PDI Accreditation Scheme — do you need to be Accredited?

LG Leader March 2018

The Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (“DPTI”) has released the long-awaited “Accreditation Professional Scheme Discussion Paper” under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 (“the PDI Act”). The DPTI discussion paper can be read here.

As councils would be aware, under the PDI Act, all Council Assessment Panel (“CAP”) members (save for the elected representative) and Assessment Managers will be required to be accredited professionals in accordance with a scheme established under section 88. The accreditation scheme is also proposed to apply to planning accredited professionals, land division accredited professionals and building certifiers and inspectors.

Whilst section 88 of the PDI Act is not yet in force, DPTI is now in the process of developing the scheme with a view to proclaiming the scheme in late 2018. It is intended that CAP members will then have six (6) months to become accredited (by mid-2019), whilst other planning and building professionals will have until 2020, concurrent with introduction of the new assessment pathways under the PDI Act.

As outlined in the discussion paper, it is proposed that there will be different levels of accreditation, with each level being tied to the professional’s qualifications and industry experience. In addition, it is proposed that a professional may become accredited utilising either the State Government as the Accrediting Authority, or through a Private Accrediting Authority including (but not potentially limited to) the Planning Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors or the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

The discussion paper has been released for public consultation until 30 April 2018 and councils are invited to make submissions in relation to same. If you have any questions about the discussion paper or what the proposed scheme means for your council, please do not hesitate to contact us.