For most people buying a house is not easy, and the decision to do so does not come lightly.

It is common for home buyers to be unaware of their rights, to be unfamiliar with the buying process and to be uncertain of the jargon of buying and selling homes.

This is one of the reasons the building and construction industry is regulated.

When one party is at a relative disadvantage – as inexperienced home buyers naturally are – oversight is needed to ensure they can engage in the market without unwittingly arriving at an adverse outcome.

Under normal circumstances, it is necessary to regularly review the supervisory framework. Industry is constantly evolving and so the regulator must continue to keep abreast.

This has never been more apparent in the ACT than now.

The ACT has undergone an extensive transformation, with the makeup of the city shifting through urban densification and renewal, as well as entirely new suburbs opening up.

The ACT’s population is estimated to have grown at 1.8 per cent just within the year to the March quarter – the second fastest of any State or Territory. The March quarter also represents a year since the ACT population passed 400,000 residents. If we continue to grow at our average annual population growth rate of 1.7 per cent, we can expect to reach half a million residents by the end of 2028.

That is an additional 100,000 residents in a little over ten years which may require an additional 40,000 dwellings to be built. With an increase in housing demand in the ACT, it is important we ensure the building regulatory framework provides adequate oversight and recourse for home buyers and people living in those homes.

Canberra’s housing mix is continuing to diversify. Therefore it is important our regulator is in a position to ensure buyers get what they pay for, and have access to resources and processes to rectify a problem if they don’t.

A number of people in my electorate have raised their concerns with building regulation and the impact poor building practices are having on the community.

As a result of their concerns I am undertaking a survey.

I want to know if Canberrans feel there is a need to examine the current framework, and whether it is adequate enough in ensuring our buildings meet the quality we expect as a community.

Have you had issues with the building quality of your home or workplace?

Do you know a person, business or community group that has?

Share your experience at suzanneorr.com.au/buildingsurvey.