New bill to formally establish the Building and Plumbing Commission

In addition to the substantial new domestic building regulatory and legislative changes in Victoria…

A further bill in the form of the ‘Building and Plumbing Administration and Enforcement Bill 2026’ had its first reading on 17 March 2026.

A couple of select comments on the bill:

Chapter 3 & 11

Establish the Building and Plumbing Commission. Yes, whilst many have seen the regulator use this name, it is still technically the Victorian Building Authority (VBA) legally and which will be finally abolished by this bill for which the Commission replaces it and becomes a body corporate in its own right and can sue and be sued.

It establishes the role of Commissioner appointed as Chair and up to 2 additional commissioners as the Minister considers necessary for the Commission to perform its functions.

A number of roles are substantiated under the bill including:

• Chief Dispute Resolution Officer, concilliation officer and assessors
• Insurance Manager
• State Building Surveyor

The bill further provides for immunity from personal liability for commissioners and persons employed or engaged by the Commission for acts or omissions done in good faith and provides for liability to attach instead to the State or the Commission.

Chapter 3 This chapter also establishes the Building Appeals Tribunal and the Building Monitor.

The Building Appeals Tribunal is the independent statutory merits review body and replaces the Building Appeals Board and ensures building specific disputes are resolved within a dedicated specialist forum.

Chapter 5 This chapter establishes an internal review mechanism within the Commission. This includes a ‘reviewable decision’ where the Commission for example suspends a license or registration and allows that an affected person may apply for a review (imposing a 28 day timeframe on the Commission).

Further, the bill establishes a process for subsequent review of a decision by VCAT whereby an eligible person can apply to VCAT for a review of a decision to suspend a license or registration. An application must be made within 28 days of the ‘decision’ or from a ‘statement of reasons’ if the latter is requested.

Again, this creates tight timelines on builders and plumbers. Builders and plumbers need to keep an eye out for the variety of new changes and act quickly if faced with a notice.

The Bill proposes various other changes, keep an eye out here for further updates from Brockhill & Usherwood Lawyers or for further information at www.bulawyers.com.au

This article is a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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• building disputes