Victoria's embattled building regulator is trying to gag critics, with sweeping clauses in a new contract it is sending suppliers that prevents them from ever criticising either the regulator itself, the building regulatory regime in total, or even "the state" – even after their contract has ended.

The Victorian Building Authority, a government agency already under fire for having failed to prevent the widespread use of combustible cladding now found to be on almost 1300 privately owned buildings, has sent at least one potential consultant a contract in tender negotiations that if accepted would silence that consultant for life.