Edition 57, June 2008

WA set to establish a Building Commission

The Western Australian Government is undertaking a significant program of building regulation reform that will consolidate the regulation of building standards and building practitioner registration into a single entity.

In July 2007 the Western Australian Government endorsed the establishment of a Building Commission as a new statutory authority.

It will perform various functions prescribed in legislation such as the provision of policy advice, standards setting, dispute resolution, consumer advocacy and industry capacity building.

The commission, which is due to commence operations on 1 July 2009, will initially group together the current functions of the Department of Housing and Works' Building Industry Development directorate, the Builders Registration Board, the Painters Registration Board and the Plumbers' Licensing Board. Other entities will be able to be included at a later stage.

The Building Commission will also establish strong links with the Consumer Protection portfolio to ensure consumer interests are well supported.

One of the benefits of the statutory authority model is that it enables enforcement functions to be carried out at arm's length from government, and avoids conflicts of interest between government as a regulator and government as a participant in the industry through building construction and ownership.

For more information about the implementation of the new Building Commission visit www.dhw.wa.gov.au/building_commission/bc.html

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