Dean Jacqui: Building Amendment Bill (No 4) — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDean Jacqui: Building Amendment Bill (No 4) — Second Reading[Sitting date: 16 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9423. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki): I do wonder whether that Green member Holly Walker is reading the same Building Amendment Bill (No 4) as I have been reading and studying throughout the select committee process because far from as the member contends lessening the protections I think this bill goes a good way towards implementing the Building Act review.I am going to go through what this bill does do. What it does do is quite considerable in my view. It reduces compliance costs reduces complexity and delays by reducing reliance on building consent authorities and makes building contractors much more accountable than before by requiring disclosure of information. The information that is going to be required to be disclosed includes the legal status of the contractor. That might be whether the contractor is operating under a limited liability company. We are all very aware of a number of building companies that have simply closed the books closed the company walked away and re-formed in another incarnation leaving behind them a litter trail of poor homeowners with many problems to fix but nowhere to go.We are requiring information about the people who will carry out the building work. We want to know about their track record their dispute history their skills and theirqualifications. We want to know what if any financial backup or insurance they have to cover the cost of fixing faults. If that is not providing more protection to homeowners please tell me what is. The bill protects consumers by requiring written consents for most residential building work—information that in a contract for building could include the parties; the dispute resolution process should things go wrong; the process for varying the consent should that be required or desired by either party; a time frame for performing the contract; and the payment process.The Labour-Greens have a view on this and what is actually contained in the bill. As I sat through those very same submissions to the Local Government and Environment Committee I do not recall seeing that member Holly Walker but that is by the by—or the Labour member Phil Twyford for that matter. When I sat through the submissions on this bill I recall a pretty robust debate as always but a certain acceptance that the protections built into this Building Amendment Bill (No 4) were in fact making a vast improvement. It protects consumers by requiring written contracts for most residential building work and if the parties do not have a written contract or their contract does not contain a required clause then regulations will prescribe default clauses that will be taken as being included. So even if they are not put in the contract there will be by regulation default clauses providing additional protections.The bill will have specific methods for enforcing warranties. That is really designed to give consumers the peace of mind that they will have recourse for shoddy building work which is what this bill is all about and seeks to protect homeowners. Building contractors will be expected to fix any defects in their work that are reported within 12 months of completion. Once again that is added protection for homeowners. And finally it increases the maximum penalty for failing to comply with building consent requirements. That goes from $100000 to $200000. Please tell me Labour-Greens if that does not add protections into the building industry that specifically protect the homeowners and buildings. With those few words I commend the bill to the House.