Edition 77, April 2010

Plumbing reform in NSW

A number of changes to the plumbing regulatory framework in New South Wales (NSW) have been recommended following a recent NSW Government review.

The key recommendation is that Fair Trading should be the single plumbing agency in NSW for: 

  • plumbing and drainage regulation
  • on-site regulator of plumbing and drainage work
  • licensing for plumbing and drainage work.

 The advantages of this include: 

  • clarity and consistency in regulation by removing problems with duplication, overlap and gaps in regulation
  • a more effective compliance regime with consistent application of standards across NSW
  • the ability for on-site inspections to be clearly linked to licensing disciplinary action where necessary
  • facilitating harmonisation within and across jurisdictions
  • a one-stop shop for industry and consumers
  • removal of conflict of interest as water utilities would not be both regulator and service provider.

The proposed transfer will take advantage of Fair Trading's existing role in the licensing of plumbers and experience in regulating the home building industry.

The current plumbing regulatory framework in NSW is fragmented: 

  • Fair Trading licences plumbers under the Home Building Act 1989
  • technical Standards in relation to plumbing and drainage are set out in the NSW Code of Practice Plumbing and Drainage, and Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 3500 Plumbing and Drainage. 

Under the current arrangements regulation of on-site plumbing is undertaken in accordance with geographical supply areas.

Different water and waste water operators have modified the NSW Code of Practice to reflect local conditions. This results in over 100 separate regulators in NSW, including water utilities and local councils, each able to impose its own technical and regulatory requirements and differing interpretations of the technical standards. This inconsistency and uncertainty creates unnecessary costs for businesses, consumers, and government.

The review also found that the NSW Code of Practice for Plumbing and Drainage ('NSW Plumbing Code') imposes complex and prescriptive technical requirements that vary across the State via an extensive system of local variations. 

In addition to the costs of this complexity and inconsistency (both within NSW and across jurisdictions), the prescriptive nature of the Code inhibits innovation in plumbing.

The review recommended that NSW adopt the 'performance-based' Plumbing Code of Australia (PCA) from mid-2010.

A Plumbing Reform Implementation Group co-ordinated by Fair Trading has been set up to prepare the necessary legislative and regulatory amendments to implement the reform recommendations in NSW and to consult with industry stakeholders regarding these issues.

For more information visit www.water.nsw.gov.au/Urban-water/Plumbing/Review/Review-and-reform/default.aspx

This page was generated on 28 April, 2010

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