Professional Standards Research

Constructing Building Integrity: Raising Standards through Professionalism

Researching professionalism in residential building construction in Australia: June 2021 – August 2024.

The Councils were a lead partner organisation in a three-year Australian Research Council Linkage Project about the role of professions in rebuilding trust in residential building construction in Australia. 

Through the project, the Councils collaborated with researchers and other regulators to: 

  • generate new knowledge about the functioning of individual professionals, professionals employed in multi-profession organisations, and professionals’ interaction with their institutional environment 
  • investigate ways to improve professional standards in building and construction occupations and the means for measuring change.  

Final Industry Report 

The Final Industry Report on outcomes was published in August 2024 and is available here. It brings together the findings of the project, providing insights into the tensions that exist for professionals and professions engaged in multi-story residential apartment construction.

The report highlights how integrity systems, being an inter-linked set of ethical standards, regulation, economic incentives, accountability and governance, can deliver socially desired outcomes.

Key recommendations:

The Industry Report provides five key recommendations, centred on improving integrity systems and better leveraging professional standards in the industry for improved quality building outcomes. These include:

  1. Improve contracting and procurement practices by creating an Apartment Industry Development Agency (AIDA)
  2. Establish national Centres of Excellence in Residential Apartment Housing
  3. Raise standards in education, training and accreditation processes
  4. Promote, protect and improve professional standards through regulation
  5. Enhance and support professional associations' ethical standards frameworks.

About the ARC Linkage Project 

The project was chaired by former Building Commissioner of Western Australia Peter Gow and led by Griffith University’s Professor Charles Sampford. Researchers are drawn from: 

  • Griffith University 
  • The University of NSW
  • Curtin University
  • Western Sydney University.  

Project partners include:  

  • WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety 
  • QLD Department of Housing and Public Works 
  • Corrs Chambers Westgarth. 

As the lead partner organisation, the Councils contributed funding over three-year project as well as in-kind support.

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