The Housing Industry Association has warned the ACT government against overturning its decision to delay adopting new national construction standards, saying it could cause further confusion for the industry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The association's regional executive director, Greg Weller, has also shed light on the industry gathering which informed the contentious move.
ACT Minister for Building Quality Improvement Gordon Ramsay was on Monday weighing up whether to reverse his decision to hold off on adopting the 2019 Building Code of Australia until September 1, after receiving a review into the advice which led to the move.
A spokesman for Mr Ramsay said a decision would be made in the coming days. The spokesman said industry leaders had been consulted over the weekend in a bid to reach a "beneficial and agreeable position".
ACT chief planner Ben Ponton was ordered to conduct the urgent review after conceding his directorate did not consult with key industry stakeholders before advising Mr Ramsay that practitioners needed more time to adjust to the changes.
On Friday, Mr Ponton said the advice was based concerns raised by industry practitioners at a Housing Industry Association-sponsored meeting held ahead of the code's expected May 1 introduction.
Concerns related to the new requirements for fire sprinklers in apartment buildings four storeys and above, condensation management and energy efficiency. The bureaucrats erred by not asking the heads of key industry bodies, such as the Master Builders Association, if those concerns were widespread, Mr Ponton said. Mr Weller said his association was not consulted before Mr Ramsay signed off on the original decision.
He was not perturbed by any delay, noting that the ACT, unlike other states and territories, did not have arrangements to gradually phase in the new standards.
He cautioned Mr Ramsay against reversing the decision, saying it could cause further disruption to an industry already grappling with last week's surprise move.
The Australian Institute of Building Surveyors last week called for more details about the HIA-sponsored meeting amid concerns about whose advice informed Mr Ramsay's decision.
Mr Weller said about 60 people attended the April 17 meeting, including home builders, surveyors and certifiers. He said the forum allowed industry practitioners to ask technical questions about the new code, and was not designed to be, nor did it eventuate as, a platform to lobby the government for a delay.
"It was very transparent, so if individuals did have particular views then it would have been clear who they were," he said.
"If the ACT government took that advice, then I guess that shows they are prepared to listen."