The Queensland Government is working to address the impact of non-conforming products on the state’s building and construction industry, an issue which was highlighted in a 2013 report from the Australian Industry Group (AIG).
One of the findings of the report was that the current regulatory system placed too much responsibility on building certifiers at point of installation. The QLD government is addressing this with the introduction of a Bill that places conformance obligations on all supply chain participants.
The Steering Committee of the Construction Product Alliance (CPA) has welcomed the Bill.
“While the industry is yet to assess the full impact of the legislation, it is apparent that the QLD Government has listened to the concerns expressed by the CPA and the industry.
“The CPA has previously stressed that governments needed to close the gaps in the administrative and regulatory systems that currently enable non-conforming products to enter the marketplace.
“We have also asked governments to improve compliance regimes and work with industry to implement effective educational programs to ensure that non-conforming products are quickly identified and banned before they cause safety or costly rectification problems.”
The AIG has also expressed its approval of the Bill. According to the group, the Bill will go a long way in restricting the ability of “unscrupulous operators” to place non-conforming building products into the QLD market.
“This will provide more confidence to the construction industry that the products they install are fit for purpose and comply with the relevant standards,” said the AIG.
“Queenslanders do not wish to see a repeat of the Infinity Cable and Lacrosse Fire incidents in their state, and this legislation sends a message to all those who seek to gain unfair advantage through misrepresenting product performance, that there is a cop on the beat and there will be a consequence for doing wrong.”