May 25, 2012
The State Government is taking action to reduce red tape for property owners and real estate agents, Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said today.
The announcement comes after the government committed to repeal the need for homeowners and real estate agents to make Sustainability Declarations when selling a house, townhouse or unit.
“These changes will reduce the legislative burden on home owners and the real estate industry in our region and remove unnecessary time-consuming and costly paperwork,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“Sustainability Declarations were imposed on sellers and their agents and proved to be just another example of unwieldy and complex government red tape.”
Mrs Frecklington said Building Codes Queensland have also been asked to explore a number of other possible red tape reduction proposals including:
- Allowing plumbers to self-certify plumbing work done in existing buildings through a new notification system
- Reducing the cost of building homes by revising the Water Savings Targets Code roof catchment requirements and allowing exemptions for small lots
- Setting State-wide standards for building work over or near underground pipe work as well as simplifying referrals and appeals for non-standard work
- Reducing the costs of complying with pool safety laws by allowing pool safety inspectors to certify new pool fences for existing swimming pools
- Improving the Queensland Development Code for transport noise corridors to include more cost effective acceptable solutions
- Removing duplicated assessment processes and clarifying building standards for residential buildings in bushfire prone areas.
- Developing a new section in the Queensland Development Code to provide clear and practical construction standards for building in flood hazard areas
Plumbing Reforms Planned, Too
Meanwhile, Housing and Public Works Minister Bruce Flegg today invited the plumbing industry to provide feedback on proposed regulation amendments to reduce red tape in the industry.
Dr Flegg said the proposed changes to the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002 would increase the scope of “notifiable works”, ie plumbing and drainage work that can be undertaken without Council approval.
“Following the passage of amendments through Parliament in February, Building Codes Queensland has now released draft tables outlining the proposed notifiable, minor and unregulated categories of work for consultation,” Dr Flegg said.
“Notifiable work will apply to most work on existing buildings, including extensions and additions.
“For Queenslanders, this means everyday plumbing work can be self-certified by the plumber, eliminating the need for local government permits which can be costly and cause delays.
“Work by plumbers and drainers will still be audited by the Plumbing Industry Council and local governments to ensure compliance and health and safety standards remain high.”
Dr Flegg said the proposed changes would create a more efficient process, saving time and money for local governments.
“By reducing the amount of routine work that must receive approval before commencement, these reforms will allow local governments to more precisely target their inspection programs towards high-risk areas and may lead to faster processing of applications.”
Dr Flegg said industry had until 5:00pm on Friday June 22, 2012 to have their say on the changes.
The draft tables outlining the proposed notifiable, minor and unregulated categories of work can be viewed at: plumbers@dlgp.qld.gov.au
- Related story: Property Agents Welcome Law Changes
