This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
THE overarching warranty insurance regime that is supposed to provide consumer protection for homeowners and manage the operation of the building industry continues to fail so dramatically and impact on all sectors of the building industry that a call to arms last week saw the formation of new action group that is threatening to stand in vulnerable Labor Party seats at the next State and Federal elections.
The Cabinet Makers Association; Master Painters Association of Victoria and Tasmania; Building Designers Association of Australia; Victorian Plumbers United; Builders Collective of Australia; Australian Institute of Waterproofing and the Consumers Collective of Australia joined last week to form the Building Industry Reform Group (BIRG) with tens of thousands of members.
Builders Collective National President Phil Dwyer told Australian Property Journal that after many years of legitimate industry associations presenting serious concerns to the State and Federal Governments, and their various agencies, all of which have been totally ignored, has forced the legitimate industry and its consumers to come together as one.
“A classic example of our views is being played out though the current debacle over the Federal Governments stimulus, and the insulation package managed by Peter Garrett that can only be considered a joke were it not so serious and has now become a total embarrassment for the Rudd Government while further adversely impacting on our industry’s management,” Dwyer said on Friday.
“The insulation is a minor component in the building process but if you apply the conduct displayed by Mr Garrett to the whole of the building process then complete failure is ensured and supports the concerns held by the legitimate industry and why we demand action now.”
Dwyer said the new group now represents’ thousands of home owners, builders and tradespeople who have watched the deterioration of the building industry over the past decade.
“Governments have passed the responsibility to manage the wider building industry and provide its consumers protection and gave that role to the insurance industry and the Housing Industry Association under the guise of the Last Resort Builders Warranty Insurance regime in 2002.
“This regime has been an abject failure and the subject of constant criticism because it was devoid of all accountability until the release late last year or the Victorian Essential Services Commission and the Ombudsman’s reports that confirm the “Choice” statements that this insurance is junk making a mockery of consumer protection,” Dwyer added.
The basic platform of BIRG is to regain control and direction of the building industry for the benefit of its clients/consumers and the many interrelated stakeholders within the building industry and to oversee the implementation of key policies that will benefit the wider building community.
This unity of all the various groups, says Dwyer, demonstrates the actions of a responsible building industry working with its consumers to achieve practical and much needed improvement in the management of consumer protection and industry and will demand from Government outcomes such as:
· Direct, robust, and responsible consultation with government
· Consumer protection that is tangible and available
· Plain English contracts
· Dispute and Resolution, binding and available to both parties
· Licensing & accountability of all trades and contractors
· A single holistic body to administer and govern the industry
“The building industry cannot and will no longer tolerate a regime that is disjointed, unworkable and tainted with private interests that has seen it continually deteriorate and fall into disrepute over the past decade as the current regime penalises the responsible operators while allowing dodgy contractors to operate under the radar and move from disaster to disaster without interruption.
The initial meeting last week saw some of the major associations commit to the new group which now represents many thousands of building industry participants and the list of associations will grow significantly in the immediate future,” he concluded.
Australian Property Journal
