The South Australian government has flagged that it’s looking to “implement a unique roadmap” for its transition to the latest revision of the National Construction Code.
The Australian Institute of Architects has called the delay “disappointing”, pointing out the construction sector has been aware of the NCC 2022 recommendations for at least 18 months.
Last week, building ministers finally agreed to a timeline for implementing the 2022 edition of the National Construction Code (NCC). It includes a requirement for new residential homes to meet a 7 Star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) thermal performance standard.
NCC 2022 will officially come into force on 1 May 2023, with a transition period to 1 October 2023 for the provisions around energy efficiency, condensation and accessible housing provisions.
During this transition period, builders and constructors will be able to use a compliance pathway that meets either the new NCC’s 7 Star standard, or the 6 Star standard set out in the previous version of the nation’s building code.
However, the official minister’s communique also states that “individual jurisdictions may make modifications to implementation to address local circumstances such as condensation, renewable energy capacity and local climatic conditions”.
It looks like the state’s Malinauskas Labor government is looking to take full advantage of this clause to delay the rollout of the NCC.
The announcement was buried in a media release by South Australia’s Housing and Urban Development Minister Nick Champion, which was ironically titled “South Australia supports building standards reform”.
“The government will continue to work with the building and development industry, disability advocates and other stakeholders to implement a roadmap unique to South Australia, which takes into account current pressures on the construction and building sector and the housing crisis,” Mr Champion said.
At this stage, the minister has not indicated a timeline for implementing the state’s unique roadmap.
Another delay to the NCC amid state planning law reviews
The NCC is revised every three years, with the previous version being released in 2019.
However, to allow time for the pandemic and to allow the industry time to transition to 7 Star homes, the release of the current version was pushed back by 12 months.
Then in August, the Australian Building Codes Board announced a further delay from September until October.
The delay comes as the SA government is getting underway with a long-awaited review of the state’s Planning and Design Code, flagged in the lead-up to the last state election in March.
The planning review will look at the key areas of infill policy, urban tree cover, character, heritage protection and car parking. The state is also examining how its planning laws manage climate risks, including floods, bushfires and urban tree cover.
- Climate resilience on the agenda, as submissions open for Malinauskas’ SA planning review
- Heritage or higher density: Peter Malinauskas’ big dilemma over South Australia’s planning laws
Here’s what the architects are saying…
For its part, the SA branch of the AIA welcomed the state government’s decision to implement the NCC, including the livable housing design standards – overturning a policy by the state previous Liberal government to not implement the accessibility portion of the code.
However, it questioned why the state is not better prepared for the new standards, given some states are already implementing the 7 Star efficiency standard and most states have agreed to implement NCC 2022 by 1 October 2023.
The Fifth Estate understands the institute met with the Minister two days prior to the building ministers ,eeting.
During the meeting, Mr Champion stated that the SA government was very concerned about the impact that implementation of the NCC 2022 would have on housing supply and availability and on the profitability of the residential construction sector.
As a result, he would not commit to implementation by October 2023 in line with the ABCB’s recommendation.
“Every month another 800 homes are built in South Australia, according to the ABS [Australian Bureau of Statistics]. The costs incurred over the 60 to 80-year life for those homes that do not meet the new standards will far exceed any increase in initial construction cost,” the AIA said in a statement.
“While we respect the government’s concern that the changes may impact housing at a time where housing affordability and supply are clearly an issue, studies show that the recent record levels of activity in the housing sector have resulted in a decrease in the amount of affordable and social housing in South Australia.”
The AIA also called on the Malinauskas government to prioritise the rollout of industry training. It pointed to the state’s Construction Industry Training Board as a way that the state could subsidise the cost of the construction industry reskilling for the NCC.