The Minns Labor Government is acting to strengthen the quality of building and construction in NSW by establishing a NSW Building Commission by the end of the year – a single body to oversee the regulation, licensing and oversight of the industry.
The Building Commission will build on the strong foundation laid by Building Commissioner David Chandler since his appointment in 2019.
The housing supply crisis that our state is facing will require more supply and more construction if NSW is to retain its young people and families.
The jump in rental prices in recent times has left too many NSW residents considering their future.
The NSW Government recognises the pressing need for more homes to enter the market – to ease pressure on the housing market and keep young people in NSW.
But the Minns Government is committed to ensuring the tens of thousands of new homes that our state requires are quality homes.
Building Commissioner David Chandler has sent a strong message to the high-rise apartment sector that there is a tough regulator policing the industry. This was overdue.
The NSW Building Commission will elevate and strengthen this work, ensuring people who purchase any property in NSW can have even greater confidence in the quality of the work.
The government will also this year introduce to parliament its new, plain English Building Act, implementing an important election commitment.
The new building act will consolidate and modernise many pieces of legislation, some decades old, scattered throughout the state’s statute books.
This work will provide clarity to consumers and the sector about their rights and responsibilities and incentivise the building sector to deliver quality homes.
Departments have also started work on implementing the government’s suite of election commitments.
The government has already fulfilled one of its commitments, appointing a separate Minister for Building, Anoulack Chanthivong.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“I’ve made 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.
“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 can get supply moving while still maintaining public confidence in the quality.”
Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong said:
“We have the chance to deliver on a once in a generation opportunity to transform the NSW construction sector.
“We’re thrilled to be joined by David Chandler OAM who has been responsible for bipartisan reforms to strengthen and modernise our construction sector.
“This sector accounts for almost 10% of the economy, so getting this right is critical.
“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.”
