Building Ministers' Forum Communiqué: August 2017

The Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) is pleased to announce that Professor Peter Shergold AC and Ms Bronwyn Weir have been commissioned to assess the broader compliance and enforcement problems within the building and construction systems across Australia that are affecting the implementation of the National Construction Code (NCC), announced on 30 June 2017.
Cranes in Sydney constructing new high rise buildings

Professor Shergold has exemplary credentials, including leading an independent review of Government processes for the development and implementation of large public programmes and projects in 2014. Professor Shergold is the current Chancellor of the University of Western Sydney.

Ms Weir, a partner at Maddocks law firm is one of the leading expert lawyers in building and construction, with a profound knowledge of building control systems. Ms Weir’s legal expertise is in risk-based compliance and enforcement, administrative law, prosecutions and civil penalty litigation.

The Terms of Reference for the external assessment of building and construction systems across Australia is available on the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s website.

Today’s announcement demonstrates the BMF is committed to working together to ensure that Australia continues to have a safe built environment that the Australian community can have confidence in.

The BMF will reconvene in October 2017.