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The Consultation RIS addressing a proposal to include minimum accessibility standards for housing in the NCC is now open for public consultation.

In 2017, the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF), with the support of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), directed the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to undertake a regulatory impact analysis on the possible inclusion of accessibility requirements for housing into the National Construction Code (NCC). Since this time, ABCB has undertaken extensive consultation and in 2018 released an Options Paper, and subsequently released an Options Paper Consultation Report, that sought stakeholder input into the objectives, options and terminology to inform the development of a Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS).

The Consultation RIS is now available for public consultation. It examines regulatory options that are based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines (LHDG) Silver-level and Gold-level specifications, as well as a ‘Gold-plus’ specification developed through stakeholder consultation.

The ABCB has also released a project overview and RIS explainer document that explains the project, its timelines and the RIS process.

Feedback from stakeholders will be used to inform the Final RIS. The Consultation RIS and its supporting documents can be downloaded from the ABCB’s Consultation Hub.

Providing comment

Responses to questions on the Consultation RIS, outlined in the consultation form, are invited until 11:59PM AEST Monday 31 August 2020. Only comments submitted using the online form will be considered.

If you have a question about the project, please submit an online enquiry (use the ‘general’ option).

ABCB Resources and Links

A draft Framework on the publication of auditing and compliance information is now open for public comment.

Recommendation 7 of the Building Confidence Report (BCR) is that each jurisdiction makes public its audit strategy for regulatory oversight of the construction of commercial buildings (defined as Class 2–9 buildings), with annual reporting on audit findings and outcomes.

In response, the BCR Implementation Team has developed a draft Framework to guide building regulators to publish auditing and compliance information. Implementation of the draft Framework is expected to increase industry compliance with the National Construction Code and increase public confidence in the building industry. The draft Framework draws on input received from stakeholders during a June-July 2020 survey dealing with reporting on the auditing of commercial buildings.

The draft Framework has been designed to assist regulators and industry by:

• communicating the importance of regulators’ auditing activities to industry and the public, fostering confidence in regulatory actions and supporting increased efficiency
• building a collaborative relationship with industry that can be drawn on to address compliance trends
• reporting on auditing outcomes with greater consistency across jurisdictions, supporting analysis of trends and enabling the impacts of regulatory or policy changes to be identified, assessed and addressed
• increasing industry’s ability to deliver safe buildings to building owners and users through empowering it to take on a greater role in recognising and responding to emerging trends shown in public reporting on auditing, and
• encouraging value compliance and increasing awareness of the consequences of non-compliance.

Providing comment

Responses to questions on the draft Framework, outlined in the consultation form, are invited until 11:59PM AEDT Sunday 17 January 2021. Only comments submitted using the online form will be considered.

If you have a question about this consultation, please contact bcrimplementationteam@abcb.gov.au.

ABCB Resources and Links

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented a variety of significant challenges for the building industry, regulators and consumers, Building Ministers have agreed to a four month delay to the adoption of NCC 2022.

NCC 2022 is now expected to be adopted by states and territories from 1 September 2022.

The delayed adoption will also see adjustments to key dates in the amendment cycle process for NCC 2022 to allow stakeholders time to participate. These adjusted dates include:

• May - July 2021: NCC 2022 Public Comment Draft released for public consultation
• May 2022: NCC 2022 Preview published at ncc.abcb.gov.au

If you have any questions regarding the delayed adoption of NCC 2022, please submit an online enquiry.

2021 NCC Seminars

The Australian Building Codes Board will again be delivering its annual NCC Seminars in 2021. The Seminars are expected to be held in each capital city during May next year. Booking and registration information will be available in early 2021. Login to NCC Online and ensure your communication preferences are up to date to receive further information when it becomes available.

ABCB Resources and Links

On behalf of the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB), the Centre for International Economics (CIE) has released a survey for practitioner input.

The survey is designed to gather evidence on the likely impacts of recommendations in the BCR on the number of major defects in new buildings and their associated costs.

The results of the survey will be used to assess the potential benefits from implementing recommendations in the BCR (an expert assessment of the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the Australian building and construction industry conducted in 2018).

This short survey should take between 5-10 minutes to complete. It will close at 9am AEST 23 June 2020.

As a practitioner in the industry, your input would be valuable.

This is genuine research and your individual survey responses will remain confidential and anonymous at all times.

ABCB Resources and Links

Provide your views on reporting of auditing strategies, activities and outcomes of commercial buildings.

In response to Recommendation 7 of the Building Confidence Report (BCR), the BCR Implementation Team is developing a high-level principles-based publication framework. This framework will help in drafting a nationally consistent guide to Australia-wide public reporting on the auditing of the construction of commercial buildings (including multi-storey residential – Class 2).

