The commencement of the State Building Surveyor as a statutory appointment

A key part of enabling this are the provisions, created under the Building Legislation Amendment Act 2023, which came into force from 1 February 2024.

One of those is the establishment of the State Building Surveyor as a statutory appointment, which has additional functions and powers that were not previously available to the role as an executive of the VBA.

From Monday, 19 February 2024, Andrew Cialini has assumed the role for a term of three months while an official recruitment process is undertaken.

The State Building Surveyor as a statutory appointment will be the primary source of technical expertise for building and plumbing work in Victoria, improving technical capability across the industry and to promote increased safety, compliance and buildings that last.

What has changed?
The State Building Surveyor will have the authority, where appropriate, to consider Binding Determinations on the technical interpretation of building and plumbing regulations, codes and standards. This will focus on areas of existing concern to minimise harms, and support existing tools such as practice notes, guidelines and education initiatives.

The composition and expertise of the Office of the State Building Surveyor remains unchanged.

A new webpage providing information to industry, practitioners and consumers has been published on the VBA website and includes FAQ: vba.vic.gov.au/surveyors/state-building-surveyor