NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CODE — SEVEN-STAR EFFICIENCY
RATING
783. Hon Dr BRAD PETTITT to the minister representing the
Minister for Commerce:
I refer to the decision made by all
Australian states last week to sign on to the new seven-star efficiency rating
in the National Construction Code and adopt 21 May 2023 as the start date for
the new seven-star requirement.
(1) Why is WA the
only state that has not announced a clear start date for the seven-star
requirement to come into effect?
(2) When will WA announce its start
date to give the building industry certainty?
(3) When will WA
adopt the NCC's new minimum accessibility standards as a requirement,
known as the liveability standards, noting
it has already been adopted by all other Labor state governments in the
country?
Hon DARREN
WEST replied:
I answer on behalf of the minister
representing the Minister for Commerce. I thank the honourable member for some
notice of the question. On behalf of the Minister for Commerce, I provide the
following answer.
(1)–(2) Not
all jurisdictions have committed to an implementation date prior to October
2023. Building ministers agreed that the code will be available for voluntary
use from 1 October 2022 and will commence on 1 May 2023. The building ministers'
meeting communique indicates that building ministers recognised that individual
jurisdictions may make modifications to the implementation time frame to
address local circumstances. At this stage,
the implementation time frame for Western Australia is still under
consideration. I can advise that Western Australia has a 12-month
transition prescribed in the Building Regulations 2012 for all new editions of
the National Construction Code.
(3) WA is not in
a position to adopt the accessibility provisions at present. We will continue
to monitor the situation in the industry and the housing market.