Queensland Developer Licensing Scheme Axed

“We know why people hate us,” Queensland Building and Construction Commission board chair Greg Chemello tells the audience. Speaking at the Property Council of Australia breakfast panel in Brisbane on June 19, the new boss at the building regulator said it was walking a fine line. “Being a regulator, we’re your partner and, at times, we’re your police. [And according to] survey results ... half the industry doesn’t find us easy to deal with,” he said. But the aim of the commission’s new top table was to change that perception, he said. There’s no doubt Queensland housing minister Sam O’Connor’s announcement during the panel will help that aim. “I can confirm that we are not proceeding with the former government’s plans for a developer review to bring developers within the licensing framework of the QBCC,” he told the event. “That is the last thing that we need to see right now. We’re getting the regulatory settings right so that we can restore predictability to the planning and construction environment in Queensland.” A 2023 developer review had recommended there be an accreditation and registration framework for developers, adding another layer of complexity to developing in Queensland. ▲ Chair of the QBCC Board Greg Chemello: “Gets confusing for industry.” Queensland Property Council executive director Jess Caire called it “commonsense” while Springfield City Group executive general manager for residential Ian Murray said at the event it was refreshing to see the Government “welcoming feedback from the industry”. Cutting red tape and streamlining operations were the focus of revelations at the event. Project trust accounts were identified as an obstacle to efficient construction, despite the commission announcing its first prosecution of a developer under the regime earlier this year. “We paused the further roll out to projects … and that is indefinitely paused,” O’Connor said. “The Productivity Commission is considering that entire framework on top of everything else that’s part of that review.” The minister also noted that “something exciting” happened this week— and it wasn’t the Maroons’ nail-biting win in the State of Origin. “The Queensland Housing Code went live for public consultation, [and] that’s important, because over 70 per cent of new homes delivered in Queensland are detached dwellings, but three quarters of local governments across our state have different rules for setbacks, site cover and orientation,” O’Connor said. ▲ The Queensland Government aims to build a million new homes by 2044. “We don’t blame councils for this. Some of these provisions haven’t been touched in 15 years. But it is frustrating to have different standards for different areas, particularly when developments regularly cross local government boundaries. “Our new Housing Code proposes consistent, streamline design and sliding rules for detached dwellings on single lots. It will cut red tape, renew duplication and make it easier to navigate the improvements process across local government boundaries.” The Queensland Housing Code is open for consultation until July 31, and aims to promote “consistent design and siting standards” for detached homes. But in the short-term, modernising the QBCC is a priority. “A Bill is coming to Parliament very soon that will enable digital licensing. It’ll enable the organisation to use email ... internally, the departments say we’re bringing the QBCC into 2016,” O’Connor joked. ▲ Housing minisrer Sam O'Connor: “The last thing that we need to see right now.” “[But] our QBCC mandate is clear, it’s to modernise systems, improve customer service and restore trust in our building regulator.” Chemello, who led the administration of the Ipswich City Council and is a former general manager of EDQ, said that potentially other frameworks within government planning were not optimal. “The Ministry of Infrastructure Designation and the state-facilitated development, and EDQs, PDAs ... they’re all mechanisms in the planning framework to get out of the fundamental planning framework, in essence,” Chemello said. “I think that gets confusing for industry. And so you’ve got a question about whether that’s a smart thing to do or [whether you should] change the fundamental planning framework. “So let’s change the fundamental planning framework ... and then let’s have one or two ways of getting out of it, but as special sites or special issues.” He said he was “disappointed” at the current state of the EDQ, but that the Government was “moving very rapidly” to correct it. “That is a potentially very strong vehicle for increasing housing supply. Their job is to get on and make stuff happen, and it needs to go back to that kind of framework.” For the QBCC, he said, there were roadmaps in place from the team, including QBCC Commissioner Angelo Lambrinos, who has been in the role for just five weeks, to improve industry trust in the regulator. “In essence, it’s about going back to basics,” Chemello said. “We’re about protecting consumer interests, ensuring the construction industry is strong, is confident, and that everybody has trust in us.”

Queensland Developer Licensing Scheme Axed

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