In the media
Introducing legislation to unlock investment in offshore
energy projects
The Morrison Government has introduced legislation to
deliver on our commitment to unlock a wave of new investment in
offshore electricity generation and transmission projects (02
September 2021). More...
Dwelling approvals continue to fall in July
BS Director of Construction Statistics, said: "The
decline in the total number of dwellings approved in July was
broad-based, with private sector houses falling 5.8 per cent and
approvals in private sector dwellings excluding houses falling 12.3
per cent. (31 August 2021). More...
Construction delays pushing builders into the red
More than one in 10 construction businesses are struggling
to pay their bills on time as the industry emerges as the worst hit
by Covid. The Creditor Watch report on business arrears showed the
construction industry universally remained the worst performer when
it came to businesses in arrears, often due to stalled project
financing or other delays (30 August 2021). More...
ASX 100 missing key reporting metric: ACCR
A new report from the Australian Centre for Corporate
Responsibility has raised serious governance concerns with ASX 100
companies in relation to contractors. ACCR found that Australian
listed companies remain opaque about their labour hire, contracting
and outsourcing practices which leaves investors unable to assess
the long-term viability of their workforce strategies (27 August
2021). More...
Building occupant safety linked to building fire
protection checks
The Insurance Council of Australia and the National Fire
Industry Association are joining forces to remind building owners
and managers to ensure they are staying up to date with fire
protection safety and maintenance checks for commercial,
industrial, and residential (27 August 2021). More...
Stronger oversight for Australia's offshore oil and
gas industry
Australia's parliament has passed legislation to
strengthen Australia's offshore oil and gas regulatory
framework.
The changes expand the government's ability to call on a
previous titleholder to pay for decommissioning and environmental
remediation if they sell a title and the new titleholder is then
unable to meet their financial obligations (26 August 2021).
More...
Audit finds gaps in building projects
An audit into whether three public sector Agencies were
strategically planning the material and human resources needed to
deliver Victoria's major infrastructure projects has found they
were not (26 August 2021). More...
Feedback sought on fire safety systems discussion
paper
The ABCB has released the final consultation in response
to the Shergold Weir Building Confidence Report
(BCR). Recommendation 19 of the BCR is that each
jurisdiction requires registered fire safety practitioners to
design, install and certify the fire safety systems necessary in
commercial buildings (24 August 2021). More...
Engineers Australia updates climate change action
platform
Engineers Australia has released its Draft Engineers
Australia Position on Climate Change that encapsulates the urgent
action required by engineers, business, government, and the
community (23 August 2021). More...
New South Wales
Delay to removal of flammable cladding from New South
Wales apartment buildings
The removal of cladding from the apartment towers as part
of a state government project has been delayed until early next
year (02 September 2021). More...
New Home Buyers being hit with unfair infrastructure
contributions
Research released by the NHFIC confirms that the NSW
Government has allowed the scope of local infrastructure
contributions to grow to such an extent that they now account for
between 8-11 per cent of the total cost of a new home - with NSW
being the highest at up to $85,000 per dwelling (compared to
$77,000 in Vic and $42,000 in Qld) (31 August 2021). More...
Proposed Port Kembla power station declared
critical
A proposed $1.3 billion hydrogen-gas turbine power station
in Port Kembla has been declared Critical State Significant
Infrastructure, given its importance to renewable energy capacity
in NSW (27 August 2021). More...
Green ban on Willow Grove lifted
NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin has announced that
the green ban imposed by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime,
Mining and Energy Union on Parramatta's Willow Grove site will
be lifted. This decision follows consultation with the community
resulting in the retention of significant heritage items (24 August
2021). More...
$1.48 billion for Murray Darling Basin off-farm
infrastructure
The NSW Government is seeking applicants for water
efficiency projects, to improve off-farm infrastructure in the
Murray Darling Basin, with the Federal Government investing up to
$1.48 billion to support Basin state's initiatives (24 August
2021). More...
Queensland
CleanCo cracks 1 gigawatt with Dulacca wind farm
deal
CleanCo will help underwrite the development of a
43-turbine wind farm at Dulacca, in the Western Downs, through a
power purchasing agreement (01 September 2021). More...
