Page 16 - Climate Control News Magazine April 2019

In Focus
Contractors identify priorities for upcoming federal election
AIR CONDITIONING AND MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS' ASSOCIATION (AMCA) EXECUTIVE MANAGER OF POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS, BEN HAWKINS, IDENTIFIES INDUSTRY PRIORITIES IN THE LEAD UP TO THE FEDERAL ELECTION WHICH
IS LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE IN MAY.
1. BUILDING REFORM
Heading into an election year, the building and construction industry has found itself firmly in the spotlight.
In late December, concerns about the safety and quality of commercial buildings were high- lighted when occupants were forced to evacuate their homes at Opal Tower in Sydney. Soon after, building safety was again front of mind when the Neo200 apartment building in the heart of Mel- bourne’s CBD caught fire.
As a result of these incidents and others, confi-
dence in the building and construction industry is being undermined. The fear is that these inci- dents foreshadow a deeper and far-reaching compliance problem that extends right across the industry.
While these stories are of course shattering for those on the receiving end of poor building prac- tices, they also present opportunities for leader- ship and action.
At the Building Ministers’ Forum in February, we saw some evidence of the type of action we can expect, where the New South Wales Govern- ment announced their plan to register and place statutory obligations on building practitioners. At the same meeting, the Victorian Government proposed a total ban on the use of combustible cladding on building facades.
These announcements follow reforms already being undertaken in other jurisdictions, espe- cially in Queensland where significant changes are being introduced to strengthen and expand supply chain responsibilities under the non-con- forming building products regime.
As we approach the federal election in May, the question needs to be posed as to what role
the federal government plays in ensuring the safety and amenity of buildings, as well as the fairness, prosperity and sustainability of the in- dustry more broadly?
With so much of the responsibility for building regulation and oversight housed at the state lev- el, these are not such easy questions.
The following outlines four key areas that the AMCA is prioritising in conversations with all political parties at the Commonwealth level.
Shergold-Weir recommendations
Authored by prominent experts Professor Pe-
ter Shergold AC and Ms Bronwyn Weir, the Building Confidence Report was commissioned in response to concerns raised well before the Opal Tower or Neo200 building incidents. The re- port was published in February 2018 and offers 24 recommendations aimed at restoring public trust through effective implementation of build- ing and construction standards.
Recommendations covered a range of compli- ance issues, including the registration and train- ing of practitioners; the roles and responsibilities of regulators; the collection and sharing of build- ing information; the adequacy of documentation
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