This is a Public Record of the Australian Building Codes Board meeting held on 3 – 4 July 2023.

Meeting opening

1. Meeting opening and administrative matters

  • The meeting opened with Acknowledgment of Country.
  • The Board noted attendance, apologies, and disclosure of interests any potential or actual conflicts related to matters on the agenda.
  • The Board dealt with meeting administrative matters and received reports from the Chair and Chief Executive Officer.

Strategic matters

2. Pace of change - beyond NCC 2022

  • The Board received and discussed a presentation outlining an initial approach to developing a longer-term road map for the NCC. The Board agreed it would help community, government and industry stakeholders to have more visibility of our work program and longer term issues.
  • The Board agreed that communication about the NCC and the work of the ABCB should be a key focus of our first stakeholder forum. This would also be an opportunity to ask stakeholders what issues they think we should be considering for future buildings.

Matters for decision

3(a). Review of the bonded laminate concession

  • The Board discussed the ongoing bonded laminate concession, including evidence gathered from major cladding replacement programs in Australia.
  • The Board agreed to the development of guidance material to support continued use of conforming products in a compliant manner.

3(b). End of Year financial report

  • The Board received a copy of the ABCB Financial Reports for 2022-23 and agreed to the CEO circulating to Building Ministers.

3(c). NCC Variations report

  • The Board noted the requirement under the Intergovernmental Agreement to provide a report to the Building Ministers meeting (BMM) on state and territory variations to the NCC, and progress towards compilation of that report for 2023.
  • The Board noted the cooperation and assistance being provided by state and territory administrations in preparing this report.

3(d). Risk management and business continuity

  • The Board received a presentation from the Department of Industry, Science, and Resources (DISR) risk management team on the DISR Risk Management Framework.
  • The Office also provided an update on business continuity plans for key functions

3(e). Building resilience

  • The Board received a report on the Office’s progress with the Building Resilience project – including links to the Royal Commission into the National Natural Disaster Arrangements Report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework, and Northern Australia Insurance Enquiry.
  • The Board has established a Steering Committee for this work. The initial focus is further understanding the baseline of existing NCC provisions for relevant natural events under future climate scenarios.

3(f). Product certification reporting

  • The Board received and noted updates on the operation of the WaterMark and CodeMark product certification schemes.
  • The Board also received a status update on the Lead-Free Plumbing transition.

Standing items

4. Board Steering Committee Updates

  • The Board noted the recent activities of the committees guiding key business plan projects including energy efficiency and condensation mitigation.

Published on 21 July 2023