Page 2531 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 1 August 2018
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In the budget, the government has also provided funding for two additional building inspectors for Access Canberra. These inspectors will initially be focussing on clearing current cases to ensure that quick and appropriate action is taken against builders where a complaint has been substantiated against them.
Access Canberra has also established a rapid regulatory response team to respond to building complaints. This team is able to undertake site inspections to quickly determine whether there is or there is likely to be a building code breach, to close off complaints in a more timely manner where no regulatory response is warranted or required, allowing the remainder of the inspectors to focus on existing and more complex cases. These are just a few of the measures we are taking to improve the quality of building here in the ACT.
MS ORR: Minister, can you outline how we are communicating this to builders?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Orr for her supplementary question. Just a few weeks ago the Construction Occupations Registrar, the statutory office holder responsible for builders licences, wrote to all licence holders who had a substantiated complaint made against them with Access Canberra and informed them that the next time they seek to renew their licence they will need to undergo a licence exam. This sends a clear message to the industry that if you build poorly and the regulator determines that you have breached the building code we will be checking to see if you still have the knowledge and skills to continue in the industry. From next year, 20 per cent of those who renew their builders licences will sit the exam. This will include all of those builders I just mentioned who have a substantiated complaint recorded against them by Access Canberra.
Through this process Access Canberra has been working with industry groups such as the MBA and HIA as well as training providers such as CIT to discuss the changes, including providing information resources for these organisations to pass on to their members. All licensed builders have also received a message by text where we have a mobile number for them. That is over 3,000 licensed builders who have been put on notice that we expect those building in the territory to do so at the required level.
MS CHEYNE: Minister, could you please outline why these measures are so important?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Cheyne for the supplementary question. These measures are important because buying a home is often the biggest investment that someone will make in their lifetime. The government wants to do what it can to ensure that it is a sound investment.
The government intends to make sure that only those with the appropriate skills and knowledge are building in the territory. That is why we have been systematically rolling out changes to the system since 2016, after a review. We will continue to roll out changes to ensure that there is confidence in the building system here in the ACT.
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