The VBA Building Technical Bulletin is a quarterly newsletter that provides Victorian building practitioners with up-to-date information about legislative and regulatory changes, education opportunities and industry trends, with a focus on the technical aspects of their trades.
Each newsletter is sent to building practitioners and industry bodies, engineers and subscribers.
Welcome to the first edition of the Building Technical Bulletin for 2025.
It promises to be an important year for building and plumbing regulation in Victoria with the establishment of the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC).
The Building Technical Bulletin will continue to be a source of important information content to engage and educate practitioners.
Pool and spa safety barrier inspections
Drowning is one of the leading causes of preventable death in young children aged 0-5 years. In Victoria, approximately 40 per cent of drowning incidents in this age group occur in home swimming pools. In many of these cases, the non-compliance of the safety barrier was a contributing factor.
Compliant and properly maintained pool and spa barriers that restrict access to private swimming pools and spas can save lives. That's why Victoria's pool and spa safety regulations were strengthened in 2019.
In December 2024, a child gained access into a pool enclosure through a boundary paling fence and drowned.
An Industry Alert was issued to registered building surveyors, building inspectors and pool inspectors, reminding them of their obligations when conducting pool and spa safety barrier inspections.
Visit Pool and spa safety barrier inspections. The VBA will continue to update the swimming pools and spas resources and share them with you.
The VBA is supporting Mornington Peninsula Shire
In January, you may have seen reports about a house that slid down a hill and into two others in McCrae on the Mornington Peninsula. At the time, the Municipal Building Surveyor (MBS) was injured on site and hospitalised. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Following the incident, my office contacted the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council to offer assistance and guidance, meeting with the Deputy MBS and the Principal Building Surveyor to discuss next steps. I provided further guidance and reassurance, which included assistance with enforcement processes to ensure the continued safety of its residents.
An exclusion zone was set up around the 19 properties impacted by the landslide where the council, expert engineers and other authorities have been carrying out testing to monitor and determine when it will be safe to allow residents to return. Earlier this month, residents from eight properties safely returned to their homes.
With the severity of the event and the overwhelming strain on council resources, one of the VBA's highly experienced building surveyors with extensive knowledge of the area is now working with the council in the role of Acting Municipal Building Surveyor.
The Mornington Peninsula Shire has published McCrae landslide emergency management information for residents, with regular updates on the recovery effort. The VBA will continue to support council, and I'll share with you any important updates or learnings as they arise.
A new regulator for building and plumbing
In October 2024, Victoria's new integrated building and plumbing regulator, the Building and Plumbing Commission (BPC) was announced . Later this year, the VBA will be joining forces with Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria (DBDRV) and the domestic building insurance (DBI) division of Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA) to create a bigger, better regulator, which will be a one-stop shop for consumers on building and plumbing-related matters.
Further updates about the BPC's establishment will be provided throughout the year.
Regards,
Steven Baxas
State Building Surveyor
Office of the State Building Surveyor
In this edition...
Complying with H3D3 Fire separation of external walls
This article provides guidance to designers, builders and building surveyors around compliance requirements for National Construction Code (NCC) H3P1 Spread of Fire.
Fire safety in building design: Proper documentation of service penetrations
Designers and engineers are reminded that service penetrations must have a protection method documented and be tested in accordance with the relevant standards.
The VBA, in consultation with Victorian water authorities and industry stakeholders, has confirmed how sub-clauses (a) and (b) of Clause 4.2.7.1.2 of AS 2419.1:2021 should be read. This clarification enables water authorities to provide greater certainty to industry on the available reticulated water supply residual pressure under 95th percentile demand conditions.
Building surveyors: Responding to complaints effectively
The VBA has seen an increase in complaints from adjoining property owners disputing the advice given to them through the relevant building surveyor's complaint handling process.
The amended Premises Standards and the NCC
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has released guidance on the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standard amendments, which includes a reference to the 2021 edition of 'AS 1428.1 Design for access and mobility'.
