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ARTICLE · 08 SEPTEMBER 2020

Can we build better buildings in NSW?

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Discussion about the NSW construction industry including the Shergold Weir report and the positive steps being implemented.

AustraliaReal Estate and Construction
Helen Kowal
Helen Kowal
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The construction industry in New South Wales is in crisis and has been at an impasse for a prolonged period of time. The question as to why we have so many building defects, particularly in multi-storey residential apartment buildings, was being asked long before the Opal and Mascot tower disasters and the Lacrosse fire.

When did the crisis start? Was it the shift to a performance based national construction code? Is it the result of the design and construct contract? Is it the failure to continually upgrade the Australian Standards to ensure builders know how to build better buildings? Is there a lack of training, education and supervision for the tradesmen actually doing the building?

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