The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) plans to contact registered building practitioners in early February to explain the changeover plan for five-year registrations.

Changes to the Building Act 1993 which came into e ect on 1 September 2016 introduced a maximum five-year registration period for building practitioners. This means that all existing practitioners (who were registered before 1 September 2016) will need to transition to a five-year registration period.

The changeover will take place over five years, from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2022, so not all practitioners will be affected at once.

In early February, you will receive an email (or letter) from the VBA clearly stating when you will need to change over, and what to do if you want to renew your registration for a further five years. If you are registered in more than one registration category and class, you will receive a separate message for each registration that you hold.

The purpose of the communication is to let you know the year you will need to renew for a further five years and what the process will involve. For the majority of practitioners, no immediate action will be required once they receive this notification. The communication will include links to a fact sheet and frequently asked questions to help you understand the changes in more detail.

Please note – registered practitioners must still pay an annual fee (except the year they renew for a further five years) and provide proof of insurance (if required) every 12 months.

If you have any questions about the email or letter you receive, please contact Master Builders on (03) 9411 4555 or the VBA by email [email protected] or phone 1300 815 127.

Master Builders is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for all three of our major annual Excellence in Building Awards series—the Regional Building Awards, Excellence in Construction Awards and Excellence in Housing Awards. New this year, the nominations and submittals process has moved online, making it easier and less cumbersome for members to prepare and submit their projects for review.

The new system offers a number of advantages over the previous hard copy method:

• Easy, fast registration, reducing the time it takes to enter
• An “auto save” feature that works as you go, allowing members to make changes or update their submissions right up until deadline
• Intuitive entry process
• Entry management
• Easy entry into multiple categories
• Easy tracking of key dates