Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jun 05, 2019 5:05 pm The Builders Collective of Australia have started a petition on Change.org asking for a Royal Commission into the building industry in Australia. Amongst other things they cite the recent fiasco over flammable cladding and a report issued by the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of NSW in 2012 which stated that: 85% of respondents in buildings built since 2000, indicated that one or more defect(s) had been present in their (strata) scheme at some stage. For owners in (strata) schemes built since 2000 that had defects, 75% said that there were still some defects ... ....that had not been fixed. They also mention that there have been almost 70 reviews/inquiries over the past decade and a half which don't seem to have resolved the issues facing the building industry. If anyone is interested in signing the petition the link is below: https://www.change.org/p/governments-of ... a84a7075cb Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 2Jun 09, 2019 3:32 pm I heard this on the radio on Friday Experts warn construction could come to a halt because of flammable cladding risk. It seems that building surveyors are not going to be able to secure compliant professional indemnity insurance from next month because insurers are not willing to carry the risk of non-compliant cladding. https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/p ... k/11191318 If the entire Australian building industry is in danger of coming to a halt surely this would constitute a good reason for a royal commission right now. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 3Jun 09, 2019 5:10 pm There are many, many reasons for the need to have a Royal Commission but so wide ranging are the serious issues needing investigation that deciding on which issues to exclude from the terms of reference would pose an ethical nightmare in itself. Those issues also include the role of and underperformance of many building surveyors. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 4Jun 16, 2019 5:02 pm A few interesting and pertinent comments in this article re Mascot Towers in Sydney which was evacuated on Friday night due to cracking. Mascot Towers unit owners to foot bill for repairs prompting calls for better consumer protections https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-16/ ... s/11214328 Stephen Goddard, spokesman for the Owners Corporation Network — an advocacy group for owners in strata schemes ....called on the NSW Parliament to create a statutory duty of care to better protect consumers and said, so far, there had been no political incentive for governments to do so. "Most of our parliaments are on a sort of junkie hit when it comes to the building industry," he said. "The more they help the builder build, the more stamp duty they get, the more council and water rates come in.... Apartment expert and columnist Jimmy Thomson said many new buildings seemed to be constructed to lower standards as builders and developers attempt to cut costs. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 5Jun 16, 2019 7:39 pm I doubt a royal commission into building non compliance will happen as it's going to reflect badly on the incumbent political parties.. LOL, They will be sent into political oblivion for at least a decade Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 6Jun 16, 2019 8:12 pm Well, ScoMo and cohorts certainly fought against having the Banking Royal Commission and perhaps they would think that a Building Industry Royal Commission is equally unnecessary. No flaws in their Ivory Tower are there. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 7Jun 16, 2019 8:31 pm SaveH2O No flaws in their Ivory Tower are there. yep, 100%.. the system is working just fine for them Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 8Jun 16, 2019 9:14 pm World Bank is onto it all, after the meeting in Quito in Eccquador a year or two back. Pages 15/17 really resonated when referencing our local building environment. Big coffee and easy chair recommended for a full read. I only skimmed.
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/ ... 1-2017.pdf Edit: Didn't want to go on about this topic as don't want to sound as k-it-a, but the UK Parliament, too, is doing heaps of Committee Work into the country's building industry and into the potential for using Modern Building Systems. Lots of interesting transcripts of hearings etc on Parliamentary sites. Building quality/trust emerging as significant global issue. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 9Jun 17, 2019 8:02 am Thanks kks. From the report referenced above: One potential aspect that a market-based approach may not adequately address is spillover costs: the negative impacts experienced by people other than those directly engaged in a particular activity. In the absence of government intervention or other means of action, the responsible entity does not bear the full costs of the adverse effects and, therefore, has no incentive to mitigate or compensate for related outcomes. Other aspects of buildings that may have adverse effects include: • Deficiencies in building safety, wherein damage to one building can impact surrounding buildings and people (e.g., via fire, collapse or natural hazard events) ;• Incomplete sharing of liabilities across design professionals, contractors, operators; I agree with the last sentence above. Despite my complaints to the VBA our building designer was never called to account for failing to include a site survey in her documentation and accurate site levels. