Mr WARREN - 2005-10-19
The government is committed to putting in place a new builders registration scheme and a new form of home warranty insurance. Can you please advise Territorians when they can expect these new initiatives to be delivered?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. As I said yesterday in the House, this is a government that has embarked on a whole range of reforms in the building industry and amendments to the Building Act. Members will recall, in 2004, there were amendments that brought in home warranty insurance and builders registration, something that had been called for in the Northern Territory for a long time. Then, in 2005, there were further amendments made to the Building Act which strengthened the powers and operations of the Building Practitioners Board.
Those two amendments are very crucial amendments to modernising, if you like, the building industry in the Northern Territory and safeguarding the interests of consumers, both through the registration of builders, home warranty insurance, and to empower the Building Practitioners Board to bring sanctions against those building professionals - and there are very few of them - who may be transgressing and not doing the right thing.
Since that time, the department, in consultation with the industry, has embarked on a process of looking at the regulations that are required; the processes that would be a foundation for these particular changes and the procedures underlying them.
There is also all-important training that has taken place. Grants have been given to the Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association to assist in training and education of local building people. The department has also been involved. They have been holding information and pre-registration sessions across the Territory in October and November of this year.
The HIA held the first information session in Darwin on 17 October, which was attended by about 70 industry members. A second information session was held by the Territory Construction Association last night, which was attended by about 80 industry members. There will be a further public meeting held tonight at Mirambeena.
Nominations have also been called for the Building Practitioners Board, and I am envisage that there will be appointments made in November 2005.
To conclude, and answer the member for Goyder’s question, the registration of existing residential builders under the transitional provisions will be undertaken during December 2005 and into January 2006. The commencement of the Builders Registration Scheme will be 30 January 2006. After that date, all new prescribed residential building work will require a registered builder or a person with an owner/builder certificate. The home warranty insurance component is anticipated to be commenced in July 2006, as we have said before, subject to players in the market and a conducive climate, so that builders can find home warranty insurance.
Madam Speaker, these are the reforms that this government has undertaken. They are progressing well and I commend the department, and also the building industry, on the way that they have supported these changes.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. As I said yesterday in the House, this is a government that has embarked on a whole range of reforms in the building industry and amendments to the Building Act. Members will recall, in 2004, there were amendments that brought in home warranty insurance and builders registration, something that had been called for in the Northern Territory for a long time. Then, in 2005, there were further amendments made to the Building Act which strengthened the powers and operations of the Building Practitioners Board.
Those two amendments are very crucial amendments to modernising, if you like, the building industry in the Northern Territory and safeguarding the interests of consumers, both through the registration of builders, home warranty insurance, and to empower the Building Practitioners Board to bring sanctions against those building professionals - and there are very few of them - who may be transgressing and not doing the right thing.
Since that time, the department, in consultation with the industry, has embarked on a process of looking at the regulations that are required; the processes that would be a foundation for these particular changes and the procedures underlying them.
There is also all-important training that has taken place. Grants have been given to the Territory Construction Association and the Housing Industry Association to assist in training and education of local building people. The department has also been involved. They have been holding information and pre-registration sessions across the Territory in October and November of this year.
The HIA held the first information session in Darwin on 17 October, which was attended by about 70 industry members. A second information session was held by the Territory Construction Association last night, which was attended by about 80 industry members. There will be a further public meeting held tonight at Mirambeena.
Nominations have also been called for the Building Practitioners Board, and I am envisage that there will be appointments made in November 2005.
To conclude, and answer the member for Goyder’s question, the registration of existing residential builders under the transitional provisions will be undertaken during December 2005 and into January 2006. The commencement of the Builders Registration Scheme will be 30 January 2006. After that date, all new prescribed residential building work will require a registered builder or a person with an owner/builder certificate. The home warranty insurance component is anticipated to be commenced in July 2006, as we have said before, subject to players in the market and a conducive climate, so that builders can find home warranty insurance.
Madam Speaker, these are the reforms that this government has undertaken. They are progressing well and I commend the department, and also the building industry, on the way that they have supported these changes.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016