Brisbane 11 September 2013. Lengthy building disputes could soon be a thing of the past thanks to new legislation introduced to Parliament this week.  

Minister for Housing and Public Works Tim Mander said helping resolve disputes quickly was a key part of the Government’s 10 point plan to reform the building regulator.

“Under existing legislation, once a dispute was lodged with the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal  (QCAT), the Building Services Authority (BSA) had its hands tied and could not give directions for dodgy work to be rectified or for an insurance claim to be paid out under the Home Warranty Scheme,” Mr Mander said.

“The amendments in the Bill introduced today will fix that, by letting the building industry watchdog make an application to the QCAT for an order to allow it to continue to act in a dispute while QCAT proceedings are underway.”

Mr Mander said the loophole received significant criticism during a recent Parliamentary inquiry into the BSA.

“One of the most common complaints was from people who believed certain contractors were using this provision in the Act to prevent or delay the BSA from assisting consumers in a dispute,” he said.

“We’re currently in the process of replacing the BSA with a new Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC), and it’s crucial we make sure we’ve got the right framework in place to prevent disputes from dragging on any longer than  necessary.

“This is a common sense change and I’m confident it will help prevent some of the unnecessarily lengthy disputes that cause so much frustration within the industry.”

The QBCC is expected to be in place by the beginning of 2014.