward this morning. Clearly, more action is needed on this matter. But the reason that we did not was basically because we have been convinced that, at this point of time, ACTPLA and the minister are taking this problem quite seriously.

We have spoken to a number of industry groups in the last few weeks, and they also appear to be taking the problem quite seriously. We have all spoken to the OCN, we have also spoken to the MBA and the HIA and to some individual building owners who have problems. One of the things that ACTPLA will be doing shortly is hosting the building quality forum next month. I am hopeful that this will help ACTPLA identify some of the existing construction certification processes. My understanding is that OCN has been invited to this forum, and we are of the impression that ACTPLA is prepared, on the basis of all the information it is working on, to put forward some

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