The next step in the project is the undertaking of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) of options for potential minimum accessibility standards for housing, to be applied through the National Construction Code (NCC). Accessible housing is any housing that includes features to enable use by people either with a disability or through their life stages.
The RIA will consider the Livable Housing Design Guidelines Silver and Gold level specifications as possible options for a minimum accessibility standard, and additional options identified through consultation.
This project was initiative through the Building Ministers’ Forum with the support of Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 2017 and is part of the ABCB’s 2018-2019 Work Program.
The RIA will be carried out in two stages: Early Consultation informed by an Options Paper, followed by a formal Regulation Impact Statement (RIS). The Options Paper will be used as a way to refine the details of the options, objectives and terminology that will be considered in the RIS.
The RIS will be conducted in accordance with the COAG Principles for Best Practice Regulation, as required under the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) Inter-governmental Agreement
Submit a response to the Accessible Housing Consultation RIS, which will be released in 2019
A RIS will be produced, providing Governments with analysis of the impacts of proceeding with regulation of housing accessibility through the NCC. The information will be used to inform the nature and extent of the issue and possible options for a minimum accessibility standard.