"The reforms will reinforce the primacy of safety on building sites," Wilhelm Harnisch CEO of Master Builders Australia said.
"Eliminating counter-productive paper-based compliance and regulatory duplication will allow builders and contractors to focus on what is important, which is improving safety not sitting in site sheds completing unnecessary compliance paper work.
"The changes to the government's Building and Construction Work Health and Safety Accreditation Scheme will streamline regulatory requirements for builders with good safety records, freeing them up to implement practical measures to enhance safety.
"The reforms will improve the ability of the Federal Safety Commissioner to work with builders and contractors to improve compliance with safety laws while lightening the regulatory load for those who do the right thing.
"In addition to making the industry safer, the measures will provide further community benefits such as reducing unnecessary increases in building costs which only exacerbate housing affordability pressures.
"Master Builders fully supports the government's steps to improve safety by responsibly cutting red tape for building and construction contractors, particularly small firms that comprise 98 per cent of the industry."
