Page 3252 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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nation-leading. They are meaningful. They will have a positive impact on the building industry and they will hold to account industry participants.
MR PETTERSSON: Can the minister outline what is next on the agenda for the ACT’s building reforms?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Pettersson for the important question because these reforms are ongoing and we are focusing on finalising our building reform program. We will finalise our builders code of practice shortly and that will mirror the code of practice for surveyors and it will be linked to the licences of builders. We will be creating new dispute resolution pathways which will make it easier for consumers to get builders to fix defects. We will also be ensuring the security of payment for subcontractors, to ensure that they get paid for their work.
I note that this ongoing work stands in contrast to those opposite. As we have heard stated over the past couple of days, Mr Parton seems to want industry to reform industry. Also yesterday we learned that Mr Parton wants to take responsibility for the problem. If we look to the problems that exist around the privatisation of certifiers, let us look to see who it was that brought in those particular features. It was in 1998 under the Carnell government. So I assume it is the case that Mr Parton expects taxpayers to pick up the tab for the work of dodgy builders, because I would not like to think that Mr Parton is loose and careless with his words when we put him in front of the media.
On this side we do not think we can trust industry to fix itself. We know that industry has shown that certain players cannot be trusted. We know that industry associations are not working hard enough to remove them. So this will be our focus. We will continue to roll out reforms to hold them to account. We will continue to resource our regulator to enforce this. We will continue to change the industry and we will continue to root out those who do the wrong things, unlike those opposite who would like industry to reform industry and who are too concerned about what they think might be red tape and not interested in ensuring that Canberrans’ buildings are well built. (Time expired.)
Mrs Dunne: On a point of order, Madam Speaker: during his answer Mr Ramsay said words to the effect that Mr Parton was free with his language and the truth. I think that is unparliamentary and should be withdrawn.
MADAM SPEAKER: I do not believe—
Mr Ramsay: Madam Speaker, on the point of order: I said specifically that I would not like to think that that Mr Parton is loose with his words.
Mrs Dunne: Madam Speaker, the minister has just confirmed that he made the imputation and he should withdraw it.
MADAM SPEAKER: If I draw everybody’s attention to what comes out from your benches—
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