The Dilemma of Non-Conforming Building Materials in Australia

The introduction of new technologies and globalised markets is developing around the world at a rate and pace never experienced before and sure the advantages are easily quantified however the consequences of this phenomenon may only be quantifiable through history. The current risks to building end users exposed to imported NCBPs may be immeasurable at the present time due to a lack of knowledge and research on the NCBPs that have already crossed our borders and infiltrated the industry.

Most of the discussion on Non-Conforming Building Materials and the regulatory framework in Australia, is largely contributable to the construction industry itself. Reports by leading industry groups have identified the need for government policy intervention while governments have responded with inquiries into the sector with an emphasis on tightening the regulatory framework to allow a more quantitative risk analysis to identify NCBPs. Governments inquiries have also determined the shortcomings in the current regulatory system and seem to be playing catch up to substantiate risk informed models that are aligned with new performance-based building codes.

Written by Adam Fellas