The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety has announced it will visit nine regional towns in Western Australia (WA) to update the local building and construction industries on Building Code of Australia (BCA) matters and amendments to WA building laws.

There are free seminars scheduled in Geraldton, Albany, Northam and Kalgoorlie in March, in Busselton, Bunbury, Karratha and Broome in May, and in Esperance in April

The morning session will cover amendments to the National Construction Code (NCC) 2016 relating to fire safety in high-rise buildings that take effect on 12 March 2018. It will also look at proposed changes to the NCC 2019 that have been released for public comment, the improved CodeMark scheme, the practical development and assessment of performance solutions, and recent amendments to the Building Act 2011 and associated regulations.

The afternoon session will cover findings of the Department’s audits, including current and future general inspection projects, and an update on other reforms the Department is working on, including the home indemnity insurance scheme. It will also cover work being undertaken to address security of payment issues and recent changes to the law and processes relating to resolving payment disputes in the building and construction industry.

“The Building Commission carries out regular audits and inspections that help us to identify potential problem areas and work with the industry to deal with them before they pose a serious threat,” says Building commissioner Ken Bowron.

“We are committed to sharing information on the findings of our compliance activities and the BCA with building industries across the state to ensure the high quality of workmanship we typically see in regional areas continues. We encourage local building industries and anyone interested to register for our regional sessions and be updated on all the useful information on offer.”

The sessions are free to attend but attendees must register as places are limited.

Details of the events and links to register are listed below:

Further information is available at www.commerce.wa.gov.au/building-commission/events-and-seminars-0 or phone 1300 489 099 or email bcevents@dmirs.wa.gov.au for assistance.