News & Views
15th December 2020
NSW Government focuses on transforming the building and construction sector
NSW’s first Building Commissioner, David Chandler OAM, is leading a major transformation of the NSW building and construction sector. Known as ‘Construct NSW,’ the strategy will help reshape the industry so it becomes more capable, innovative and accountable.
A word regularly mentioned by David and his team is ‘trust,’ and in their industry briefings they have been calling on industry to aspire to producing ‘trustworthy buildings.’ This means buildings that can be relied upon not to hurt their occupants financially, physically, emotionally or environmentally. And this aspiration is a big focus of his new proactive inspection program.
The Building Commissioner has been granted the right to inspect any Class 2 project, and to prevent occupation certificates being issued if serious defects are found. The inspections can occur any time in the last six months of construction, and focus on serious defects in the common property areas of structure, waterproofing, fire systems, building services (electrical, plumbing, lifts, etc) and external enclosures. A team of experienced inspectors has been recruited to conduct these with David, and they’re covering a lot of ground.
The first projects visited under the inspection program are revealing examples of both excellent and poor practice. The Building Commissioner believes it is important that the sector and the NSW public hear the full story. Often, good practices are under reported, but it is these projects that set benchmarks for the rest. It is important for consumers to understand the majority of players are committed to delivering high-quality buildings.
“We’re not just here to spot the problems,” says Chandler. “We’re here to inspire excellence. That’s how we’ll rebuild consumer confidence and get our industry firing on all cylinders. I want people to know what we expect and what to aim for. We all want to be proud of what is being achieved. and I know our industry can be world-class”.
For more information, visit the Construct NSW website at https://www.nsw.gov.au/construct-nsw
