Builders considering cutting corners on construction sites in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven should think again with Building Commission NSW establishing a permanent presence in the region from Monday.
Following the establishment of the Commission in December 2023, it has moved quickly to broaden its focus to one of the state's busiest building and construction hubs, south of Sydney.
There are more than 4,000 active construction sites in the Illawarra Shoalhaven area making it the ideal location to pilot the Commission's strategy to create more dedicated regional teams, as part of its commitment to work where homes are being built.
A local presence will enable inspectors to audit more sites, more often and closely monitor all active projects while also reacting faster to complaints and intelligence.
The Illawarra-focussed compliance inspectors will join a growing Commission with the power to issue a range of building orders for serious defects and track their repair before a project can be signed off. As more people move to the regions, it's essential there is no difference in the quality of homes being built, compared with metropolitan areas.
New resources in the region will go hand in hand with tools like iCIRT that independently rate building professionals and give consumers confidence about their financial, legal and compliance history. There are more than 100 iCIRT rated builders already operating in NSW.
To kick off the Commission's engagement in the region, a roadshow for industry and government stakeholders about the Commission's regulatory priorities and key focus areas is being held early next week.
Minister for Building Anoulack Chanthivong said:
"The Illawarra region is booming with building activity, expanding faster than any other regional location in NSW. Establishing Building Commission NSW's first regional office here was not a difficult decision.
"As the NSW Government works to build the homes our state needs, Wollongong has been given a housing target of 9,200 new well-located homes by 2029.
"The Building Commission will support delivery of this target by ensuring the building industry delivers quality homes and apartments for residents.
"Our new recruits will be local boots on the ground who can show up on site anytime, anywhere and ensure that the local community can be confident in the quality of the new housing stock being built.
"Quality and quantity can go hand in hand if Government and industry work together and it is exactly what needs to happen if we are to meet the housing needs of the people of NSW."
Paul Scully, Member for Wollongong said:
"I am pleased that the lobbying of the Minister by myself and Deputy Lord Mayor Tania Brown has resulted in establishing a local presence of the NSW Building Commission in the Illawarra.
"Of late we have had a number of buildings and builders who have not been meeting the standards that we expect of them and that needs to change.
"As Planning Minister I am determined to confront the housing crisis which means building more new homes but tackling this challenge must not come at the cost of quality.
"When people buy a newly built home, they expect it to be of a modern standard and I'm pleased that a permanent presence of the NSW Building Commission in the Illawarra will remind dodgy builders and dodgy developers that cutting corners on home builds is unacceptable."
Assistant Building Commissioner Matt Press said:
"Our inspectors have been regular visitors to the Illawarra region in the past two years but with this move we're establishing ourselves as a full-time member of the local community.
"This is just the beginning of the first of many regional teams for Building Commission NSW. We want everyone to know that the regulator will be turning up everywhere that homes are being built, not just Sydney.
"It's pleasing to see there are a number of iCIRT rated builders now operating in the Illawarra and they are starting to show what a more capable and trustworthy construction industry can produce.
"We want to be supporting those who are championing best-practise and focussing our attention on the small number of risky players who ruin the reputation of the entire industry."
