2019-07-09 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA      9 JULY 2019




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PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                                     9 JULY 2019

         What are the changes?

           > PERMIT APPLICATION TIMEFRAMES REDUCED
           ¢  From 1 July 2019, permit applications will be divided into two streams — fast-track and standard.
              Work on new homes will be able to commence 18 days earlier (exclusions apply).
              —  Fast-track applications: From 20 down to 2 business days.
              —  Standard applications: From 20 down to 10 business days.
           e  Applicants will be able to apply to a local government for an amendment, or an extension of time, for
              an existing permit. This allows licensees to amend their existing permit rather than having to reapply
              for a new permit.

           > MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
           ¢  Local governments will have the flexibility to opt out of the fast-track process or expand the scope of
              work that can be performed under that process. This provides them with the flexibility to choose a
              model that best meets the needs of their community.

           > STRONGER CONSEQUENCES FOR BREACHES OF THE LAWS INCLUDING WORKING UNLICENSED
           e  The introduction of a stronger penalty framework that increases penalties for those who breach the
              plumbing laws.
           e  This includes sliding scale offences for unlicensed work and prison terms for repeat offenders.

           > NEW APPEAL RIGHTS
           e  New appeal rights at each inspection stage. This will allow licensees to appeal local government
              decisions when work is inspected instead of having to wait until the end of the job.

           > EASIER TO UNDERSTAND
           ¢  Provisions have been simplified to improve readability and assist understanding.
           ¢  Terminology and timeframes are streamlined across categories of work to promote consistency.
           ¢  Similar provisions have been grouped together making the laws easier to find.
           e  Schedules in the new regulation have been amended to improve usability:
              —  Schedule 1: Notifiable work: Removal of emergency work and similar items have been combined.
              —  Schedule 6: Documents to accompany permit applications have been streamlined to better
                 explain what documents need to accomany permit applications.

           > REVISED QUEENSLAND PLUMBING AND WASTEWATER CODE
           ¢  The revised Queensland Plumbing and Wastewater Code (QPWC) has been amended to:
              — remove all redundant requirements e.g. where a requirement was also addressed in the Plumbing
                Code of Australia (PCA), or a relevant Australian Standard
              — include all plumbing and drainage standards for Queensland that are required to vary and
                complement national plumbing and drainage standards.
           ¢  Set out all Queensland specific technical requirements in a single document in a familiar format to
              improve usability.
           e  The structure now aligns with the National Construction Code, Volume Three, PCA 2019.

            What has not changed?
            Inspection system: All permit work will continue to be inspected by local government. Reduced timeframes
            only apply to obtaining a permit. A person must still get a permit before starting permit work and must
            comply with the permit and any conditions of the permit.

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