Architects provide a broad spectrum of professional services connected to the design, planning and construction of buildings, including masterplans, urban design, briefs, interiors, digital models, drawings, specifications, technical details, and also provide project management services such as contract administration. Architects are often involved in the leadership and coordination of complex building projects from inception at the design stage to completion at the occupancy stage.
The case for continued government intervention in the regulation of architectural services was highlighted in the Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) prepared on behalf of the Department of Transport and Planning in relation to the remaking of the Architects Regulations 2015. The RIS released in December 2025 provides:
Architectural design operates in a market characterised by significant information asymmetries, split incentives, and externalities. Consumers often lack the technical expertise to assess design quality or professional competence, while architects may face commercial pressures to prioritise short-term or client-specific outcomes over long-term building performance and public safety. Poor design decisions can have enduring consequences for building users, neighbouring properties, and community confidence in the built environment.
A core objective of regulation is to hold architects to high professional standards to minimise the potential for harm from unprofessional conduct and sub-standard practice. The importance of attaining and maintaining the requisite knowledge and skills to practise competently and with integrity is a constant thread through architecture education, pre-registration requirements and after professional registration is achieved. The National Standard of Competency for Architects features prominently in each phase, and on becoming part of a profession there is a range of overarching duties owed by architects to their clients, the public and the profession. These overarching duties include a duty of care, a duty of competence, a duty of honesty and integrity, a duty to comply with all applicable laws, a duty of confidentiality, a duty to act impartially and avoid conflicts of interest, and a duty to keep records and communicate effectively.
Architects must continue to meet professional standards of conduct and practice throughout their professional career, including as set out in the Victorian Architects Code of Professional Conduct. An important mechanism by which architects maintain their skills and knowledge is through compliance with prescribed Continuing Professional Development requirements.
The up-to-date Register of Architects, maintained by the ARBV, allows consumers to source competent and qualified architects over unregistered persons, who may lack the qualifications or competencies to deliver safe and compliant building work. Consumers are also able to engage architects with the knowledge that registration requires them to be covered by professional indemnity insurance.
Registration also creates benefits for consumers in the form of additional protections provided by an increased level of industry regulation.
Regulation benefits architects because it allows them to:
- participate in a registered and monitored profession
- have their credentials validated and visible to potential clients
- have their services legitimised over unregistered persons
- have greater protection from unlawful competition
- have confidence that appropriate action will be taken to address cases where professional standards have not been met
- ensure their qualifications and competency meet national standards
- receive support in ongoing proficiency.
Regulation of architects also achieves government objectives by providing controls and protections to support the continued growth and efficient operation of the building industry in Victoria.
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