February 2023 dinner and presentation meeting

The House with No Piers

Lawyer Bronwyn Weir will speak on ‘a report she authored for the NSW Building Commissioner, which details the ordeal of a couple who built a home in rural NSW in 2009.  Premature cracking in the walls led them into a initiating a dispute in NCAT which consumed them for almost five years. One of the key issues on which expert evidence was given was whether piers had been constructed as documented in the approved engineering design.  The court accepted the builder and his expert engineers’ evidence that the piers had indeed been constructed, and the court found against the owners.  They were ordered to pay the builder’s costs which together with their own costs were in excess of $300K.  They appealed and lost.  As the matter was concluding David Chandler was appointed as the first NSW Building Commissioner.  They told him their story and he visited their home, during which time a comprehensive excavation was carried out to show that in fact no piers had ever been constructed.  Chandler was determined to shine a light on what had happened to these people and hence the report was commissioned.  The system failed these owners.  The conduct of some of those involved lacked competency and integrity – a hallmark of the state of Australia building and construction industry.

The case as described here has many complexities. Bronwyn will discuss these during her presentation. She will also provide a brief snapshot of where building regulatory reforms are at, five years on from the Building Confidence Report.  There will be plenty of time for discussion.

Bronwyn Weir has been a lawyer for 25 years. She runs a small legal practice advising all levels of government on regulatory and compliance matters.

Bronwyn is best known as the co-author of the Building Confidence Report, which was issued to Australia’s nine Building Ministers in 2018, setting a road map for increasing compliance and enforcement of the National Construction Code. She continues to advise numerous governments on building regulatory issues, but also acts for regulators in sectors including health, education, water and environment regulation.

Drinks upstairs on us from 6:30 pm till 7:00 pm - good networking time.

Then sit down for dinner and the presentations.

Book your place (and guests) here.