Expansion of The NSW Design and Building Practitioners Act

What does it mean for Building Professionals?

Last month, as part of its “Construct NSW” transformation strategy the NSW Government introduced three bills for public consultation that, if passed, will expand the terms of the Design &Building Practitioners Act ( D&BP) beyond residential builders and designers to those undertaking commercial work. 
 
Any expansion of the DB&P Act to Commercial buildings will have far reaching consequences for architects, engineers, building professionals and material suppliers.
 
Among a number of changes, the proposed laws seek to provide increased enforcement powers to the Building Commissioner, increased consumer protections and to ensure all relevant participants in the building process are accountable for their work (this extends to suppliers of building products).
 
Join our panel of design, building and legal experts on November 29 who will look at the proposed bills in detail and the implications for architects, building consultants, engineers, builders and material suppliers.

Some of the areas that will be covered are:

• Analysis of the proposed new Bills – the Building Bill 2022, Building Compliance and Enforcement Bill, 2022, Building and Construction Legislation Amendment Bill, 2022 

• The operation of the Act to date from the point of view of practitioners.

• Impacts of the proposed Bills on developers, builders, designers, building certifiers, consumers and manufacturers of building materials

• The practical challenges being faced by the remedial industry working in aged buildings

• Results of the D&BP Act thus far in relation to KPI’s (The Six Pillars)

• Case study of a “trustworthy builder” – HELM was awarded a 4.5 Star Gold Star rating in the recent Independent Construction Industry Ratings Tool.

• ICIRT Ratings -  what does the Ratings process entail?

• Latent Defect Insurance – what does this mean for the industry?

•  The political dimension.

Our Expert Presenters/Panel

Mark Monk

CEO - Helm Properties

Mark is the CEO and a Director of HELM. HELM is a multi-award-winning Developer and Builder, who specialise in the development and construction of high-end medium density apartments. HELM was the first company to agree to be ICIRT rated in Australia, and the first company to receive the highest rating awarded by Equifax to date (only 4 companies have achieved a 4.5 Star Rating). As a representative of UDIA NSW, Mark has for the past two years been a panel member on one of the NSW’s Building Commissioners Six Pillar Working Groups, and Mark and HELM’s team have worked closely with the Building Commissioner’s Office, providing assistance in the implementation of the Design & Building Practitioners Act and the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act.

Helen Kowal

Swaab Lawyers

Helen has a legal career which has spanned over 27 years in general practice. For the past 14 years, she has specialised in building, construction, property, and strata. Helen has worked for many owners’ corporations, developers, and builders in every facet of building and construction law within all jurisdictions. Over the past few years, in her practice, Helen has been involved in various matters regarding the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 and the Design and Building Practitioner Regulations 2021 and the new obligations impacting building practitioners, design practitioners and engineers particularly in the remedial space after 1 July 2021. In particular, Helen is working closely with remedial building practitioners, remedial industry bodies and the NSW Government as to the implications of the legislation on the remedial sector

Geoff Hanmer

Arina Architects

Geoff is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture at the University of Adelaide, and Honorary Professional Fellow at UTS and the Managing Director of Arina, an architectural consultancy. ARINA has run design competitions for many Australian universities ( including UNSW) and statutory authorities, including the Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority. Geoff is a registered architect and writes on construction and buildings both contemporary and historical. He has taught and researched construction at UTS and UNSW for over 20 years.

CPD - Participation in this webinar will deliver 1.5 formal CPD points.

Learning OutcomesAt the conclusion of this webinar participants will be able to list the key features of each of the proposed new bills, describe the main impacts of the bills for developers, building consultants & designers and list the key features of Latent Defect Insurance.

AACA Competencies: Practice Management and Professional Conduct PC1 & PC 12 Detailed Design and Construction Documentation PC46 & PC47

The webinar will include time for Q&A with our speakers. Written CPD questions will be circulated prior to the event. Send your responses to CPD questions to mark@meccaevents.com.au for the issue of a certificate of completion. Keep your receipt, completed questions and certificate for your CPD records.

For more information, contact Mark Gledhill - mark@meccaevents.com.au