ARBV Strategic Plan 2026-2030

The plan sets out our goals for the next four years, and our priorities for realising them. To monitor our progress and report on our performance we have developed a Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.

In performing our functions the ARBV is committed to upholding the highest standards of competence and integrity in the professional practice of architecture and engaging with architects, consumers, co-regulators and government to enhance the quality and safety of the built environment for all Victorians. With this in mind we delivered a comprehensive program of initiatives and improvements over the life of the previous plan to strengthen the regulatory oversight of architects and make it easier for the public and architects to interact with us.

An initial key focus in this plan will be on the effective and efficient implementation of legislative changes to the Architects Act 1991 (effective from August 2025) and the new Architects Regulations (remade in April 2026), including the updated Victorian Architects Code of Professional Conduct. In addition, we will continue to build on the program of regulatory work already delivered by implementing strategies focused on achieving the following objectives:

• Victorians trust the ARBV to hold architects to high professional standards for the protection of consumers, building confidence in the architecture profession and the ARBV
• Victorians are aware of the professional obligations of architects and the ARBV’s role in upholding standards for the benefit and protection of consumers
• Future architects attain the knowledge and skills to become registered and practising architects maintain their knowledge and skills at competency standards that meet regulatory requirements
• Victorian architects practise competently and exhibit a professional mindset of integrity and accountability.

We recognise that the building and construction industry is ever-changing and constantly evolving. Some of the current drivers impacting the industry include climate change and sustainability, artificial intelligence and rapidly changing technological innovation in the form of new products and new methods of construction. These drivers may develop further or shift over the next four years and other drivers may emerge. We will remain alert to changes and be agile in considering the impacts for the practice of architecture and the professional regulation of architects for the benefit and protection of consumers.

We are confident that this plan, supported by ongoing engagement with consumers and key stakeholders, will allow the ARBV to deliver effective regulatory oversight of architects which meets the expectations of the Victorian community.

Dr Giorgio Marfella
Chairperson

Dr Glenice Fox
CEO/Registrar

The Act establishes the framework for the regulation of architects in Victoria and has as its purposes:

• to provide for the registration of architects
• to provide for the approval of partnerships and companies providing architectural services
• to regulate the professional conduct of architects
• to provide a procedure for handling complaints against architects
• to regulate the use of the terms "architect", "architectural services", "architectural design services" and "architectural design"
• to establish the Architects Registration Board of Victoria.

The ARBV is wholly funded through fees charged to architects wishing to be registered to practise their profession in Victoria.

The ARBV is accountable to the Minister for Housing and Building, who is accountable to Parliament and the community for the performance of the ARBV. The Minister also establishes key governance and performance priorities for the ARBV by issuing a Statement of Expectations.

As a Victorian statutory authority, the ARBV follows key whole of government legislation and related policies and guidelines. Board members, responsible for governing the ARBV, are appointed in accordance with the Act. The Board is also assisted by committees and panels including the independent Architects Tribunal.

The Board appoints a Chief Executive Officer/Registrar to deliver the operations of the organisation. The Chief Executive Officer/Registrar is supported by a team of staff with multidisciplinary backgrounds in regulation, law, finance, architecture and administration.

The ARBV's statutory functions include:

• Assessing and determining applications for registration from individuals and applications for approval from partnerships and companies.
• Suspending and cancelling registrations or approvals and revoking suspensions where required.
• Regulating the professional conduct of architects, approved partnerships and approved companies.
• Preparing guidelines on professional conduct and practice for architects, approved partnerships and approved companies.
• Publishing information relating to the operation of the ARBV and the Act.
• Together with the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA), administering the Architectural Practice Examination, the most common pathway to registration.
• Accrediting architectural programs of study within Victoria, in accordance with the established Architecture Program Accreditation Procedure in Australia and New Zealand administered by the AACA and in doing so, determining qualifications required for registration under the Act.
• Investigating and bringing proceedings for offences against the Act.
• Carrying out any other powers and functions which are given to it by the Act or which are necessary to implement the Act.

