The Victorian Building Authority (VBA) will register and discipline building practitioners under changes that took effect last Thursday.

VBA CEO Prue Digby says the reform aims to improve consumer confidence, but Builders Collective of Australia National President Phil Dwyer says limitations in the state’s domestic building insurance arrangements must also be addressed.

Ms Digby says the changes “allow the VBA to be a more efficient and effective regulator, strengthening consumer protection in the domestic building market”.

The changes include abolition of the Building Practitioners Board, with the VBA to register and discipline practitioners and issue owner-builder certificates of consent.

Builders will be banned from appointing private building surveyors for domestic building work, with surveyors appointed by the consumer.

The VBA will approve codes of conduct for building practitioners.

Mr Dwyer says the changes will do little to foster greater consumer confidence.

“We don’t believe the so-called reforms… will assist future consumers because it is only fiddling at the edge,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“The domestic building insurance scheme remains untouched.”