Practitioners across Australia’s design and construction sector are being urged to prepare for upcoming changes to the nation’s building code.

But uncertainty remains about the timing of adoption of the new code across states and territories.

With the preview of the 2025 update of the National Construction Code (NCC 2025) having been released last month, Sourceable asked the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) about how architects, engineers and builders can prepare for the new edition of the Code.

In a written response, the ABCB stressed the importance of early preparation and awareness.

“Design and building practitioners need to be aware of the main changes proposed for NCC 2025 because the NCC directly governs how buildings are designed, approved and constructed in practice,” the ABCB said.

“Early awareness helps practitioners understand what is changing, what is not, and how those changes may apply to their projects, supporting more informed decision‑making and clearer communication with clients, certifiers and other consultants.

“At a practical level, practitioners who are not adequately informed risk non‑compliant designs, approval delays, redesign, increased costs, and inconsistent interpretation of requirements across projects.

“In contrast, being well informed and prepared allows practitioners to plan for transition, identify any skills or process changes early, and integrate new requirements more smoothly into their normal practice.

“This not only reduces project risk but also supports better compliance outcomes, more efficient delivery and greater confidence across the building and regulatory system.”

 

Building code under review

The upcoming publication of the final version of NCC 2025 comes as the National Construction Code (NCC) is set to undergo a significant process of review.

This comes as the nation’s building industry is under pressure to respond to national housing challenges and to deliver upon the National Housing Accord target of 1.2 million new home completions over the five years ending June 2029.

It also follows a massive update to the Code which occurred in the previous updating cycle (NCC 2022). This included the introduction of new livable housing provisions, a significant tightening of residential energy efficiency requirements and new condensation provisions.

At the Building Ministers Meeting last October, Commonwealth, state and territory building ministers agreed to pause non-essential residential changes to the Code following the finalisation of NCC 2025 until at least the end of the Housing Accord period in June 2029.

During this time, the NCC and its governing arrangements are being reviewed. The review aims to identify how the Code can be streamlined and simplified to better support productivity and innovation.

(NCC 2025 includes updates to energy efficiency requirements for commercial buildings)

 

Key changes in NCC 2025

The final version of NCC 2025 is set to be published on May 1.

States and territories may adopt the new Code at any stage on or after this date (however, see below about implementation timeframe).

A key feature of NCC 2025 is that updates in this edition of the Code are modest in nature.

This follows the significant changes that were introduced in NCC 2022 as well as a desire from Commonwealth and state/territory governments to avoid placing undue additional pressure upon the nation’s housing industry.

A full list of changes can be seen here.

Key items include:

  • Updated Commercial energy efficiency provisions to reduce energy use in commercial buildings. This includes stronger requirements for building fabric and services, improved lighting controls and mandatory on‑site solar photovoltaic systems for certain buildings.
  • Upgraded water management requirements. Changes in Volume One strengthen requirements related to moisture, waterproofing and water management. A key change involves a new requirement for a fall in substrate for surfaces consisting of concrete or cement sheeting to ensure that water drains away from inside areas. This will help to avoid water entering buildings from balconies, podiums or flat roofs.
  • Improved carpark fire safety requirements. These involve requirements for sprinkler protection for open-deck car parks (other than stand-alone open-deck carparks) as well as the removal of concessions and exemptions which had previously been afforded to open-deck carparks.
  • Updated condensation management provisions in Volume One and the Housing Provisions. These aim to better manage condensation risk and support building durability as well as occupant health.
  • Changes regarding all gender sanitary facilities. These changes in Volume One will provide an option for the voluntary installation of all‑gender sanitary facilities in place of up to 50 percent of the current requirement for separate male and female facilities.

(to avoid leaks from balconies, podiums or flat roofs, a fall in substrate will be required for surfaces consisting of concrete or cement sheeting to ensure that water drains away from inside areas)

Several changes NOT included

It should be noted several changes that were proposed in the public comment draft for NCC 2025 will NOT be included in the new version of the Code.

