Bushfire Regulations

Ms PRATT (Frome) (14:41): My question is to the Minister for Planning. What does the minister say to home builders in my regional electorate about the financial impact associated with the proposed bushfire regulations? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms PRATT: In an Advertiser article this week, the Chief Executive of the Master Builders Association SA said:

…bushfire regulations under consideration could add up to $21,000 to the cost of a new build in areas slated for construction…

including in my area.

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Planning) (14:41): The bushfire code amendment consultation, which has just recently closed, has been undertaken by the State Planning Commission. They are undertaking this bushfire code amendment for two important reasons. First of all, this is about the safety of people in bushfire prone areas, particularly the safety of buildings in bushfire prone areas. I would have thought a member from regional South Australia—and I have represented many of the areas that they now represent—where the Pinery fire swept through and where the place looked like something that—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION: Just listen to this. It is a very, very important code amendment because it will help those communities have new housing stock that is prepared to face those challenges.

The second important element of this is that insurance companies at a national level are increasingly looking at flood and bushfire data and if homeowners and builders cannot provide sufficient data, these homes will be vulnerable to not receiving insurance. So this is a very important planning measure—a very important code amendment. People who just reduce it down to cost are doing a disservice to the people of South Australia.

The State Planning Commission is undertaking this very important work, and they are consulting with industry and that is a very important process. I have met with the UDIA and a number of representatives to talk with them about the effect of this on the various communities, but it is not going to be applied quite as the opposition thinks and I would urge them to seek a briefing so we might explain in some detail to them.