Development industry reforms ‘back on track’

After weeks of turmoil in NSW Fair Trading and in the Building and Property services commissioners’ offices, in particular, the loud and clear message is not so much “business as usual” as that the revolution is on a roll.

“It has been an eventful few weeks,” Building Commissioner wrote in one of his regular Linkedin posts last week. “This as you will have heard has resulted in me staying on as NSW Building Commissioner until August 2023. [But] there is much to do to maintain the momentum that is changing the main game in NSW construction, for the better.

“There are so many positive reports on how developers, designers, constructors, installers and certifiers are now embracing best practice as their main game. Of course there is a shrinking rump of players still stuck in the past. These players will attract increasing attention and accountability.

“The reforms in the NSW residential construction space are showing that doing it right is far less costly than doing it again, and sometimes again!”

He added that the momentum for reform in NSW was back on track: “Good news for most, less so for others. Great news for consumers.”

Last week’s positive message has been followed up by another, outlining the way forward for the property development industry now that Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello has stepped back into the role of Fair Trading minister recently and controversially vacated by Eleni Petinos.

“Every cloud has a silver lining. How impactive is it when the portfolio Minister is so customer attuned. Victor understands the power of data transparency to level the playing field. Purchasers of NSW off the plan apartments are the big winners here.”

Mr Chandler added that there was much more in the pipeline with Decennial Liability Insurance (DLI) just gearing up. DLI is  is intended to provide a 10-year, first resort warranty insurance cover for the key building elements in the common property of new Apartment Buildings from the day they are completed.

Driving the iCIRT (or developer star rating) message was fundamental to building a minimum viable market base for DLI, he said.

“It is also a huge mobilizer for developers and builders to understand how they can build resilient businesses that will competently and reliably deliver repeated trustworthy outcomes.

“To shift the reform construction dial in NSW, data has been the underlying backbone. Data is not some nerdish indulgence. It is the DNA of DCS (the Department of Customer Service). It is how every NSW agency has been able to join up its intelligence to serve the public through floods, fires and COVID.

“Data now informs the more productive efforts of proactive NSW Building and SafeWork regulators. As the nation leading NSW reforms become the norm, every designer, builder and supplier to the construction value chain will benefit from doing construction smarter, more compliantly and once.

What is now unfolding is once in 20-year socio-economic reform where the public and industry are both winners.

“These are the Strong Foundations that will advantage the NSW economy to benefit through critical investment in new housing supplies as consumers feel more confident to return to the market. I predict that this critical supply of trustworthy housing will become a competitive advantage in attracting tomorrow’s workforce both nationally and globally.

“Our industry should be well pleased to see its combined efforts achieve this 20-year reset of our most important market positively rebrand. Well done all.”