‘Without fear or favour’: NSW’s next building commissioner vows to restore confidence in housing

A Transport for NSW official and one-time PwC partner has been appointed the state’s new building commissioner, vowing to grow confidence in the construction sector amid a worsening housing crisis.

James Sherrard was last week appointed to the role by Department of Customer Service Secretary Graeme Head, filling a two-month vacancy after the retirement of inaugural building commissioner David Chandler in August.

New Building Commissioner James Sherrard.Credit: PwC/X

As NSW reckons with a chronic housing shortage and its likely failure to meet its target of 70,000 new homes, Sherrard – who has held jobs in construction, infrastructure and strategy around the world – said he believed the agency had an important role to play in helping deliver quality homes across the state.

“Building confidence in the new build market is fundamental to achieving house growth targets. There is a strong purpose to this work,” he told the Herald via email.

Promising a leadership approach based on collaboration with the government, the building industry and the public, Sherrard said his style would be different to that of his predecessor.

“David Chandler commenced in the role at a time when the industry needed to be put on notice,” he said. “Through his approach a lot has been achieved and now we are in a new phase of growth [which] will be around recognising what good building looks like through education and publication.

New Building Commissioner James Sherrard in the WestConnex tunnel in his role at Transport for NSW.Credit: James Sherrard/LinkedIn

“Notwithstanding this approach, we will also continue to strongly enforce the legislation, where necessary, without fear or favour.”

Sherrard has worked for almost three years as the head of the commercial, performance and strategy division at Transport for NSW, where he has led a 900-person team overseeing property acquisition and procurement. He has worked on projects for the Sydney and London Olympics and other civic and residential projects in the UK, Algeria, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

“Observing the different approaches to construction, particularly from a cultural aspect, gives me insight into how we might continue to develop and grow our construction sector,” he said.

According to LinkedIn, Sherrard holds a Certificate IV in Construction (Building) from TAFE as well as a bachelor of business from the University of Technology and a master’s of business law from Sydney University.

Building Minister Anoulack Chanthivong said Sherrard’s experience made him well-placed for the role, which is appointed by the department secretary, not the minister.

“It is exciting to embark on a new era with James at the helm, working with stakeholders, industry, consumers and government to continue the Minns Labor government’s work to rebuild trust in the construction industry and ensure a supply of well-built homes across the state.

“We last year launched Building Commission NSW, transforming a 10-person [office] into a more than 400-strong standalone regulator.”

Chandler said his only piece of advice his successor was to “put the customer first and work hard to make home purchasers confident that you have their back”.

Sherrard begins as building commissioner on December 2.

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