Victoria Stands Down Construction Watchdog Board

Victorian planning minister Sonya Kilkenny has moved to all but dissolve the Victorian Building Authority board.

The state’s construction watchdog had been under investigation and scrutiny since 2022 when allegations of it being toxic workplace were made.

Current chief executive Anna Cronin is due to become the sole commissioner on March 31 when the other six members of the board are to be asked to step down and the board dissolved.

Five board positions were not renewed in September, 2023 when their terms ended.

Simon Weir, Justin Madden, Murray Coleman, Gillian Sparkes, Thi Thu Trang Tran and Kelly Humphreys will now step down six months before the end of their terms.

Cronin will instead continue with advisory committees with experts from the different trades and industries. 

The Victorian government will also review the Domestic Building Contracts Act and the Building System Review Expert Panel.

“The role of the building regulator is critical as we deliver more homes for Victorians that are where people want to live—close to transport, jobs and services – under the landmark Housing Statement,” Kilkenny said. 

Investigations and inquiries have been ongoing since 2022 when a building inspector’s suicide raised concerns about workplace conditions at the VBA.

Its effectiveness as a body was called into question as builders collapsed and homebuyers lost deposits. 

Its cause was not helped when reports emerged that that inspectors had been carrying out investigations virtually over iPhones rather than in person. The then commissioner Sue Eddy resigned in July, 2023 and Cronin took over. 

▲ Questions were raised about how effective the Victorian Building Authority was in light of Probuild and other companies collapsing.

WorkSafe last year charged the VBA with two counts of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

In June last year, builder collapses prompted a raft of reforms promised to help bring things in to line.

It came amid calls from the state opposition for a full review of the authority, claiming inspectors were carrying out unsafe inspections.

The Victorian Liberals now want to reinstate a Victorian Code of Practice for the industry and establish a better watchdog: Construction Enforcement Victoria.

“By setting a construction Code of Practice and establishing a new watchdog to monitor compliance, our plan will tackle cost blowouts and misconduct on Victorian major projects,” leader of the opposition John Pesutto said.