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Home owners who want to rebuild in bushfire-prone areas will be able to get access to the Australian Standards for buildings at no cost.
The government has partnered with Standards Australia to waive the access fee for the bushfire construction standard, a practical way to assist the recovery, Industry, Science and Technology Minister Karen Andrews said.
“Australians who are rebuilding their lives or planning new construction following the recent devastating bushfires should not have to worry about the cost of ensuring that their families are protected under the latest bushfire standard,” Ms Andrews said.
The Australian Standards code will give professionals guidance on how to improve a building’s design to withstand bushfires better.
“Everything that we’ve heard so far is telling us that houses built to the standard performed well. We’re currently looking for data about how AS 3959:2018 homes held up and working with relevant committees to support their ongoing work to help in this rebuilding phase,” Standards Australia CEO Adrian O’Connell said.
This announcement was welcomed by the Housing Industry Association, which said it will make the rebuilding process “a little more smoothly”.
“This is an important example of how Standards Australia are working with new licensing arrangements to ensure those who need to access Australian Standards can do so readily,” HIA industry policy chief executive Kristin Brookfield said.
“The residential building industry relies heavily on these technical standards and contributes significant time and resources to support their development. As a member of the Standards Council and a member of the AS 3959 Committee that develops this particular standard, HIA is pleased to see open access being provided.”
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