The Victorian Minister for Local Government Jeanette Powell has released the Better Practice Building Site Management discussion paper to help reduce the regulatory burden faced by the building industry as a consequence of inconsistent local laws applying to building sites.

 

The Local Government Act 1989 gives local governments the authority to make and enforce local laws relating to a range of matters, including building site management.

 

"Inconsistent local laws covering building site management are an unnecessary burden on the building industry and on consumers," Mrs Powell said.

 

"Currently Victorian councils have different legal requirements for the provision of safety fencing, hours of work, on-site-bins, council asset protection, litter prevention and other matters. By harmonising and standardising local laws we can reduce the amount of red tape entangling the building industry, deliver better outcomes for consumers and improve the effectiveness of local laws,” Mrs Powell said.

 

Local Government Victoria (LGV) will use the results from responses to the discussion paper to undertake consultation focused on implementing the preferred options.

 

LGV undertook a detailed analysis of building site management local laws which identified variations in local laws and council enforcement practices. The Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission in the Inquiry into Streamlining Local Government Regulation Draft Report also identified the cost of inconsistent building site local laws.

 

The Victorian Government's preferred option for rectifying the inconsistencies is for local government and the building industry to voluntarily implement the agreed changes with joint responsibilities.

 

The discussion is paper available on the LGV website and is open for formal comment until 29 February 2012: www.dpcd.vic.gov.au/localgovernment/projects-and-programs.

 

Consultation with directly affected stakeholders will be undertaken by Local Government Victoria.