NSW Interior Designers Recommended for Licensing
Major Boost for the Profession
The NSW Parliamentary Public Accountability and Works Committee has today released its report on the Review of the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020, delivering a significant recommendation for interior designers. See report HERE.
Recommendation 2 calls on the NSW Government to "consider establishing a pathway to registration and licensing for interior designers under the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021, or alternatively under the consolidated building bills and associated regulations."
This recommendation follows DIA's appearance before the Committee on 11 August 2025, where we presented comprehensive evidence of interior designers' qualifications, professional competency, and decades of safe practice. The Committee acknowledged the profession's legitimate claims for recognition alongside other design practitioners in the building sector.
The Committee's report recognises that interior designers hold substantial university qualifications, carry appropriate professional indemnity insurance, and have safely coordinated construction work involving building elements within enclosures for many decades.
This is a crucial step toward resolving the current regulatory exclusion that prevents qualified interior designers from being recognised under NSW's building legislation. DIA will now work actively with the NSW Government to implement this recommendation and establish an appropriate licensing framework that reflects interior designers' professional competency and ABS OSCA Skill Level 1 classification.
Next Steps
DIA will continue to engage with Minister Chanthivong and the NSW Building Commission to ensure this recommendation is implemented in the new Building Bill. We will keep members informed of progress.
For more information, contact Jo-Ann Kellock, CEO, at ceo@design.org.au