Labor’s major building reform package is in disarray within hours of being announced, with the Shadow Minister and Opposition Leader at odds over the most significant part.
Minister for Better Regulation Matt Kean said Michael Daley’s proposed cab rank system for certifiers was slammed as “unworkable” by Yasmin Catley in Parliament, on October 23.
“Once again Michael Daley has shown he’s an L-plate Opposition Leader, whose knee jerk announcements are dangerous for NSW,” Mr Kean said.
“If Yasmin Catley doesn’t trust Michael Daley to get it right, why should the people of NSW?”
Mr Kean said the Liberals & National Government passed the strongest certifier reforms in the country in October, which were supported by Labor without any amendments.
“Let’s make no mistake, Labor created this mess when it botched the privatisation of certifiers. This is Michael Daley’s legacy,” Mr Kean said.
“We are fixing the problem through recent legislation, our four-point plan announced today, including the biggest compliance operation in the industry’s history and further reforms that are underway.”
Mr Kean said the cab rank system was considered as part of an options paper released by the Government in October.
“Dodgy Daley claims to have spoken to industry about his policy, but even if he did, he clearly wasn’t listening,” Mr Kean said.
“A number of key safety concerns were raised about the cab rank system during consultation on our options paper, including that certifiers need different skills to work on different types of buildings. That is why we have decided not to proceed.
“Yasmin Catley also acknowledged this in Parliament, which can mean one of only two things: Either Michael Daley doesn’t listen to his Shadow Minister, or is too lazy to do his homework on this issue.”
Mr Kean said Dangerous Daley’s plan would see certifiers appointed to projects they aren’t qualified for, potentially putting the safety of hundreds of thousands of people at risk.
“This is further proof that NSW can’t risk a Michael Daley Labor Government,” he said.
