A leading Victorian building surveyor with decades of experience in local government has been appointed as the Victorian Building Authority's inaugural Deputy State Building Surveyor.
Jo van Loon joins an impressive list of leading industry technical experts who have joined the Office of the State Building Surveyor, since it was established in 2019.
As Deputy State Building Surveyor, Ms Loon will focus on improving building safety and consumer outcomes through practitioner capacity building, technical advice and building performance oversight.
Ms van Loon will also support the OSBS in monitoring building sector performance and compliance, identifying and managing emerging risks, implementing education programs, regulatory reforms and process changes to promote sector best practice.
Victoria's State Building Surveyor Andrew Cialini said he looked forward to working collaboratively with Ms Loon.
"It will be wonderful to have Jo join our dynamic team, leading a group of technical professionals across fire safety, structural engineering, complex plumbing and building surveying fields.
"Her knowledge and experience as a building surveyor will enhance the work the VBA does in ensuring building compliance in Victoria," Mr Cialini said.
"Building surveyors play a pivotal role in the building approval process and ensuring building safety. A severe shortage of building surveyors is proving challenging for both local government and private sectors and will be an ongoing focus of future activities".
The VBA's CEO Sue Eddy welcomed Ms van Loon's appointment.
"As Deputy State Building Surveyor, Jo will liaise widely across industry, engaging and presenting at a variety of industry forums".
"She will spearhead a range of industry enhancement initiatives and provide advice to Andrew and the team to deliver for Victorians."
Ms Loon joins the VBA with a wealth of experience as a building surveyor in both local government and the private sector. She has worked in local government for 23 years, including roles at Hobart City Council and the City of Greater Geelong. In the last 10 years, she has developed her building surveying experience further in private practice, at BSA Building Surveyors in Grovedale, Geelong, as Manager of Technical Services and Senior Building Surveyor. Ms Loon has extensive experience in the industry, having been involved in building permits, building audits and consulting work throughout Victoria.
The Office of the State Building Surveyor oversees VBA technical functions including building audit, the Proactive Inspection and Plumbing Audit Programs, as well as expert technical advice services to the building and plumbing industry.
