The plan will involve a team of public sector certifiers, a move which breaks up the private sector's 20-year hold on the profession which oversees construction work in the nation's capital.

In the two decades since the government shifted to a self-regulation model, the sector has been plagued with issues about building quality.

This has been particularly prominent in an era in the capital's history that has seen unprecedented growth in the multi-unit development sector.

Too many independent certifiers (but by no means all) have found themselves too closely connected to the same building companies they should otherwise be keeping in check.

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For the moment, the government is stopping short of wresting back full control of building certification in Canberra, with the small team set to only be used to inspect construction work on complex, multi-unit developments.

Again, this is welcome, but it doesn't go far enough. The move should be a chance for the government to bring the majority of Canberra's certification process back in-house, as this will be the only chance of restoring credibility to the sector.

The ACT is the only jurisdiction which has fully privatised certifiers, and it's a model that has long been criticised by buyers and industry professionals, and for good reason.

Building certifiers are appointed by the landowner or, in the case of apartment buildings, the developer. The developer is therefore choosing who will assess their work.

The potential for conflict of interest is almost unavoidable, and the problems that have ensued have been widespread.

Not all certifiers are conflicted, but the profession has been indelibly tarnished.

Responding to the announcement on Wednesday, certifiers hit back at what they perceived as "inappropriate and disproportionate hyper-focus" on what they do.

They have suggested instead that the government fund an audit of the sector which would hold all professions to account.

But it could well be too late for this. The sector - builders, developers, certifiers and Canberra's property owners and buyers - will benefit from an overhaul.

Gordon Ramsay, the ACT Minister for Building Quality Improvement - the fact that there's an entire portfolio devoted to this issue is telling - has defended his handling of the announcement by maintaining that the government needs to take a "leadership role".

Indeed, and not a moment too soon. It's time the process of assessing residential buildings was carried out by an uncontaminated body.

The situation has become, to use Mr Ramsay's own words, "too close, too warm, too comfortable".

It's also time that those many certifiers who do work within the guidelines and avoid conflicts of interest are no longer tainted by association.

Another indication of the importance of this announcement is that it has been met with bipartisan support, albeit qualified. There is an election looming, a detail that inevitably casts a shadow of suspicion over any government announcement.

But the fact remains that too many buyers have had to suffer through poor building standards in this city. It's a situation that needs to change, and the government's announcement is one step in the right direction.