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 10Jun 17, 2019 9:03 am On Radio National this morning: Industry Minister calls for tougher regulation after latest building evacuation https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pgLGMMz9MG The above interview is with one of the writers of the Shergold Weir report into commercial building entitled [i]Building Confidence – Improving the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry across Australia, [/i]published last year and available here: https://aibs.com.au/Public/News/2018/ShergoldWeir.aspx No State or territory has yet adopted any of the recommendations. Unbelievably apparently in NSW currently you can build an aged care building or a childcare building without being a registered builder!!!! Unfortunately the interviewee doesn't see a need for an independent commission because "an enquiry would be even more damaging to the industry". I find this a specious argument. The fact that the government "knows enough" doesn't stop them doing nothing. As for consumer protections, Fran Kelly references the joke that you can get a better warranty on your white goods than you can on your million dollar apartment. And your half a million to a million dollar private house? Nobody seems to be talking about this. There is so much attention at the moment because commercial failures impact so many people and are so visible but if this is happening in the commercial sector it is because it is also happening in the private sector. The interviewee also raises the problem of how far the insurance industry is prepared to underwrite the building industry at the moment. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 11Jun 17, 2019 9:17 am Worse, There are builders calling themselves Engineers? If some one is killed they go to jail Fake Engineer Found Guilty Ironically, you can't call yourself an Architect or you'll be fined $5K+ Sunshine Coast building designer convicted of posing as an architect LOL, Architects get better protected than Home owners and Engineers? Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 12Jun 17, 2019 7:26 pm Phil Dwyer, National President of the Builders Collective, was on RN Drive this evening to explain why they want a Royal Commission. If you want to listen, the link is here: https://radio.abc.net.au/programitem/pglGm3QgbV In particular he makes the point that there are inquiries and reviews only when there is heavy media pressure and none of the inquiries or reviews that have taken place so far have made any difference at all to the situation for consumers. He is asking for a "short and sharp Royal Commission" targeting the issue of consumer protection firstly "because it is non-existent". He also mentioned that training needs to be overhauled; that there " isn't any one component of the building industry that you can say is working well." He is asking that all parties to a build be registered under the one banner including professionals so that everybody is equal and accountable. (Yes!!! Building designers - my comment) He finished up by saying that governments have shown themselves incapable of managing the building industry and that we need people who know what consumers go through when their building fails. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 13Jun 20, 2019 12:20 pm Another informative article in The Conversation today: Buck-passing on apartment building safety leaves residents at risk https://theconversation.cmail20.com/t/r-l-jidiwul-iitrkdjdlh-n/ https://theconversation.com/buck-passin ... 0at%20risk The author, Geoff Hanmer, who is an adjunct lecturer in Architecture at UNSW makes the very pertinent point that: the government’s role is to regulate sufficiently to prevent building failures in the first place, not to hold people to account after the event. He places part of the blame on the BCA now the NCC which he says was introduced: to make building regulations less prescriptive. The aim was to reduce the cost of construction by favouring innovation over conservative deemed to satisfy regulations. Innovation, in these terms, meant finding ways to make buildings cheaper to build. He takes aim at State governments who have resorted to tough talk about crackdowns on "d...gy" certifiers and "d..gy" builders. In reality, the problem is d...gy government regulation, by both federal and state governments. He finishes up by saying that: All governments must take an active role in fixing the defective regulatory regime they have created. If they can't get on with this process in a timely way, we will need yet another royal commission to sort it out. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 14Jun 20, 2019 12:55 pm Liliana The author, Geoff Hanmer, who is an adjunct lecturer in Architecture at UNSW makes the very pertinent point that: the government’s role is to regulate sufficiently to prevent building failures in the first place, not to hold people to account after the event. He places part of the blame on the BCA now the NCC which he says was introduced: to make building regulations less prescriptive. The aim was to reduce the cost of construction by favouring innovation over conservative deemed to satisfy regulations. Innovation, in these terms, meant finding ways to make buildings cheaper to build. The NCC is a performance based document comprising of the BCA Parts 1 & 2 and the PCA. As such, it allows for new innovations to be used as Performance Solutions which is ideal but builders are now using cost cutting Performance Solutions that only need certifying by one industry "expert" as satisfying the Performance Requirements in the NCC. Such