On 17 October 2025, the Government of South Australia updated their Accredited Professionals Scheme Code of Conduct. If you’re an architect, building surveyor, or anyone working on SA building projects, here’s what you need to know.
What’s changed in version 2 of the code?
The Accredited Professionals Scheme has been operating in South Australia since 2019, setting standards for professionals who assess and certify compliance under the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016.
The Code of Conduct provides the ethical and professional framework that accredited professionals must follow. Version 2 is a more comprehensive and modernised code, with:
- stronger emphasis on professionalism, ethics and accountability
- clearer expectations around supervision, recordkeeping and conflict management
- new requirements for separation between design and assessment roles, particularly for performance solutions
- expanded duties for those conducting Building Rules assessments.
The updated Code aligns South Australia with regulatory frameworks in other jurisdictions, where the basic principle is the same: the person who designs a performance solution shouldn’t be the same person who assesses and approves it.
Having worked across projects in all Australian states and territories, I’ve seen this shift towards clearer independence requirements before, and know it takes some getting used to. And for those willing to adapt early, real opportunities lie ahead.
What’s changed: independence requirements
Among the updates to the Code is a new provision—Item 25—which establishes independence requirements for statutory functions. It states:
An accredited professional must not perform a statutory function where they have been involved in any aspect of the planning or design of the development (including designing performance solutions), other than the provision of preliminary advice of a routine or general nature.
This applies broadly across planning and design involvement, but it particularly impacts performance solutions and alternative solutions to the Building Code.
In practical terms: if you’re involved in design, you can offer preliminary advice. But you cannot then issue the building permit or certification for that same project. Independent oversight is now required.
Three key reasons why role separation matters
- Risk management: When design and assessment are separated, each party operates within their area of specialisation and insurance coverage. Building surveyors who self-certify design advice may expose themselves to liability that their insurance may not cover.
- Documentation: If compliance issues surface years later, clear, independent documentation in the building permit shows who designed what and who assessed it.
- Professional protection: Architects, building surveyors, and specialist consultants all benefit from clearly defined roles. When responsibilities blur, so does accountability. Clarity protects everyone.
What this change means for building surveyors
If you’re a building surveyor in SA, you can still offer preliminary compliance advice and guide clients on likely approval pathways. However, when a project requires involvement in design, including performance solutions, engaging an independent consultant protects your professional standing.
Here are the upsides:
- Stronger documentation: Your building permit file includes expert engineering analysis and documentation from a qualified specialist, rather than informal notes.
- Reduced liability: You’re assessing independent work, so you’re not risking operating outside of what your professional indemnity insurance may cover.
- Role clarity: There’s no ambiguity. You’re the independent assessor, not the solution designer. That clarity matters if things go wrong later on.
What this change means for architects
If you’re an architect designing SA projects, the practical implication is simple: when your design doesn’t meet deemed-to-satisfy provisions, you now need an independent specialist between you and the building surveyor.
This creates a three-stage process:
- You design the building with your architectural vision intact
- An independent consultant verifies compliance through performance solution analysis
- The building surveyor assesses the analysis and issues the permit
Early engagement with performance solution specialists means compliance issues get identified whilst designs are still flexible. Waiting until the building surveyor flags problems during permit assessment costs time and money, and sometimes requires significant redesign.
Performance solutions also enable better design outcomes: more creative use of space, preservation of heritage features, innovative approaches to accessibility or cost-effective alternatives that don’t suit prescriptive provisions.
The key is timing. Engage compliance specialists during concept or design development, not as a last-minute fix.
The opportunity in this change
The independence requirement aims to make the process more professional and protect all parties. Better documentation, clearer accountability, and more innovative design solutions all flow from having specialists operate in their areas of expertise.
For projects involving heritage buildings, unusual site constraints or any design that pushes beyond standard prescriptive solutions, this creates an opportunity to do things properly from the start.
Steps to take now
If you’re working on SA projects, here are practical steps to take:
- Review current projects: If you’re partway through design or documentation, check whether you’ll need independent performance solutions. Don’t assume informal arrangements that worked previously will still be acceptable.
- Engage early: The best outcomes happen when compliance specialists are involved before designs are locked in.
- Choose independent partners: Look for consultants who don’t also certify or assess building permits. Clear separation of roles avoids conflicts and gives building surveyors confidence in the independence of your documentation.
- Document everything: Update your project management processes to ensure performance solution reports, building surveyor assessments, and permit conditions are all clearly documented and filed.
- Stay informed: The Code of Conduct and guidance material are available on the PlanSA website. Familiarise yourself with the requirements and expectations for accredited professionals.
Choosing a performance solution partner
When choosing a performance solution partner, consider their breadth of expertise. At DDEG, we cover six specialist disciplines—fire safety, acoustics, façade engineering, building solutions and sustainability—representing over 90% of the Building Code. That multidisciplinary capability means you work with one trusted partner across all compliance challenges, rather than coordinating multiple specialists.
Our independence is fundamental to how we operate. We design and document performance solutions, but we don’t certify or assess building permits. That’s a deliberate choice that eliminates conflicts of interest and gives building surveyors confidence they’re assessing genuinely independent work.
For SA projects, our Adelaide team is backed by 85 specialists nationally, giving you local access with the depth of national experience.
Looking ahead
South Australia’s professional standards are now consistent with national directions on independence and accountability in building certification.
Building surveyors and architects who adapt quickly will lead this change. Those who wait may find themselves explaining to clients why their projects are delayed or why they need to engage additional consultants mid-stream.
The regulatory framework is now clear. The market opportunity is significant. And the path forward is straightforward: embrace independence, document thoroughly, and engage specialists who understand both design and compliance.
If you’re working on a project in SA and wondering how these changes affect your specific situation, reach out. We’ve navigated similar regulatory frameworks across multiple states, and we can help you achieve compliance without compromising design intent.