Builders vs bureaucracy: ACT celebrates 66 councils meeting inspection target

ACT Building and Construction spokesperson Cameron Luxton has welcomed new quarterly data showing a turnaround in building inspection performance, calling it a practical win for the builders and homeowners who've been stuck waiting on council paperwork for far too long.

"The Government has done something very simple and very sensible. It set clear targets for councils to ensure local bureaucracy doesn't hold up the people actually building things.

"The latest data shows 66 of 67 Building Consent Authorities (BCAs) hit the mandatory target of completing at least 80 percent of inspections within three working days. Out of 67,000 inspections, 97.3 percent were completed on time, including 57,900 done the same day they were requested.

"These results show that when councils know the spotlight is on, inspections get done on time and building professionals can crack on with the job.

"Every day of delay adds hundreds of dollars to the cost of a project. Cutting those delays is genuine productivity, unlocking builders' time and talent so more roofs and walls can be built, more quickly.

"ACT has pushed for years to break down the barriers that make building slower and more expensive. Getting inspections moving is just one piece of the puzzle.

"We've already opened the door to thousands of overseas‑approved building products to bring down material costs, and we're finally replacing the broken Resource Management Act with a system that lets people develop their own property without interference from every Tom, Dick, and Harry.

"People in the building sector are still doing it tough, and ACT will keep pushing for reforms to remove unnecessary costs. In the meantime, councils can help by just saying 'yes' and getting out of the way."