New regional quarantine facility to be built in
Queensland
Under a joint agreement between the Queensland Government
and Wagner Corporation, a new dedicated regional quarantine
facility will be built at Wellcamp, Toowoomba. Wagner Corporation
will build the facility, with the accommodation modules to be
manufactured in Queensland (01 September 2021). More...
Builders advised to check the 'claim of
compliance' on structural timber
Queensland's timber industry has released technical
advice reminding builders of the information they must look for
when using structural timber and how to maintain relevant records
(01 September 2021). More...
Contractor demerit points increased 15 per cent
Contractors issued with demerit points for breaches of
legislation increased in 2020/21, with Queensland's building
industry watchdog issuing demerit points to almost 600 contractors
(31 August 2021). More...
Rocky contractors to win big from infrastructure
boom
The $1 billion Rockhampton Ring Road will create extensive
opportunities for local contractors, after many benefited from the
Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade, which is nearing completion
(25 August 2021). More...
Partnership boosts affordable housing stock on the
Sunshine Coast
The Palaszczuk Government's innovative partnership
with leading community housing provider, Churches of Christ Housing
Services, will commence construction of forty new affordable homes
for seniors in Caloundra (25 August 2021). More...
Work stops for almost 1,000 contractors for failure to
provide finances
Almost 1,000 Queensland contractors have had conditions
applied to their licences that prevent them from providing tenders
or quotes, or doing new work until they lodge their financial
information (23 August 2021). More...
Victoria
Addressing housing affordability in Melbourne's
North
The Victorian Government is delivering on its commitment
to increase affordable housing in Melbourne, with the launch of
Habitas - the latest stage of the Aurora residential development in
Wollert. Development Victoria has partnered with two of
Victoria's leading residential builders, SOHO Living and
Metricon , to deliver the homes at Habitas (27 August 2021).
More...
New quarry planning reforms to help safeguard
Victoria's resources
The Victorian Government has introduced Strategic
Extractive Resource Area planning controls to help indicate the
locations of existing quarries and potential future quarries needed
for construction and infrastructure projects (27 August 2021).
More...
Infrastructure Victoria's 30-year plan makes 94
recommendations
Infrastructure Victoria has presented its 30-year
infrastructure strategy to the Victorian Government, highlighting
four key transport projects and 94 recommendations worth around
$100 billion, to better connect Victorians to jobs, services and
each other, into the future (23 August 2021). More...
Practice and courts
ABCB: Inspection and certification of fire safety
systems
The final consultation in response to the Building
Confidence Report (BCR) is now open.
Recommendation 19 of the BCR is that each jurisdiction
requires registered fire safety practitioners to design, install
and certify the fire safety systems necessary in commercial
buildings. Responses to questions in the discussion paper are
invited until 26 September. More...
ABCB: Did you say AFEG or IFEG?
Now that the Australian Building Codes Board
(ABCB) has released the Australian Fire
Engineering Guidelines (AFEG), you could be mistaken in thinking
its IFEG rather than AFEG. To clear up any confusion, here is some
information about AFEG, the latest fire-related resource released by
the ABCB (25 August 2021).
ABCB: Consultation open: Continuing professional
development on the National Construction Code
Recommendation 3 of the Building Confidence Report is that each
jurisdiction requires all practitioners to undertake compulsory
continuing professional on the National Construction Code. Feedback
on the draft model guidance is now sought via a discussion paper.
Responses to questions in the discussion paper are invited until 5
September 2021. More...
ABCB: National Construction Code 2022 public comment
draft (stage 2)
The National Construction Code is updated every 3 years,
based on industry research, public feedback and policy directions
from governments to the Australian Building Codes Board
(ABCB) between publishing cycles.
The ABCB is now seeking comment on proposed amendments to energy
efficiency and condensation technical provisions, via this second
and final stage of public consultation, which closes 17 October
2021. More...
Adoption of NCC 2022 to be delayed
The delayed adoption will also see adjustments to key
dates in the amendment cycle process for NCC 2022 to allow
stakeholders time to participate. These adjusted dates
include:
May - July 2021: NCC 2022 Public Comment Draft released for public
consultation
May 2022: NCC 2022 preview published at ncc.abcb.gov.au
If you have any questions regarding the delayed adoption of NCC
2022, please submit an online enquiry.
