Page 863 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2018
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(e) as a result, the Canberra community and the building industry itself are suffering considerable reputational and financial damage; and
(3) calls on the government to implement all remaining reforms from the Improving the ACT Building Regulatory System Summary of Proposed Reforms no later than 31 December 2018.
When you buy a home to live in or when you secure an investment property it is a massive purchase. For most of us it will be the biggest purchase we make so you want it to be perfect. As the housing affordability screws are clamped down heavily on all of those who are not already in the housing market, as the prices keep on going up and up, this is being reflected in our conversations every day of the week out on the street.
A constituent said to me the other day in Wanniassa, “You guys have been saying there is no affordable housing left in the ACT under ACT Labor and that, Mr Parton, is a blatant lie.” I was a little taken aback because we do not often get that sort of response in Tuggeranong. But she finished her statement. She said, “There is some affordable rental accommodation in the ACT. It is being offered to the CFMEU at $1 a year.” And we both smiled at that but you can see that you can still get affordable accommodation in the ACT if you know the right people, if you get in with the right crowd.
But I digress. The purchase of a house or an apartment is a big thing and when you are forking out so much money you expect it to be absolutely perfect. Consumers have a right to believe that they will be moving into a place of residence that has been constructed in a way which will enable them to live in without serious problems arising for a long period of time.
I think we would all agree with that. Interestingly, I guess as is the case with a lot of motions here, I think this is a motion that most of us will agree on. For a number of years now there has been much disquiet and concern over the quality of construction in the ACT. You do not have to delve too far into media archives for stark examples and it is not good enough.
This motion brings to the Assembly’s attention some extremely important matters that could make or break the reputation of our building industry and that of the territory itself. And I think this is the other big thing that we are talking about here. You know, it is about consumers and the community but we are blessed with some of the best builders and construction firms in the whole of the country.
Those who are completing exceptional work are dismayed, absolutely dismayed, by the mistakes and sloppiness from those who are not doing the right thing. The great builders of Canberra should not have their reputation smeared by those who are not doing the right thing. The government has failed our building industry by failing to provide the right sort of regulatory framework, and even when they do provide the appropriate regulatory framework, they do not provide enough grunt to enforce the rules.
The impacts of poor construction are profound, and they have many negative impacts. First we have members of the public buying a house or an apartment in good faith and,
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