Media statement from Commerce Minister Sue Ellery
- Landmark registration of more than 1,000 engineers in the building sector
- The registration will deliver safer buildings and greater accountability
- Two-year transition periods for civil, structural, mechanical, and fire safety engineers
- Part of a wide-ranging improvement plan for building regulation in Western Australia
The Cook Government is set to roll out a landmark registration scheme for building engineers to strengthen public safety, industry accountability, and professional recognition.
Engineers perform an important role in the design and construction of buildings, often preparing critical design aspects such as framing, structural beams and loads, as well as important systems, such as fire safety, and mechanical ventilation.
Following extensive consultation, amendment regulations were gazetted to register engineers working in the building industry. It will mean workers must be registered by the Building Services Board to carry out prescribed engineering work on buildings and incidental structures in Western Australia.
The register aims to strengthen building compliance, reduce rectification costs, and increase public confidence in the industry. It will also provide a formal recourse process for substandard engineering work.
More than 860 engineering practitioners and 260 contractors are expected to become registered.
Engineers will also benefit from greater professional recognition and consistency in their work, through a code of conduct and continuing professional development requirements.
Two-year transition periods begin on 1 July 2024 for structural and fire safety engineers, and on 1 July 2025 for civil and mechanical building engineers.
Registration becomes mandatory for structural and fire safety engineers on 1 July 2026, and for civil and mechanical engineers on 1 July 2027.
Any person performing building engineering work after these dates without the required registration, will commit an offence and could be liable for a fine of up to $25,000.
The scheme is part of a reform package aimed at modernising and improving WA's building regulatory framework in response to recommendations from the national Building Confidence Report. The engineer registration scheme addresses the report's first three recommendations.
Changes to the approval processes for residential and commercial buildings, and registration of builders and other related occupations are also being considered.
