Tougher oversight coming for NSW construction sector

NSW Premier Chris Minns made the commitment to have the body in place before the close of the year, following promises made during his election campaign to not only ramp up home construction but reform the industry.

The government has also pledged to introduce to Parliament its “plain English Building Act” to consolidate and modernise many pieces of legislation, some decades old, that can be found scattered throughout the state’s statute books. Often hard to navigate for the average Australian looking to build at home, this law will look to provide clarity to consumers and the sector about their rights and responsibilities and further strengthen the building sector by making homeowner information easier to understand.

Mr Minns said that this spotlight on building reforms was intended to ensure that new home building across the state was executed to the highest standard.

“I’ve made [it] clear we need more supply; there’s no two ways about it. The pressure on the rental market is severe, and the government’s job is to get more supply into the system to help alleviate some of that pressure. But I want to provide confidence to the public that when we build, we’ll build properly,” he said.

“We want well-built, well-designed suburbs with top-tier buildings and top-tier builders.

“The building commissioner, David Chandler, has done a remarkable job cleaning up the construction industry. We want to expand on that and ensure we can get supply moving while still maintaining public confidence in the quality,” Mr Minns added.

Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong spoke to what’s at stake during this moment when home building is in high demand to meet the state’s supply issues.

“We have the chance to deliver on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the NSW construction sector. This sector accounts for almost 10 per cent of the economy, so getting this right is critical,” Mr Chanthivong said.

“We have to build up, not out, and this is the first step in ensuring the projects in this global city are of the highest quality,” he said.