Laws strengthening the NSW government's powers to regulate building certifiers, including much larger penalties for dodgy operators, have passed parliament and will soon come into effect.
After several controversial developments were found to have been given the all-clear by certifiers, who issued “occupation certificates” before the buildings were ready, the NSW government sought to close down “loopholes” and combat a perception of conflicts of interest in the industry.
“We’re closing a number of loopholes that shonks were taking advantage of, under the old legislation, and making it harder for them to rort the system,” NSW Minister for Better Regulation, Matt Kean, said. “For example, it wasn’t illegal to have a conflict of interest in a project, but we’re now making that an offence with harsh punishments.”
The full article by Sam Buckingham-Jones can be read online at The Australian
