A new overhaul of building regulations in Queensland aims to speed up home construction and reduce paperwork, making it easier to build across the state.
The Building Reg Reno will deliver “immediate relief for tradies sick of getting bogged down in unnecessary paperwork” and provide support for the 270,000 Queenslanders working in the $59 billion industry.
Minister for Housing and Public Works Sam O’Connor said the changes would deliver a place to call home for more Queenslanders by reducing the administrative and paperwork burden on builders.
“The Crisafulli Government is removing unnecessary red tape and reinforcing the foundations for a stronger, more efficient building industry that can deliver the homes and infrastructure Queensland needs,” Mr O’Connor said.
“Building Reg Reno removes the financial reporting requirements and will reduce red tape for 50,000 licensees.
“This is about doing all we can to take the pressure off our building and construction industry to get more Queenslanders into homes and easing Labor’s Housing Crisis.
“We want Queensland to be the building capital of the nation, but at the moment our construction sites are the least productive in Australia.”
The regulatory changes will also pause the rollout of new project trust accounts on projects less than $10 million, to allow smaller contractors to focus on more building and less administrative burden.
Trust accounts will still be required for private projects totalling above $10 million.
Security of payment will be considered by the Queensland Productivity Commission as part of its review of the building and construction sector.
These changes will be rolled out progressively for a smoother transition..
Changes will include:
- Scrapping unnecessary financial reporting for more than 50,000 individual operators in the self-certifying licensee categories.
- Providing more time to meet new fire protection licensing rules to minimise disruption to important work.
- Scrapping occupational licence fees for plumbers doing fire protection work.
- Fast-tracking the digitising of licensing and administrative processes which are still paper-based.
