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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-09-25 Daily Xml
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Question Time

BUILDING SURVEYOR ACCREDITATION

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Urban Development and Planning a question about building surveyor accreditation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Regulation 87 of the Development Act 1993 clearly outlines that a building surveyor is an accreditation issued by an approved building accreditation authority. Further, it states that there are distinct differences between that professional accreditation and that of the para-professional level that identifies an assistant building surveyor. Both levels require the accreditation of the approved authority, that is, the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors.

I have been advised that a member of the minister's ministerial staff was formerly accredited as an assistant building surveyor and that his accreditation has now lapsed. In order for him to regain accreditation, he would be required to undertake supplementary studies.

Misrepresentation of one's professional credentials is a serious offence. One need only look at cases that have arisen within the medical and legal professions and the public scrutiny they have undergone. Such behaviour is strictly dealt with within the private sector, and the state government has a responsibility to discipline its staff in the same way.

On 10 September this year, I sought a response from the minister about whether he was aware that one of his staff members was introducing himself at meetings as a building surveyor when he holds no such accreditation. The minister said that that was a 'scurrilous allegation' and that, if I had any evidence, I should produce it.

I now have a statutory declaration from a member of the South Australian building surveyors group declaring the following:

During discussions in the parliament entrance foyer following a meeting held on 22 July 2008 at 11am at Parliament House (Adelaide) between South Australian Government Minister Patrick Conlon (in his capacity as the representative for Minister Paul Holloway), Mr George Vanco (in his capacity as Adviser to Minister Holloway) and representatives of the South Australian Housing Industry Association, Mr George Vanco introduced himself as a building surveyor.

My questions are:

1. Will the minister stand down this staff member immediately and instigate a full inquiry into the practice of this staff member?

2. How many staff members within other state government departments are misrepresenting their professional credentials?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (14:24): No, I will not be standing down the staff member, because it is not a qualification for working in my office that the person have building surveying—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: That will keep. The honourable member opposite in that question also made allegations against another person, who is the chairman of the Building Advisory Committee, and we were dealing with those—

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway: Not in this question.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: No; this was earlier. He is very good at making these sorts of allegations. As I said, whatever qualifications my staff member has are totally irrelevant to being a member of my staff. The question the Leader of the Opposition asked me a couple of weeks ago was attacking—

An honourable member: No, today; it's a catch-up.

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Yes; that is when he first raised it. What he was doing was effectively attacking the position that I had taken because the local government and a few other people had been opposing some changes to make more stringent requirements with respect to building surveyors. This is where he has been fed with this information. I read from a letter that I had on that occasion from the Port Adelaide Enfield Council, which was concerned about what had happened in relation to a number of cases. It was not just Port Adelaide Enfield: other councils have written to me about their concerns that people who were building surveyors had been checking calculations for which they were not qualified.

The thrust of the Leader of the Opposition's question was that we should not be worrying about this. However, as I explained on that occasion, this government takes it very seriously if councils write to us suggesting that public safety is at risk. If the testing of buildings has not been properly carried out or if there are loopholes in the system, as I explained to the member, we are concerned about that and we wish to see it corrected. That is the position of this government. As I said, Mr Vanco in my office has chaired a group in relation to trusses, and that came out of the result of a Coroner's report.

The Hon. D.W. Ridgway interjecting:

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: My staff member formerly worked for some years with a council in this area, and he has significant experience in that field, which he brought to bear in relation to that committee. That committee involves a whole lot of people from the HIA and other groups who have expertise in the building surveying area, and I have used his experience in relation to the positions we have taken in my office.

I am very fortunate to have people on my staff who have experience in this very important area. It is not quite as simple as the honourable member said. I suggest that he table the statutory declaration, and I will have a look at it but, really, whether or not one of my advisers has current qualifications in that area or whether or not they have expired is entirely irrelevant to his position on my staff.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! Is the minister asking the Hon. Mr Ridgway to table the document?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY: Yes.

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