Propose a Change

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) uses the Proposal for Change (PFC) process to consider suggested technical changes to the National Construction Code (NCC). 

The ABCB develops and maintains the NCC to ensure buildings and plumbing systems meet minimum standards for health, safety, amenity, accessibility and sustainability. 

The NCC is typically updated on a 3-year cycle. Updates are informed by regulatory practices, industry research, public feedback, and government policy directions between publishing cycles.

The ABCB is committed to following good regulatory practice. This means that any proposed change to the NCC must meet the following requirements: 

• The proposed change is rigorously tested.
• The regulation would generate greater benefit to society than the cost (a net benefit).
• There is no regulatory or non-regulatory alternative (whether under the responsibility of the ABCB or not) that would generate higher net benefit. 
• The regulation’s impact on competition has been considered and the regulation is no more restrictive than necessary in the public interest.

The Office of Impact Analysis at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet works to ensure government policy and decisions are supported by the best possible evidence and analysis. The OIA provides Guidance on Impact Analysis, which the ABCB is required to observe. 

Anyone can submit a suggested change to the NCC at any time. You can suggest a change to any volume of the NCC, as well as the Housing Provisions Standard. 

We’ll consider your suggested change for possible inclusion in a future edition of the NCC. However, it may not appear in the next edition and submitting a Proposal for Change does not guarantee it will be accepted for inclusion.

To allow for sufficient time for review and consideration, we recommend submitting proposals as early as possible. Learn how Proposals for Change fit into the lifecycle of the NCC. 

If you would like to propose a change to the NCC, read the information on this page to find out about the process and requirements. 

What types of proposals will be considered

Proposals to change the NCC should focus on technical matters. We will not consider proposals relating to public policy issues through this process. 

If your proposal addresses matters outside the scope of the NCC or would not result in a material change to an existing provision, we cannot consider it. 

Proposals we may consider include:

• changes that improve public safety
• corrections to possible errors in the current NCC
• changes that enhance industry efficiency.

Proposals we won’t consider include:

• changes that provide a significant benefit to an organisation or product
• changes that impose significant cost or regulatory burden on industry
• proposals without enough supporting evidence or consultation.

As agreed by Building Ministers in October 2025, no further residential changes to the NCC will be made until mid-2029, following the finalisation of NCC 2025. The exception will be changes needed for essential quality and safety purposes. For more information, read the Building Ministers Meeting: Communique October 2025.

What to include in your proposal

Your Proposal for Change submission should include:

• a description of the proposal and how it is expected to solve the problem
• an explanation of the problem, including evidence that the problem exists
• information about who will be affected and how they will be affected by the proposed change, including the potential burden on industry through increased cost or regulation
• details of any non-regulatory alternatives considered, and reasons why these are not preferred
• information about any consultation undertaken as part of developing the proposal.

The amount of detail you provide should be proportionate to the significance and potential impact of the proposed change. 

Tips to give your proposal the best chance to succeed

• Answer all questions. If information is missing or incomplete, we may ask for more detail which could delay consideration of your proposal.
• Provide relevant information, justification and evidence such as correspondence, research papers or journal articles that support your position. This will help us assess the merits of your proposal. 
• Show that you have considered potential impacts (both costs and benefits), but you don’t need to provide a full cost benefit analysis at this stage. Include some evidence. More information about costs and benefits is included on this page.
• Contact the ABCB Office to discuss your proposal if you are unsure about how much analysis is needed. 

• Download the Proposal for Change template (Microsoft Word format only).
• Complete all sections of the template. 
• Include supporting evidence and consultation details.
• When you are ready to submit your proposal, email it to nationalconstructioncode@treasury.gov.au
• Submit a separate proposal for each change.

After you submit your proposal, we will send you an email to confirm we’ve received it.

The ABCB Office will then review your proposal and may table it at a Building Codes Committee and/or Plumbing Code Committee meeting.

We consider a range of factors when reviewing proposals including the:

• quality of evidence and consultation provided
• possible impacts on public health and safety
• validity and accuracy of claims made.

If your proposal is assessed as having merit, the committee(s) may recommend that the proposed change be included in the public comment draft of a future edition of the NCC.

We will let you know of the outcome by email. If needed, we may ask you to revise your proposal or provide more information.

Your Proposal for Change and any accompanying information will not be publicly released, unless required by law. However, the information you submit will be shared with the ABCB and its committees for assessment and consideration. 

Please note that information collected may be subject to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.

For more details, read our privacy policy.