To do this the BCR Implementation Team is seeking your views about reporting on auditing strategies, activities and outcomes and how reporting on this type of information would impact compliance with state and territory legislation, the National Construction Code and Australian Standards.

Taking time to express your views on auditing reporting through completion of this survey will help to ensure the publication framework can deliver benefits for regulators, industry, and owners, tenants and users of new commercial buildings.

The survey can be accessed via the ABCB Consultation Hub and is open until 11:59PM AEST Tuesday 14 July 2020.

ABCB Resources and Links

A discussion paper on a draft National Registration Framework for Building Practitioners is now open for public comment.

The Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) authorised an assessment of the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry across Australia. The resulting Building Confidence Report (BCR) highlighted shortcomings in the implementation of the National Construction Code (NCC) and made 24 recommendations to address these issues.

Recommendations 1 and 2 of the BCR propose the registration of building practitioners involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings, and that each jurisdiction prescribes consistent registration requirements covering knowledge of NCC, competency and experience, insurance and financial viability, and integrity.

The NRF, if adopted, is expected to enhance public confidence and improve national consistency in the registration of building practitioners. The NRF covers core disciplines in the fields of building production, approval and coordination.

Providing comment

Responses to questions on the discussion paper, outlined in the consultation form, are invited until 11:59PM AEST Sunday 23 August 2020. Only comments submitted using the online form will be considered.

If you have a question about this consultation, please contact bcrimplementationteam@abcb.gov.au.

ABCB Resources and Links

This is your opportunity to provide feedback

The Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) assesses a proposal to include minimum accessibility standards for housing in the National Construction Code (NCC). It examines regulatory options that are based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines Silver-level and Gold-level specifications, as well as a ‘Gold-plus’ specification developed through stakeholder consultation.

The views of stakeholders on the Consultation RIS are being sought by the ABCB to ensure the Final RIS is based on the best available information. Questions have been included to guide respondents on specific matters where more information may assist in developing the Final RIS.

As part of consultation, the ABCB is also seeking the personal stories of people whose lives have been impacted by accessible housing (or the lack of accessible housing). Sharing your personal story will help provide important, qualitative information to support the RIS.

The Consultation RIS and its supporting documents can be downloaded from the ABCB Consultation Hub.

Providing feedback

You can provide your feedback on the Consultation RIS by either:

1. Completing the online consultation form and answering the questions outlined within, or by uploading a separate submission via Question 36 (within the 'Estimating the benefits' section); OR
2. Providing your submission, or personal story, via email at abcbris@abcb.gov.au. Please ensure that you accompany your submission, or personal story, with the Information Collection and Personal Information form available for download from the Consultation Hub.

Responses to questions and submissions on the Consultation RIS are invited until 11:59PM AEST Monday 31 August 2020.

ABCB Resources and Links

The Australian Building Codes Board is excited to announce the release of its first NCC CPD course, tailored for compliance practitioners.

This online course, titled Performance Solutions, has been developed in partnership with industry, government and subject matter experts. The course assists compliance practitioners, such as building surveyors, in verifying and extending their understanding of the National Construction Code (NCC) and the application and assessment of Performance Solutions.

You can subscribe directly to NCC CPD to receive detailed information on when courses are released including information on content, pricing, duration and how you can demonstrate compliance with your continuing professional development requirements.

Please note: Subscription to NCC CPD courses is separate to your NCC login details.

What's next?

Another course in the compliance suite on NCC Evidence of Suitability will be released soon.

In the coming months we'll also be launching NCC CPD courses for other practitioner groups, these being:

• Design and engineering practitioners including architects, designers, draftspersons, specialists and engineers (including fire and hydraulic); and
• Construct and install practitioners including builders, plumbers, fire protection practitioners, and site/project managers.

ABCB Resources and Links

In moving from what was historically a print-based publication, to what will become an innovative and agile digital product, the next phase of improvements are primarily to the code’s structure and format. These improvements are being implemented following considerable analysis, research and consultation with key industry groups, and do not change the intent of the code in any way.

The changes form part of the ABCB’s overall long-term strategy to improve useability of the code, and have been designed with NCC users in mind. This needs to have regard to those who are relatively new to the industry and becoming familiar with the NCC as a technical regulatory instrument, those who are using it in their studies and will therefore be future users of the product, as well as those who have been in the business for some time and are therefore familiar with how things have been done up to this point.

To guide users through the changes, the ABCB has developed a range of supporting material, which will be released in stages leading up to the release of the NCC 2022 Public Comment Draft (PCD) on 10 May 2021.

The first stage of supporting materials are being released (see below), which cover NCC 2022’s:

• Roadmap to better building and plumbing outcomes
• New information architecture which enables a consistent volume structure.
• Improved clause referencing (numbering) system.
• Simplified clause structure.
• Features that improve accessibility and readability.

