The Building Commission provides industry leadership and regulates building quality.
Who we are
The Building Commission is a statutory authority that oversees the building control system in Victoria. We ensure the safety, liveability and sustainability of our built environment.
The Commission does this by bringing vision, innovation and leadership to the Victorian building industry. We oversee building legislation, regulate building practices, advise Government, and provide services to industry and consumers.
The Commission aims to deliver:
- Better safeguards for consumers
- Building industry transformation
- Legislative reform.
In order to fund the building control system in Victoria, the Building Commission derives revenue from a levy on building permits.
The Commission is located in Melbourne and has regional offices in Ballarat, Sale and Wangaratta. The Commission is accredited to ISO 9001:2000 status. For further information go to our Quality Policy Statement.
What we do
The Building Commission works closely with four statutory bodies to provide industry leadership and regulate building quality.
The associated bodies are the Building Advisory Council, Building Appeals Board, Building Practitioners Board and the Building Regulations Advisory Committee.
The Commission and four bodies:
- Regulate the Victorian building industry
- Administer the registration of Victorian building practitioners and monitor their conduct
- Advise the Minister for Planning and the Victorian Government on building regulatory development
- Administer building legislation, the Building Act and Building Regulations
- Resolve domestic building disputes as part of the Building Advice and Conciliation Victoria service
- Accredit building products, construction methods, designs, components and systems associated with building
- Determine disputes and appeals arising from the Building Act
- Inform consumers about building and renovating
- Communicate changes that occur in building legislation
- Promote improved building standards in Victoria, nationally and internationally
- Provide comprehensive information on building activity
- Inform industry decision making through data and analysis
- Facilitate industry research, development and education
- Support the uptake of information technology and e-commerce
- Encourage sustainable and accessible building design, construction and use
The Commission carries out these functions in consultation with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Our history
The Building Commission was established by the Building Act 1993 to administer Victoria's building legislation system. It operates within a national legislative framework that is administered by the Australian Building Codes Board.
Victoria's building legislation system has developed into a leading model for other Australian states and territories, as well as for other countries.
The Building Act introduced major changes in building control to improve the Victorian building industry. It introduced:
- building approvals by private building surveyors for the first time in Australia.
- compulsory registration and insurance for builders and certain other building practitioner categories, establishing minimum standards for skills and experience.
These innovations have assisted building owners, building surveyors and other industry practitioners to produce buildings that are safe, liveable and more energy efficient.
Today, the Building Commission is more than just a regulator. It also demonstrates industry leadership by promoting initiatives such as sustainability and accessibility, and continuing professional development for building practitioners.