Call for submissions - 2022 Infrastructure Priority
List
Submissions to the February 2022 publication of the
Infrastructure Priority List have formally opened. Submissions for
the 2022 Infrastructure Priority List update will close 3 September
2021. Find out more about submissions for the
2022 Infrastructure Priority List update.
New South Wales
Guide for design practitioners and engineers
Consult Australia, Engineers Australia and the Australian
Institute of Architects have joined forces to develop the Guide for design practitioners and
engineers to help their members tackle the recent NSW Building Confidence reforms. There are
multiple new obligations on design practitioners, engineers and
building practitioners throughout the life of a building under the
NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 and the Design and
Building Practitioners Regulation 2021.
Infrastructure Grants program opens
To be eligible for funding, applications must meet
eligibility conditions including, the project location, the
applicant and project benefit, purpose and development status.
There is also a requirement for local government applicants to
match funding. Applications are open from November 2021: Monday 1
November to Monday 22 November 2021. More...
Emergency Water Infrastructure Rebates round 2 live on 1
July 2021
Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall welcomed the early
kick-off for payments with expressions of interest for Round 2
already live on the Rural Assistance Authority's website. Round
2 opens on 1 July 2021.
The Emergency Water Infrastructure
Rebate scheme is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW
Governments, administered by the Rural Assistance
Authority.
Have your say on changes to how building design and
construction is regulated in New South Wales
The development of supporting regulations is the next step
on delivering on this piece of the Government's building reform
agenda, with the scheme commencing on 1 July 2021. In response
to your feedback, we've drafted a report that explains the
changes that were made to the draft Regulation. More...
Conflicts of interest - savings and transitional
arrangements
Clause 71 of the Regulation introduces savings provisions for
certain conflict of interest situations where the certifier was
appointed before 1 July 2020 and the work will be completed before
1 July 2022. The provisions relate to council-certified
developments and to developments where the certifier gave advice on
how to comply with the BCA deemed to satisfy provisions. For
all the changes, access the Amendment Regulation here.
New mandatory standards for building rectification
The standard will be reviewed and updated prior to the 1
July 2021 commencement of the Government's game changing
building reform agenda underpinned by the Design and Building Practitioners Act
2020.
The first Practice Standard will initially apply to certifiers
working on residential apartment buildings, where the majority of
problems and complaints have been received. The Practice Standard for registered
certifiers is available on the Fair Trading NSW
website.
Queensland
Reminder: Building Industry Fairness (Security of
Payment) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020
To advise that the commencement of section 125A of the
Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) and Other
Legislation Amendment Act 2020 has been postponed. As a result
of the regulation, section 125A will not commence until late July
2022. More...
QBCC reminder: Extension to PI insurance cladding
exemption
The Building (Professional Indemnity Insurance) Amendment
Regulation 2020 commenced on 18 September 2020, giving effect to
the extension of the external cladding exclusion. Now, certifiers
can continue to obtain a licence to operate with PI insurance
containing exclusions in relation to non-compliant external
cladding until 30 June 2022. More...
Victoria
VBA: Revised AS/NZS plumbing standards - transition
period
The VBA has applied a transition period for plumbers to
familiarise themselves with revised AS/NZS standards, before they
need to be applied to plumbing practices on 1 September 2022.
More...
VBA: Carpenters selected for first stage of trades
registration
Carpenters will be the first group of trades registered
under Victoria's recently developed trades registration
framework. Provisional registration and licensing for carpenters is
expected to commence in mid-2021. For more information and answers
to frequently asked questions, refer to the Engage Victoria website.
This publication does not deal with every important topic or change in law and is not intended to be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other advice that may be relevant to the reader's specific circumstances. If you have found this publication of interest and would like to know more or wish to obtain legal advice relevant to your circumstances please contact one of the named individuals listed.