CEO Jo-Ann Kellock and Chair of National Interior Design Working Group, Mel Mackenzie represented the Design Institute of Australia before the NSW Public Accountability and Works Committee (PAWC) hearing on 11th August, advocating for proper recognition of interior designers in the state's building reform legislation.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Inquiry reviewing NSW Building Reforms, Kellock and Mackenzie highlighted how the current wording in the proposed Building Bill will have a similar impact to the Design and Building Practitioners (DBP) Act under which interior designers have been excluded from performing work they've safely performed for decades. Many leading interior design practices currently find themselves unable to work on apartment renovations or coordinate specialist services for even simple non-load bearing structural changes.

The exclusion contradicts the December 2024 ABS classification that returned interior design to Skill Level 1, explicitly recognising that interior designers "detail and document new interior building work for construction" and "coordinate with clients, stakeholders, users and specialist consultants."

With 8,309 interior designers in NSW alone—74% female with a median age of 43—this restriction threatens livelihoods while pushing interior work into unqualified hands. "Professional interior designers hold the same professional indemnity insurance as architects and bring essential expertise in adaptive reuse and retrofitting that's critical to addressing Australia's housing crisis," Kellock emphasised.

The DIA commended the NSW Government's courage in overhauling the building regime but stressed the urgent need for amendments to both the legislation and regulation that align interior design licensing with national education frameworks, enabling qualified professionals to practice their full scope of competency.

DIA submissions to the NSW Government and the NSW Building Commission can be found HERE.

The Committee's recommendations are expected later this year.

DIA Takes Case for Design to NSW Parliament

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