Victoria’s Building and Plumbing Commission set to get a new stronger set of teeth

In past columns, I have been critical of the newly renamed and reforged Victorian Building & Plumbing Commission (BPC).

My critique has been that it may have adopted a new name, but its enforcement powers and “willingness” to act as a strong regulator in the building and plumbing industry had not improved, and that it was at risk of being seen as indistinguishable from the old Victorian Building Authority (VBA).

However, credit where there is credit due. In March, the government introduced the Building and Plumbing Administration and Enforcement Bill 2026 into Parliament.

If passed the BPC’s current powers to discipline, prosecute, issue directions and rectification orders, accept enforceable undertakings, issue infringements notices and seek injunctions will be bolstered by additional powers and tools.

For instance, the BPC will have new powers to issue improvement notices, civil penalty proceedings, embargo notices, prohibition orders, adverse publicity orders, compensation orders, and commercial benefits penalty orders.

There will also be a new directive to pursue company directors for breaches of building legislation by their companies, and for the failure by their companies to comply with directions and rectification orders.

All of this sounds great, in theory. Whether the BPC will have the wherewithal to hit the industry hard and start to use their powers remains to be seen. It is a very positive step though, to have these new powers up their sleeve.

Maybe, just maybe, builders and developers might start to sleep a little rougher, knowing that any dodgy building works being done could be inspected by the BPC during and after the works have been completed, and have orders issued against them to rip it all up and start again.

The numbers seem to be backing this story up too. The BPC released their list of builders and plumbers that have had their registrations cancelled or suspended.

In the 2024-25 financial year, 49 builders and plumbers had their registration cancelled and suspended – up 40 per cent from the year before.

In the financial year ending July 2026, the regulator has so far suspended or cancelled 41 registrations.

Court prosecutions rose by 60 per cent in the 2024-25 financial year compared to the year before, with 16 cases reaching courtrooms.

This number has nearly doubled this year, jumping up from 16 last year to 31 this year with three months remaining.

The Cladding Safety Victoria Repeal Bill was also introduced. It will transfer all CSV powers, functions, assets and staff to the BPC. It also replaces the cladding levy with a new levy that will be used to fund the activities of the BPC.

All this together with the new first resort warranty scheme and developer bond scheme has the potential to significantly shift the dial in favour of consumers and encourage building practitioners who maintain high standards of work and integrity. •