The issue of non-conforming products will be squarely on the table when political and industry leaders from around Australia meet for the Building Ministers Forum on 31 July.

The forum is the body of Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers responsible for building and plumbing regulation in Australia.

The non-conforming products topic has been prominent recently, in the wake of concerns around high profile cases of non-compliant products, with a Senate Inquiry recently announced in response to mounting pressures for serious reform in this area.

The Construction Product Alliance has written to the relevant state, territory and Federal Ministers on behalf of its members, who include key industry stakeholders, from designers, builders and procurers to manufacturers, surveyors and certification bodies.

The alliance has been working with its members to raise awareness of the issue within the industry and engage with policy makers and regulators about how to improve surveillance and certification of non-conforming products.

The Australian Institute of Architects is one of the key member bodies; CEO David Parken this week flagged that the group were proposing a number of actions, including establishing a government/industry task force.

“It also suggests that the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) undertake a review of the current evidence of suitability criteria in the National Construction Code (NCC) as well as developing guidance material for the use of risk-based assessments to determine the appropriate evidence of suitability under the NCC,” he said.

The Building Ministers' Forum oversees the implementation of nationally consistent building and plumbing regulation through the Intergovernmental Agreement for the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).

David Wheeldon

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