Commonwealth, state and territory Building Ministers met on 22 October 2025 to agree the pause and streamlining of the NCC in line with the Commonwealth announcement on 24 August 2025.
Ministers agreed the pause provides a timely opportunity for collaboration between jurisdictions and industry to improve and modernise the NCC by considering how to:
- streamline and use AI to improve its useability
- reduce the regulatory burden on the building and construction industry
- remove barriers to the uptake of modern methods of construction
- improve how code provisions are developed and the timing of future updates.
Key reforms agreed for inclusion in NCC 2025 include:
- water management in commercial and apartment buildings to prevent water ingress
- carpark fire safety provisions for commercial and apartment buildings
- commercial energy efficiency reforms including efficiency improvements and mandatory on-site solar photovoltaic systems to support net zero ambitions
- sanitary facilities including an increase in the number of female facilities in single auditoria buildings
- residential condensation mitigation provisions
Ministers agreed further electric vehicle (EV) charging provisions and residential changes would not be introduced in NCC 2025. This approach maintains the significant improvements in residential energy efficiency standards and the provision of infrastructure to support EV charging in commercial buildings adopted in NCC 2022. Voluntary embodied carbon provisions will be published as an ABCB guidance document.
Further information can be found in the published Communiqué.
The ABCB released NCC 2025 on 1 May 2026.
States and territories can adopt NCC 2025 from 1 May 2026, subject to jurisdictional implementation arrangements. Further information is available at NCC 2025 state and territory adoption information.
