construction

Victorian Building Reinforcement

Market Insights
8 years ago
2 minutes

The Andrews Labor Government will reinforce confidence in Victoria’s $28 billion dollar building industry by introducing stronger domestic building protection to avoid costly disputes.

Minister for Planning Richard Wynne and Minister for Consumer Affairs Jane Garrett have led the charge for new rules which make it compulsory for builders to work with consumers to resolve building disputes.

While most builders do the right thing, these common sense reforms mean consumers will no longer have to struggle through long delays to building works and expensive tribunal battles when faulty work has been done.

The Labor Government has worked closely with the building industry to introduce consumer protection reforms that are practical, reasonable and provide a fair building system for everyone.

“Our reforms mean Victorians will no longer be at risk of having a six month renovation blow out to a six year disaster.” said Minister for Consumer Affairs, Jane Garrett.

“Building disputes can ruin people’s lives and livelihoods. By strengthening consumer protection and the regulation of the industry, disputes will be prevented, and if they arise, resolved much earlier.” 

A new dispute resolution service will have powers to obtain independent expert assessment of building work, and require builders to repair poor work or make the consumer pay if work was correctly completed, reducing lengthy disputes.

The building system will also be simplified, with the Building Practitioners Board to be abolished and the Victorian Building Authority to have stronger powers to discipline building practitioners.

The building surveyor process will be more transparent as builders will no longer appoint their own surveyor, and laws have been tightened to prevent unregistered builders from avoiding the standards and costs that apply to registered builders.

The raft of reforms will be rolled out in two stages to address long-standing flaws in the domestic building system, identified by the Victorian Auditor General in the May 2015 report.

“These reforms will mean a building dispute can be resolved quickly and without the personal cost and financial stress of the current system," said Minister for Planning, Richard Wynne, “Victoria has a strong building industry and the majority of builders won’t notice our changes, but we are reinforcing the system so practitioners and consumers have confidence and our building industry keeps on growing.”