Page 3933 - Week 13 - Tuesday, 25 November 2014
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I would like to take this opportunity to share with the Assembly two other significant pieces of work undertaken by the directorate in response to the recommendations to strengthening the auditing of exempt development and to provide better information to the community.
In relation to the recommendation about the directorate improving its publicly available information on certifiers and the development application exemption process, I am pleased to report that the directorate has produced a new publication entitled Building in the ACT: a consumer guide to the building process. The consumer guide provides important information to those who engage in the building process and includes information and advice about the role of the Construction Occupations Registrar and the role of the building certifiers and information about building contracts, building disputes and choosing a builder, just to name a few. In addition to the publication being published on the directorate’s website, some of the ACT’s licensed building certifiers are providing links from their websites directing people to this informative publication.
In relation to the recommendation about the directorate improving its auditing of development application exemption assessments, I am pleased to report that the auditing of exempt development now forms part of the audit program of the construction audit team.
In addition, I am pleased to advise the Assembly that the most recent audit of exempt development assessed 3,675 rules in 75 building approvals. Of the 3,675 individual rules, there were 10 minor departures identified in the audit. This equates to a failure rate of just 0.27 per cent and points to the significant work the directorate has undertaken with the industry in enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the legislative requirements.
It is also important to recognise the work of the members of the ACT building and construction industry—in particular, the building certifiers and representative bodies in the industry, for their cooperative approach to the implementation of the recommendations. This task would not have been possible without their ongoing support and commitment to the industry.
I would like to thank and commend officers of the directorate for the significant work that they have undertaken in response to the recommendations and their implementation.
I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Auditor-General and her officers in the conduct and outcomes of this audit. Audits such as these are a great way for the ACT government to continue to improve the planning system in the ACT and I thank the Auditor-General for taking the time to conduct this review.
Finally, I would like to thank those Canberrans who continue to play such a passionate role in the planning of our city. It is important that we have an ongoing conversation with the community about getting the planning tools right for individuals, for streets, for local suburbs and for the benefit of the city as a whole.
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