Performance Solutions include recessed Damp Proof Course, water resistant rather that water proofing in wet areas and more sand in mortar mixes amongst numerous other cost cutting measures. I don't believe this was ever the intention in having a performance based NCC as such Performance Solutions are not innovative except for being an innovative way to cut costs and excuse poor workmanship. If there is a deemed to satisfy solution that has a higher standard than a cost cutting Performance Solution and it is available and acceptable for use, then the cost cutting and poorer quality Performance Solution should (ideally) not be used but unfortunately, the NCC allows it. The role and performance of Building Surveyors also needs to be referenced in any Royal Commission into the building industry. These high salaried builder's lackeys are not engineers and their usually self appointed and less credentialled Building Inspector does most of the inspecting. New home buyers would be shocked to know what doesn't get checked or is overlooked if noticed. NOTE: I have written this from a Victorian perspective. Regulations and their management vary between the States and Territories. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 15Jun 26, 2019 8:34 am Article that appeared today on the ABC website: Apartment owners worried they are living in structurally unsound buildings Link below: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-25/ ... d/11246116 Nicole Johnston from Deakin University has just released a report into building safety. She says that would-be owners often have no way of knowing if there are structural problems with their apartments. Quote: "Sometimes it doesn't matter how much due diligence you do, you won't know that these defects are coming," she said. Her report found poor waterproofing, unsafe cladding and fire risks were the most common problems. "The costs involved in going through those rectification works is so much more than it would have been if the job was done right in the first place," Dr Johnston said. Of course the Property Council is running the line that there is nothing to see here: "Purchasers should take heart from the fact that most issues are relatively minor," he said. Quote: "The sorts of incidents we've seen in the media in recent months are quite rare." He said while regulations in the various states and territories differ, there was recourse when owners found their apartment had faults. "If there are defects, then by law builders have to come back and fix those defects at their costs, and that system has been working well," he said. That last sentence isn't the most hilarious sentence in the article however. This one is: A spokesperson for Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the Victorian Building Authority was working closely with the affected residents. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 16Jun 26, 2019 9:09 am It's funny ( maybe not) when things go wrong, Certified Engineering Documents, photos and data are always hard to find Engineers say cracking Mascot Towers, "moving in downward motion" Mayor denies 'cover-up' over Mascot Towers Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 17Jul 02, 2019 9:49 am Some images to give some colour to the facts. Channel nine news report on the building industry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WIA9KIK_So You can find houses suffering from the same problems but because they don’t involve a huge number of people and aren’t a danger to their surroundings they are being quietly ignored. Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 18Jul 02, 2019 10:12 am Yes that is correct new home builders are being ignored That's why it's important to inspect your own builds,keep records, and get ready for the new National Engineering Regulations Concerns raised about building certifier insurance crisis Designer,Engineer (Civil,Const & Envir),Builder,Concrete & Masonry Contract.Struct Repairs Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 19Jul 16, 2019 8:22 am Article in the Australian Financial Review today: Victoria to fund cladding rectification of privately owned buildings https://www.afr.com/real-estate/residen ... 715-p527gl The state government on Tuesday will announce the plan to enable rectification upfront and then seek damages from responsible parties. So they can do something to hold people to account then????? Re: Builders Collective petitioning for a Royal Commission 20Jul 16, 2019 6:37 pm Liliana Article in the Australian Financial Review today: Victoria to fund cladding rectification of privately owned buildings https://www.afr.com/real-estate/residen ... 715-p527gl The state government on Tuesday will announce the plan to enable rectification upfront and then seek damages from responsible parties. So they can do something to hold people to account then????? So they are listening?? Let’s see what the outcome is. Also, maybe they could also fund the demolition and rebuilding of my home due to extensive structural damage due to incompetence and lack of regulation, instead of putting me on the Government agency merry-go-round. They can then seek damages from the insurance company. Look at your bill from the electricity company. It should detail the charges. You will need to do some estimating and some calculations. Then charge the… 8 4248 Site works are just about to start on our build with Blueprint in Midvale. viewtopic.php?f=31&t=106894 2 3953 Hi all, We are looking to build a new two storey house in western Sydney. Can anyone recommend a smallish builder to go with? We are trying to stay away from the big… 0 12145 |