The Australian Institute of Building Surveyers has questioned the necessity of the NSW Government's new regulations on building certifiers in the wake of the Sydney Opal Tower evacuation.
The fallout from the Christmas Eve evacuation of the Sydney Opal Tower building has continued, with the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors dismissing NSW Minister Matt Kean's announcement of a crackdown on building certifiers as nothing more than "grandstanding".
It's been more than a week since a cracked panel forced 3000 people to vacate the Sydney Olympic Park building and surrounding areas.
About 300 residents remain in hotels and other temporary accommodation while building company Icon conducts an investigation into what caused the issue.
On Sunday, NSW Better Regulation Minister Matt Kean announced the government would be cracking down on “cowboy” building certifiers by conducting an audit of buildings constructed in the past six years.
While AIBS President Troy Olds agreed that certifiers who do not do the right thing should be identified and disciplined, he said the NSW Government already had the means to do this through the Building Professionals Board.
"The so-called new measures announced by the minister already exist but have not been effectively implemented over the past 20 years," he said.
"In addition, the minister fails to acknowledge that NSW legislation specifically requires the building owner to engage the certifier directly.
"If the minister really wants to achieve better consumer protection, this is not the way to go about it."
Under the government's strategy, 30 per cent of the industry will be audited every year and corrupt certifiers or ones who are negligently signing off on unsafe buildings will be kicked out of the industry.
Any certifiers who have breached the code of conduct in the previous 12 months will also be unable to work on new strata developments.
Mr Old questioned why the government was focussing on certifiers when the Opal Tower investigation had not yet been completed.
"We agree with the minister’s own words, that certification is one piece of the puzzle here," he said.
"If the minister wants to shine a light on the whole industry, as he claims, why is he not announcing a crackdown on everyone in the supply chain and building process, including product manufacturers, developers, builders, engineers and architects.
"The NSW government has failed to use its own regulatory powers and is now seeking to scapegoat certifiers when something goes wrong."
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