Disability access consultant Perth: access reports for WA building approval
Perth and Western Australian projects need the same Premises Standards, NCC access and AS 1428 discipline used elsewhere in Australia, applied to WA’s building approval pathway. That pathway is not an NSW Development Application and Construction Certificate package. GJ Finn & DW Wong trading as Sydney Access Consultants is building a presence in the Perth market and welcomes enquiries from WA architects, builders, developers and registered building surveyors.
This page says what reports we prepare for building-permit support, how that sits beside a Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3), and when a Performance Solution sits beside the report. It does not invent a Perth shopfront.
Perth and WA presence: growing, not a fake office
The practice base is Hurstville. Live locations copy is the rule we follow: we are building our presence in the Perth market. WA work is written to the same report standard as our NSW lodgement work, assessed against the code and pathway in force in Western Australia. NSW DCP, Housing SEPP and AS 4299 adaptable overlays are not assumed unless the WA instruments actually call them up.
The NSW Mid North Coast is different. That region has a named full-time practitioner, Sandy Grey at Black Beach. See Mid North Coast access reports. Do not read this page as the same presence claim. See locations.
What we prepare for Perth and WA projects
Disability access reports for building permit and Certificate of Design Compliance support
We prepare plan assessments and disability access reports that help the design team and the registered building surveyor document access compliance for a building-permit package. The building surveyor issues the Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3) and decides what documentation is required. This practice does not issue the BA3 and does not issue the building permit.
Typical report content: accessways, entries, ramps, stairs, lifts, accessible parking, sanitary facilities, and signage or TGSIs where required, assessed against the Premises Standards, the NCC access provisions applicable to the job in WA, and the AS 1428 suite.
Planning-stage access statements
Some WA local governments ask for an Access Statement or Universal Access Statement by a suitably qualified consultant at development application stage. That is planning support. It is distinct from the building-permit / BA3 documentation package. Confirm the LGA checklist for the site before you commission a separate statement.
Access audits of existing buildings
On-site or desktop audits of existing commercial, public, education, aged care, heritage and alteration projects. Findings are prioritised: compliant, non-compliant, practical options. Site inspections in Perth are arranged by enquiry for the project. We do not advertise same-day local capacity we do not have.
When a Performance Solution sits beside the report
If Deemed-to-Satisfy cannot be demonstrated, the building surveyor may need a Performance Solution and a Performance-Based Design Brief. That is a related pathway, not an extra paragraph in a DTS report. See Performance Solutions.
WA pathway versus NSW pathway
Do not copy NSW labels onto a WA job. In NSW, CDC means Complying Development Certificate. In WA, people often say CDC when they mean Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3). This page always means the BA3 instrument when it says Certificate of Design Compliance.
| Concept | NSW | Western Australia |
|---|---|---|
| Planning consent | Development Application | Development application under the local planning scheme |
| Pre-construction building approval | Construction Certificate, or Complying Development Certificate | Building permit (BA1 certified or BA2 uncertified pathways) |
| Design compliance certificate | Registered certifier / PCA issues the CC or Complying Development Certificate | Registered building surveyor issues the Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3) |
| Access report role | Lodgement-ready evidence for council or PCA | Specialist documentation supporting surveyor assessment and the permit package; may also support a planning Access Statement |
Report structure and evidence discipline are explained on the NSW DA, CC and CDC access reports page. Use that page for how a lodgement-ready report is written. Do not treat its NSW certificate names as WA law.
Western Australia adopted NCC 2025 from 1 May 2026 with a 12-month transition. Many applications may still be assessed against NCC 2022 until about 1 May 2027. Confirm the applicable edition with the building surveyor for the application in front of you. New South Wales remains on NCC 2022 Amendment 2 until 1 May 2027.
Standards the report should reference
- Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
- Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010, as amended
- NCC Volume One access provisions (Part D4 and related) for the edition that applies in WA
- AS 1428.1 as referenced by the Premises Standards and that NCC edition; AS 1428.4.1 where TGSIs apply; AS/NZS 2890.6 where accessible parking is provided; lift Standards as referenced
- any LGA Access Statement requirement that actually applies to the site
How a Perth or WA engagement works
Enquiry, drawings and brief, plan assessment (and a site visit if scoped), draft findings, report for the approval package, then coordination with the architect, builder and building surveyor.
Send the current drawing set for the stage, building classification, a short project description, any surveyor RFI or LGA checklist, and any earlier access report. There is no separate Perth phone and no Perth street address on this page. Call (02) 9586 3111.
Why this practice for a WA project
The differentiator is report discipline applied to WA pathway language, not a claim to out-local a Balcatta or St Georges Terrace firm. An access report is not a BA3, not a full BCA report, and not SDA certification. If the same project also needs SDA, livable housing or a Performance Solution, those are separate products. SDA enrolment is not a building-permit access report. See SDA certification only when that is the actual product.
Frequently asked questions
Do you prepare disability access reports for Perth and WA building permits?
Yes. Plan assessments and disability access reports for Perth and Western Australia projects support design teams and registered building surveyors documenting access compliance for building-permit packages, including material that can support a Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3) assessment. This practice does not issue the BA3 or the building permit.
Do you have a Perth office?
No shopfront is claimed here. The practice is based in Hurstville and is building a presence in the Perth market. WA projects are assessed against the WA pathway and the NCC edition in force for the job.
What is the difference between a WA Certificate of Design Compliance and an NSW Construction Certificate?
Different statutes, different decision-makers. In WA a registered building surveyor issues the Certificate of Design Compliance (BA3) as part of the building-permit pathway. In NSW a registered certifier issues a Construction Certificate (or a Complying Development Certificate, which is a different NSW instrument). Do not use “CDC” for both.
Can you help with a Universal Access Statement for a Perth DA?
Yes, where the LGA checklist asks for one. Confirm the planner’s product name before the brief is locked.
What if the building surveyor asks for a Performance Solution?
Treat it as a related commission. See Performance Solutions.
Ask about a Perth or WA access report on (02) 9586 3111.