Information last reviewed at:
22 September 2007
Related Archived Documents
About the ABCB
Page 1 of 3
About the ABCB
The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) is a joint initiative of all levels of government in Australia and includes representatives from the building industry. The Board was established under an Inter-government Agreement signed by the Australian, State and Territory governments in March 1994 and reaffirmed in April 2006.
The ABCB's Mission
The ABCB's mission is to oversee issues relating to health, safety, amenity and sustainability in buildings through the creation of nationally consistent building codes, standards, regulatory requirements and regulatory systems.
The ABCB:
- maintains and updates the Building Code of Australia (BCA);
- provides the community with cost-effective and efficient regulations to aid the design, construction and use of buildings throughout Australia;
- responds to government and industry calls for minimum necessary regulation to facilitate, not inhibit, business;
- supports the Council of Australian Government (COAG) in the pursuit of its National Reform Agenda that aims to address issues relating to climate change, human capital, competition and regulatory reforms to lift Australia's prosperity.
The Board's Role
The ABCB Board consists of an independent Chairman, four industry representatives, an Australian Government representative, senior executives responsible for building regulatory matters from all State and Territory Governments, and a local government representative. Board members are appointed by Ministers.
The Board is responsible for the strategic oversight and direction of the regulatory reform program, policy development and direction, priorities and budget and financial control.
The Board reports directly to the Australian Government Minister and State and Territory Ministers responsible for building regulatory matters. It provides a vital link for the building industry between building practice and government building regulatory policy.
It is also a catalyst for regulatory reform and seeks to balance the competing views of all stakeholders involved in the building and construction industry, including the community.
The Board:
- Sets minimum technical building requirements, standards and regulatory systems that are nationally consistent between States and Territories and which are cost-effective, performance-based and facilitate modern and efficient building practices;
- Ensures that the BCA is maintained and continues to meet the ABCB's objectives of health, safety, amenity and sustainability in buildings;
- Performs a regulatory "gatekeeper" role and to examine and promote opportunities to reduce regulatory burden;
- Undertakes and encourages innovative research and development within the industry to ensure a world-class performance-based building code;
- Consults with Government, industry and the community to achieve transparency in the regulation reform process;
- Simplifies the wording of the BCA requirements to achieve user-friendliness;
- Coordinates reform activities with other agencies to ensure consistency and encourage consolidation into the BCA of all mandatory requirements affecting buildings;
- Promotes national consistency in building regulations;
- Facilitates an efficient regulatory environment leading to an internationally competitive building and construction industry; and
- Undertakes education and marketing activities to increase awareness of building regulatory reform and to enhance the use of Board publications and products.