The NSW Government has bowed to pressure from Engineers Australia and other industry organisations by agreeing to further consultation and a delayed introduction of the contentious Building Bill 2024.

The Government originally set a short deadline after releasing the draft legislation of the end of August for feedback before initially extending that to September 8. They have now conceded the consultation period on the Bill needs to be further extended to October 18.

In a significant win for Engineers Australia, the NSW Government has also announced it won’t seek to introduce the legislation this year and rushing through laws which engineers have significant concerns about.

This bill will dictate how professional engineering work is done in NSW.  

The most prominent section for engineers covers the Professional Engineering Registration Scheme and its transfer from the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 into the proposed Building Bill framework. 

Other papers cover compliance and enforcement, insurance, fire safety regulations, the proposed co-regulation model and more. You can see all the related documents in our Building Reform Community of Practice discussion board on EAXChange. 

Engineers Australia will be preparing feedback for the NSW Government on the proposed bill. If you would like to contribute to our feedback please respond to our discussion thread in the EAXChange Building Reform Community of Practice by early October.

As we continue to work with the NSW Building Commission, Engineers Australia is committed to asking the questions that members want asked and to seek improved outcomes on the proposed reforms.