Time for councils to review standard form contracts
The Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (DBP Act) is a significant part of the NSW Government's attempt to reform and restore trust in the building and construction industry.
The reforms are in part in response to the fires involving non-compliant combustible cladding at the Lacrosse Tower in Docklands, Victoria in 2014 and London's Grenfell Tower in 2017. Both fires spread rapidly because of aluminium composite panels with a polyethylene core, which acted as a source of fuel.
NSW Government Response
In February 2019, the NSW Government committed to implementing four major reforms across the NSW construction industry:
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The appointment of an expert Building Commissioner