Building ministers from federal, state and territory governments met in Perth to discuss issues around building standards and practices, including fire safety, access to Australian Standards, accessible housing, and the Australian Building Codes Board.
Craig Laundy, Federal Assistant Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, chaired the first meeting of the Building Ministers’ Forum since his appointment earlier in 2016.
“Australia’s built environment sets the framework for how we all live, how we plan our cities, develop efficient workplaces, ensure sustainable and affordable housing and support the building and construction industry,” Mr Laundy said.
“That is why building ministers across the country are committed to working collaboratively to deliver the best building outcomes for their jurisdictions.
“Today’s meeting covered a range of essential issues including the National Business Simplification Initiative, designed to make life easier for builders by addressing the complexity of dealing with three levels of government.”
Ministers agreed to collectively share the work they are undertaking to simplify how the industry engages with government, including mapping local government interventions in building and construction.
Ministers also agreed to accelerate the work of the senior officers’ group in addressing the health and safety risks posed by non-conforming building products as well as endorsing the implementation of a package of measures to address the health and safety risks associated with the non-compliant use of cladding in high rise buildings.
Another major item on the agenda was the intergovernmental agreement and progress on the 2016-17 business plan of the Australian Building Code Board, a body established and overseen by the forum.
The board is responsible for developing and managing a uniform, national approach to building codes and building standards.
