Introduction

This chapter outlines the main themes, key concepts, and overall structure of the book. The recent spate of residential apartment building disasters has exposed systemic regulatory shortcomings in the building industry, both in Australia and around the world. It has also raised serious questions over the robustness of ethical and professional standards frameworks and, more specifically, their capacity to promote integrity, accountability, and effective governance within individual professions and the sector as a whole. Therefore, the core aim of the book is to investigate whether strengthening, reforming, or re-positioning professionals in the building industry can contribute to better governance, higher standards, and regained trust. After examining the contours of the current crisis in the building industry that is defined by a proliferation in residential apartment defects and low consumer trust, the chapter outlines the emergence, growth, and diversification of building professions in Australia. This is followed by a summary of the conceptual frameworks that the authors draw on to examine the ‘integrity systems’ that comprise various building professions and the ethical tensions that impact on their ethical decision-making. Finally, the chapter provides an overview of the key findings and takeaways in the first to fifth parts of the book.