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The state has officially opened its first-ever dedicated building regulator.
Lifting the office of the building commissioner out of NSW Fair Trading, the new Building Commission NSW will be a standalone regulator to ensure the quality of construction across the state.
The body is funded by a $24 million “down payment” included in the last NSW state budget and is set to take ownership of all regulation, licensing and oversight of the sector.
Led by Commissioner David Chandler, the number of staff in the state dedicated to enforcing the quality and standards of the building industry is expected to swell from 40 to more than 400.
Delivering a standalone regulator was a key election promise of NSW Premier Chris Minns ahead of the 2023 election, as a measure to crack down on the rising number of defects reported in newer builds, as well as eliminate disasters such as Mascot Towers.
The establishment of a dedicated regulator comes on the heels of expanded powers being delivered to the commissioner, to give Mr Chandler greater freedom to inspect buildings for issues.
The Minns government has also elevated the sector to cabinet level by appointing the first ever Minister for Building, which is currently held by Anoulack Chanthivong
Mr Chanthivong commented that the new standalone body would “turbocharge” the work the state is doing to “restore trust and integrity in the building sector”.
“Buying a home is the great Australian dream, Building Commission NSW will help make sure it doesn’t turn into a nightmare,” Mr Chanthivong said.
Mr Minns commented that Mr Chandler has made a great start restoring the integrity of the sector, and that the latest changes “[give] him the powers and resources he needs to get on with the job”.
“In recent years we’ve heard horror stories about defects in apartment buildings, but we’re turning the tide with Building Commission NSW,” he added.
Meanwhile on his part, Mr Chandler said it would be his “privilege to lead this next phase of delivering the trusted housing that the state’s community desperately needs”.
Monday, 4 December 2023, also marks the official completion of the 67-unit building Parq, in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bexley, the first building in Australia to be covered by Decennial Liability Insurance (DLI), a decade-long guarantee against serious defects. NSW is the first state to introduce DLI and is incentivising builders of multistorey apartment buildings to take out coverage.
Owners in buildings covered by DLI can make a claim to get defects repaired for up to a decade after completion, whether their builder is still operating or not.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Juliet Helmke
Based in Sydney, Juliet Helmke has a broad range of reporting and editorial experience across the areas of business, technology, entertainment and the arts. She was formerly Senior Editor at The New York Observer.
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