News

COAG endorses proposed National Construction Code

The Productivity Commission has highlighted inconsistent regulatory requirements as a key source of unnecessary regulatory burden in the Australian market.  In April this year, the meeting of the Council of Australian Governments in Hobart endorsed a series of regulatory reforms.  The proposed reforms include the development of a National Construction Code for all on-site construction requirements (including building, plumbing, electrical and telecommunications regulations).

Development of a National Code

As a first step, a Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement will be developed and released which provides an assessment of combining the Building Code of Australia and the Plumbing Code of Australia.  The Building Code is the primary code referenced in all state and territory legislation, but not all Australian jurisdictions utilise the Plumbing Code.  Other details on how the National Construction Code is to be developed and maintained are yet to be settled. 

Benefits of a National Code

The foreseeable benefits of a National Construction Code include:

• cost saving through efficiency gains from removing overlap and inconsistency between codes (primarily for the non-residential sector)
• gains through an improved regulatory framework for plumbing standards, from more consistent adoption of performance-based standards and use of impact analysis
• increased opportunity for innovation, and
• broader benefits from complementing other reform initiatives, such as national licensing and reforms in the training sector.