Australia’s federal, state, and territory building ministers have agreed to pause all non-essential changes to the National Construction Code (NCC), a decision that industry groups say will reduce regulatory complexity and give builders greater certainty, thereby speeding up housing delivery.
Wood Central understands that the ministers signed off on a package that allows a targeted set of NCC 2025 updates to proceed, while imposing a four-year moratorium on further non-essential code changes until at least June 30, 2029 — the end of the National Housing Accord period. That pause is intended to protect builders from shifting requirements whilst the Albanese government pursues a target of 1.2 million new homes from July 1, 2024.
As reported by Sourceable, the NCC 2025 will be published on February 1, 2026, and will be available for jurisdictions to drop from May 1, 2026. Ministers agreed that the most significant technical measures to proceed with are tighter commercial energy-efficiency standards, improved waterproofing and condensation controls, and strengthened fire safety in multi-vehicle car parks. The commercial measures include tougher thermal-performance modelling, provisions for on-site generation such as solar, and rules to ensure gas appliances can be replaced with electric alternatives at the end of their life.
Waterproofing changes will require a slight substrate fall on concrete and cement-sheeted horizontal surfaces, such as balconies and podiums, to reduce the likelihood of leakage into apartments. Condensation reforms are modest and climate‑zone specific, building on earlier amendments as buildings become more airtight. Fire-safety updates include higher fire-resistance levels, sprinkler protection for car parks with 40 or more spaces, and sprinklers on car stackers that store two vehicles vertically.
Ministers also agreed to two concessions: proposed voluntary embodied-carbon provisions will be published as an Australian Building Codes Board guidance document rather than being incorporated into the Code, and EV-charging and further residential energy-efficiency measures will be deferred from the NCC 2025.
Master Builders Australia welcomed the pause. “The pausing of the NCC and the work underway to streamline the code’s usability reduces regulatory burden and removes barriers, which have long been called for and are welcomed by the industry,” Master Builders CEO Denita Wawn said.
She argued that the Code had drifted from minimum standards to best-practice benchmarks, which added complexity and poor integration. “Ambitious targets for accessibility and sustainability have added layers of regulation, diverting focus from safety, quality, and the core building process,” Wawn added.
Master Builders confirmed there will be no further residential changes in NCC 2025 beyond essential safety and quality updates: “Builders need this certainty and can’t afford to be held back by unnecessary red tape if Australia has any hope of meeting our housing targets,” according to Wawn.
“We are pleased that the Albanese Government has listened to the concerns of industry on the mounting cost of NCC reform, which adds tens of thousands of dollars to new house prices and holds back innovation,” Oscar Slanley, National President of the Urban Development Institute of Australia, said. “Pausing the Code gives industry the opportunity to concentrate on what matters most — improving construction efficiency and driving innovation.”
Meanwhile, Jocelyn Martin, managing director of the powerful Housing Industry Association, said the pause and reset would help deliver homes more reliably. “The Housing Industry Association (HIA) welcomes commitments made today by Commonwealth and State and Territory Building Ministers in providing decisive action to pause non‑essential building code changes and to reset how the NCC is developed and implemented going forward,” she said.
- To learn more about the National Construction Code (NCC) changes, click here for Sourceable’s dedicated coverage.
