Pollies: Labour's Kieran McAnulty and National's Mark Mitchell on the building consents scheme, Ginny Andersen's faux pas
Oct 29, 2024
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Kieran McAnulty, Labour's Housing Spokesperson, advocates for strong homeowner protections within the new building consents scheme, emphasizing the necessity of clear legislation for consumer confidence. He highlights the importance of indemnity insurance and safety against poor construction practices. Mark Mitchell, National's spokesperson, stresses the need for a balanced approach that allows tradespeople to self-certify while ensuring that building processes remain affordable and efficient. The conversation also tackles the implications of a recent political faux pas on social media.
The podcast highlights the necessity for balanced building consent regulations that ensure homeowner protections while allowing builders to self-certify their work.
It also discusses the importance of personal accountability and the need to focus on significant issues rather than minor social media mistakes made by political figures.
Deep dives
Understanding Apologies in Politics
A recent controversy involved a political figure who shared a social media post that led to public backlash. The individual acknowledged the mistake, expressed regret, and issued an apology, which is deemed a suitable response. The discussion emphasized that while mistakes in communication can have consequences, not every error warrants extensive training or courses on social media etiquette. Recognizing the importance of personal accountability, participants highlighted that the focus should remain on substantial issues rather than minor blunders in online interactions.
Balancing Building Regulations
The podcast addressed the complexities surrounding building consent and regulations, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach to ensure homeowner protection and builder accountability. Discussions included the challenges faced by tradespeople who can self-certify for one aspect of their work but not for others, reflecting the inconsistency in regulations. There were calls for consumer confidence through measures like indemnity insurance and thorough vetting of contractors to prevent potential issues stemming from untrustworthy builders. Ultimately, the government’s ongoing consultations aim to create a more streamlined and safer building process that benefits both tradespeople and consumers.
Policing and Public Safety
Recent discussions centered on the effectiveness of police handling public safety issues, including gang activities and antisocial behavior. The hosts acknowledged the police's significant efforts in managing challenging situations while maintaining public order, citing recent incidents where their actions preserved safety. While some members criticized the authorities for seemingly underreacting to certain behaviors, others defended the effectiveness of the police's operations and the resources allocated to manage these incidents. Overall, there is a recognition of the police's commitment to public safety, despite the ongoing challenges they face in maintaining order in increasingly complex scenarios.
Labour says homeowner protections will need to go hand-in-hand with Government's proposed building consents scheme.
The reforms will allow tradespeople to consent their own work for basic housing, foregoing inspections.
Criteria is also being considered for businesses with a track record of delivering bigger projects to access streamlined consenting.
Labour's Housing Spokesperson Kieran McAnulty told Mike Hosking customer protections like indemnity insurance are key.
He says homeowners need confidence and if the legislation is wishy-washy, it won't work.
National’s Mark Mitchell agrees, saying that there is a balance to be found, but we have to look at sensible ways of making it easier and cheaper to build houses.
He says they have world-class tradespeople who can be trusted to self-certify.