Harry Supports New Legislation from NSW Government

Meriton founder and managing director, Harry Triguboff, has welcomed new legislation in New South Wales that he says will remove a key obstacle to progressing residential developments.

The Building (Approvals and Practitioners Bill 2026) (the Bill) has been hailed as a relief amid concerns about financial risk from protracted disputes over defects.

“Meriton is pleased to support the introduction of this Bill,” Mr Triguboff said. “These positive changes have the potential to greatly improve outcomes in building disputes for both residents and developers.

“By streamlining dispute resolution through the Building Commissioner as an objective decision-maker, the process will be faster, less costly and less legalistic, with a focus on getting defects rectified without needing to go to court in the first instance,” he said.

The Government says the Bill will support its commitment to deliver safe, high-quality homes at the “scale and pace” required to meet the state’s housing needs, while making it quicker and easier to resolve building defects disputes outside costly court proceedings.

“I build – and have built – thousands of apartments,” Mr Triguboff said.

“We have won many design awards over the years, but with the volume we deliver there is always some risk of defects.

“I have no issue with rectifying defects, but too much of my time is spent dealing with unreasonable demands from overly ambitious strata lawyers who approach committees and encourage a fight. This Bill will cut red tape and keep the rational issues on the table.

“We had no complaints about our buildings until this new breed of ambulance-chasing strata lawyer caused discontentment with the committees and residents, particularly on large projects – which is Meriton’s signature build.

“It doesn’t encourage any developer, myself included, to build larger buildings anymore, particularly in New South Wales. We have enough obstacles without ending up in court on completion because of unreasonable defects claims.

“We have insisted on changes and we are assured this new Act will commence no later than 31 December, 2026.

“So yes, those strata lawyers have a lot to answer for in regards our housing crisis. We need housing urgently but no developer will take the risk when they are left empty-handed with no profit at completion of the project. In fact, with the old framework, there was a high likelihood they would be left with unjustified additional debt.

“Generally, Meriton will always deal with any defects and the residents have been more than satisfied. All they end up with from strata lawyers promising them a huge payout, is a huge legal bill.

“The NSW Government keeps talking about building at “scale and pace.” This Bill will make it quicker and easier to resolve building disputes, making costly and time-consuming proceedings a thing of the past.

“I am confident it will bring back developers who have been deterred by the previous framework, which offered little support and proved very unpopular.”