In February 2025 the Government committed that licensed plumbers doing standard work in new homes could start without waiting on council approval. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS) has since proposed keeping a mandatory council step, relabelling an ‘approval’ as a ‘verification’.

HIA Executive Director Benjamin Price said the Government made the right call and CBOS was now undoing it.

"In 2025 the Tasmanian Government committed to slash this unnecessary red tape. Now, the Department is seeking to water this reform down.

“This reform would go a long way to getting homes built, faster, so HIA is calling on the Tasmanian Government to stick to their commitments to slashing this red tape,” Mr Price said.

"Every mandatory step before a job can start is another queue a home has to wait in. We're already the worst performing state in meeting national Housing Accord targets, so why would CBOS want to move away from a meaningful reform that could get more homes built faster?"

He said the Productivity Commission's interim housing report, handed down just yesterday, made the case against the CBOS proposal plainly. The report calls for governments to regulate only where necessary, keep approvals simple, and let low risk work that meets clear rules proceed without waiting in an assessment queue.

“The Productivity Commission’s message is simple: regulate where there is risk, not just where there is a habit of regulating. The Commission is basically backing what builders have been saying for years, that unnecessary pre-start approvals slow housing down, adding cost without making it safer.

"Standard plumbing in a standard new home is about as low risk as it gets," Mr Price said. "It doesn't need a fresh council decision every time. It needs a clear rule, a notice to council, and the inspections that already apply."

HIA has written to the Deputy Premier proposing that the work be classed as low risk with no council approval or verification before the job starts, set in regulation rather than a determination CBOS can later change, with plumbers notifying council on or before commencement and all existing inspection stages retained.

Mr Price said the fix delivered the Government's promise in full while keeping every safeguard.

"A genuine drive to cut red tape is measured by outcomes, not announcements. The Government has backed sensible reforms; now the priority should be making sure CBOS follows through and delivers the practical changes that people and businesses have been waiting for."

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