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.

Our vision

A well-designed, liveable and safe built environment for Victorians.

Our mission

We will engage, educate and regulate to ensure architectural services in Victoria are delivered to high professional standards and contribute to improved building outcomes for the benefit of the community.

Responsiveness

• providing high quality services to the Victorian community
• identifying and promoting best practice
• providing frank, impartial, and timely advice to the Government

Integrity

• being honest, open, and transparent in all dealings
• using powers responsibly
• reporting improper conduct
• avoiding any real or apparent conflicts of interest
• striving to earn and sustain a high level of public trust

Impartiality

• making decisions and providing advice on merit and without bias, caprice, favouritism, or self interest
• acting fairly by objectively considering all relevant facts and fair criteria
• implementing Government policies and programs equitably

Accountability

• working to clear objectives in a transparent manner
• accepting responsibility for decisions and actions
• seeking to achieve best use of resources
• submitting to appropriate scrutiny

Respect for others

• treating others fairly and objectively
• ensuring freedom from discrimination, harassment, and bullying
• using feedback to improve outcomes on an ongoing basis

Leadership

• actively implementing, promoting, and supporting these values

Promoting Human Rights

• making decisions and providing advice consistent with human rights
• actively implementing, promoting, and supporting human rights

Objective 1 – Trusted Regulator

Victorians trust the ARBV to hold architects to high professional standards for the protection of consumers, building confidence in the architecture profession and the ARBV

Objective 2 – Consumer and Community Engagement

Victorians are aware of the professional obligations of architects and the ARBV’s role in upholding standards for the benefit and protection of consumers

Objective 3 – Professional Knowledge and Skills

Future architects attain the knowledge and skills to become registered and practising architects maintain their knowledge and skills at competency standards that meet regulatory requirements

Objective 4 – Professional Compliance Culture

Victorian architects practise competently and exhibit a professional mindset of integrity and accountability

Strategic initiatives

• Engage with stakeholders about changes to the Act and Regulations to support understanding and ensure smooth implementation
• Ensure the ARBV’s risk-based Regulatory Strategy aligns with current regulatory settings
• Continuously improve systems, resources, intelligence and processes to support efficient and effective regulation
• Collaborate with the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) on future legislative reforms to further strengthen the regulatory oversight of architects
• Maintain effective working relationships with government, Victorian co-regulators and other stakeholders to optimise regulatory outcomes e.g. sharing data and participating in co-regulator improvement initiatives
• Collaborate across jurisdictions with other regulators of the architecture profession to build public confidence in the profession

Measures of success

• Delivered clear and timely information and communications about changes to the Act and Regulations
• Revised and updated Regulatory Strategy, associated plans, and implementation systems, tools and guidance
• Increased regulatory activity and enhanced services delivered as a result of improved systems, resources, intelligence and processes
• Developed new workplan of proposed legislative reforms to strengthen the ARBV’s regulatory oversight and progressed workplan with DTP
• Worked closely with DTP and co-regulators on sectoral developments and initiatives, and kept DTP up to date about ARBV’s regulatory activities
• Actively collaborated on issues of local and national importance for the regulation of the architecture profession, including issues relating to national and international mobility of architects

Strategic initiatives

• Educate the public about the obligations of architects and the consumer protections available, including in relation to emerging developments in the industry
• Engage with consumers and the public directly to raise awareness about the role of the ARBV
• Ensure all the ARBV’s communication pathways are easy to engage with and informative
• Increase awareness of the Register of Architects and encourage consumers to verify the registration status of Victorian architects
• Gather information from consumers who have engaged with architects and designers about their experience to inform the ARBV’s regulatory activities

