With the new government in place and moving steadily forward, it is a busy time for policy and advocacy for the Institute.
NEW MINISTERS
We were grateful to meet with both Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully and Minister for Building, Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong in their offices this month. It was an open and comprehensive discussion on broad-ranging topics such as density done well, design-centred planning, sustainability initiatives and the Housing Accord. We will continue to work collaboratively with the Ministers as their policy initiatives are realised.
We are looking forward to meeting with Minister for Housing and Homelessness Rose Jackson, Minister for Finance Courtney Houssos and Minister for Climate Change, the Environment and Heritage Penny Sharpe in the coming weeks.
NSW BUILDING REFORMS
From 1 July 2023 the DBP Act & Regulation will be expanded to Class 3 and 9c and will apply to new builds only at this stage.
Detailed information can be found here:
Changes coming for class 3 and 9c buildings 2023
There is an upcoming information session held by Fair Trading to assist in answering your questions.
Date: Thursday 15 June 2023
Time: 3.30pm to 5.30pm
Where: TAFE NSW Meadowbank campus
The event will also be live-streamed. You can choose to attend in person or online when you register.
RSVP: Monday 12 June 2023
We are working closely with both the policy team and the audit and regulatory team as the Building Commission is established and legislative changes are made. We will continue to inform our members during this time as these initiatives come into place.
We are here to assist you with your specific concerns and in providing the information you need to transition your business during this time. Reach out to us if you need help.
NSW TREASURY STANDARD COMMERCIAL FRAMEWORK
A number of meetings continue to be held to work through the issue of Treasury’s decision to cap daily rates for architectural services on all government contracts. At the moment these rates are for guidance only and cannot be mandatorily applied. We will update members as this matter progresses.
MLC BUILDING
After much advocacy over the last two years we were thrilled with the news that the MLC Building will be protected from demolition. Much gratitude to former NSW Chapter President Kathlyn Loseby and Institute Life Fellow Paul Berkemeier who assisted greatly in this work.
Read the Land and Environment Court finding here.
We are now urging new Minister for Heritage Penny Sharpe to relist this building on the NSW State Register and ensure that the correct process is in place to ensure this finally occurs.
