Page 979 - Week 03 - Thursday, 21 March 2019
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deficiencies. Those risks and threats are real. Poor quality building construction and finishing can impose financial losses on owners that may, and do on occasions, take a lifetime to recover. The months and years of costly litigation take a toll on the mental health of those caught up in those terrible situations, and we all know that they leave indelible scars.
I remind the chamber again that some years ago the government realised this was a serious problem and that it was of sufficient gravity for the government to undertake extensive consultation on how to improve the building industry and put quality management on a sound footing. That consultation report went for 80 pages, so there was obviously plenty of feedback on the rights and wrongs, and much to think about.
In mid-2016, following that consultation report, the minister announced a package of 43 reforms that would make a good start in addressing these deficiencies. The reform package promised that 29 reforms would be in place by the end of 2016, followed by another 13 by the end of 2017, and the 43rd measure would be implemented by the end of 2017-18. The minister’s package was, at the time, a welcome relief. It gave us all much confidence that the worst was over.
But that confidence rested on the belief that the government intended to put those reforms in place in a timely manner. The reality is in stark contrast, with the minister saying on 20 February in question time that 14 were in place as of that date. If there was a barometer of how much the government cared about building quality, I think that was it. The problem was not going to go away. The catalogue of frightening instances of building quality failures that were coming to light was reaching near crescendo. I am sure there are many who hoped that they would fade away, but they have not.
Just on a month ago, in question time, the Canberra Liberals endeavoured to focus the minister’s attention on building quality issues. It would appear that this encouragement has succeeded, that the minister has some good news for us. He now promises that 28 of the 43 reforms will be in place by the end of this financial year. That is one short of the 29 originally promised by the end of 2016. So it is progress but it is slow progress. We sincerely hope that the minister can deliver on this latest target. In his statement here today the minister said we are further along on the journey than most due to our laws and regulatory system. If that is the case, I would love to see the proof of it.
If it really applies, the minister is saying, we can look forward to a reduction or outright elimination of the sorts of disasters that we have seen in the last few years. Such a reduction is extremely important. It is important for the reputation and credibility of the territory, the place where we live. It is also very important for the reputation of Canberra’s building industry and individual builders, who rely on the confidence of the market. We want our building industry to prosper and to be recognised as the best available. I know that the minister shares my vision on that.
I really do welcome the efforts of the current minister, who looks to have been somewhat more robust than his predecessor on this front. I hope he gets the support he needs from his government to complete the task. It will be a travesty if that is not the
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