A NSW bill that would require practising engineers to be registered is being supported by the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).

It says the Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019 is “consistent with similar schemes” in Queensland and Victoria, and would mean the industry is “appropriately regulated and monitored”.

“Insurance Council members strongly endorse initiatives to achieve and maintain rigorous construction standards in Australian buildings in order to minimise if not eliminate the risk of building failure,” ICA says in a submission to a NSW Parliamentary inquiry into the bill.

“Given this, we support appropriate regulation of engineers and other building professionals in order to lift standards and so minimise the possibility of a recurrence of the current problems in the building industry.”

The Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning launched an inquiry last December, calling for submissions on how best to regulate engineers and other related matters.

“An effective and reliable registration scheme will help improve integrity and confidence in the sector, which is what the community is calling,” Committee Chairman Alex Greenwich said.

“Looking at what kind of registration scheme is most effective in this context is an important step in that process.”

The bill was introduced in the NSW Parliament in October.