National Construction Code

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Will the minister release modelling and government estimates to quantify the impact of recent changes to the National Construction Code for South Australians who are building a home? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr TELFER: In The Advertiser this week, the minister reportedly said that 'modelling and estimates of government show the new standards including liveability changes can be done for less than $10,000'.

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Planning) (14:39): The modelling is the province of the Building Ministers' Meeting and the board that is tasked with undertaking all of those changes. I am happy to see what I can release to the house on notice. I am happy to provide a more fulsome answer, but what I would say is that these are sensible reforms that are done at a national level. They are being implemented around the states. We delayed the implementation for a year, to October this year, to give the building industry time to adjust to those changes. Those changes are very important for adaptation in terms of climate change and making houses cooler and more efficient. They are a net benefit to people over the life of those homes.

The second important consideration that has happened in the NCC are the liveability changes, which are all about futureproofing homes, particularly for as we age. For instance, it involves putting a secure wall behind the bathroom so handrails and other safety measures can be attached as people age in place. It would seem to me that they are all sensible matters.

There have been various numbers thrown around in the media. I can assure the member that, as we have sat down with industry groups, they have engaged with us and engaged with PLUS and we have been able to work with them in a constructive way in order to have a pathway to deliver these very important reforms. That has been a collegiate process. As part of that process, there have been some exemptions. They are sensible exemptions so the industry can continue to provide homes for South Australia.