Page 2228 - Week 06 - Thursday, 6 June 2019
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MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Orr for the supplementary question. These new staff for the building inspectorate will have a substantial impact on building quality in the territory. The new staff for the rapid response team will turn this very successful trial into a permanent feature of the inspectorate. The team will be expanded by four and will be on the ground responding to building complaints within hours or days.
They will have the power to shut down building sites where they see an issue and they will work with builders and consumers to ensure that the issues are fixed before the work is completed—when it is far more cost effective to do so. They will work hand in hand with our inspectors to ensure systemic issues are stamped out, major compliance breaches are investigated and appropriate action is taken. There will be, as I say, around 1,000 extra inspections every year.
The team running examinations will help to hold those seeking a licence or renewing their licence to the highest standard. They will ensure that people have up-to-date knowledge of how to interpret the building code and to ensure that those who are not able to work in this sector do not do so as a builder.
The engagement staff will be doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes to do the data analytics to get the increased data collection that Access Canberra has been undertaking over the last year. They will be looking for patterns in what is occurring and they will be creating resources and working with the community to address those patterns. They will be creating resources to help the community to understand how to navigate the system. They will be working with builders to ensure that they are building the highest quality buildings, and they will be working directly with consumers to ensure that they are armed with the information they need to ensure they have what is necessary when they are seeking to build, buy or renovate.
MR PARTON: Minister, how much will these changes add to the cost of every construction in Canberra?
MR RAMSAY: Obviously, the investment by the ACT government is strong. The way that it will work is that the investment in the inspectorate will be partially offset through a small increase in the costs associated with the building levy. For an average home, that is probably $400 in terms of the cost of the levy.
We know that investment and savings can be made at the time of building. It is far more cost effective if we are able to deal with matters quickly rather than allow issues to be present and to grow, and then have to deal with issues afterwards. We are making sure that it is far more cost effective and far more efficient, so that the investments that people make in their homes are of the highest quality and so that they can rely on those with great certainty.
Housing—finance
MRS JONES: My question is to the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development. Minister, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures published in May indicated that during March this year only 146 lending commitments were made to first home buyers in Canberra, the fewest recorded since October 2016. At the same
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