Australia Research, News and Updates

WOBO appreciates the information and support provided by the Australian Building Codes Board.

CEO Update with Judith Blake

For those who may have missed the news article published earlier this month, my name is Judith Blake, and I am currently serving as the interim CEO of the ABCB Office. This is a temporary appointment and in time, I expect to be able to share more about an open recruitment process to select a permanent CEO.

The past few months have been a particularly busy period for the ABCB, with the conclusion of the caretaker period and the outcome of the Federal Election. This has also been a time of transition for our office, as we’ve recently been informed that we are moving to a new Commonwealth portfolio in the coming weeks.

You can find more details about this departmental move, our most recent Board meeting and our upcoming Committee meetings by reading the full CEO Update.  Read more in this month’s CEO update

ABCB data resources

We have made the NCC 2022 data available on data.gov.au.

One of the datasets available is NCC 2022 XML data which is machine-readable and suitable for a wide range of applications, from research and analysis to software development.

All of our datasets are under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Feel free to share, adapt, and build upon the data, just remember to credit the ABCB.

Consultation open: National Voluntary Certification Scheme for Manufacturers of Modern Methods of Construction issues paper

The Australian Government tasked the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to work with the states and territories to develop and deliver:
  • a National Voluntary Certification Scheme for Manufacturers of Modern Methods of Construction (the Scheme)
  • nationally consistent definitions for modern methods of construction to be included in the National Construction Code (NCC).
The Scheme, along with the NCC definitions for modern methods of construction, aims to establish a uniform national regulatory framework. This approach is designed to support the growth and efficiency of building manufacturing and construction as well as the market for prefabricated and modular housing throughout Australia.

As part of developing the Scheme and the consistent NCC definitions, the ABCB has released an issues paper.

The issues paper:

  • provides context on why the Scheme and the consistent NCC definitions need to be developed
  • provides some background information about prefabricated and modular construction (modern methods of construction), including its current state in Australia and other countries
  • lists the benefits of modern methods of construction
  • outlines principles and options that could be included in the Scheme
  • outlines challenges and issues in developing and implementing the Scheme and the consistent NCC definitions
  • provides other information related to the development and delivery of the Scheme and the consistent NCC definitions.

We are seeking feedback from industry and the public on the questions posed throughout the paper.

Read the issues paper and submit your feedback via our Consultation Hub by 29 August 2025 (11:59pm AEST).  Access the consultation

 

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