Ankit Sharma: Master Builders CEO on the changes to builder certifications and inspections

A thumbs-up from the building industry over changes to certifications and inspections.  

The Government will be letting approved builders, plumbers, and drainlayers sign off their own work for simple residential dwellings.  

80% of inspections will also need to be completed within three working days. 

Master Builders CEO Ankit Sharma told Ryan Bridge there’s a lot that can be done to reduce the compliance burden on low-risk homes without compromising quality or consumer protection. 

Some of which, he says, are restricting it to low-risk builds, having strict self-certification criteria, and strengthening the LBP scheme.  

Sharma says that more details would be needed, but if improvements in these areas are implemented well, they’ll enable productivity gains without compromising quality.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So the government giving reputable builders, plumbers, drain layers the
power to basically mark their own homework inspect their own work.
The goal is to cut down inspection wait times and
kitscharm master builders with us this morning, and Kirk, good morning,
Good morning man, good to have you on the show.
How do you define a reputable builder, plumber, drain layer?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
The definition I think the government was indicating yesterday for
self certification as reported builders while building at scale, building
simple law risk holms and are using repeatable designs.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
How do you because I guess this is the problem. Right,
you want to be sped up, you want it to
be easier, but you also want to stop some dodgy
builder or plumber from cutting corners, doing a shoddy job,
and then marking their own homework. How do you do that?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
That's a very good point. So I think what we
have been saying is we need a very smart and
targeted reform to really use the compliance burden on simple
law ris homes without compromising on quality or consumer protections.
So there are a lot of things we can do
to enable that. So one is to restrict this to

(01:11):
only simple law risk bills. Second, to have a very
strict criteria on building professionals who can self certify and
continue some monitoring regime around the third to have some
mandatory insurance requirements thoughts, you can incorporate random inspections to
ensure quality management. There is a quite a big piece

(01:33):
we have been talking about, which is to use technology
solutions like virtual remote inspections to ensure that photographic evidence
of self certification is submitted so then risk assessment can
be performed and we can do some spot checks. And
the final is to strengthening the LBP scheme. So we
obviously need to see more details around all these areas,

(01:54):
but if they're implemented well, they will enable productivity gains
without compromising on quality or consumer.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
Protection because I guess the thing is the reality is
you will know who the dodgy builders are, or you
will at least know who the good builders are, right son,
So can you will you have some say or who
will decide who the good ones are and who the
bad ones are.

Speaker 2 (02:16):
I think there's a consultation happening where we are providing
an input on what that criteria should be, and I
think others in the industry will provide that into government
has a view too. So I have a feeling that
after they've announced this, they will now go through a
consultation process where we and others were quite input onto
how do you do this, because what we are trying

(02:36):
to do is we're trying to kind of improve We're
trying to look at the low hanging food we have
within our industry to improve some productivity. And the low
hanging food is to reduce the compliance burden on simple
law risk holmes. And if you do this well, it
will bring more lower cost homes in the market cheaper
and address housing affordability. It will free up counsel to

(02:59):
focus more on high risk projects and reduce inspection times.
And also I think increase adoption of technology like virtual
the more inspection and a lot of positives or that
sounds good.

Speaker 1 (03:11):
No, it sounds good, And I want you to get
in there and I want you to tell them who
were the goodies and who were the baddies, because that
really is when it comes down to it, what is
going to make will break this new policy? An Kit Sharma,
Master Builders Chief Executive. For more from earlier edition with
Ryan Bridge, listen live to news talks. It'd be from
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