Legislation proposing changes to the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV), which would have reduced the number of registered architects on the board, has been shelved.
The Victorian government has decided not to present the Building and Heritage Amendment Act 2022 to the upper house, the Legislative Council, in the last parliamentary sitting week before the state election, meaning, the bill will expire and status quo will remain for now.
The Australian Institute of Architects said the lapsed legislation was “great news” and reflected a huge effort to oppose the bill.
The Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and the Association of Consulting Architects previously voiced its concerns about the bill in July, stating that a board with only three architecturally qualified members out of nine – none of whom would be required to be registered architects – was an irresponsible step for the ARBV.
Currently, the ARBV has 10 members, five of whom must be registered architects, while the remainder are representatives from consumer and construction sectors.
“These proposed changes would have damaged the integrity of the Architects Act, defied best regulatory practice and indeed common sense, and prevented the board from providing sound consumer protection to Victorians while deleteriously impacting the profession of architecture in Victoria,” wrote the Institute’s Victorian chapter president David Wagner.
“I would like to thank all members who wrote to their local parliamentary representatives, their MLAs, MLCs whether cross benchers, opposition members or government members and also to those who also campaigned for media attention on the issue.”
The campaign to oppose the legislation was lobbied in partnership with the Association of Consulting Architects (ACA) holding meetings with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning and parliamentarians including Rod Barton and David Davis.
“The ARBV provisions [in the bill] would have seriously weakened our professional standards and diminished the profession’s capacity to contribute to our cities and communities. That the Architects Act will now continue in its current form is the best outcome for both Victorians and the architectural profession of this state,” Wagner said.
A state election will take place on 26 November, and should the new government decide to pursue the proposed reforms in the new parliament, it will need to introduce a new bill to the lower house.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
