Page 468 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019
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This government is very serious about not only rolling out its policy reform but also about ensuring that people who are building in this territory are qualified and are of the highest quality. I want to make very clear that if people are not of the quality that is needed in this territory, we do not want you in the industry.
Municipal services—nature strips
MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for City Services and relates to the draft nature strip guidelines. Minister, is there a timeline for the finalisation of the draft nature strip guidelines and, if so, what is it?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Le Couteur for her question. Those guidelines are currently being finalised. I am looking forward to publishing them soon. I will take on notice the exact period in time in which they will be published.
MS LE COUTEUR: Assuming that this will be fairly soon, does the government have a plan to promote the guidelines?
MR STEEL: I thank the member for her question, and I will take that on notice as well.
Building—quality
MR PARTON: My question is to the Minister for Building Quality Improvement and Minister for Business and Regulatory Services, but not so much gaming and racing. On 4 February the Canberra Times reported on serious concerns regarding the Elara complex and others, including the Empire apartments, Forrest; Pulse apartments, Gungahlin; and Fox Place, Lyneham. The Canberra Times indicated reports prepared by a structural engineer highlighted very disturbing design and construction practice which posed a significant risk to residents’ safety. Minister, why has your government’s building policy allowed very disturbing design and construction practice which poses a significant risk to residents’ safety?
MR RAMSAY: I thank the member for his question and note the undertone, again, of a scare campaign coming through. It is always good to be raising issues that might scare the broader community; that demonstrates the way the Canberra Liberals work.
I sympathise with the owners of Elara who have been affected by the issue. I am aware that in that particular case they have indicated that they are likely to appeal the decision that was made so I will be cautious in relation to that one. However, Access Canberra has taken strong regulatory enforcement steps in that particular case and in the case of other situations.
In that particular one strong regulatory actions were taken against the builder, the engineer and the developer. The enforcement action that Access Canberra took against the licensee were upheld by ACAT. The builder has had to surrender their licence and that builder will never build in the ACT again. Access Canberra has pursued the engineer through the Supreme Court resulting in the conditioning of every building certifiers’ licence when relying on that engineer’s advice. That was the first
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