Victoria’s building regulatory framework is influenced by and can have impacts on the regulatory framework nationally.
Through participation in national discussions through building related inter-jurisdictional bodies, Victoria can play a key role in broader national reform.
Key national bodies each have a defined role, functions and criteria for membership which are agreed between state, territory and commonwealth governments.
The Commonwealth Government Minister and State and Territory Ministers responsible for building and plumbing regulatory matters meet through the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF), chaired by the Commonwealth Minister for Industry, Science and Technology. The Minister for Planning is Victoria’s representative on BMF.
A key function of the BMF is to oversee the work of the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) and set priorities for national policy work, which will principally be delivered by the Senior Officers’ Group.
The ABCB is a Council of the Australian Government (COAG) standards writing body that is responsible for the National Construction Code (NCC) which comprises the Building Code of Australia and the Plumbing Code of Australia. It is an initiative of all three levels of government in Australia and was established by an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on 1 March 1994.
The ABCB consists of:
- the Chair
- Commonwealth, State and Territory administration representatives responsible for building matters – Victoria is represented through the VBA
- representative of the Australian Local Governmental Association
- industry representatives.
Victoria, through the Minister for Planning, is a signatory to the current IGA for the ABCB, which includes annual funding contributions from the Commonwealth, States and Territories to support the operations of the ABCB and provides free online access to the NCC.
Further information about the ABCB can be found on its website abcb.gov.au.
The Senior Officers’ Group (SOG) provides policy advice to the BMF on building and plumbing issues of national significance.
The SOG comprises senior departmental staff from each State and Territory and the Commonwealth and provides a mechanism through which jurisdictions can work collaboratively to develop strategic responses to issues affecting the building industry nationally.
The Executive Director, Building participates in the SOG on behalf of Victoria.
The Building Regulators’ Forum (BRF) provides a forum through which state building regulators can share intelligence about potential areas of non-compliant building products or broader industry non-compliance which may have national implications and develop consistent approaches to such non-compliance where relevant.
The VBA, as the state’s building and plumbing regulator, participates in the BRF.
Page last updated: 07/07/21