Far West and Central West July 2025

Summary and key outcomes of our compliance inspections conducted in the Far West and Central West in July 2025.

Aerial view of Dubbo, a regional city in New South Wales, Australia, showing the central business district, residential areas, a shopping centre, and parklands near the Macquarie River.

Summary of the inspections

In the Central West, our practitioner, building and plumbing inspection teams carried out inspections at 65 building sites, checking all aspects of compliance, including unlicensed specialist work, supervision of specialist trades, and site compliance.

Towns visited

We inspected sites across the Far West and Central West, including:

  • Bombira
  • Bowenfels
  • Caerleon
  • Dubbo
  • Forbes
  • Gulgong
  • Hartley
  • Lidsdale
  • Manildra
  • Mudgee
  • Narromine
  • Parkes
  • Portland
  • South Bowenfels
  • Wellington

Overview of the regional inspection

7
Inspectors
65
Total site inspections

Site types inspected

64
Class 1
1
Class 2

Offences and penalties

80
Defects and non-compliance detected
31
Penalty Infringement Notices issued
21
Draft rectification orders issued
39
Written or verbal trader education

Inspection findings

Building compliance:

  • Inspectors identified 8 instances where the damp-proof course and flashing had not been installed to the external face of brickwork.
  • There were 7 instances where articulation joints were not continued through the brickwork or aligned with window openings.
  • In 2 instances, meter box openings were not supported with a lintel.
  • A further 9 instances of framing defects were found, including insufficiently supported bottom plates.

Practitioner and specialist trades:

  • Supervision of specialist trades was found to be below standard, with 4 breaches detected from 7 interactions.
  • Inspectors identified 4 occasions of unlicensed subcontracting where licensed subcontractors had passed work to unlicensed trades.
  • There were 46 offences relating to signage across inspected sites, with only 8 sites found to be fully compliant with builder and certifier signage requirements.

Reasons for Penalty Infringement Notices

13
Non-compliant builder signage
13
Non-compliant certifier signage
3
Unlicensed work
1
Unlicensed contracting
1
Insufficient supervision

Why we issued these penalties

Unlicensed work

Section 12 of the Home Building Act 1989 specifies that an individual must be licensed to do residential building work or specialist building work. Penalties apply when work is undertaken by an unlicensed individual.

Contracting requirements

Section 4 of the Home Building Act 1989 sets out the requirements for contracting for residential building work or any specialist work. A penalty can be issued to a licensed person who has contracted with an unlicensed person to do the work under Section 4(2), and to an unlicensed person for contracting when unlicensed under Section 4(1).

Supervision obligations

Section 16 of the Home Building Act 1989 requires licensees to provide adequate supervision of the work carried out under their licence. Penalties apply where supervision is insufficient.

Builder and certifier signage

Clause 32 of the Home Building Regulation 2014 requires builder signage.

Clause 75 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Consent and Fire Safety) Regulation 2021 requires a certifier sign or the name and contact details of a certifier.

Related advisory note

Reports from other regions

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