BUILDING DEVELOPMENT IN QUEENSLAND

The law

Welcome to the one aspect of most regulated and complex activity that you can undertake in Queensland.

The regulation of building activity activity has developed over the last 30 years as a result of a political desire to eliminate as far as possible, trauma in people lives as a result of a building things.

The complexity of the system has been esacabated by the decision of the Queensland Government some 10 years ago to adopt a single system to manage all development approvals in Queensland.

The effect of this has been a largely complex and unwieldy system which tries to cater for getting development approval for everything,under the one Act.

Add to this a rapidly escalating amount of social and amenity controls currently being rolled out under contemporary development planning and a rapidly escalation in the number of Australian standards as research and documentation into more facets of building construction grows and you have a system that is now a huge Gordian Knot and no place for the faint hearted;

Think I'm being a bit dramatic read this

The administrative process of undertaking this activity is controlled by the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS) and the standards and supervision of the activity is regulated by the Building Services Authority (BSA) under the Queensland Building Services Authority Act 1991 and local governments and private building certifiers under the Building Act 1975

This system is also supported by other legislation namely

§ Local Government Act 1993

§ Plumbing Drainage Act 2004

§ Water Act 2000

Administrative process

The Integrated Planning Act 1997 functions this way-

The Act
	Integrated Planning Act regulations
	IDAS	Development application Process
		Development application Guidelines
		Development application Forms
	IPA Planning schemes
		Land use controls
		Amenity and siting codes
	Planning & Environment Court
		P & E Court Rules
	Building Tribunal

Local Government Act 1993 functions this way-

The Act
	Local Government Regulations 1994
		Development application Fee
		Development application Forms
		Development application Guidelines
	Local Laws
		Land activity controls
		Licensing

Construction standards

The legislation setting the construction standards is principally the Building Act 1975, although as you will see other legislation has a part to play in some instances.

Every local government in Queensland has the power to control many aspect of a development using the provision of their new IPA Planning schemes.

It is anticipated that all local government will have these schemes in place by 2006

The Building Act 1975, functions this way-

The Act
	Standard Building Regulation 1993
		Building Code of Australia
			Australian Standards
				Manufacturers specifications
		Queensland Building Code
	Building Regulation 2003

Construction Supervision

Construction supervision is broken down into 2 aspects

Supervision of the assembly of building materials

This process is governed by Standard Building Regulation 1993 which set both mandatory and recommended guideline for the inspection of development-building works

Supervision of the conduct of personal involved in Building Works

This process is governed by Queensland Building Services Authority Act 1991 which set both mandatory and recommended guideline for the qualification and conduct of persons involved in development-building works

OBTAINING A PERMIT TO DO BUILDING WORKS

Obtaining a permit to build in 2005 is no simple matter.

However you can only come at this experience from one of 2 scenarios

So you select who you want to be.

• Bob Debuilder
• Owen Deowner

Click to close this window.