Mark Vender
In a short statement on its website, the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) has confirmed that the 2025 edition of the National Construction Code (NCC) will not be published in line with the usual timetable, in May.
“While some practitioners are familiar with the changes we proposed in the Public Comment Draft (May 2024), we have not yet provided our final advice to Building Ministers and, therefore, no decision has been made about the content, publication or commencement of any future edition,” the statement reads.
“Practitioners should continue working in accordance with the NCC version, and adoption timeline, currently in place in the jurisdiction relevant to their work.”
The message has not come as a surprise to industry, after the delayed and fragmented approach that different jurisdictions have taken to adopting NCC 2022. In some places, exceptions for certain building types have been announced, effectively rolling back the code. And there is also concern among industry that other states and territories will follow the precedent set by South Australia and freeze regular updates to the NCC.
The delay is significant not just because of the provisions in the code, but because the NCC is the path through which new standards such as AS 1668.2:2024 will be called up into state and territory regulations.
The ABCB says it will provide another update when more information is available.
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