Measures of success

• Increased number of consumer-focused education materials produced and initiatives delivered about the obligations of architects and the consumer protections available
• Increased participation in public facing events and initiatives to raise awareness about the role of the ARBV
• Information and materials available to consumers and the public about the obligations of architects and the consumer protections available are reviewed and updated to ensure they are targeted, current and user-friendly
• Improvements to the Register of Architects implemented to facilitate increased use by consumers to verify registration status
• Increased strategies to gather information from consumers who have engaged with architects and designers about their experience

Strategic initiatives

• Work with the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) to ensure education and competency standards are aligned to the National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA) and are embedded in course accreditation processes and the Architectural Practice Examination (APE) to support candidates to meet competency requirements for registration
• Engage with Victorian universities about preparing graduates to meet requirements for practical experience and becoming registered architects
• Undertake proactive communications, education and engagement about the importance and value of registration
• Promote the importance of continuing professional development (CPD) aligned to the NSCA and continue to deliver the ARBV’s CPD webinar program to support architects to stay up to date with key developments and be knowledgeable in critical areas
• Increase analysis of collected data to better understand the profile of the architecture profession in Victoria to inform education and engagement activities
• Ensure the ARBV’s digital platforms and processes including for APE and registration are streamlined and easy to engage with

Measures of success

• In collaboration with the AACA accreditation terms are closely monitored and reviews scheduled to ensure that high standards of architectural education aligned to the NSCA are maintained by Victorian universities; provider annual reports are reviewed periodically to check on progress of any outstanding actions
• Increased number of initiatives and events delivered to Victorian universities and future architects about professional practice, the regulatory framework, pre-registration and registration requirements
• Increased registration numbers, particularly among persons who meet registration requirements but are not registered as architects
• Increased compliance by architects with CPD obligations, supported by access to free formal CPD webinars provided by the ARBV
• Increased functionality of processes and systems to support more insightful data collection and analysis to inform regulatory activities
• Available technologies leveraged to support streamlined and robust APE and registration processes

Strategic initiatives

• Continue research about the profession that enhances understanding of systemic issues and risks and drives innovative thinking and compliant practices
• Using indicators identified in the ARBV’s strengthening compliance culture research, monitor and evaluate the compliance culture of Victorian architects over time
• Embed continuous intelligence-led activities (e.g. monitoring, intelligence gathering, data mining and analysis, proactive investigations) to assess compliance, identify trends and emerging issues
• Identify regulatory focus areas as informed by intelligence-led activities and research and develop targeted strategies to address non compliance, support behavioural change, and encourage voluntary compliance
• Efficiently and effectively manage and respond to complaints and non-compliance
• Take regulatory action to prevent non registered persons or unapproved entities from representing themselves as an architect to avoid misleading consumers

Measures of success

• Engaged in targeted data gathering activities (e.g. research) about systemic and emerging issues to inform regulatory activities
• Evaluated compliance culture of Victorian architects by administering a survey based on indicators from compliance culture research
• Increased use of intelligence-led activities to gather insights about compliance to enhance intelligence gathering, analysis and responsiveness to systemic compliance issues
• Regulatory focus areas identified and targeted strategies implemented, including issuing information, education and guidance to support behavioural change and encourage voluntary compliance
• Complaints and Investigation case management KPIs are met
• Increased co-operation and compliance by non-registered persons and unapproved entities with the ARBV’s requirements

We will take the following actions over the period 2026-2030 to support this strategy:

• Maintain a high performing, focused and sustainable organisation
• Maintain a staffing model which is aligned to the delivery of the strategic plan
• Effectively prioritise our resources and activities to achieve the ARBV’s vision, mission and strategic objectives
• Maintain operational systems, policies, processes and third-party arrangements that are fit for purpose and support effective governance and compliance
• Drive transparency about the ARBV’s activities and performance though effective communications and reporting
• Maintain an effective risk management framework, which identifies and mitigates risks that may impact service delivery (e.g. cyber security, revenue fluctuations) and fosters a proactive and risk aware culture