Building Commission NSW returns to Riverina-Murray to lift electrical standards

The blitz saw inspectors attend 90 class one sites in Gundagai, Wagga Wagga and Albury from 20-23 October, visiting 59 sites for electrical inspections and 31 sites for general compliance inspections.

As a result of the inspections Building Commission NSW issued 11 Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) and 36 Written Direction Notices (WDNs) for electrical-related non-compliances. 

WDNs and PINs issued related to non-compliant signage on solar battery installations and tradespeople failing to upgrade Residual Current Devices (RCDs) for in place electrical wiring where required.

These two standards are critical safety elements for electrical installations, with appropriate RCDs and battery signage reducing fire risk and providing important information in the event of a fire.

The main general compliance issue noted during the blitz was a lack of certifier signage, which resulted in the issuing of a further 12 PINs and 25 education letters.

Certifier signage provides an important point of contact for the community, demonstrates the site has all the relevant legal approvals and encourages building compliance as well as safety on site.

Education letters are a regulatory tool used by Building Commission NSW to prevent future building non-compliance by forcing tradespeople to seek further education in certain areas of work. 

This is the second time this year Building Commission NSW has paid a visit to the Riverina-Murray region as part of a broader statewide campaign to lift building standards across NSW.

The initial visit in May resulted in the issuing of 29 Rectification Orders, 15 PINs and 16 WDNs, with one of the main issues identified during the inspection blitz being sub-par electrical work.

So far this year Building Commission NSW has visited more than 620 sites in the regions, including the North Coast, Mid North Coast, Hunter, Riverina-Murray as well as the Central and Far West.

Building Commission NSW will continue to visit the regions in 2026 to ensure high levels of standards are maintained across the state, protecting current and future homeowners from defective work.

Read more about Building Commission NSW’s previous Riverina-Murray blitz.

Quotes to be attributed to NSW Building Commissioner, James Sherrard:

“Inspecting building work in some the state’s growing regional areas has been one of our biggest focuses this year, because our mission to uphold building standards is not isolated to Sydney.”

“This second visit to the Riverina-Murray region was about hammering home the importance of electrical standards, which were identified as a notable issue during our first visit.”

“Poor electrical work can lead to severe safety issues that endanger homeowners, tradespeople and the broader community, making adherence to the standards non-negotiable.”

“While most trades welcomed us onto site, there’s clearly room for improvement after we issued 11 fines and 36 Written Direction Notices for electrical-related non-compliances.”

“Building Commission NSW will work with these tradespeople to ensure they lift their game and homeowners in the Riverina-Murray region are protected from sub-par work.”