In June 2009 the NSW Government completed its review of the institutional and technical aspects of the plumbing and drainage regulation in NSW. The aim of the review was to assess the appropriateness of the structure for plumbing and drainage in NSW, in the context of the Government's policy objectives and the changing water industry structure. The review was jointly led by the NSW Office of Water and the Better Regulation Office.
Download the full review report (PDF 114 KB) which sets out the findings and recommendations of the review.
Summary of the review findings and recommendations
The NSW Government considered the issues raised in submissions and examined regulatory arrangements currently in place in NSW and other jurisdictions, as well as developments at the federal level. The review found that current arrangements in NSW are unnecessarily costly, complex, inconsistent and have not kept pace with the introduction of competition or developments in the water industry.
The review report put forward nine recommendations for reform including the formation of a single plumbing and drainage regulator and adoption by NSW of the Plumbing Code of Australia. The report also recommends that a government implementation group should be convened to work with industry and develop a detailed proposal for the Government to establish the new single regulator in the Office of Fair Trading.
Download the full review report (PDF 114 KB) outlining the nine recommendations.
Background on the review, Discussion Paper and submissions
In November 2008, the NSW Government released a discussion paper (PDF 445 KB) for public comment to guide a structured debate and examination of the need for change to the current institutional and technical arrangements for regulation of plumbing and drainage in NSW, together with information on water servicing of new developments. The Terms of Reference for the review are included in the discussion paper.
Submissions received on the discussion paper are available on the submissions page.
A full outline of the review process including how submissions and potential options were assessed is outlined in the review report (PDF 114 KB).