Residential focus - In the media, in practice and courts and cases

In the media EA: Formal response to draft building reform legislation The NSW Government should make a definitive commitment to introduce compulsory registration of all engineers when it introduces building reform legislation to Parliament next week. This is the principal recommendation in Engineers Australia's formal response to the draft "Design and Practitioners Bill 2019", which has just been submitted to the Government (18 October 2019). More...

Why we need to improve on our cities' dysfunctional buildings Architect and broadcaster Peter Maddison calls out the "nonsense" of 6 Star Energy Rated homes with solar panels if the design is all wrong (17 October 2019). More...

Housing shortfall will kick-start price growth: RBA The residential construction downturn is larger than the Reserve Bank expected, and with building approvals 40 per cent lower than their 2017 peak, a shortfall in housing supply looks "quite likely" (17 October 2019). More...

Housing downturn will be a larger-than-expected drag on economy, RBA warns Not only is the property downturn hitting household consumption, it's also a big drag on economic growth and likely to last for another year, the RBA's deputy governor warns (17 October 2019). More...

Construction needs to avoid social value smokescreens Social value can be up to 15 per cent of non-price assessments in construction tenders, but are the metrics genuine. If not, it's a huge missed opportunity for this sector with so many multiplier effects in the economy. (17 October 2019). More...

Absolutely devastating': Mascot Towers cracks getting bigger, report finds The latest update on the troubled Sydney apartment block finds existing cracks in the building have widened and new cracking has appeared, as owners continue to argue that they cannot afford repairs (16 October 2019). More...

Pressure growing on governments for cladding action Pressure is growing on state governments to help fund building defect rectification as problems such as the Mascot Towers evacuation in Sydney add urgency to the issue, a Sedgwick executive says (14 October 2019). More...

HIA supports next steps for First Home Loan Deposit Scheme Graham Wolfe, HIA Managing Director said the Bill's passage means that the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) will be able to offer the deposit guarantees that underpin the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (14 October 2019). More...

BDAV: Building designer insurance update The Grenfell...