Ms DONNA DAVIS (Parramatta) (12:01): My question is addressed to Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading. Will the Minister please detail for the House the threats posed to the Minns Labor Government's action to crack down on dodgy certifiers in our housing industry?
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG (Macquarie Fields—Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology, Minister for Building, and Minister for Corrections) (12:01): I thank the member for Parramatta for her question. I know the member is keen to advocate on behalf of her homebuyers to ensure that dodgy certifiers are not practising in the New South Wales home building industry. This is a critical moment for the New South Wales building sector because we need to build more high quality homes, faster. The Minns Labor Government is taking strong, decisive action on this issue, including cracking down on dodgy certifiers. At a time when our community is crying out for more trust and confidence in the sector, those Opposite are more interested in their political games rather than getting on with the job. This has real consequences for the families of New South Wales. Owning a home is one of the biggest investment decisions many people will make in their lifetime, yet the people of New South Wales are continually let down by the Opposition's shenanigans and political game playing.
Certifiers play a critical role in the homebuilding sector. They issue approvals so houses can get built. They underpin public confidence and integrity in the sector. But currently, in all fairness, there is a real community perception that certifiers are in the pockets of developers. One bad apple can quickly tarnish the whole industry. The Government has practical and positive reforms to change this perception. Our building bill delivers on our commitment to restore trust in certifiers by introducing the toughest conflict of interest laws. The bill will increase the fines from $33,000 to $1.1 million. That is a 30-fold increase. This sends a clear message about the intentions of a government that understands how important this issue is for the people of New South Wales. On top of that, the bill will automatically suspend repeat offenders and issue massive million-dollar fines. The message is extremely clear: The Government will not tolerate bad behaviour from dodgy certifiers.
To understand why cracking down on certifiers is so important, we need to take a trip down memory lane. We all remember Opal Tower, the high-rise building riddled with defects that forced 130 families out of their homes. We all remember the Mascot Towers fiasco, where 140 families were evacuated due to structural defects. Almost 300 households were put in the too-hard basket by those Opposite. Their lives were disrupted and their family budgets were impacted. [Extension of time]
The problems faced by the families who lived in Opal Tower and Mascot Towers were too hard for the members opposite to handle.
The SPEAKER: I call the member for Hornsby to order for the second time.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: This Government got the job done.
The SPEAKER: There is too much audible conversation in the Chamber. Members will come to order. The member for Lane Cove and the member for North Shore will cease having a fireside chat.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: We brought calm to the Opposition's chaos and ensured that home owners in Mascot Towers could get on with their lives. On our watch, every home owner can be comforted by the reforms and the decisions that this Government has made on their behalf. The Opposition is like a faulty building. Under pressure, cracks start to show very quickly. Increasingly, no-one can believe in them, because they no longer believe in anything. What an indictment on a political party! What a sad story of where they are today, not believing in anything and not delivering on anything for anyone.
We have to ask ourselves this question: If the Liberals and Nationals cannot even get their house in order, why should the people of New South Wales believe that they can build homes for them? They say they support the building reforms in this House but across the hallway they take another position. They say one thing here and another elsewhere. Their true colours are revealed in the upper House where they have the numbers and have formed an unholy alliance with the Hon. Mark Latham and The Greens to delay the Government's reforms. This has real consequences for the people of New South Wales.
The SPEAKER: Members will come to order.
Mr ANOULACK CHANTHIVONG: Members opposite are obsessed with playing political games. They are incapable of governing and they do not stand for anything anymore, for anyone. In contrast, the Minns Labor Government is delivering practical reforms to create positive change in the community and build a better State for the people of New South Wales.
