Building surveyors are warning that a push to shrink the National Construction Code to around 80 core pages could strip out flexibility the industry relies on, and ultimately drive up housing costs.

A Senate committee report led by Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg has recommended restructuring the NCC into a mandatory ‘Basic Australian Standard’ covering structural integrity, fire safety, weatherproofing, and basic sanitation. Everything else, accessibility ramps, energy efficiency tiers, liveable housing features, would move to optional modules. Bragg told the National Press Club the code has grown from 200 pages at its 1988 creation to more than 2,000 pages today.

The Australian Institute of Building Surveyors isn’t buying it. AIBS President Wayne Liddy said the proposal underestimates what the code actually has to cover. ‘In Australia, we build across alpine and tropical regions, arid zones and coastal areas,’ Liddy said. ‘We build in places exposed to bushfires, floods and earthquakes, and on everything from rock and sand to deep clay soils.’ He argued the code’s size reflects genuine complexity, not bureaucratic bloat, and that stripping it back would remove compliance options that help builders keep costs down. ‘Simplification will remove that flexibility and make housing more expensive,’ he said.

Liddy also flagged concern that the proposal doesn’t account for the range of structures the NCC governs. Apartments, hospitals, and data centres all sit under the code, and some of those buildings house the country’s most vulnerable people. He said any move to redefine minimum construction standards must not compromise safety, amenity, or Australia’s ability to build at scale.

The Housing Industry Association took a different view. HIA Chief Executive of Industry and Policy Simon Croft welcomed the proposal, saying the code had drifted from its original focus. That split reflects a genuine industry debate: those who want a leaner, faster compliance pathway versus those who say the detail is there for good reason.

The reform push sits alongside a separate Federal Government review of the NCC, led by Treasury, which found in April the code is ‘no longer functioning as a simple, nationally consistent regulatory framework.’ Commonwealth and state governments have already paused non-essential residential changes until at least 2029 while that review works through options to reduce the compliance burden. The Senate committee’s recommendations are one input into that process, not a done deal.

For builders and tradies on the tools, the practical upshot depends on what ends up in the mandatory core and what gets pushed to optional modules. If accessibility features like level-entry showers become opt-in rather than required, some builders will welcome the cost saving, others will find clients and certifiers still want them, just with less clear guidance on delivery. The next concrete step: watch the Treasury review timeline and any response from the Building Ministers’ Meeting.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Senate proposing to change about the National Construction Code?

A Senate committee report led by Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg recommends splitting the NCC into a mandatory ‘Basic Australian Standard’ covering structural integrity, fire safety, weatherproofing, and sanitation, with features like accessibility ramps and energy efficiency tiers moved to optional modules.

Why do building surveyors oppose the plan?

AIBS President Wayne Liddy argues the NCC’s size reflects Australia’s genuine geographic and structural complexity, from bushfire-prone alpine areas to coastal and tropical zones, not bureaucratic bloat. He says stripping it back would remove compliance flexibility and make housing more expensive.

Is the Senate committee’s proposal now law?

No. The Senate committee’s recommendations are one input into a broader Federal Government review led by Treasury. Non-essential residential changes to the NCC have been paused until at least 2029 while that review proceeds.

What does the HIA think of the proposal?

The Housing Industry Association supports it. HIA Chief Executive of Industry and Policy Simon Croft welcomed the plan, saying the code had drifted from its original focus.

Sourced from Sourceable, Australian Institute of Building Surveyors, Housing Industry Association. Original article.