Bronwyn Weir has just about got our industry summed up - but key educator and researcher data is missing

Bronwyn Weir's article in the Sourceable link below is pretty spot on. The missing piece in my view is the need for better evidence based data to present the real picture and inform better decisions. I have appreciated Bronwyn's insights as we have worked together to provide input into the drafting of the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2019 which is about to be presented to the NSW Parliament. I believe that this bill will become the foundation stone that will help the lengthy process of rebuilding confidence in our industry. But there is much more to do in turning around an industry with a culture of underdelivering and where, integrity seems to be a distant priority for many. The data piece will be critical.

There is an urgency in turning the industry customer perception around. Over the last 8 weeks I have confronted with a wide range of disgraceful examples of an industry that has lost its way. The images above are just a few of the growing list that I will call out.

I know there will be some confronted by being called out. Most think these issues do not involve them - it is always 'the other player over there'. But, there seems to be consensus around the hypothisis that 20-percent of all the players account for some 80-percent of the problems. Another 20-percent in my view would go either way if you took your eye off them and about 60-percent are doing a good job. There are however outliers in all of these groupings. Last week I met with executives of a Tier-1 company who after a number of recent incidents have left me with the view that they may have some systemic problems. They are on notice that I intend to revisit them in March 2020 to hear what they have done to identify those weaknesses and to demonstrate what they are doing to turn them around. So we will see if a gentle approach works. For others who show blatant disregard for the rules another experience awaits. We will use powerful new data driven tools to target them.

Last week I spent a few days with the team at the NSW Office of Fair Trading. I also spent time with Fire and Rescue NSW. The latter was a confronting experience. Again systemic weaknesses and resources are a big contributing factor. The public of NSW should however be confident that there are a diligent regulators and inspectors working hard for their interests. There is a talent-bank here that needs to be nurtured and grown. In my view these folk are unconfused about what the public interest is and they back this with skills that I am impressed with. The challenge for us all is to shift some priorities to getting to the front of the game. Mostly regulators are late into the play when the damage has been done. We will be turning this around. We will be looking to develop the following effort + impact diagram.

A foundation stone for this work will be a case study initiative that will undertake a deep dive into 20 Class 2 residential projects that are at varying stages of progress. Projects from Sydney, Wollongong and the Hunter will be included. For those still wondering about my intent to visit a shed near them soon - this will be an intensive data and research project to provide the industry with a 'here-and-now' snapshot of the current state of play. The data from this initiative will be used for informing break-out communities of practice aimed at showing where the industry can improve right through from the drawing office to final commissioning and hand-over to customers. We will undertake a pilot project in the next few weeks. The data collected will not be used to identify or single out any project for now.

A new industry collaboration has commenced involving insurers, financiers, ratings agencies, developers, contractors, owner associations, lawyers has been formed to develop a new ratings system that will initially apply to developers and builders . Other players will follow. This group intends to present a concept proposal for a private sector led ratings system by March 2020. This could then be put out for wide industry consideration. Such a system has the potential to provide a powerful good for one, good for all tool that enables the better players to be separated from the more risky. In my view the better players should be rewarded and the price of sub-par performances or risk should be ascertained accordingly.

The task of building stronger industry foundations for construction in NSW will adopt a project driven approach. That is the reasoning for socialising targeted outcomes for 2023 and 2025. The work to present this to government is in progress. There has been wide industry engagement. It is clear that the mood to turn this industry around is now at an all time high. This is not an opportunity to be squandered. There are legacy issues that must be dealt with. For those who have built projects there will be an understanding of the method and priority being adopted. First investigate the existing ground conditions, then remove any unsuitable material and remediate soft-spots. Don't start building before these basics are in place. The following diagram will be familiar. And of course keep monitoring to be confident.

And finally. While the NSW Building Commissioner role is intentionally NSW centric and the objective to make NSW the state of construction in Australia by 2025 is a priority for me, there are signs of some inter-jurisdictional collaborations presenting. My sense is that Bronwyn Weir is a behind the scenes player here. Bronwyn has a national interest, as do we all. The challenge in the past is a national consensus before getting big game changing initiatives defined and led. Our industry will always be indebted to Bronwyn Weir's advocacy. Her recent Sourceable article is an example.