Effective consultation and engagement is important!

Our Consultation Hub has been a hive of activity since its launch in August 2019. The ABCB released several items for consultation including the public comment draft for NCC 2019 Amendment 1, a Preliminary Impact Analysis (PIA) of options for Early Childhood Centres, a survey seeking feedback on developing Performance Solutions and much more.

We also trialled a webinar as a method of engaging with a wider audience. The webinar discussed the Fire Safety Verification Method (FSVM), with particular focus on the FSVM Handbook and Data sheets.

Read on to learn more about the results of our recent consultation activities.

Throughout September and October 2019, the ABCB released the public comment draft of NCC 2019 Amendment 1. Of the 76 responses received on the proposed changes, 71 respondents opted to have their responses published, either by name or anonymously.

Subject to the Board’s approval, it is anticipated that a preview of the final version of NCC 2019 Amendment 1 will be made available in March 2020 and be adopted by the states and territories from 1 June 2020.

For more information on the changes, register for the 2020 NCC Seminars.

Early childhood centres PIA

Accompanying the public comment draft was a PIA on options for Early Childhood Centres in High Rise Buildings. The ABCB received 34 detailed responses from interested stakeholders. This feedback will assist the Board and its committees in assessing the different options proposed for changing the NCC.

The ABCB released a scoping study that sought initial views on the proposed approach and scope of future changes to the NCC energy efficiency provisions, particularly in 2022. This consultation process attracted 130 responses about residential and commercial building energy efficiency. We are currently analysing the valuable feedback received and expect to publish the responses in December 2019.

The ABCB was overwhelmed with interest in the FSVM webinar held in August 2019, with over 640 viewers tuning in for the presentation. Hosted by the ABCB, we were joined by the Fire Protection Association Australia, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council and the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors. The webinar provided guidance on the use of the FSVM, with viewers given opportunity to ask questions.

Using an online videoconferencing platform, panellists from across the country presented and interacted with the audience. The platform allowed viewers to access the webinar through desktop, tablet or mobile devices. The ABCB will publish the webinar on the ABCB YouTube channel soon.

Following the webinar, the ABCB released a public survey to seek views on what else the ABCB can do to improve education and awareness needs. The ABCB received 123 responses from interested stakeholders. The feedback indicated practitioners want: more and simpler guidance in different online formats; information about applying the FSVM, including worked examples and case studies; links to training; and more opportunities to ask questions during webinars.

You can read about how the ABCB will be using this feedback by checking out the We Asked, You Said, We Did statement. The ABCB will be continuing to use this Consultation Hub feature to keep you informed about how we will use this information to improve our interaction with you.

Recently the ABCB released a survey to help us better understand how Performance Solutions are prepared and whether they are consistent with the intent and objectives of the NCC. The ABCB received 297 responses, providing useful feedback that will be used to develop the NCC requirements and associated economic analysis.

If you are interested in the feedback from this survey, check back in early 2020 when the ABCB will publish the related ‘We Asked, You Said, We Did’ statement.

The ABCB is continuing to build on its stakeholder engagement activities and will continue to keep practitioners informed of other new technologies being considered. For now, ensure that you bookmark the ABCB’s Consultation Hub and check back regularly to see other items released for public consultation.