Initial consultation has closed. Thank you to all who provided submissions.

It is important that the new registration and licensing schemes are introduced with as little disruption to industry as possible.

Your input is sought to help identify appropriate criteria to select priority areas of building work, and compile a complete list of building trades to apply this criteria to.

As part of this consultation stage, we also seek your views on:

  • the scope of work each trade performs
  • how each trade is generally engaged (i.e. employed, contracted, sub-contracted or a combination)
  • the acceptable minimum level of competency – training and practical experience – which should be required for each trade for registration and licensing.

Download the consultation paper for more details, including key stages and timing

Please provide your feedback by completing the survey below or download our consultation document and upload your submission below.

Submission deadline: Close of business, Friday, 9 August, 2019.

Overview

Building trades play an important role in the building industry.

Recent amendments were made to the Building Act 1993 to provide for the registration and licensing of practitioners who carry out these trades. Certain building work will require registration or a licence to perform.

To have effect, the new framework will require regulations to be made. The Victorian Government is currently developing these regulations, which will specify what building work can only be carried out by a registered trade contractor or subconstractor, or licensed employee (prescribed work), who will need to be registered and licensed, and the requirements for registration and licensing.

The objectives of the regulations are to deliver:

  • greater individual accountability for non-compliant building work through the application of appropriate disciplinary processes to building trades;
  • confidence that people who carry out or perform prescribed work have adequate qualifications, skills and experience to do so;
  • incentives for improved skills formation in the building industry (including completion of apprenticeships);
  • consistency between the approach taken to trade contractors and building trade employees;
  • a reduction in the incidence of non-compliant building work; and
  • a staged approach to transition to registration and licensing.

Staged Approach

Not all building trades will be required to be registered or licensed under the new framework at once. Certain types of building work will be identified as priority areas which will need to be registered or licensed first. Other areas of building work will be considered for prescription in later transition stages.

Consultation Questions

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Privacy Statement

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is committed to protecting personal information provided by you in accordance with the principles of the Victorian privacy laws.

The information you provide will be used to develop regulations required to implement the registration and licensing schemes introduced by the Building Amendment (Registration of Building Trades and Other Matters) Act 2018 and may be used for future building policy development.

Your contact details may be used by the department or its contracted service providers under confidentiality agreements to survey you about your experience with the department.

The information you provide will be made available to the Minister for Planning and the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee. This information is being collected in accordance with Section 6 of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994.

You may access the information you have provided to the department by contacting building.policy@delwp.vic.gov.au .


Part 1: List of building trades and scopes of work

Eg. Sheet plastering - the carrying out of domestic building work associated with sheet plastering, including the cutting and fixing of interior wall boards.

Please see FAQs above for an explanation on the difference between registration and licensing, and provisional and full registration.

Please see FAQs above for an explanation on the difference between registration and licensing, and provisional and full licensing.


Part 2: Criteria to identify priority areas of building work

Criteria for selecting priority areas of building work are proposed below. You are invited to comment on these criteria and also suggest your own.

For an explanation on why these criteria are being developed, please refer to the consultation paper under the heading ‘How and when will priority areas of building work be finalised?’


This impacts, for example, the operational capacity of the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) to register, license and regulate trades; the capacity of education providers to offer training pathways to allow a transition from a provisional registration/licence to a full registration/licence.

This impacts, for example, the operational capacity of the VBA to register, license and regulate trades; the capacity of education providers to offer training pathways to allow a transition from a provisional registration/licence to a full registration/licence.

The absence of a training pathway (for example a qualification) may indicate that one needs to be created before a requirement for registration/licensing can be imposed. Further, the capacity of education providers to cope with a potentially large influx of new students at one time will need to be assessed.

This could make a transition to registration/licensing easier.

High risk work would be considered for an earlier transition. Work will be considered as high risk if a shortfall in the performance of that work (defective work) or a fault in construction (non-compliant work) may result in a risk to public health or safety, including the health and safety of the trade performing the activity. For example, high risk work may involve any activity that involves the disturbance of asbestos, work that involves structural alterations or repairs, work that involves tilt-up or precast concrete and work that involves demolition of a load-bearing structure.

More complex work would be considered for an earlier transition. Work will be considered more complex if there is a high degree of knowledge, training and/or experience required to complete the relevant construction activities, or the type of building itself is more complex (for example, compare a simple Class 10 structure to a more complex Class 2 – 9 building). More complex construction can lead to higher cost defects.

Any labour and skills shortages should not be exacerbated by the new schemes.

Types of building work with higher instances of non-compliance or defects would be considered for an earlier transition.


Part 3: Change Management

The new framework will allow for an application period of 1 year from commencement to apply for a provisional registration or licence and a qualifying period of 5 years to graduate from provisional to full registration and licence. Do you think a trade will need more time before the application period commences to plan and prepare for provisional registration and licensing? If yes, how much extra time do you think is needed over and above the application period and why?

The survey form is now closed. Thanks for your contributions.

Upload a submission

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You have 255 characters left.

Please include your interest if you are not making this submission on behalf of an organisation

You have 255 characters left.

This is optional, however it will allow us to reach you if we have any question about your submission

You have 255 characters left.

This is optional, however it will allow us to reach out to you if we have any questions about your submission.

You have 255 characters left.
I agree to this submission being made public (refer to privacy statement below) Required

Selecting 'no' will not affect your submission

I agree to extracts of this submission being included in future reports (refer to privacy statement below) Required

Selecting 'no' will not affect your submission


Privacy Statement

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning is committed to protecting personal information provided by you in accordance with the principles of the Victorian privacy laws.

The information you provide will be used to develop regulations required to implement the registration and licensing schemes introduced by the Building Amendment (Registration of Building Trades and Other Matters) Act 2018 and may be used for future building policy development.

Your contact details may be used by the department or its contracted service providers under confidentiality agreements to survey you about your experience with the department.

The information you provide will be made available to the Minister for Planning and the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee. This information is being collected in accordance with Section 6 of the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994.

You may access the information you have provided to the department by contacting building.policy@delwp.vic.gov.au.

The survey form is now closed. Thanks for your contributions.