Better Regulation Reviews

Building System Review

In 2019, the Commissioner for Better Regulation was appointed to chair an Expert Panel to conduct a comprehensive review of Victoria’s building legislative and regulatory system. The Expert Panel’s Terms of Reference can be found below:

Stage One of the Review focused on practitioner registration, building approvals, regulatory oversight and consumer protection. The Expert Panel’s Stage One Report to Government can be found below:

Stage Two explored options for extending accountability (including to developers), dispute resolution and prevention, compliance, enforcement and discipline, insurance, and building maintenance, products and technologies. The Expert Panel’s Stage Two Report to Government can be found below:

For Stage Three, the Minister for Planning has asked the Expert Panel to provide the Government with advice on a framework for a new Building Act for Victoria. The Panel will deliver its advice in the first half of 2024.

Following submission of the Expert Panel’s Stage Two report, the Panel Chair, Ms Anna Cronin, stood down to take up her role as CEO of the Victorian Building Authority. The Minister for Planning has appointed Dan O’Brien, CEO of Cladding Safety Victoria, as Chair of the Expert Panel for Stage Three. The Minister for Planning has also appointed former Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Ms Gemma Varley PSM, to the Panel. The Panel’s make-up otherwise remains unchanged.

The Secretariat for Stage Three has been transferred to the Department of Transport and Planning. Queries about Stage Three can be directed to building.policy@delwp.vic.gov.au.

In 2021, the then Minister for Regulatory Reform, the Hon Danny Pearson MP, requested that the Commissioner for Better Regulation undertake a review of Victoria’s approach to illicit tobacco regulation.

Illicit tobacco works against collective efforts to reduce smoking and tobacco-related harm because it undermines tobacco control measures such as price increases and plain packaging. It also targets the most disadvantaged communities, which already have higher smoking rates.

As directed by the terms of reference, the Commissioners report considered:

• the current regulatory framework for tobacco in Victoria, with a focus on regulation of illicit tobacco
• the regulatory frameworks applying in other relevant jurisdictions
• recommendations for improvement, having regard to the nature of illicit tobacco sales and the parties involved
• possible pathways to implement these recommendations, including whether new legislation and/or regulation is required
• the costs and benefits of the preferred approach
• funding considerations including possible sources of funds that may be available to assist regulation of tobacco production and sales.

In March 2019, the Treasurer and Minister for Planning requested that the Commissioner for Better Regulation undertake a review of State and local government processes surrounding building and planning approvals, and early building works infrastructure approvals and to identify opportunities to streamline processes and reduce delays.

A discussion paper was released in October 2019, which identified 27 points in the approvals chain where specific short- and medium-term improvements can be made. The discussion paper focused on the adoption of best practices and simplifying processes along the approvals chain.

In June 2021, the then Minister for Regulatory Reform, the Hon Danny Pearson MP, requested that the Commissioner for Better Regulation undertake a review to identify any regulatory barriers in the supply chain for materials and make recommendations to remove them.

Following extensive consultation, the final Report was submitted in October 2021. The Victorian Government responded to the Report’s ten recommendations in April 2022

View or download a full copy of the Commissioner’s report below:

View or download the Victorian Government’s response below: