Public sector building certifiers to return in ACT

The ACT Government will establish a team of public sector certifiers as part of a new developer licensing scheme announced this week.

Minister for Building Quality Improvement Gordon Ramsay said: “We have seen too many cases where property developers have forced other parts of the industry to cut on costs and influence process”.

He said the new team of certifiers “will provide the opportunity for consumers to make better judgements about who they’re trusting to approve building work as well as encouraging developers to do the right thing and not cut corners”.

The developer licensing scheme will be unique in Australia and will establish appropriate definitions for a legislative and regulatory regime, including:

  • Fit and proper person’ assessments
  • Licence scope applying to the most high-risk developments in terms of quality (i.e. multi-unit residential); and
  • Enforcement regimes.

“This team of public sector certifiers will sit alongside the Government’s licencing scheme for property developers and break the link between developers and building certifiers,” Mr Ramsay said.

The Government’s team of public certifiers will operate on a fee-for-service basis and may be required for certain types of development.