Minimum accessible housing standards in the NCC

12 August 2020

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is continuing to investigate whether accessible housing should be mandated in NCC 2022.  They are considering various options based on the Livable Housing Design Guidelines.

Master Builders’ position has been to oppose any introduction of a mandatory minimum standard and advocates non-mandatory options such as government subsidies and education programs. We continue to lead in this as a major industry supporter of Livable Housing Australia.

The latest step in the government’s process is a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) to quantify the costs and benefits of introducing accessibility standards in the NCC.

The draft RIS has found that the cost-benefit for mandatory options does not stack up. At the same time, it found that because of the complex nature of the problem there is significant uncertainty in their conclusion.

Therefore, the ABCB is now seeking the views of industry and the community on the draft report.

The issues we’ll identify in our submission are:

1. Accessibility features are generally not being provided in new dwellings
2. There are costs associated with providing accessible housing – depending on the site the costs can be very significant
3. Why homeowners and builders choose not to take up accessible housing
4. The unintended consequences that will arise from mandating accessible housing
5. There are other ways to achieve accessible housing e.g. incentives for owners who build a new home which meets the accessibility requirements
6. The need for improved information and promotion to encourage uptake

If you’re passionate about this issue, we urge you to make your own submission directly to the ABCB.