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Ministerial Construction Council

22 January 2020, Brisbane

Communique

On 22 January 2020, the Ministerial Construction Council (Council) held its first meeting of the year in Brisbane.

The Department of Housing and Public Works provided a summary of key discussions from the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) meeting held in Canberra on 13 December 2019. The BMF discussions focussed on the availability of professional indemnity insurance for certifiers and the formation of a Building Confidence Report (BCR) implementation team. The implementation team aims to action the BCR’s recommendations and address identified issues facing the building and construction industry.

The Council noted that BMF Ministers intend to meet in Brisbane in mid-2020, where matters including continuing professional development and women’s participation in the building and construction industry would be considered. An extraordinary meeting, intended for February, will progress reforms in relation to the design, construction and certification of complex buildings.

The Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) provided an update on the rollout of the new rules around Minimum Financial Requirements (MFR), including compliance with the requirement for all licensed contractors to provide MFR reports by 31 December 2019.

A key focus of the meeting was continued consultation on the proposed legislative amendments being progressed in response to the Building Industry Fairness Evaluation Panel (the Panel) report and Special Joint Taskforce, including security of payment and certification reforms. A draft Bill was circulated, and the Council noted that the draft was substantially consistent with the recommendations of the Panel.

The Council noted the appointment of Mr Peter Koutsoukis as Chair of the Safer Buildings Taskforce, formerly the Non-Conforming Building Products Taskforce. Feedback was also sought on the Queensland Government’s submission to the UK inquiry into the Grenfell tower tragedy. The submission outlines the steps taken by the Queensland Government and provides a model for other jurisdictions to identify non-conforming building products, support industry in managing these products and promote public safety.

The Council was also briefed on current approaches to ‘reverse factoring’ and the potential benefits of introducing environmental upgrade agreements (EUAs) for Queensland, noting that EUAs have delivered significant sustainability improvements for commercial buildings in other Australian jurisdictions.

The Council noted reports from its subcommittees including the review of restricted builder licences, fairness in contracting, fire protection and compliance, project leadership and governance, increasing female participation in the building and construction industry and compulsory continuing professional development.

The Minister thanked the members for their continuing commitment to the Council and contribution to delivering a safer, fairer and more sustainable building and construction industry for Queensland. The Council will reconvene, face to face and subject to need, in advance of the BMF meeting in mid-2020.

Last updated: 
23 January 2020