Building Connection Summer 2016

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12 BUILDING CONNECTION SUMMER 2016
INDUSTRY NEWS
COLORBOND TURNS 50
Today it’s difficult to imagine an Australian city, town
or rural property without seeing COLORBOND® steel
somewhere. The iconic BlueScope brand is marking an
incredible 50 years since its inception in 1966, over which
time it has become one of the most widely used and loved
building products in the country.
Back in 1966, COLORBOND steel came in just six colours
that were used primarily for roofing, while today there
are many more, including 22 standard roofing colours
inspired by the colours of Australia and designed to not
only withstand the harsh Australian elements but also to
complement our natural environment.
“Our taste in colours is something that changes with
the times and colours can be seen as historical and
cultural markers,” said Manager Marketing & Market
Development – Sales & Marketing BlueScope Lisa Dent.
“Of course the story of COLORBOND steel is much
more than just the colour. Its history is built on decades
of innovation and improvement, which has earned
COLORBOND steel a position as one of the world’s
toughest, most advanced building materials.
“Australia’s widely diverse environmental conditions
demand a product that is specifically tested and
developed for Australia. Our research and innovation
teams have been conducting real-world outdoor exposure
testing and accelerated laboratory testing to thousands
of panels of COLORBOND® steel for almost fifty years to
ensure COLORBOND® steel is an ideal building material
for Australian conditions – from the heat of the Northern
Territory to much cooler climate of Tasmania,” Lisa said.
For decades COLORBOND steel has been a popular
choice from roofs to fences, sheds, garages, public
buildings and even art, and is much-loved by world-
leading architects creating award-winning commercial
buildings and residential homes, as well as farmers
needing a strong and durable material suited to
Australia’s tough conditions.
For more information about COLORBOND steel including
the latest range of colours, visit .
NEW VBA POWERS TO BUILD CONSUMER CONFIDENCE IN
BUILDING INDUSTRY
The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) will gain direct
powers to register and discipline building practitioners
when changes to the Building Act 1993 take effect
tomorrow.
The changes will affect all Victorian builders and owner-
builders, with the VBA now acting as the single registering
and disciplinary body.
The reforms introduced include:
∫ abolition of the Building Practitioners Board, with the
VBA to register and discipline building
∫ practitioners and issue owner-builder certificates of
consent
∫ banning builders from appointing private building
surveyors for domestic building work. Building
∫ surveyors will be appointed by the consumer
∫ building practitioners must re-apply for registration
every five years
∫ moving to a “show cause” disciplinary process with the
onus on building practitioners to show
∫ why they should not be disciplined
∫ the VBA to approve codes of conduct for building
practitioners
∫ tightening requirements around becoming an owner-
builder
∫ giving home buyers access to information on owner-
built homes through an online register.
“These changes allow the VBA to be a more efficient and
effective regulator, strengthening consumer protection in
the domestic building market,” said VBA CEO Prue Digby.
“Building practitioners and consumers starting
a building project should check the VBA website to
understand how these changes may affect them.
“The VBA has engaged extensively with stakeholder
groups to ensure the industry has been a part of the
implementation process.”
Further measures to improve regulation will come into
effect between now and July 2017, including:
introducing offences for registered building
practitioners undertaking work their registration does not
authorise them to do, including as owner-builders:
∫ prohibiting owner-builders from engaging practitioners
to do such work, and
∫ allowing the VBA to appoint a manager to a
private building surveyor business under certain
circumstances.
For more information about the changes go to www.