Consultation Hub

Consultation is the cornerstone of the Australian Building Codes Board's (ABCB) commitment to maintaining a contemporary and relevant National Construction Code (NCC). The consultation process also relates to our CodeMark and WaterMark product certification schemes. This hub is a place for you to find and participate in consultations that interest you.

Consultations will be displayed below once available. Alternatively, you can search for consultations by keyword or interest.

Open Consultations

  • National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 public comment draft (stage 1)

    The National Construction Code (NCC) is updated every 3 years, based on required regulatory practices, industry research, public feedback provided and policy directions from Governments to the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) between publishing cycles. Updated content is included in the... More

    Closes 2 July 2021

  • Discussion paper: Involvement of fire authorities in building design

    The Building Confidence Report (BCR), published in 2018, identified issues with the regulatory oversight of the construction of Class 2 - 9 buildings in Australia. It noted that fire authorities lack confidence that buildings will comply with the minimum fire safety requirements of the... More

    Closes 7 July 2021

  • WMTS-532 Pre-packaged wastewater pumping wells

    For Public Comment Technical Specification for the WaterMark Certification Scheme This new WaterMark technical specification sets out requirements for pre-packaged wastewater pumping wells to convey wastewater from multiple fixtures from a single dwelling to the gravity sewer invert... More

    Closes 7 July 2021

  • Evidence of experience for building surveyor registration

    In 2017, Building Ministers commissioned an independent expert examination of systemic problems affecting compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC). The resulting Building Confidence Report (BCR) made 24 recommendations for a best practice model for... More

    Closes 19 July 2021

See All Open Consultations

Closed Consultations

See All Closed Consultations

We Asked, You Said, We Did

Here are some of the issues we have consulted on and their outcomes. See all outcomes

We asked

We sought your views on a definition to identify buildings with increased likelihood of non-compliance, and therefore consequences for occupants.

You said

You said the definition needed to be simplified and amended so that it could be understood and implemented with confidence.

We did

To make the definition clearer, we:

  • consolidated and replaced confusing criteria
  • simplified the presentation, and
  • used terminology from the NCC. 

See the What happens next section at the bottom of this page for more information.   

We asked

The Building Confidence Report (BCR) Implementation Team asked for your feedback about how:

  • reporting of auditing information could impact compliance with the National Construction Code, State and Territory legislation and Australian Standards;
  • how and when auditing information should be reported; and
  • your perceptions of the benefits and disadvantages of such reporting.

You said

We received 199 responses. Responses were positive about the impacts of reporting on auditing, with almost all respondents expressing that reporting on auditing would benefit industry, building owners, tenants and users. Two thirds of respondents expressed an interest in more, and more frequent, engagement by building regulators about auditing, in addition to formal reporting.

We did

The BCR Implementation Team used your feedback to inform the draft Auditing and Compliance Publication Framework, which is out for consultation from November 2020 - January 2021.

We asked

In March 2020, the Building Confidence Report (BCR) Implementation Team released a discussion paper asking for feedback on a draft National Model Code of Conduct for building surveyors.

You said

The Team received 44 responses to the discussion paper, which indicated you supported a national code of conduct for building surveyors. However, you suggested some changes, asked for clarifications and suggested additional obligations.

We did

In response to your feedback, obligations have been reduced and made clearer. A new obligation on transparency in contracting was added along with more examples and a glossary.  

View the Model Code on the ABCB website.