Opposition housing spokesperson Andrew Bragg promised Wednesday to cut the National Construction Code from over 2,000 pages to just 80 if elected, arguing current regulations have made it "illegal to build a cheap house in Australia." Speaking at the National Press Club, the Liberal senator said existing rules require "gold-plated houses" that price families out of homeownership, with everything beyond basic safety standards—including accessibility and energy efficiency requirements—becoming optional under his proposal.
"We will pare this back," Bragg said, according to excerpts shared with the ABC. Houses built under the shorter code "won't be gold plated but it won't fall apart. It will be safe." The proposed streamlined code would be accompanied by a federal "pattern book" offering approved templates for builders.
The Regulatory Burden
The National Construction Code, established under a different name in 1988, started at roughly eighty pages but has ballooned under successive governments. Evidence heard by a Senate inquiry into productivity, which Senator Bragg chaired, found the last seven years of code changes have added between $3,600 and $33,000 to the cost of a new house. Building groups and the Productivity Commission have estimated that regulations add thousands to the cost of each newly built home.
A new Productivity Commission report calls on governments to embrace a "build mindset" to make housing more affordable. The commission's recent inquiry into the construction sector found that zoning and regulatory approvals processes were more burdensome than building regulations, though its terms of reference didn't include direct consideration of the construction code.
ABCB chief executive Adrian Piani told Senator Bragg's inquiry the section relating to "your standard house" was just 332 pages. He identified two main reasons for the code's expansion. One was the inclusion of guidance—transforming the document from simple performance requirements into detailed instructions with pictures and diagrams. The other was expanded scope, including a mandated seven-star energy efficiency rating and mandatory accessibility standards. Senator Bragg listed "mandatory ramps" and "flattened shower flooring" as examples of requirements he'd make optional.
Implementation Challenges
While Bragg's proposal would retain much existing guidance as "optional"—with the desired length informed by New Zealand's approach—such a dramatic reduction could involve risks. The fire-related sections alone in the existing code run to more than 80 pages, even though Senator Bragg has suggested that "essential structural, fire safety, and health-related" standards will be retained.
Much of the construction code deals with inconsistencies across states and territories, which the federal government doesn't have the power to change. The code is developed nationally by the Australian Building Codes Board but implemented in state and territory laws, meaning any changes would require cooperation across jurisdictions.
Treasury's Inspector-General of Housing, Ben Rimmer, told Senate estimates earlier this year the complexity of the construction code was "a significant impost on the economy" and a "significant driver of cost," but that much of this was due to states and territories. "We don't have a National Construction Code … we actually have eight different construction regulatory systems depending on which state and territory you happen to be in on that day of the week," he said. "If you're a plumber living in Wodonga and you cross the border, you have a different set of regulations."
Government Response
Treasurer Jim Chalmers told ABC Radio National the government had already been working to streamline the code. "[Andrew Bragg] is a bit late to the party on this, we have been very clear that the code is too hard to navigate and it's too costly, and we're making it easier and faster to build by pausing the code and working with the states and the industry to streamline it," Mr. Chalmers said. He said Housing Minister Clare O'Neil had met with the industry on about 30 occasions over the past year to develop a streamlined code, with a final plan due to be presented to building ministers later this year.
Labor minister Tim Ayres criticized Senator Bragg's longstanding aspiration to slash the code at Senate estimates, noting that recent changes included measures to improve waterproofing for balconies. "I just don't think you can argue — well, you can if you want — [against] stopping people having to spend $2 billion in rectification costs because apartment balconies are leaking," he said.
Senator Bragg also argued the Albanese government has allowed net overseas migration to outpace housing construction, creating a shortfall of 130,000 homes. The Coalition intends to link migration to housing completions. "This … can be achieved while benefiting the budget and the economy, including by lifting the skilled share of our permanent migration … and modest reductions in international students, working holiday makers and post-study work visas."
Labor is preparing its own plan to keep net migration closer to Treasury projections, as reported by the ABC last week. The details have been the subject of extensive cabinet debate. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said on Monday there was "work to do." A National Press Club address by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, cancelled at short notice last week, hasn't yet been scheduled but is expected as soon as next week. Labor's proposal is expected to include restrictions on working holiday makers and those who fail in their applications for humanitarian visas, including many graduated students.
Why This Matters:
The housing affordability crisis demands serious examination of regulatory barriers that add tens of thousands to the cost of new homes. When building codes have expanded from 80 pages to over 2,000 in less than four decades, questions about regulatory creep are legitimate. The Senate inquiry's finding that recent changes alone added up to $33,000 per house represents a significant barrier to homeownership for working families. However, the challenge lies in implementation—the federal government doesn't control state-based building regulations, and any streamlining requires cooperation across eight different jurisdictions. The debate also highlights the tension between worthy policy goals like energy efficiency and accessibility versus the immediate need for affordable housing supply. With net migration outpacing housing construction by 130,000 homes, both parties recognize the urgency. Whether streamlining happens through Bragg's 80-page vision or Labor's incremental reforms, reducing regulatory costs without compromising essential safety standards remains critical to addressing Australia's housing shortage.