The Australian Building Codes Board has released the second stage preview of the National Construction Code 2022. Although a first-stage preview was released in May this year, it did not include the provisions around energy efficiency and condensation management. These new measures have now been agreed to by building ministers, and have been revealed in […]
Legislation updates
Seven-star minimum confirmed for NCC 2022
Building ministers have agreed to the final changes to the 2022 edition of the National Construction Code (NCC), including a minimum 7-star NatHERS rating for new homes. New homes will also have a new annual energy-use budget applicable to major appliances such as space conditioning, hot water, lighting, pool and spa pumps, offset by any […]
Renewable reset for Australian energy policy
A meeting of Australia’s energy ministers on Friday has been hailed as a vital step towards net zero, with the environment to be included as part of the National Energy Objectives. Ministers agreed the vision, principles and key initial priority areas for a new National Energy Transformation Partnership. They described this as “a fundamental reset […]
More time required for NCC 2022
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is recommending that the publication date for the National Construction Code 2022 be pushed back from September to October. Building Ministers are scheduled to meet in late August 2022 and still need to make some key decisions about NCC 2022. This includes the final analysis from the ABCB on […]
Professional registration expanding to Western Australia
Western Australia has taken the next step towards implementing professional registration requirements for engineers, with the release of a Decision Regulatory Impact Statement (DRIS) on registration of building engineers. As it is laid out in the DRIS, the proposed scheme is similar to schemes in other jurisdictions, but also has some important differences. To begin […]
New mech services licensing coming to NSW
The NSW government is preparing to implement a new licensing system for mechanical services in October 2022. The changes were prompted by the need for medical gases licensing, but also include provisions that impact mechanical services workers across refrigeration, air conditioning and plumbing. The Building Amendment (Mechanical Services and Medical Gas Work) Bill 2020 amends […]
Focus on efficiency and electrification in gas roadmap
The Victorian government has released its Gas Substitution Roadmap with the stated aim of helping the state navigate the path to net-zero emissions while providing greater consumer choice and cutting energy bills. The government is touting the plan as Australia’s “first coordinated decarbonisation plan for the gas sector”. And there are good reasons for Victoria […]
Building owners may carry cost of new servicing rules
Industry has warned that building owners and operators may face a financial burden as a result of amendments to the Gas Safety Regulation 2022 in Victoria and the new requirements for maintenance of gas-fired equipment that came into effect on June 1, 2022. With the amendments, two major changes have taken place. First, AS 4575 […]
New explosive gas atmospheres standard on the way
Industry is preparing for a new edition of AS/NZS 60079.10.1:2009, Classification of areas – Explosive gas atmospheres, due to appear later this year. AS/NZS 60079.10.1:2009 is a modified version of the IEC 60079-10-1 standard, published in 2008. Since then there have been two updates to the IEC standard, in 2015 and 2020. The Standards Australia […]
Victoria eyes ban on non-compliant gas space heaters
Energy Safe Victoria is assessing whether to exercise its powers to restrict the supply and sale of open-flued gas space heaters (OFGSHs) that do not comply with the current AS/NZS 5263.1.3 standard. After a consultation in 2020–21 to decide on the best approach to phasing out of OFGSHs that may pose safety risks for households, […]