Threat to ARBV – Have your say!
The proposed abolition of the Architects Registration Board of Victoria marks one of the most significant challenges to the profession’s regulatory framework in decades. ACA National President Paul Viney and the VIC/TAS Committee update members on their ongoing advocacy efforts and call on architects across Victoria to contact their local MP and have their say.
In January, we alerted you to the Victorian Government’s plans to abolish the Architects Registration Board of Victoria and transfer its functions to the Business Licensing Authority. Last week, we met with senior representatives from the Department of Transport and Planning, and our concerns have deepened.
Once again, no substantive detail was provided about why the Victorian Government is determined to dismantle a self-funded, independent, profession-specific regulator. Instead, we were told that the ARBV’s functions may be absorbed into a new “super-licensing” authority – an umbrella body proposed to regulate a wide range of unrelated occupations. It is essential the ARBV remains independent and intact in any future reorganisation of government structures.
Abolishing the ARBV would almost certainly require substantial amendments to the Architects Registration Act, and every time the Act is reopened, the profession faces calls to dilute or outright repeal it, usually from people who misunderstand its primary purpose.
As we repeatedly say, the Act is not there to protect architects; it’s there to protect the public. It sets the standards for education, competence and continuing professional development. It gives clients, communities and the public confidence that the person calling themselves an architect has earned that title and is accountable for how they use it.
What has not received enough attention is the impact this would have on architectural education and the future workforce. Victoria graduates approximately 43% of Australia’s Master of Architecture cohort across five accredited programs, alongside multiple undergraduate pathways and a significant international student population. If Victoria’s regulatory framework drifts out of alignment with the national system, it creates uncertainty around qualification recognition, graduate mobility and registration pathways. That uncertainty influences where students choose to study and how graduates transition into practice.
This isn’t an argument against reform. Education-to-registration pathways must evolve with an increasingly complex industry. But removing or weakening a specialist regulator is not an administrative tidy-up. It is a structural change with consequences across the entire ecosystem – practitioners, universities, students and the long-term workforce pipeline.
The ACA is actively engaging with Government, the Opposition and Independent MPs, but our advocacy alone won’t be enough.
We’re asking every architect to contact their local Member of Parliament.
A personal, respectful email explaining why independent oversight of the profession matters to you, your clients, and your community carries weight. The ARBV exists to protect Victorians, and any structural change must preserve its independence and statutory clarity. Make sure you keep the focus on the public interest. We have developed a template to help you with this task.
We’ll continue to keep you informed as this situation unfolds. But right now, the most important thing you can do is make your voice heard.
Please share this article with your colleagues.