These changes are essential to ensure the NCC:

• Is easily digested and comprehended by users, encouraging greater adoption across industry. Higher rates of use and comprehension will help lift compliance and improve building outcomes.
• Can be converted into a range of digital formats, enabling features such as personalised filtering of content.
• Encourages digital innovation such as integration with commonly used industry software and digital systems.
• Facilitates contemporary education and training opportunities, incentivising new entrants to the building and plumbing industries to familiarise themselves with the NCC.

What will result is an NCC that is more usable and accessible to as many practitioners as possible, knowing that it will require some adjustment for those who have used it in its current form for many years.

The ABCB will be releasing a range of supporting material and useful resources prior to the NCC 2022 PCD. To ensure that you are kept up to date with these important changes please ensure you are subscribed to 'ABCB Connect' in your NCC profile.

ABCB Resources and Links

Don’t miss your opportunity to comment!

The discussion paper for the draft National Registration Framework (NRF) for Building Practitioners is currently open for stakeholder feedback. It has been developed in response to the Building Confidence Report (BCR). BCR recommendations 1 and 2, propose the registration of building practitioners involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings.

The purpose of the NRF, if adopted, is to increase compliance with the National Construction Code, enhance public confidence and improve national consistency in the registration of building practitioners.

This is your opportunity to provide input on the NRF. Your feedback will help the BCR Implementation Team refine and improve the NRF for consideration by Building Ministers, noting that implementation of the NRF remains the responsibility of each state and territory.

Providing comment

Responses to questions on the discussion paper, outlined in the consultation form, are invited until 11:59PM AEST Sunday 23 August 2020.

ABCB Resources and Links

Have your say on whether the allowable level of lead in plumbing products in contact with drinking water should be reduced.

As part of the Australian Building Codes Board’s (ABCB) Lead in Plumbing Products Project, a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) on lead in plumbing products that come in contact with drinking water was opened today.

A small amount of lead is currently permitted by Australian Standards for use in the manufacture of plumbing products. The exact lead content of products varies by component, though some products in contact with drinking water contain up to 6% lead as a proportion of raw material.

According to an expert report commissioned by the ABCB in 2018, while drinking water meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines under the current regulatory framework, copper alloy components installed between the point of connection and point of discharge is a principle source of lead addition.

Despite this, it is to be stressed that the quality of Australia’s reticulated water supply is of an extremely high quality and instances where lead levels exceed the Guidelines are rare.

As a result, this Consultation RIS aims to determine whether the allowable levels of lead in the manufacture of copper alloy plumbing products and material specifications that come into contact with drinking water, should be reduced.

The ABCB invites comment from all stakeholders using the online consultation form until 11:59PM AEDT Monday 1 March 2021.

ABCB Resources and Links

From today, 1 July 2020, the National Construction Code (NCC) 2019 Amendment 1 has been adopted.

This means the amendment is now given legal effect by relevant legislation in each State and Territory.

Key changes

The key changes for NCC 2019 Amendment 1 include:

• A new provision, A2.2(4), in the Governing Requirements to require (from 1 July 2021) that a process be followed when creating and documenting Performance Solutions.
• A new provision, A5.7, in the Governing Requirements to require labelling of Aluminum Composite Panels.
• A new provision in Volume One, D1.18, regarding egress from early childhood centres.
• Clarification amendments in Specification C1.1 of Volume One regarding concessions that permit the use of timber framing for low-rise Class 2 and 3 buildings.
• Amendment to 3.5.2.5 in Volume Two to clarify that anti-ponding boards are not required in roofs where sarking is not installed.
• Correction of minor errors.

You can ‘view’ or ‘download’ NCC 2019 Amendment 1 from the NCC Suite.

Please note: the adopted version of NCC 2019 Amendment 1 differs from and replaces the preview made available on our website earlier this year. Therefore, the preview should no longer be used.

Transition period

The process for documenting Performance Solutions set out in A2.2(4) of NCC 2019 Amendment 1 will not come into effect until 1 July 2021. It should be noted, however, that appropriate documentation for Performance Solutions should be occurring now, and that the process outlined in Amendment 1 can be used to achieve this outcome.

Supporting materials

You can download the Summary and Instructions for each NCC volume from our Resource Library to assist with identifying the changes.

To support the process for documenting Performance Solutions, we have updated our Development of Performance Solutions guidance document.

Staying Informed

Ensure that you have updated your profile, including your ‘Areas of Interest’, to stay up to date with key announcements, resource releases and important information.

The next edition of the NCC is scheduled for adoption in 2022.

ABCB Resources and Links