Building and Construction Industry Review
We want your feedback about proposed changes to building and construction industry laws in South Australia.
What's being decided?
We are undertaking an extensive review of laws that govern the building and construction industry.
The building and construction industry is essential to the South Australian economy, and it is important that Government regulation of this sector meets the needs of our state.
The review will look for opportunities to:
- better protect consumers
- enhance industry compliance
- support workers and businesses to deliver quality homes and infrastructure.
Your feedback will help decide what needs to be changed and how reforms will be implemented.
Background
Consumer and Business Services (CBS) regulates aspects of the building and construction industry by setting licensing requirements, monitoring and enforcing compliance by building workers and establishing various protections for consumers. These powers are mostly found in the Building Work Contractors Act 1995 and the Plumbers, Gas Fitters and Electricians Act 1995.
We are undertaking a review of this legislation to ensure it meets industry and consumer needs while considering reform proposals.
Items in the review include matters identified by industry bodies, government agencies and the Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs. Some items also draw on recommendations from national reviews of the building sector, including the report Building Confidence: Improving the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry across Australia commissioned by Ministers in 2017.
The review will look at:
- introducing new registration requirements and increasing oversight for some building industry participants, including building inspectors and developers
- improving dispute resolution processes for consumers and building industry workers
- introducing continuing professional development for building industry workers
- introducing new enforcement tools and increased penalties to address poor practices within industry
- making changes to domestic building work contract requirements, including new rules for the use of sunset clauses in off-the-plan sales.
This review coincides with a separate review of Builder’s Indemnity Insurance on YourSAy: https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/building-indemnity-insurance-review-consultation
Get involved
Find out more:
Have your say by:
- taking our short survey for
- Building industry workers
- Consumers
- emailing a submission to CBSReforms@sa.gov.au
- posting your written submission to:
Regulatory Services - Reform
Consumer and Business Services
GPO Box 1719
ADELAIDE SA 5001
Please note that submissions (including name and address details) may be made publicly available. If you do not wish for your submission or any part of your submission to be made public, please mark your submission ‘Confidential - Not for Publication’ and provide your reasons for this.
Unless a request for confidentiality is made, information contained in any submission may be referred to publicly or published. Any material identified as ‘confidential’ is still subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1991 and, while efforts will be made to keep the material confidential, in some circumstances it may be disclosed under that Act. Where disclosure of information may identify you attempts will be made to consult with you under the Freedom of Information Act 1991 before the documents are disclosed.
What are the next steps?
We will consider all feedback and provide a report to the Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs.
We will publish a feedback summary on this website.
