More than 300 building and plumbing inspections were conducted from January to June this year compared to 187 during the same period in Greater Geelong in 2023.
The Greater Geelong municipality is consistently in the top five council areas in Victoria for volume of building activity measured by the number of building permits issued.
Using the VBA’s new risk-based approach to compliance and enforcement, building inspectors identified some key areas of non-compliance.
These included timber framing, unreinforced masonry and footing and slab construction in building while plumbing inspectors found issues with above ground piping, installation of pipework and cold water services.
Findings from all VBA inspections are used to educate practitioners through a range of resources including webinars and industry alerts, to boost compliance and protect consumers.
Earlier this year the new State Building Surveyor role was established as a statutory appointment under the Building Legislation Amendment Act 2023 to strengthen the industry’s technical expertise and improve education.
Steven Baxas, who was appointed to the role on 5 August, will have a range of new powers and will focus on the areas where practitioner non-compliance can cause the greatest harm to consumers.
Mr Baxas is one of six guest speakers attending the inaugural VBA Industry Conference next week in Geelong.
The conference will be held on Monday,12 August at the Novotel Geelong with up to 400 builders and plumbers from across Victoria in attendance.