These include changes to residential energy efficiency requirements, new requirements to provide infrastructure to support electric vehicle charging in new buildings and changes in respect of the fire separation of roofed outdoor areas in the Housing Provisions.

The removal of these changes follows the aforementioned decision by building ministers to pause non-essential residential building changes until at least mid-2029.

 

Clearing up misconceptions

Asked about common misconceptions surrounding NCC 2025, the ABCB sought to clarify three areas.

First, there can be a misconception that all proposed changes that were included in the Public Comment Draft released last year will automatically appear in the final edition of the new Code.

As noted above, several of the proposed changes will not be included in the final version of NCC 2025.

Another potential misconception involves ideas that the new edition of the NCC applies immediately after the final edition of NCC 2025 is published on May 1.

Instead, the adoption of the changes and their legal effect depend entirely on decisions by individual states and territories. Whilst states and territories may consider adoption from this date, each jurisdiction has the prerogative to decide for itself if and when to adopt the new version of the Code.

Rather than affect immediate regulatory change, the release of the NCC 2025 preview last month is intended to support the industry in terms of early familiarisation ahead of the potential adoption in their relevant state and territory.

Finally, there can be a perception that the new version of the Code simply represents a rewrite of existing requirements (aside from new provisions which have been included).

While NCC 2025 introduces some new requirements, many changes are targeted improvements that build on or simplify existing NCC 2022 provisions. These refinements aim to make requirements clearer and easier to interpret, apply and assess, particularly in relation to Performance Solutions and the use of referenced documents.

 

Uncertain timing re: adoption

Unfortunately, the timing according to which the new Code is set to be adopted remains uncertain around much of the country.

Officially, the Code is scheduled to commence on May 1 this year. It will be available for adoption by states and territories from this date forward.

However, uncertainty remains as to when the new code will be adopted around the country.

As things stand:

  • Queensland announced last week that it will delay the adoption of NCC 2025 until 1 May 2027.
  • The ACT has confirmed that it intends to mandate adoption from 1 November this year (individual projects may adopt the Code from 1 May should they wish to do so).
  • Tasmania has announced its intention to freeze NCC changes and delay adoption of NCC 2025.
  • Elsewhere, no announcements have been made and the timing of NCC 2025 adoption remains uncertain. (However, Sourceable understands that NSW is likely to follow the same adoption timetable as Queensland.)

For industry, the lack of consistency regarding adoption has been a source of uncertainty and frustration. So too has the lack of communication from states and territories in regard to this matter.

With many major projects being designed 12-24 months before construction, some practitioners feel that they are being left in the dark about which version of the Code they will need to prepare for during project planning and design.

 

How you can prepare

According to the ABCB, design and construction practitioners can take several actions to help prepare for the new Code.

These include:

  • reviewing the NCC 2025 preview volumes relevant to their work
  • identifying changes that may affect current or upcoming projects
  • discussing transition planning with clients, consultants and certifiers
  • considering upskilling where changes affect design or compliance approaches, and
  • keeping updated on adoption dates in their state or territory.

Several resources are provided through the ABCB’s outreach program.

These include:

  • free national webinars with live Q&A
  • updated and new guidance materials, handbooks, case studies and worked examples
  • updated NCC Tutor and the CPD‑aligned ‘NCC CPD’ learning resources, and
  • communications through the ABCB website and newsletters.

Asked about the ABCB’s priorities now that the NCC 2025 preview has been released, the Board says that its focus will shift to supporting industry understanding and preparedness in regard to the changes.

Work is also underway to prepare for the final publication of the NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026.

The ABCB says that it is important to provide clear information on what is changing (and what is not – see above), release education and guidance materials, deliver webinars and publish recordings for ongoing access and update resources as NCC 2025 moves toward final publication and adoption.

It says that this approach is intended to support a smooth transition and give industry the time, clarity and tools needed to adapt to the changes.

 

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